Burnin' Sterno

Happy 72nd B-day Dad!! Hard to believe that it was Wednesday already. The last week before Xmas is moving by so swiftly. I was up before 5:30am even though I felt like I wanted more sleep. I considered abbreviating my exercise routine but ended up doing the entire set. Glad I did! Mindy asked to be woke up at 6:15 despite having the day off work to attend a chiropractic appointment. She cited a couple of reasons which made sense. So, after exercise, walking Ykraps, coffee, and finally meditation, I took Mindy her morning coffee. Or maybe she came down to get her won. Yeah, that’s what happened. I put the second tray of lasagna in the oven before leaving on my run knowing that it would be all but ready upon my return. Anyway, I was just dressing for my run. I chose to skip the MP3 player and run in silence pondering my own existence and its relevance. It was a nice run – surprisingly a bit cool still. As I recall, the temperature was near 24 degrees even as high’s were predicted to be in the 40’s later on. My run went well and because it was clear, I could see the morning unfolding during. The lasagna had another five minutes to go by the time I made my return. Mindy was gracious enough to find the warming rack and trays. She volunteered to stop in the Flower Factory to buy some new Sterno cans and pass them off to me later at Bella’s school Xmas play. That would work. I left the two trays of lasagna in the oven on warm while I showered and ultimately dashed off to work. My plan was to stop by the house after Bella’s play and pick them up. So, after my shower, I walked Jacob to the bus stop. Mindy came rushing down, however, just before the bus arrived. Jacob forgot to take his Viagra. Soon he was off to school and me to work. I wasn’t at work but for an hour then I had to leave for Bella’s school Xmas play. I was one of the first parents there. I reserved a few spots up front ensuring select viewing and picture taking angles. Soon Mindy & her mother arrived. The play was short and sweet. Actually, it wasn’t a play at all. Rather, a singing recital. IT was over just after 10:30am. They wee having the parents in for cake after but because I had an 11am staff meeting I beelined for the door. Bella understood. Mindy handed off the two new Sterno cans before I left. I stopped back home as planned and picked up the lasagna. I placed both trays in an empty cooler and then grabbed the warming racks. At work I sat everything down and then hurried to the already in progress staff meeting. It was very brief. I was out of there before noon. Back in the office I set the warming trays up, filled with water, and lit the Sterno cans. Because we had only one warming tray, I alternated the two trays of lasagna. That worked well. My peer, Sandy, made a boat load of spaghetti and sauce with big hunks of sausage and meatballs. Another peer supplied the salad and breadstix. All said and done, it made for a real nice spread. Our teams had to nothing aside from eating! I forgot to mention that I brought some buffalo cheese dip and Tostitos too. The work day went by quickly. Soon I was leaving for home. Most of the lasagna was eaten save for about six hunks of the meatless. I took that home. Everyone was gone. Mindy had her Chiro appointment and the kids were with their daddy. I used the time constructively, of course. After finishing the necessary chores I did some catching up on my webpage. Mindy and the kids were home in no time at all. I got the kids in their jammies just before Mindy arrived. Bella was very excited that there was leftover lasagna. She digs her Italian food! Her and Mindy both enjoyed some. After the kids wee in bed (Mindy allowed them to stay up and watch network Frosty) I watched some South Park! :) Mindy headed to bed at 9:30pm. I wasn’t far behind.