I tossed and tuned through much of the night once again feeling certain that I wouldn’t reach the much coveted REM sleep. Despite the sleeplessness, I was up at 5:30am ready to begin yet another work week.
I began my exercise routine in earnest at 5:35am and finished by 5:50am. I was outdoors with Ykraps minutes later. The temperature, while chilly, wasn’t even close to the bone chilling cold we had last week. Ykraps seemed to appreciate the slightly warmer weather. When we returned home, I confirmed the temperature. It was a balmy 26 degrees. It was clear, too, and because of that, I was looking forward to seeing Venus and Jupiter rise in the sky while I ran.
After delivering Mindy’s morning coffee I settled in front of the PC for some of my own. I read the Daily OM and then headed off for meditation. I allowed time to pass freely, not getting up to run until it was 6:31am. I dressed somewhat quickly and warmly. I was out the door by 6:37am. As I headed east I could see the two planets mentioned earlier off in the E/SE sky just above the horizon. Venus was the brighter or the two by far. As I understand it, they should be visible for about a week with the moon entering the mix on Sunday & Monday of next week. Check it out!
My run went well. I was quite comfortable. I used my MP3 player listening to NPR all the while I ran. It really made the time fly. When I returned, Mindy was just dishing up our scrambled eggs. Perfect! Both children were up and in good moods. Bella opted for a Toaster Strudel and Jacob a bowl of Capt’n Crunch. Mindy & the peanut soon left. Jacob asked to play Wii. Yes, I said. I am, said I.
Oops! It was already 7:56am when I made my way downstairs. I quickly alerted Jacob to our tardiness and begged for urgency. He headed out the door while I stuffed my gear into the trooper and started the engine. I met him at the bus stop. He was full of energy. That poor ol’ bus driver!
I arrived for work just before 8:30am. I got settled in quickly and before I knew it was time for my afternoon errands. Today’s stops included Home Depot and Saturday’s. At Home Depot my mission was simple. Get an actual estimate on new countertops – granite and laminate. Heather helped me out. She seemed to know her stuff. I had already taken the time a couple weeks ago to create a precise detailed computer drawing complete with measurements, so I had a rough idea of the cost. However, I wanted to see the numbers straight from them. As I expected, there were hidden charges, but they were higher than even I expected. The total for granite was $4400 even after the $300 savings. Of that, $1500 was for the not so apparent extras like back splash, contouring an edge, prepping for an under the counter sink, and finally tear out and haul away of the old tops. That’s some bucks! For the HD laminate, the estimate was $1600. Before leaving I asked for the uninstalled price. That was only $780. Still plenty of money but compared to $4400 it sounded good. I figure I could easily install the laminate countertops myself. Dad and I did it on Valleyview Dr. with little trouble.
I was gone only 40 minutes. I figured I still had time to sneak in a haircut. I hurried over to Saturday’s just around the corner. Connie got me right in. Rare for it to be completely empty. It didn’t take her long – never does! I saw that the price just went up again. It’s now $17.95 for an adult cut. Gee Whiz! I remember it being $11.95 some years ago. I’ve been coming to this Saturday’s for years. Probably since 1994. Prior to that Colleen Chilcote often cut my hair. She always did a great job, but I had to schedule it in advance, and I tend to manage haircuts on a more impromptu basis. I was back at my desk by 2:15pm – gone just a smidge beyond an hour.
The afternoon moved swiftly. The day was over before it began (I just like saying that. It’s really impossible). I didn’t leave for home until 5:25pm. Mindy asked that I pick-up pizzas on my way home to celebrate “family day”, or Bella’s adoption day. Her mother was over to share in the celebration. I immediately called Minelli’s and placed an order for a large pep and a medium cheese.
Good timing. I actually had to wait a few minutes upon arrival there. That’s what I prefer. That way the pies are as hot as possible. As I so often do, I woofed down a slice during my travels home.
There was a strange vehicle in the drive when I arrived home. What bugged me was that they were blocking my parking path preventing me from using the driveway all together. I had to park along the curb. Turns out, it was Mindy’s jewelry party friend dropping off her order. She left soon after an introduction. I greeted Gloria who was already sitting at the dinette table. Mindy had already walked Ykraps making my evening just that much easier. Before settling down to enjoy more pizza I rinsed my lunch containers and prepped tomorrow’s coffee. Time to eat!
The pizza was especially tasty! We all enjoyed our fair share. After pizza, Mindy gave Bella & Jacob our family day gift to open. It was a new Wii game, Carnival. The kids naturally wanted to play right away, but we still had a cake to blow out and eat. Mindy lit the candles on the adoption day cake. Meanwhile, I grabbed my camera and took pictures while singing to the occasion.
That was fun! The kids were too excited about playing their new Wii game. Mindy got it fired up while I cleaned up the kitchen. See a pattern here? Jacob took charge being the assertive big brother. We had to pry the Wii remote out of his hands to get Bella a turn. Gloria was quick to point out that while we were celebrating family day, we wouldn’t be celebrating at all if it weren’t for Bella’s adoption. It was all in jest, however. In the meantime, I mandated that we reset and activate the 2nd Wii remote. But no matter what we did it wouldn’t take. I even changed the batteries. That still didn’t work. I figured it was dropped or abused in some fashion. I was frustrated. We resorted to having the kids play with a single remote. It was just after 7PM. Gloria was getting tired and wanted to head home. Mindy left with her mother. While they were gone I grabbed the Wii documentation and began researching the how-to-program the Wii remote to the console. Sure enough, we hadn’t programmed either of them correctly. After doing so, it worked just fine. I had a sneakin’ suspicion.
Mindy was back at home in no time at all. She immediately coaxed the children upstairs to ready for bed. Meanwhile, I downloaded new photos. I headed up for the tuck-in a few minutes later. After the kids were neatly tucked away, I shared the counter top estimates with Mindy. Afterwards, Mindy went back up to deal with beckoning children. I went back to the PC where I tinkered with photo editing tools. Mindy called it a night before 9:30pm She said she didn’t feel 100%. I eventually made my way to the family room to play Wii golf. I played several rounds, or for about an hour. I headed up to bed soon after only to find myself lying their awake … again.
I began my exercise routine in earnest at 5:35am and finished by 5:50am. I was outdoors with Ykraps minutes later. The temperature, while chilly, wasn’t even close to the bone chilling cold we had last week. Ykraps seemed to appreciate the slightly warmer weather. When we returned home, I confirmed the temperature. It was a balmy 26 degrees. It was clear, too, and because of that, I was looking forward to seeing Venus and Jupiter rise in the sky while I ran.
After delivering Mindy’s morning coffee I settled in front of the PC for some of my own. I read the Daily OM and then headed off for meditation. I allowed time to pass freely, not getting up to run until it was 6:31am. I dressed somewhat quickly and warmly. I was out the door by 6:37am. As I headed east I could see the two planets mentioned earlier off in the E/SE sky just above the horizon. Venus was the brighter or the two by far. As I understand it, they should be visible for about a week with the moon entering the mix on Sunday & Monday of next week. Check it out!
My run went well. I was quite comfortable. I used my MP3 player listening to NPR all the while I ran. It really made the time fly. When I returned, Mindy was just dishing up our scrambled eggs. Perfect! Both children were up and in good moods. Bella opted for a Toaster Strudel and Jacob a bowl of Capt’n Crunch. Mindy & the peanut soon left. Jacob asked to play Wii. Yes, I said. I am, said I.
Oops! It was already 7:56am when I made my way downstairs. I quickly alerted Jacob to our tardiness and begged for urgency. He headed out the door while I stuffed my gear into the trooper and started the engine. I met him at the bus stop. He was full of energy. That poor ol’ bus driver!
I arrived for work just before 8:30am. I got settled in quickly and before I knew it was time for my afternoon errands. Today’s stops included Home Depot and Saturday’s. At Home Depot my mission was simple. Get an actual estimate on new countertops – granite and laminate. Heather helped me out. She seemed to know her stuff. I had already taken the time a couple weeks ago to create a precise detailed computer drawing complete with measurements, so I had a rough idea of the cost. However, I wanted to see the numbers straight from them. As I expected, there were hidden charges, but they were higher than even I expected. The total for granite was $4400 even after the $300 savings. Of that, $1500 was for the not so apparent extras like back splash, contouring an edge, prepping for an under the counter sink, and finally tear out and haul away of the old tops. That’s some bucks! For the HD laminate, the estimate was $1600. Before leaving I asked for the uninstalled price. That was only $780. Still plenty of money but compared to $4400 it sounded good. I figure I could easily install the laminate countertops myself. Dad and I did it on Valleyview Dr. with little trouble.
I was gone only 40 minutes. I figured I still had time to sneak in a haircut. I hurried over to Saturday’s just around the corner. Connie got me right in. Rare for it to be completely empty. It didn’t take her long – never does! I saw that the price just went up again. It’s now $17.95 for an adult cut. Gee Whiz! I remember it being $11.95 some years ago. I’ve been coming to this Saturday’s for years. Probably since 1994. Prior to that Colleen Chilcote often cut my hair. She always did a great job, but I had to schedule it in advance, and I tend to manage haircuts on a more impromptu basis. I was back at my desk by 2:15pm – gone just a smidge beyond an hour.
The afternoon moved swiftly. The day was over before it began (I just like saying that. It’s really impossible). I didn’t leave for home until 5:25pm. Mindy asked that I pick-up pizzas on my way home to celebrate “family day”, or Bella’s adoption day. Her mother was over to share in the celebration. I immediately called Minelli’s and placed an order for a large pep and a medium cheese.
Good timing. I actually had to wait a few minutes upon arrival there. That’s what I prefer. That way the pies are as hot as possible. As I so often do, I woofed down a slice during my travels home.
There was a strange vehicle in the drive when I arrived home. What bugged me was that they were blocking my parking path preventing me from using the driveway all together. I had to park along the curb. Turns out, it was Mindy’s jewelry party friend dropping off her order. She left soon after an introduction. I greeted Gloria who was already sitting at the dinette table. Mindy had already walked Ykraps making my evening just that much easier. Before settling down to enjoy more pizza I rinsed my lunch containers and prepped tomorrow’s coffee. Time to eat!
The pizza was especially tasty! We all enjoyed our fair share. After pizza, Mindy gave Bella & Jacob our family day gift to open. It was a new Wii game, Carnival. The kids naturally wanted to play right away, but we still had a cake to blow out and eat. Mindy lit the candles on the adoption day cake. Meanwhile, I grabbed my camera and took pictures while singing to the occasion.
That was fun! The kids were too excited about playing their new Wii game. Mindy got it fired up while I cleaned up the kitchen. See a pattern here? Jacob took charge being the assertive big brother. We had to pry the Wii remote out of his hands to get Bella a turn. Gloria was quick to point out that while we were celebrating family day, we wouldn’t be celebrating at all if it weren’t for Bella’s adoption. It was all in jest, however. In the meantime, I mandated that we reset and activate the 2nd Wii remote. But no matter what we did it wouldn’t take. I even changed the batteries. That still didn’t work. I figured it was dropped or abused in some fashion. I was frustrated. We resorted to having the kids play with a single remote. It was just after 7PM. Gloria was getting tired and wanted to head home. Mindy left with her mother. While they were gone I grabbed the Wii documentation and began researching the how-to-program the Wii remote to the console. Sure enough, we hadn’t programmed either of them correctly. After doing so, it worked just fine. I had a sneakin’ suspicion.
Mindy was back at home in no time at all. She immediately coaxed the children upstairs to ready for bed. Meanwhile, I downloaded new photos. I headed up for the tuck-in a few minutes later. After the kids were neatly tucked away, I shared the counter top estimates with Mindy. Afterwards, Mindy went back up to deal with beckoning children. I went back to the PC where I tinkered with photo editing tools. Mindy called it a night before 9:30pm She said she didn’t feel 100%. I eventually made my way to the family room to play Wii golf. I played several rounds, or for about an hour. I headed up to bed soon after only to find myself lying their awake … again.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.