Chocolate Pie

Happy 22nd Birthday, Ashley!! I got up at 7:50am. I had originally planned to get up around 7:30am but the thought of extra sleep sounded so good. I would’ve slept longer but I didn’t want there to be any unnecessary pressure added to my morning, especially when the sleepies wears off in just a few short minutes. It was raining ever so lightly while I pounded through my exercise routine. But by the time I headed out the door with Ykraps it had all but stopped. It was quite warm too. It felt like spring. The forecast called for the 50’s but with on & off rain. I spent a solid 30 minutes working and before setting out on my run. I didn’t need to leave the house for Dad’s until 10:25am. It was 9:00am when I left for my run & woke Mindy. I was back from my run by 9:40am. The house was unusually quiet. I wondered whether Mindy and the kids had left early for church. They hadn’t. Turns out they were simply in a lull of activity. I got in the shower after checking in and handling some work related matters. Mindy & the kids left for church sometime after 10am. As they backed out of the drive I went out to unfasten Bella’s car seat from the Trooper to make room for 4 passengers. I left for Dad’s at 10:25am as planned. I knocked on the door but no one answered. Before I could even close the screen door he and Uncle Kenny pulled up in the minivan. I placed Kenny’s stuff in the Trooper right away. Dad’s was yet to come. All things considered, they were packed lightly. Also, Kenny Jr and his daughter were not being dropped by me after all. I guess cousin David was taking them. After a short stay at dad’s we hit the road. The airport is a very short drive from Dad’s. It’s freeway the entire go – I-670. We were there in a jiffy. I dropped the two curbside and was ready to head out when Kenny called to a car pulling up along side us. It was David and Tracy, who I assume had just dropped Kenny Jr and Allison. I talked with them for just a second and then went on my way toward Hilliard. On my cruise home I decided to head towards the Hilliard Rome Rd Target shopping area where I hoped to stop at Bath & Body to buy a couple more of those good smelling plug-in air fresheners of theirs. I couldn’t remember what time they opened. It was about 11:15am. Turns out they were opened. I bought to refill kits and another plug-in. We’ll have plenty to tie us over. Next, I walked to Old Navy to check out their new selections. I knew that they’d have their spring stuff out. I just browsed. After leaving Old Navy I thought that I’d frequent Kirkland’s but they didn’t open until noon. It was only 11:40am. I decided to walk a few store fronts further to Michael’s where I bought an 18X24” frame for one of brother Glenn’s figure drawings. Still not sure where we’ll hang it. I really want more color in the family room. I was done shopping and ready to head home. I was also very hungry and toyed with the idea of picking up some early lunch. I hadn’t eaten a thing thus far today. But I skipped the fast food stop and opted instead for home. By the time I got home the temperature had risen significantly. We were well into the 50’s. I enjoyed two big bowls of Cap’n Crunch all the while checking in with work. After I had work where it needed to be I found my way to the PC where I began downloading and editing pictures from the wedding. Mindy & Bella were home around 12:30pm. Jacob chose to go home with his Grandmother. Bella and I played some Wii before Mindy got ready to leave for the grocery. Bella was originally going to stay home with me but last minute changed her mind. I was home alone, once again! This time, after several rounds of Wii golf, I headed upstairs for a lazy afternoon nap. I must’ve slept for about 30 minutes – not too long. Afterwards I edited more pictures and then returned downstairs for more Wii. Mindy & Bella returned after being gone about 2 hours. Funny thing was, I was in the exact same spot that I was when they left. What they didn’t know was that I didn’t waste my entire afternoon playing Wii. I helped carry in the groceries and then framed the figure drawing of choice. I also unloaded the dishwasher which was stuffed to the gill. Mindy complained of feeling under the weather. I asked if she wanted to skip her mothers. She didn’t. We left for Gloria’s just after 4pm. Everyone was expected for dinner this evening save for one who was working. My guess was lasagna and chocolate pie. I simply figured it time. Turns out, I was right! Lucky guess. We had a nice dinner and the mood was light. Julie & Katy announced their engagement. The before and after dinner conversation was livelier than usual. I don’t think that I’ve laughed that hard in an awfully long time. You needed to be there to fully understand as the topics ranged from current politics to the well-intending special needs folks that help you with your groceries at Kroger. We left for home at 7:20pm. Mindy wanted to be home early for her usual reasons. In addition, Jacob was spending the night with his dad since there was no school tomorrow and Jimaken was headed our way. Jim arrived soon after my evening walk with Ykraps concluded. They left around 8pm. Bella and I stayed up playing more Wii. But Mindy eventually called it a night and got Bella ready for bed. I was summoned up to dismantle the air bed. I tucked her in before heading back down in part to save another trip. Mindy & I sat together in the living room chatting about a plethora of things. We agreed to head up for bed just before 10pm. I took care of a couple work matters just prior to that. Typically, my on-call ends at 10pm when the night shift manager arrives. We no sooner got nestled into bed when my blackberry rang. I begrudgingly upped to try and reach it downstairs. By the time that I made it down it had stopped ringing. Turns out, I would be on-call through the night. The issues I had raised, however, we already being dealt with by the team of engineers on duty. I headed back to bed.