Rock Tops

Up right on time, I was eager to begin my day. By 5:35am I was already down the stairs whipping out my sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. I knew that it was supposed to be warmer today, but had no idea it was gonna be this warm. It was downright late spring warm.

When Ykraps and I stepped out the door I realized that I probably didn’t need even the light jacket that I wore. I later learned that it was 60 degrees. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. There will be days in late May and even early June where it’ll be cooler at 5:45am. While checking the temperature, I checked the radar too. A band of strong red storms were moving towards us from the NW. I knew then that my run would be a bumpy one.

I tried to hurry a little but still didn’t alter my routine much. After all, I do what I do because it’s important enough to me. I delivered Mindy’s coffee, meditated, then prepped for a run. I hit the door at 6:30am sharp. A couple hundred yards into my run I witnessed a few distant lightning flashes. I stayed dry for the first 2.5 miles, but the bottom dropped out soon after. It began to rain quite heavily. However, the rain was the least of my worries. The lightning intensified and became more frequent. And wouldn’t you know it, I was about as far away from the house as my run takes me. I kept an eye out for an open garage to dash into should a lightning bolt strike nearby. Without consciously trying, my pace picked up considerably. I made it safely back home as witness by my writing this entry.

Mindy had a beach towel at the door waiting my arrival. That was thoughtful. I was never more happy to be home. I was quite winded, too. That was due in part to my final dash. Mindy had our scrambled eggs cooking on the stove. It was only 7:05am. We had a little more time than usual. I tried to help by getting the kids breakfasts ready. Bella was very worried about the lightning. She asked her momma not to open the garage door until she was already in the van. She was afraid that the lightning would get her.

Soon those two were gone and Jacob and I were left at home to ourselves. Jacob asked to play Wii while I showered. I was ready to go by 7:47am. We had plenty of time to leisurely prepare for our departure. Because it was still raining, Jacob wisely chose to accept a ride to the bus stop. We waited at the corner for the bus to pull up. I drove off towards work at 8:03am. Because of no corner time, I arrived to work about ten minutes earlier than usual.

The day was just as busy as Monday. Again, my peer was off making for a much more interesting day. Today, however, I was determined to squeeze in a lunch break. There’s no denying that I need that hour break. I left around 1pm. It was raining to beat all get out. I drove to Rock Tops Granite off of Roberts and Walcutt to get a counter top estimate. I took my drawings. It took a few extra minutes to find the exact location having never been there before.

I was there just over 40 minutes when they finally freed a sales guy to help me. I was most impressed with the giant slabs of granite on display. They were huge and there were like 70 of them. They had some of the same stuff that Home Depot had as well as many more. I am really glad I stopped here. Funny thing is, we arbitrarily received their flyer in the mail just one day after getting the Home Depot estimate. God loves me! Their estimate was significantly less than Home Depot – more than a $1500 less for the same stuff. At the prices quoted, we can likely justify the expense. I looked forward to sharing the numbers with Mindy. I was there about 20 minutes longer than I originally anticipated. No harm, though. I sent my boss and email indicating that I’d be delayed a few.

The rest of the day went a bit easier. I left for home just before 5:30pm. I failed to call Mindy on the drive home. Instead, I phoned brother Tom to give him shit about not making the family breakfast. As expected, his excuse was that no one called to remind him. But I was ready for that excuse. I told him that no one reminded Bob or I either! We laughed it off. He shared more depressing news about the direction of his business. It seems the corporate sales team at Domino’s is clueless on how to compete these days. Tom pays quite a chunk as a franchisee for their marketing adds. They want to pitch speed over product. That’s never been what’s driven successful sales. For the first time in many years, I advised Tom that perhaps it was indeed time for him to move on.

I was home in no time flat. And yes, it was still raining. Mindy was making dinner, baked chicken breast. I greeted Mindy & Jacob then headed out with Ykraps. It was a soggy walk. Soon, however, the drudgery was over and we were back on dry ground. I was eager for some dinner. Bella was at dance class so Jacob got our undivided attention.

After dinner and clean-up, Mindy & Jacob played Wii. I snuck quietly into the living room to steal a nap with the massage pillow. It was total bliss. I was out like a light. Jacob left with Mindy to fetch Bella. After I woke, I updated my blog in their absence. They were back before 8pm. Mindy asked for help getting them ready for bed. I helped a little. I helped with the after bath care (teeth brushing and reading with Jacoby).

I was called back up for the tuck-in process. Bella was supposedly spooked by my entry. She screamed wildly, and Mindy came to her aid. The truth of it is, I did spook her, but I often do and she generally laughs. Tonight, for whatever reason, she screamed and cried. Later, she wanted me to return for another tuck. Not a chance!

After the kids were stowed away we watched American Idol. After that we watched a new episode of House. It was good. Come 10pm we headed for bed.