G-29

It was 5:30am on Monday morning. I really could have used more sleep but drug my rear out of bed anyway. After brushing my teeth, I was down stairs by 5:35am.

It looked cloudy outdoors, although it was difficult to tell given that the sun had yet to rise. I started my exercise routine directly. After 18 holes of golf, running four miles, and then a batch of home repairs, I thought that I might find myself stiff as a board come morning, but that simply wasn’t the case. I felt pretty good. I breezed through my exercise routine then turned my attention to Ykraps. We walked leisurely toward the west. We encountered a few runners right out the door. The streets are getting busier and busier with early runners all the time.

I was back home and pouring my first cup of coffee by 6:00am. I spent the next ten minutes playing on the PC before starting morning meditation. I dressed and departed for my run by 6:35am. I felt pretty good and ran the full four miles. I was back home by 7:10am prepping my breakfast and lunch. Mindy had a salad already prepared in the fridge. I threw together some fruit and nuts to go along. I made a ham and cheese omelet for breakfast. Like usual, I ate only half and saved the rest for Mindy. I headed up for a shower at 7:40am.

I thought that I might be stopping at Home Depot for some project material so I planned to drive the Trooper. Mindy stayed comfortably in bed as I departed for work. I arrived by 8:15am after leaving the house at 8:00am sharp. The work day moved at a feverish pace. I never did leave for lunch. Instead, I worked straight through. I glanced outdoors a few times and saw that it was cloudy. I thought that it was going to be sunny and near 90. Oops! Something was amiss.

Sometime during the day Mindy heard back from the owners of the Norris Lake homes we contacted to rent. None of the homes were available the week we wanted. We were both a little disappointed, but decided we’d figure something out later in the evening, whether that meant finding other vacation homes or changing our plans entirely.

Mindy was grocery shopping during the late afternoon after her physical therapy appointment earlier in the day. She said we were having leftovers for dinner. I wasn’t thrilled by that but accepted it as an easy dinner solution, in part because I wasn’t that hungry anyway. In fact, I didn’t even eat my packed lunch. She called me back minutes later to ask if I would consider picking up Chipotle on my way home. We had a bad cell connection and the call dropped. I was against Chipotle and wasn’t eager to make any stops on the way home. I was tired.

I called Mindy back before leaving the parking lot for home, not wanting to leave our dinner plans dangling. She agreed to pass on Chipotle stating that she wasn’t too hungry either, and that Bella would eat leftover pizza. Jacob, however, would be disappointed.

Traffic was a mess heading home. There was some sort of gas leak in the Roberts Rd./Wilson Rd vicinity backing traffic up in all directions. And even though I took the alternative route, traffic was at a standstill on Old Dublin Rd because of the gas leak. I didn’t get home until 6:00pm. Mindy & I quickly set out to walk Ykraps. We walked towards Emily & Evans (east) in part because the kids wanted Mindy to talk with Teri (Emily & Evans mom) about a possible sleepover. As we passed by their home Mindy went around back to talk with Teri. I kept walking Ykraps. Mindy & I had peace and quiet back at the house. The kids stayed out playing with the neighbors. I snacked on cashews while browsing the internet for more Lake Norris vacation rentals. Mindy wasn’t in the best of moods. This is something she admitted to me. Just one of those days, I guess. I found a few more homes and made a hand written list before calling Mindy to see them. When she joined me, she had already called about three of them, and the others were a little bit more expensive than what we were willing to spend. In the end, this vacation week was supposed to be about spending time with the kids. I reminded her of as much. They, I figured, would be just as happy camping at Alum Creek or Sat Fork. Mindy agreed. I checked availability of G-29, or favorite campsite at Alum Creek. It was available for the four nights we discussed, but Mindy asked me not to book it until we had a day to sleep on it. Not a bad idea. After all, this was a rather drastic change of plans.

The biggest concern that comes to mind is heavy rain. Camping is no fun in the rain. Just revisit last year’s blog entry covering our family camp trip in late July for a refresher.

The kids came home excited that the sleep over at Emily & Evans was on. Mindy helped the kids gather their overnight gear and walked down to get the kids settled. After returning home, she made chili dogs for the two of us. They were yummy, but also very filling. I was really sleepy afterwards. After helping to tidy up the kitchen I collapsed on the sofa for a much desired nap.

I slept peacefully until I heard Mindy’s phone ring. I vaguely heard her talking to daughter Courtney, who I later learned was calling to make arrangements with us to visit with Kaileigh. After slowly rising, I mustered enough energy to take to my computer to blog. I spent about 30 minutes doing so, adding three days worth of history along with photos. It was about 9:45pm and both Mindy were beginning to turn our thoughts toward bed. The next thing we knew, Jacob came in the back door citing his desire to sleep in his own bed in lieu of staying over night at the neighbors. A call from fireman Mile soon followed to check on him. He was torn with his dilemma, but Mindy & I forced the issue and made him decided pronto. After all, the two of us were ready for bed. Incidentally, Mike said Bella was fine and happy. Mindy made Jacob take a quick shower before bed since he was all sweaty from play.

I was in bed even as Jacob transitioned from shower to bed. I was still tired. Mindy soon followed.