Celebrating 6 at Rockin' Red Robin

Happy 6th Birthday daughter Bella!

Getting up Thursday was fairly simple. I guess I finally got enough rest to keep the sleepies at bay. It was 5:30am and quite lovely. I was struck by the number of stars I could see while gazing skyward from inside the house. 

After my calisthenics Ykraps and I set out on our walk. It was much cooler than I expected. In fact, it was downright cold! I could easily see my breath. Back at home I was eager to see what the temperature was. It was only 42 degrees. I kept that in mind for late when I’d be preparing for my daily run. However, before doing any prep, I delivered coffee to Mindy and then enjoyed a cup of my own. After PC and meditation time I dressed and set out on my run. 

It was cold enough that I retracted my hands up into my jacket sleeves for warmth.  After about 1.5 miles I pushed them out after working up a gentle sweat. It was a very enjoyable run even in spite of the chilly temps. Like most days, Mindy had my breakfast ready when I returned home. 

I sang Happy B-Day to Bella since this was officially her 6^th birthday. She was stoked. We planned to meet at Red Robin for dinner (her choice) after work. She’d be spending her special day with her Maw-maw, who was planning on taking her to lunch at Minelli’s. Nephew Joe-Joe was going along, too. 

Mindy & Bella left at their usual time. Jacob and I went about our usual business. I was ready to go by 7:45am. I used the extra time to get the house in order before leaving for the bus stop and work. Jacob, Jake& I tossed the football at the bus stop. It was still chilly enough that I passed on driving the BM’er. 

I was excited about work today since this was in effect my Friday. We were busy enough that I was able to lose myself in the day. Come 1pm I left for lunch. I drove to Home Depot where my primary goal was to return the extension cord plug that I accidentally stole last week. That took no more than a few minutes. They thanked me for being honest. My head temporarily swelled with pride.  J 

I drove back to work content with my short break. The afternoon flew by and soon the end of the work week was upon us. I didn’t get out of the office until almost 5:40pm. I headed directly to Red Robin driving through Old Hilliard, which is always a relatively slow drive. This evening it wasn’t so bad. 

I chatted with my mom for a couple of minutes just prior to arriving. She’s doing OK and sounded good. She proposed that I offer brother Charles gas money to deliver grandma’s china cabinet to my house. I declined. I don’t really see the logic behind having it at my house in the first place. Besides, if that’s what we decide to do, I am certain that I could fit it in my own vehicle. Incidentally, I probably angered my mom a bit when I shared my dismay over everyone seemingly needing/wanting financial help, including her. No one calls unless they need/want money. It’s a little overwhelming at times. 

I arrived at Red Robin at 6:00pm, give or take a few minutes. Mindy, Gloria, and the kids were already inside and seated. I found them quickly. I had never been to a Red Robin prior to this, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. We ordered some onion rings that come stacked on a pole. They were big, hot, crunchy and juicy. They came with two sauces, and they were really quite good.  Mindy & I ordered burgers. Jacob ordered wings, and Bella ordered grilled cheese. Gloria wasn’t hungry and chose to only beg off some fries. 

The food was good – not top notch. We didn’t consider dessert. Mindy had a b-day cake waiting at home. Both kids played a snatch-it game before leaving, and Bella was given a balloon by the hostess. She was happy.  Jacob rode home with me. And yes, we won the race.

 We wasted little time getting the birthday cake celebration going. But before eating cake Bella opened her pile of gifts. She was very excited. She got a batch of Hannah Montana stuff. Somebody’s getting rich! At one point, Bella was thrusting her little body around almost uncontrollably. In turn, I requested that she calm down. Gloria somewhat boldly and curtly countered my request citing that it was her birthday. Whoa! That’s a first. As Mindy later stated, welcome to the family! To help it pass, I quietly went about taking out the trash and starting the sprinkler. Otherwise, I was worried that I might say something I’d later regret.

 While getting the sprinkler going, Mindy made me aware that it was time to cut the cake. I returned inside to sing and take pictures. After everyone enjoyed some cake Mindy asked whether I would run her mother home or give the kids a bath. Mindy’s choice was for me to run her mother home, so that is what I did. 

I dropped Gloria off at her place and was back home by 8:30pm. The kids were waiting patiently for me to come tuck them in. Even though it was a quarter ‘til eight, Mindy & I decided to try putting together our new coffee table. At the same time, we tuned into ESPN’s Thursday Night Football. Despite a little tension at the outset, we worked as a team putting together the table. By a long shot, it was much easier than our entertainment stand. We had it together in about an hour. Not having a coffee table in the family room for so many years made it seem a bit awkward initially. However, we really wanted one so that we’d have a place to set a glass/cup and a place to rest our tired feet. 

We headed to bed at roughly the same time.