A Family That Dines at Barley's Together - Stays Together...

Tuesday morning began like most others. I was up much earlier than I really needed to be. I’m totally down with that! Before beginning my exercise regiment I glanced out back. I was surprised to find thick frost covering everything. What the killer frost left behind nearly two weeks ago, this one would almost certainly polish off. 

I whizzed through my regiment of sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. Soon I was seeking out Ykraps for our morning stroll. Good thing I bundled warmly. It was cold. It felt even colder than two weeks ago. I checked Weatherbug when we got back. It said it was 34 degrees. No way. I then checked weather .com. It showed a low of 21 degrees. That seemed more realistic. 

I had a few minutes to relax and play before delivering Mindy’s morning coffee. I waited until 6:05am. After a lengthy meditation I prepared for my run. My frame of mind wasn’t good. I felt defeated by the actions, or should say the lack of action being taken by all three of my daughters. Today more than ever O viewed their situations as nearly hopeless. There’s nothing I can do to alter the course It feels like a 50 ton freight train coming against me. 

I thought about my girls even more during my run. It certainly took my mind off of the chilly temps, but then again, I was dressed for them. After my run I sat down at the island counter to enjoy my breakfast. I shared a bit of my morning thoughts with Mindy. She encouraged me to never give up hope. I appreciated the words. Soon she and Bella left for school. Today was report card day, at least for Bella (SWCS). 

Jacob & I did as we often do. He headed off to his room while I headed for a shower.  I started the Trooper before walking to the bus stop. A thick coating of frost enveloped my entire vehicle. Despite the chill, we still tossed the football. The Trooper was all but cleared by the time I made it back to the house. I failed to mention that my Check Engine light is on again after the most recent oil change. Never fails! I really wish that Jiffy Lube would focus on their core business and keep their hands off of the rest. I knew what to check for, and sure enough, I could see that the air intake had come loose from the manifold. They always pull it loose when exposing my air filter with reckless abandon. I grabbed a screwdriver from the garage to aid in the repair. I also grabbed my running gloves to keep my fingers warm. After getting it reattached I checked the warning light. And just like before, it stayed on. But if I recall correctly, it takes a while for the air mixture to correct itself and the light to go off. 

After buttoning up the house I left for work confident that I had corrected the faux pas. Gas was already cheaper than it was Monday. It was now down to $1.81. I arrived to work at 8:22am. The morning flew by. Soon it was afternoon. I was determined to get new running shoes at lunch time. I left for the mall at 1pm. And yes, I had my Finish Line $10 off coupon. I parked just behind Macy’s and cut through their lower level on my way to Finish Line.  That’s tradition for me. For a number of years, I bought most of my clothes at Macy’s, but not so much anymore. A young female sales person offered assistance as I glanced over their shoe selection. I declined her help until I was sure what I wanted to try on. Generally speaking, I buy black running shoes for winter and white for spring/summer and always Nike.

 I didn’t care for the black non-Shock Nikes. I opted instead for the same white shoe that I am currently running in except in a different trim color (blue). I paid $94 last May at Front Runner. They were on sale here for $69 plus my $10 off coupon. What a deal! Having purchased 25-30 pair of running shoes over the last 12 years I’d like to think that I know a little something about their marketing.  Not unlike other products, they introduce new models every few months. And when the new versions hit the shelves the prior line drops in price. I love it. Furthermore, running shoes are not priced higher according to their quality. Again, it’s all about the marketing curve. The priciest running shoes aren’t comfortable for running at all. I’ve tried them. Anyway, off that soap box. I was discouraged at first by the persistence of this young sales girl but warmed to her after her continued effort to upsale me everything from socks to the Nike+, a gauge inserted into the shoe that tracks your mileage and running style. No thanks – just these shoes, please!

 I did browse the store before checking out. I bought nothing else. I thought about wearing my new shoes back to work to help break them in but opted not. They’ll undoubtedly hurt my feet tomorrow morning fresh out of the box. I have learned a secret, however. The secret is to lace/tie them much looser than normal for the first few days until they’re broke in. That typically happens after about 15-20 miles.

I strolled slowly back through Macy’s casually checking out more of their Men’s offerings. I also perused Bath & Body to see if they had their seasonal “Tree” candles out for Xmas. They did, but unless I am mistaken, they’re scent isn’t as strong this year. And by the way, the mall was surprisingly busy and all decked out for the holiday shopping season. Every square inch of mall space is taken and the same within the stores. Macy’s has all the typical gift ideas prominently displayed in every department.

 I was back at the office by 2pm. Mindy called asking how dinner out sounded. I wouldn’t have recommended as much on my own but agreed to dinner out. We agreed on Barley’s (Go figure!). She was certain that the kids would be psyched. And by the time that I arrived home they were. Mindy had already walked Ykraps and prepped the following day’s coffee making it easy to dump and split. I emptied my lunch containers, brushed my teeth, and grabbed my camera. We left shortly after 6pm. We must’ve arrived around 6:15pm. 

We were seated in a barside booth. Mindy ordered a Russian Imperial Stout – the beer she’s been craving for some time. I ordered a house Pale Ale. For dinner I ordered the Cuban with bacon (heart attack on a bun) and onion straws as my side. Mindy ordered the half chicken. It’s always good! Jacob ordered gates-of -hell wings, and Bella the kid-sized cheese burger and fries. Our friend Deanna was our server. 

Dinner was outstanding. Everyone loved their food. We weren’t there that long. We left at 7:10pm for home. Mindy insisted on picking up the check. Once home, the kids asked if we could play a board game. We all agreed to Chicken and the Egg. Everyone got into their jammies first making going to bed any easy transition later. 

The Chicken and the Egg game is simple. There’s a Parcheesi type board with six different colored dots circling the board like a wagon wheel. Each player takes a turn rolling the die. You move your man according to the number on the die. What ever color you land on that is the category you will be asked a “What came First” question.  If you’re correct you get the card. The object of the game is to collect all six colors before the other players. A typical question is, who came first, Donald Duck or Daffy Duck? What came first, the ice cream scoop or the cone? Anyway, I won!  

After our game Mindy insisted that it was time for bed. Bella read us a book first, just as she often does. After tucking in the children I popped a bag of corn. I was still hungry believe it or not. The kids’ olfactory systems were fully charged. They detected the popcorn and asked for some. I took each of them a small bathroom Dixie cup full. Mindy and I tuned into House. It was entertaining. This marked only the second time that I’ve seen it this season. Afterwards we watched Fringe, another cool program, but admittedly out there a bit. I battled a case of the sleepies throughout. I probably missed more than half the show for dosing off. We headed for bed at 10pm.