Vikings Defeat the Packers

We had the Wright family breakfast planned for 10am at Bob Evan’s. To make the event, I planned to be up by 7am. I was awake at 7:00am but didn’t get out of bed until 7:20am. I moved quickly through coffee prep and calisthenics. I was out the door with Ykraps by 7:40am.

 By the time I was back, Mindy was up and downstairs. I spent the next 30+ minutes relaxing with coffee. When Mindy headed up for a shower I dressed and left for a run. 

It was a chilly, cloudy morning. It felt even cooler than Saturday morning. It was somewhere in the mid 30s. Despite the dreary weather I stayed quite comfortable and the run went fast. I was back and ready to head for the shower by 9:15am. Meanwhile, Mindy was putting the finishing touches on herself and the kids.

 It didn’t take me long to be ready. I was all set to go by 9:38am. Mindy & the kids weren’t far behind. We arrived at Bob Evans 10 minutes early. It appeared that my dad was already there as evidenced by the silver Chrysler minivan resting a few parking spots over.

 I snapped a family photo just before we entered. Sure enough, we spotted dad chilling on a bench just inside the door. After a brief greeting, Dad shared that Bob & family wouldn’t be coming. Sadly, we moved the date for their benefit. We were supposed to meet last Sunday, the 1^st. Dad also mentioned that Bob’s preference was to move the time back to 9am in the future. It was my idea to move the time simply to avoid having to get up at 6am on a Sunday, but I am willing to make that sacrifice.  So, it was just the five of us. 

We were seated at the same table we’re more often than not seated at. I ordered the Sunrise special (it’s what I get most often). Mindy had crepes, and dad had the breakfast burrito with extra chili. Jacob had sausage gravy and biscuits while Bella had mini-pancakes. We were there until 11am. Much to my surprise, we ran into Connie, JJ, and Alysia having their breakfast right around the corner from our table. We hadn’t seen them since last Xmas at Bob’s. They promised that we’d see them at our place for the family Xmas party. 

We headed towards home but stopped at the nearby firehouse, station #26 to visit with uncle Larry. And while he was on duty, he wasn’t there. The kids were mildly disappointed. We headed home. Mindy & the kids had plans to attend Masimo’s 8^th b-day party at the Chiller North. I begged out for wanting to watch the Vikings/Packers game at 1pm. This would be the 3^rd Viking I’d see this season, and the second against the Packers. 

There was still almost two hours before game time. I spent the next 45 minutes napping in the recliner with the massage pillow going strong. It felt terrific, too.  After my nap Mindy and I both decided to have a piece of pumpkin pie. Unfortunately, at my prompting, we had them double stacked (pumpkin and chocolate pie) in the fridge due to limited space. I lost control of both while pulling them out. The pumpkin pie got smashed against the fridge door while the chocolate pie fell to the floor, albeit on the cellophane. Mindy helped me clean up the mess. The pies looked contorted but they were still quite tasty. I had a piece of each. Not long after eating our pie, Mindy and the kids left for the b-day party. At the same time, I tuned into NFL pregame.

 The Viking game started strong. In fact, our defense was swarming. If it wasn’t for a couple of ill advised turnovers, we would’ve been killing them. Instead, it was 14-10 at halftime. Four of our 14 points were from two safeties. That’s rare! As the third quarter started the Vikings scored again making it 21-10. But then the wheels fell off. Over the next 10 minutes, the Packers returned another interception for a TD and then did the same with a punt. Suddenly, they were ahead 24-21. I was beside myself. We were destroying them statistically.

 Mindy & the kids returned from the party before the game ended. Mindy got to witness my contained disappointment. As the 4^th quarter wound down, the Viking had the ball near midfield but with a 4^th and 1 yard. Adrian Peterson got the carry but fumbled. The Packers drove for a field goal. For my money, that was the ball game. However, the Vikings got the ball back with 4 or 5 minutes remaining. AP almost single handedly drove the team down for a score and the lead, 28-27. All we had to do was kick-off and hold on. Easier said than done. 

We kicked off but allowed a long return (of course) out to the 40 yard line. A few plays later and they were in field goal position, albeit a long one (52 yards). With just a few seconds remaining on the clock the attempt sailed just wide right. The Vikings won a thriller. I was very pleased to win but also discouraged by the fact that we made it a close game in the first place. However, a win is a win, especially in the NFL. Nobody cares about style points.

 We left for Gloria’s. I was in a good mood for the Viking victory. That, coupled with a Bears loss, put the Vikings in a tie for 1^st place. We arrived at the same time as Lin-Lin. I noticed she had a burnt out tail light. I let her know. We sat around for a good half hour waiting on others to arrive. Dinner was served around 5:15pm. 

We had baked chicken, pasta salad, corn, and cheesy potatoes. As always, everything was good. After dinner I excused myself and went to the basement to check on the walls in the room we’re redoing to make sure they weren’t wet after Friday’s rain. They weren’t. I decided to stay downstairs and watch some late NFL action. 

Bella alerted me of dessert time about 30 minutes later. We had no-bake cookies and a Jello-style cheesecake. I had two pieces of cheesecake. And yes, I was officially full! It wasn’t long before Mindy rounded up our coats and the kids. We left for home around 7:15pm. Jacob asked to walk Ykraps with me. I, of course, agreed. We left on the walk almost immediately after arriving home.

 Mindy got the kids bathed while I reviewed all the day’s NFL action via the internet. The kids were in bed on time. Mindy & I tuned into Sunday Night NFL at 8:30pm – Giants/Eagles. I watched until just after halftime. Mindy headed to bed earlier - around 9:30pm. Since the time change, I am dog tired come 10pm. But that’s a good thing.