The Trilogy - Grandma, Dad, and Char

Dad, Happy 73rd Birthday! Friday was here, the 19th of December. I slept a little late, not getting out of bed until 5:25am. It was still before 5:30am when I made my way downstairs. The coffee maker kicked on while I was stretched out on the floor doing my sit-ups. Lying there, I could hear the heavy rain pounding against the sky lights. If this kept up, I’d surely be soaked during my run. However, before thinking about my run, I still had to walk Ykraps. I reached for the umbrella as he and I stepped off the stoop. I had trouble getting it to open, but little wonder. I leave it outside year round tucked into the corner. It must be 10 years old or even older. Finally, after having rain run down my back I got it to unfurl. The rain was driving in from the north-northeast. That was easily determined with the umbrella. Ykraps took care of business in a hurry – thankfully. Soon we were back at home. I went for coffee only to realize that I forgot to add coffee. In my cup was nothing but hot steamy water. Good grief! I went to the pantry to get the coffee but realized straight away that we were out. I had to run to the basement to fetch a new canister. Mindy keeps a back-up on hand all the time. Right now we have three others down there. It was on sale. By the time that coffee was ready it was 6:05am. Mindy must’ve thought I forgot to deliver her coffee. She came down just as I was putting the finishing touches on her cup. She took it and returned upstairs to continue with her shower and prep. I received an email from Immke Honda with a price quote on the Honda Pilot tricked out to my specifications. It was a decent initial offer, but now that Mindy’ van is running better, we’re not sure if we want to pull the trigger just yet. The idea was to wait a few more months before the sudden car troubles. However, that scare was a little reminder that it could go at any time. Better to be prepared than to get caught with ones pants down. We’ll see. I spent just a few minutes in meditation, but not nearly enough. Time was slipping away and if I were to remain on schedule I needed to leave for my run. In the meantime, the rain was coming down as hard, or even harder than it was earlier. I dressed as I normally would for the temperature – it was 33 degrees. Soon I dashed off into the wet streets. My high-tech gear kept me drier than I figured it would. More importantly, it kept me warm and dry long enough for my body temperature to counter the seeping dampness. About half way through the run my foot hit a deep puddle. I felt the cold wet water against my foot. It wasn’t pleasant. My mind drifted from this to that. By runs end I wasn’t even thinking about the constant barrage of rain. I entered the house dripping wet. As she often does, Mindy had a fresh beach towel ready by the door for me to dry off with. That was appreciated. Bella was excited because an elf left oodles of candy in the magic box we’ve placed under the Xmas tree. First it was Rocky benefiting from the magic box on Wednesday morning and now Bella. The kids agreed that Jacob must be next. Bella calmly added her catch to her larger supply in the dining room. She gave me the Butterfinger! ;) Soon Mindy and the little ones left for the day. They were all a little extra stoked given that this was their last day of school until next year. Mindy, too. In fact, all of us will be off next week. I will happily return to work the Monday after Xmas. The rain continued to come down heavily. When bus time came, I drove Jacob to the bus stop in the Trooper. The bus pulled up just as I approached. After seeing Jacob hand his bus driver her Xmas gift, I drove back home for my final prep. I had a couple of things still to throw in the Trooper for work. I arrived at work right at 8:30am. We were a little short handed due in part to some unplanned call-offs. We huddled and strategized. We’d be OK. My boss and I hung out for a good two hours sharing work stories and coffee time. We must’ve went on until 11am. That made the day fly by. Afterwards, we decided it a good idea to buy pizza for our teams today. I put the entire order on my credit card. I knew then that my packed lunch would most likely be returning home with me. The pizzas arrived around 1pm. I ate four slices. Honestly, it wasn’t that good, but it did the job. The afternoon was as low key as the AM. I was impressed with the calm. My boss departed a little early. I wished him a joyous holiday since I wouldn’t likely see him until the first of the year. I spent my last hour tying up several loose ends. I had a couple gifts I’ve been working that I pulled from the drawers of my credenza so I wouldn’t forget them. I left for home at 5pm eager to begin my nine day holiday celebration. I talked with Mindy as I approached Kroger, my first stop before home. I teased about heading to Barley’s to see Bob Imber. She wasn’t enjoying my humor, citing that we had too much to accomplish prior to tomorrow afternoon’s Wright family Xmas party. At Kroger I bought a ham, a bottle of Jack for Rene, and a couple of six packs of beer – some Great Lakes Christmas Ale (very good btw) and some CBC Pale Ale. Along my drive home I phoned my dad to wish him a happy birthday, number 73! I arrived home just after 5:30pm. First task, unload my haul and then walk Ykraps. Mindy and the kids were in festive moods. For this I was most pleased. Mindy was eager to head to the grocery to pick-up all the party supplies along with gathering a few party favor gifts. I encouraged her to wait until Landon was asleep. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to watching four kids by myself. What have my Friday’s become? J However, God loves me and always watches out for me. Neighbor Crissy called and invited the three older kids down to play with her children. His blessings aren’t lost on me. The house was quiet after they all headed down. Mindy was ready to leave but Landon wanted to cuddle. He embraced Mindy’s bosom like no tomorrow. He was in his own little world. It was really quite touching. Calm, quiet, relaxing. One look into his eyes spoke volumes. It was now nearly 8pm. Mindy put him to bed before leaving. Suddenly, I was home seemingly by myself in a quiet house. WAHOO! Does it get any better? I sipped a couple of brews in Mindy’s absence all the while updating my severely behind blog. I decided to download a song from the new Enya CD from Amazon after getting a coupon for one free song in my last shipment. Prior, I had never paid for a downloaded song, ever. While on their page, I decided to buy the entire thing. It was only $8.99. However, to my surprise, they charged me only $3.99. I had earned a $5-off coupon from my latest camera order. And BTW – it arrived Thursday and the new memory card arrived today. I’m all set. Mindy really wants to wrap it for Xmas but I’d prefer to have it now to use on Xmas. More than anything, I want to snuggle up and read the manual. Anyway, back to downloading Enya. Immediately after downloading the entire album, I burnt two copies to CD – one for my car and one for Mindy’s. A glance at the clock revealed that it was nearly 10pm. Wow! Mindy phoned asking if the kids were home and in bed. Nope – still at Crissy’s! She thought that I was kidding. Mindy would soon be home too. She called Crissy to let her know to send them home. The kids were home by 10pm. I gathered their pajamas from upstairs and tossed them down form the balcony. They were in them quickly. They asked for popcorn. I made some. Mindy was home a few minutes later. I helped carry in her haul. There was quite a load for simply being just the party stuff. As soon as it was put away, we encouraged the children to head up for tuck in. They were cooperative. Soon, Mindy and I had quiet time all over again. Mindy poured herself an eggnog. I topped it off with Capt. Morgan’s rum. We sat on the sofa basking in the quiet. We talked a little. She asked that I go to bed at the same time as her tonight. I did. I love my wife more than I love staying up watching Family Guy reruns – well, most times! :)