Jacob Goes Snow Boarding (mostly on his ass)

I rolled out of bed at 6:45am despite craving at least another hour’s sleep. If Jacob and I were to be at Mad River by 9:30am I simply had to get moving. I wasted no time whipping out my sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. I was walking Ykraps by 7am. Any yes, it was very cold. According to weather.com it was -1 – not exactly the best weather to ski in, at least temperature-wise, especially the first time. But it was what it was. Cold! I sipped coffee then readied for a run. I hadn’t occurred to me yesterday, but all of my premium extreme cold running gear was dirty. Crap! I use it for my ski base layer. I’d have to figure something out. As for my run, no big deal. I ran in my stinky stuff. Always do. I shortened my run to three miles knowing that I’d be getting tons of exercise skiing. I was back by 7:50am. It was cold but the sun was already trying to warm things. I woke Mindy and asked that she help get Jacob ready for our outing. She willingly agreed. I mentioned my running clothes dilemma to her too. I later learned that she personalized it. I didn’t mean for her to feel blamed. I was simply frustrated with myself for not thinking about it Friday. I got in the shower right away. I was fast. I was out, dressed, and gathering gear by 8:10am. I ended up wearing the base layer I wore last weekend at Holiday Valley. At least I hadn’t run in those. I systematically gathered what Jacob and I needed not only to survive but also to maintain our comfort all day out in the cold weather. I double checked his attire and gear to make sure he had all he needed. Mindy understands what it takes to be comfortable. I tend to take it to the next level. I always think ‘what if’? As a result, I will often take an extra layer, extra gloves and socks, and an extra hat – just in case. We also packed personal care packages stuffed with chocolates, cheese, and slim Jims. We left the house at 8:35am – only five minutes off schedule. We only had a half tank of gas, so I decided to stop now rather than later. I filled up at Thornton’s just before I-270 for $1.69 per gallon. We were on the freeway by 8:45am. The drive to Mad River is all freeway these days, and except for a brief stretch through Marysville proper, the speed limit is 65mph. We made great time. The other thing about Mad River and Rt 33, it’s rarely if ever crowded. We arrived at Mad River at 9:25am. It was a lovely morning but the temperature was still in the single digits. I was only slightly stressed knowing that I had to get Jacob signed in by 9:30am. There was a short line extending to the parking lot to get our lift tickets. It moved fast, thankfully. I bought Jacob an Adventure Place package that included the snow boarding gear (board and boots), a two hour group lesson, and an all-day lift ticket for $58. My lift ticket and ski rental was another $62. It was 10am by the time I had Jacob fully outfitted with his gear and our shoes back in the Trooper. Jacob’s lesson didn’t begin for another 30 minutes. I offered to show him a few things before hand. He agreed. Having never snow boarded before I was limited as to what I could show him. We rode the ‘magic carpet’ (in-ground conveyer belt) up to the top of the bunny hill. Jacob did pretty good cruising down. He had no idea how to stop or turn. I could help much. We did that like three times before heading to the lesson gathering point. While there, I ran into a fellow employee, who was there with his soon-to-be three year old daughter. This was her first time too. The group lesson began quickly. They encouraged all parents to go out and ski and not to worry about the kids. I took that as my queue to go have some individual fun. I phoned Bob & Mary Ann, who were just leaving their house. I headed up the quad lift and made my maiden run. I must’ve taken 5 or 6 runs before stopping to pee and check on Jacob. I didn’t know what time it was either. Turns out, it was only 11:20am. For me to check the time is a big hassle. I have to stop, fetch my glasses from my pocket, and then check my cell phone. Good grief! From afar, I watched Jacob in his lesson. I was surprised that they only took them half way up the magic carpet. I guess the idea was to get them acclimated to getting around with the gear as much as anything. They didn’t even have them securing their back foot in the board – much like when descending a ski lift. Whatever. I figured they knew what they were doing so I went back out to ski. I skied another two or three runs before phoning the Imber’s. They had just arrived slope side and would be a few minutes yet. I did a few more runs before heading back to the lesson area to retrieve Jacob. It was just about time to wrap up – 12:25pm. After signing him out of the lesson he and I headed to the lodge for some food. He said it was fun but that he was hungry. I’ll bet! We spotted the Imber’s on the lift just as we were heading inside. I let them know where we’d be. They joined us while I was waiting to order our pizza. I already had a Sam Adams awaiting me at the bar. Jacob went with a Lite. Kidding! J He was sticking to hot chocolate. It took a while to get my pizza order in. The young lady said that many folks called off due to the cold weather leaving her largely on her own to do it all. Since Bob & Mary Ann were with us, we opted for a table instead of barstools. Bob offered to take Jacob’s folder to his car for safe keeping. I also gave him a check to cover our share of last weekend’s Holiday Valley accommodations. Again, that was an absolute ball! Well worth the spend. We sat in the lodge bar eating pizza and sipping the one Sam Adams for about an hour. Just before 2pm we headed out for some more fun. I thought that I’d take Jacob to the beginners’ area to practice more. From what I saw, they taught him very little in the way of maneuvering. Bob rationalized that we might as well take him up the quad lift since one can access virtually all of the slopes/hills from there. Made sense to me, and Jacob courageously agreed. We got ourselves into position for Jacob’s first ever lift ride. Mary Ann graciously asked the lift operator to slow the lift a bit to aid in Jacob’s loading. That went without any problems. Great job, Jacoby! He had lots of questions, just as you might expect. He worried that the dismount would be like the steep hill we were ascending. Very quickly it came into view. He was in the middle. He did an excellent job dismounting. Hey – he didn’t fall. Bob, somewhat jokingly, pointed Jacob over to the large trail map offering a lesson on the reading/studying the mountain trails. He poked fun at me for being clueless when it comes to navigating ski trails. By the way, it’s entirely true. I guess I’ve never bothered to study the trail map since I’m almost always with someone who is intimately familiar with the trails and acting as the guide. Bob, on the other hand, is exceptional at figuring out and mapping out an actual strategy. As promised, the backside hill is a pure green trail with a long, gradual descent. Still, to Jacob’s eyes it must’ve seemed daunting given that he’s never boarded anything beyond our backyard hill. J My guess is that the bowl-like contour was scarier than the incline. We had nothing but encouragement for Jacob as we started down. Bob wisely skied ahead while Mary Ann and I stayed back in case he fell. Fall he did, but we expected that, at least I did. He must’ve fallen 6-8 times in total. It was obvious that he either didn’t know how to or couldn’t stop or turn, at least without falling over. Each time he’d get up some speed he’d fall on his ass. No problem. That’s to be expected. We practiced that drill most of the way down. Bob would ski ahead, turn and call for Jacob. However, on one occasion Jacob got turned around and took a pretty hard spill backwards and head first. I saw his helmet slam against the snow. He laid motionless for a few seconds. He was crying when we skied up. Bob made him move his limbs just to demonstrate that he had body control. He stopped crying after about a minute, but I could tell then that he was ready to bag it. Problem is, you can’t bag it halfway up the mountain. We eventually coaxed him down the rest of the mountain slowly but surely. I really appreciate Bob and Mary Ann being so gracious with their valuable ski time. Somewhat surprising, Jacob still wanted to practice on the bunny hill after reaching bottom. In hindsight, he probably should’ve started off there, but if he had he’d never have gotten a feel for what it’s really like. At least now he has a good base knowledge. After falling a few times on the bunny hill he expressed his desire to bag it for the day. And actually, I’m glad that he was forthright because both Bob & Mary Ann were considering renting ski boards, too if Jacob was gonna stay after it. I would’ve felt terrible had they done so only to have him bag it minutes later. I asked Jacob what he wanted to do – lodge, game room, or home. He wanted to go home. Mary Ann even offered to hang in the lodge with him for a while, but I didn’t want him to feel abandoned by me. Granted, I came to the mountain expecting to ski all day and night but realized later that that was unrealistic. I thanked Bob & Mary Ann for their patience and encouragement and wished them well. Meanwhile, the sky had completely cleared to a deep blue and the sunshine raised the temperature into the low 20’s - ideal skiing conditions. I hated to go but knew that I had to. While Jacob waited inside the rental return door, I went to the Trooper to fetch our shoes. Inside the rental building we ran into my old neighbors, the Willets, who were on a family ski outing. They just took it up last spring. Jennifer admitted to only skiing the green slopes so far. Jacob and I were on the road by 3:05pm. I had already phoned Mindy while retrieving our shoes. I wanted her to know we were on our way home. She was just preparing to head for the grocery leaving the kids at home with Courtney. She asked if she should wait for me. I said no, go ahead. Jacob slept the entire drive home waking as we turned onto Wilson Rd. By then, I was tired too. Courtney kept an eye on the kids while I got settled. They were watching the Cars DVD, I believe. I snuck to the living room where I took a nap in the recliner. Jacob soon joined me in the other queen Anne chair. Mindy got home around 5pm. Courtney was chomping at the bit to go. She left as soon as the groceries were carried in. I walked Ykraps at 5:30pm. It was a fabulous sunset. I got some cool pix of the sun setting on what appeared to be the end of our street. Nice! Sunday’s weather forecast was looking good. Sunny and mid 40’s. We’ll see. For dinner, Mindy brought a roasted chicken home from Wal-Mart for her & I. For the kids, she brought home popcorn chicken. We snacked on chicken all evening. Both of us were beat. And because of that, we opted to allow all the kids to skip a bath. Jacob had to take 2 Ibuprofen to help with his aching knee, headache, and stiff neck. Welcome to the wonderful world of snow skiing. We lounged quietly on the sofa watching some program on the Science channel. I’m quite sure that we were in bed by 9:45pm. I remember my dad calling sometime after 9pm to check on our status for the family breakfast. He already knew that Bobby canceled due to a cold. Mindy asked me my preference. I was eager to sleep in. Mindy called my dad back to cancel.

Father's Little Helper - HopSlam

I was up just before 5:30am. I checked school closings before starting my morning calisthenics. Just as I expected, there weren’t any relative to us. I completed my exercises then headed out with Ykraps. This was trash day. I placed our can curbside the evening before. The neighbor placed his on our side too, which usually means he has a double load. He’ll swoop in and grab it as soon as it’s emptied. He’ll then refill it and place it along his own curb. Our side is always picked up first. After sipping my own coffee I poured Mindy some and delivered it bedside. Along with the coffee, I delivered the news about no school closings. She assumed as much. Besides, she had another day of conferences so she still had to get up and going regardless. I thought about lying back down for some additional sleep but didn’t. For some reason I felt extra tired. I spent the next 20 minutes meditating, stretching, and then dressing for my run. I didn’t head out for my run until 7:40am. The hard packed snow was slipperier than it was the past two days. I had to be careful and tried to stay to the far left as much as possible where there was still some fluff left in the two day old snow. That worked pretty well. Mindy and the wee ones departed shortly after I returned from my run. Mindy was a bit panicked over needing to drop Rocky & Landon and Grandma Sharon’s and then take Bella to school before heading back to OSU. She had my eggs ready. I ate somewhat hurriedly then headed up for a shower. Jacob & I headed to the bus stop at 7:58am. The bus was on time. I was on my way to work by 8:10am. Work was busy. Still dealing with winter storm fallout. Come 1pm I left for Arlington to go look at snow skis. I visited Aspen Ski & Board. We’re just kicking the tires at this point, but it would sure be nice to have our own gear avoiding the hassle involved with rentals. Of course toting one’s own skis around presents issues, too. Still, I wanted to take a serious look. Aspen Ski & Board is located on Old Henderson Rd. The lot was tight, and because it was sunny, a lot of the snow was melting making for lots of slush and puddles. I managed. Inside I met Jason, a young 20-something. He was friendly, courteous and attentive. After a brief conversation where he gauged my ability and my most commonly visited ski parks, he showed me three different skis that seemed to fit the bill. The prices varied, and he did a good job of sharing the benefits and drawbacks with each. About the only draw back I saw was that I couldn’t specify color. Given my preference, I would choose black or silver. The three sets he showed me ranged anywhere from $550-800. That did not include boots, but did include top notch bindings, tuning, and poles. The $800 skis were the most technical and built more for speed and carving than the others. Save for the color – red - I really liked them. Most appealing was the fact that they guaranteed the best price against even internet vendors. Next, he showed me two sets of skis that might suit Mindy. They were $380-450. Again, minus boots. He assured me that he could get us in high quality boots somewhere between $200-300 each. They guarantee their boots will remain comfy or they’ll exchange, adjust, or fix. No matter how you slice it, skis will cost a lot of money. But then again, I knew that going in. He wrote down all the number for me to take along with me. I appreciated that. I was back at the office by 2:10pm. I ate my packed lunch while digging into the afternoon’s work. The day wound down nicely. That doesn’t always happen on Friday’s. I left for home at 5:15pm. I called Courtney to discuss her plans for Saturday. She spoke about taking Rocky to Chuck E. Cheese. Mindy wanted to know if she’d take Bella too. She said she would. We got disconnected, but not before I suggested she call Mindy to discuss the plans. I arrived home sometime just after 5:30pm. I walked Ykraps. It was getting colder seemingly by the minute. The night’s low was expected to approach zero – again. Mindy agreed to take Jacob to find a new winter coat – one suitable for skiing/snow boarding. His current coat is too small and pretty beat up. The neighbor kids were over playing. We had six kids running around. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Mindy & Jacob left for Kohl’s. I stayed home with the five kids. They played fairly well, although as often happens, Rocky found himself in the middle and was causing a raucous. I had to warn him a time or two. Mindy & Jacob must’ve gotten home around 7pm. I gestured to Mindy to make the noise (kids) go away. She said she would shortly. Minutes later, while I was upstairs changing into my pajamas, I learned that the Kenny & Crissy were coming down. We hadn’t visited with them in a long while – a typical winter phenomenon – but I was tired. I simply told Mindy that I would’ve appreciated her letting me know sooner. I had to quickly change modes. Kenny & Crissy showed up a few minutes later. Just as they arrived, I had a work issue needing my immediate attention. After a quick greeting, I took care of work before hanging with the neighbors. The kids ran around the house playing all evening while the four of us hung out in the kitchen. I drank two HopSlams, and they were delicious! We had plenty of ‘Kenny & Crissy’ beer on hand to help keep their whistles wet. We always try to keep some of our neighbors’ favorites around just for such occasions. We hung with the neighbors until 10:30pm or so. And unless I’m mistaken, all of our kids stayed up until they left. I helped Mindy get them tucked into bed after they left. Jacob and I needed to be up early enough for me to do my routine and then be at Mad River Mt. by 9:30am. Good night!

Calamity Day II

I was up at 5:30am. It was moderately cold – in the teens. More importantly, snow still covered the streets and walks enough that schools were closed all over town. We knew that before bed, so I didn’t bother waking Mindy at her usual 6:05am. However, she was still planning to attend a conference at OSU so I made sure that she was up before I left for my run. My run went well. As I often share, I don’t mind running in the cold and snow much at all. Footing is paramount, that and dodging the occasional car. Most of my run was in the street. I was back home by 7:25am. Mindy was still confirming whether or not her conference was a go. She must’ve learned that it was somewhere near 8am. She scrambled to head out the door with all the kids. Because none of them had school, she was dropping all of them at Grandma Sharon’s. She had to be at OSU by 9am. I ate, showered, and packed my lunch all before 8:10am. The Trooper was coated in thick ice and snow. I warmed and thawed it before leaving, but most of the ice and snow remained firmly in tact. Gas was $1.72 per gallon. I had about ¾’s of a tank. No gas for me. Work went smoothly. We had lots of issues after the winter storm wrecked havoc on the Midwest. Managing through all of that kept us busy all day long. We had our Wednesday staff meeting today after it was canceled yesterday. The meeting went until 1pm or after. It was a productive meeting. I ate my packed lunch – meatloaf – at my desk. I didn’t leave for home until 5:40pm. I called my mom, who I hadn’t spoken to in more than a few weeks. She reported her power being out and sitting in a cold house. I couldn’t help but notice the dramatic voice inflections she used to communicate just how cold she was. I suggested that she drive to Tommy’s for warmth, but she refused citing the need to care for her six dogs. Please! Meanwhile, as the conversation continued, her voice became more normal. Hmmm? We talked for about ten minutes. Mindy had my dad greet Jacob at the bus stop since her conference didn’t let out until 4pm. He walked Ykraps too. He was just pulling away as I was coming down the street. I was happy to have leftovers for dinner. Mindy & I discussed once again the prospect of me taking Jacob snow boarding Saturday. Mindy supported the idea, although she’d have to make arrangements to have the other kids cared for since she had a haircut scheduled for that afternoon. I planned to tell Jacob once we had some alone time, not wanting to broadcast our plans to all the kids for obvious reasons. Meanwhile, all the kids were hoping for a third consecutive snow day. I seriously doubted it. The main roads were almost completely cleared. The side streets were slick but passable. Mindy and I tuned in for a third straight night of Idol qualification. Thursday’s show featured two venues – New York City and Puerto Rico. It was funny. We headed to bed just before 10pm.

Challenger 22 Years Removed

For the first time in several days I was awake and up at 5:20am. I was still a little tired but got moving anyway. Glancing outdoors as I descended the stairs I could see that everything was covered in wet ice. Furthermore, I could hear what sounded like rain and ice hitting the windows. It wasn’t looking too pretty. I completed my sit-ups before checking the forecast and school closings. As suspected, almost all the local schools were closed, including Ohio State University, which rarely closes, even in the worst conditions. I finished my exercise routine then leashed up Ykraps and headed out. I was very careful navigating out the door. Our front stoop was solid ice. And making it worse was the rain/ice mix currently falling on top of it. As you might expect, Ykraps struggled to get around, let alone taking care of his business. I struggled as well. I also worried how I might get my run in under such adverse conditions. I even slipped on the stoop as we made our way back into the house. Everything, the roads, drive, and walks were solid sheets of wet ice. A check of the forecast revealed that the ice/rain was expected to turn back to snow shortly. In fact, after turning on the TV to catch the weather, I saw that it had already turned to all snow in Delaware. I figured I’d wait it out and run once the snow built up a little. We were expecting 4-6 inches through the day. Besides, I couldn’t drive in this crap anyhow. I delivered Mindy’s coffee despite knowing that she didn’t have school. I needed her to be aware that Jacob didn’t either. I logged onto my laptop and connected to work by 6:15am. I talked with a peer of mine, who said the roads weren’t that bad coming in from Grove City at 4am. I worked remotely for an hour or so. By 7:00am the rain turned back to snow, and by 7:30am we had a good base of white stuff on top of all the ice. That was my queue to leave for a run. I must’ve been about 7:40am. I made sure that Mindy knew my plan just in case something happened. She was still in bed when I left. I knew almost immediately that I’d have the footing I’d hoped for. The stoop was even easy to navigate now that it was covered with fresh snow. The snow was coming down at a good clip. It was piling up fast. Like several recent mornings, the fresh snow made for a nice running cushion. A few shovelers commented about my antics. I shrugged it off and completed my run like any other day. With the new layer of snow, it was easy. I knew that there was about a half inch of ice under the snow, and as soon as I got back home I went right for my square landscaping shovel. I plowed up the snow and underlying ice by making scraping runs laterally from one another and about two feet apart. After freeing the heavy ice, I fetched the snow shovel and pitched it all into the yard all the while the snow continued coming down at full strength. It took me about 30 minutes to do the entire job. I was simply happy to have the ice up. By the time I went back inside everyone was up and had eaten their breakfast. Mindy had my eggs ready in the microwave. I woofed them down then headed for a shower. Mindy asked if I could work from home, but I felt it important to be in the office along with my team. I left at 9:30am. It was a slow steady drive in. It was snowing so hard that it clogged my windshield wipers even with them running at full speed. I can’t recall that ever happening. I arrived at work just before 10am. Because of the inclement weather, we had a few people out. But most of them were out because school their kids schools were closed. We decided early on to order pizza for the team since the weather was so poor. That proved to be a challenge in and of itself. Bottom line, our pizzas didn’t show up until just before 3pm, and that was with us picking them up. I ate four pieces. I was hungry and didn’t pack a lunch. Word had it that about 6 inches had piled up during the day. Mindy phoned late afternoon to tell me about her snow day at home with all four kids. They played in the snow for a good while, Landon included. And unless I am mistaken, that was his first time spending any appreciable time out in the snow. Mindy said that he loved it. She also reported getting lots of chores done while he napped and that we would be having meatloaf for dinner – her mother’s recipe. I left for home around 5:25pm. I forgot that I parked out front. That caused me a handful of minutes. Plus, I my Trooper was caked in ice and snow. It took a while to warm-up and scrape the tough coating of ice away. I arrived home just before 6pm. I wasn’t all that hungry but didn’t dare mention as much to Mindy, who slaved away all afternoon making the meatloaf. I walked Ykraps before sitting down to dinner. It was cold and somewhat difficult to navigate the fairly deep snow. Lucky for me, Ykraps found a spot to crap. Dinner was ready once I was back. The meatloaf was delicious. Perhaps the best I’ve ever had – no kidding. Along with the meatloaf, she made mashed potatoes. We topped the taters with the meatloaf juice. Landon was in an extra good mood. Must’ve been the long nap. The kids had donuts for dessert. I had none. After clean-up, Mindy let Rocky and Jacob visit neighbor Jake. In turn, Bella had Makayla and Lilly over at our house. The kids all left and came home at 7:45pm by design. Mindy immediately got Landon and Rocky bathed. Jacob & Bella were allowed to skip. We didn’t get the kids settled and in bed until just after 8pm. I finished updating my blog around 8:35pm. Afterwards I tuned into American Idol. It was over at 9pm. We watched Lie To Me after that. Like I often do, I fell asleep during the program. We headed up to bed around 10pm. I’m quite sure Mindy received a call informing her that school was canceled again tomorrow. But unfortunately, she was scheduled to be at an off site conference, which she figured would still be held. Ex-Kelly let her know that Rocky’s school was canceled again too.

Me & My Snow Shovel

I was up just before 5:30am to yet another round of light snow. I quickly finished my exercises and the leashed up Ykraps for our usual morning stroll. We were back by 5:50am. I went to pour my coffee when I realized that there was nothing but hot water in the pot. Crap! Forgot to put the coffee in. I quickly rectified the mistake and went to the PC while the real coffee brewed. I checked for school closings but doubted there’d be any, at least any of ours. There weren’t. I mean, hey, we didn’t even have two inches of new stuff. When the coffee was finally done, I delivered Mindy’s before sipping my own. I also informed her that school was not canceled. She already figured as much otherwise her phone would’ve been ringing off the hook. That’s how the school teachers’ do it. They have a call chain. Instead of meditation, I stretched out fully on the family room floor. My back was spasming ever so lightly, but enough to cause some discomfort. Stretching out and lying flat on my back for a while always seems to help. I left for my run at 6:35am. I ran in the road and in the soft cushion provided by the new snow. That helped my sore foot some, too. It felt better today than yesterday. Yippie! When I got home, I went immediately for the snow shovel and began shoveling the drive and walk out front. All this shoveling is getting old. Sadly they’re predicting lots more snow, possibly mixed with ice, later tonight. Mindy and the kids were loading into the Honda just as I finished up. It was already after 7:30am. Holy smoke! By the time I finished eating my eggs and packing a lite lunch, it was 7:45am. I figured I’d better wait and shower after getting Jacob on the bus. We walked to the bus stop at 7:58am. We waited, and waited and waited until I finally decided to walk home and get my cell and call Mindy. I knew there was a late start day planned this week, but what I didn’t know was which day. Surely Mindy would’ve mentioned it to me if it were today. She answered after several rings and said it was Wednesday. No sooner did I walk back out to the bus stop did it finally arrive. It was 8:12am. Better late than never. I went back home to shower and dress. Before heading off to the shower I emailed my boss and peers to let them know that I’d be late by 30 minutes. I left the house at 8:45am. Gas was down to $1.74 at Thornton’s. Work was pretty busy. Plus, I had enough administrative stuff to accomplish that it kept me busy all morning long. I printed off a Saturday’s coupon and left for a haircut at 2pm. I couldn’t imagine there being a crowd at Saturday’s at 2pm on a Tuesday afternoon. Lucky for me, there wasn’t. I got right in. Stacey cut my hair. She’s cut it several times past. Interestingly enough, she asked if I’ve been skiing lately. I shared just a little about our weekend ski trip, but then deferred to what’s been going on with her. It’s not so much that I care, but recognize that it’s nice to have someone ask how life is going. Who knows when the advice you might give will save or change a life (ding – fries are done). Stacey was efficient and had me out of there in less than fifteen minutes. I went promptly next door, just as I often do, to buy crickets and meal worms for the lizards. The guy working the counter showed me some giant meal worms – said they bite. But those weren’t the ones I needed. Heck, they were bigger than the lizards. Because I’d only been gone 30 minutes, I went across the street to Lowe’s where I browsed a few aisles. I didn’t stay too long and had nothing urgent on my shopping list. I left empty handed. I was back at work even before 3pm. I ate my lunch as soon as I got back. It began to snow just before 4pm. I made a bet with one of my team members that it wouldn’t snow more than an inch by 9am. There were conflicting reports of anywhere between 3 and 8 inches coming. A few folks even scheduled the next day off to avoid having to call off if their kid’s school canceled. I simply didn’t want to be party to sensationalizing it. I left for home around 5:25pm. I was surprised at how much snow had fallen by then. Probably an inch already. :) Mindy had been to the doctor earlier in the afternoon after her coughing attacks flared up again. She asked me to stop and pick-up her prescriptions – four of them. Damn! Because it was snowing so hard, I went through the drive-thru at CVS. $35 later I had the scripts and was headed for home. I took the back way home through The Glen. I already knew that I-270 was almost at a stand still. Travel was slow everywhere but at least we kept moving. The latest forecast called for 3 inches of snow changing over to sleet/ice overnight, then another 1-4 inches of snow tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, the temperature was in the low 20s. According to Ben Gelber there was warm air aloft, which would explain where the sleet/rain/ice would come from. I shoveled snow as soon as I got home just to give Mindy a path out if necessary. Afterwards I figured that not too wise if indeed we were gonna get a layer of ice. It’s always easier to shovel off the ice if there’s a layer of snow underneathe preventing it from sticking to the driveway. Oh well. Done! I went in with all my gear. Mindy already informed me that dad got Jacob off the bus so she could go to the doctor. He walked Ykraps for us while visiting. Cool! It stopped snowing a few minutes after I got home. Mindy made bubba burgers for her, Jacob, Rocky and me. The wee ones had hot dogs. I ate all of my burger and half of Jacob’s. Clean-up went easier than the night before. Jacob mentioned more than once that he hoped school would be canceled tomorrow. Word was that it was almost a certainty given the bleak forecast and the timing of it all. We got the kids in bed by 8pm. After they were tucked in, I worked on updating my blog. I was about four days behind. I had a couple days written but unpublished, however. Meanwhile, I knew that I was missing Idol but didn’t care. I still caught the last half hour. I was happy to read that brother Glenn was driving up to see Greg Six, an old high school pal, in Seattle. As I understand it, he’s dying of brain cancer and his time is short. I sent Glenn an email last week encouraging the trip, although I’m not taking credit for leading him to do so. I failed to mention that I spoke with brother Tommy late afternoon. We talked for a while catching up on everything that’s been going on in his life as well as my own. Sounds like he bought a car via eBay that should be arriving today or tomorrow – a BMW 328i. I asked about his Oregon intentions. He said that it most likely won’t happen. We discussed the recent success of his business operations, too. Sounds like it’s doing a lot better. After Idol, we watched Fringe. This week’s episode was about a computer virus that liquefied the brains of unsuspecting recipients. Very far fetched but also very cool! I fell asleep for the final few minutes all the while Mindy again rubbed my aching left foot. We headed to bed son after the show ended. But even before our heads hit the pillow Mindy’s phone rang. It was a teacher pal calling to let her know that school was canceled for Wednesday. I remember hearing Mindy ask about Columbus Catholic (Rocky’s school system) as well. Yep, it was canceled too. Apparently she didn’t have any scoop on Hilliard as of then. After that I was out!

And Just Like That, A Blissful Weekend Behind Us

I woke a few times during the night and was pleasantly surprised to see that I had many hours of sleep yet ahead of me. That always feels good. I woke for keeps at 5:30am on the button. It wasn’t long before I was downstairs with my toes tucked under the living room recliner cranking out sit-ups. Speaking of my sit-ups, I didn’t do any Saturday or Sunday while on our trip. I felt a smidge guilty. By the time I finished my entire routine it was 5:45am. I checked the temperature just before heading out with Ykraps. It was only 11 degrees. Sigh. Ykraps and I trudged through the two or so inches of fresh, fluffy snow. We were back by 5:55am. I sipped coffee in front of the PC before delivering some to Mindy. Suddenly, it was like we never left. I was already back in the morning groove. I dressed warmly then left for my morning run at 6:30am. My run went pretty well, although my left foot was hurting quite a bit. I’ve been battling a light case of plantar fasciitis for a couple of months now. It was exacerbated by wearing ski boots for three days. But as one might suspect, I’ve been through this a few times over the years and have rebounded nicely each time. Anyone who’s had a case of fasciitis knows how bad it can hurt, especially first thing in the AM. Mindy & the kids were doing their thing when I returned home. Soon Mindy & the wee ones were on their way to school and the sitter. Unlike Mindy & I, I could tell that the kids were a little out of sync still. Jacob and I walked to the bus stop at 7:58am. The sidewalk along the bridge was ridiculously slippery as we crossed. I warmed Jake when I saw him coming from a distance. Soon the bus scooped up the boys and I walked back home. I left for the office at 8:10am. The work day went by quickly. I stayed busy playting catch up after being out on Friday. Somewhat expectedly, it hardly seemed like I had a weekend, not to mention a three day. I ate a very healthful lunch; tomato &cucumbers, cheese chunks and lean ham, and a cup of mixed fruit. Mindy told me that she was making pasta for dinner. I was looking forward to that. She wasn’t sure what type, at least when we last spoke. That had more to do with not being sure what was in our pantry. I arrived home at 5:50pm. The kids seemed genuinely happy to see me. More importantly, they seemed to be back in the groove. Rocky reported getting a star for his behavior at school. That made all of us happy. Soon we were all gathered at the dinner table for supper. The pasta was scant by comparison – no meatballs. Reason being, we didn’t have any. Too, we had only one jar of spaghetti sauce so Mindy had to tweak it. It was good but also noticeable. We had some dandy garlic bread as a complementary item. Clean-up took a little while. But then again, pasta dinner clean-ups always take longer. More pans. Courtney stopped by around 7:30pm to pick-up some money. I was in the middle of giving Rocky & Landon baths. Mindy was busy sorting laundry. It never ends. Courtney didn’t stay long. She left before 8pm. We had the kids in bed by 8:30pm. Finally, a little time to relax before bed. I spent most of that time napping as it turns out. I asked Mindy to rub my aching left foot. She gleefully obliged my request. Mindy headed for bed at 9:30pm. I stayed up passively watching some show. Can’t even recall what it was. I fell back asleep. I woke around 10:30pm and headed for bed.

I Could Be a Ski Bum

I was up about 15 minutes earlier than Saturday morning. It was 8am. Damn! Can’t believe I slept that late again. Must’ve been tired after all that skiing and drinkin’. I fumbled around in the dark looking for all of my running gear, which I thought I did a decent job of laying out before falling asleep. But once again, I didn’t lay out my cold weather accessories like, gaiter, winter gloves, and hat. I ended up heading out with my late autumn coverage instead. I stopped by the complimentary continental breakfast buffet for a quick gulp of coffee before setting out. It was cold once more. I ran the same route as Saturday. My head was in a fog until the turnaround. The cold air woke me up. I felt terrific by the time that I made it back. I stopped in for more coffee after my run. Sitting alone in the formal gathering area, I spotted Mary Ann doing the same. I called her over. We chatted a bit before heading back to our room. The hot tub sounded good in lieu of a shower but the maintenance guy had just shocked it. It wouldn’t be open for a while. Crap! Back in the room, Mindy was just finishing up her shower. I offered the available shower to Mary Ann, but she opted out of one. I took one next. Before hitting the slopes, we packed our gear and loaded the Honda. Bob checked us out of the room around 10am. We planned to ski until 2pm then hit the road for home. We headed up the Sunrise lift for our initial run. Everybody did better than Saturday AM. And just as he did all weekend, Bob served as the ‘cruise director’ mapping out a plan that would take us out and then bring us back in. We made our way to the western edge of the ski village skiing many of our favorite runs. Mindy mentioned being ravenously hungry atop the Spruce Line lift. Lucky for her I had some cheese and sausages in my coat. I asked if she could wait until we skied down but she said no. I gave her some cheese but couldn’t get the sausage opened in the cold. We skied to the Yodeler lodge and took a snack/beer break. Bob and I had an EBC Pale Ale. The girls had water. Mindy fetched snack – fries, hot dog, and brownie. I ate a lot of the sausages I had stashed in my coat pocket. I didn’t bother tapping into my Goldschlager. I had to drive later and was mindful of that. We finished our break around 1230pm. We had 1.5 hours left to have fun. We made the most of it, too. We all skied a black diamond. I think it was called ‘Firecracker’. I thought Mindy & Mary Ann would take the easier, blue trail down but looking back up from the bottom that wasn’t the case. They were gracefully zig-zagging their way down the more challenging black trail. Cool! We skied another four or five runs before it was time to head back to the Inn for the car. Bob & I took one last black diamond run. I almost skipped it thinking why risk injury now, but didn’t. It was an exhilarating run. At the bottom, I felt a little sad that our skiing was over. I’m sure everyone did. We had an absolute blast! We loaded all of our ski gear into the Honda and then drove to rental returns. Mary Ann went with Mindy & I to return our gear. Afterwards we went for some Starbucks coffee at the nearby coffee house. We hit the road for home at about 2:50pm. The weather driving home was terrific. Terrific that is until we got just north of Columbus. The irony is that our trip took us through the snow belt (NE Ohio, NW PA & New York). No snow or bad weather going either direction. According to those we communicated with in Columbus on our trip back home, they were hit with an unexpected snow storm. We hit the tail end of it as we approached town from the north. We got the Imber’s home by 8pm. It didn’t take us long to free their gear and hit the road for home. After unloading all of our gear, Mindy reinstalled the kiddie seats while I shoveled the drive. Jimaken brought Jacob & Bella home just as I finished up the shoveling. I left to fetch Rocky & Landon at 845pm. I arrived at Kelly’s by 9pm to pick-up the boys. They were a little sad, confused, but everything was fine once we got home. We didn’t bother with baths. Mindy got them into their jammies and then tucked into bed. After the kids were in bed, Mindy & I unpacked our gear in all of about fifteen minutes. We didn’t get everything put in its proper place but we accomplished quite a bit just he same. And certainly got everything put away that we considered vital. We were in bed by 10:10pm. Wow, what whirlwind day.

We Ski - Part 2

It was very dark in the room and the lone clock was aimed more towards the Imber’s bed. I had no idea what time it was. I woke a few times during the night to the sound of snoring. Even though I snore myself, I found it difficult to sleep, but eventually did. I worried too that I might have a big ol’ headache but that proved unwarranted. I felt fine when I finally drug myself from bed. It was 8:15am. Damn! I really hoped to be up by 7am. Oh well. Mary Ann was already up and getting dressed. I quickly gathered my running clothes and headed out for a run. I was a little frustrated with myself for not neatly laying all of my gear out. I had to make do without a few of my preferred cold weather pieces. I ran west along Holiday Valley Rd. It was sunny but brutally cold. There was a light breeze blowing too. The run west was uphill, but not ridiculous. Plus, the scenery was incredible. I ran to the Yoedler lodge, all part of the Holiday Valley resort. I couldn’t believe how far away it seemed by foot. I ran for about 30 minutes. I guesstimated my run to be no more than three miles. It felt good. Now I was ready to shower, eat , and SKI! The Inn served up a nice complimentary continental breakfast complete with cereal, muffins, bagels, and French toast. But Bob, Mindy & I wanted something more substantial. We walked over to Burger King, right across the street. After woofing down our breakfast we headed back to the room to garb up and hit the slopes. We hit the Sunrise lift at 10am sharp. It was very cold our first ride up. And all of us needed to knock the dust off. Bob showed us ‘The Wall’ – the original run and a steep double black diamond. We didn’t ski it. Too icy and steep for our liking, especially so early in the day. We took a challenging blue run instead. After getting our skis under us we made our way west to the other end of the park. We took a snack and pee break just before noon. We had a beer or two as well. After that break I found my groove and was ready to tackle some black diamonds. We skied darn near every major trail in the park save for the black diamond with a big mogul field. What was really surprising was how courageous Mindy was. She did some pretty steep black diamonds along with Bob & I. Of course sipping the Goldschlager didn’t hurt. As you might guess, she was very proud of herself. We took a late afternoon break back in our room. Mindy & I even did the hot tub and sauna. That felt terrific after skiing all day. I think that it’s safe to say, we all were feeling no pain. We headed back out for late evening/night skiing afterwards. We really tore up it up then. I had an absolute ball, and so did everyone else. During our earlier break, Mary Ann finally bought a ski helmet at Bob’s prompting. She got new goggles too. That gave her the extra confidence to ski a little more daringly. We could’ve skied until 10:30pm, but the girls were getting tired, and all of us wanted some hot tub time before dinner. Bob & I did a couple balls-to-the-wall runs on Sunrise skiing until 9:30pm. By then I had chronic thigh burn. We hit the hot tub a few minutes later. And yes, we had cold beer in the Minnesota Viking cups I brought. Even Bob, a diehard Browns fan. Bob brought his waterproof camera to the tub and took a few pictures from underwater to the amusement of other patrons. They must’ve thought he was crazy. In fact, a little later another guest asked what kind of camera it was that could go underwater like that. He said he was simply amused that someone was foolish enough to bring it to the hot tub, not to mention putting it directly into the water. We got a chuckle out of that. Somewhere through all of that we temporarily lost the girls. They eventually materialized back in the room. We all quickly dressed for dinner out at the Depot, which was across the street but probably equal to two blocks of walking. The Depot specializes in wings and that’s what I wanted. The girls ordered soup. I think that Mindy ordered grilled cheese, too. Bob & I shared a pitcher of Yeungling. We didn’t stay out too late. The walk back to our room was brutal. For some reason the icy cold wind was cutting right through me. I was shivering out of control. I ran back just to get warm. I think that all of us were in bed less than fifteen minutes later, me actually sooner.

We Ski

I got up and moving at 5:45am. It was easier than usual since I knew I didn’t have to be at work. Still, we had a busy morning ahead, one that would look like most any other work day up until about 8:15am. I still had to exercise, walk the dog, run, and get Jacob on the school bus. After finishing all of my early morning activities I sipped coffee in front of the PC. Mindy came down around 6:15am to fetch her own. She poked at me for not bringing her some. Actually, I had planned to, and already had her cup full of creamer and Splenda. I think she forgave me. While she headed back up for a shower like any other workday morning, I dressed and left for a run. I wore my “B” grade running attire to keep my good stuff fresh and packed. Thankfully, it was 30 degrees – a heat wave of sorts. I didn’t need all the thick stuff. I shortened my run to three miles to save time and energy. After all, I’d be skiing up a storm later in the afternoon. I got back home at 7:00am on the nose. Mindy was surprised I was home so soon. I used the time to continue organizing our gear for travel. It wasn’t long at all before she and the wee ones departed. I gave all three big hugs and wished them each a fun-filled weekend. After Mindy left I took a hot shower. I was downstairs and ready by 7:41am. We had fifteen minutes before bus stop time. I used that time to load coolers – one with beer, the other with our cold snacks. Jacob and I walked to the bus stop at our usual 7:58am. Soon he was on the bus and headed for school. I hurried back home to finalize the packing. My goal was to have everything organized by the door ready for Mindy’s return. During the next fifteen minutes I finished the packing and organizing and even had time to grab a few last minute items that I knew would make our trip even more comfortable. Mindy was home by 8:35am – just five minutes later than expected. We had the Honda loaded to depart by 8:45am. I scrawled a note for dad and did one more walk through before locking up. Just as we were preparing to back out the drive dad pulled up. We spent a couple minutes reviewing Ykraps care along with our agenda and then said goodbye and hit the road. We called Bob & Mary Ann to let them know that we were on our way. We were a few minutes behind schedule, but not by much. We arrived at the Imber’s at 9:10am. We installed his Yakima carrier on the top of the Honda to transport their ski gear. There was plenty of room in the back for their personal gear. We hit the road at what we thought was 9:35am but according to Mindy, the Honda’s clock is set 7 minutes fast. By the time we hit I-71N it was 9:40am. Holiday Valley is located in Ellicottville, New York (about 45 miles south of Buffalo). It’s about a 320 mile drive. We stopped twice, once for food somewhere along the outerbelt of Cleveland, and then once in New York to pee. We made it to Holiday Valley even before 3:00pm. We made great time. We wisely refueled for the trip home as soon as we got into town. We scoped out the Ellicottville Brewing Company but parking was next to impossible so we went to check in instead. Check-in was a breeze. We had our lift tickets and were in our room by 3:20pm. Before hitting the slopes we all enjoyed a frosty cold beverage. Bob & I each had a HopSlam. Mindy & Mary Ann shared a 22oz. Hoppin’ Frog Silky Porter. Ski rental was about a half mile up the road at one of a handful of lodges. Bob dropped us off and then took the Honda back to the Inn, which is located at the base of the Sunrise lift. We planned to ski back to our room with our shoes in tow. We were on the lift by 4pm. We made a quick run back towards the Inn to drop our shoes then headed back out for the evening. It took a while to get our ski legs but all of us eventually did. Mindy did great. She continues to show marked improvement even on tougher slopes. In fact, I don’t think she fell even once that night, and that was after hitting at least one legitimate black diamond. Even though the weekend forecast called for bitter cold, it started to sleet ever so lightly that first night. For the time being, the temperature was hovering just below freezing. We took a couple short breaks and drank beers back at our room, but quickly headed back out for more fun. We sipped Goldschlager from our pocket flasks while riding the lifts. By dark, we had the courage of a lion. The skiing was fantastic. Mindy and I struggled with the layout, relying solely on Bob’s intimate knowledge of the terrain to direct us around. Noticeable right away was the vastness of the park. There’s no big, majestic mountain peak to gaze at but the slopes were all we could handle and more. Too, all of the lifts but one are high speed quads which is really nice. We stopped skiing around 9:30pm just so we could do a little hot tubbing before dinner. We must’ve gotten in the hot tub, which was just a stones throw from our room, sometime after 10pm. The Inn’s security guard made all of us get out in a hurry right at 10:30pm – closing time. Crap! We barely had time to mend. Just as well. We quickly changed into street clothes and headed across the street to Cadillac Jack’s for dinner. We ordered an assortment of goodies: calamari, muscles, wings, wine, and beer. And yes, by the time we were finished I had quite a buzz. But hey, we were on a mini-vacation, and better yet, we were walking! We were back at our room and down for the count by midnight.

Avoiding the Kiddie Crud

Thursday was my last day to work before our ski weekend getaway. I was excited to get the day moving along. Nothing new weatherwise. The temperature was a cold 18 degrees at 5:30am. And just like the weather, nothing different than any other work day. Exercised, walked the dog, and went for a run, all before 6:30am. The house was a little hectic as everyone ate breakfast and prepared to depart for the day. Mindy admitted stressing over what still had to happen to make our trip a reality. I understood. I had things needing done too. After seeing Jacob onto the bus I departed for work. It was nice to have a full tank of gas. My fear of another price increase proved unfounded. In fact, they were actually down a couple more cents. But that’s only because I fueled up. Had I not, they would’ve gone up. J Work was a little busier than it had been all week. Go figure! I survived. At lunch I ran a handful of errands. I deposited a check, got some cash, picked up some Goldschlager, and popped in Advanced Auto Parts to look for the trailer connector we need for the Honda. The fella working the counter recommended I check at NAPA after looking through their entire selection. Lucky for me, all of those places were within eyeshot of one another. I was on my way back to work after just 35 minutes. The weather was getting nice. We had bright sunshine and the temperature rose above freezing for the first time in about two weeks. I enjoyed my short walk back into the building. My afternoon was chalked full of action. I hoped to leave about an hour early but I just couldn’t manage to get away. However, I did end up leaving about 20 minutes early. Mindy and I spoke earlier and agreed that we’d have pizza for dinner. That was so wouldn’t have to prepare a meal. She didn’t get home until 4:30pm and had lots to do. I got home at 5:35pm. Before walking Ykraps I ordered the pizza. And after our quick walk I left to pick it up. Like most other times, the pizza was ready less than five minutes after my arrival – hot out of the oven. I ate a small piece on my way home. Even during dinner I was feeling a little stress given that I hadn’t yet packed. On top of that, I was feeling overwhelmingly tired. I really wanted a nap. I prayed that I wasn’t coming down with the ‘kiddie crud’ that’s made its way through our house over the last week or so. The pizza was delicious. I ate more than my share. After dinner and while the kids played, I went to the living room recliner for a quick nap. All I needed was one of my famous 15 minute naps. I fell asleep but the kids made so much noise that anything resembling sustained sleep was impossible. I still chose to lie there with my eyes closed for several minutes. I could hear Landon milling about my chair and eventually crawling up in the chair beside me to emulate me. He loves me! After Mindy got the kids bathed and in bed, we both began to pack our clothes. We already had most of our stuff out in various piles. At that point, we hadn’t yet discussed the logistics of the morning in great detail. All I knew was that we wanted to be at Bob and Mary Ann’s by 9am. Before that, however, Mindy needed to drop Landon and Rocky and Grandma Sharon’s and then take Bella to school. That meant we couldn’t load the Honda until she was back home. Ugh! We finally talked about it and decided that it wouldn’t take but a few minutes to load the Honda if we prepared well. She still thought that she could be home by 8:30am, so that would give us fifteen minutes to load up. I rested much easier after sorting all that out. We finished packing around 9:30pm. I celebrated with a rum and Fresca. I spent the last 30 minutes of my day updating the blog. We headed to bed just after 10pm.

Breaking Into the Teens

I was awake and up just before 5:30am. I slept pretty well despite waking a few times due to the kids. Mindy got up to address their needs each time. God bless her. She’s still having coughing fits of her own in the middle of the night, too. Before settling in for some sit-ups I checked the temperature. It was 1 degree. Another cold run ahead. Ten minutes later, after finishing my exercises, I headed out with Ykraps. We battled through the cold just fine. I wore my cold weather head and hand gear, so I was really quite cozy, although not as cozy as I am during my run. I sipped coffee at the PC and read the Daily OM. I delivered Mindy’s coffee then promptly returned for a little more PC time. I responded to David’s last couple emails, and thanked him for sending the COBU/Forever Family link. I was wise to Stuart’s larger than life ego even then as a stupid teenager. I dressed warmly for my run. I’ve got the garb down pat for the bitter cold. I could see a lovely crescent moon in the southeastern sky through the thin cloud cover. In addition to the clouds, we were getting bombarded by teeny-tiny ice crystals again. It was really pretty glistening under the street lights. I can only assume that it’s frozen fog. My run ended where it began. Go figure! Inside, Mindy was busy finishing my eggs and rounding up the kids to depart for school. She confirmed that Jimaken Wednesday was cancelled due to Jacob being ill. We’d be having those steaks I bought yesterday for dinner. As bus time arrived, I was busy scurrying about. Jacob headed out the door without me. We didn’t take the football. At the bus stop I asked Jacob where his hat was. He didn’t know. Also, he was wearing those daggone receiving gloves instead if his warm winter gloves. At the same time, neighbor Jake said he wasn’t feeling well but that his mom was making him go to school anyhow. He also shared that his tonsillectomy appointment has been postponed for two weeks. Too bad. The bus pulled up at 8:03am. I walked back home and grabbed my gear and headed off for work. Gas was $1.83. I was setting at about 1/3 of a tank but decided to go on, knowingly risking a mid-day price increase. This was staff meeting day. The morning moved fast. Our meeting lasted well past 1pm. We had several items needing addressed. As soon as that meeting was over I woofed down my chicken & noodles just before running off to yet another meeting that lasted until 3pm. Mindy phoned around 4pm to, among other things, ask if I could come home a little early so that she could take Jacob to the doctor. He was complaining of a sore throat and was running a low grade fever – the tell-tale signs of strep. I agreed to leave work at 5pm versus 5:30pm. If she hadn’t asked, I was planning to stop at Kroger to get some Goldschlager for our ski trip. In addition, I wanted to stop at Advanced Auto Parts to look for the correct trailer wiring harness for the new Pilot. I scrapped those plans in order to meet Mindy’s needs. I stopped for gas at Thornton’s after seeing the price remained the same all day. The Trooper took 16 gallons. I arrived home just after 5:30pm. I walked Ykraps almost immediately in part so Mindy & Jacob could dash off to see brother/doctor Craig. I got to stay home with the wee ones! Yippie! Mindy offered that I should broil the steaks and feed the kids. However, I already knew that I would not be trying to cook and serve dinner by myself. Nope. I’d simply wait for their return. I had everything all ready to go. I was simply waiting for her call to start the broiler. That call came around 6:30pm. I promptly started broiler then threw the steaks in. They were done ten minutes later and timed perfectly with Mindy and Jacob’s return. We were eating later than usual but it was a better alternative to me trying to do it all myself. I failed to mention that the smoke detectors were blaring away just when Mindy walked in. The smoke from the broiler set them off. The kids were freaking out. Kids! Dinner was good. Everyone had some steak except for Jacob, who was having Dairy Queen for being a brave boy at the doctor’s. Please! I did clean-up after Mindy corralled the kids upstairs for their baths. We had them tucked in just in time to tune into Wednesday Idol. Tonight’s show was from Louisville, Ky. Like most other tryout nights, there were some very funny moments. After Idol, we watched a new Fox show called Lie To Me. We both liked it much. We may tune in again. We headed for bed at 10:05pm. Good night moon! It was 19 degrees when we headed for bed! Wahoo – a heat wave!

Nissan Quest Has A New Owner

I was up on time. And like I have each day for the past week or so, I checked the temperature. It was -1. I completed my exercise routine then bundled warmly for a walk with the dog. It was definitely cold. I concluded that there’s little difference between -1 and -13. It’s just cold. I could hear that Mindy was up and in the shower just as she planned. She had to be at school by 7:30 which in effect, moved everything up 30 minutes on her agenda. She got up just a few minutes after me. For what it’s worth, I tried to get out of the house for my run a few minutes early just so Jacob didn’t have to be at home alone for too long. I stretched well from the front stoop before dashing off. I bundled warmly with two running shirts but only one pair of running pants. I was very comfortable. I reminded myself during the run how fortunate I am to run in the icy cold versus the rainy and wet 30s. That can be miserable. As luck would have it, just as I rounded the bend for home, Mindy was backing out of the drive. I figured she’d already be gone. I said goodbye to everyone once more. Inside, she had my eggs ready on the stove. After eating my breakfast I went out and started the minivan. I planned to let it run through my shower and then pull it in the garage to install the new license plates. Lately, Mindy hasn’t been making my lunch. This is something she had been doing for me for the last 2+ years. I guess the honey moon’s over! She’s never said anything about it. I will have to ask. However, I do realize how full her plate is early mornings these days. After my shower, I headed out to pull the van into the garage. To my chagrin, the windows were still frosty. It was cold! While I was busy scraping, Jimaken pulled up to pick-up Jacob. Jacob was ill so Jimaken offered to stay home from work with him today. That helped plenty. They left in a hurry. As soon as they pulled away, I pulled the minivan into the garage. I really didn’t want to be contending with the license plates in the sub zero temps. The garage provided some additional warmth. I removed the old and installed the new somewhat ceremoniously, officially making the van Courtney’s. I pulled it back to the curb before leaving for work. By then I had my Trooper warming too. I left for work a few minutes later. The work day wasn’t very busy once again. However, there’s always plenty for me to do. The biggest difference is that I am able to work in a different quadrant – the non- urgent/emergency. I managed my time well and left for lunch at 1pm. I drove to The Anderson’s on Sawmill to get some snacks and beer for our ski trip. Nobody has selection like the Anderson’s. I did some mindless browsing for the first few minutes but then turned my full attention to why I came in the first place. I was very excited to find that they had all sorts of my favorite beers on hand. They had 22oz bottles of Hop Juice, Mean Manalishi, & UnEarthy IPAs. Holy smoke! It must be my birthday! I picked up a Hopin’ Frog Silky Porter for Mindy. On top of all that I found some CBC IPA. This is the first time I’ve ever seen it bottled. I grabbed a sixer. Lastly, I grabbed sixer of Mojo IPA. I knew then that I just spent entirely too much money on beer, but what the hell. The beer is right around the corner from the butcher shop. I couldn’t pass up the deal on NY strip steaks. I bought two 12oz strips for $7.50 each. Now over to the snacks. I found some of the Babybel individually wrapped cheeses. I bought a couple bags. I grabbed four packs of fresh beef sticks, too. In addition, I picked up some pepperjack Cheezits and some stuffed Hanover pretzels. My total bill was $110. Honestly, I spent more than I originally thought I might. Back to work. After all that, I was back at the office by 2pm. As soon as I got back I made a few personal phone calls I needed to make. One, I canceled the insurance for the minivan. Two, I called Al, my ex-father-in-law. We talked for a few minutes. And lastly, I called Tony, our Honda sales dude. He thanked me for sending him more business. One of my guys bought a new Accord from him last week. Honestly, though, I didn’t know anything of it. J The reason for my call was to track down the trailer wire connector we need for the Pilot. He promised to research and call me back. He called back and said that Honda doesn’t provide or sell them. Said I’d have to get it from an auto parts store or trailer shop, like U-Haul. Hmm? OK. I thought they forgot to give it to us. The rest of the afternoon flew by. They often do. I left for home at 5:30pm. Mindy had wings in the oven when I got home. Courtney arrived at the same time. He grandpa dropped her off. She was excited to show off her new driver’s license and to start/warm-up the minivan. I walked Ykraps as soon as I got situated. I don’t like to relax much before hand. Courtney left before wings were done. We offered her dinner but she refused. She was excited to be free with her own vehicle, I’m sure. As it turned out, I wasn’t all that hungry given that I ate chicken & noodles for lunch. But the wings smelt good, so I ate a few anyhow. The kids enjoyed them as well. By the way, everyone in the house is ill except for me. I have vowed not to get the kiddie crud this year. Clean up was a snap. Mindy got the kids ready for bed earlier than usual. Although we didn’t have them tucked into bed until just before American Idol came on. Tonight’s Idol show featured contestants from San Francisco. As expected, there were plenty of funny/good ones. I enjoyed it. After Idol, that show, Fringe had its winter premier. We haven’t watched it for a couple of months. This episode was very good. It’s worthy of a watch. Check it out next Tuesday. We headed for bed soon after Fringe ended.

More of the same

I checked the temperature as soon as I was downstairs. Admittedly, I’ve been obsessed with the cold lately. It was a mere 5 degrees. I felt pretty good and was eager to get my day underway. I had to set up coffee after forgetting to do so before bed. Sit-ups and push-ups finally in the bag, I headed outside with Ykraps. Granted, five degrees should’ve felt passé, but it didn’t. There was a stiff breeze blowing which cut right through me. Burr! I was very happy to be back home and inside. Meanwhile, time was flying by. It was already time to wake Mindy and deliver morning coffee. And I would’ve done just that had it not been a holiday. This was MLK Day. I was the only one that had a definitive agenda. I took my time prepping for my run, just like last Friday. I left the house around 6:40am. There was another light coating of snow on the ground, but certainly not enough to cause any problems. In fact, the icy cold helped solidify the loose snow from Sunday making it easier for me to get traction running in the road. I finished my run around 7:20am. Quietly, I went about making my breakfast and prepping a snack and some lunch. By the time that I was ready for a shower the entire household was awake and milling about. Mindy brought Landon by the shower to greet me. Apparently he was calling for me. Smart lad, he is. I was ready to leave the house near 8:05am. I still had to warm the Trooper. It was coated with snow, frost, and ice. By the time I left for work the sun was coming out, the snow from the morning hours was moving out. The sunshine felt terrific against my skin. I spent a good bit of time in the center chatting with my team, mostly about the NFL playoffs. There are quite a few Steeler fans around, so the mood was jovial. I’d like to see Arizona win the Super Bowl but don’t see it happening unless the Steelers have two or more turnovers. We’ll see. Work was under control yet again. This is our slowest time of the year, so it’s not like it wasn’t expected. Even though work was under control, I didn’t take a formal lunch. I worked straight through stopping only long enough to warm my packed lunch. I left work just after 5:15pm. I locked my keys in my office so I had to go by my boss’ office for the master key. I arrived home a few minutes earlier than usual. Mindy was home all day and got lots of chores done. Most importantly, she deep cleaned our shower, which was looking rather grody. For dinner, we had leftover chicken & noodles. Nobody complained about that. I certainly didn’t. They were good. For dessert, we had leftover birthday cake. Clean-up took me while due mostly to the pans. Mindy got the kids ready for bed while I played on the computer. Courtney called to confirm plans to pick-up the minivan Tuesday after getting her driver’s license. She wanted to make sure that I’d have the new plates mounted. I promised that I would. Mindy & I were both in bed by 10pm. I was extra tired for some reason.

Linzy's Bday, NFL Playoffs, Heat Wave

Happy 25th B-Day Lindsey I was up at 7:30am. Because the kids stayed up late the night before, I was hopeful that they’d sleep until at least 9am. Well that didn’t happen. Rocky was up shortly after I returned form walking Ykraps. I had to badger him about not making noise. He might be the noisiest little dude in the world. :) He walks loud, talks loud, and asks the same questions over and over. It drives me bonkers, especially when I am seeking a little peace and quiet. I made him waffles on demand. Mindy talked about making some high-quality French toast for breakfast, and I reminded Rocky of that. He still wanted some waffles now. I understood that he was hungry and wanted something quick. Hearing Landon squealing, I went to his rescue. He kept asking for Mindy so I took him to her to see if he wanted to lay in bed with her. He didn’t, so I took him downstairs with me. Mindy was right behind us. We could both tell that Landon didn’t feel that good. He whined and fussed over next to nothing. I left for a run around 9:20am. As promised, Mindy started making sausage and French toast. It snowed some overnight. Best I could tell looked like we got another inch or so. Currently it was in the low 20’s. However, the temperature was going down by the hour. It was 29 at midnight and already 23. Even still, that’s a far cry warmer than it’s been. As expected, the low 20’s felt amazingly warm to my arcticly jaded skin/body. The snow fall made for some soft footing, although the many helpings of salt applied to our streets made running in the middle of the road difficult. The snow wasn’t melting but it made it loose and slippery. I couldn’t get any traction. I ran on the walks wherever feasible. I went from run mode to shovel mode in a jiffy. I shoveled the walks, drive, and deck before going in for breakfast. By the time I finished the sun was popping out. Unfortunately, this time of year my entire driveway spends all the daylight hours in shade. The sunshine helps the neighbors across the street but not me. The kids were already eating their French toast and sausage. Mine was just coming off the stove. It was delicious. I topped it off with powered sugar and syrup. After breakfast, the kids asked if they could play in the snow. We got them dressed for some fun. I went to the shed to get saucers and sleds. I played in the snow with the kids for a short while. Then, since I had the shed opened, I grabbed a bucket full of Scott’s potting soil for two purposes. One, I planned to pot the two Hibiscus clippings that I’ve managed to keep alive all winter. And secondly, I needed some potting soil for my philodendron at work. In fact, the truth is, it’s needed an infusion of fresh potting soil for a long, long time. So, I filled a zip-loc baggie with potting soil and stashed it in my backpack. While I potted the Hibiscus, Mindy headed out to play in the snow with the kids. I saw her trying out Jacob’s snow board a few times. They stayed out there for a while. Meanwhile, I needed a shower badly after a run and shoveling snow in my running clothes. A steamy shower felt terrific. Mindy asked that I make a quick trip to Wal-Mart to pick-up a whole chicken and a few other items. She needed the chicken for our planned Sunday dinner - chicken and noodles. I gladly volunteered to make the trip. Can you believe it, a chance to get out on my own. Ahh! I took my time at Wal-Mart. While there, I picked up a few extra items that weren’t on the short list. I’ll bet that I was home in less than an hour. We planned to have Lindsey over to celebrate her 25th birthday. She arrived around 3pm. She hung out and played with the boys before dinner. I joined the NFL playoffs in progress sometime after 3:30pm. The Cardinals were already up 14-3 when I turned it on. I napped a time or two in the family room while Lindsey hung out with the boys. Mindy worked on dinner. I remember Mindy asking if I wanted to walk Ykraps before we ate. Yes. It was near 5:30pm – his regular evening walk time – anyhow. Dinner consisted of homemade chicken & noodles, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. It was rib stickin’ good! The Cardinals were up 24-6 at halftime but Philly quickly snuck back in the game and even took the lead in the early fourth quarter. Dammit. But Kurt Warner, being the wiley hurler that he is, drove the Cardinals for what proved to be the winning touchdown. He will be in the hall of fame someday. Just watch. After dinner and clean-up we celebrated Lindsey’s birthday with a cake and trick candles. The kids got a big kick out of the candles. Afterwards, Rocky gave Lindsey her cards and gifts. It wasn’t a lot but at least it was something. Lindsey stayed until just after 7pm. Mindy ran her home, and Rocky & Jacob went along for the ride. Bella and Landon stayed home with me. In fact, Mindy put Landon to bed even before she left. He was so tired and still not feeling well. I sat in the family room chair watching the late playoff game. I thought that I’d pull for the Steelers but found myself rooting for the Ravens. Regardless, the Steelers won. I fell asleep during the final minutes after the outcome was no longer in doubt. I woke and watched the trophy presentation. I was eager to hear from Mike Tomlin, the Steelers head coach (formerly the Vikings defensive coordinator). Well spoken, Mike. I headed immediately to bed.

Hot Damn I got some HopSlam

I woke abruptly after dreaming that I had a big creepy spider crawling on face. It was after 8am. I hustled downstairs to make coffee and exercise. Like each Saturday, my goal was to exercise and walk Ykraps before tending to the children. That wasn’t to be. Soon, Rocky was at my heels looking for some breakfast. As usual, he wanted cinnamon waffles. I did my best to meet his needs before walking Ykraps. It was very cold outside, but not even close to Friday’s frigid temps. It was 1 degree. Landon was already squeaking by the time I returned. He wanted rescued. I changed him and then carried him downstairs. We made loose arrangements with daughter Courtney to take her to get the minivan title changed over this AM. She started calling even before 9am. Mindy was up around the same time. After coffee, she asked how & when I planned to run. I wondered that too, given that she needed to get in the shower and hit the road in less than 45 minutes. I resigned myself to not running until she returned from her outing with Courtney. I told myself that it would be warmer by then, but honestly, that provided little consolation. I don’t mind running in the extreme cold. I was just happy that Mindy was so willing to take care of the title business. As it turned out, she had to get permanent tags for the Honda and renew her driver’s license anyhow. She left around 10am and took Bella with her since Courtney had Kaileigh overnight. The two of them (Kai & Bella) wanted to hook up. Mindy said that she’d try to bring Kaileigh over afterwards if time permitted. That made me happy. I played with Jacob, Rocky & Landon all morning long. The boys wanted to go outside but I made them wait until Mindy got home. I told them it had to be10 degrees, too. That just sounded like a reasonable temperature. I made Jacob and Rocky lunch around noon. Landon wasn’t hungry, which is a big surprise. He usually eats like a horse. He was warm and had a runny nose. I figured that he might be getting sick. Jacob and I teased Rocky to the point of tears. I didn’t really intend that to happen but it did. All the kids fear a make believe ghost, Frank, that hangs out in our basement. I acted as if ‘Frank’ had overtaken my body. Rocky bought it hook like and sinker. He was in tears trying to get away. He didn’t want to be eaten by Frank. Seeing his fear, Jacob refused to let it die and kept tormenting him about it. And sadly, I played along a few more times only adding to his panicked state. Mindy got home around 1pm. Along with Bella, she had Courtney & Kaileigh with her, too. She said the BMV was an aberration. They made multiple mistakes that only added to the fun. But in the end, all the ‘stuff’ got taken care of. Courtney had her title and tags. Mindy had her tags and a new driver’s license. I eagerly headed upstairs to dress for a run. It was ten degrees when I headed out. One of the benefits of running in the sub zero temps the past two morning’s was that 10 degrees now felt warm – no kidding. It was like a walk in the park. I took my time and enjoyed every step. I don’t like delaying my run like that. I tend to put everything else on hold until I knock out my daily run, especially eating. I did have a few snacks to tie me over, however. Still, the nervous energy mounted all morning. By the time I returned, the boys were needling Mindy to go out in the cold. Mindy at first said no. I quickly defended their request and told her my promise. She immediately acquiesced. The girls played inside while Rocky & Jacob played out. Courtney surfed the net and watched TV. Courtney talked of taking Bella and Kaileigh bowling but time was now their enemy. She had to have Kaileigh back by 3:30pm. Bella was very disappointed. Mindy planned to drop Courtney and Kai at the Grove City bowling alley and then head into school to work on report cards. After that, she planned to grocery shop. I asked if she would stop at Gentiles and get me some HopSlam. She willingly agreed. I offered my debit card but she refused. Mindy put Landon down for a nap before leaving. She/they left around 2:30pm. I was home with Jacob, Rocky, Landon and Bella. Landon never did fall asleep, which is highly unusual. More evidence that he was ill. He didn’t cry. Instead, he just jibber-jabbered for about two hours. I left him be in his room. I did very little – and nothing I’d consider constructive short of rest. Mindy called a couple of times, once to let me know that she was on her way to the grocery and again to let me know that she was on her way to Gentiles. She asked about dinner. I suggested McDonald’s for the kids and Big Fat Greek for us. She liked my thinking. She had me ask Jacob what he wanted. He chose McDonald’s over Greek. She must’ve gotten home around 6pm. By then, I had Landon up & dressed. I failed to mention that he had two major blowouts throughout the day. I was fortunate enough to get to deal with both. Not fun. I walked Ykraps after carrying in groceries. Mindy got the kids settled for some McDonald’s. They were stoked. I waited until the groceries were put away before partaking in my gyro. I was eager to crack a HopSlam but decided to wait until after dinner. Mindy let the kids stay up late watching Kung Fu Panda. I guessed her strategy was to let them stay up so late so that it might enable us to sleep in Sunday morning. Rocky fell asleep on the sofa around 9pm. The others stayed up until almost 10pm. All evening long, while the kids watched a movie, I enjoyed two HopSlams and spent time working on my blog and editing photos. After the kids were in bed I tuned to the History channel and watched a program chronicling the life and times of Andrew Jackson, our seventh president. I dosed off a time or two. Mindy headed off to bed well into it. I stayed up only to fall asleep once again. I joined her already in bed near midnight.

Bitter Cold & HopSlam ... does it get any better?

I was up at 5:20am. First and foremost I was eager to find out just how cold it was. Oh my! According to Weatherbug, it was a biting -13 degrees. In my 49+ years of living, I can recall only two days colder. The coldest day ever recorded in Columbus was Jan 19th 1994 when the mercury dipped down to -22. The other I can’t readily recall the exact date but figure I must’ve been about 12 years of age. I remember it being near -20 then, too. I did my exercises and then bundled up for my walk with Ykraps. It was cold but not nearly as harrowing as anticipated. The cold must’ve nipped Ykraps’ feet. He was limping a little as he trounced through the fluffy snow looking for places to pee and pooh. I did my best to lead him to areas where the snow had either been shoveled or beat down by others before him. Thankfully, he took care of his business fully. That hasn’t always been the case under such snowy conditions. Any worry I might’ve held about doing my run in such extreme cold was quickly cast aside after walking Ykraps. I knew I could manage it. I had lots of time to myself since nobody else had to be up. School was canceled for everyone. I took advantage of the situation by spending more time on the PC & meditating. I didn’t dress for my run until 6:45am. The only modification to yesterday’s running attire was the addition of another wicking shirt underneath my thick winter model. I figured that would help ward off the cold air I felt against my upper body yesterday when it was 14 degrees warmer. The complete package included: tennis shoes, ankle-hi wicking running socks, two pair of running tights, two wicking shirts, a hi-tech running jacket, fleece ear muffs, a fleece toboggan, a fleece neck gaiter, and fleece running gloves. I was set. As always, I stretched aggressively from the stoop. I felt a few minor air leaks around my ankles, that’s it. A minute or two later I dashed off into the arctic cold. I kept a nice steady pace, not unlike any other day. I guess the only difference was me paying closer attention to it. I was very cozy and comfortable. Less than a quarter mile into my run I had to pull the gaiter away from my mouth – too warm. As the mileage mounted, thick frost formed around the rim of my gaiter. In addition, I could see and feel ice forming on my eye lashes. Those that don’t really know, think that the arctic cold air will burn your lungs. But that’s nothing more than a worn out myth. I completed my run without any problems whatsoever. The only real concern would’ve been if I stopped for some reason. I didn’t, of course. Finding the experience unique, I fetched my waterproof camera and headed back outdoors to get a picture of my frosty face. I took two pictures. After my run I got busy making my breakfast. I decided to make fried eggs. It was already 7:30am. I could hear the kids stirring upstairs. I paid them no mind. After eating my eggs I pulled together a lunch and snack then headed up for a shower. Mindy was already up and tending to Landon. The other kids must’ve been watching on. I took my shower in peace. I was ready to head out by 8:15am. I started the Trooper and left it run a good fifteen minutes before leaving the house. It started right up but the crank was noticeably slower and more laborious. Gas prices were back up to $1.94. I found that aggravating given that oil prices are near their four year low. I consider the price hike gauging due to the cold snap. The sun was bright and shiny by the time I arrived at work. The walk from my car to the building was actually quite nice. It was still brutally cold but the sunshine was warm and uplifting. I chose to drink in both the cold air and the sunshine all at once. Nice! During morning coffee we decided to take Ken (a peer) to lunch at Chipotle for his 47th birthday. He loves Chipotle! The morning went by quickly. Meanwhile, we had another fairly quiet day, although there were a few stink bombs floating around out there. We left for lunch early by my standards, but since Ken usually leaves for home around noon we headed out at 11:30am. My boss drove. Per usual, Chipotle was bustling with activity. Always a crowd. I had a barbacoa burrito with black beans, diced tomato and onions, cheese, sour cream, and rice. We shared two bags of their famous chips and washed it all down with lemonade. I ate only half of my burrito. I wrapped what was left to take home. The afternoon seemed to move at a snails pace. But that had more to do with taking such an early lunch. Just as I often do on Friday afternoon’s, I checked Barley’s webpage to see what was on tap. I was very excited to find that they had Bell’s HopSlam on tap. Bell’s brews this hopped up IPA for only a six week window each winter. I want my share! J To that end, I emailed Bob Imber to make sure he knew about it. I also asked if he felt up to meeting for one after work. His reply came an hour or so later. I think he assumed that Mindy & I both were going. He was working. Mary Ann, on the other hand, was skiing Mad River on her day off. He said they might stop up later. Speaking of later, I talked with Mindy around 4pm and told her about the HopSlam, and my intentions to stop in for some. She was fine with that and asked if I would bring home Barley’s carryout. Sure. She then asked if I wanted her to pursue a babysitter instead so that both of us could go. Sure, why not. She phoned back to let me know that Kara was available and would be over around 7pm. Suddenly, because of the HopSlam, we had a date planned. I arrived home just before 6pm. At one point, Mindy said there were eight kids at the house. Ouch! Better her than me. Jacob’s friend Noah was the only visitor still there when I arrived home. His dad was waiting in his minivan when I pulled up. He must’ve been on the phone. He was inside when I returned from walking Ykraps. He didn’t stay long. It was already 6:15pm. Mindy got the kids in their pjs and readied herself for our impromptu date. While she readied, I published Thursday’s blog entry. Kara showed up ten minutes early. Her & Bella played Mario Kart while waiting for Mindy and the others to come down. She’s more chatty now that she’s been over three or four times. Mindy and I left the house around 7:15pm, but not before putting Landon to bed. He was acting really tired and it made little sense to place the burden of putting him to bed on Kara. Besides, he was showing signs of a cold. Barley’s was as packed as I’ve ever seen the parking lot. We had no choice but to park in the ancillary lot just to its north. Inside, however, (at least at the bar) told a different story. The bar was only half attended. Must’ve been a big dinner crowd. We spotted Steve Won straight up and joined him barside. Christa and Rebecca were already there too. We haven’t seen Rebecca in weeks. We left messages for both Rene and brother Tommy. We joked about calling Tom Clark, too, but didn’t. Of course, he’s in Florida. Not only did they have HopSlam on tap, but they also had a new Double IPA by Founder’s called Double Trouble. Bob emailed that it was top notch too. But there was no question what I wanted. I wanted a HopSlam. Because it’s so strong (10%) it’s served in a sniffer. Steve advised that the going price is $7 a glass. Ouch! Still, I wanted my HopSlam. It was absolutely terrific! I don’t know that beer can get any better for my money. There a few others that come close but I think I like this one the best. By the way, Mindy ordered a Pint of Joe. Bob & Mary Ann arrived about fifteen minutes later. Mary Ann shared a little about her day on the slopes. Later, Bob and Carol stopped in and over to see us. Dan was there as well, and Diedra was our server. We used the evening at Barley’s to plan the details surrounding our ski trip slated for next weekend. Among other things, we had to determine who was driving and what we’d be taking for food, beer, & liquor. Sounds like our goal is to be on the road by 10am. It’s a five hour drive so we should get there before 4pm – ski time. Through the evening, I had two HopSlams and one of those Double Trouble’s. For dinner I had the Cuban topped with bacon and a side of Gates of Hell sauce for dipping my fries. It was fantastic. Mindy had a brisket sandwich of some sort. After those three big beers I was feeling no pain. We left for home right at 10pm. That was a fun 2.5 hours. We talked with Kara for a while, who shared how the babysitting went. Sounds like the kids were good but did challenge her a bit. We paid her well and soon she was off. I sipped a CBC Pale Ale before heading up to bed but never finished it. I took three Advil before hand just to help prevent a headache tomorrow morning.