Spring in the Air

Snapped back to reality. I must’ve started clock watching around 4am. I’ll bet I checked the time five times before 5:30am rolled around. And while I felt well rested, I could easily have drifted back to sleep for another hour or so. But work beckoned. Soon I was fully engaged in my exercise routine. First, a batch of sit-ups & push-ups, and then a round of curls. I headed out with Ykraps at 5:47am.It was mostly clear and 28 degrees. The day’s high promised to reach the mid 50’s. Fluctuating high temps like we’ve had of late are becoming more frequent – a sure sign that spring is in the offing. For the most part that leaves me feeling anxious for more, but also a little sad that our local ski season is most likely done. However, last year, we got 20+ inches of snow on March 8th – the blizzard of ’08. That was enough to replenish the local resorts, but even that didn’t last long. It melted away quickly. I was back at home prepping our first cups of coffee by 6:00am. I delivered Mindy’s bedside. I didn’t spend much time on the PC for wanting to spend a little extra time meditating and stretching. Even though it was about 12 degrees warmer than Wednesday, I still wore my full winter running attire. It was 28 degrees. I can’t say enough about how loose my legs feel after adding a more relevant and consistent stretching exercise to my routine. While my legs and groin feel good, I’ve been battling a stiff neck for the better part of a month now. It comes and goes. I finished my run earlier than expected. It was 7:15am when I reentered the house. The house was quieter than usual minus Bella. Plus, Rocky seemed down. Landon was his usual self, though. Jacob was already off playing in his room. Mindy hurried the two boys off to the Honda at 7:30am. Boom – she was gone. I finished my breakfast and then organized a simple lunch. I was ready for work before 7:50am. Jacob didn’t come down until 7:55am. I used my five minutes constructively. I tidied up the kitchen and prepped the dishwasher before leaving the house. Jacob advised me of the new, school bus pick-up point. Said it was now across the street on the corner – within eyeshot of our front door. I like the closer proximity but failed to see the logic in moving it across the street given that we’d have to cross back over to get on the bus, and that’s right at a curve in the road where people often drive way too fast. We waited there along with neighbor Jake. As the bus approached I could see the driver shaking her head as if to say no. In addition, she was motioning us to cross the street. As suspected, the boys misinterpreted her directions. They were supposed to be on our side of the street. That made much more sense. They were soon on the bus and I was on my way to work. I arrived at 8:20am. This was staff meeting day. The morning flew by. During our meeting we decided to do a team lunch. By our accounting, it was actually Sandy’s turn to buy but she was unprepared to do so and declined the invite. I agreed to buy and chose The Big Fat Greek. None of my peers had been there before. I drove, too. As promised, the weather was superb. It was about 50 degrees and sunny. It felt terrific! We arrived at the BFG a little after 12:30pm. They had a pretty nice sized dine-in lunch crowd. Johnny was quick to come greet me and my pals. He introduced himself to everyone. He made sure we had lots of appetizers – pita bread & olive dip along with some Saganaki Opa (flaming Greek cheese). Three of us ordered gyro platters. Matt ordered salmon salad. Alexandria was our waitress. She has a very thick Greek accent. We were there for about an hour. I needed a box. I couldn’t eat but about half of my gyro platter. I tipped well. We visit often. The drive back to the office was as nice or nicer than the drive to lunch. It was gorgeous. The afternoon moved swiftly. I talked with brother Bobby late afternoon and ended up at the office until almost 5:50pm. I didn’t talk with Mindy until my drive home. She was making pork chops for dinner. This was a Jimaken night and Rocky was supposed to attend Ash Wednesday mass with Kelly & Lindsey. Rocky wouldn’t be picked up until after dinner. I walked Ykraps as soon as I got home. Meanwhile, Landon was very happy to see me. Mindy said he wasn’t so joyful when they got home. They apparently did some serious head butting. She won, of course. The boys had already eaten dinner before I got home. Mindy waited for me before eating. Lindsey showed up for Rocky just after 6:30pm. For the first time since we’ve had the boys, Landon cried profusely for his mommy’s attention, and even cried out for her by name. Mindy & I were both surprised. Prior, their relationship has never seemed to be what it should. Like most small children, he was fine two minutes after she left. She called about five minutes later to check on him. Jimaken brought Jacob & Bella home around 7:15pm. I’m quite sure that Landon thought it was his momma and Rocky. He went running only to find Bella, Jacob, and Jimaken at the door. He was only semi-excited to see them. What’s funny, he calls Jimaken daddy. Mindy needed to run to Kroger in part to fetch snacks for Rocky’s snack day at school tomorrow. She took Jacob with her. I got Landon and Bella into their jammies while they were gone. I knew she’d appreciate the small act. Lindsey arrived to drop off Rocky before Mindy got back. Rocky seemed fine with being dropped off. Landon was OK too. She picked him up and took him out to see Grandma Kelly, who waited outside in her car. She didn’t stay long, citing her waiting and impatient mother as the reason. Mindy returned minutes later. We quickly got the kids ready for and tucked into bed. We’re having a problem getting Landon to lie in his own bed easily. Ever since his weekend at Kelly’s he insists on sleeping with Rocky. We don’t allow it. It’s been a small battle that he’s lost each night since Sunday. After the kids were tucked neatly into bed we tuned into American Idol. I was anxious to see Adam Lambert. He’s my pick to win it all. We missed the first 35 minutes dealing with the kids. As for Adam Lambert, he didn’t disappoint. He did a cool version of The Stones, Satisfaction. I enjoyed it much. Mindy was gracious enough to massage my aching back while we watched the rest of Idol. I took four Advil just before the back rub. By the time she was done I felt nearly perfect. No ache and no stiff neck. We headed for bed soon after Idol was in the bag.