75, Sunshine, & Golf!

I didn’t make it downstairs until 5:40am. I was really slow to get moving. It wasn’t until I thought about how lovely the weather was supposed to be and then the fact that this might be our first golf league outing that I felt motivated to get out of bed. Is that bad? I checked the temperature even before I got busy with my sit-ups. It was 47 degrees under clear skies. Nice! I finished my sit-ups and push-ups then headed out the door with Ykraps. Like the morning before, we took our time drinking in the lovely spring-like weather. We weren’t back until almost 6:00am. I poured some coffee but had just a few precious minutes before I needed to get Mindy up. I had barely gotten seated when 6:05am rolled around and I got Mindy’s coffee ready for delivery. She woke easily. I headed back downstairs to finish my routine. It was 6:30am when I finished a brief meditation. I still took a few minutes to stretch before dressing for a run. I managed to hit the door before 6:40am. My run went well. I didn’t use hand or ear covers. I was slightly cool for the first half mile or so but warmed quickly. The morning sky brightened quickly, too. By the run’s completion it was effectively daybreak, although the sun hadn’t yet risen. Mindy had my eggs ready. We discussed the evening’s plans before she left. Bob & I planned to golf as long as the good weather held out. And while the forecast called for 70s and sunshine, storms and much cooler temps were forecasted to invade our space by the evening. Mindy & the wee ones left around 7:25am. And yes, Mindy was in a far better place this morning. I was ready to go by 7:50am. I used the time between then and bus stop duty to load my golf clubs into the Trooper. It felt incredibly good to do so. It definitely doesn’t seem like it’s been almost five months since our last outing. I thought about gasing up but prices at the pump shot up by almost $.25 per gallon yesterday. I still had a half tank so I passed. I arrived at work just before 830am. I had a team meeting planned for 10am, so I made sure to take care of any morning business fast. After my team meeting I had to be at our weekly staff meeting. I was out-of-pocket until 1pm. At 1pm our first potluck of the year began. My peers and I contributed $20 each and bought burgers and brats. Our team’s, in turn, brought all sorts of sides and desserts. The feast went well. And just as I often do, I over indulged in the cookies. I ate three big chocolate chippers after a big cheeseburger and sides. I was stuffed. I made arrangements to leave work around 4:30pm after first checking with Bob to make sure that we were still a go. Meanwhile, the weather was terrific. It was 75 and sunny. I made it to Thornapple Country Club by 4:50pm. Bob didn’t arrive until a little after 5pm. I used the time to practice putting and chipping. The greens looked freshly aerated with half inched sized holes filled level with sand. Not sure if that was carry over from last fall or fresh done this early season. Either way, putting would be treacherous and slow. We tee’d off hole number one. We were following two teenaged walkers. We were in a cart. Neither of us hit outstanding drives. Bob hooked his and I pushed mine. Rightie/leftie, we ended up in roughly the same area and under some giant pines. I had no choice but to plop my 2nd shot back out onto the fairway. My third shot landed just right of the green. I chipped on and two putted for a six. My expectations in check, I wasn’t concerned at all. After that, I played fairly well, especially tee to green with one exception – hole number seven. Just as Bob & I finished our play, the weather was heading south, and fast. Dark clouds were moving in and the temperature dropping like a rock. It was 7:05pm when we finished up. We headed our separate ways a few minutes later after discussing the likelihood of gathering by the Friday night firkin. Meanwhile, Mindy was at home enjoying her alone time. She chose to stay home and enjoy the peace and quiet that comes along with Wednesday night’s these days. Wise choice. She has very little of that in her life. I know how precious it is given that I had it almost 24X7 for multiple years running. Jacob & Bella were delivered home even before I got there. Jimaken was just leaving when I pulled up. The kids left the house to play at the neighbors almost as soon as they arrived. We chatted about the two younger boys with the time between then and when Kelly pulled up. We let them have a quick snack before rushing them off to ready for bed. Jacob & Bella were back home at the 7:45pm deadline we’d given them. Mindy got the kids ready for bed. I helped a little, but not too much. I did, however, help with the tuck-in. That went well. Once the children were settled and in bed, I relaxed in the family room. Actually, I fell asleep waiting for American Idol to come on. I must’ve slept for 30 minutes. It felt good, too. I forgot to mention that the nagging kink in my neck was miraculously cured earlier on the golf course. My neck cracked loudly after hitting a drive on hole #6 at Thronapple. It was instantaneous relief. We watched Idol elimination night. Alexis was sent packing. The final ten were set. Randy Travis did a sweet little duet with previous A.I winner, Carrie Underwood. I was surprised to learn that she’s already produced nine number one hits. That can’t be right, but that is what they said. We headed to bed just after 10pm.