Somebody likes their balls!

The work week flew by. It was already Friday. I was downstairs engaged in exercise just a few short minutes after my self-prescribed wake time of 530am. Just a hint of dawn hung in the eastern sky, but for all intents and purposes, it was still dark. It was 555am when Ykraps and I headed out for our morning walk. Zone #1 of our irrigation system had just shut down freeing us to walk to the west without getting wet. It was mild but extremely humid, much like one would expect mid-August in Ohio. And by the way, we’re getting some of the driest weather of the season. So far for the month of August we’ve received less than a quarter inch of rain. And looking ahead, the weekend should be sunny and hot. I did my usual stuff before leaving for my run. It was well past 645am when I finally headed out. I ran shirtless and was comfortable. The sunrise was gorgeous – a big orange ball. I half expected to find Mindy already up and about upon my return, but she wasn’t. The night before, she asked that I make sure she was up, but after clarifying a time she said around 8:00am. That’s really no different than any other day. Oh well! She and the kids had dental exams scheduled for mid-morning sometime. Mindy got up with me after my shower – about 8:05am. We sat together on the deck sipping coffee. At her request, I stayed as long as I could without making myself too late. I zipped off to work once again in the BM’er. That’s five days straight. That might be a record. I arrived at work a few minutes late. Work was pretty busy and stayed that way through the entire morning. I was eager to get away at lunch time for the first time all week long. Come 12:45pm I left the building and headed to the Anderson’s off Sawmill. I browsed the entire store but bought nothing. If nothing else, it felt good to be out of the office for a while. I was back at the office by 200pm. I had two–sets of veggies and fruit in the fridge. I ate all of it. For whatever the reason, I was craving meat much more than normal, but didn’t have any tuna at work. Received an email from Bob Imber indicating that we had a 1020am tee time at New Albany Links for Sunday morning. I talked with Mindy just as I was exiting the building and heading home for the day. She shared that she and the kids were at the pool with the neighbors’ kids but were just getting ready to depart. She hoped we could go to dinner at Barley’s with the kids. I beat Mindy and the kids home. I walked Ykraps as soon as I put my stuff away. I saw Mindy pull up just as we were making our way back towards home. The kids scattered once at home. Mindy told me that Rocky called asking to come over. She hadn’t yet committed either way. I told her that I was OK with him joining us for dinner and even spending the night. She was OK with it too. While she headed off for a shower I settled in for a brief evening nap. After a ten minute siesta I updated my blog. I called Lindsey around 630pm to let her know that Rocky could join us and that we’d pick him up on our way to dinner. She said that they were away from home, but close to our house and on their way to Sam’s Club. I asked, then, if she could simply drop him off. But, Kelly refused to go out of her way. I could hear her in the background saying it seemingly with a bit of venom in her voice. To avoid conflict, we agreed to simply meet them at Sam’s Club. We already had a change of clothes for Rocky anyway. We headed out five minutes later. Soon we arrived at Sam’s, and even from the depths of the parking lot we could see Lindsey and the boys standing out front waiting for us. I was disappointed that Kelly wasn’t out there waiting and waving too. Rocky was excited. As soon as he got in the Honda Mindy helped him with the uniform change. Any kid that hangs with us must where the Wright family uniform. It’s our new regulation. Rocky was reluctant to strip down to nothing but finally acquiesced after we all agreed not to look. J Soon we were heading towards Barley’s and dinner. We must’ve arrived at Barley’s around 7pm. Mindy asked for the large table just off the bar area. From there we could see three or four TVs. I fixed my sights on the PGA tournament, and more pointedly, Tiger Woods. Just like the last couple of weeks, he and Padrig Harrington were neck and neck. Exciting finish to round two. I started off with a Sierra Nevada IPA on the guest draught menu. It was good. The manager, Dan, gave Mindy a complimentary glass of wine to help gauge its quality. We all ordered food. Rocky & Bella ordered burgers while Jacob ordered his usual, Gate of Hell wings and a side of onion straws. Mindy ordered a salad, and I ordered a Cuban. We also ordered a basket of sauerkraut balls for everyone to share. The food was ready in about ten minutes, but already, the kids were getting antsy. The wait was worth it. Everyone loved their stuff. And while I ate only half of my Cuban, it might’ve been the best ever! I had an Otter Creek IIPA before we left. It wasn’t as good as I remembered it being last week. I’m guessing I got one of the last pints in the keg. I paid the bill. I was surprised at the number. Of course we were feeding five. I was eager to get back home and see how the Vikings were doing in their preseason opener against the Colts. We weren’t home five minutes when the kids asked if we could have a fire. Yes. I gathered wood and lighter fluid, hell bent on doing it the easy way. In short order, we had a rip roaring fire. The charcoal lighter fluid proved far more combustible than the ten year old kerosene I used before. Mindy said she was tired. As proof, she lied down on the patio bench and began to dose off. But she remained involved in the fire outing for its entirety. The kids did the burning stick thing. We had to call it off, though, fearing that one of them might end up hurt, most likely Rocky. He’s a little wild. Jacob and Rocky tinkered with the idea of sleeping on the deck. However, to do so they insisted I sleep there as well. Not me. They trashed the idea. Rocky & Bella asked me to inflate the air mattress, something they do almost every time someone stays. I got it inflated and covered in sheets. Mindy disappeared off to bed. I tucked in the kids and then went back downstairs to watch more of the Bengals preseason football game. I also followed the Vikings game via the internet. They won rather handedly, 13-3. They sacked Peyton three times in two drives. Needless to say, the Colts coaching staff pulled Peyton from the game pretty quickly. It was nearing 1030pm. And just like Mindy, I was extremely tired. I didn’t think I’d be able to stay wake. I ended up falling asleep on the sofa well before the Bengals game ended. I headed up to bed before 11pm.