Under the Big Top

Wahoo, already Friday again! I was up at my usual time exercising and getting my day underway. It was another beautiful morning with clear skies and oodles of stars scattered about overhead. Moreover, the day promised to be top notch with sunshine and a high of 80. Perfect! I did my usual sit-ups, push-ups, walking of Ykraps, meditation, stretching and running. I was back home by 7:15am. Mindy and the kids were up and eating breakfast. Actually, Jacob was already done and in his room watching TV. Before Mindy left for school we discussed the evening’s wedding rehearsal plans. She reminded me that I needed to leave work early (around 4:15pm) if I were to make it home in time to head to brother Craig’s for the 530pm rehearsal. The other option was for me to meet them there later. I would try to leave early. I got the kids on the bus at the usual time – 8:01am. I wished Kenny & family a safe trip up to Cleveland to see the Buckeyes on Saturday. I left for work at 8:10am. The work day wasn’t too bad at all, although I stayed busy most of the day on a single time consuming issue. I didn’t have any errands needing run. Mid afternoon I tried contacting the optician at my ophthalmologist’s office to start the process for ordering my prescription sunglasses, but he wasn’t in. I’d try again on Monday. I stayed busy all day, and also made sure leaving early was acceptable to my boss. It was. I planned to depart at 4:20pm. Like most Friday’s the afternoon got really busy, but even still, I was able to get away at my preplanned departure time of 4:20pm. Mindy was just getting back from walking Ykraps as I pulled up at home. Without wasting much time I hurried upstairs to get changed into clothes more suited for dinner out (business casual). Mindy got the kids squared away while I primped. Jacob was a bit retaliatory, but ultimately complied with the dress code. He quipped that ‘fancy’ restaurant dining isn’t for him. We left for Craig’s at roughly 5pm determined to take I-270 north to Sawmill, then north to Hyatts Rd. I worried that I-270 might be extremely slow given the hour, but it wasn’t. For the most part, it was smooth sailing. We arrived at Craig’s just after 5:30pm, the requested arrival time. You could see the top of the large circus-like tent even from a quarter-mile away. I was impressed with the job (work) the nieces and nephews had done getting the place ready for Saturday’s wedding. For sure, nephew Joe was in his element. I like that. It wasn’t long before Joe offered me a beer. I walked around the grounds sipping beer and snapping pictures for a good while before the actual rehearsal started. I offered my help in any way needed but otherwise stayed out of everyone’s way. Mindy and I weren’t part of the official wedding party, but Jacob and Bella were. Once the rehearsal began I went into photo shoot mode capturing some interesting shots of just about everyone and everything. All totaled, I took over one hundred-thirty shots. The rehearsal wrapped up around 7:30pm. Dinner reservations were for 8pm at Vitorri’s in Powell on Sawmill Pkwy. We left Craig’s around 7:40pm. There must’ve been about 20 of us at the rehearsal dinner, just under half being Katie’s family members. We had a private room just off to the right from the main entrance and bar area. It was set up nicely in a “U” shaped config to accommodate the group. Our server was Annie, I believe, whom I thought did a remarkable job keeping everyone happy, hydrated, and full. Meanwhile, Camilla of Denmark was an absolute hoot, mixing it up with various family members and friends. She was digging the wine and feeling no pain! There was a special, abbreviated menu available for all of us to choose from. Many of us chose lasagna. Bella, however, chose one of their wood-fired pizzas, but that should come as no surprise. She gets pizza almost anywhere we go. Jacob surprised me by choosing fettuccini with alfredo sauce. Unfortunately, the kids didn’t care much for their entrees. Bella thought the pizza was bland, and Jacoby scoffed at his fettuccini. Both were sad, and vividly expressed their disappointment. I did my best to squelch it by offering to stop at Wendy’s on our way home. That brought them back to smiles. The meal was good. We were most appreciative of the dinner and the company. Thanks Craig & Jeff! The kids were tired, and it was after 9:30pm. We left for home. The drive home went quickly. We stopped at the Wendy’s on Roberts Rd just off I-270. By then, Jacob said he was no longer hungry, and only wanted to get home and go to bed. However, Bella still was, and ordered a chicken nuggets kids meal. We arrived home around 10pm. Mindy and the kids were in bed within 20 minutes. Mindy was still suffering from a sinus infection. I stayed up sipping a rum, Fresca, and grapefruit juice while also watching the Boise State, Fresno State football game. I fell asleep on the sofa. I can’t recall what time it was when I upped for bed.