Decade Highlighted by Marriage and Grand Babies

It was just before 530am when I coaxed myself out of bed and head downstairs to begin my Thursday, the last day of 2009. It had snowed again overnight leaving, as best I could tell, about two inches of new stuff. The snow clung to the trees and shrubs beautifully. I completed my calisthenics (sit-ups and push-ups) then leashed up a tired looking Ykraps, and soon headed out for a snowy walk. It was 32 degrees on the nose, so fittingly, the snow was wet and heavy. It was still coming down, too, albeit lightly. It was an enjoyable walk, one that ended around 550am. I poured some coffee then took to my PC where I read the Daily OM and some recent headlines. I ended up adding photos to my blog for the first time using Adobe PS Elements 8 . It took some doing to figure out how to shrink the photos to a manageable file size for publishing. It's a bit more difficult that it was in Corel, but by no means am I complaining. Overall, Adobe gets the nod hands down. I had to be mindful of the clock. I can get lost in time pretty easily doing photo stuff. I wrapped up and moved onto meditation and stretching at 617am. I had some work related matters bugging me, so the meditation helped me release the negative tension. Reflecting back, the issue was really quite silly. Stretching went well, too. I am very pleased with my new found flexibility. Of course it's all relative - where I was versus where I am. Others may view me as not flexible at all. Like a lot of things in my life, took fear to motivate me to start a stretching regimen. I should've been doing it all along. Somewhere along the line, the universe knocked me upside the head and gave me this new gift. just one of 2009's many blessings! It was 640am before I was dressed for my run. I had to remind myself that it wasn't really that cold - 32 degrees. In fact, I really should've reduced my upper layers to two, but left with three. At the run's start, the snow had turned to a very light sprinkle - a chilly mist. And just like I often do when running in snow, I stayed close to the curb using the virgin snow as a cushion. With no more than two inches of accumulation, that's ideal. I ran four miles after briefly considering just three due to my cold. In the end, there's little room for excuses. I plowed on. It was an easy run. I transitioned from running to shoveling as soon as I got back home. I simply had to get the drive and walks cleared then, knowing that we're heading into the freezer for a few days. If I left it, it might be there for a week. Yikes! It didn't take all that long, but it was very wet and heavy - the kind that sticks to the shovel in massive clumps. I put down a light amount of ice melt afterwards. Inside, it was already 745am. I decided to make fried eggs for breakfast. I fried Ykraps' first, breaking his yoke and chopping it up almost like a scrambled egg. I sat it aside to cool while frying my own. I was done with breakfast and in the shower by 8:05am. Mindy stayed in bed. I didn't wake her until I was ready to leave. She asked me to bring her coffee. I did. Just before leaving, I asked if she knew where the vet's office was. I promised to send her directions later. I left for work at 8:30am. Gas tank on "E", I pulled in Thornton's for a fill-up. Gas was $2.67 per gallon. The Trooper took 19+. It must've been around 850am when I arrived at the office. I spent a good hour talking with my team before digging into the meat of the day. I knew I had a couple significant issues needing my attention. I worked diligently until just after noon. I left for lunch around 1215pm and headed to Aspen Ski & Board. I called my mom while driving and asked to speak with Glenn. We talked for a while. I confirmed his plans for New Year's Eve and day. He planned to spend New Year's Eve with mom and possibly have dad pick him up Friday mid-day and return to Columbus. Something I hadn't considered was his ride to the airport. He needs to be there around 330-4pm on Saturday. We may be skiing. Said he'd ask Dad. At Aspen Ski & Board, I bought Bella a ski helmet and goggles - both pink. At $10 a pop to rent one for a day, it made good economic sense to buy. I knew she'd be excited to have her own. Now, all of our heads are covered. Jacob has Mindy's 'old' gray helmet, which was new last year. For some reason, ski rental packages don't include helmets - they're extra. I'll bet that changes in the coming years, though. I bought myself another pair of hi-tech ski socks that are even thicker than my first pair. I asked about cargo carriers, too, but they didn't have any in stock. He suggested Bike Source as an alternative. From AS&B, I headed to Giant Eagle to fetch Mindy some beer. I picked up a four-pack of the Sam Adams Imperial Stout she likes so much. While there, I got myself a six-pack of CBC IPA. And by the way, Giant Eagle was packed! I was incredibly hungry even before Giant Eagle. I left there and drove a few hundred yards north to Burger King where I bought two double cheeseburgers. And it just so happens that Bike Source sits directly behind Burger King. I popped in there to ask about cargo boxes. They had them but not the model I needed or wanted. Of course, whirling around in the back of my mind was where I would store this thing when not in use, and also the garage door clearance. Not so sure the Honda will clear the door with a cargo box atop. However, it's almost a necessity for ski trips (pricey sport). It was 130-145pm when I got back to the office. Things were fairly quiet. For a fleeting moment I thought I might be able to sneak out really early, but that didn't happen. I kept busy up until 440pm. I tried calling Mindy before leaving the office inquiring about Ykraps' appointment. I asked that she call me to discuss his treatment options once diagnosed. She didn't answer her phone. I arrived home just before 5pm. Because Ykraps was with Mindy, obviously I didn't have to do the walk thing. I had to remind myself of that twice. :) Mindy phoned just as they were leaving the vet's. Pretty much learned nothing. Apparently Ykraps wouldn't allow him to look down his throat. He did con Mindy into buying an anti-inflammatory and pain meds. Good grief! She had a document with the costs spelled out for various exploratory options for me to consider. I just couldn't wait to see those. The kids and Mindy got home by 515pm. Before walking Ykraps I reviewed the estimate/options. $185 for blood work, $85 to knock him out and explore the throat, and $120 for xrays. I have questions. I need to call the vet to make sure I understand. For one, I am uncertain whether these charges would cover the surgery to remove anything found in his throat or if this was simply discovery. And here we go! I went to the garage for a cooler in preparation for the Shultz's New Year's Eve party. I decided it also a good time to switch the rechargeable batteries in my Ryobi flashlight. But ... I couldn't find my flashlight. It has its place. I was beside myself. Where in the hell was my light. I asked Mindy & the kids. Nope - nobody's seen it. Those that know me well, know that I am slightly OCD. I was befuddled and determined to find the damn thing. But really, I didn't need it for anything at the moment. Then why was I so obsessed with finding it? It was simply the need to have it. When things like that happen I get this overwhelming feeling of loss, as if part of me is missing. I guess that means that I identify myself by my rechargeable flashlight. Interesting introspection. Mindy made homemade chicken and noodles for dinner with Tuesday's leftover rotisserie chicken. We stopped and ate around 630pm. After woofing down some noodles I returned to my search efforts. Ugh! It was driving me bonkers. I know I used it for my hot water tank install and then my wall project. I searched high and low - upstairs, downstairs, the basement and garage. Where could it be. I wondered if I might have given it to the neighbors to aid in finding shoes or a toy in the yard. I seem to recall that happening some time back, but honestly, that seemed like summer time. I finally let it go after realizing how annoyed I had become. I was also concerned that we had nothing of substance to take to Pat and Lisa's party. Mindy was baking some slice & bake Xmas cookies but I felt strongly that we needed to take more. Mindy's idea was lame - an open bag of pretzels. No thanks. I decided that we should order a couple giant Michael Angelo subs from Sporano's. Mindy did the ordering; Jacob and I went after them. They were ready when we got there. We weren't back home for more than five minutes before we prepared to walk down to the Shultz's. We used our small vertical cooler to take some beer and champagne. Included in my beer selection was a growler of Barley's Centennial IPA. I carried the cooler and camera. Bella carried our subs. Mindy carried her plate of cookies. We arrived around 725pm. Aside from us, the only other guest there was Lisa's brother Tom. In what's become tradition, Pat had gyro fixins ready. He grills pita on demand. We hung out upstairs for a while, long enough to do some damage to the food. Soon others arrived. As compared to past years, there weren't that many guests. But like I always say, it's not so much about who doesn't show, but instead more about who does. We eventually moved to the finished basement. Time went fast. The new year came quick. We toasted in the new year at midnight with champagne. Pat & I drank most of it - two bottles. The kids had kiddie champagne. Not sure the time when we walked home but I'm guessing it was close to 1am. The kids were awake for the party's entirety. We all headed to bed within ten minutes of arriving home. I took 4 Advil in an attempt to skirt any potential morning headache.