Putting Away Xmas

Not getting to sleep until after 1130pm didn’t help me catch-up on my sleep. And with a stuffy nose and a dry, hacking cough I really needed some rest. When 530am rolled around I decided to ignore its call, choosing instead to stay in bed a while longer. A while longer turned in to 45 minutes. I finally drug myself out of bed at 615am, but even then I was still craving more sleep. I slowly staggered downstairs to begin my exercise regimen. It was tough sledding but I managed through it. Like the day before, I felt a whole lot better after. I bundled warmly for my walk with Ykraps. It was a few degrees warmer than I anticipated. It was 22 degrees. The walks and road were mostly dry by now, but a few patches of black ice remained scattered about. Back home I poured some coffee but really didn’t have the usual craving, thanks in part to my cold, I am sure. Because of my late awakening, it was already past 630am. I didn’t hurry myself. I simply accepted the fact that I'd be a little late to work. I did my meditation and stretching as usual, but didn’t finish up until 700am. And by the time I was dressed for my run it was 715am and on the verge of daybreak. I cut myself some slack and ran just three miles. I was back at home by 7:45am. All things considered, I felt pretty good. I whipped up some cheese covered scrambled eggs for Ykraps and I. I was careful not to give him too much cheese. Not sure if I mentioned it or not, but Ykraps has an appointment with the vet on Thursday at 4pm. Mindy kindly agreed to take him in. Breakfast was behind us come 8:05am. Soon, I was off to the shower. Mindy remained buried under the covers through the duration of my shower. She joined me downstairs, however, just before departing. As far as I knew, she had nowhere to be. Gloria was expected to visit mid-day sometime, though. I left for work at 830am, but not before taking a swig of Delsym to make sure and hold that nagging cough at bay. Once at work, I felt considerably better than I did on Tuesday, although sometime around noon I started to crash, but after a rare noon time cup of coffee I rebounded nicely. I was fairly busy all afternoon, and I didn’t bother taking lunch. Didn’t hear from Mindy all day long. I figured her busy with her mom. I left work at 515pm. On my way home I stopped in Target to buy yet another $25 gift card, this one for a friend we missed at Xmas. I was surprised to find them already pushing Valentine's Day with Xmas still in our rearview mirror. I phoned Mindy during my drive home. Her mom was gone, and so were the kids. This was a Jimaken night. He was keeping the kids until 830pm. We, in turn, planned an evening at Barley’s. The house was quiet upon my arrival. Mindy was busy in the kitchen, but she wasn’t cooking. I put my things away quickly then leashed up Ykraps. She asked if I noticed anything. No, not really. She seemed disappointed that I didn’t notice. She pointed out that most of our miscellaneous Xmas decorations were down and put away. But in my defense, the big items were still proudly up and on display. It was most of the knick-knack stuff. I could tell once she made it known. When I got back with Ykraps, Mindy was busy in the basement reorganizing our tubs and shelves. I updated an entry or two in my blog waiting on her to finish. I was eager to head to Barley’s. We left around 6:20pm.I took two empty growlers to have filled with IPA for New Year’s Eve and Day. The parking lot was sparsely populated. We parked close. Seated at the bar was Calvin. We sat next to him. I ordered a Centennial IPA and Mindy a St Nick’s. A few minutes later we ordered food. I went with a Cuban. Mindy went with a quesadilla. Calvin insisted on buying our second beers. I selected a Green Flash West Coast IPA. Mindy abstained. She’d be driving, plus, her St Nick was a high-alcohol beer. My Cuban was terrific. Doesn’t get much better than that. Pat Shultz phoned while we were barside. Mindy took the call. She confirmed the start time of his New Year’s Eve party along with recommendations of what to bring. Just before leaving, we had Janet fill our two growlers with IPA - $11 each. I picked up the tab. Mindy drove home. We arrived around 8:20pm. I quickly changed into my PJs then got busy on my blog, publishing all of my back logged entries. The kids got home a little after 830pm. Jacob brought in another U2 cd that he wanted me to load on his new MP3 player. I shared that we already have that music on the hard drive from before. Until then, I guess he didn’t realize that you only need to rip it once. The kids and I hung out in the family room while Mindy worked in the basement furthering her organizational efforts. I eventually fell asleep. Between dinner, two beers, and my cold, I felt completely zonked. I didn’t wake again until almost 1130pm. Everyone was in bed. I headed their myself.