Rose Bowl match-up set

I was up around 520am and felt pretty good. Right out of bed I was eager to learn who won the Oregon/Oregon State game. I checked the score after finishing my sit-ups. Oregon won a close one meaning the Rose Bowl will be a battle between the Bucks & Ducks. Nice ring! After push-ups and walking Ykraps I delivered Mindy’s morning coffee. I then played on my new PC until 620am. Meditation and stretching were next up. Both went well, especially the stretching. I just can’t say enough about how good it’s been for my chronic neck and shoulder pain, not to mention the new found flexibility. It was cold – about 32 degrees, I wore a winter wicking shirt and a pullover fleece along with hand and ear covers. I was cozy. I ran 4 miles without any discomfort whatsoever. In Fact, I haven’t had any discomfort in my knee for a couple weeks now. Mindy had two eggs waiting at my place setting upon my return home. She hurried through fixing Bella’s hair then left for school. She reminded me that Jacob would be going to an overnight birthday party near his school and that we’d have only Bella. Beyond that, we had no specific plans for the weekend. After my shower, the kids and I headed off to the bus stop at 755am. I started and warmed the Trooper after the kids were on the bus. I must’ve left for work around 815am. I assumed that it would be a challenging day and it was. Most Friday’s are. Once at work, I took four Advil to take the edge off of my temporary crown. It was still bothering me. Despite being extremely busy, I still made it a point to escape for an hour to take a lunch. I did a little Xmas shopping, not much else. I was back at the office by 2pm. The afternoon was even busier than my morning. I ate my packed veggies and fruit while I worked. I really wanted to leave for home around 5pm but there was just no way. I didn’t get out of there until 550pm. And by the time I hit the parking lot it was pitch dark and cold – about 28 degrees. Brrrrrrrrr! I talked with Mindy around 430pm. She reminded me that she was taking Jacob to that birthday party and also dropping off our recyclables at the firehouse. We made loose plans to visit Barley’s and planned to take Bella with us. Mindy was still out when I got home. I quickly took care of walking Ykraps and squaring away my dirty lunch containers. I was at the PC writing when Mindy & Bella got home. Bella seemed excited to have us all to herself. We made plans to leave for Barley’s around 7pm. Before heading out, I asked Mindy if we could have the boys spend the night Saturday. She agreed. I called Lindsey to confirm plans. Neither of us were happy to learn that Rocky was off visiting his loser dad. I promised to call her Saturday afternoon to firm up plans. We arrived at Barley’s around 7pm. The parking lot was chalked full of cars, even overflowing into an adjacent lot. Inside, the bar was equally as busy. Lucky for the three of us, there was a small table for two unmanned near the bar. We took it. I told Mindy & Bella to sit. I felt like standing. I was still stuck, at least partially, in work mode. But that didn’t last long. After my first beer I was able to relax and unwind. Mark Pansing was in. Learned he would be heading back home to Arizona Sunday morning. A large contingent of regulars were in as well. And sometime around 8pm Bob & Mary Ann graced us with their presence. We hadn’t seen them for several weeks. Bella was really enjoying herself, paling around with many of our friends. Beth & Diedra turned her on to some ice cream and cake. That really made her happy. Just after we placed our food order Kenny & Chrissy showed up. That was quite a surprise. Neighbor David showed up too, along with his wife’s brother Rick and his girlfriend Carol. I ordered the Cuban with bacon. When Kenny saw my sandwich he ordered one as well. For my money, it’s the best sandwich in the world. Can’t recall what Mindy ordered. Bob ordering their special, veal ribs. Said they were the best ribs he’s ever eaten. I made sure Bob tried the new DuganA IPA. Like the rest of us, he liked it much. Before we left for home Mindy invited most of our Barley’s peeps to our Xmas party next Saturday. She drove home. Mindy called and invited Chrissy & Kenny down as soon as we got home. We spent another hour or so together before everyone started yawning. Kenny started it. They must’ve headed for home somewhere near 11pm. Bella fell asleep on the sofa. We carried her up to bed then headed there ourselves.