White Castle in my Backyard

go here to see the information regarding the program on the History Channel: http://www.history.com/shows.do?episodeId=528690&action=detail I slept OK and was up for work at 530am. I could’ve slept longer but them’s the breaks. I started my calisthenics, whipping out 55 sit-ups and eventually 53 push-ups. Sandwiched in between was about five minutes of PC time. During those few minutes I checked the weather and email. It was still cold – about 17 degrees under clear skies. After pouring coffee I settled back down at the PC for an extended period of time. I read the Daily OM, some Vikings headlines, and even searched for a few missing album art designs in iTunes. I was busy. I stopped at 610am to wake and deliver Mindy’s coffee. I got the distinct impression that she would go right back to sleep after I walked out. I didn’t hear her begin to stir for at least another 10 minutes, maybe longer. It was time to meditate and stretch. I spent about ten minutes on the two collectively. It was 6:40am in a hurry. I left for my run bundled warmly. I was cozy for the run’s duration. I ran the usual four miles. Back at home, I called for Mindy’s Honda keys from the doorway. I started it up and put the defroster on high. Inside, my eggs were already waiting along with a selection of fruit and an English muffin. Mindy headed off to school just passed 730am. Bella and I finished our breakfast then headed upstairs. I made quick work of my shower and was back downstairs ready to head out with the kids by 7:50am – a few minutes earlier than I’ve been in a while. The kids and I headed out for the bus at 755am, and met Chrissy and Makayla there too. I left the Trooper running while I headed back inside. I didn’t leave the house until 8:19am. You guessed it, I spent the extra few minutes adding album art to my music collection. I arrived at work a few minutes past 830am. For the first time in a couple of weeks, things were calm and quiet – a welcome change. However, that didn’t necessarily mean it would stay that way. But lucky for me, it did. I spent a good hour or more reviewing schedule changes with a peer of mine. He headed home at 1pm, the same time I left for lunch. I drove to Aspen Ski & Board curious to see if they had ski & boot bags on the cheap. We have a real nice double-ski bag, but I was concerned that our two pairs together weigh over the 50lb limit on most airlines. The selection was hugely picked over, I’m sure by design. After all, it’s already closing in on the end of the season. Can’t recall the gentleman’s name, but I believe he’s the manager. He was helpful, but insisted we’d be making a big mistake by placing our skis in a cheap ski bag for air travel. Receives countless complaints of damage during handling. He also claimed that our two sets of skis won’t come close to weighing 50lbs combined. I also inquired about boot bags, but the one he recommended was nothing more than a glorified wheeled-suitcase. And we have several of those. I’d be wasting my money buying one or two of those. I left buying nothing and feeling good about it. I planned to weigh our skis to make sure he’s right. I headed back to the office arriving at 150pm. I fetched my packed veggies and fruit from the fridge and settled back into my afternoon routine. The afternoon moved along fairly fast. Mindy called in route to Deena’s to pick-up the kids. She either worked late or had a staff meeting. Can’t recall. She stopped and picked up a couple rotisserie chickens from Kroger that would serve as our dinner. She also let me know that she invited my dad but he had to decline. I figured to be home at my usual time – near 6pm. I didn’t get out of the office until almost 545pm. Time just got away from me. I tried phoning Ashley, then my mom along my drive home. I hadn’t talked to either for a week or more. Neither one of them answered. OK! I arrived home just after 6pm. Mindy was still squaring away dinner. She hollered for the kids to wash up not five minutes after I was in the door. She explained why my dad couldn’t join us. He was waiting on a call back from his doctor after failing to give them his cell phone number. He’s apparently been diagnosed with a couple large kidney stones that will have to be blasted apart with ultrasound technology. I think he’s had them before – maybe ten years ago. Nice! We all enjoyed the chicken dinner: rotisserie chicken, stuffing, and mashed potatoes. I washed mine down with a big glass of milk. The kids discussed the possibility of watching a movie after dinner. Jacob wanted Home Alone 4. That being the case, I was out. I knew there were two, but not three & four. While they started watching a movie, I added more album art to my music collection. They ended up choosing Bed Time Stories, with Adam Sandler. I decided to join them. It was your typical Adam Sandler movie - good, goofy guy gets girl. It was still quite funny but also predictable. It was bedtime for the kids soon after the movie’s end. I carried Bella up to bed for the first time in a while. She’s getting so big. For the past week or so, Jacob’s asked me to spend extra time with him in his room when tucking him in. It’s almost like he likes me. :) I tuned to the History Channel when I headed back downstairs and watched a show featuring a fella in Orient, Ohio that has one of the original White Castle's on his property. I drive by there all the time in route to Split Rock golf course. In fact, he's the uncle of one of my work peers. Still, not too long into it, I dosed off. Mindy was nearby on her laptop playing solitaire. We headed to bed just a few minutes apart.