Progressive Pizza & Euchre

I quickly had my sit-ups underway after waking at my usual work day rise time. With my sit-ups out of the way, I played on the computer for a few minutes while the coffee maker finished its brewing cycle. Next up, push-ups. As soon as they were done , I poured a cup of coffee then returned to my PC for another 15 minutes, or until it was time to wake Mindy. I took Mindy coffee at 610am. Predictably, she asked that I turn up the heat. Back downstairs, I double checked the weather forecast. Was supposed to reach the mid 60s with partly sunny skies for most of the day. I was determined to drive the BM'er, this time strictly by choice. I wish it were cleaner, but ... I did my morning meditation and stretching next. Doing well on time, I was ready for a run by 635am. I headed out dressed appropriately for the early spring-like conditions. I ran the usual four miles without any problems. It was daylight from the outset, but come Monday, it will be back into the darkness for a while. Looking at a sunrise calendar, it'll be about three weeks before the entire run is back in daylight. At home, Bella and Jacob were both sitting at the breakfast table, although Jacob had already finished and was in transition. Bella was grumpy, presumably still tired. Mindy was grumpy too. Yikes! It was Friday and it was sunny and warm. I was in a good mood. Mindy left for work at 730am. I headed off to the shower. I was ready well ahead of schedule. I made sure to put the blown 30amp hot tub fuse in my jacket pocket so I wouldn't forget later. I hoped to find a replacement later during lunch. The kids and I headed out at 757am, me with my second cup of coffee in tow. It was beautiful - sunny and about 53 degrees - but by the time the bus arrived skies turned more overcast. I ran the dishwasher before leaving the house for work. As planned ,I drove the BM'er, top down, of course. It's still filthy from driving it in the rain while the Trooper was in the shop. In fact, it's dirtier than it's ever been. No worries. After being off Thursday, I felt a little out of the loop. I spent the first hour or two of the day meeting casually with my team then my peer and boss. I had a lot I needed/wanted to get done. My boss and peer were headed out to Tim Horton's for some coffee. I decided to stay back. I made it a point to take a lunch around 1230pm and visited both Home Depot and Lowes. I had a list of three things I wanted: a hot tub fuse, grass seed, and some snow ski stowage hooks. I had to chuckle in the fuse aisle while at Home Depot when I discovered that the only fuse they were out of was the one I needed. But isn't that the way it always is? I still managed to get the hooks and grass seed. Speaking of grass seed, I have a couple different varieties in stock already, but wanted to get a blue grass mix with perennial rye that'll germinate fast and fill in early. Most pure blue grass blends take up to 3 weeks to germinate. Perennial rye grasses, on the other hand, germinate in 5 to 7 days. Lowes next. Lowes had the fuse I needed but in a two pack for $18. Yikes! Are you kidding? I thought better of it. I decided I'd better make double sure that I remove the short that caused the original fuse to blow before putting in a new one. It could get expensive if the replacement blows right away. I also picked up some Velcro ties that should come in real handy for all sorts of household tasks. Back to work. I was back at the office by 1:30pm. I decided to fetch my packed veggies and tuna. I ate while working. My boss left for the day around 2pm, but planned to work from home for the day's duration. Things were fairly calm, especially for a Friday. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop. It never did. Yeah! Mindy phoned 4-430pm to among other things measure my ability to leave work a little early. If possible, she wanted to be at her mother's place for the progressive euchre event by 6pm like most others. However, at the time I couldn't commit. Something could happen and demand my attention at the drop of a hat. That's just the nature of the beast. Thankfully, the remainder of my work day went smoothly. So, just as Mindy hoped, I left for home at 510pm. It was a nice evening - 68 and partly sunny. Mindy came out and moved her Honda so I could pull the BM'er around the Trooper and into the garage. Thanks dear! I wasn't home long before Mindy started readying to depart. I asked for a few minutes to decompress, something I really need and enjoy. Mindy agreed and left me alone for a few minutes to check email and relax. We had a mini struggle with Jacob over his grooming and attire (wearing decent shoes and looking orderly). We won. Mindy ordered Domino's pizza just before we left the house. We headed south on Wilson to pick-up Noah in the subdivision next door. It took just a minute. Soon we were on our way to the West Broad Domino's to fetch our two pies. I don't think I've been in the West Broad Domino's, at least not in recent memory. It's moved from its original digs. Mindy went inside while the kids and I waited in the Honda just outside the door. She was out in two minutes with our pies, but minus the two liter of Coke she said was to be free with our online order. She went back inside to make it right. But honestly, what were we gonna do with a two-liter of Coke? Finding ourselves at Barley's or with friends would be a typical Friday evening. In contrast, hanging at Gloria's on a Friday evening just isn't something either of us thought we'd find ourselves doing. We arrived near 630pm as predicted. Most were already there save for C & J, who like us, had commitments preventing a 6pm arrival. Amongst the varieties of pizza were Minelli's, Joseppi's, Donato's, Poppa John's, and later M& S. I liked the variation. And while others did, Mindy and I consciously chose not to bring any alcoholic beverages. :( We didn't start the progressive euchre until C & J arrived. They must've showed up near 7pm. With them were their close friends, Jeff and Wendy. Hadn't seen them since the wedding. There were 16 euchre players. The idea was to team up with everybody for one game, with each game lasting through two rounds of deals. Everybody kept an individual score card charting their points attained from each game. I think we got through 6 games, far less than some expected. Time was moving fast. The concept was creative and fun. Everyone had a good time. The quarters were a little cramped, and the temperature a tad on the warm side, but everyone had a good time. The kids kept busy in the next room over watching videos and playing games. Jacob & Noah spent some time playing out in the back yard earlier, but as the evening wore on it started to rain steadily. We had birthday dessert before everyone readied for home. Mindy ended up scoring the most points, and for her efforts we got to take home the grand prize - the prize bucket. I think it was 1015pm when we loaded the Honda for home. We dropped Noah at his place against Jacob's pleas to have him stay the night. Mindy said no. The kids were in bed within minutes after arriving home. They were tired. I poured a Jack & Coke and plopped down on the sofa. Mindy joined me with a glass of wine. We chatted for about an hour before heading up to bed.