Jacob gets Rich

I was up at 730am after a solid 8 hours of rest. Meanwhile, outside it looked to be another gorgeous but chilly spring day. It was 30 something but sunny. It was Sunday so I didn’t do any sit-ups or push-ups. Instead, I sipped coffee and updated my blog. After updating my blog, I searched for the perfect photo to put in our new frame for the kitchen eating area. After lots of scrutiny, I selected a picture that I took on Xmas eve 2004, the day after a huge snow storm that left a coating of ice on all the trees. It’s a photo of the sun rising through ice covered trees with a snowy backdrop. One of my all time faves. I had it framed & hung before 930am. Time to switch gears and ready for a run. I did my usual stretch then put on some fresh running clothes and headed out the door. I wore my new sunglasses too. I knew heading out the door that I’d only be running three miles. I took the typical Sunday route out of the subdivision and onto Trabue and eventually down Hague. I picked up a Nike golf ball, no doubt a seriously errant drive hit off tee #1 at Raymond. It was a good run on a gorgeous morning. I was home well before Mindy was up. It had been a really long time since I whipped up a big ‘ol breakfast. I was determined to do so today. I started making cheese omelets, steak, and potato cakes. Mindy finally got up while I was in the middle of cooking – good timing. She started putting up new window clings while I put the finishing touches on our breakfast. It looked yummy! Mindy thought so too. I pointed out the newly hung photo to which Mindy gave a very favorable nod. Great! I was worried that she might not like it. After cleaning up breakfast Mindy & I walked down to see the neighbor’s new puppy, Woody, a six week old pug. He’s cute and tiny. Not much bigger than a Guinea pig. Back home, I readied for some lawn work. I was determined to get as much of the lawn work done as I could before leaving for Jacob’s soccer game. I whacked and edged first. While edging, Jimaken pulled up with the kids. Confused at first, I later remembered Mindy saying something about him bringing Bella home early then taking Jacob to have soccer pictures taken. OK. I noticed an abundant number of dandelions sprouting up in our front lawn, especially in the new grass. I also noticed several areas beginning to show signs of stress from lack of rain. We haven’t had any appreciable rain fall for coming up on two weeks now. Rare for April. Not only that, but there wasn’t any in the immediate forecast either. I got the entire lawn cut, but lost track of the time while doing so. Mindy alerted me that is was 1245pm when I was just finishing up blowing off the drive and walks. She figured I could shower in 5 minutes. Crap! No way. I still had to secure the shed and garage, too. I did a simple clean-up/brush-up and changed shoes. I’d have to shower later. Off to soccer. We arrived at Jacob’s soccer game late – about 110pm. My dad called while in route. He was meeting us there but was lost. Wasn’t sure where the game was taking place. Mindy guided him in. He showed up about 5-10 minutes after us. As good as Jacob’s team looked last week, they looked almost that bad this week. Not sure if the other team was that much better or if we were simply off. We got beat soundly, something like 5-2. Jimaken shared that this was the best team in the league last year. All of their kids were big and athletic too. Jacob kicked his shoe off three times during the game. I wanted to say something to him but decided it wasn’t my place. The game was over by 210pm. Dad declined our invitation to join us later at the house while we celebrated Jacob’s birthday along with most of Mindy’s family. We planned to have pizza & cake. We stopped at the Silverhorn Kroger on our way home so I could pick-up some beer. Mindy wanted to pick-up a veggie tray too. I bought a 6-pack of CBC Summer Teeth lager & Great Lakes Burning River pale ale. And even though we have oodles of candy at home, I bought Bella a Musketeer bar. Jacob got some spicy hot Dorito’s. Mindy went back in to get a large bag of ice. Homeward! We had discussed arranging for the grandchildren to come over but decided against it with so little time to prepare for our other guests. Back at home, I prepped a cooler for beer and another for water and kiddie drink boxes. Mindy asked that I set up the corn hole boards too. I got out a football and Frisbee as well. While I was busy outdoors, Mindy was busy hanging party streamers and balloons inside. Bella was helping her momma. Before heading in for a much needed shower, I drug out the sprinkler and started watering some of the drier areas of the front lawn. I know I could’ve turned on the irrigation system, but that would’ve required a lot more time to inspect all the sprinkler heads. Maybe next weekend. I left the hose & sprinkler run while I showered. After my shower I moved the sprinkler a couple times addressing a couple other areas prone to drying out. It was approaching 4pm. We were expecting guests to arrive at 430pm. Mindy’s mom arrived early. Jacob went out to help her carry in her wares. What a nice grandson! After a few more minutes of watering along the curb, I moved the sprinkler to the middle yard to avoid sprinkling any more arriving guests. Jody pulled up at the same time. I helped her carry in a few things. Soon others arrived, including Jimaken and his parents. We invited our neighbors, Chrissy, Kenny & family, too. They brought Woody along. And as you might imagine, he was a big hit with everyone. Mindy ordered the pizzas to arrive around 530pm. To my knowledge, they arrived near then. Some gathered on the deck while others congregated in the kitchen. The weather was warm in the direct sunshine but still quite cool when it would slip behind the occasional cluster of clouds. I ended up sucking down three or four beers through the evening. Mindy bought two bottles of wine for the occasion. That went over well with many of our guests. Jacob opened gifts out on the deck. He made out like a bandit. Lots of cash and a bag full of new clothes. Ice cream cake was served inside soon after. I’m guessing folks started departing around 7pm. We started clean-up immediately. Eventually, Jacob and I headed out to hit some golf balls. I was anxious to see what he could do with his new clubs. Kenny helped Jacob with his swing. We hit balls until dusk then played a game of corn hole, Jacob’s request. I beat him 21 – 01. Mindy had the kids get showers sometime after 830pm. And it was almost 930 when we finally got them to bed. I plopped down on the sofa and iced my knee, eventually falling asleep. I woke around 1020pm and headed directly for bed.