A Month Removed from Xmas

Just 11 more months till Xmas Same deal, different day. I woke again around 3a then struggled to get back to sleep. I finally fell back asleep near 5a, and of course, I overslept, not waking until 539a. Rats! I woke in a dreamy state too, which left me feeling totally out of it, heavy, and still longing for sleep. It took a few minutes to snap out of it, but my head remained in a fog while I brushed my teeth and gathered my running clothes from the closet. By the time I was downstairs and in the kitchen slipping into my exercise shoes I began to feel more awake. I started my sit-ups near 545a. Frankie joined me in the livingroom after I left her sleeping on the sofa the night before. No presents left on the carpet overnight. That’s good news. She doesn’t try to lay on my head or lap anymore while I’m doing sit-ups like she used to as a young puppy. I checked the temperature soon after sit-ups. It was a whopping 34 degrees, and expecting it to hover near there or slightly above all day long. I read the Daily OM, something about immersing oneself in water during meditation as a way to cleanse and refresh body, mind, and spirit. I’ll take the authors word on that one. Like the day before, I took Frankie outside before enjoying any coffee. She pooped and peed this time around. I was very happy about that. Because the temperature was above freezing, the snow pack was mushy and wet. I was out in my exercise shoes, too, so my feet got a little wet/cold. Inside, I gave Frankie a Milkbone then poured some coffee. Meanwhile, it was already 610a. Suddenly, I felt under the gun to get moving. At 615a I sat my coffee down and started meditation. Man was my mind racing, a constant barrage of fruitless worry and contemplation. Yuck! It was a struggle to find the gap. Never really did. But I know there will always be days like that. The clock now fully governing my decision making, I had to move on to stretching. It was 625a. Stretching felt terrific. I love what it’s doing for me. It was 630a when I popped up to prepare Mindy’s morning coffee. Frankie, as she often does, got all excited when she saw/heard me stirring. She knows that means it’s time to head upstairs. Mindy was just finishing up her shower. After a quick good morning I headed back downstairs to prepare for my morning run. Because of the warmer temps, I reverted back to my single lower layer and three upper layers. I still wore gloves, head, and ear covers too. It was after 640a as I headed out the door. Like the day before, the subdivision’s roads were covered in an ever thinning dry slush making footing more challenging than it needed to be. Because of that, I chose to run on the sidewalks where I could. And aside from the occasional home that doesn’t bother to shovel their walk, the coast was pretty clear. Back at home I noticed that the Honda was already started and warming. Mindy obviously picked up on the fact that I was running behind. My eggs were already waiting. She made scrambled eggs topped with cheese. During breakfast, Mindy shared her displeasure with Bella, after finding her up watching TV in the middle of the night. Bella and I made quick eye contact. I could tell that she was thinking the same as I. During tuck in, I had to ask her to turn off her TV, and she did so. Apparently turned it back on after we were in bed. In the ensuing seconds I had to decide whether to share those additional details or keep it too myself. All I said was that there was more to the story. Before I could respond to Mindy’s curiosity, Bella came clean. Mindy abruptly declared her grounded from screens and went even further by outwardly mulling over the possibility of removing her TV for good. No question about it, left on her own, Bella would watch TV for hours on end. Mindy soon headed off to school after wishing all of us well. I found it humorous listening to Bella bellyaching out loud about her punishment. She felt being grounded from screens was reasonable but was incensed about it carrying over to playing with the neighbors and/or going outside. I couldn’t be certain, but didn’t hear Mindy say anything about it carrying over to going outside. Bella likely surmised that from Jacob’s most recent grounding where he was restricted to the house along with no screens. Off to the shower. I was back downstairs showered and dressed by 750a. It didn’t take me long. I quickly prepared a packed lunch then hollered for the kids. It was almost 8a by the time we made it to the bus stop. We were uncharacteristically late. Like the day before, I asked for Bella’s help with Frankie while I started/warmed the Trooper on the way. The bus pulled up just as I met the kids at the stop. Good timing. Sounded like Chrissy was sporting a cold. I asked as much. Yep, she confirmed. That sucks. Frankie and I headed back towards home, but walked along the front yard just in case she needed to go once more. I think she peed. Before heading off to work I took care of a few kitchen chores doing my best to get things back in order. The loaded dishwasher was clean but I didn’t have time to unload it. I penned Frankie then left for work. It was 815a. I parked up front again. Got the last free spot. It was 850a by the time I had fresh ice water, my lunch in the fridge, and was looking over the day’s agenda. Early on, I checked weekend lodging availability at HV. The one bedroom condo I found the day before was still showing available. I was a little concerned, however, with the absence of late check-in information, and how that might be handled. I couldn’t find anything about it on their site. I decided to call the HV rental office and ask. It was still pretty early and got right through to an agent. The young lady who answered quickly put my mind at ease. The office is open until 11p and then they turn the function over to the Inn at HV, which is open 24X7. She said late check-ins aren’t that uncommon. I sent Mindy a text advising her to give me a thumbs up or down. I worked through the morning much like any other day. Mindy called me around 1130a during her lunch. Said she got my text. I shared the options for a potential HV trip. She said to book it. We would leave right after work Friday afternoon. Cool. After ending our call I went back to the HV site hoping the aforementioned condo was still available. If it wasn't, it simply wasn't meant to be. It was still available, and I booked it. At 1p I took a rare formal lunch break and went for a haircut at the Mill Run Saturday’s. At the time, I was their only customer. That’s rare. They were all just sitting around talking, one holding a toddler in her arms. I made a couple of jokes referencing the kid. They didn’t seem to get either one. Stacey cut my hair. She’s done it numerous times past. She is always fast and efficient and does a good job. Remembers me, too. Always asks about snow skiing. We made small talk through the 5 minute ordeal. I asked if the $5.99 special offered by the Great Clips 2 or 3 store fronts down hurt their weekend business. She said not, but admitted their clientele is largely long standing customers only – no new blood. I then suggested they run a similar campaign to draw in market share from their competitors. Honestly, though, I don’t think any of the stylists have much business sense. Stacey remembered that I keep gel in my car and that I apply it myself afterwards. Incidentally, they’ve raised their price to $18.45 for a basic cut. I tipped her $5. Back to the office. I was gone only 35 minutes. The afternoon was busier than the morning. But that’s not unusual. I stayed busy until 530p. Didn’t talk with Mindy for the rest of the day. Almost forgot that I had to park out yonder after lunch. Long walk to the Trooper. I arrived home around 545-550p. Mindy suggested that I was home early. Hmm? Not really. Asked if I booked the HV trip. Yep. Mindy was hustling around the house as she prepared to run Bella to dance. Said Jacob was staying home with me. Dinner was on the stove. We’d eat once she was back. Didn’t seem like she was gone long at all. While she was out, I completed all of my routine evening chores then worked on my blog. She was back by 610p. She immediately dished up dinner, which consisted of cheese stuffed tortellini and marinara sauce. Pretty much a boil and heat dinner. It was good, though. Jacob wasn’t sure that he wanted some. Started with only two small tortellini shells. Said he liked it, and ended up with another full bowl. Finished that and then asked for more. I shared Bella’s cute little rant about being grounded. We all got a chuckle at her expense. No sooner had we finished dinner when Mindy said she needed to leave again to fetch Bella. This time Jacob went with Mindy while I finished cleaning up the kitchen. I spent more time on my blog. In addition, I went to the HV site to research snow board lesson options just in case Jacob wants to try snow boarding while we’re there. I have a lot of confidence in their learning center. Both our kids skiing skills grew significantly after a one day lesson there last winter. The family was home 10-15 minutes after they left. I asked Jacob if he wanted to do a snow board lesson. Said yes. I extended the same offer to Bella. She said no. Thinking now, we should consider placing her in an advanced ski lesson. Couldn’t hurt. I’ll discuss that option with Mindy. Near 8p I changed into my Grinch PJs and then cracked open a Bell’s Hop Slam. I turned on the TV looking at all the 'knowledge channels' program options. I noticed that the State of the Union Address was slated for 9p. Had forgotten about it until I saw the listings. I really had no desire to watch this year. I didn’t care to watch the Buckeye basketball game either. Instead, I turned to the History Channel and watched a program about the anti-Christ. Very interesting. Mindy worried that the content might be too much for the kids. Bella wasn’t supposed to be watching anyway, but was nearby in the kitchen. Jacob watched some of it passively. Mindy sent the kids to bed come 845p. I headed up to tuck them in minutes later. I returned to the sofa where I watched more of the anti-Christ program. It wasn’t long before I started nodding off, and it felt incredible. Mindy ditched off to bed at some point. Quite sure she alerted me. I didn’t wake again until well after midnight. I turned off the TV and secured the home then headed for bed.