Corned Beef & Dugana

I was up on time – right at 530a -- but that was after waking originally around 3a feeling fully rested. From that point forward sleep was light and on & off. That, no doubt, a byproduct of going to bed too early, I’m sure. My shoulder felt fine. The 4 Advil every six hours seemed to be doing the trick. Downstairs, I completed my sit-ups and push-ups. Frankie was asleep in her pen although the door wide open. I noticed my anniversary card still lying on the island. Oops, forgot to open it the evening before. I had a lot on my mind. I checked the weather. It was 33 degrees. Expecting it to reach 40 or so later in the day. After coffee, Frankie and I headed out back where she took care of business, but only pooped. She didn’t want to hang outside long, so we headed back inside. The hot tub was calling, gurgling for water again. It never stops. Ugh! Inside, I enjoyed more coffee. Meanwhile, it was already 610a. Couldn't believe it. I did a brief meditation, but it wasn’t a good one. Too much stuff whirling around in my brain. Stretching went well, though. I’m sure the scheduled Advil helped with that. Next up, I delivered coffee and the pug while Mindy was mid shower. I gave her a kiss then headed back downstairs to ready for my run. I dressed in the same running clothes that I had worn for the past five days. Getting dicey! I ran the full circuit, 4.1 miles. I started the Honda as soon as I was back home. I missed the trash truck, but didn't think we had much, if any, after being out of town all week. Mindy reminded the kids to go to Dena's after school. The reason, I think, was to accommodate a couple more parent/teacher conferences. She left at 730a. Our fresh food options were all but nonexistent. We were out of fruit and lettuce for salads. I packed a small piece of inferno chicken along with some cheese. Off to the shower. I was ready to go by 750a. Not sure what I did with the extra few minutes. The kids came down on their own and we soon headed out the door. Chrissy was out with the girls again. Jacob was being a pill, throwing chunks of ice at the girls. The bus soon swooped up the kids. Frankie and I headed back towards home, but only after spending a few more minutes out front where she peed for the second time since daybreak. Off to work by 810a. I arrived a few minutes early and was settled in even before 830a. The work day was a busy one and included an impromptu meeting with several of my new team members. For the time being anyway, I have 25 direct reports. That's way too many. They had lots of questions. I was upfront and honest with my answers. The day went by quickly. I heard from Mindy around 4-430p. We discussed our evening plans. It was a Jimaken night, so we wouldn't have the kids until 8p. I wanted to visit Barleys. Mindy concurred. I didn't get out of the office until 545p. I called Mindy to let her know. Mindy gave me an earful for not yet opening my anniversary card, and wanted to know why I was such an ass the evening before. I explained that I was feeling overwhelmed. And relative to the card, I simply forgot. She wasn't amused. It was just after 6p when I made it home. We both freshened up then headed out arriving at Barley's near 630p. The bar was very crowded. We opted for a barside table. I was impressed to see CBC's Creeper on tap. I ordered one of those. Mindy ordered a Russian stout. Janet returned with only half of a CBC Creeper. Said it was the bitter end. :( I opted for an Avery Dugana IPA instead. We soon ordered food. Mindy ordered KC wings & Black Mussels, and I ordered their reuben special with a bowl of cheese & broccoli soup. Yummy stuff! We both opted out of 2nd beers. Mindy's birthday is next week. We discussed options for celebrating. I offered that she and I rush off to HV one more time. She wasn't too keen on that unless another couple comes/goes along. Prefers to celebrate with friends on Friday, then her & I out to dinner on Saturday. It was 745p. Time to head home to intercept the children. We beat the kids home by at least five minutes. Once they arrived they were eager to catch American Idol. I decided to watch this time. I didn't realize it at the time, but this was the final cut down to 24 (12 girls and 12 boys). Lots of talent this year. I've watched passively for maybe five of the ten seasons. This year's group seems far more talented than ever before. The show went on for 2 hours. At 10p we abruptly shut down the house and all of us went to bed at the same time. Bella once again expressed frustration over me going to bed before she was even asleep. It's a security thing. Good night moon!