Navigating to & thru Mechanicsburg

I slept really well and didn’t wake until almost 730am. It was Sunday so I didn’t plan to do any calisthenics. I started some coffee then logged on both my home PC and work laptop. An issue I had been driving and later following was still an issue. I spent some time gathering all the facts then updating the customer in question.

It was sunny outside and expected to remain that way all day. It was fairly dry out, too, so I could see out all the windows. I planned to leave the house for golf no later than 945am, so after enjoying a little coffee, I headed out for my run near 815am.

I was excited about golf but at the same time worried that something pressing might come up with work. I’d have my blackberry with me, however, which is all that’s required. I ran just three miles and felt super good.

I half expected to find Tara up and getting ready for church when I got back but that wasn’t the case. However, Mindy was up. As I prepared to head off to shower, Mindy offered to make me a breakfast sandwich.  I very much appreciated that and how much time it would save me.

I was showered and ready to go by 930am. I did a little more work, and seemed to have things under control as best I could. I enjoyed the egg, bacon, cheese and mayo sandwich that Mindy prepared. Mindy said Tara was up getting ready for church. Soon after I got up, I put a pint of water and a quart of Gatorade in the freezer hoping it would freeze prior to my departure, thus remaining cold through golf.

 I texted Kenny to see if he was still planning to meet for golf. They spent the night in Johnstown at Julie & Mike’s.  I wasn’t too surprised when he texted back that he wasn’t going to make it. Looked like it would be just Bob I. and I. Hadn’t heard back from Mike O. either. 

I stowed all my golf gear in the Accord’s trunk then returned inside to say goodbye to Mindy. We briefly discussed dinner plans, me requesting steak. Said she’d make a run to Sam’s Club and pick some up later that day. Cool! Off to Indian Springs.

Before leaving the driveway, I took the time to program my Droid navigation to get me too Indian Springs. It didn’t recognize the destination by name and I didn’t have the address handy, so I simply programmed in Mechanicsburg and left. I headed west on I-70 for 13 miles to exit 80 or Rt 29 W. I took that another 13 miles into Mechanicsburg. Times past we’ve taken a more convoluted way through town to get to 161. This time I took Rt 4 from Rt 29 which dumped me out no more than a half mile east of the golf course on 161. Perfect!

I arrived just ahead of Bob I. so I took the time to check in with work. Everything was quiet. Bob pulled up a couple minutes later. We headed inside to pay our fees and get a cart. Talked with the club pro, a really super guy. Always chatty. There weren’t many groups out in front of us. Looked wide open.

We opted to play the white tees, which were moved as far forward as I’ve ever seen ‘em. As usual, I hit a fairly nice drive off the first tee but struggled with my second shot and then landed my third in a greenside bunker. I struggled mightily to find the hole and believe I carded a 7. I was striking the ball fairly well but my accuracy was off. Plus, my typical good chipping was a train wreck, especially early on.  I only hit one or two problematic tee shoots but just couldn’t score. I shot a 52 on the front. I just knew the back nine would be a whole lot better.

We caught the threesome just in front of us on #10. They waved us through but then had a change of heart. We worried that our pace of play would be slowed to a snails pace for the entire back. Happily, though, it wasn’t.

The back ended up going much like the front. I just couldn’t string a few good holes together. Despite all the troubles I hadn’t lost but one ball all day or carded the dreaded snowman until number 18, the long, scary par 5. There, I lost two balls, the first being my tee shot. Then, my 2^nd shot, a 3-wood, hit a big tree protecting the middle of the fairway and neither of us saw where my ball went from there. After two lost balls, I finished with an 8. Crap! I just didn’t have my mojo that day.

We finished at 243pm, or after just under 4 hours of play. On our way back to our cars I spotted a familiar face, Steve & Tom, two of neighbor Pat’s brother-in-laws. Steve’s wife Stacey was with them too. They played nine holes. I joked with Tom about going to the Landel pool.

Bob and I chatted briefly before we headed our separate ways. Bob pointed out that with my potential NY trip and his Okracoke vacation that we may not hook up again until September. Wow!

 I called Mindy once I was on the road for home. Our call dropped somewhere in the middle of Mechanicsburg and it took a little while to get reconnected to my handsfree Bluetooth.

Once reconnected, Mindy shared that she picked up some Rib Eye steaks. We didn’t talk long. The house was quiet when I arrived home. I was hungry and made a couple sandwiches with leftover croissants – one with turkey, the other with roast beef. Both were delicious.

Mindy must’ve been down at the neighbors. She walked in the back door about ten minutes later. I played around online and checked in with work. Things were quiet. Yeah!

I didn’t really want to, but I mentally prepared myself to cut the lawn. It really needed it. I called on Jacob to cut the front after telling him Friday I was gonna teach him. He wanted no part of it. I didn’t pursue it any further. It was just shy of 90 degrees when I headed out to get started. Guessing it was near 4pm.

As usual, I worked up quite the sweat mowing. In fact, I was dripping head to toe. After cutting the strip between the walk and road and then the west front slope with the blade set high, I lowered it a 1/2" for the rest of the front and back. Mindy watered the deck flowers while I mowed. I always appreciate that.

Once I finished the slopes out back I got out the tractor. Felt good to create a breeze. Lawn looked nice when I finished the mowing. I wasn’t done, though. Still had the whacking, edging, and blowing to do. The sun was really warm. I’d been sucking down the ice water throughout. My wicking shirt was soaked through and through.

All the whacking & edging left tons of grass bits on my legs, more so than most other times. I was an itchy scratchy mess. While blowing off the drive and walks, Tara & Doug pulled up out front. Tara was there to pick-up a few things she left behind. I hadn’t seen Doug since last fall at the Saturday’s in Mill Run. They didn’t stay long at all, in fact, Doug never got out of his pick-up.

Felt terrific to finally finish the lawn work. As usual, I wanted nothing more than some ice water and a shower. That took me no more than 15 minutes.

Mindy asked if I was ready to grill as soon as I was out of the shower. I quickly shared that I was only ready to relax. The last thing I wanted to do right then was head right back out in the sun. She understood.

I poured the rest of the Green Flash, Le Freak in a pint glass and went to my PC and laptop. Got caught up in yet another work related matter. Not sure the time when I finished up but it had to be somewhere near 7pm. It was time to grill. Mindy already had the steaks seasoned and covered. Didn’t take me long at all to grill 'em, ten minutes tops. 

Mindy set the table on the deck. We hadn’t enjoyed a family dinner there all season long – too hot. It was ideal at the time, though. Had to be about 83, and both the table and most of the deck out of the direct sunshine. We enjoyed steak, green beans, salad and bread. The Rib Eye’s were large. We ate onlyabout half of it. We’d save the rest for Monday leftovers.

As usual, the kids ran off to play right after dinner while Mindy and I managed clean-up as a team. We sat on the deck talking after dinner. It was past 8pm. Mindy walked off with Eiknarf and over where the kids were busy playing. I stretched out between two chairs and took a brief nap, but probably no longer than 5 minutes. Still felt good.

I was tempted to have another beer but thought better of it. Not only was Monday a work day, but I needed to be up as much as an hour early to meet Ashley at Dr Monfort’s office for her consult. At 9pm I tuned into the Science Channel watching Through the Worm Hole.  This particular episode was about the mysterious properties of light - Einstein. Fun fact, the nearest star beyond our own sun is 25 trillion miles away. Wow!

I stayed up until 930pm then scooted off to bed. I was really sleepy and eager for my pillow. Good night Albert.

Le Freak!

I was up around 715am after a more than decent night of sleep. I slipped out of the room and headed downstairs without disturbing the others. Mindy didn’t even budge.

I started some coffee then completed sit-ups and push-ups. The windows were steam up again after Friday evening’s heavy rain and sultry temps. I could see enough to know that it was sunny, however. I checked in with work while enjoying some coffee, first following up on the two issues I was dealing with the evening before and then a fresh one that had just come in.

I ended up much busier than I expected and far more than my new peers alluded. I kept at it until 9am or so, when I decided to take a break and complete my run. Was out the door around 915am. I ran three miles and worked up quite a sweat. Felt good.

I expected to find Mindy on the deck sipping coffee when I got back home but that wasn’t the case. Still asleep. I poured some orange juice and spent a little more time on the PC writing for my blog. I got it updated through Thursday then headed out for a walk around the yard with my camera in hand.

The lawn looked nice and healthy after Friday’s big rain event. We had a good sized branch come down from one of the many walnut trees just off the deck and down along the water. For the time being I left it lie.

Mindy was up around 1030am. Said she didn’t feel that swift. Later, after some coffee and sunshine on the deck she took her blood pressure and learned that it was pretty low, that's especially surprising for her. It was something like 110/70. I asked if she was going to attend yoga. Said she didn’t think so. Her favorite instructor wouldn’t be in. I joked that that was all the more reason to go.

We didn’t have a whole lot planned for the day. Her friend Tara and her visiting niece were supposed to come over later that afternoon and spend the night with us after working the St Margaret festival. Mindy talked about going to Whole Foods or Market District to get some fish and veggies for grilling for dinner.

I spent most of what was left of the morning and then the early afternoon working from home. In between work tasks, I did more writing for my blog. The kids were up before 11am and helped toss all the fallen walnuts either into the water or into the honeysuckle bushes while I carried the large fallen branch to the compost pile. They soon headed off to play with their peeps.

Sometime between 1 & 2pm Mindy & I took about an hour long nap. Waking refreshed, I took a quick shower then suggested that I make the trip to Market District. Mindy was warm to that idea and happy that she didn’t have to go. I thought I might drive the BM’er having not done so since Wednesday, July 6^th.

My short list included Chilean sea bass, orange juice, and bakery fresh bread. I wanted to get some yummy beer too. After all, if we were gonna attend the St Margaret’s festival that night, I wanted to have a stash of good beer in my cooler, which I’d leave in the car next door at dad’s place. Now that’s thinking ahead!

I’d forgotten about the Lane Ave. detour, but in the end it posed little problem. I took Riverside north all the way to Zollinger Rd then across to Tremont Center. Pretty much brings you right out at the mall.

The Market District lot wasn’t jammed full like I expected it might, but I found a spot fairly close. I opted for one of the small carts and headed to the beer section first. Immediately in the door I was served some fresh squeezed pineapple juice. Good stuff! I picked up two 22oz rockets and one six-pack - a rocket of Green Flash Imperial IPA and then one of their newest offerings, Le Freak, a mixture of IPA and Trippel. The six-pack was Victory’s Hop Wallop. Back to the fresh seafood counter.

I scanned the entire seafood case not seeing any sign of Chilean sea bass. I finally asked on of the butchers. They were out. Not expecting anymore in until Monday or Tuesday. I hemmed and hawed over what to get instead. Thought about monk fish after hearing how delicious it is, but in the end opted for some skinless salmon filets from Canada. For the life of me, I had no idea there were actually skinless salmon swimming around out there. J  I bought 2 lbs.

I picked out some freshly baked croissants and then picked up some orange juice too. Just before heading to the checkout I found some chocolate covered pretzels, a favorite treat of mine. They were the big ones, too.

Most of the check-out lines were long. Having only 6 or 7 items, I opted for the 15 items or less line. But directly in front of me was a large woman with about 50 items. Apparently she couldn’t read or count, and judging from her size I guessed that she couldn’t count. Lord knows she's not counting calories! It was either that or she thought the sign said 115 items or less. Yeah, that’s it.

I headed for home the same way I came. It was nice to drive the BM’er. Mindy was a little disappointed that they didn’t have the Chilean sea bass. So was I. I shared the story of the big woman in front of me in the check out line though with embellishment. Shared how I confronted her about the selfish act. I quickly fessed up that I hadn’t said even a word to her face. Heck, I was afraid she might eat me! J

Mindy didn’t know what time to expect Tara and Hannah. I did a little more work and also poured myself a beer – a Hop Wallop - while Mindy started prepping dinner.

I’m thinking that we sat down to dinner around 6-630pm - grilled salmon, fresh green beans, garden salad and croissants. I specifically asked that my salmon be grilled well done. I like it crispy on the outside. It turned out really good. Moist and flaky yet brown on one side. Still no Tara and Hannah. Mindy offered that they may have headed directly to St. Margaret’s.

Tara and Hannah showed up just as we were finishing up dinner. Said they weren’t hungry. Mindy showed them where they’d be sleeping then they left for the festival a few minutes later. Tara was working the food stand.

After dinner clean-up I got involved in yet another work related matter that took some doing to get all squared away. Mindy and the kids were ready to head over to the festival.  I had to request they either wait or go without me. They chose to wait.

I’m thinking it was nearing 8pm when I finally had things where I felt comfortable enough to leave. We threw some drinks in the cooler, including a couple beers and then headed over to dad’s. Year’s past, there would’ve been a few others using his driveway for festival parking. Not this year. We were the only ones. Dad came out briefly to greet and chat.

Next door at the festival, there was a fairly large crowd already in place. A lot more cigarette smoking going on than I expected. Bothersome even.  Mindy paid $12 so Bella could get a ride wrist band. Jacob wanted no part of the festival’s rides, and I can’t say I blamed him. He’s not much of a ride kid anyhow. Gets sick very easily.

Bella did 5 or 6 rides. Funny watching her. Doesn’t seem to be fazed much at all by the spinney rides. A couple times Mindy and I both had to look away to avoid getting dizzy ourselves.

At some point Bella got a large hodge-podge snow cone in a cup, and Mindy and Jacob shared a funnel cake. I had a bite or two as well. We ran into a few people we knew: Connie McVey and kids, Tony & Sarah Palka, and later Tim Dietz and his new wife, Artie.  I expected to run into far more familiar faces. We quickly bored of the event. We were ready to go by 900pm if not a little sooner.

At home we decided to watch a movie. Deciding which one was a painful experience. We flushed through the entire Movie’s on Demand schedule on Time Warner but found nothing we could agree on. Next, we sifted through our own movie collection finally settling on Mr Deeds, an Adam Sandler movie.

I poured a pint of the Green Flash, Le Freak. It was good. Popped some popcorn, too. I’d seen Mr Deeds before but must’ve watched it only passively. It was quite funny. Jacob and Mindy both liked it. It was after 11pm when the movie was over and still no Tara and Hannah. I headed for bed after battling sleep for the last 30 minutes of the movie.

Mindy called Tara’s cell to check on her whereabouts. She was on her way. Mindy waited up for them while I crashed in a hurry.

Rising Water ... my new indian name?

I slept incredibly well and didn't wake even once until 530am. Sleep felt so good that in a moment of weakness, I allowed myself to get some more. I didn't get out of bed then until almost 6am. I wasn't too concerned, and honestly chuckled a little. I knew I could recover the lost time with a bit of creativity.

Skipping brushing my teeth, of course, wasn't an option. I quickly took care of my dental hygiene then made my way downstairs. I had to prep coffee too having failed to do so the night before. I thought about skipping sit-ups and push-ups but considered that irresponsible. I did 55 sit-ups then spent a few minutes on the PC orienting/centering myself with the day ahead.

Around 620am I made the decision to skip push-ups and move directly to coffee. Not only did that save me a minute or two, but it also gave my neck & back a well deserved rest. Those muscles tense up after 55 of those everyday. I enjoyed coffee while spending just a few more minutes on the PC. I'm thinking it was near 630am when I moved on to meditation and stretching.

Both of those events went well. I was ready to head out for a run just ahead of 7am. It was once again fairly sultry and 78 degrees. The run went well. I decided just in to it that I would cut it to just three miles in an effort to grab another 9 minutes back. That helped. I was home by 735am. I didn't need to pack a lunch so that saved some time too. I still had Thursday's in the fridge at work. I fried two eggs then enjoyed them with a piece of the bakery fresh bread Mindy picked up from the Market District or Whole Foods on Wednesday. Had some fresh fruit too. All of it was very good.

Poured a cup of coffee for Mindy then headed upstairs. She woke only briefly before I headed off to the shower. Because it was Friday I didn't bother shaving. I planned to wear jeans for the first time in two weeks. That felt nice.

I was ready to go before 8am. Mindy was already up and making the bed as I put the finishing touches on my get-ready.  We headed downstairs together where we enjoyed some coffee and light conversation. She and the kids were having breakfast with my dad and then heading to Lake Choctaw to boat and ski with Tara and Doug.  Just before leaving for work, I wrapped our empty propane tank in a beach towel then stowed it in my trunk. I hoped to exchange it at lunch if at all possible. I hurried back in to ask Mindy to get a picture of my dad's knee. After Monday, he'll/we'll never see it again. Said she would.

Arrived at the office near 830am. Got settled pretty quickly. In my haste to migrate my email account the day before I made a significant mistake in the way I imported all my personal folders. I mistakenly added imported them to my mailbox, which has a restricted size limit. I couldn't send any emails. What a disaster that was. But lucky for me, an old buddy happened to stop by to say hello. When I shared my dilemma he said he could fix it in a matter of minutes. I must be living right!

I suggested he guide me rather than doing it. That way I will know how for the future. To get rid of the vast amount of imported folders, I had to delete the entre profile and then start over. And even that left empty ghost images of each folder in the new profile. I had to delete those one by one. After about 90 minutes of toil I was able to get it all squared away. Just glad I had the time I needed to address it, and also grateful that my buddy stopped by at just the right time. What the mind expects, it gets!

The morning was the smoothest I've had in a while. And the morning turned into afternoon, I decided to leave the building for lunch thinking I'd make two stops, the first being Tuttle Mall and to Macy's to look for a pair of brown casual slip-ons to replace the worn Borns Mindy bought for Father's Day last summer. They were pricey but didn't hold up or last at all. And if I had some time, I wanted to head over to the Mill Run Lowes to do a propane exchange.

It was a hot sunny drive to the Mall. I parked out back behind Macy's protecting one side of the Accord with a parking median. I headed directly to the shoe department to peruse their casual shoe offerings. I had to chuckle when  a young sales associate tried to help find me something I might like. That's akin to having a perfect stranger help me pick a beer from a vast menu. No thanks!  I assured him that I could do just fine looking over their offerings without his help.

I found a couple pair I liked, and one pair in particular that was also 50% off. I really like sales! They fit the bill, a brown suede slip-on with a somewhat rugged sole that should hold up far better than my quickly worn Borns. They are Kenneth Cole's - a popular NY designer who, by the way, has a cool product launch story. Check it out on Wiki.

I looked at some dress slacks too, and they were having an unbelievable sale. But the problem was, I didn't have the time to try on slacks and then have them tailor fit to perfection, which is what I often do when buying dress slacks. Perhaps another day.

I'd been gone about 35-40 minutes, but rather than run over to Mill Run then, I decided I'd simply stop on the way home. I headed directly back to the office instead. Once back at the office I retrieved my packed lunch from the fridge and enjoyed some quiet time at my desk.

We had our weekly staff meeting at 3pm. I spent time before and after that meeting learning what was expected of me as the on-call for our team over the weekend. As expected, lots of varying thoughts. I hit up my peers to see if they had any pressing issues I needed to be aware of. There was one in particular. I felt it better to be aware sooner than later.

I left the office for home around 530pm. I'd talked with Mindy mid afternoon. It didn't sound like she wanted or expected to go out to dinner.  And since it was my first on-call in my new role, I felt it wise to stay home anyhow. The sky, by the way, was starting to gray up slowly but surely. But it's not like there were banks of clouds moving in. Instead, it looked like a storm was forming directly overhead - boiling up so to speak. I stopped at Lowes like I planned to get propane. That was a snap. Wrapped the new tank in the same beach towel and put it in the trunk.

I took the back way home down Old Dublin Rd to Trabue. As I neared our subdivision, we got some liquid sunshine. It was very pretty - bright sun with a steady yet soft rain. Once home Bella was eager to share that she did really well water skiing. Got up and stayed up for quite a while. She was eager to show me the video on her momma's phone. Go Bella!

Mindy shared that breakfast with my dad went well and that she got the knee pictures I asked for. While I was getting out my laptop to log into work, Mindy got out a fridge full of leftovers, which would serve as our dinner. There were plenty of choices. At first I opted for the leftover shrimp with some of Mindy's homemade peach, mango, black bean salsa. But after getting a wiff of the heated leftover shrimp I thought better of it. Too fishy smelling. We ended up tossing it. So instead of shrimp, I had a bowl of rice topped with taco meat. It was yummy. After everyone enjoyed some food, the kids headed back out to play. Mindy then served Eiknarf some watermelon after she devoured her 1/3 cup of dog food. Can't believe our pug loves watermelon.

I was following up on a couple work related matters after dinner when Mindy leashed up Eiknarf for a walk. She wasn't out the door for two minutes when a heavy thunderstorm struck. And let me tell you, it rained like the dickens! Lots of vivid lightning and thunder, too. The missing element was wind. After about 20 minutes I checked the radar. For such a strong storm, it was a very small and narrow cell. Looked like it should be there and gone. Somehow, though, it persisted. At some point I sent Mindy a text stating that it was a very long walk. In reality, however, I figured she took refuge at the neighbors.

She came home a few minutes later during a brief reprieve. Meanwhile, the heavy rain started up again and continued for about another hour. That long narrow cell was working its way directly west which meant we were getting a lot more  rain than expected. Once the rain subsided Mindy called Chrissy to see if they were open to company. They were and we walked down. We took Eiknarf, wine and beer.

Kenny was just finishing up a shower. We visited for a while. I asked Kenny about Sunday golf. Sounded like he was in. Thought we'd ask Mike O. too. And speaking of Mike O., he and Teri came over about 30 minutes later. I walked home for another beer after about an hour. When I came back out of the house I found Mike and Kenny at the bridge staring into the rising water. It was about as high as I've seen it - ever.

We hung at the bridge talking for about 10 minutes. Mindy was just walking out of Kenny & Chrissy's when we were heading back inside. She was going home. I handed off the key, and she advised that she told the kids to be back in 3 minutes. OK. They were all down at Emily & Evans playing with the puppies.

As requested, all the kids came to Chrissy & Kenny's a few minutes later and headed upstairs to play. Then, about 5-10 minutes later, Mindy bursted in through the back door fit to be tied. She ripped into Bella something fierce for not following directions and ordered both kids home immediately. She even lit into Emily for not passing the word properly. Geesh! She told Bella that she was grounded. Nobody said anything immediately. Hell, I knew better. I was certain she said only that the kids were expected there in 3 minutes just as they were.  I figured we'd talk about it when I headed home, definitely not in front of the neighbors.

Mindy texted a few minutes later asking what door I planned on coming in since she wanted to lock up and head to bed. I texted back that I'd be home in 5-10 minutes. The neighbors went on about Mindy's sudden and apparent rage. Duh, people talk. As I said I would, I headed for home 10 minutes later.

I entered through the garage only to find Bella downstairs awaiting my return. She immediately shared that she and Mindy talked through the misunderstanding and that she was no longer grounded. That's good because for once, she followed directions. I tucked both kids into bed then headed there myself. Mindy was up reading from bed. We talked briefly about what occurred, me expressing what I understood her communication to be. She didn't agree or disagree. I got the impression, however, that if she could've taken it all back she would've . Good night rising water.

What the Mind Expects, It Finds

The Power of Staying Positive.      Good, sound advice ...
http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2011/28980.html

I slept really well, and didn’t even try to get up at my usual 530am rise time. Instead, I figured I would sleep in until at least 630am, and that’s exactly what I did. I was still a tad tired but didn’t want to be too far behind schedule, either. I headed downstairs and started my exercise routine. The headache I carried with me pretty much all day Wednesday was completely gone, and so was that knot in my back.

Mindy was kind enough to prep coffee since I worked so late the night before. All I had to do was hit the go button on the maker thingy. After sit-ups, push-ups, and a little online time, I poured a cup of coffee. It was so delicious. I read the Daily OM and for the first time in quite a while was inspired with the topic, Words to Live By".

It was in the mid 70s again and clear. Of course the sun was much further along in its ascent relative to where I stood with my morning routine. It was 7am when I started meditation and stretching.

I planned to send my boss an email letting him know that I would be in around 930am, but thought I’d wait until I had a much better idea what time I might arrive. I left for my run around 730am.

I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt good doing it. I rehashed in my mind all the praise I received the day before but then turned my attention to Thursday’s presentation. That’s right, I’d be doing another presentation at the customer’s location, only this time in front of a much larger group, but doing it as a team this time. Still, I might’ve been a little more nervous about this one since I’d presenting to folks I hadn’t yet met. I planned to rehearse the few slides I’d be presenting once I got into the office.

The run went well. I was back at home just a little after 8am. I quickly went about packing my lunch and making my breakfast. I made another spinach and cheese omelet. This one turned out real nice.

 I headed upstairs with coffee for Mindy. This time she was already awake when I opened the door. After a shave and a shower I dressed exceptionally nice in black dress slacks and a new light purple santeen dress shirt. I looked really good in that color!

Mindy was already downstairs sitting in front of her laptop. She asked if I cared to head out on the deck for coffee. I rejected the notion not wanting to risk working up a sweat in my sporty new shirt. I was ready to head into the office by 9am and left shortly thereafter.

I arrived at work around 915am and got myself situated pretty quickly. Something seemed strange with my email account. Hadn’t received anything since 530am. Suddenly I remembered that this was my migration day. Uh-oh! I knew it was scheduled but I wasn’t fully prepared for the impact. I found myself scrambling to get my Outlook account converted and then my pst folders moved in a hurry. I needed to convert my blackberry too. Oh boy! Just the day before I had backed up all my personal folders (smart).

I did good by getting my Outlook converted on my laptop before I needed to bolt for my customer’s location. I was reviewing the blackberry conversion process when my boss stopped in to see if I was ready and if I wanted to ride with him. Good thing I didn’t start the blackberry conversion right then. The only problem with that was, I wouldn’t receive any new emails. But at least the calendar, contacts, and phone were still good.

We stopped at a Wendy’s near the customer’s location. We ate inside.  I had a double stack and fresh squeezed lemonade. Good stuff.

We arrived at the customer location about a minute behind schedule. Today’s meeting was in a much larger, nicer building. We walked into a meeting room already near capacity. I took a seat by the acct exec. After a brief intro and then a few kudos from a couple of their execs for sticking around the night before, we started the presentation. My piece wasn’t until slides 13-16, but it went pretty fast. I went through a couple stages of nervousness while waiting my turn. I hate sitting, stewing on it. I’ve found over the years that I’m far better off going first when given the chance thus avoiding swimming in panic. J

When it came my time I did just fine presenting my 4 slides with confidence yet with a humble, ready to serve demeanor. Was over like that. I felt great when it was all said and done. Afterward the presentation was completely over, I asked to be introduced to some of the key players, including a couple that I was on a conference call with the night before.  We had to go find one of them.

We hung out talking with some of those folks for about 20-30 minutes tops. Before my boss and I left we got caught up in one heck of an all-employee ‘meeting’ taking place. Let’s just say it’s the type of meeting almost any guy would love. We watched for a couple minutes but then departed for our own office. It was hot outside – about 93 degrees.

We got back to the office around 230pm, and much sooner than planned. I was able to finish my email conversion on my blackberry and then a handful of other important, yet non-pressing matters. I talked with Mindy at some point. During our brief conversation we made plans to visit Barley’s since it was date night. We tossed around Milestone 229 but both agreed that it was too hot to sit outside – again 93 degrees. Mindy also shared the estimate she got that afternoon to have the small dent fixed on the Pilot. Despite its small size, and because the paint cracked, it’ll require real body work. They want $521. I wasn’t too surprised, though I think Mindy was. By the way, the dent was caused by her backing into our trash can last winter on a snowy day. So much for having the back-up camera. At least she could watch. :)

I left the office for home at 525pm and arrived about 20 minutes later. The house was quiet and picked up, and Mindy was all spruced up in a sundress. I decided not to change but brushed my teeth before we headed out. We took the Accord and left for Barley’s right away. Mindy shared her frustration with Lindsey for calling her about taking the kids to the zoo, almost like it's an expectation – things Lindsey should be doing for her kids. That’s Lindsey, though. She’s more like a needy teenager than a mommy.

There in no time. I debated where to park but ended up in the front row of the main lot. There was plenty of room between cars so not to bump doors. There wasn’t two stools side by side when we first arrived, but a couple pointed out that they were just about to leave and offered us their seats within five minutes. By then Janet had already served us our favorite beers, me a Centennial, which was just recently back on the tower, and a nitro Pint-of-Joe for Mindy.

Not a lot of regulars at first, but the twins, Kurt and Kent eventually arrived and took a booth near the bar. One of them had their son with them. Pretty quickly, we ordered food. I ordered the smoked reuben special, and Mindy ordered the pita & hummus platter.

The reuben was perhaps the best ever. Absolutely scrumptious. I eventually ordered a 2^nd beer, only this time a Belgian IPA. Love that stuff. Mindy abstained from having another since she figured to be driving. She got the check too. We visited some with Calvin, who came in when we were about half way through our meal. We left for home around 740pm to make sure we would beat the kids home. Mindy ordered gates of hell wings to-go for Jacob. They were ready quickly.

Mindy drove home. We weren’t home long before Mindy asked if we could walk Eiknarf together. The kids weren’t yet back from dinner with dad. We walked down towards Kenny & Chrissy’s. We stopped to chat. They were both out washing their cars. Soon neighbor Teri stopped down as well. Then, Jason,  a guy I’ve seen walking his dog numerous times but had never formally met, stopped by with his new Doberman pincher, Deacon. Said his old dog, Scout, passed away. He stuck around for a while. Nice guy.

Kids spotted us as soon as they pulled up with Jimaken and came running down to hang out with us. Eventually the kids all ran off together. Must’ve talked for about 45 minutes. Mindy eventually went after one of her Stouts in the garage fridge. I wanted only water since Friday would be another work day.

Headed home just before 9pm. In fact, it was 855pm. I remember Mindy informing the kids of the time and that they needed to be in by 9pm for showers. They gave a little push back but that went no where.  She wanted well rested kids for the morning since they were getting up fairly early to go have breakfast with my dad, and then going water skiing again with Tara and Doug. What a life, huh?

While the kids showered, I updated my blog for Tuesday. Didn’t take too long. Jacob enjoyed his gates of hell wings before bed. Speaking of bed, we all headed to bed at roughly the same time – 930pm. Good night to all the new dogs in the neighborhood.

Presenting a 14 Hour Day

I’d forgotten how big a 5 minute head start is to my morning routine. I was up at 525am. I felt great, too, after getting 9+ hours of sleep. Not sure if there’s a direct correlation, but I’m sleeping so much better since I started my new role. Probably a contributor.

It was beautiful outside. For the first time in several days, I could actually see out the back door, and the sky was crystal clear. There was also a crescent moon in the eastern sky. Later I learned that it was only 70 degrees, a tad cooler than it’s been for the past several days.

I slipped into my dog walking shoes then began calisthenics. Not entirely sure why I passed on my exercise tennies. I guess the dog walkers were just easier to get on. I completed sit-ups then played online for a while. Checked email, the weather forecast, and read a few headlines. Expecting a high in the upper 80’s under sunny skies. It’s been 90 or above for several days running. Sports headlines said Donovan McNabb would be a Viking by day’s end. Nice!

On to push-ups. After push-ups I went to pour coffee but realized I hadn’t yet hit the go button. Crap! I had to wait. I ventured outside for a few and then returned to the PC where I read the Daily OM (lame) and then read a little more about all the Vikings possible free agency moves. I also read an email from my mom about brother Glenn’s knee. Apparently going to see a specialist on Thursday. About time!

Coffee was finally ready. I took a few minutes to sit at the kitchen table and savor the flavor. I was a little nervous about the presentation I’d be doing later in the day, not to mention working at the customer’s site all day. It was a healthy nervousness, though. I was about as prepared as one could be, which is key. Trying that on without being prepared. Yikes!

Moved on to meditation and stretching. Both went well. Found myself prepping for my run 5 minutes early and was out the door by 631am. It felt great without a shirt, and even slightly cool immediately out the door. That didn’t last, though. I was sweating in a hurry.

I ran the full 4.1 miles thinking mostly about my work day. Again, I was a little nervous about the entire day, but reminded myself how prepared I was and then how well it would go. I whole-heartedly believed it too. I ran a tad faster than usual, finding myself back home by 709am.

I started prepping breakfast and lunch right away. I made a spinach and cheese omelet and then packed a salad, banana, fruit medley and cheese. Wasn’t entirely sure if there was a fridge at the customer’s prem but assumed there would be. Because I wouldn’t have the luxury of having my salad dressing in the fridge, I doused the salad with Italian dressing before sealing it closed. The omelet was really good. Yum-yum.

Off to the shower, but not before pouring Mindy a cup of coffee. Like most mornings, she woke just as I set it on her night stand. After a hug and kiss, I was off to the shower.

I’ve been shaving everyday lately, but not to the skin. I’ve been using my battery powered trimmer. Shaves about as close as I would ever hope too. I don’t like to be shaven to the skin.

I wore blue dress slacks and a white button up dress shirt. I looked totally generic, but also very handsome. J Just ask me. I went to Mindy’s bedside. She opted to remain in bed. I asked of her plans. She wasn’t sure. Sounded like Zoombezi Bay was out.

I left for work at 805am after making sure I had my laptop mouse and power cord in my back pack along with my laptop. I’d need both to do the remote PPT presentation (my laptop battery is dead). Like I’ve been doing all along, I put my backpack in the trunk as I headed out. I took 70W to 670E to 270N. Ran into a traffic snarl mid-downtown at the 670 merge. That cleared somewhat quick.

Hit another traffic snarl on 270 near Easton, and actually took the wrong exit. Crap! I’ll know better next time. Ended up I had to get off at Rt 161 then do a little back tracking down Sunbury Rd. No worries. Got their just after 830am, which was earlier than I actually anticipated.

I struggled to find the right entrance, building, and lot (they all looks too similar) but guessed correctly. Not bad after only being there one other time. I got my temp badge and clearance then waited for my escort, Dan.

He showed quickly and guided me back to their center. They quickly showed me to an office, but were quick to point out that it wouldn’t be my permanent digs. They gave me several minutes to get settled which I much appreciated. I used the time to get logged on through a VPN connection.

I was waiting on the acct executive to ping me. I was supposed to meet her at the main door and help tote in 7 dozen donuts and 3 gallons of coffee. She pinged me right around 9am. I went to the front door to greet here. We carried in the donuts and coffee in one trip. Nothing like sweets and coffee to sweeten the initial meet & greet. I must’ve met 60-70 folks over the next 30 minutes.  Everyone was warm & friendly.

Karen, one of the mgrs, gave me the grand tour. I asked where I might find a fridge to store my lunch. She showed me two options – one a regular fridge, the other a commercial glass cooler/fridge.

We had our regular 10am meeting planned, only this time I would be there in person. We ended up doing the meeting in my make-shift office since I needed my laptop to provide real-time updates. We met for only about 25-30 minutes. They all left for lunch soon after with their director to celebrate his b-day and also his last day before vacation.

Meanwhile, I was getting a dull headache and my neck and back was aching, too - almost certainly all related.  Around noon, I took a walk outside in the sunshine where I called and talked with Mindy briefly. It was very nice- only 80 degrees. The walk did me some good. It helped my headache & back ache subsided to some extent. I wasn’t out there long, however, maybe 20 minutes.

I was hungry but didn’t really want to eat my lunch until after my presentation. That's just how I am. I was again a tad nervous, which only served to further my headache, I am sure. As 1pm neared, the leadership team sent me an email asking if we could delay by 15 minutes. Sure. Apparently their lunch outing was going long. No biggie!

I really wanted to get set-up ahead of time, but sometimes even the best laid plans go awry. I made my way to the assigned conference room but found it occupied. Great! I had no choice but to wait for the others. My peer, the Acct. executive, showed up at 1pm. We hung out for a while chatting until the leadership team returned ready.

The set-up and presentation went well, and honestly, better than I even expected. The customer heaped lots of praise my way, which felt really good. That in turn made the account exec. happy, too. For a while anyway,  I was golden!

I felt a huge sense of relief afterwards and was even hoping to get out of the office a little early. I went looking for the fridge where I stashed my lunch but couldn’t find it. I felt foolish when I had to ask someone for help finding it.

As luck would have it, around 3-330pm a mini crisis struck and the customer recruited my help getting the issue under control. That little issue kept me there until 1030pm and on a conference bridge for seven hours.

Mindy texted and emailed several times frustrated that I was working late, though she understood my dilemma. Turns out, she had made a special dinner and was eager for me to try it.

I eventually ate my banana, cheese and fruit. I didn’t have utensils to make use of my packed salad. I sent myself an email with the few things I'd need to bring next time out. That pesky headache and neck ache was back in full force, too. By the time I left for home I was toast, not to mention being incredibly sleepy & hungry.

Mindy came downstairs when she heard me come in. Jake & Makayla were there, too, apparently staying overnight to help Chrissy out with a morning appointment. Mindy asked if I wanted her to warm me dinner. I did not. Instead, I wanted something fast and easy. I ate a cheese stick and half a turkey and cheese sandwich. I drank some chocolate milk too.

Bella and Makayla came down to greet me as well. Bella ran up and hugged me, obviously happy that I was home. Asked if I was at work getting ready for NYC. We headed to bed as soon as I finished my meal. It was 1130pm.

4th Potter

I was up just after 530am then downstairs a few minutes later. Same story, windows and door completely fogged over. Started the coffee then slipped into exercise shoes before starting sit-ups.

Finished sit-ups then jumped up into my PC chair where I checked headlines, weather, and email. It was 76 degrees under mostly clear skies. Read about the Reds blowing another ballgame the night before. Dang it! After ten minutes it was on to push-ups.

Enjoyed some coffee while sitting in front of the PC for round two.  Wasn’t long, however, five minutes tops. At 610am I moved on to meditation and finally stretching. Finished both just before 630am before finally slipping into running shorts and shoes. Hit the door for my run around 635am.

It was nice and warm, humid too. Ran the full 4.1 miles comfortably. Finished the run near 715am. Time to start breakfast and pack my lunch. Mindy had some tuna salad prepared in the fridge. I took that along with cheese, fruit medley and a banana. Still had a salad in the fridge at work too. Made two fried eggs for breakfast.

It was 740am when I finished breakfast. Off to the shower with Mindy’s cup of coffee in hand. She woke as soon as I set her coffee on the night stand. I was showered and ready by 805am. Mindy opted to stay in bed since I didn’t have a lot of time to kill.

Off to work by 810am. It was another gorgeous drive in to the office. As soon as I was logged on, the requests for my attention began in earnest. I spent the first couple hours of my day dealing with urgent matters.  I had a call to join at 11am. That turned out being a very fruitful call. Got a lot accomplished.

Didn’t bother taking a formal lunch break again, although I did find time to do a little personal writing.  I was happy about that. I did a final update of my presentation taking into account the feedback from the couple folks with more skin in the race than I.

Had another call to join at 3pm. That one went pretty fast. Spent the last part of the day cleaning up my to-do list. Got a call from Mindy at some point, thinking it was near 4pm. She and the kids were boating with Tara and Doug at Lake Choctaw. Mindy said they were just heading back out on the lake after a break/lunch. Expected to be home at a reasonable hour.

I left for home at 530pm. It was warm and very sunny, somewhere in the 90s. By the time I got home and in the house I didn’t have a lot of energy for anything, not even my menial chores. I did them anyway, prepping coffee and rinsing lunch dishes.  Eiknarf was apparently with Mindy and the kids.

Despite being tired, I snatched up my new license plates and headed out to install them on the Accord. That took no more than 10 minutes including the time I spent organizing the paperwork/ registration. Stowed what I needed in the vehicle then took the rest inside.

I snacked on nuts while playing around on line with a few recent blog entries. Mindy and the kids got home I’m guessing around 630pm, and much sooner than I guessed.  Mindy moved swiftly to start dinner. Jacob asked me to guess what he learned to do that day. Wipe? J Not sure, what?.

I saw that Mindy was starting to make some chicken.  I shared that I wasn’t that hungry and didn’t want chicken. I had a belly full of peanuts and cashews. Plus, I thought I might eat a leftover taco or burrito later. Actually had my heart set on it.

I kept working on my blog while Jacob ran off with Evan. I joined Mindy & Bella in the kitchen where I saw that Mindy was making her famous chicken and pasta dish. Bella brought me her mom’s Droid and showed me a video of Mindy and Jacob double water skiing. Mindy shared that Jacob finally got it. Went around the lake two times. Bella, on the other hand, is apparently still struggling a little. Gets up easy enough, but then falls shortly thereafter. She’ll get it.

Once dinner was ready, I joined the family but fixed a burrito instead of having the chicken pasta. I like it but just wasn’t in the mood. My burrito was exceptional. I did kitchen clean-up while Mindy put leftovers away. The kids scattered off to play outside with their peeps.

After clean-up, I fetched my book and got super comfy in the family room where I read and napped. I read about ten pages then dosed off. Felt terrific. Woke after about 20 minutes and read some more. I eventually made my way onto the sofa where I fell asleep pretty quickly once more. I woke around 930pm, about the same time that Mindy and the kids were putting in the 4^th Potter DVD. I begged off to bed. I was really sleepy and had a big day ahead on Wednesday. Mindy asked for a good night kiss/hug. Of course, I obliged.

As often happens, I started to get a second wind once I got into bed. To help usher in more sleep, I turned on the TV to the NatGeo channel. Can’t recall what I watched. I fell asleep again in a hurry.  I vaguely remember Mindy slowly removing the remote from my girippers and tuning off the TV. No idea what time it was. Good night moon!

I'm Ready ... Are You Ready?

 I was up for work right on time and after another good night of sleep. Don’t think I woke even once during the overnight. I was quickly downstairs and tending to the coffee pot, which I failed to prep the night before. It was cloudy outside.

I whizzed through sit-ups then checked the headlines and weather. Expecting a high of 90 with a diminishing chance of showers as the day progressed. At the time, it was 73 degrees with 100% humidity. That explains the steam on the windows and doors.

Nothing new about the NFL labor strike. Waiting on the players to ratify the new CBA. After push-ups I enjoyed some coffee. Spent a little more time on the PC but was careful not to play past 605am, my self-inflicted drop dead time.

Did meditation and stretching next, but then again almost always do. Both went well and felt good. Finished up just ahead of 630am and quickly prepared for a run. Seeing the neighbors had their garbage cans out reminded me to do the same. Good thing. Our can wreaked to high heaven.

After where we’ve been, 73 actually felt comfortable immediately out the door, but the humidity was still quite high and it was only a matter of time before I was dripping with sweat.

During my run I contemplated work, which seems to be going well. Also thought about my looming trip to NYC. Not sure whether to be excited or to fret. I’ve got mixed emotions. I’ll make the best of what ever comes, that’s for sure. Might complain along the way, though. I ran the full 4.1 miles. Finished strong. Felt terrific.

Back home, I started my breakfast and packed my lunch. Mindy let me know the evening before that while she hadn’t prepared and individual salad, there was a bowl full already prepped, so all I had to do was put some in a plastic container. It’s all good. I cut up some cheese: Fontina, Gouda, and smoked cheddar, then filled a container with mixed fruit. All set. I made a spinach and cheese omelet. It was very good.

Off to the shower, but not before prepping some coffee for Mindy. I hustled through a shower and grooming and was ready to go by 800am. I could tell by Mindy’s face that she wasn’t planning to get up and out of bed just yet. Looked tired.

She planned to get a haircut in the morning and then take Ashley to see Dr Scott (dentist) to look at that problematic molar. Said she’d call me later in the day.

I left for work near 810am. The sky was already clearing and sunshine abundant. I arrived at work near 830am. It took a few minutes for my system to boot up. I waited for it to fully boot before heading to the fridge to stow my lunch and then to fetch ice & water. I was settled in by 850am and before doing much of anything put together a daily to-do list, which helps me stay on track.

It was a busy morning with lots of Monday morning pings for help. My major goal for the day was to finalize a ppt presentation for Wednesday and then send it to my boss  for feedback thus leaving myself a day for any changes/additions.

Mindy called after her hair appointment and before meeting Ashley. Said she’d call later to let me know how all that goes/went.

I had a number of important meetings on my calendar. Unfortunately, taking an hour away from the building was virtually impossible. I simply got comfortable with the idea of eating at my desk. I didn’t have any urgent errands needing run, so no biggie.

I worked hard and managed to tackle all the critical items on my to-do list and then some. Read a Yahoo headline that said the NFL labor lockout was over. Players voted in favor of the new CBA. Football is officially back. Let the fun begin! Almost on queue, there was a story about the Eagles possibly courting Brett Favre out of retirement to serve as their back-up QB. Wouldn’t be summer without suck banter.

I left the office for home slightly after 530pm. I called Mindy once I was comfortably on the road. She shared that she was making tacos and that my dad was over for dinner. She also shared that while Scott looked at Ashley’s aching molar, he wasn’t able to do much of anything for her. Said she needs a root canal and crown. Mindy asked if I wanted to call former neighbor and endodontist Jennifer W.. Scott suggested Ashley contact OSU dental school as an alternative.

With her potential ortho rework likely landing in my lap, I’m not up for footing this bill too. I arrived home around 6pm. Checked the mailbox since it’s something Mindy often forgets to do. New Accord plates arrived along with a few other miscellaneous pieces – ut most of it junk.

Said hello to both Mindy and dad. Greeted Jacob too. Right away, Jacob asked if he could join me in NYC. I played ignorant. Mindy soon chimed in that she and the kids might try and join me. What? I left it go for the time being though I wasn’t too warm to the idea. Reason being, I’ll be there to work and will be exhausted working six 12 hour days.

The tacos smelt delicious. Plus, we haven’t had them for a while. I let everybody else get theirs before getting my own. Asked dad if he was excited and ready for next Monday, the day he’ll get his first knee replacement. Yep, excited… eager.

I ate two tacos, which filled me plenty. I would usually have another, but I really wanted to cut the lawn right after dinner. If I ate a third, I would be darn near comatose. I thought better of it. Mindy figured I might want to cut the lawn, so she offered to clean-up dinner so I could head on out and get started.  Thanks dear.

I excused myself from the dinner table, changed clothes, and headed out to get started on the lawn. It was about 630pm and hovering near 90, but it didn’t feel nearly as hot as it has been. Following the pattern I’ve employed for the last month or so, I did the mowing first saving the whacking and edging for after. As usual, I worked up quite a good sweat push mowing  the front and then all the slopes around back. Dad and Mindy were out in the backyard with Eiknarf talking when I worked my way around there. Dad left a few minutes later. I kept mowing giving him a quick wave goodbye.

Despite all the rain and then help from the irrigation system, lots of the new grass I planted this spring turned brown. Plus, the new sod I put in between the sidewalk and curb has a few burn spots from dog pee, no doubt. Can you tell that it irks me?

After doing the rest of the back with the tractor, I whacked, edged, and blew. I skipped edging along the driveway since both vehicles were near the edge. Didn’t want to risk a scratch or small dent. It was 8pm when I finished. Took me 90 minutes beginning to end.

I headed in for a shower, and you have to know just how good it felt after a 90 minute sweat and collecting all that lawn debris head to toe. Mindy and the kids were outside playing. Mindy came in and asked if I cared to join her on the deck. I didn’t have any desire given that I had just showered and didn’t care to re-expose myself to the heat & high humidity.

Instead, I worked on my blog some. Mindy came in ten minutes later asking if something was bugging me. She asked if it was the Ashley dental thing. Yeah, I guess that was part of it, but more than that I shared that I wasn’t pleased with what she said about NYC. I reiterated that this is a work trip, not pleasure. I also shared how tired I’ll be. She seemed to get it, or at least I hope so. To be clear, I am OK if she wants to fly up for a day or three, but we can’t be cramming all four of us into a Manhattan hotel room.

Come 9pm I headed to the family room for some family time. I was there before the kids were down after readying for bed. I had the TV tuned to the Science Channel. Jacob shared that he wanted to watch the 4^th Harry Potter movie (DVD). I agreed that we could do that. Bella asked for popcorn. Jacob prepped it. I was surprised he figured it out. For the first time in a while, I had no desire for popcorn.

I watched maybe the first five or ten minutes, but that’s it. I fell asleep in a hurry. Felt great too. I’m guessing it was just about 930pm. I slept there until 1030pm. When I woke, everybody else was getting up and heading to bed. I knew the movie wasn’t over because I recalled Mindy saying at the outset that it was something like 157 minutes long (2.6 hours). They must’ve paused at an opportune scene.

Bella asked me to carry the baby gate to Jacob’s room to keep Eiknarf in. I obliged her request. That took all the energy I felt I had. I plopped into bed ready for another good night of sleep. Good night Mr Goodell.

Celebrating Rocky ... and Big Jake

 I was  up just after 7am and several rounds of thunderstorms, the last one occurring just before dawn and about the same time the irrigation system kicked on. Mindy didn’t budge when I slipped out the door and downstairs.

I started a pot of coffee and didn’t even bother opening the back door and looking outside. Once again, all the glass was steamed up due to the warm temps and moist air. Since it was Sunday, I didn’t plan to do sit-ups and push-ups. Instead, I went right for my PC and the weather forecast. The storms overnight were all but gone. Looked like sunshine within the hour. It was quite warm – 74 degrees - and we were expecting a high in the low 90s.

I enjoyed a cup of coffee while writing some of Friday’s blog entry but eventually set it all aside near 9am so I could complete my Sunday run. I opted for fresh running shorts and headed out the door just before 9am. The sky was blue to the north and west and the sun was just about to crest over the remaining cloud cover to the east when I initially set out.

It was a warm sticky run but felt really good. I ran the usual three miles and was back at home some where close to 930am. I was a little surprised to find Mindy already up and sitting at her laptop with coffee. I asked if Eiknarf had been out yet. She hadn’t. Without hesitation, I found her leash and my casual shoes then headed out the front door.

She took care of business fairly quickly, but on a negative note she spent a lot of time barking at another dog walking by. I must admit, since school’s been out I’ll bet I don’t walk Eiknarf by myself more than three times a week. It’s a nice break.

After our return, Mindy invited me to join her on the deck. We sat on the lower tier that spends most of the day in shade anymore, which is really nice. We sat out there for a good 45 minutes and maybe even longer. Eventually we spotted Chrissy out back with her dogs and called her over. She shared how Kenny and his peeps were out late the night before and how Kenny was still in bed. Said he even locked the bedroom door so he could get some uninterrupted sleep.

We talked a little more about the b-day party Chrissy would be hosting later for Jake and Rocky. Mindy gave Chrissy money for the b-day party to help offset the cost of all the food and cake. Chrissy and Mindy continued to chat while I headed inside to work/play at my PC.

Once again, I didn’t do a whole lot around the house or yard. The grass needed cut but I just didn’t want to get into that chore in the middle of the day's heat. I completed one small chore, transplanting the wandering Jew Bella gifted Mindy for Mother’s Day into a ceramic deck pot.

We expected our kids to be home about the same time that Ashley, Lindsey and the g-kids were scheduled to arrive. I took a shower around 1230pm. Ashley, Lindsey and the g-kids showed up just after 130pm. Rocky was looking forward to opening his gifts. We asked that he wait for Jacob and Bella to get home. They arrived around 2pm.

Both Mindy & I noticed that Lindsey seemed depressed and absent from most conversation. When asked she said she was tired and frustrated. Never gave any details. Once the kids were settled we let Rocky open his gifts. He was very excited with his DS and wanted to play with it immediately. Sure, why not?

We asked that he leave it at the house when we headed down to the neighbors. He pretty much ignored his other fun gifts (the mini-muffins and orange soda pop). We walked down to the neighbors around 230pm. Mike O’Connell was on-duty and stopped by briefly after a run, I think, with some of his firehouse peeps. Nice fellas.

Headed inside Chrissy’s. Wow, quite the crowd. Lots of kids and lots of adults. Hadn’t seen Mike and Julie since our beach vacation. Chrissy has the party food thing down to a science. Always has several Subway party trays, her mother-in-law’s salad, meatballs, hot cheesey dip, veggie and cold cut trays.

I ate a portion of a sub and salad. Drank ice water all afternoon. It was so crowded inside that I headed out to the deck. Out there I chatted with Josh& Rachel, Ben & Ryan for quite a while. Ben shared stories about their blue crab party Saturday night. Said he orders them in from Baltimore and next day shipping. Talked about doing one together soon.

Time for cake and presents around 330-4pm. The whole house sung to both Jake & Rocky. Chrissy set Jake up in a chair on the deck to open his many gifts. He cleaned up. Lots of gift cards and cash.

The kids played both inside and out for the rest of the afternoon. I eventually made my way to the comfy leather sofa in front of the TV watching the end of the Canadian Open PGA golf tournament. Mindy joined me, and there I eventually fell asleep for maybe 30 minutes. Felt heavenly.

When I woke we were under a severe thunderstorm warning. Kenny quickly took down the bounce house and stowed it back in his shed. I guess it’s a pain to dry out once it gets wet, and you definitely don’t want to stow it wet.

When the storm hit it was loaded with lightning, heavy rain and thunder. According to channel 10 news team, parts of central Ohio were getting as much as 3-4 inches of rain in this one brief storm. It rained hard in our neck of the woods, but by no means 3 inches worth. The brunt of the storm lasted about an hour.

It was now after 6pm and time for us to run the g-kids home. Failed to mention that Ash and Lindsey left for home around 4pm. They were going to see the New Kids on the Block/ Back Street Boys show that night at the Schott. We were supposed to drop Olivia at home to her dad and then the boys at home to Kelly. We loaded them up and left around 630-7pm.

We dropped Olivia first. Steven was waiting in the driveway. We dropped the boys next. Kelly greeted Mindy in the driveway. That’s a first. By the way, we passed Courtney apparently heading home from her mom’s place just as were about a mile out.  

The ride home was quiet. Our kids opted to stay at Kenny & Chrissy’s while we dropped the g-kids. As soon as we got back home Mindy walked down to let them know we were back.  I was awfully hungry, so as soon as Mindy got back home we cooked a couple turkey brats. I ate some peanuts and cheese too.

It continued to rain, but very lightly. My hunger now satisfied, I snuggled up in the family room chair with my latest book and did some reading and eventually some napping. Mindy agreed to let the kids stay down at the neighbors until 9pm or whenever Kenny & Chrissy were sick of their company.

They came home around 9pm as requested. Mindy had both kids get showers and then we watched the DVD, Princess Bride, a movie Mindy’s wanted me to see for some time now. It was cute, and thankfully, not a very long movie. It was over before 11pm. We all headed for bed. Good night Buttercup.