First Soccer Win

I was up on time and then downstairs by 532am. I took a quick gander outback seeing nothing but a cloud covered sky. Bummer! I slipped into my exercise tennies then headed to family room to whip out sit-ups. I did 50 of them. I started to sit down at my PC but thought better of it. Instead, I went ahead and did 50 push-ups, the first after a two week hiatus. No problems. Again, my plan is to do push-ups every other day moving forward.

Instead of pouring some coffee, I went ahead and did my stretch routine next. I’d like that to be the flow of my morning – exercise & stretching done before coffee, internet, and meditation. I may tweak it even further by moving meditation before coffee too. We’ll just have to see.

It was about 550am when I finished stretching and moved onto to coffee and internet. Checked the MNF final. Lions won, beating the Bears 24-13. Read the Daily OM as well as a few more headlines. Headed upstairs to wake Mindy at 615am with coffee in hand. I spent the next 10 minutes in meditation, and then prepped for a run.

It was 59 degrees so I wore the same duds as the day before since it worked out so well. They were brand spanking clean, though, after tossing them in the washer before leaving for work on Monday. I headed out around 632am and ran the full 4.1 mile track. Between the cloud cover and the shrinking daylight, it stayed fairly dark for the run’s entirety. Our trash can was placed at the curb the night before by Jacob. But since Monday was a city recognized holiday (Columbus Day) our pick-up day has now moved to Wednesday. I saw no value in moving it back to its resting place.

Headed inside for breakfast. Mindy was making scrambled eggs. They were still in process. I organized my lunch while she finished breakfast. Mindy reviewed the evenings’ events, which included Jacob’s soccer game at 6pm. We agreed to meet there. She left for work at 730am. Didn’t discuss dinner plans but assumed it leftovers given the tight schedule.

After Monday’s meltdown, Bella was far more deliberate with her morning preparedness – proactive even. I like the way she adjusts and interacts. She aims to please. I was off to the shower after giving Eiknarf the leftover scrambled eggs. She woofed them down.

Was downstairs and ready by 851am. Kenny called just as I was organizing my stuff. Asked if I would see their girls onto the bus. Apparently Jake missed his bus earlier, so Chrissy was taking him to school. Sure thing.

Lindsey showed up near 755am.  We all headed out to the bus stop at 810am. I had already secured the home and didn’t bring Eiknarf. Lindsey and I would leave as soon as the kids were loaded on the bus. The bus showed up late – about 820am.

Traffic around 270 was manageable. No problems. Dropped Lindsey near 840am. Off to work. By the time I parked, headed inside, stowed my lunch, and was at my desk and logged on, it was 905am.

I spent most of my day on proactive stuff, which always bodes well for my disposition. Felt in much more control of my day. Had one meeting scheduled for 3pm. In addition to tackling everything on my daily to-do list, I managed to address a couple personal issues too, like confirming my window tinting appointment for Saturday with Ziebart, and then completing my monthly mileage expense report. The only other personal to-do currently on my list that I didn’t get to on Tuesday was scheduling the irrigation winterization. I didn’t necessarily have Tuesday pegged as the day to schedule it anyhow. Just have it on the weekly list.

Enjoyed lunch from my desk around 130pm. My boss stopped by to chat around 2pm. Talked for 15 minutes maybe. Our 3pm meeting/call went fairly well. My boss was on the call too, so I let him lead. He did a great job. I told him as much afterwards.

The rest of the day flew by. It was after 5pm in a hurry. But since I was meeting Mindy at the soccer field at 6pm, I wasn’t in a hurry to rush out the door. Instead, I took time to get caught up on a few other things.

I left the office at 535pm. It was partly sunny, but noticeably cooler than the past few days. Still pretty nice, though. I arrived at the soccer field by 605pm. The game was just underway. Dad was there with Mindy & Bella. Dad was in his camp chair. Mindy and Bella were sitting on the ground because I still had all of our chairs in the Accord after last Saturday’s game.

Mindy was thoughtful and brought me some nuts and some snicker-doodles she baked after school. The nuts hit the spot. Jacob’s team was playing an all Hispanic coed team. They communicated in their native Latin tongue, which I figured could be an advantage since none of our kids would understand what they were saying. They all had good ball control skills but seemed to lack an aggressive scorer and a solid goalie. Jacob’s team jumped out in front quickly and continued to build on that lead.

I tried one of the snicker-doodles once the nuts were gone. The cookies were very good – nice and chewy, which is just how I like them. However, I quickly detected an absence of vanilla. Mindy shared that, yes, she found it odd not to be in the recipe.

Thicker cloud cover moved in during the soccer game setting up a gorgeous pink/orange sunset. At the same time, a beautiful October moon was rising in the east. Very nice! Jacob’s team won their first soccer game of the season by a score of 6-1. By far the best game they’ve played. He was happy. And  Jacob being happy would mean an easier evening for us.

We said goodbye to dad as he headed off for home. Seemed to be doing exceptionally well, though did share that he had some serious discomfort in his replaced knee over the weekend.

Arrived home where Mindy quickly started heating/prepping leftovers for herself and the kids. Asked if I wanted any. No. I wasn’t ravenously hungry thanks in part to the nuts and cookies. I made sure that Jacob moved his tennis shoes, soccer cleats, and soccer bag from in front of the front door before he sat to eat. What gives?

I heard him grumbling to his mother as I headed upstairs to change into my PJs. I could also hear Mindy supporting my request.

While the kids were showering I went ahead and made a plate of nachos topped with melted cheese with some hot salsa and sour cream. They were scrumptious. After my make shift dinner I went to the sofa eventually listening to music after Mindy insisted I turn the channel away from the Comedy Channel when Bella came down briefly before bed. I stayed up after everyone else headed for bed. Ended up falling asleep on the sofa. Didn't wake for bed until almost 1130pm.