Back to the Basics

I was up and out of bed just ahead of 530am. I felt great, well rested, and ready to get after the new day, new work week, and new year. The coffee was prepped. I just needed to hit the go button. The sky was clear, and it looked brutally cold. After sit-ups, I checked the actual temperature. It was 14 degrees but with a stiff breeze blowing in from the west. Accounting for the wind chill, that made it more like 3 degrees. This would far and away be my coldest run this season. No worries. I was actually looking forward to it.

Coffee was ready near 550am. I poured a cup then returned to the PC where I spent another 10 minutes. Time for meditation. There’s no denying that my best days often begin with a good meditation. With that in mind, I made it a point to leave myself plenty of time to zero in on the stillness within.

And while I would be returning to work, Mindy would be enjoying her final day of Xmas break. That meant I didn’t need to bother waking her with coffee. Instead, I moved directly to stretching immediately after meditation. That went well, too. After a stretch, I dressed warmly for a run. I kept it basic wearing two upper layers, underwear, running shorts, tights, and long socks. I also wore hand and ear covers along with a fleece toboggan. And aside from the initial shock of the cold air whipping across my face, I was comfortable for the duration of the 4.1 mile run. I was extra careful with my footing since there was a thin layer of snow covering the ground.

I could see that our kitchen lights were on as I passed by the O’Connell’s place. That meant Mindy was up with the kids. And she had Eiknarf’s leash waiting by the door by the time I returned. She soon went after her. How pathetic! She had to carry her down the stairs from the comfort of Jacob’s warm bed.

Eiknarf and I headed out into the cold. We walked east to avoid having the cold wind blowing in my face. We’d have to face it going back, however. She took care of business after lots of sniffing around. I’m sure she was cold, too, especially being fresh out of bed. Meanwhile, back home, Mindy was making breakfast for me and the kids.

It was already 725am when I sat down to breakfast. Bella and Jacob were both up and having breakfast too. Both were more alert than I expected given their long 17 day Xmas vacation. Mindy planned on meeting her bff Teri for a late breakfast, I only assumed it at First Watch. At least that’s where they typically meet. I know Mindy was looking forward to it.

I headed up for a shower later than I might’ve preferred. It was already 740am. But I do this everyday, so you might even say that I’m a pro. J I was back downstairs shaven, showered, and dressed before 8am. I spent the next few minutes throwing together a healthy lunch consisting of a fruit medley, banana, cheese, and a salad. It didn’t take but 5 minutes to prep it all.

Before heading out with the kids I started the Accord. I’d driven it only five or six miles since December 22^nd. I knew I’d be making a fuel stop on the way in. Mindy asked if I’d be coming back inside after seeing the kids onto the bus. Yes. They & I headed out right at 810am. Mindy made sure both were wearing hand and ear covers along with winter coats.

I scraped the Accord while the kids stood at the bus stop talking with Chrissy and kids. Chrissy advised that she was off work, too. Not sure why. Thankfully, the bus was on time. Nothing worse than standing still in the cold.

With the kids on the bus, I headed back to the house with Eiknarf, who wasn’t enjoying the cold at all. Mindy reminded me that this was date night. We made no firm plans, however. I reminded her to take an ABSCO coupon if she planned on looking for a new ski jacket. I showed her where they were stashed. I left for work at 820am already knowing I’d be making that fuel stop at Thornton’s.

Gas was $3.29 per gallon, and the Accord took 15.1 gallons, which cost me just a few pennies less than $50. That equated to 21.5 miles per gallon on the last tank. By the way, the Pilot got 22 mpg on our HV trip. I am always surprised by that, especially fully loaded with gear and with the Thule on top.

I was able to get a parking spot upfront and found my way to my office by 850am. It took a little while to get situated, stowing my lunch, filling my water pitcher, and firing up my laptop. My first order of business was going through all of my email. I deleted most of it. With everything still relatively quiet, I decided to tackle some more online training. I have about ten classes that I’m required to complete before month’s end, and I absolutely hate waiting to the last minute.

I talked with a peer a couple times briefly but that’s about all the personal interaction I had all day long. By the day’s end I had completed five of the required courses. That was a load off my mind. I talked with Mindy late afternoon. She had been to lunch with Teri and had also been to ASBCO in Arlington. She was on her way to the one in Powell hoping to find the perfect new ski jacket. The zipper broke on her current ski jacket while we were at HV. I was able to temporarily fix it using an MRM ski tag wire.

I talked with Ashley sometime during the late afternoon too. She was heading back to work after an ortho appointment with Dr Monfort. He shared that he’s planning on putting braces back on her upper teeth once her root canal is finished. She didn’t remember that being part of the plan. Oh boy! Yeah, I remember him sharing that with us. We talked for a while about a few other things, too. Among them, she shared her disappointment in Steven for failing the typing test at Teleperformance. Could only muster 18 words a minute. I guess the requirement to be hired is 30.

I held my tongue initially, but Ashley prodded me for my opinion both on Steven and on her potential move to Kentucky. I was still a little hesitant at first, but she asked for my fatherly advice again. I like Steven, and Olivia seems to adore him. But so far he hasn’t proved to be the bread winner type. In fact, I don’t think he’s had even one full-time job since I’ve known him. I was frank, but also kind. I don’t’ want Ashley to look back five years from now and wish she had moved on with her life.  But I was also quick to reiterate that she has to decide what’s best for Olivia and then herself. No one else can decide for her, nor should they. She genuinely seemed to appreciate the talk. My baby is finally growing up and facing her problems head on. I like that.

Close to day’s end, Mindy sent a text asking what time I’d be leaving for the day because if I wouldn’t be leaving work until 530pm she planned on going back to the Arlington ASBCO to pick-up a jacket they were holding for her. That would make her third trip to an ASBCO store that day. Long story.

I shared that she should go ahead regardless, and not worry about me. While it was date night, I wasn’t really wanting to go out to dinner anyway. I am more focused on getting my diet back on track. Dinner out would surely delay/kill that notion. Besides, we’ve got a kidless weekend ahead.

I ended up leaving work shortly after 5pm. I called Mindy once I cleared the first two roundabouts. She was on her way to ASBCO. We talked until I was nearly home. Lisa Shultz was right behind me as I pulled in the subdivision. I thought about turning into her court so we could chat. Haven’t talked with her in a long while. Last second, I opted not and headed directly home.

It was nice to be home and in a clean, quiet house. I rinsed my lunch containers, stowed then in the dishwasher, then cleaned and readied the coffee pot for Wednesday. I ate a couple cheese sticks too. I spent the time before Mindy got home online. Soon in the door, she showed me her new ski jacket. Primarily black with some subtle purple lines and lots of extra zip pockets. Looks nice on her. I am happy to have her join me on the dark side of the color wheel J

For dinner, Mindy suggested cream-of-chicken over brown rice. That sounded awfully good. It took about 15 minutes to make. I shared the gist of my conversation with Ashley. Mindy & I are pretty much in lock-step relative to those issues.

We also briefly discussed Lindsey’s cell phone dilemma. Last month we scorned her for spending $50 per month on an unlimited pay as you go plan, and offered her our spare cell phone for $10 per month as a alternative. But since it was so last minute, we agreed that she could do the $50 plan one more month, but should plan the switch at the beginning of January. It was time to do it. But unfortunately, the more we talked through it, the less I liked that idea either. What is that teaching Lindsey? Certainly not to be accountable to herself. If she were a college kid then, yeah, it would make sense but she’s almost 28 and the mother of two. She needs to be figuring these things out on her own. We decided to advise Lindsey to pursue her own cell plan however she saw fit. Though, having said that, her spending $50 a month on an unlimited internet, text, and call plan isn’t smart budgeting either. I can’t fix everything.

I returned Lindsey’s call and shared our thoughts. Said she preferred to have her own plan anyway but for other reasons. For one, doesn’t like the idea of us having a view into her calls and texts and such. She said she’d be by within 20 minutes to get money to cover her monthly cell bill.

She and the boys showed up about 20 minutes later. Mindy already had the cash ready  to hand her. They didn’t even take off their shoes and barely came inside. We talked with the boys a little before they left and then asked Lindsey if she’s started Rocky on the new meds Dr Shultz gave him. She hasn’t. That’s another story for another day. They headed out and we headed to the familyroom.

It was another 15-20 minutes before the kids got home from dinner with dad. Said they had fun with their bunny, Snowflake. Went to City Barbeque for take-out dinner. Mindy had both get ready for bed, but not before Bella gave both Mindy and I a foot massage. She’s really good at it. Jacob must’ve felt left out and joined us on the sofa and actually started rubbing my foot. Too rough, sorry! J

We watched the tail end of the OSU/Nebraska basketball game. The Buckeyes won easily. We then tuned into the Sugar Bowl, Michigan versus Virginia Tech. I was pulling for Michigan, but wasn’t too concerned either way. Virginia Tech held a slim lead 3-0 when I fell asleep. And at the time, Michigan looked rusty and confused. Must’ve been about the beginning of the 2nd quarter when I dosed off.

Mindy send the kids up to bed at 915pm. I woke on the sofa around 11pm and headed up to bed. Eiknarf was downstairs with me. I dropped her off in Bella’s room and put the baby gate up. Good night moon!