I was up on time and eager to get after my day. I felt great after almost 7.5 hours of excellent sleep. I didn’t prep coffee the night before so I had to deal with that first thing. Didn’t take long, however, and once that was underway, I moved on to sit-ups.
I settled down in front of my PC with coffee near 550am. It was 25 degrees and cloudy. Expecting a bit of snow later in the day, perhaps even an inch of accumulation during the overnight. And that's not all. There was another small snow storm predicted to hit late Friday afternoon/evening. In total, MRM was expecting up to 5” inches of natural stuff to go along with whatever they make. That should make Saturday a banner ski day. That served as a mood elevator. Looking ahead, like I often do, the ten day forecast has us rocketing up near 50 again next week with overnight lows remaining just above freezing. We’ve spent no more than two or three days in a row in the freezer this winter. It’s not uncommon to go two three weeks without every coming out.
I briefly checked Timberline’s website. They were still in the middle of that huge snow storm that’s expected to dump more than 100” of new snow by Friday. As of Wednesday evening, they had already received 50+” in the past 72 hours. Nice!
At 605am I headed to the family room for meditation. That went well, but I didn’t allow the amount of time I would’ve preferred - only ten. 20 minutes is ideal. At 615am I had to break away to wake Mindy. She asked that I crank up the heat after I delivered her coffee, but I had already done so before heading up.
Downstairs to stretch around 620am. That went really well again too. My shoulders, neck, and back have been sterling so far this year. And once again, by scheduling push-ups every other day as opposed to daily has made the biggest difference. Wish I would’ve done that a long time ago. I was slow to dress for my run. I didn’t get out the door until 637a. I was dressed in the usual winter uniform, including ear and hand covers. As a result, I was comfy, cozy and warm.
I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt good doing it. During my run I contemplated the presentation I’d be giving to a customer at 9am. I was a little stressed about it, but not overtly so. It is what it is. I was also thinking about Lindsey’s car and what we’ll ultimately do about that. Honestly, it’s like a ticking time bomb. But on a more positive note, Mindy and I have noticed a huge improvement in Lindsey’s behavior patterns both as a daughter and as a parent. She’s made great strides. I am genuinely proud of what she’s accomplished for herself in a relatively short amount of time.
I was back at the house around 720am. I walked in to fetch the leash and Mindy’s keys. And while I did that, Mindy hollered for Bella to bring the pug. She was waiting by the door by the time I had the Pilot started and was back at the doorway. To mix things up a bit, we walked across the street, and probably our least traveled path. Ykraps and I would take that route after work most evenings. And speaking of Ykraps, the 14th marked the two year anniversary of his passing.
Our walk was brief but fruitful. We were back at the house just in time to bid Mindy farewell. My eggs were waiting in the microwave. Bella asked me to warm her peanut butter toast. Apparently she left it sit too long before digging in. I warmed it twice, or about 17 seconds in total. Bella said that it was a little too hot. I was off to the shower by 738am.
I dressed nicely wearing older dress slacks and an old but nice black, sheep’s wool sweater. It’s the kind one must wear a t-shirt under or be forever itchy. I was downstairs somewhat late – 803a. I quickly threw together a lunch consisting of a salad of spring mix, tomatoes, baby carrots, and cauliflower as well as a fruit medley, banana, and chunks of cheese. I was ready to go about the same time that the kids were.
We headed to the bus stop at 810am like usual. Chrissy was out with the Makayla for the first time in a couple weeks. Said Lillian was staying home ill. Said she warned her that staying home from school would likely mean no skiing come the weekend. Somehow I doubted that would stick.
The bus arrived near 815am like clock work. Soon Eiknarf and I were headed back home. I took care of a few last minute items, including enjoying a 2nd cup of coffee, before taking off to work. I didn’t need to be downtown until 9am. It’s only a 15 minute drive. I stuck around the house until 835am.
It was an easy drive downtown taking 670. Traffic was a little heavy on Neil Ave by Nationwide arena but otherwise fine. I arrived at the customer’s location with 5 minutes to spare. Arrived in tandem with a peer. We walked in together and were quickly in the scheduled conference room setting up.
The presentation went well. The one person I was told would ask lots of tough questions was in attendance for the first time in three meetings. I was a tad nervous but well prepared. We did fine. The meeting lasted about an hour. I was on my way out of the parking garage by 1015am and headed to the main office.
Arrived around 1030am. Had a lot on my plate, including two important calls/meetings and then several reporting related tasks to complete. I felt a little overwhelmed a couple of times, but instead of dwelling on it, I focused more energy on the doing part. That always helps. When I left the house I thought that I might head to the Tuttle Mall Macy’s with my special shopping pass, but never did. Instead, I plowed straight through my day trying to get on top of my workload.
It started snowing some time earlier in the afternoon and looked to be sticking by late afternoon, although there really wasn’t that much on the ground come 530pm. I called Mindy on my drive home. The roads were starting to get slick, especially the roads less traveled. Mindy was busy making homemade pizzas. Said Bella, Makayla, and Landon were helping. Jacob & Rocky were outside having an airsoft battle. The original plan called for Mindy to take Lindsey shopping for shoes at Kohl’s after dinner, but that was before the inclement weather hit. Mindy wasn’t so sure she wanted to be heading out in the weather. She wanted my opinion of the roads once I arrived home.
Our street was by far the most treacherous of all that I traveled. And my car slid back about 3 or 4 feet when I pulled in the drive. Once it came to a stop, I rocked it hard to make sure it would stay put. It did. Someone, Jacob or Mindy, I assumed, had shoveled the drive recently. But there really wasn’t that much accumulation. The first layer, however, was very icy.
I headed inside where Mindy and the wee ones were still busy preparing and baking the pizzas. Rocky & Jacob were just coming inside about the time I did. Jacob sent Rocky back out to the tree house area to get his jar of ammo. About ten minutes later dinner was served. There were three different pizza types. The biggest was a pepperoni, and then there were two smaller, one with pepperoni, tomatoes, and hot pepper rings, and the other with pesto, mushrooms, and chicken. Yuck! Not me. That one was for Jacob and Mindy. By the way, Lindsey wasn’t present. What I didn’t realize is that she was at a school conference regarding Landon.
Rocky & Landon both complained about the taste. Didn’t like the homemade pizza. Mindy commented that Landon filled up on pepperoni while they were in the make line. J I enjoyed some of the first two pies. They were both very good – different. Mindy made a fresh garden salad too. That really hit the spot. Mindy shared that she was making chocolate chip cookies after dinner in part to motivate the kids to finish their pizza. Rocky only ate about half of one slice. He’s a very finicky eater. Said he was full. Then you’re too full for chocolate chip cookies? He quickly recanted citing his dislike for the pizza. Insisted on having something else like cereal. We eventually settled on a banana.
He wore us down with negotiations for more than one chocolate chip cookie. He can be relentless. Lindsey showed up while the cookies were in the oven, and just as I was wrapping up the clean-up. Said she didn’t want any pizza. She was eager to head to Kohl’s with Mindy. They left around 7pm best guess. Bella went with too – an all girls thing.
The boys stayed back with me but were no trouble whatsoever. They all three played in Jacob’s room, I assumed playing Xbox. They did so without any fussing. While they played Xbox, I updated my blog and went through my mail. I’m guessing it was near 745pm when Jacob & Rocky came back downstairs, Rocky asking for another chocolate chip cookie. I let him have one more. Jacob shared that Landon had fallen asleep on his bed. That’s Landon. He’s frequently out by 730pm. And according to Lindsey, he’s a very early riser.
The girls arrived home shortly after 8pm while the two boys ( Jacob/Rocky) and I were settling in to watch Idol auditions. However, by then even Rocky was sleeping. Lindsey moaned about having to wake them up. Said they're typically very difficult to get up and moving. Looked like Mindy bought her two pairs of shoes. Lucky for her, the boys woke fairly easily and Lindsey soon had them ready for departure just ahead of 815pm, though she headed out to warm her car first.
I wasn’t real excited about watching Idol again, but the whole family was gathered to watch, so watch I did. Come 845pm I took Bella’s lead and plopped down on the familyroom floor with a chair pillow and fell quickly asleep. I slept downstairs until 10pm when Mindy and the kids were heading up for bed. They had been watching some strange new show on after Idol. I was still half asleep as we made our way to bed. Good night moon!
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