Saturday, March 31, 2012

Tumbling to Point Pleasant


I slept fine until midnight or 1am. By then I was crowded off the bed both by the pug at my back and Bella at my feet. I couldn’t get comfortable no matter what I did. I upped and headed for the sofa in the family room. That was fine for about an hour but still too uncomfortable. I decided to give the spare room a try having never slept in that bed before. I worried that Mindy would wake, find me there and give me holy heck. I fell asleep but woke at least 4 or 5 times needing to pee. I was having bad dreams too. I never really got the deep sleep my body craved.

Come 7am I headed into our room to brush my teeth and gather my running clothes then slipped off downstairs where after starting a pot of coffee I took to the internet. There I stayed and played until roughly 8am when I woke Mindy with a hot cup of coffee. Shortly after waking Mindy I headed off on my run. It was cloudy and cool – only in the low 40s under mostly cloudy skies. I ran the usual weekend three mile track with no problems.

Mindy was still getting ready when I returned from my run. I poured another cup of coffee then gathered the things I wanted to be sure and take along on our trip. Those items included my camera, book, iTouch and phone. Headed up for a shower around 910am.

It didn’t take me long to get ready. I was back downstairs by 930am. Mindy had a small cooler packed with drinks and a small paper bag with snacks. I programmed the Point Pleasant High School address into my Google navigation program to make sure it knew the way. It did. I was hungry and needed to eat something before we left. My appetite still out of whack, I ended up opting for a turkey and cheese sandwich with mustard. I didn’t want anything too heavy. I chased it down with Gatorade, which is something else I’ve been craving since becoming ill.

Mindy had been texting with Lindsey since Friday about coming over to do her laundry while we were away. We figured that would work best for everybody and give us a quiet Sunday, which is something we haven’t had in a long, long time. I was sitting in the car ready to go at 10am. Mindy and Bella were dragging behind. Not sure what they were doing in there. We hit the road around 1007am. Bella was expected to be there by 1230pm and the navi program said it would take 2.25 hours.

We took I-270 to route 23 south to Chillicothe then 35 east for about 60 miles across the river and into Point Pleasant, WV. Once across the river it was only five miles up the road. We arrived at school at 1220pm. There was a lot going on, including soccer matches, a wrestling tournament, and of course, a gymnastics meet. Mindy and I had to pay $5 each to enter. What a scam!

This isn’t nice but it’s very true. Lots of over weight parents and kids at these events and all of them carrying around bags of snacks. Seems they’re more interested in eating that the competition. Today’s meet was efficiently organized for Bella. All three of her events were scheduled within 90 minutes of one another, her first starting at 1pm and the last at 230pm. Warm-ups for the first event started soon after we got situated, the floor exercise.

There’s a formula there expected to follow and the instructors teach to the faults that the judges are looking for. Bella being a beginner, the exercises are somewhat run of the mills – tumbles. She was supposed to do five in succession but did only four in both passes that counted. Here scores reflected it, too. She came crying to Mindy after the fact.
Mindy did her best to calm her. Next up was the trampoline where she typically excels. Her warm-ups were spot on. I thought she’d nail it. But when it counted she didn’t quite nail her routine as she has past events. One again, the judges deducted lots of points for technical mishaps, and rightfully so.

Meanwhile, I was crazy tired. My head was fuzzy, but there wasn’t anyway to sneak a quick wink sitting in the uncomfortable gymnasium bleachers. I simply had to endure. Tim went pretty quick. Soon it was 230pm and time for Bella’s third and final event, the double-mini tramp. Past events, this is the one she’s struggled with the most. But this time she nailed it and all of her scores showed it. Her first pass netted all 9s, which is fantastic.

Excited that she was done, all we needed to do was head to the hallway for awards. That took seemingly forever, at least 30 minutes. So tired then that I decided to sit on the hallway floor. I almost fell asleep. I envisioned Mindy driving us home and me sleeping the entire way, but that’s not how it worked out. Once to the car I got a brief 2nd wind.

Bella placed 3rd, 4th & 4th. She started cry as soon as we got on the road. Her logic was that she didn’t have anyone besides Mindy and I there to route for her. I asked if a stop at Wendy’s would make her feel better. Yes. We pulled in and ordered chicken nuggets and fries form the drive-thru. That did the trick.

Probably 20-30 miles into the trip home Bella fell asleep. I’m thinking she slept for nearly and hour. It remained cloudy all day long and the temperature never got warmer than 55 degrees. As we neared home the temperature dropped a few more degrees. Mindy & I both agreed that at least we didn’t miss out on a 75 degree sunny day. Bella called her dad as we passed through Circleville to make arrangements for him to meet us at home. Mindy recommended 530-6pm. I expected to arrive home sometime after 5pm.

Arrived home around 510pm. Bottom line, we spent 4.5 hours on the road and 2.5 hours there. I am really surprised that I was able to drive both to and fro. As soon as we were home I made a half a tuna sandwich then went straight up to bed where I planned to take a long, healthy nap.

I leaped into bed then turned on the TV. I switched back and forth between LPGA golf and the NatGeo channel until I fell asleep. I slept hard but not longer than 20 minutes tops. I heard Jimaken & Jacob arrive to pick-up Bella. It had to be near 6pm when they left. Mindy eventually made her way upstairs to ready for dinner out after confirming that I still wanted to go. Yes. We planned on dining at CBC and I was much looking forward to it.

It was 645pm by the time we both were ready and heading out the door. Arrived near 7pm. I dropped Mindy at the door then went for one of the few remaining parking spots. Mindy had our favorite corner. I promptly ordered a Bodhi while Mindy ordered a glass of red wine. We chatted with a few of the CBC peeps then ordered some bread before deciding on food. We asked if we could have some of their yummy risotto we both like so much. It’s not on the menu but after asking the chef, he agreed to make it for us.
As we yum-yumming over the risotto another couple sat down next to us, Jaymie and Brandi from Pittsburgh. We struck up conversation with the two of them for the remainder of the night.

They are engaged to be married on the 21st of April. Between them they have four kids – three are hers, and one his from previous marriages. They were in town for a cheerleading meet at the Ohio Convention center with the 11 year old daughter. We talked about parenting and the teenage years Jaymie had us in stitches two or three times. They were fun. Mindy & Brandi exchanged contact info before they headed back to their hotel.

Mindy and I ordered the barrel cut sirloin dinner entrĂ©e and shared it. Since being ill, I’ve been craving red meat something fierce. The steak was absolutely delicious. I drank a third Bodhi with dinner but then switched to water. Mindy needed/wanted me to drive after having three glasses of wine. Our tab wasn’t nearly what we expected. Unbeknown to us, Jaymie and Brandi picked up a round of our drinks. We left a nice tip.

The Buckeyes Final Four game started at 9pm and while we weren’t watching closely by any stretch, we saw enough early on to know that they were ahead when we left for home. We didn’t catch anymore of the game from home. Instead, we headed directly to bed.

Friday, March 30, 2012

$21 Barley Tab

I was up near 530am. And while still not 100%, I felt better than I did all week, but that same dull ache remained in my gut. I did sit-ups and push-ups. Was glad to have those behind me. Sipped coffee at the PC until 610am. Started feeling sleepy, but at least not queasy. I fought the urge for more sleep through both meditation and stretching. I woke Mindy sometime near 620am.

Dressed and left for a run near 635am. Obviously still not well, I did myself a favor and trimmed the run back to 3 miles again. I was back at the house around 710am. Mindy and the kids were up and preparing to head out the door. Mindy was taking the kids to her mom’s again, this their last day of spring break vacation. I said goodbye to Mindy in the driveway after walking Eiknarf.

I didn’t realize that the poop sack container attached to the leash was empty again until it was too late. I used a tissue to pick-up Eiknarf’s morning crap. I wasn’t pleased. I knew I got some dog crap on my running gloves. I shared my disappointment with Mindy just before they backed out the drive.

I enjoyed my breakfast in solitude not heading up for a shower until 745am. Just before heading upstairs I could feel my gut gurgling. I ran to the bathroom where I pushed out what amounted to cloudy water. It was instantaneous relief. I surmised that it had been there for a few days but trapped.

Showered and ready to go by 810am, I took a few minutes to relax before heading off to the office. Don’t think I left the house until almost 830am. Arrived at the office near 845am. The drive made me sleepy. My eyes felt heavy and my mind tired. Another day at home would’ve been ideal to fully recuperate from whatever ailed me.

I hoped for an easy day and by and large it was. I even had the chance to take a real lunch break when I ran to Target and bought some more doggy poops sacks (an 8-pack) and a 180 piece count bag of Eclipse Winter Frost chewing gum for my office. I was still tired and thought about taking a nap in the Target lot but didn’t. I was really hungry again too. And ever since I threw up on Tuesday, my food cravings have been all out of whack. I was craving fast food and NOT my packed veggies and cheese. However, despite the craving, I fought through it and talked myself into going back to the office and eating what I packed.

The cheese was just OK and the veggies hard to enjoy. The blueberry Greek yogurt was pretty good, though. I thought I might leave the office early and work from home for the late afternoon but that never happened. Instead, I ended up at the office until after 515pm. Despite feeling tired and weak, I was much looking forward to the weekend ahead.

Talked with Mindy who shared that Jacob had already left with his dad. Mindy opted to keep Bella home with us even though it was a Jimaken weekend since we’d be heading to Point Pleasant WV relatively early Saturday morning for her gymnastics meet. Jimaken wasn’t planning to go and neither was Jacob. Bella was happy about staying home and was out playing with the neighbors when I finally arrived home.

As soon as I was in the door at home Mindy pressed me for dinner details, but I had nothing to offer. I wasn’t against heading out for some food but wasn’t sure where or when. My head was still in a fog. Pressed again about 5-10 minutes alter I offered that we could go to Barley’s for a short amount of time. Mindy seemed to like that idea. I only clarified that I was only interested in going if it was the three of us. I didn’t want to take all the neighborhood kids along this time. Mindy understood and went to tell Bella about our dinner plans. Apparently Bella asked/opted to stay back with the neighbors. Mindy approved it with Chrissy.

And while it was nice, warm and sunny all afternoon, it started clouding up to our north just as Mindy I set out for Barley’s. In fact, I pointed out what looked like it could be the beginning of a tornado but it wasn’t spinning. Wasn’t storming over us.

Even though I wasn’t exactly craving beer, I still ordered a Centennial. And for the 2nd time in as many weeks, Mindy surprised me and ordered herself a IIPA – an Avery’s Maharajah. We sat/stood at the bar with a few regulars: Banker Dan, Paul, Calvin, Linda and Scott. But Calvin left shortly after we arrived citing heart issues. Said he took one of his nitroglycerin pills but it didn’t seem to work. He’s had two heart attacks in the last year.

I eventually ordered a 2nd Centennial but knew that would be my last. It actually tasted pretty good but I just wasn’t feeling it. Not sure what to eat, I eventually decided on a brisket quesadilla. And in a role reversal, mindy opted not to order anything. She was loopy from her IIPA along with the While Rajah she drank at home before leaving. However, she did eat part of my quesadilla when it arrived.

We didn’t stay too late. I’m thinking we left around 915pm. Can’t recall which one of us paid the tab. It was only $21, which is really low for us. I drove us home very eager for bed. As soon as we parked Mindy headed to the neighbors to retrieve Bella while I headed in and up to bed. I heard Bella come in crying. She went to her room upset. I went to console her. She was feeling sorry for herself and going on about not getting to enjoy a sleepover with her neighborhood peeps. I offered that she could come bed with Mindy, Eiknarf and I. She warmed to that opportunity in a hurry.

Mindy offered that Bella could sleep at the foot of the bed. We watched TV together with me quickly falling asleep. I needed rest badly. Not only was I still trying to recover from my illness but I had to get up no later than 7am to ensure I had enough time to run before leaving for WV Saturday morning at 10am.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Grilled Burgers

It took a few minutes to fall asleep, but once I did I slept soundly until about 4am. From then on it could only be called resting with my eyes closed. At 520am I decided to go ahead and get a move on. My gut still ached but significantly less than the two days prior. This I could deal with. I slipped into my exercise shoes, glanced out back, then headed to the living room for sit-ups.

Aside from my daily run, I did little more than sleep the two days prior. Because of that, the sit-ups were tough and took more energy than I expected. Because it was Thursday, I had curls on the agenda next. I was really grateful that it wasn’t a push-up day. The calisthenics were behind me by before 530am. The coffee wasn’t ready yet, so I went to my PC. After a few short minutes the coffee maker beeped. I wasn’t really craving coffee like most morning, but I figured a shot of caffeine would do me some good.

It was only 45 degrees under clear skies. The day’s high wasn’t expected to get out of the 50s after being so nice the day prior (75 and sunny). I played around online until 555am when I headed in for meditation. I didn’t have to worry too much about time, especially since Mindy & the kids were both off school. My gut gurgled and ached. I tried massaging and squeezing it to push out any gas that might be trapped. Nothing! Stretching felt really good after all the laying around the last two days.

I dressed warmly for my run, including wearing hand covers and a toboggan for the first time in a couple weeks. There was a fairly stiff and chilly wind blowing in my face from the southeast. Of course I noticed it more at the outset. By run’s end I’d forgotten all about it. We’re back to daybreak coming to pass at roughly the halfway point. Won’t be long again before I’m running in daylight start to finish. I ran the full 4.1 miles and held up surprisingly well. Felt good even.

Back at home the house was silent. Mindy & the kids remained asleep in bed. I started my breakfast and packed a lunch. Eiknarf started to whine when the smell of my eggs permeated the entire home. Made me laugh. The whining woke Bella. She brought the pug downstairs, though without her collar. I made Eiknarf an egg, too, but didn’t plan to feed it to her until we were back from our morning walk. I complained to Bella about bringing her down without her collar. It was on Bella’s nightstand. I had to go after it.

Our walk was quick and rewarding. It must’ve been the allure of farm fresh eggs that made her move fast. I was off to the shower by 735am. Mindy got up while I was mid shower. She joined me downstairs for the last few minutes of prep. They didn’t’ have a lot planned for the day aside from lunch at the Rusty Bucket. Mindy wished me well and said she’d call me later. I left for the office at 815am. It felt good to feel near normal and be heading into work on a gorgeous early spring morning.

Arrived near 830am. It was 845am before I was settled into my office and assessing the damage from being out ill for the past two days. Wasn’t as bad as I envisioned. A couple folks stopped by to see if I was OK. We had a 930am team meeting. The meeting got my juices flowing. In fact, it even motivated me a little.

Did some more online training and then worked on some proactive stuff. Didn’t have much of an appetite all day long. As the day progressed I began to feel even better, but still had a crampy abdomen. Got a call from my doctor’s office late afternoon confirming my appointment for next Tuesday. Doing a complete physical so I need to arrive having not eaten for the prior 12 hours, water only. Talked with Mindy late in the day. Said we’d be having burgers for dinner. Sounded good. Wrapped up my work day a little after 530pm.

It was sunny but cool. Felt good to be heading home. I was tired and was looking forward to some hot food and a warm bed. Mindy called while I was sitting at the light at Trabue. Wanted to know what kind of cheese I wanted on my burger. I believe she grilled the burgers.

Kids were out playing. Mindy called them in for dinner around 6pm. In addition to the burgers she baked potatoes and sat out Sunday’s leftover potato salad. It’s funny, anything I ate Sunday or Monday doesn’t sound remotely good, and even makes me queasy thinking about it. I ate my entire burger and tired to eat a little potato salad but just couldn’t. Because we used paper plates clean-up was a snap. I was very thankful for that.

The kids headed out to play immediately after dinner. Mindy and I hung out inside with me mostly resting either on the floor or in the big family room chair. I even did a little reading – about ten pages. I was really sleepy. Mindy called the kids in just before 8pm and the start of American Idol elimination night. My guess was that Heejun would be going home. I was right. I liked him but he was definitely the one go. Scotty McCreery, last year’s winner was there as was pop sensation Nicki Minaj. Not sure what all the hub-bub is over her. She’s bad.

We all stayed up to watch Touch after Idol. It was good. Enjoyed it. It took all I had to stay awake, though. I was so tired that I thought I might struggle to fall asleep. That happens sometimes. My fears proved unfounded. I fell asleep minutes after my head hit my pillow.

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Sick Day 2.0

I moaned and groaned through most of the night sleeping on and off but never for more than an hour at a time. What bothered me more than an upset stomach was terrible cramping in my gut. I found that rubbing my lower back seemed to take the edge off temporarily thus affording me an opportunity to fall asleep. Mindy was going to work and must’ve gotten up around 630am. I felt markedly better than I did the night before but still no where close to 100%.

I slept through most of Mindy’s ready, but got up around 720am so I could send a note to my boss once again letting him know that I’d be out again sick. This time I had enough energy to draft a quick out-of-office and then send a note to my peer asking him to back me up for the day. Tuesday, I am afraid, that aside from sending my boss an email, I didn’t leave word for my customers who they could go to in my absence.

The kids did an overnight with Jimaken so after Mindy left the house was quiet affording me the opportunity to get more sleep. I headed back to bed and slept soundly until 9am. The cramping was no longer debilitating but still present and uncomfortable. Nothing I tried helped. I drank a cup of coffee and sat at the computer for a while. Around 930am I headed out for a run despite feeling ill. However, compared to the day before, Wednesday’s run would almost certainly feel like a walk in the park.

It was sunny and somewhere in the low 50s when I headed out the door. It wasn’t a walk in the park but I faired far better completing a three mile run in about 30 minutes. When I finished my run I drug our empty trash can back to the side of the house then headed in to make something to eat. I had no appetite but since I’d eaten next to nothing since Monday’s dinner, I knew I needed to get some food in me for energy.

I made a small burrito with the remaining taco meat and ate it quickly. Even the small portion seemed like a lot. And then afterwards I became incredibly sleepy and went for another nap. This time I slept until shortly after 11am but woke with those same nagging cramps in my belly. I spent a little time online researching viruses. If I had to guess, I’d say I contacted the Norovirus. I remained queasy through the afternoon, napping on and off while watching daytime History Channel, which I learned isn’t much better than jerry Springer. 

Around 350pm I decided that it was time to get a shower and hoped it might help me start feeling better. I let hot water beat against my abdomen thinking that might help free up any trapped gas or what not. It didn’t help much at all. I imagined my intestines swollen from the virus as the root of the dull achy pain.

After a shower I plopped down at my PC and did some writing in my blog. Mindy got home around 430pm. What I wasn’t expecting was Lindsey and the boys to be coming with her. Lindsey apparently needed gas money as must’ve been waiting nearby. Thankfully, they weren’t there long. Being ill, I wasn’t in the mood.

We weren’t expecting Jimaken to bring the kids home until 7pm. In fact, he was dropping Bella at gymnastics then bringing Jacob home after. Mindy asked if I wanted dinner. Prior the thought of food hadn’t even entered my mind. Still had no appetite. But call it the power of suggestion, once she started making her own dinner (leftover pasta and marinara sauce) I realized that I was hungry too, and really for the first time since Monday. At the same time I noticed how much better I was feeling too. Still, I was very careful about my meal choice. Almost everything sounded too heavy. In the end, I asked for cream of chicken over rice. Mindy agreed to make it for me. I couldn’t wait.

I’m guessing that it was ready around 5pm. Mindy put about half my typical portion on the plate knowing I wouldn’t want a heaping mound. Man, was it good! Went down easy and felt good on my tummy. It must’ve activated my stomach juices because I only got hungrier. Wise to the potential prospect of overeating and then feeling bloated and sick, I
Opted to walk away from having more, instead allowing what I ate to settle.

Mindy dressed and headed out for a bike ride. While she rode her bike I did some reading from my 2nd new book, Deepak Chopra and Leonard Mlodinow’s War of Worldviews: Science Vs. Spirituality. Gripping from the outset. I read about 20 pages in a jiffy. She was gone for about 30 minutes. After her bike ride she walked down to Chrissy’s to be a witness for title transfer. The evening moved fast. Soon enough Jacob was home from the overnight with his dad. Said they had fun, saw a movie and went to the pet shop looking at puppies.

I was still really hungry so I went ahead and reheated the rest of the cream of chicken and rice concoction. It went down as easy as the first half. Yum-yum. At 8pm we tuned into American Idol. But Mindy didn’t get to see a whole lot. She left to pick Bella up from gymnastics at 820pm. She was gone for at least 20 minutes. She planned to sign Bella up for the State competition in May while there.

We watched the rest of Idol as a family until 10pm. Mindy scheduled Thursday off as a sick day for a doctor’s appointment. She wrote sub plans all the while watching the end of Idol. We all headed to bed just after 10pm. I was feeling a whole lot better but wasn’t too sleepy. We laid in bed for about 15 minutes before I got up again and headed downstairs to do some reading in my latest book. At least initially, I’m finding it hard to put down. I read another 10-15 pages before feeling sleepy enough. Good night moon!

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Am I Dying?

I slept great until about 230am again. Only this time I woke not feeling so well. My gut ached and my stomach felt heavy and perhaps even a bit queasy. I wondered if I might be coming down with the same thing that struck Bella only hours earlier. I tossed and turned frantically trying to get comfortable, but the comfort I sought proved elusive. Fearing that I might be getting sick, I decided to get up and head downstairs where I could throw-up without disturbing the others. At first I laid on the sofa hoping the vague symptoms would dissipate. They never did. In fact, they only worsened.

Not sure the time, but thinking it was near 4am when something prompted me to head to the bathroom. At the time I wasn't sure if I would have diarrhea or needed to vomit, or perhaps even both. I was on my knees for just a minute when that familiar barfy feeling came over me, that point of no return when you realize it's inevitable. It's no longer and if but a when. First comes the watery mouth with an uneasy dreadfully sick feeling rising from the depth of your gut. Immediately I pleaded only that it be quick and nonviolent. I threw up three times in all of about 30-40 seconds. I remained there for a couple more minutes collecting myself until I was convinced that the worst was behind me and I might be able to return to the sofa for some quality sleep.

I fell asleep again quickly feeling much, much better. A short time later I heard the house grow eerily silent. The power went out but only for a brief instant, but still long enough to prompt a reset of the cable box, fridge, and other household appliances. The outage woke Bella too who called to me from her room. Wanted to know if I was sick. She eventually made her way to the family room where I was all stretched out on the sofa asking if I knew why the power went out. I heard her go upstairs and tell her mom that I was sick.

I lost track of time but ended up waking and getting sick once more, I think around 7 or 8am. And this time, even after heaving my guts, I still felt poorly. My guts felt swollen, tight, and crampy, and my stomach still queasy. The only thing I could do to combat the ill feeling was to moan and groan, toss and turn.

What should be considered some sort of blessing, the entire house remained quiet/asleep until after 9am, I believe. Around 840am when it was apparent that I wouldn't be going to work I sent my boss an email indicating as much. I felt truly guilty for calling off but had no choice. There wasn't any way I could go to work.

Mindy and the kids were downstairs and making noise around 9am. Bella shared that she was feeling lot, lots better. And that was after I heard her throwing up again around 8am. Mindy suggested I head up to our room to sleep where it would be much quieter. Convinced that I wouldn't get any sleep otherwise, I took her advice and headed upstairs to bed.

I quickly fell asleep and slept soundly until 12noon. I woke feeling much better. Thought I was over the proverbial hump! I was still achy but void of that sick, queasy feeling. I enjoyed some ice water then dressed for a run. Understand, I had zero energy. None. I ran only to keep my streak alive, knowing when tomorrow comes and I'm feeling better how depressed I'd be if I allowed my streak to end due to a brief ailment. Not only did I not have any energy, but my entire body ached head to toe. I needed to run. I set out near 1215pm.

I knew after the first few hundred yards that it was going to be a tough, grueling run, so I blocked out the temporary pain and instead focused on the outcome, the end goal. That worked to my advantage. Giving myself a little bit of a break, I trimmed the run to just three miles much like a weekend run. I ran up one heck of sweat. It never got easy and boy was I happy when it was over.

Mindy asked how it went as soon as I was back in the door. Grueling, and maybe even one of the toughest run's ever. After stripping out of my sweaty running clothes and back into my PJs I headed upstairs and back to bed where I slept well for almost 3 hours. Upon waking, I noticed immediately that my queasy stomach was gone or minimized. My lower abdomen still ached though. I joined Mindy downstairs, still careful not to overdo it. I had zero appetite, and sipped water only sparingly. Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before I started feeling a little woozy again. I went for the sofa.
The routine household noise proved too much. I eventually headed back to bed for another round of sleep. This time I watched TV from bed and was joined by Eiknarf.

Up around 6pm again, the kids left were off with Jimaken for the night. Mindy was bummed that we weren't headed out for our Jimaken night dinner date, but said she understood. She asked if I was hungry. I wasn't but also knew I needed to eat something. I asked for some chicken noodle soup.
The soup was good and felt good in my belly. I ate much less than I might've had I not been sick and mostly just the broth. Again, I didn't want to overdo it then throw it up later. I laid on the sofa watching TV. I told Mindy that I felt like I had a fever. She took my temperature. Curiously, it was near normal. She said I didn't feel hot either. Hmmm? As the evening wore on I started feeling crappy again, but this time it was mostly body aches, and more pointedly just my gut.

Not sure the time when I headed back to bed but it couldn't have been much later than about 8pm. Mindy asked if I wanted anything. Yes, Advil and water. She offered Gatorade as an option. Yes, that sounded even better. I sipped it slowly, carefully. Next phase came the chills. The body aches got worse too. All I could do was moan and groan. I knew then that I wasn't going to work on Wednesday. No way! No matter how I laid, flipped or contorted my body I just couldn't get comfortable. I felt as though as I was dying. I asked Mindy to rub my head in hopes of falling asleep. She obliged but it worked for only minutes at a time. The body aches were just too intense. The abdominal cramps were the worst. I found that my rubbing my lower back it would take the edge off enough to allow me to sleep for an hour or so at a time. That helped.

I woke again around 2am and headed once more for the sofa. Wasn't sure if I was going to throw up, have diarrhea, or just malinger. I felt like if I pushed on my gut enough gas would burst out to fill at hot air balloon. In fact, I tried hopelessly to push any trap gas from my belly. It didn't work. And really, aside from Gatorade and chicken broth, I had nothing in my stomach or bowels.

Monday, March 26, 2012

Poorly Slept

After a less than fulfilling 4.5 hours of sleep I woke near 2150am frustrated and restless. My body was tired but my mind wide awake. After tossing and turning for 15-20 minutes I slipped out of bed and headed to the livingroom and my PC where I read a long, interesting article about retirement. At 330am I headed back to bed though still not sleepy enough to fall right asleep. Instead, I laid there again tossing and turning until just before 5am when I finally got some deep meaningful sleep. The only problem was that it was only 45 minutes.

I got up for good at 535am to kick-off another work week. Unmotivated and tired, I sluggishly went about my routine by engaging in calisthenics. After the sit-ups and push-ups were behind me I felt much better, and certainly more wake. I knew from following the forecast so closely for the past couple weeks that Monday was supposed to be much cooler than it's been for quite a while. I was surprised when I saw that it was still 53 degrees, though cloudy. The wind was blowing & gusting pretty hard when I got up but it slowed considerably as the early morning progressed.

I could go about my morning at more leisurely pace since it was spring break for the kids. There wouldn't be any school bus coming at 810am. Instead, the kids planned to spend the next two days at Maw-maw's all the while Mindy & I worked. I played around online until roughly 605am when I gave way to meditation time. I did that until 617am. At a crossroad, I had to quickly decided whether to move forward with my stretch or go ahead and wake Mindy. I opted to complete my stretch first.

I finished up at 622am and then delivered Mindy's coffee. Mindy shared that she would likely be gone by the time I returned citing the need to leave the house at 720am to leave enough time to drop the kids at her mom's on the way to school. Based on the temperature and wind I saw earlier, I dressed in winter running gear. Glad I did too. Not only had the skies cleared, but the temperature felt much colder than 53 degrees, not to mention a brutally cold wind blowing from the northeast. Initially, anyway, I felt I could've used my running gloves. I ran the full 4.1 miles arriving back at the house by 712am.

Mindy hadn't yet left but had the kids moving for the door quickly. I headed out the door with Eiknarf for our morning walk. Mindy met us out in front of Trena's place to say goodbye as she made her way to the Pilot. I opened the car door to bid the kids farewell. Neither seemed yet awake.
Inside, I took my time with breakfast and a shower. But even after taking my dear old time I was ready to leave more than ten minutes earlier than normal. I spent a couple more minutes online before leaving the house. I also checked the temperature. It was already down to 45 degrees. Worse, they were calling for a frost warning later that night - a low of 28 degrees.

Left for work at 815am but needed to stop for fuel at Thornton's where I paid $3.88 per gallon. Took 15.3 gallons too, or $60.00 to fill-up. Arrived at the office by 840am but took a good 15 minutes to get logged on and situated. It was 9am before I was truly productive. Most have been around 930-10am when my boss stopped by for a brief chat. Lots going on.

I was busy once again putting out fires as well as joining my regularly scheduled Monday calls. As the day wore on I managed to squeeze in three of the online wireless classes we need to complete before month's end. I also went back and corrected last week's time sheet. Before leaving for the day I sent my boss an email requesting time off this coming summer. Among those requests was a two week vacation and three personal days. In all likelihood, we're going to the Outer Banks with the McVey's. My boss approved the time off promptly via email.

During the afternoon the temperature dropped as low as 41 but then made it back to 50 degrees before quitting time. The sun was warm but the air cool when I left. I called Mindy upon leaving the lot. Said the kids had an OK day at her mom's but that Bella wasn't feeling so well and was lounging on the sofa. I asked about her going to gymnastics. Mindy said she wanted to go but only until 8pm. And given that she has a meet this coming Saturday, we both felt it important that she be there despite not feeling too well.
Mindy was making pasta and marinara sauce topped with leftover hot italian brats for dinner. Waited to hear from me before putting he pasta on. When I arrived home Jacob was outside playing with friends and Bella still lounging on the sofa. We are dinner around 6pm. Jacob opted for breakfast burrito in lieu of pasta. The rest of us enjoyed the pasta.

Mindy ran Bella to gymnastics around 645pm. While she did that I took a brief nap and did some reading. The hour or so that Bella was in gymnastics went by fast. Mindy reminded me that it was 8pm and time to get Bella. I arrived at DCW around 806pm. Bella was resting on the mat and quickly ready to go. Her instructor mentioned that Bella wasn't feeling well, which I acknowledged and then shared that we need to pay and sign up for the May meet in Rio Grande' by Wednesday. Why are all of the meets in southern Ohio?

Bella advised that she wasn't feeling well and was even moaning from the backseat. Kiddingly, I asked if she wanted Wendy's. No! She sounded so ill that I offered to roll down the windows so she could feel the cool air against her face. She liked it, but quickly rolled it back up. Once home she readied for bed but continued to share how poorly she was feeling. I suggested we put a trashcan by her bed just in case she got sick through the night. Mindy took that advice. Both kids put themselves to bed near 9pm. Mindy wasn't too far behind. She was off to bed by 910pm. While she slipped into bed, I made myself a bowl of cereal, Grape Nuts. It wasn't ten minutes later when I heard Bella heaving her guts out. She was so loud that Jacob went to her rescue. In her rather short life she's thrown-up few times. I can remember only one other time way back when she was three and lived on Echo Park. She asked immediately for her mother just as any kid would do. Mindy soon went to her side while I enjoyed the rest of my cereal.

After squaring Bella away, Mindy joined me downstairs to discuss Tuesday, and more pointedly, who would stay home with Bella. We determined it would be Mindy. She started the process of calling for a sub and then making sub plans. It was about 940pm. I felt bad for stranding Mindy, but now I was tired and ready for bed, especially after sleeping so poorly the night before. I was much looking forward to a long, restful night of sleep. I went out quick.

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Peace & Tranquility

Sunday morning I was up around 8am after nearly 9 hours of sleep. After all that sleep I felt pretty good. Soon I was in the kitchen prepping coffee and contemplating the day ahead. I didn't have anything planned after completing the yard chores the day before. I spent about an hour on the PC before giving way to walking the dog and eventually heading out on a run. As forecasted, it wasn't that nice. Though sunny when  I first was up, it was no cloudy/foggy and cool - about 52 degrees.


Mindy slept in until 930-10am. Right away she shared her intentions of grocery shopping later that day. And just like most Sunday's since Lindsey moved nearby, she and the boys wanted to come over to do laundry. She texted sometime Saturday asking what time they could come. From her perspective the earlier the better. We love the grandkids but also love peace and tranquility. I called Lindsey late Sunday morning to recommend they come around 1-130pm. Mindy, incidentally, did most of our laundry on Saturday.
I headed out on a run after 10am doing the usual three mile trail. I could tell there was a low ceiling of fog instead of the more usual high cloud cover. But wither way, the outcome was the same - no sunshine. :( While I was off on my run, Bella watched Hop again in the family room. But she soon abandoned the movie in favor of playing with friends. I ended up watching the rest of the DVD by myself. Ashley called around noon to chat and share that Olivia was coming over with Lindsey and the boys. Said she and Olivia both got haircuts and Olivia was concerned that I might not recognize her. Now that's just too cute! Ashley also shared that she gets top braces on Tuesday, part of the plan to get her teeth back in the alignment they were in after the initial bought some 6 or 7 years ago. Lastly, she shared that Steven finally got  a fulltime job.  Hope it sticks!
While I was busy getting in the Easter spirit, Mindy was in the shower. She left for the grocery around 130pm. Right after she left Lindsey, the boys, and Olivia showed up. Lindsey was there long enough to get a load in the washer when she asked if I cared if she went tanning.
Lindsey was gone for about 30-40 minutes. During that time the kids played outside and weren't a bother at all.  When she got back I decided it was time to talk about her finances and more pointedly, how she doesn't have enough to cover her expenses. Our conversation quickly turned adversarial when she went on a rant about me helping her through financial troubles. The long and short was that she figured I would help with her car payment and insurance.  I reminded her that she's spending money on things that should always come after car and insurance like cable TV, cell phone, and cigarettes. Not having any respect for her ill fated financial logic, more than once I insisted she take her laundry and leave. She commented that I sounded more and more like her mother.
A half hour passed before Lindsey came back in the kitchen where I was busy making potato salad and shared that she just canceled Showtime from her Time Warner line-up. Niece Lindy showed up around 3pm to cut my hair. Mindy got home from the grocery minutes later. As planned, Lindy cut my hair and thinned Mindy's. I covered the cost of both cuts.
After having my haircut i headed upstairs to rinse and regroom. Afterwards, I retired to the livingroom where I read and napped. I woke just as Lindy was leaving to meet her family for dinner at Bob Evan's. Around 430pm Mindy boiled brats for grilling. I headed out to grill brats & dogs around 5pm. With the grandkids over, we didn't bother inviting the neighbors. The house gets a bit chaotic with all the kids running around, and quite honestly, more than I really want to contend with. Mindy whipped up a chocolate pudding dessert topped with whipped cream and colored sprinkles for after dinner. There were five left. She took those down to the neighbors for their kids to enjoy after their dinner.
Lindsey and the kids left around 630pm. It was nice to have the house quiet and back to normal. At 8pm we tuned the TV to the Frozen Planet, on the Discovery Channel. I poured a Jack & Coke. Mindy headed to bed extremely early. had to be just after 9pm. I stayed up a while longer or until 945pm after starting to dose from the sofa.
Once to bed, though, I couldn't easily fall asleep. I was restless and my mind racing a hundred miles per hour.

Saturday, March 24, 2012

Mowing the Lawn

I woke right at 530am as if it were a work day, but quickly remembered that it was Saturday and made myself sleep a while longer. By 7am I was wide awake so I rolled out of bed and headed downstairs, but not before Mindy wanted a hug and then asked that I bring coffee in a little while.

I felt about as good as one could expect on a Saturday morning. I started some coffee then took to the internet where I played around for nearly and hour before Mindy tip-toed halfway down the stairs asking me to bring her some coffee. It was just 815am, way earlier than she usually is up on a Saturday. I poured her some coffee then delivered it bedside. We snuggled for about 30 minutes before getting up for good just before 9am.

Near 9am we took Eiknarf on a walk where we encountered some neighbors we hadn’t met prior. Turns out, he said they were moving to Dublin that day. They’re originally from Salem, Ohio. They’ve only lived in the subdivision for about a year renting David & Tessa’s old house. We walked for maybe 20 minutes. It was noticeably cooler than it had been for the ten days prior, but still in the mid 50’s. Wasn’t expected to leave the low 60s all day. In fact, the ten day forecast shows only 1 or 2 days hitting 70. Returning to near normal.

Back at the house I readied and left on a run. I’m guessing it was 930am by the time I headed out. I wore a winter weight wicking shirt but no jacket. That was almost perfect. I ran the usual weekend trail, just three miles. Encountered Bella out riding her bike as I finished.

After making something to eat I headed out to tend to the lawn. And while we’re giving serious thought to hiring it out this year, I knew I wanted to cut it the first time myself. Took a while to get the weed whacker started but once I got it running it ran smoothly. I spent a good 30+ minutes whacking and edging the beds, drive and walks.

I thought I might cut the entire yard with the Toro skipping the tractor. I was most impressed that the Toro started on the first pull. Took me about 2 hours to cut the entire yard, front & back. I even started to rain a little at the outset but thankfully it stopped as quick as it started. Before blowing the clipping clear, I hit all the open isolated weeds sprouting in the flower beds with Round-Up. Had to refill my 1 qt. spray bottle to get ‘em all.

Next up I installed the new hose nozzle then repaired/replaced the male union between my two 100’ lengths of hose. It needed a new male end to stop the leak. Next up I added a thick metal spring to the 60 degree bend in the feeder hose I use to get water to the deck hose bib. That’ll prevent it from kinking and ultimately leaking. While I was busy blowing away all the mowed clippings, a couple cars stopped by to chat. Julie stopped by to show me a pepper shaker she found in her purse after last Saturday’s wedding. Said she guessed I was the one who put it there. Nope, not me. Another neighbor stopped by, who also had a black 2011 Honda Accord. Said he was the engineer who designed the V6 engine in the car.

I finished in the yard near 230pm. I felt pretty well whipped, but wanted to complete two other tasks. The first, repotting the palm in our family room, and then replacing a couple damaged window screens. It took just a few minutes to repot the palm. I headed to the basement to locate my screen repair/replace kit. Right where I left it. I headed upstairs and removed the damaged window screen from Jacob’s room. It’s been that way since the last big hail storm, or for about five years, though it’s gotten much worse over the last couple weeks.

I’d forgotten how simple it is to replace screens. I did one of the bay window screens, too, before putting my tools away and heading up for shower. At roughly the same time, Mindy was heading off to Whole Foods to pick-up some fresh fish for dinner. We talked about getting Chilean sea bass, but only if the price was more reasonable than it’s been for the last year or so. Last time we were at Giant Eagle Market District it was $30lb. Jacob was having a friend spend the night. He arrived right before Mindy left.

While showering, I saw the boys leaning over the bridge while the girls (Bella and her friends) rode by on their bikes. Something told me that wasn’t going to end well. Minutes later I heard Bella running up the stairs bawling. I headed to her room to see what was the matter. Said Jacob and his friend were sticking their foot out as they rode by causing Bella to crash and fall. Keep in mind, Bella only learned to ride her bike on Thursday. Seeing a foot out in front of you tow days later would be very frightening. But even before I could respond, Bella pleaded that I not make Josh go home. I was angry. No, I was $%%^^!

I finished getting dressed somewhat regaining my composure. Had I gone down to address Jacob right then I’m afraid I might’ve popped him in the mouth. Low and behold, here came Jacob up stairs to ask if he and Josh could run off to the park. I pulled him in the room and closed the door, interrogating him about the bike incident. At first he denied it but then came clean citing only that they didn’t physically touch her. I explained that just by sticking their foot out was enough to scare her into crashing given her newly acquired skill. I went on to explain that it falls into the bullying category and that his mother and I would talk about a fitting punishment later. I let he and Josh run off to the park for an hour.

It had to be near 4pm when Mindy got home. A few minutes later Jacob and Josh returned. Just before they returned I shared what transpired in her absence. Mindy picked up some Chilean sea bass and salmon. We had talked about grilling but it was raining again. She opted instead to bake/broil the fish. While Mindy worked on the fish, I made brown rice via the microwave. She steamed broccoli too. Dinner was ready by 6pm. The Chilean sea bass was incredible. The sides were good too. Mindy baked chocolate chip cookies after dinner. By then Makayla was over to play with Bella again. The kids devoured the cookies. Once the kitchen was cleaned up, Mindy and I walked the dog. While we were out and about I noticed I’d forgotten to roll the hose back onto the cart. I took care of that in a jiffy.

The Buckeye basketball game against #1 seed Syracuse was slated to begin at 7pm. Jacob and Josh asked if we could watch it in the family room. I offered instead that they watch it from his room. For the betterment of all, I didn’t want to watch it. Mindy and I put two fold-up camp chairs out on the deck along with some soft music and enjoyed a beer and some wine. It was a tad chilly, but nice. Around 8pm Bella asked if we could build a fire and roast marshmallows down by the pond. We agreed.

Haven’t had a fire since last fall. Most of the wood was damp from the earlier rain. It took a while to get a sustainable fire going but my persistence, along with the help of a little charcoal lighter fluid and kerosene, eventually paid off. We let the fire turn to hot coals before allowing the girls to roast the marshmallows. Mindy brought out the smores kit too. We out by the fire longer than I expected. At some point Jacob & Josh came running out sliding on the hill celebrating a Buckeye victory and a trip to the final four. I knew they’d win! 

I’m thinking we were outside until 930pm or so. Bella asked if the girls could spend the night. They ran home to ask Chrissy. She said no. Bella wasn’t happy, but got over it fast. Mindy headed to bed before 10pm. I stayed up having another White Rajah watching TV with Bella. Can’t recall what we watched, but do know that it was educational. I remember waking when Bella headed up to bed. I followed a while later and somewhere close to 11pm.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Hop

I was off to the shower by 735am and because it was Friday I’d be wearing blue jeans along with a stretchy, short sleeved black button up. It felt good knowing I had an entire weekend ahead completely free from on-call responsibilities. For the kids, this was their last day of school before spring break. That came around fast. Seems like Xmas break just ended.

We headed out for the bus at 805am. By then it was mostly sunny and fairly warm. Eiknarf was the only dog at the bus stop. Chrissy left theirs at home. Said she was heading to a funeral thus missing a half day of work. The bus arrived near 810am.

I left for work around 820am driving the Accord. It was a mostly sunny drive into the office but the sky looked a pale gray immediately to the west. Not a good sign of things to come. Once in the building I was quickly immersed in work and forgot about the changing weather. I spent most of my day in reactive mode and at a fast pace to boot. That helped the day move quickly.

I didn’t leave my office except for a couple quick bathroom breaks, much less leaving the building for lunch. I can’t believe how fast the day went. Things got really busy for me at day’s end. I’m pretty sure that I was the last on our team to leave. It was after 530pm when I headed for the elevator.

It was raining when I exited the building and looked like it had been for some time. It was still fairly warm though. Called Mindy, who was on her way home from Target with the kids. One of the kids did something that necessitated her abruptly ending our call. I called and talked with my mom for the rest of my commute home. Hadn’t talked with her for a couple weeks. She sounded good and said she’s feeling better. Not happy with the high gasoline prices. Told her she should’ve kept that Civic she had a bout 6 or 7 years ago.

Mindy had some Chic Filet chicken nuggets out on the island when I got home. They stopped and picked them up from the drive-thru on Rome-Hilliard Rd. Said the grandsons were on their way over and would be there until 8pm or so while Lindsey attended some meeting. She bought the Hop, DVD. Planned to watch it later that evening. Lindsey dropped the boys around 615pm. The rain was on and off, but it didn’t seem to faze the kids in the least. They still wanted badly to play outside.

I opted to read and try and nap around 645pm. At the same time, Mindy took Eiknarf on a walk. She was gone for a while. I guessed that she stopped by the neighbors. When she returned 20-30 minutes later she was without the pug. Left at Chrissy’s to play with the others. She asked if I wanted to hand with the neighbors later. That wasn’t something I was chomping at the bit to do. Instead, I was happy relaxing, reading, napping and having some family time.

Lindsey called just a mile or two from the house asking if we would have the boys all ready to go. She wasn’t there for more than a minute. As soon as the boys left Mindy put in the Hop DVD and I poured a White Rajah. The movie was cute, but predictable, a bit like the chipmunks. I poured a 2nd White Rajah which Mindy shared some of. She headed up to bed immediately after the movie which was near 940pm. I stayed up a while longer watching what, I can’t recall. I never even finished my 2nd White Rajah before falling asleep. I woke just after 10pm and headed up to bed.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Seven is Enough


I slept soundly until just after 5am but then slept for another 25 minutes or so before finally getting up out of bed. It was 535am before I made it to the kitchen where I had to prep the morning’s coffee still. That didn’t take long. I was finally engaged in exercise by 540am. Completed 50 sit-ups and 20 curls.
Enjoyed coffee at the PC for about 15 minutes. Checked the forecast. It was currently 64 degrees under mostly clear skies with an expected high of 80 degrees. Another lovely day in the offing. Played around online until 610am when I headed in for meditation. That went well. Delivered Mindy’s coffee next. She was in a lot better frame of mind, pleasant even. Back downstairs to stretch and prepare for a run at 625am. 

Stretching went well too. It was after 630am when I finished and got myself dressed for the run. This time I wore a thin long-sleeved wicking shirt. I was out the door around 640am and ran the full 4.1 miles. I noticed daybreak upon us just after the halfway point. I guessed it close to 7am given my somewhat late start. Finished strong. Felt great.

Back at the house near 720am, I quickly rounded up the pug and headed out for our walk. She was slow to take care of her business but eventually did. Mindy reminded the kids that my dad would be getting them off the bus after school while she went to physical therapy. Bella had waffles for breakfast. I was having cheesy scrambled eggs. Mindy left at 730am. Bella took care of making sure Eiknarf was fed both dog food and eggs. She’s way more on top of things since starting the Focalin. I was off to the shower at 735am. 

Of note, I didn’t wear any black. Wore blue dress slacks and a tan polo. Looked like a cub scout. J I was reminded how badly I need a haircut. Spent a few minutes throwing together my lunch ahead of bus stop time. The kids and I headed out at 806am. Jacob dribbled a basketball while waiting. Chrissy and the girls soon met us there. They had Annie with them. Bus arrived between 810-815a. Since it was such a gorgeous day, I decided to drive the BM’er. I moved the Accord to the curb to make way for backing it out.  I spent a couple minutes online before heading off to work around 825am.

 Fun drive into the office. Parked up front. Was settled and logged on by 855am. We had a 9am staff meeting in one of the nice conference rooms. It didn’t last too long. Done before 930am. Nothing huge came from it. Spent most of my morning chasing the same issues I’d been working since Mindy. Making progress, but slowly.  I headed for lunch at 1230pm making my way just up the road to the Dublin Wal-Mart to look at bikes for Bella. And since it was such a nice day I entered through the garden center.  

I planned only to look and not buy. Want to have Bella with me when we buy a new bike. She’s got to love it/want it. Wal-Mart has Huffy, BMX and Mongoose bikes, definitely a decent selection to choose from. I saw a couple I thought she might like. While there, I picked up a two-pack of new peddles for Jacob’s old bike. His right peddle is broken and needs replaced. He wants a new bike too. Not sure if we’re gonna get him one or not. It would be his fourth. I also picked up some Tire dressing and windshield washer fluid for the cars.  

Back to the office by 1pm. While eating my lunch my boss called a last second meeting. On the call we learned that we were losing another team member. Bummer! Lots of discussion concerning that afterwards. Once things settled down I spent the rest of my afternoon chasing the same issues I'd been chasing all week long.  

My boss stopped by around 5pm and invited me to join him for a beer after work, but I had to decline for having dinner plans with Mindy and the kids. I didn’t leave for home until almost 530pm. I think I was the last one to leave. It was eerily quiet. Because I was driving the BM’er, I didn’t bother calling Mindy. Not safe. Fun drive home. Arrived near 545pm. Garage was opened and Mindy was out walking the pug. Bella was out riding bikes with her friends.  

Inside, Mindy asked if I still wanted or intended to do dinner at Barley’s. However, instead of it being the four of us, there would be seven of us in total. We’d have the neighbors’ three kids with us too since Chrissy & Kenny were attending a showing for the young man who passed away after Josh & Rachel’s wedding. Why not? We readied to leave around 6pm. While waiting on Mindy & the kids, I headed to the garage where I quickly tore the old peddles off Jacob’s bike. I had enough time to install one of the two new ones. I had to let the other set. It was time to go. All seven of us piled into the Pilot and headed off to Barley’s.

The drive revealed all the amazingflora in bloom so early in March. A hard freeze now would prove devastating.  And while a cool off is inevitable, I checked the long range (30 day) forecast on Wednesday. There’s no really cold weather in sight. I realize, however, that a long range forecast can change significantly. I’m guessing it was near 630p when we arrived at Barley’s. The lot was almost full, but we were still able to get a big booth right away, and Justin was our server. I kidded Justin about showing us his full-chest tattoo.  

I ordered a Centennial from the tower. Glad to see it back! Janet mentioned that they had the CBC Bodhi on tap too. She also shared that she heard we were frequenting CBC more often these days. When pressed, she said it was Darwin who told her. J Mindy ordered a Bodhi. Good choice! We took our beers to our booth.  

Justin took the kids drink orders in a hurry. All five ordered Dr Pepper. We also ordered two baskets of fries to tie everybody over until we decided on dinner. The kids ordered first. Bella and Makayla ordered corn dogs. Lillian ordered the a kid-sized pulled pork sandwich. Jake ordered buffalo wings, and Jacob ordered buffalo chicken tenders with Gates of Hell sauce on the side. Mindy ordered tuna steak, and I ordered the Thursday special, a reuben.  

Took about ten minutes for our food to show up. I ordered a 2nd Centennial just before it arrived. Mine was mighty good, though I ate only half. The kids were all fairly well-behaved. We finished dinner after about 30-40 minutes. I took half my reuben home. Mindy agreed to pick-up the tab. After all, it was her idea that we take the five kids out to dinner. I picked up the two beer tab we had with Janet at the bar. Tipped her well. Mindy drove us home.  

The kids headed out to play as soon as we got home while I mounted the 2nd new peddle to Jacob’s bike. As it was, he didn’t know I bought the replacements. Just before 8pm Mindy & I changed into our PJs then settled on the sofa to watch American Idol elimination night. Haley Rinehart (last year’s 3rd runner-up) performed her newly released single. It was good. She looked amazing!  Joe Perry made a surprise appearance playing and singing happy birthday to Steven Tyler who's no 64 years old. In the end, they sent the girl home that Jacob and I like to refer to as the hamburglar.  

Idol was over at 9pm. Mindy headed to bed at 910pm. She asked that we DVR Touch, the new show on immediately after Idol. Me and the kids stayed up to watch. As usual, though, I fell asleep about half way through but did wake to see the ending. By then both kids were upstairs on their own accord. Jacob was sound asleep. Bella was lying in her bed watching TV. I tucked her in and headed to bed just after 10pm.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Hella on Wheels

I was up on time but once again with a strong desire to sleep for at least another hour. I knew I couldn’t, though, so I fought off the urge and headed downstairs to get my ready on. Glanced out back seeing clear skies and plenty of stars. Headed to the living room to complete sit-ups. As soon as they were done I whipped out 50 push-ups. By then my blood was flowing and the sleepies all but history.
I spent a good 15 minutes online while enjoying coffee. It was a balmy 64 degrees with an expected high of 87. That’s right, 87 degrees under clear skies. Looking ahead ten days, it’s supposed to cool off but nothing cooler than the low 60’s. Looks like we’re going to escape March with next to no winter like weather. We did have two days in the 30s the first week of the month, but that’s it.

At 605am I made my way to the family room to meditate and stretch, but just like I did the day before, I plopped down and stretched out on the sofa. I laid there for 5 minutes before forcing myself back into action. I did a brief meditation then headed upstairs to wake Mindy with coffee.

She barely acknowledged my presence. Still, I remained pleasant and gave her a peck on the lips then headed back down stairs to stretch and run. Stretching felt terrific. I am blessed to feel so good. With the temperature in the 60s I could've worn shorts but opted not in the end. However, I did toss the long-sleeved wicking shirt aside and instead went for the sleeveless variety. And actually, that turned out being a little cool, at least at the outset.  I hit the door at 635am.  I ran the full 4.1 miles. Our trash can was at the curb. Jacob placed it there the evening before. I passed the trash truck who just getting started. I passed him again after the 3 mile mark towards the back of the subdivision.

It was a gorgeous daybreak, the eastern sky turning a lovely orange just before sunrise. Mindy all but ignored me when I got back from my run. I simply went about my business seeking out the pug. She still made my breakfast but didn’t make me a lunch salad. In fact, she barely said goodbye when she left for school. Not entirely sure what was bothering her.
Bella was very deliberate with all of her early morning activities including taking care of feeding the dog and readying herself. She’s been on top of her game for the last week now. I was off to the shower by 735am. It was a customer site day so I made sure to dress nice, but not much different than I do everyday anymore. I was ready to go by 755am. I spent the next ten minutes packing a lunch and making sure I had everything I’d need to work remote in my backpack. Despite the gorgeous weather, I planned to drive the Accord since I’d invariably end up in bumper to bumper traffic heading to and fro.
The kids and I headed out a few minutes early again. We met Chrissy, the girls, and the two of the three dogs, including Tessa, their new English bulldog. She’s very cute, and looks a lot like a boxer but perhaps not as intimidating. And compared to the energetic pugs, she’s quite a bit more docile. The bus arrived around 810am. Eiknarf and I headed back home where I prepared to depart for work. Left the house at 830am taking 70/670 east to 270 north. Hit a little traffic in the heart of downtown but otherwise a fairly quick and easy commute to New Albany.
Was at my desk by 9am and logged in a few minutes later. I’d already seen an email moving our regular 10am call/meeting to 1030am, but come 1015am it was all together canceled. I still had an awful lot going on and stayed real busy until I left for lunch at 1pm. My plan all along was to head to the Home Depot on N. Hamilton Rd in New Albany, a couple miles east of Easton. I called brother Tommy along the way. We talked for a while, our first such conversation since returning home from Portland March 12th. Shared that he’s been working a lot but had Wednesday as well as a couple other recent days off. Nice!  I asked about the check for his portion of the vacation (condo/rental car) Said he didn’t know how much he was responsible for. After we cleared that up he said he’d likely drop me a check in the mail that night.
At Home Depot I planned to pick-up some concentrated Round-Up and perhaps a new, larger pot for one of our house plants that’s over grown its current home. They appeared out of the quart-sized bottle of Round-Up, so I asked for help. After checking his electronic inventory, the associate said they should have 138 bottles somewhere. He went looking while I browsed other aisles. After 10-15 I returned but he still hadn’t found it. He eventually gave me two pint-sized bottles for the price of the quart.  I picked up the new, bigger pot I wanted too, as well as a new hose nozzle replacing the one I recently broke. Meanwhile, the garden center was bustling with activity.
Gone almost an hour, I headed back to the office. It was stunningly gorgeous, sunny & 84 degrees near 2pm and not a cloud in the sky. The rest of the day went pretty fast. Left for home at 505pm. I took 670 west again even after last Wednesday’s big traffic jam. Once again, 670 was almost at a standstill as I approached the 670/71 split. I diverted to 71south which winds around downtown form the east then eventually hooks up with I-70 near German Village. Traffic was a little slow through downtown but never stopped. Wise move!
Mindy & I talked through much of my commute home. She shared what’s been bothering her. Said I haven’t given her my undivided attention of late. Instead, I’m always busy with something else, and when we do talk I’m often complaining. I let her vent and accepted the wrath. A happy wife is a happy life.

She was making dinner all the while we talked. I didn’t bother asking what. Minutes later when I arrived home it was immediately obvious – tacos. Oh boy, one of my faves! Said she had something to show me. What? It was Bella zooming by on her bicycle. Holy smoke! How and when did that happen? She figured it out all on her own. Totally cool! She gleefully hollered out that I owe her a new bike. True. I did say that, and will happily follow through.
Headed in for dinner just before 6pm. The tacos were delicious. I had two. While Mindy & Bella rode their bikes, I took Eiknarf out back to walk around the yard and eventually over to visit Chrissy and her three dogs, who were all out back playing in the yard. Mindy joined us once back fro her brief bike ride. We hung for another five/ten minutes before Mindy headed back home to take Bella to gymnastics. I spent the next hour or so online. Mindy was home between 7-730pm and Jacob home from soccer practice shortly thereafter. At 8pm we tuned into American Idol. I watched until 820pm when it was time to go after Bella.

Got to DCW in a hurry. Bella was eager to show me her latest accomplishment – a front flip on the trampoline. She did it twice. Cool! We left for home with Bella in a great mood. Like always, she asked about stopping Wendy’s. This time I said yes in celebration of her learning to ride a bike. She said I was the best dad ever! She knows how to work it. J We stopped at Wendy’s where Bella ordered chicken nuggets and fries. We also picked up a spicy chicken sandwich for Jacob.

The kids enjoyed their Wendy’s while we finished watching Idol. I missed only one performance, Joshua, while I was out. The show went two hours, or until 10pm. Mindy & the kids headed to bed right after it ended. I stayed up long enough to watch a replay of Joshua’s performance since we DVR’d it. Headed for bed at 1010pm.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Spring, 80 degrees, Sunshine & Golf

This time I woke on time after a refreshing night of sleep. Still, given my druthers, I would’ve slept for another hour or so. I headed downstairs a few minutes early and started a pot of coffee since I failed to do so the evening before.

I glanced out back revealing a mostly clear sky. I opened the door to drink in the warm spring air. After exercise (sit-ups and curls) I learned that it was already 58 degrees with an expected high of 84 under sunny skies. Definitely not typical mid-March type weather.

After PC time and in a moment of weakness, Instead of moving to mediation I plopped down on the sofa and rested for another ten minutes. I didn’t fall asleep but reckon I could’ve had I laid there long enough. At 620am I headed upstairs with Mindy’s coffee. She was colder than usual. I gave her a kiss then headed downstairs to stretch and then ready for my run. Finished stretching by 628am and quickly dressed for a run. I didn’t get out the door until 635am. Not bad, but not as early as I have been of late. 

It was nice, and I was probably a tad over dressed with a thick wicking shirt. But all in all, I was fairly comfortable and ran the full 4.1 miles. Back at home by daybreak, I quickly headed in to retrieve the pug. I did the sitting at the bottom of the stairs trick. Still works. Not sure why. We headed out walking towards Chrissy & Kenny’s place. Eikanrf took care of her business but at a more leisurely pace. 

Mindy was cool to my presence and acted a bit put out when I reminded her that I had plans to golf after work with Tom C. I was sure that I told her about it Monday after it was canceled, but she seemed to recall me saying it was 230pm instead of 430pm. Why would I golf at 230pm when it’s a work day? Despite the tension, the kids and I were in good spirits if for no other reason that the summery weather forecast.  Mindy headed out near 730am and I headed off to the shower.

It didn’t take me too long to ready. I was back downstairs by 755am. I used the time before the bus stop to throw together my lunch. My golf clubs were already in the Accord.  I wore a wicking golf shirt to work. The kids and I headed out at 806am. It was gorgeous! Met Chrissy and the girls at the bus stop. Chrissy confirmed that they planned to get their new puppy that evening.

I walked Eiknarf out front a little after the bus picked up the kids. Looks like I’ll need to mow by the weekend if not sooner. This will be the earliest by far that I’ve had to mow in recent memory. 
I threw a few more items in the dishwasher then ran it just before heading out the door for work. It was a fast drive into the office. It was so lovely walking in that I hated to do it. I wanted to just keep walking – the sun, the birds, the warmth … 

Most of my day was consumed working urgent reactive matters, which has been far less frequent of late. Stayed busy all day long expecting holding out hope that I’d be able to leave at 4pm to meet Tom at Indian Springs.

Things were looking good for the early departure and the weather down right spectacular. It was 85 degrees and mostly sunny. I left the office right at 4pm. I tried calling Mindy to let her know for certain that I was golfing. Went to VM. She called back about ten minutes later as I was passing through Plain City. Still cold, I let her know that I was golfing and would be home near 8pm.

Tom called a couple minutes later to ask my ETA. He said he and his pal were there and waiting. I was still 15-20 minutes out, but expected to arrive at or very near 430p. I pulled up right at 430pm. Only about five cars in the lot. Looked like Tom and partner were already at the #1 tee box. I went in and paid - $21 unlimited golf with cart.. Talked with Dan for a while, the course pro who has been there for three years or so. Nice guy! 

I headed out to the tee box to meet Tom and Chad. They were understandably ready to tee off. I had to laugh having not swung a club since last September, or almost 6 months. Yikes! I took a practice swing or two then took a whack. Not bad. Straight, but low and slightly left of center. Hit my 2nd shot short and 3rd shot on, but three putted. The greens were dark green but long, bumpy and slow. Tom chipped in from off the green. J

I was just happy to be golfing. Aside from mostly bare trees, you wouldn’t guess that it was March. Not only was is warm, but there were thousands of bugs of various varieties buzzing and flying around like mid-summer. Dan warned that they had just cut the fairways that morning. There were clumps of grass everywhere, and the course was probably as bad as I’ve ever seen it. But then again, it’s mid-March no one thought we’d be golfing this early. 

I played poorly but didn’t fret even for a minute. I wasn’t expecting much. I shot a 53 on the front, but most of that was due to three putting almost every green save for one or two. No one was putting any better with the greens like they were. 

We elected to keep playing at the turn, getting in three more holes before calling it a day. As usual my fairway woods were very inconsistent.Finished up around 730pm. Chatted briefly with Tom and Chad then headed for home. The sunset in my rearview mirror was absolutely stunning. And as it near the horizon it seemed to swell two to three times its usual size (an optical illusion). Awesome! Thousands of bugs bounced off my windshield. And unfortunately, my windshield juice was no match for these bugs. 

It was close to dark as I entered 270 south at 161. Mad good time, arriving home at 802pm. Mindy and the kids were all out front riding bikes, scooters or sitting on the bridge. I had to stop on the driveway apron. Mindy’s Pilot was parked too far over on the driveway. I moved it myself then parked the Accord.

I was ravenously hungry, and had been thinking about that leftover cheeseburger the entire drive home. I heated it up right away while also snacking on peanuts and cashews. Jacob said they had just arrived home from dinner with dad. Mindy, it turns out, went to the Rusty Bucket for dinner. She let Jacob have her leftovers.

The cheeseburger hit the spot. Headed upstairs to change into my PJs. Downstairs, Bella shared that it was forecasted to hit 88 with nothing but sunshine on Wednesday. Holy smoke! The kids tuned the TV to Pawn Stars. I joined the family catching about 30 minutes of it together as a family. Mindy begged off to bed at 911pm. Jacob headed up too. Bella and I stayed up watching more TV and enjoying a snack. I had two bowls of Cheerios. My hunger now completely satisfied, I started to dose from the sofa. I woke when Bella begged off for bed. Thinking it was near 10pm. She asked that I tuck her in shortly. I’m guessing that it was near 1045 when I woke and headed up to bed, stopping first to tuck in Bella and drop off the pug. Bella was still awake. Good night moon!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Grilled Burgers & Corn on the Cob



Stuck somewhere between a dream and reality, I was convinced that it was time to get up, so I rolled out of bed, brushed my teeth and headed down to the kitchen. I remember finding it odd that I couldn’t smell coffee brewing. After all, I knew I had the coffee maker set to auto-brew on at 530am. When I glanced at the stove clock the answer was clear. It was 437am. What? How could that be? I checked the CATV box clock too. It said the same. Shoot!  I woke an hour early. Having already shaken the sleepies, I was briefly conflicted with what to do. But it only took a few seconds for me to decide. I opted for another hour of sleep. I headed back to bed.
I fell back asleep fairly quickly and slept hard. Come 530am I didn’t feel like getting up. Instead, I wanted even more sleep. I worried that might happen. Still, I drug myself from bed and headed downstairs to exercise. This time I could smell the brewing coffee. That helped snap me out of the sleepy funk.

I proceeded to complete my exercises, both sit-ups and push-ups. Next, I headed to the PC with coffee where   I spent the next 15 minutes. By then it was 610am. Feeling sleepy again, I decided to deliver Mindy’s coffee before mediation and stretching. And once at her bedside, I knew what I was going to do. I grabbed my pillow and headed back downstairs for the couch where I slept for another 20 minutes or so before waking to ready for a stretch and a run.

The extra rest felt nice, but I don’t think I went fully out. Instead, I laid there with my eyes closed the entire time. And by the time I leaped to my feet, stretched and dressed for a run it was already 650am. I knew heading out the door that I would most likely miss Mindy’s departure, especially if I ran the usual 4.1 miles. I didn’t feel like cutting the run short, either. I ended up running the full 4.1 miles. And because of the late start, it was daybreak almost from the outset and full daylight by the time I got back home. By then it was 735am, and Mindy was already gone.

Bella was busy at the stove putting eggs in Eiknarf’s bowl. She shared that here mother left for school and Jacob had already walked the dog. Thanks! I ate my eggs then scooted off to the shower. Jacob came down and asked why my run took so much longer. I explained my later than usual start. Off to the shower by 745am.  I had to hustle but knew that I could be ready well ahead of bus time. I was downstairs again by 802am.

The kids and I headed out at 808am. It was really nice outside. We greeted Chrissy and the girls at the bus stop. Chrissy shared that they intend to get a third puppy on Tuesday, an English bulldog from her sister. OK! The bus arrived closer to 815am. Eikanrf and I headed home where I took my time doing final prep before leaving for the office. Among my pre-departure tasks were carrying up my golf clubs from the basement then packing a pair of shorts and ankle socks in my back pack. My buddy Tom C. sent an email Friday afternoon asking me to meet him at Indian Springs after work Monday for a round of golf. I planned to join him if at all possible.

Lots of dew on the Accords windows which I scraped off with a squeegee just before backing out. Quick drive in. Arrived at the office near 840am, and it was closer to 9am by the time I was fully settled and logged in. I took a few minutes to plan out my day knowing full well that it might change. Still, nothing gets accomplished without a plan. I had a brief visit with my boss then a chat with a peer, both taking place before 10am. There were four meetings on my calendar taking place between 11am and 230pm. That pretty much sealed the deal for any thought of taking a real lunch break. It just wasn’t gonna happen.

Sometime mid-afternoon Tom C. emailed again only this time canceling our Monday evening golf plans but also rescheduling for Tuesday same time. Wasn’t sure about that. I didn’t want to respond until I checked with Mindy later. Lately, we’ve had oodles of after work events planned pretty much preventing me from giving an immediate thumbs up.  Late afternoon I asked my boss how he wanted to handle the missed comp day last week, OT or taking a day off this week. My preference was taking another day this week, but he asked that I claim the OT.  

I finished my work day around 510pm and gleefully headed out of the office into the lovely 78 degree weather. It was sunny, but had apparently just recently rained made obvious by the wet lot, walks, and puddles. One on 270 south it was dry. Must’ve been a very small rain cell. I celled mindy but Bella answered. She was in good spirits and started telling me about her day. As she often does, she hung up on me by accident. She called back quickly and handed the phone to her mom. We talked only briefly so Mindy could return to grilling dinner, burgers I presumed, at least based on conversation Sunday night.  

Arrived home around 530pm. Jacob was off to soccer practice and Bella was out riding her scooter with friends. Carl was across the street mowing his lawn. This might be the earliest full tilt spring that I can ever recall. Everything is in bloom and we’re still in the teens of March. Some trees are a full 6 weeks earlier than normal. And heck, we’ve had spring flowers, like daffodils and crocus, sprouting since late January. The daffodils flowered 1st week of March. I’ve warned many that we could easily get a cold winter blast that kills the early bussing flowers and trees. That very thing happened 5 or 6 years ago. But even then we didn’t bloom this early and weren’t nearly as sunny and warm. This year we’ve literally gone from snow skiing to late spring in seemingly the snap of my fingers. 

Mindy continued grilling the burgers while I took care of emptying my back pack of lunch containers. We talked about our days and how well Bella’s doing with her Focalin. Seems to be making a significant difference in her overall performance. In fact, so much so that it’s almost hard to believe. 

Dinner was served around 545pm. I put together my own burger with the usual fixins. I got out what was left of Sunday’s guacamole, too, along with Rita’s pita chips. Mindy made tater tots and corn-on-the-cob as well. I had just a few tater tots and an ear of corn. It was good. Bella loves corn-on-the-cob. She’s recently learned how to attack the ear like a typewriter register. J 

Makayla stopped over mid-way through dinner. We offered to feed her too. She accepted the offer.  Once the heavy food hit my belly I was overcome with a case of the sleepies. As soon as clean-up was completed I went horizontal on the sofa falling asleep quickly, and well before Mindy left to take Bella to gymnastics. I woke before Mindy got back home and headed to the livingroom and my PC, though I was still a little groggy. 

Mindy joined me in the livingroom sitting in the recliner with the pug. Somehow or another, my Internet Explorer was upgraded to their newest version, 9.0. And for some reason Flash wasn’t working. I messed with that for about 15 minutes before giving up and resorting to reading my book. Mindy and I were sitting doing our own thing when Jacob returned home from soccer practice. He wasn’t very polite to his mother’s questions and requests upon his entrance and left the usual trail of soccer gear as he made his way to the fridge. I wasn’t happy about either. 

When I asked Mindy if she was gonna make him follow through on her request to put his soccer stuff away she chose instead to go off on me. Really? I, on the other hand, chose to bite my tongue. Mindy soon upped and headed into the kitchen after Jacob. I returned to my PC and continued efforts to correct my I.E. issue. It dawned on me that I was tinkering with the internet options on Sunday and clicked on the compatibility tab ‘designed for older browsers’. After disabling it, Flash started working again. Hooray for me! 

Mindy asked if I planned on going after Bella. Yes. Though already in my PJs, I headed out at 822pm. Took 7 minutes to get there. Bella was just wrapping up. As we made our way to the Accord, she asked if we could stop at Wendy’s. No. She commented that she’ll keep asking until the one day when I say yes. 

We weren’t home long at all before Mindy dispatched Bella to the shower and then declared that she was heading to bed early. I stayed up for another couple hours watching American Pickers with Bella until 10pm and then by myself for and hour napping again from the sofa. I headed up to bed near 11pm. 


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Spot Free Car Wash Never Lasts



I wasn’t up and out of bed until 815am. I thought I might wake with a headache but that wasn’t to be. Felt fine. The sun was up but guarded by random clouds. There were even a few scattered sprinkles. I started a pot of coffee then checked in with work and played on the internet. 

Decided to head out on my run at 930am. By then the sky was starting to clear. It was a lovely spring run with temps near 60 degrees. I was home near 10am. I heard Mindy stirring around upstairs. I poured her a cup of coffee and had it waiting when she joined me downstairs. After a couple minutes we took Eiknarf on a morning walk going quite a bit further and longer than we usually do. As we approached home, we ran into Connie (Darwin’s wife) out doing her morning walk. We chatted briefly. She, Darwin and Jordan spent a few days in New York city the week prior. Sounds like Jordan has some modeling opportunities. 
At some point Mindy talked with Chrissy learning some very sad news. One of the groom’s best friends who was at the wedding Saturday passed away overnight in the hotel. He was 31 years old and leaves behind 3 small kids along with a wife. His passing was a shock to all, and an obvious heart break for Josh on what is supposed to be a very special memory. 
We were expecting the kids home before noon. Mindy worked on a grocery list but because the weather was so lovely she decided, temporarily anyway, to set grocery shopping aside so she could instead enjoy the spring day. I headed out to power wash the front porch and walkway, something I typically wouldn’t get to until June, if at all. I checked in with work once again finding everything quiet.

I wheeled the power washer out front then drug the hose around. I couldn’t get the spray nozzle loose from the hose. I ended up cutting it off and replacing the male end. Good thing I keep a supply of those around. Took a while, but I finally got the power washer started. I spent the next two hours power washing the porch, walk and both of our cars. The porch was coated with algae or green slime for getting so little sunlight. I don’t think I power washed last year, so there was two years worth of build up.

The kids got home while I was power washing. I asked that they enter through the garage. Lindsey and the boys came over to do laundry too. I asked the same of them. I had Mindy fill a bucket with Dawn and warm water so I could wash the cars. I washed her Pilot first. We hadn’t given it a bath since last summer. I washed the Accord before using he shami since they were right next to one another. I kept the Pilot wet while washing the Accord so it wouldn’t spot. 

Landon wanted to fish. I encouraged as much but insisted Lindsey help him in between loads of laundry. I was a little irritated that I had to ask. She could see that I was busy with chores. Mindy helped get Landon’s fishing pole set-up. Somehow or another the line was snagged inside the reel.

I spent another 30 minutes detailing both the Pilot and Accord. After getting both cars cleaned up, I got the bikes down from the garage ceiling and put air in all the tires. Lindsey and boys left around 130pm to attend Rocky’s confirmation, an important rite of passage for Catholics (first confession). Said she’d be back afterwards to finish up her laundry. Next on my agenda was spraying the many weeds sprouting in our flower beds with Round-Up.

Mindy decided to head to grocery store after all.  I’m thinking it was around 3pm. While she was away, Jacob was off playing with friends while Bella was giving bike riding another go round. Both Mindy & Emily were giving her some pointers. After tiring of trying the bike, all the girls switched to scooters. However, Bella eventually came moping back home sad because her friends were scootering faster than her. She was feeling sorry for herself and went in the house. 

Before I wrapped up outside she came to Jacob’s bedroom window to ask if I would take her to the park. Yep! Let’s go. I insisted she hurry before Lindsey and the boys got back. All three neighbor girls came a calling about the same time. Bella invited them to join us but only after asking their mom’s. I suggested we head down by Chrissy’s while they asked. I decided to take Eiknarf along too. And just as we were walking away, Mindy returned from the grocery store. Bella gave her the low down on our plan. Said she’d likely join us on her bike after putting groceries away. All the girls got a thumbs up from their parents and joined us. The girls rode their scooters while Eiknarf and I walked. Obviously they were much faster than the two of us but waited at every street crossing.

The girls played at the park for at least 30 minutes, probably longer. While there, a scary storm was brewing just to our north while remaining mostly sunny directly overhead. It wasn’t moving away from us very fast at all, and even seemed to be expanding in size. We figured it wise to bag the park and head back home.

Mindy was in the kitchen and busy starting dinner. Her original plan was to grill chicken but with the threat of storms she opted instead for the grill pan and stove. The storm just to our north continued to grow, and soon there were sirens warning of an approaching thunderstorm. The kids, especially Rocky, were freaking out. We tuned the TV to the news where the weather prognosticators were busy sensationalizing the storms intensity. Just to our north in Hilliard and Dublin there were reports of golf ball sized hail, heavy winds and rain. Next to come was a tornado warning, which used to mean one was cited, but not any longer. Now all that means is that conditions are ripe for one.  

The southern edge of the storm eventually crept down towards us. In kind, we got brief heavy rain and widely scattered pea-sized hail. It didn’t last any more than 10 minutes. I had to laugh because once again, I washed my car and didn’t get to drive it spot free.  

The passing storm shook Rocky to his core despite everyone consoling him. His overt anxiousness was grating my nerves. Thankfully, once it cleared overhead, Lindsey and the boys headed home. I failed to mention that the neighbors joined us for dinner, too. They headed home around 7pm. It was nice to have a quiet house again. Once the storm passed and darkness set in, the sky cleared making for a muggy spring evening.  
I spent the remaining hours playing on the computer and then took a brief nap on the livingroom floor. We headed to bed at pretty much the same time with Mindy wanting some snuggle time. When she rolled over to fall asleep, I got up from bed and headed downstairs to do a little reading. I read for about 30 minutes before getting really sleepy. I’m thinking it was 11pm when I headed up to bed for the second time.