Celebrating Gloria @ 78

It was one of those nights when good sleep proved evasive. I got out of bed feeling as though I had been cheated out of a good night’s sleep. It didn’t take long to shake the sleepies. Once sit-ups and push-ups were behind me I was good to go.

I played on the computer while enjoying coffee until almost 620a when I headed to the family room for meditation and stretching. I wasn’t too worried about the time, figuring it good if I arrived at work by 9am. I had plenty of time to meet that goal.

It was 643am by the time I was heading out for my run. It was a balmy 73 degrees under clear skies. Steamy by any measure. I ran the full 4.1 miles for the first time since last Wednesday treating the entire four-day weekend like a normal weekend and running only three miles each day. I held up well, though I soaked my running shirt with sweat. So wet that I could literally wring it out when I finished.

Back at the house I started my breakfast and packed a lunch. I could hear Eiknarf crying from Bella’s room. She let her out just as I was preparing to head up for a shower. Crap! She really wanted eggs but I insisted on walking her first. That’s how we roll. It was closing in on 8am by the time I hit the shower.

Mindy got up just as I finished my ready and was heading downstairs. She asked if I planned to enjoy some more coffee. Yes. We stepped out on the deck enjoying the summery weather. Mindy reminded me that we were meeting her family at 6pm at Minelli’s south for dinner in honor of Gloria’s b-day. Yes, we celebrated last Sunday but this was her official b-day.

I left for work around 835am driving the Accord. I suppose I could’ve driven the BM’er but didn’t. I allowed myself to get all worked up over all I needed to accomplish in the next two days. I was already stressed even before I unlocked my office door. After being out for four days straight there were a number of issues needing my attention that weren’t on my to-do list. That only added to the stress. I had to join a couple calls right out of the shoot too. One didn’t go that well.

Even with all the distractions and my lengthy to-do list I seemed to be on top of things by 1pm. I thought I might run to Lowes and/or Target, but when I got to the front door I saw that it was pouring rain. I thought better of heading out, opting instead to simply stay in eat my packed lunch and get caught up on my heavy workload. I was happy to see the rain. We needed it badly.

Sticking around was a wise move. I made even more progress through the afternoon and by the time the work day drew to a close I was feeling much better about things but still in a crusty mood. I left for home near 525pm. I called Mindy right away to let her know that my intentions were to meet them at home and ride together to Minelli’s. We left that up in the air earlier. Said she spent most of the day cleaning out the spare room, a project she’s had on the list for quite a while.

Arrived home around 540pm. Mindy further shared that she had a house full of kids over most of the day. However, by the looks of things she kept it in fair order even with a crowd of kids. We left for dinner after just a few minutes at home where I snacked on some nuts and then brushed my teeth. We arrived at Minelli’s near 6pm. Several others, including Gloria, were already there.

There ended up being 14 of us there for dinner. We had three dinner tables lined end to end. We ordered drinks first, then our dinners. My rule of thumb has always been to order only pizza from Minelli’s. Anything else I’ve had from there I’ve not cared for. There pizza, however, is my all-time fave. I thumbed my nose at convention having had my fill of pizza of late and ordered their beef ravioli instead. Mindy and the kids went with sandwiches of some sort. I enjoyed my side salad but it was as plain as plain gets. My beef ravioli wasn’t very good. I’m guessing it bought frozen then boiled to life. I didn’t openly complain. My expectations weren’t high anyway.

Larry & Jodie brought a b-day cake. After dinner everybody enjoyed cake in Gloria’s honor, including the Minelli’s staff. We left around 730pm to take Bella to gymnastics. It was 755pm by the time we dropped her off. Mindy planned to let her stay until 9pm.

At home Jacob was excited to show-off his new soccer/lacrosse net that he bought with his own money. We headed out in Trena’s backyard (think flat) to play a little soccer with me goal tending. Our play ended when the ball ended up in the pond and Jacob had to wade out in the waste deep muck to get it. He headed in for a shower immediately after.

While Jacob showered, Mindy went after Bella, and I curled up in the family room chair with my book. After his shower Jacob joined me in the family room and watched pawn stars. I did my best to tune out the TV while reading. Mindy and Bella were home around 915pm. Mindy & the kids were off to bed before 10pm. I stayed up reading until almost 11pm.