Answering the call for Wendy's

Probably fallout from Sunday’s lack of quality sleep, I didn’t want to get out of bed come Tuesday morning despite sleeping really well. I stayed in bed as long as I could while remaining somewhat on track relative to my typical routine. I was downstairs in the kitchen by 550am. I remembered that I didn’t prep coffee the night before either. I took care of that right away.

I glanced out back seeing frost and clear skies. Looked really cold. I slipped into my exercise shoes then headed to the living room where I whipped out 50 sit-ups. The wait wasn’t more than two or three minutes. By the time it was ready, it was also time to wake Mindy. I took her coffee before enjoying any for myself. Once she was awake, I headed back downstairs and spent another 15 minutes or so online.

Wasn’t surprised to read that the Steelers won the MNF game, but was surprised that they had to rely on OT. In the NFL, it’s any given Sunday. The temperature, according to Yahoo weather, was 27 degrees. However, with clear skies and next to no breeze, that wasn’t too bad. I broke away for meditation and stretching near 625am. Both went well. I was behind by about 5 minutes. No worries!

For the first time in a couple of weeks, I could feel a bit of stiffness in my neck and shoulder. I did numerous back stretches in an effort to relieve any discomfort. It was minimal but didn’t subside, even after the stretching. I dressed and left for a run around 645am. Jacob had just come downstairs for his breakfast as I was heading out the door. Wished him a fun school day.

As expected, it was cold but nothing I couldn’t handle. A ½ mile into my run I was very comfortable. I ran the full 4.1 miles with issue. Felt terrific. Mindy had her Pilot warming in the driveway by the time was home. Our garbage can had been emptied. I drug it back to its resting place before heading in to get the pug. The pug was still in bed. I had to have Bella go after her. Mindy was just about to back out the drive when Eiknarf and I made our way back to the house.

Enjoyed my breakfast while also chatting with Bella. Reminded her about stowing her glasses in her zippered book bag pocket versus the mesh pouch. She agreed to move them. Headed up for a shower. While toweling off after a quick shower, I spotted a fairly good sized buck crossing our street and walking along the pond. I called out for Bella to come see. She stood on the corner tub to get a bird’s eye view. Cool!

After my ready, I spent time throwing together a lunch, the regular stuff, nuts, cheese, fruit and veggies. Bella and I headed out at 810am. We met Chrissy and Makayla. It was still cold – below freezing. Makayla was wearing only a thin hoodie. Said she lost/misplaced her winter jacket. Not at our place. The bus was a few minutes early again. Cool. Eiknarf and I walked out front of the house for a minute or two then headed inside.

I printed off the PDF insurance application for Lindsey to sign then sent her a text asking her to stop by after work to sign so we can get her new car insurance completely squared away. That’s been weighing on my mind, one of those dangling to-dos that really shouldn’t be my concern whatsoever, especially given her age (28). It is what it is.

I enjoyed a 2nd cup of coffee then headed off to work. I noticed I was getting low on gas but had plenty enough to get me through another day. Arrived at the office near 850am and was quickly settled. I still had a half pitcher of water at my desk from Monday. I didn’t bother going after more. I dug into the day’s agenda in a hurry. I had a lot of stuff I wanted to get done.

Right out of the shoot I was hit up for help and had to put aside my proactive to-dos. It’s a good thing that I am a multitasker. I’ve had to further hone those skills in my new role just to survive and remain sane. My boss stopped by midmorning just to chat. We talked for a while, him sharing how his weekend at the cabin went. We talked shop stuff too. Briefed him on a couple issues that I knew were important for him to be updated.

I didn’t take a formal lunch break, but did take a half an hour to finally upgrade our cell phones. Mindy recently bought our MRM season passes, so I agreed to pay for our cell phone upgrades. I wanted to speak with a sales rep before ordering online just to make sure I fully understood the monthly impact to our bill as well as the upfront out-of-pocket costs. I got Mindy & I Samsung Galaxy III’s, hers white, mine black. We upgraded our ‘home’ cell phone to an iPhone 4. Our monthly bill will go up by $15 but that’s with 3 smartphones as opposed to just two prior. Of course we’re being forced off the unlimited data plan too, but we’ve never been ones to use that much. Mindy’s current Droid 2 is well beyond its usefulness. Been dropped and abused one too many times. On the other hand, my Droid X is still fine, as is our LG ‘home’ cell phone.

Through mid and late afternoon, I stay focused on my aggressive to-do list while also taking care of those pesky escalations. I still needed to put the finishing touches on a monthly service review presentation for Wednesday. I didn’t get to that until 330pm. It didn’t take long. All the hard work was done.

I left for home around 515pm feeling really good about all that I accomplished. I called Mindy on my drive home. Lindsey and the boys were there to sign that insurance form. Mindy needed to go. She was getting ready to take Bella to gymnastics. The drive home was about as easy as it has been in the last two weeks. No slowdowns. Got home by 540pm. Lindsey and the boys were pulling away as I pulled in. Mindy and Bella were just about to leave too.

I took care of my chores (rinsed lunch containers and prepped Wednesday’s coffee). Dinner was on the stove, inferno chicken, rice, and Brussels sprouts. There was half a bowl of mac and cheese on the table, assumed it to be Bella’s leftovers as she often eats before gymnastics. I couldn’t resist. I polished what little was left.  Before Mindy got back, I scanned Lindsey insurance app then emailed it to Josh, her agent. Mindy got home just as I was finishing up. Good timing! She must’ve been hungrier than I. Loudly declared it dinner time as she romped into the kitchen.

She asked if I ate what was left of Bella’s mac & cheese. Yes! Uh-oh, she shared that Bella was bent on finishing it later when she got home. Oops! I’ve heard that a hundred times!  Dinner was delicious, though I could only eat half the inferno chicken that she dished up for me.

After dinner, Mindy & Jacob left to get Bella’s prescription filled and also stop for art supplies at the teacher store in Mill Run. Jacob’s not at all thrilled to be in art class this quarter. I only shared that he should give it a chance and channel his creativity. It’s very likely that someday he’ll appreciate both art and music class. They left unsure of their ability to swing by and pick-up the peanut after gymnastics. No problem, I told her that I would do it. I didn’t say anything, but planned to stop at Wendy’s to make up for eating her mac & cheese. I knew that would make Bella happy.

Before leaving, I called my mom to see how her knee was doing. Said that brother Tommy & uncle Chuck were there at the time of my call. We didn’t talk all that long. It didn’t sounds as though her knee is making the kind of progress it should. I asked if she was interested in seeing Manheim on Dec 22nd with Glenn and dad, Mindy & I. She said not. Couldn’t see herself struggling to get around. OK. Wished her well then left to get Bella.

It was a fairly easy drive to the gym, though I still absolutely abhor driving that part of 270. It’s been under heavy construction for more than a year now with narrow lanes bordered by concrete barriers that are difficult to navigate and see in the dark. Arrived at the gym at 725pm. Got to see Bella rehearse her trampoline routine. She has another gym meet this Saturday. This one is in Columbus and on the westside. I remembered to bring Laurel’s water bottle and handed it to her after practice. She made sure to point out that she and Bella were wearing the same outfit. Too cute!

As Bella and I walked to the Accord, Bella asked if we could stop at Wendy’s. I planned to stop anyway, but didn’t immediately answer. Once we were rolling I explained what I had done and that I would stop at Wendy’s to make it up to her. She was quickly over me eating the rest of her mac & cheese.  She asked me to tune the car stereo to WNCI too. I obliged. Heck, it’s only once or twice a week for 5 minutes. It’s nice to hear her happy and singing in the back seat. The little things!

We stopped at the Wendy’s sharing space with the Pilot station at Wilson and I-70. Ordered the regular, chicken nuggets and fries. Had to pull forward and wait for our fries. No other cars were behind us. NO biggie. Took only an extra minute or two.

Mindy and Jacob were already at home when we arrived. I quickly headed upstairs to change into my PJs. Ahh, now that feels terrific! Bella ate her dinner and called her daddy. After eating Mindy dispatched her to the shower. In preparation for our new cell phones, I wanted to make sure that both of our many contacts were backed up online via VZW’s back-up assistant tool. I could access mine just fine, but was having trouble figuring out how to get to Mindy’s. I had to call customer service. Sharonda was very helpful, though she shared that she wasn’t 100% sure how to do it with a 2nd and 3rd phone either. Turned out, her instructions worked fine. Essentially had to create a new subaccount under My VZ. The biggest problem was accessing the temp password she texted to Mindy’s phone. As mentioned before, it has a mind of its own. It was cycling through several screens – all but the one I needed. I’d hit the text to open it up and it would go back to the home screen! I wanted to scream … or throw it!

Left my PC and headed to the family room with Mindy and Bella around 815pm. Actually, Mindy was on her laptop playing Solitaire. I tuned to the TV to the History Channel watching a program about comets and asteroids. Mindy headed to bed just after 9pm. Not long after she headed up for bed I fell soundly asleep on the sofa while watching the History Channel. Heavenly!!!