Summer Vacation Officailly Begins

Up at 615am. Once again, a cloudy start. Exercise as usual, including push-ups. I planned to work from home and got busy well before my run. Ran 4.1 miles. Mindy slept extra late. Don't think she was up until sometime after 10am.

Mindy left for a Honda oil change appointment around 11am and planned to pick-up Jacob from his overnight immediately after. I stayed very busy with work through mid-morning and the early afternoon. I was a tad anxious with all I still needed to complete work-wise before officially being on vacation, and at the same time preparing for our New York trip. As usual, it helped after I completed HV/Niagara Falls vacation checklist.

The afternoon moved swiftly, and soon the work day was behind me, though it wasn't official until I set my out of office and forwarded both my BB and desk phone to recorded vacation message. Come 530pm I declared myself on vacation for two weeks.

Mindy and I decided to do dinner at Barley's, but Bella wanted badly to stay and play with Makayla even after spending most of the day with her and the other island girls boating at Deer Creek. Mindy agreed to let her stay home under Chrissy's supervision. Jacob asked if neighbor Jake could go along. Yes. Mindy, me, and the two boys wearing their fashionable snap backs headed off to Barleys.

Parked in the back lot. Not much of a bar crowd. Steve Wonn was in. Chatted with him briefly before heading to a table in Justin' area. Mindy & I enjoyed beers while the two boys had Dr Pepper's. Their food orders were identical: chicken tenders tossed in buffalo and gates on the side. Mindy had a pasta dish while I had a Cuban. I ate only half. Took the rest home. I drank two beers, Mindy just one. During dinner, I reminded anybody that would listen that I was on VACATION!

Home near 830pm, we spent the rest of the evening on the deck streaming Pandora while the kids lit off small fireworks: bottle rockets, sparklers, and a few roman candles. The boys were more interested in the more dangerous variety while the girls were content with the sparklers. Called it a night near 10pm.