Barley's Night

Slept in until 615am. Rolled out of bed just before Mindy's alarm sounded.

Did sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups.

Delivered Mindy's coffee near 630am.

Much warmer start. Already 27 degrees.

Enjoyed coffee and internet. Checked work for any pressing matters, escalations. Quiet.

Thought Bob & Mary Ann were heading off to HV that morning. Sent a well-wishing text. Unfortunately, there was a little rain in the Saturday HV forecast, but snow again on Sunday and Monday. Seems Bob & M.A. are hard pressed to escape an HV trip without at least some rain. And the funny thing is, the last 15+ days have all been snowy and in the freezer.

Jacob was soon off to school, next Mindy, and then Bella. Bella waited for the bus at the door again.

I walked Eiknarf after everyone was gone. Prepared for a run soon after. Didn't head out the door until almost 830am. Still not feeling a 100%. Ran just three miles, but it was still a good one. Walks were more navigable than some of the lesser traveled neighborhood streets.

Back home, I enjoyed more coffee then got busy again with work.

Sandwiched in between work tasks and calls, I got started on our '13 tax return using TurboTax. Went pretty fast. Looks like we'll be getting a decent return despite a significant reduction to our miscellaneous deductions (mortgage interest after our spring refinance). Couldn't finish. Have to claim Mindy's Ava Anderson earnings. What a pain!
Getting the taxes all but done, I felt as though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

David sent rental car confirmation (we'll have two vehicles now). Probably a good idea for a couple reasons: room being one, but even more so, he and Anita's arrival flight arrives 3 hours ahead of us, and then their departure 4+ hours later than ours. Said he and Glenn may even ski the last day (travel day).

Finally got a shower around 230pm. Felt a lot better after. Still a little queasy, however.

Jacob, Bella and Mindy were all home from school by 415pm. Jimaken & Molly showed up to get the kids near 5pm. Before Mindy got home. Jacob told me he had no chores to complete. Mindy said otherwise when she got home. She made Jacob vacuum the downstairs just before Jimaken arrived. :)

It was 515pm when I knocked off from work. Mindy and I made plans to go to Barley's. I suggested we leave the house around 630pm.

In addition to our Friday night plans, we talked about skiing on Saturday, but the forecast was calling for a strong chance of rain and freezing drizzle. Sunday actually looked like a better day, though Jacob had a 4pm basketball game scheduled. We left our plans up in the air.

630pm came around quickly. We left for Barley's in the Pilot since it was still fairly warm. Crowded lot. Parked in the back 40 along with several others. Mindy sent out a blanket F.B. announcement that we'd be at Barley's. Before we left the house, she shared that former neighbors, David & Becky planned to join us there. Haven't seen the two of them at Barley's in perhaps two years. And then, once we were there, she shared that Jan & Jeff, and then Kerrianne & Kevin were also coming. She tried to reserve K & K a booth in Justin's section since they'd be bringing Garrett and Sawyer. As crowded as the restaurant was, they obliged her request at least initially, but soon recanted for a long wait. Made sense to me.

David & Becky showed up first. Good to see them. I've ran into David a couple times in the last year elsewhere, but hadn't seen Becky since they moved. Gave her a big hug. I know all the island kids would love to see the two of them. Jeff and Jan were soon there, too, as was our friend Rick. He eventually drifted away from our little group. Not particularly sure why. Maybe 15-20 minutes later Kevin, Kerrianne and the boys arrived. We made room at our community table until a booth was again available. By the way, I drank Centennial while Mindy, somewhat surprisingly, went with the Double Dog IPA. David and I joked that I've created a monster. :)

We hung at Barley's with our friends until after 10pm. Had three or four beers in all. Mindy had just one or two beers all evening long. She drove us home. Earlier at Barley's I ate some wings, but was still hungry when we got home. To satiate my hunger I made a cheese burrito. I joined Mindy in bed near 11pm.

Still Zero

Up near 610am.

Sit-ups, windmills, and curls.

Wake Mindy. Deliver her coffee.

Still quite cold - Zero!

Planned on working at the Hilliard office.

Was slow to motivate for my run.

Opted to wait and run after seeing Bella onto the bus.

Worked from home from 7am until just before bus time.

Did meditation and stretch just ahead of the bus' arrival. Bella waited for its arrival from the storm door.

After Bella was gone, I walked the pug then went on a run. Ran 4.1 miles.

Back at the house I showered, made eggs, then left for the office. Arrived near 10am.

Spent 4 hours of my work day taking online training. Plowed straight through the work day - no lunch break.

Left for home near 5pm. Still feeling nauseous. Been with me all week long.

Mindy took Bella to gymnastics. Knew I still wasn't feeling well. Suggested that she might spare me the agony of doing the Bella pick-up. While I tinkered online and then called David, Mindy visited with neighbor Chrissy. Mindy left to get Bella near 715pm.

Just before Mindy got home with Bella, I decided to head to bed early (around 745pm). There, I watched the Thursday night CBS comedy line-up: Big Bang, We're the Millers. Crazy One's, and Two & a Half Men. Not sure what time it was when Mindy joined me. I think it was around 9pm.

-8 & No School

Up near 6am. Still feeling of kilt - nauseous.

Exercise included push-ups.

-8 degrees with chilly wind. School canceled again.

Delayed my run until daylight. Left the house near 8am. Ran 4.1 miles. Cold but I was dressed for it and subsequently comfortable.

Working across town. Expecting it to break 10 degrees by midafternoon.

Left the house near 1015am. Our 10am meeting was canceled. Arrived near 1030am.

Worked until 1pm when I left for a rare lunch break. Headed to the bank where I deposited two checks, one of which I've had for more than three months. Discovered that I was out of deposit slips so I headed inside. Teller noted that both checks were somewhat dated (3+ months and the other 6 weeks).

Bank manager overhead and stopped me on my way out to share that I can use their new mobile app to take a picture and upload/deposit checks in the future. Cool!
Ventured across the lot to Home Depot. Haven't done much if any shopping since Xmas. Felt good to peruse their aisles. I bought nothing but gained some insight into flooring options for the basement project. Yes, we'll be getting on that soon. Promise!

Back to work near 150pm. Busy afternoon. Packed up and left for home around 445pm. Called Mindy once on the road. Colder than I expected - only single digits. Jimaken came by earlier than usual to get the kids. Mindy and I made plans to dine at CBC. I got home near 525pm.

We didn't waste much time getting spruced up and leaving for CBC. Rush hour traffic was backed up for a mile or so before the Front St exit. We opted instead to take 71S to Greenlawn. Mindy pointed out the snow rollers along Greenlawn Ave at Berliner ball fields.

Arrived at CBC around 6pm. The parking lot only about half full. First time that we parked in the regular lot since last summer. Inside, Kate was tending bar and promptly poured us both a Bodhi. It was a while before we ordered food. Mindy went with fish and veggies while I opted for and order of their wings. Had a 2nd Bodhi. Can't recall if Mindy had a 2nd or not. In any case, good food, good time. Left for home 750pm.

Kids home shortly after us. Jacob asked about leftover. Not this time. I dosed off from the sofa while watching TV. I think we were watching Modern Family reruns. We headed to bed earlier than usual - well before 10pm.

Bella's 'Gotcha Day' & Remembering Challenger 28 years Removed

 

                              -17 Degrees!

 

 

I slept in until almost 7am. While prepping a pot of coffee I was joined downstairs by both boys. Before even a hello, good morning, or any type of greeting, Landon asked if he could have a cup of coffee. Of course I didn't refuse but told him that I needed a little time to reflect/relax first. Once the coffee was finished brewing, I enjoyed a little coffee, internet and work for the next 15 minutes. I then made the boys a cup of coffee, chocolate milk, whipped cream, caramel and chocolate sauce.

It was cold alright, -17 at 725am, and that was before taking into account any windchill. I waited until almost 9am before heading out for a run. By then, everybody else was up minus Bella. Landon volunteered to walk the pug in the cold. Mindy helped him get bundled up. He and I headed out at about the same time. As I ran by, Eiknarf tried to follow in her miniature gallop. I reminded Landon to pull back on the leash so not to allow her to run or pull him.

After my warm-up lap, and once I was running due west directly into the brutally cold air, the chilly wind briefly stole the breath from my lungs. However, it didn't take too long at all for my face to thaw, not even a half mile. By then I was completely comfortable. I can't say enough about the advancement in running clothes technology. Her it was -17 and I was plenty comfortable. I ran the full 4.1 miles. And really, with all the sunshine, it was a gorgeous morning. By the time I got back to the house, all the perspiration wicking through my gear to the open air formed a thick coat of white frost, especially on my shoulders.

Back at the house, I promptly got out of my running clothes and back into my PJs. Like most mornings, once my run was out of the way, I felt a little more at peace with the world. It was mid-morning when Mindy made plans with her mom and sister to meet for lunch at Minelli's to celebrate Bella's adoption day. I was invited to join them too, but I still needed to work, and more specifically, join our ever important 1pm Tuesday call. She and all four kids left near 1230pm, and just like the that the house was completely quiet.

I joined my call as planned. Went just short of the allotted hour, which suited me just fine. Mindy and the kids were home again at what had to be close to 2pm. The kids played better (quieter) during the afternoon. The work day breezed by. Soon it was early evening. Lindsey came to get the boys near 430pm.

Not happy with just one, the kids and Mindy were pining for yet another snow day on Wednesday. Uncharacteristically, Columbus City schools called off classes around 540-6pm. Surely all the others would soon follow. Mindy boiled down the rotisserie chicken for chicken and noodles, the dinner dish she was preparing for Bella's adoption day supper. Jimaken and Molly were planning to join us. We got a fire going around 6pm. The house was soon warm and cozy.

Molly & Jimaken showed up just after 6pm. In hand, Molly had a cake made especially for Bella. We sat for dinner near 630pm. Nice time. Molly is so very pleasant. The chicken & noodles and mashed potatoes were scrumptious as always. I had two helpings. Molly offered to help with kitchen clean-up, but I would nothing of it. It's my therapy. Shortly after all the dishes were cleaned up we cut into Molly's banana, vanilla, coconut three-layer cake. I'm pretty sure she made it from scratch, the whole thing, including the chocolate frosting. Great job!

After dinner and dessert, we chatted from the family room along with the warmth of the still fresh fire, the whole time Mindy and Molly perusing Bella's baby photo albums. Thinking Jimaken & Molly left near 8pm. I still wasn't feeling that well and went to bed pretty early. Watched a little TV from bed, which always helps me fall asleep. Mindy joined me a short while later.

Getting Colder

I got up for work very near 6am. I was too excited about getting calisthenics started, but I didn't let those lazy feelings stop me. By 615am I'd whipped out all of them: sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. By then my heart was racing. Then, while pouring Mindy's coffee, I felt a little uneasy, ill even. Ugh! I shrugged it off and hurried upstairs with Mindy's coffee. The queasiness returned, and after placing her coffee on her night stand I leaped back into bed face down in my pillow. I laid there in a sleepless state until she popped up and out of bed. I knew I could just lay there. I needed to get moving.

Downstairs, I poured some coffee of my own then headed to my PC, where I checked the weather first thing. It was cold, already down to 12 degrees after peaking near 40 around 2am. It was forecasted to get drop well below zero during the overnight with windchills near -30. As a result, Mindy and the kids were hoping for school closures.

When asked earlier, I told Mindy that my plan was to work from the Hilliard office, but as the minutes went by I slowly began to waver on my plan. That queasy never really left me. As a result, I delayed my run until after Bella was safely on the bus. And by then the temperature had dropped another 5 degrees. Already down to 7. Yikes. I ran the full 4.1 miles. and actually, the cold, brisk air left me feeling almost normal again. Felt good, actually.

Back at home near 915am, I quickly shoveled Sunday's residual snow from the driveway and walk before heading back inside. And by the time I poured another cup of coffee that queasy feeling returned. I opted to play it safe and work from home. It came in waves. One minute I was fine, the next feeling as though I might need to vomit. Ugh! To get comfortable, I changed out of my running clothes and back into my PJs. That's about as comfortable as it gets. Soon I was settled into my work day.

Despite my inability to shake loose from the underlying queasy, uneasiness, I kept focused on work all day long. The day went fast - always does. Soon the kids and Mindy were home from school. Mindy stopped at Kroger on her way home to pick-up some groceries. Said she'd be making beef fajitas for dinner. She also bought a rotisserie chicken but she planned to boil it down for homemade chicken & noodles for Bella's adoption day dinner on Tuesday. The original plan was to have a celebratory dinner at the spaghetti. warehouse but due to the impending cold (-13 forecasted), we canceled.

I wasn't that hungry and still felt uneasy, but once the fajitas were ready, I eventually made one for myself. With temps already near zero, Jacob's basketball practice got canceled. And it wasn't too much later (near 6pm) that most schools in the Columbus area declared Tuesday as a calamity day. Of course as soon as the announcements hit the social media sites, I got a text from Lindsey asking if we could keep the boys. I talked it over with Mindy and we agreed to watch them. We asked that she bring them over that evening rather than early AM so not to disrupt the sleeping household.

The boys showed up around 7pm, which was shortly after Rocky's basketball practice. Both wanted something to eat, so Mindy hooked them up. With such low temps forecasted for Tuesday, I figured to work from home again as well. Despite having the boys over, the evening remained fairly calm, quiet. The boys fell asleep somewhere between 9-10pm. Mindy and I headed to bed shortly thereafter.

Gee Wally, you sure look swell on those skis!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Up at 720am - no new snow overnight - cold 10 degrees

3-4" of fluffy new snow - started near 830am

Ran at 845am - 3 miles - snowed hard throughout. Exterior fleece caked in frozen snow - eye lashes too.

Mindy up shortly after my return

Mindy's Ava party canceled due to weather

Whole family going skiing

Bella cried over going skiing - very emotional of late

Left the house near 1110am

Stopped to pick-up Jacob's buddy, Joel across the street

The roads were horrible, especially 270N which was surprisingly much worse than route 33N

Stopped snowing just after leaving the house

Arrived at 1210pm - an hour drive -(usually 40-45 minutes)

Tommy & Wally called. Would meet us there. Wally anxious to ski again. Good for Wally!

Geared up and headed up 4 Star by 1235pm.

No significant lines due mostly to cold, snowy, wintry weather

Awesome snow for new Sick Day 110's. 3 or 4" of fluffy powder. Carved up on main runs, however, but found lovely stashes along the tree lines separating the runs.

Great time, though still wisely cautious while getting to know new skis.

Met up with Cubra's, who'd been there since 9amish

Tommy texted that he couldn't wait, paid full amount for Wally lesson - arrived late (go figure!)

Met Tommy at 4 Star near 2pm. By then, Mindy and kids ready for break. I skied with Tommy and then later Bob I.

Took break near 320pm.

Had a bowl of yummy chicken & dumplings. Mindy fetched a pitcher of Goode Island IPA.

Tommy fetched Wally and met us in the lodge.

Out on the slopes again near 430pm.

Rode 4 Star up with Tommy & Wally. Skied MA's backside and then the green run.

Wally did great. Learned how to pizza stop and turn, though first run down we stopped at each zig and zag. Took Sundowner back-up - Let Wally air it out - no stopping save for a couple benign spills. Impressive!
Repeated the Sundowner thing several times. Mindy & Bella eventually met us there. They too were impressed with Wally's skiing acumen.

After 3 or 4 runs, Mindy, Bella and I peeled off from Tommy and Wally. I went to find Darwin, who sent an earlier text sharing that the family was there skiing. Spotted him a few times but we never hooked up.

Mindy, Bella and I skied together several runs. Feeling the groove with new skis. Still finding powder caches along tree line, though less and less. Still lots of piles/mounds of soft, fluffy snow.

Called it a night near 730pm, but not before hooking up once again with Tommy & Wally, only this time doing 4 Star at Wally's insistence. Mindy even tried talking him into trying the backside but he was determined to do the face.

Wally did well. Fell twice, I think, but bounced up both times and finished the run.

Met Jacob and Joel at the bottom. Headed for the Pilot. Said goodbye to Tommy and Wally.

8pm by the time we were on the road.

Mindy suggested we stop at Wendy's once off the freeway and near home.

Roads were in excellent shape for the drive home - fully scraped and clear. Great job, State of Ohio!

Picked up something for everyone but me at Wendy's. I was settled on having leftovers.

Dropped Joel at his place near 840pm.

Before pulling up the drive, I shoveled additional snow accumulation while Jacob walked the pug.

Mindy & Bella helped carry in all of the gear.

I reheated smoked sausage and sauerkraut. Mindy gave me a little of her Wendy's chili.

We headed for bed just after 10pm.

Chain Saw in a Blizzard

Snow storm

Run - shovel drive

Chain saw on pond - sawed up above water-level logs/branches from fallen ash tree

Jacob, Evan, Landon, Rocky help carry sawn timbers to compost pile.

Met Vladimir, who lives in the neighboring subdivision cross country skiing on frozen, snow covered pond.

Mindy headed out to get a few things. Asked that she pick-up a growler of Bodhi from Daily Growler.

Lindsey came over to get the boys near 430pm.

We readied and left for Darwin's 50th b-day party just after 6pm.

Pretty sure we were the only non-family members, well, us and one of Darwin's business venture partners.

As usual, they cooked up quite the spread - pulled pork, some incredible homemade macaroni, and some cheese sausage dip. Yum! Everything was super delicious.

Uncle Nick (Tammy's husband) brought his iPad so all could play a app/game called Heads Up! I'd liken it to a 21st century version of Password. Fun! Played for a couple hours.

Between Darwin and I, we polished off that growler of Bodhi, but over the course of 4+ hours. I think I had three total. Darwin was feeling no pain. In addition to the Bodhi, he was doing some shots of Woodford Reserve, too.

We planned on skiing the next day, and Darwin said he and Jordan might be heading up too. Would take Lane if he finished his homework. I, in turn, implored Lane to get on it and finish it so we could all go and have fun. He apparently ignored all pleas to get it done.

Later, Jacob & Lane bumper ski against our better judgment.

Met Dana Dietz 2 month old son (Tim's 1st GC). Can't remember his name. Shoot!

We left for home around 1030pm. We laughed our arses off when we Jacob pointed out that Darwin drove through the neighbors yard when guests refused to move their car from the foot of his driveway earlier when he took the boys bumper skiing.

Oxymoron

Up near 615am. Exercise, including push-ups.

Colder than expected -3 at 7am. Gusty winds too.

Plan to work from home.

Walked the pug in the cold. Brrrrr!

Bella waited for the bus from inside the house.

David sends Park City condo confirmation via email.

Tossed around after work/school trip to MRM - opted not for cold weather

Stayed home instead. Agreed to keep the two grandsons overnight.

Ordered Minelli's pizza

Finished growler of Bodhi

Tahoe out / Park City in

Was up near 6am. Completed exercises. It was cold but above freezing - 5 degrees.

Did a 4 mile run, heading out the door near 7am. Mindy was gone by the time I got back to the house.

Walked the pug between then and bus time. She struggled again to find a good spot, and her feet seemed to freeze/seize due to the cold and snow. She limped back to the house.

Enjoyed breakfast while Bella completed her ready for school. She waited inside the house for the bus to pull up.
Once she was safely off to school, I was off to the shower. I warmed the Accord for 5-10 minutes before leaving the house near 845am.

Cross town drive went without a hitch. Had to park in the furthest reaches of the customer's lot. There and inside by 915am. A peer was already there & setting up for the quarterly review in the conference room. I logged on and chatted with her for the next 30 minutes or so. We didn't get started until 1010am. I presented first, which I much prefer. Thought I was going to get off easy when none of the top execs joined early on, but just before I wrapped it up one of them joined the meeting late and asked to review a few of my slides. Of course that always coincides with a plethora of questions, albeit 100% legit, and likely questions I would ask. Kept me on my toes!

The entire presentation went the full hour and then some. At the time, I wasn't sure how/where I would spend the rest of the my work day. In the end, I opted to head for home feeling that I would be most productive there as opposed to a make-shift cube on campus.

Back out into the bitter cold I went making my way to the frigid Accord. Arrived home near noon. Before getting back to work, I made myself a snack and a cup of coffee. For some reason, I was incredibly hungry. It warmed into the teens midafternoon, though it was expected to get really cold again during the overnight (below zero).

David was skiing a different venue in N.C. This time a venue with 1200' vertical drop. He sent along a couple pics.
He also forwarded a note he sent to VRBO to book the 4 bedroom condo we agreed upon for Park City. I was stoked for the rebook.

Mindy had late night meetings at school. Still not sure what they were all about. Regardless, my job was to get Bella to and from gymnastics that evening. Can't recall what we did for dinner. Left to take Bella to gymnastics near 540pm. After the drop, I called David to in more detail discuss our venue change from Tahoe to Park City. Agreed it was the best thing to do. As soon as I got back home I rebooked our Southwest air travel. Hey, no change fees as advertised, though we did have to pay quite bit more for an earlier flight into SLC. But that's OK. I like the fact that we'll be landing early afternoon as opposed to night time. Sent the details to all traveling parties so that they could redo their travel plans to closely model ours. At least that was the idea. I rebooked our rental car too, changing from a full-sized SUV to a minivan to better accommodate six adults and luggage. Stoked! Sent my work buddy, Chris a text sharing the good news. For the last couple weeks he's been preaching the lack of west coast snow. He's got a mid-March trip booked for Bachelor.

Headed back after Bella near 720pm. At the time, Jacob was off playing with friends. Home with Bella near 745pm. Mindy got home from school near 8pm. I'm pretty sure she brought home Wendy's for the kids. I didn't want any, though I ate a couple chicken nuggets. Shared the rebook details with Mindy. Feeling so much better about the switch - guaranteed snow, and at one of the most coveted ski areas in all of America.

Mindy and the kids watched American Idol. Not me. Wanted nothing of it. Spent most of my time online and then off to bed fairly early.

Sippin' Brew

Up near 6am.Bitter cold. It was -4, but next to no wind.

Waited until the last minute to head out on my run and still get it in before bus time. Headed out the door near 710am. Opted to trim it to three miles, not because of the cold, but to ensure that I would be home in time to get Bella on the bus. And while the temperature was colder than Monday AM, it felt warmer given the absence of any wind. Actually a very nice run.

The temperature was still dropping, -6 by the time that I was back at home. I suggested Bella wait at the front door for the bus and run out once we saw it pull up. She whole heartedly agreed. I walked the pug between then and the school bus' arrival. As one might expect, she had a hard time taking care of her business but finally did. The school bus showed up at 8am sharp. Enjoyed my eggs and more coffee before a shower.

Let the Accord warm thoroughly before heading out. Arrived in New Albany around 910am. Was ready to head across town by 845am. Long cold walk in.

Quiet day from a customer interaction perspective. Spent most of my cycles making customer recommended tweaks to my quarterly presentation. Opted to skip a formal lunch break; plowed straight through the day.

A work buddy sent me an email detailing the bleak Lake Tahoe snow forecast. Followed up his email with a call to my work phone. Talked for a while. Shared our recent research into changing venues (Utah), though nothing eminent. Wanted me to realize that it would take almost 100" of snow fall to open most of their acreage, which would compress to 30-40" base. Agreed.

Despite no definitive plans to change venues, before leaving the house that morning, I sent an inquiry regarding a condo in Park City at the Canyons ski resort. Much to my surprise, she called my cell midafternoon. Only instead of discussing the availability she asked if I was aware of the 11am check-out time. What? Not sure that I follow. She went on to ask why I left my shirt and laptop. OK, perhaps there's some confusion. Yep, she mixed my inquiry number with her current tenant. I clarified as much. She apologized for the mix up and then shared the bad news - not available for the entire week we wanted. That, of course, wouldn't work.

David and I sent a volley of texts back and forth. I shared that the condo I inquired about was taken. He agreed to spend some cycles looking for alternative accommodations in Park City. Much appreciated him taking the reins while I finished my work day.

Left for home near 440pm. Still plenty cold, +10 degrees. Mindy and I talked for about 10 minutes agreeing to do dinner at Barley's.

I got home just as Jimaken and the kids were back out the driveway. Mindy and I left for Barley's near 530pm driving the Accord. Arrived to a lot with available parking.

Janet working the bar. Very near time for her to have her baby. Wow, the last nine months has sure gone fast.

I opted for a Uinta - Sea Legs Baltic porter. Mindy went with a sampler of four, which included a couple IPAs, a stout and a porter.

We shared a basket of fries and buffalo sauce, and then later ordered dinner. I ordered the daily special, a smoked brisket pita. Mindy ordered a Barley burger. Later, we ordered wings to-go for Jacob. I had a 2nd beer, too, a Centennial. We left for home near 735pm. I went for the car while Mindy talked with Janet and her mother, who came in minutes before we were ready to go.

Arrived home ahead of the kids. I was into my PJs by the time they actually got home. Jacob turned up his nose at the wings. We put 'em in the fridge. Checked email. David sent a few emails with Park City, Utah condo options. Did a good job. I spent about an hour inquiring. Before the night was over, we pretty much had everyone's buy-in on making the switch as well as narrowing down Utah lodging preferences, which was as close to the slopes as possible.

It was a rather early bedtime. Off to bed before 10pm.

Wii Ski? Hey, No Lift Ticket Required

Up near 6am. Snowing. Temps dropping. 18 degrees by run time.

Exercise, playtime, coffee till 650am. Headed out on run near 7am.

Ran 4 miles

Mindy gone by the time I arrived home.

Eggs waiting. Walked pug.

Bella on the bus at 8am.

Worked at home until 11am.

Headed across town for afternoon meeting.

Mindy phoned near 4pm to tell me that she was home in time to meet the Orkin man for our January appointment (probably a waste of money, but it's part of the program).

Worked across town until 445pm.

Long, cold walk to my car parked at the far end of the lot. Only 10 degrees with brutally cold wind.

Called Mindy on the drive home. Discussed the evenings logistics - delivering the kids to gymnastics & basketball practice - Mindy agreed to deliver both. I agreed to pick-up both. Jacob wouldn't be done until 930pm.

Between dinner and picking up the kids at their sporting events, I volleyed back and forth with the Tahoe gang regarding the pros and cons of sticking to our plan or exploring a venue change. The consensus still seemed to be sticking with the Tahoe plan at least for another week, but I tossed Park City, Utah out there as a viable alternative. They've got plenty of snow along with some of the country's best ski terrain - 10K acres spread across three parks.

Home Alone on MLK Day

I was up near 6am, which was right on schedule thanks to my recently revised rise time. I felt plenty rested and ready to tackle another work week. I planned to work from the Hilliard office and hoped to get my run in before 8am. I did my usual Monday exercises, which consisted of sit-ups, windmills, and push-ups. It was a holiday - MLK day - so no school for Mindy and the kids. As such, I didn't bother waking Mindy. I made a cup of coffee then headed to my PC.

It was cloudy and 32 degrees - a little warmer than it had been the last couple mornings. It was expected to reach into the upper 30s by midday but then begin a slow decline before slipping back into the freezer, and then remaining there through the end of the month. And that includes a return to subzero temperatures later in the week.

I stretched and meditated between 645and 715am. Headed out for my run a few minutes later completing the full 4.1 mile track. My legs were still a little stiff, but nothing to be concerned about. Back at home, Mindy was already up and preparing for a day with the kids at MRM. She had eggs waiting my return. I headed on up for a shower around 830am and was dressed and ready to head out the door by 9am. I took a few minutes to help Mindy load the ski gear into the Pilot. She headed out to turn it around in the driveway first to make loading that much easier. A big surprise was in store. It wouldn't start, let alone turnover. Hmmm? She just recently had the battery replaced. I assumed, perhaps, she left a light of some sort on.

I had her pop the hood. I noticed a small birds nest near the engine block, and that was about the same time she told me that the lights would work at least intermittently. I checked the battery terminals only to discover that the positive terminal was extremely loose. In fact, I could pull it off without any resistance. Obviously a case of poor workmanship from Hugh White Honda. I grabbed some tools from the garage but even after tightening it down all the way, I could still pull it off by hand with a little force. Not sure what they did to the terminal when they replaced the battery. Anyway, I was able to tighten it enough that it would start without issue. I insisted that she call Honda back and insist that they right their wrong quickly and for no charge. She proceeded to turn the Pilot around and together she and I loaded in all the ski gear.

I left for work just ahead of them. They planned a stop at First Watch on the way up for breakfast. Failed to mention that neighbor Evan was going with them. I arrived at the office near 930am and was soon logged in and settled. Boss stopped by midmorning. We chatted for a few and set up a meeting time for later that afternoon to discuss '14 performance objectives. In the meantime, i spent most of my cycle preparing/editing my quarterly presentation.

Opted to skip taking a formal lunch break. Instead, plowed straight through my day. I met with my boss for about 30 minutes at 130pm, and then joined two conference calls during the afternoon. Mindy sent a picture from MRM that showed how long the lift lines were. They were longer than I've seen in a while, that's for sure. I forwarded her picture to a couple others. I ended up at the office until 510pm. Called Mindy once I was on the road for home.
She said they were just leaving MRM. She also shared how unbelievably crowded it was. Said she's never seen lines longer - ever! Good for MRM.

Before they left for MRM, Mindy tossed several boneless chicken breasts in the crock-pot to let them simmer all day long while they skied. The plan was to shred the cooked chicken and make tacos/burritos for dinner. I got home about 20-30 minutes ahead of Mindy and the kids. As soon as I was in the door I added more garlic and pepper to the chicken while stirring and turning it. It was already so tender that it broke down into small slivers just as she planned. It had to be near 6pm when Mindy and the kids got home. They carried in all their gear and then Mindy headed upstairs to change.

Once Mindy was back downstairs and in the kitchen, she sprinkled a couple packets of taco seasoning over the chicken in the crock-pot and let it simmer for a while longer. Smelt terrific. Neither kid had events that night, which made the two of us happy. Jacob's basketball practice was moved to Tuesday due to the holiday. Jacob, Mindy and I munched down on the chicken tacos, but not Bella. She had leftover pasta instead.

Mindy suggested that she would run to Kroger or Giant Eagle real quick to get a few things we needed from the grocery. Jacob decided to ride along while Bella and I stayed at home. She ended up getting everything on the weekly grocery list. After kitchen clean-up, I edited pictures and spent a little time on my blog.
Sunday morning, I sent an email to the Tahoe contingent seeking input on whether we should consider rebooking our trip for elsewhere. The early feedback was to leave as is, at least for the time being, and that fun would be had no matter what the conditions. While true, the core reason for the trip was west coast snow skiing. Aside from some manmade snow at Heavenly, there's next to no snow anywhere else.

Mindy and Jacob were back from the grocery near 830pm. And after all the groceries were put away we watched TV from the family room. I fell asleep in the corner of the sofa, eventually waking around 10pm to an empty downstairs. I headed upstairs and slipped into bed.

Kickin' Back with a Bodhi

Was up just ahead of 8am and promptly downstairs making coffee then at my PC. It was cloudy and 23 degrees, and there was a little more snow accumulation overnight, but not much more than a dusting. I played around online for 90 minutes or so, which included my daily ritual of checking the Lake Tahoe 10-day weather forecast. Still the same - clear skies, lows in the 20s, highs in the 50s. Isn't looking good.

We didn't have solid plans for the day, but on Saturday Mindy shared that she wanted us both to spend time deep cleaning the house. Going skiing apparently wasn't in the cards, though I guess had I really wanted to I could've headed up by myself. I'm pretty sure that Mindy was up about the time I was heading out the door for my Sunday run. I got a fairly late start, not getting out the door until almost 10am.

I ran the usual 3 miles without incident. My legs were a little weary, no doubt fallout from skiing on Saturday. Before heading back inside I shoveled snow. At some point I asked Mindy what she wanted me to clean. We settled on me doing the kids bathroom and then vacuuming the entire house. She was already busy with laundry.

I'm thinking it was near noon when I got started on the kids bathroom. It was horrible, but definitely needed a thorough scrubbing. I wasn't at all pleased with Jacob's apparent poor aim, if you know what I mean. I took my time, first scouring the vanity and sink, and then the toilet and finally the shower. I did the floor last. In all, I'll be I spent a solid hour in there. I asked Mindy if she wanted me to spend time repairing the toilet while I was in there, too. I bought a rebuild kit for the toilet back before Xmas, including a new wax seal. She's the one that informed me that one of the bolts holding the toilet to the floor was corroded through. She said she'd prefer I not.

Vacuuming was next. Just before I got started Mindy told me not to worry about vacuuming the upstairs. Said she'd have Jacob or Bella do it later. I only needed to do the upstairs. I spent at least 30 minutes vacuuming the downstairs, a job that Jacob does in less than 5 minutes.

By the time my cleaning chores were completed it was nearly time for the NFL playoffs to begin, and also time for the kids to get home from a weekend with their dad. Mindy inquired about dinner more than once. I wasn't in the mood for going out and she wasn't in the mood to cook. We settled on take-out from the Big Fat and then a stop next door to fill a growler with Bodhi. She agreed to make the run. By then, the kids were home, and Jacob agreed to ride along.
While they were gone, I finally got a shower. Instead of getting into jeans, I put on comfy lounging clothes. Mindy & Jacob were gone for about 25 minutes. Soon they were home with gyros, salad, and Bodhi, Oh, and pasta for Bella.

Bella was noticeably irritated and curt ever since her arrival home. She made a smart aleck remark as we sat for dinner. Intolerant of her disrespectful behavior, I sent her to her room along with a swat to her rear. I followed her up in order to confiscate her screens. We won't be having any of that. The rest of us enjoyed our meal. After letting Bella sit in her room for 10 minutes or so, I sent Mindy up to get her so she could come down and eat her own dinner. She returned to the dinner table a much more pleasant individual and even apologized.

There were two playoff games on Sunday. The first, Denver versus New England, which the Broncos won. And then the second, the 49ers versus the Seahawks. The Seahawks won that game in the waning minutes. Exciting finish.

Sipped a couple Bodhi's after dinner while watching that second NFL playoff game. It was over near 10pm. We headed to bed shortly thereafter, but not before I asked Mindy to rub some body butter into my dry back, which had been itchy all day long.

Sick Day Saturday

I woke feeling good around 720am. Mindy didn’t budge as I brushed my teeth and eventually slipped out of the room and downstairs. I prepped a pot of Starbucks, but had to grind the beans first. It was cloudy and cold – only 13 degrees, and -1 with windchill. Fairly stiff breeze blowing. Enjoyed coffee and internet until about 845am when I left for a run. It was cold, but I was dressed for it. Like most Saturday’s, I ran 3 just miles.

Mindy was up shortly after my return from a run. While I whipped up a spinach, chicken and cheese omelet, Mindy carried our ski gear up from the basement. Texted back and forth with Tommy, working out arrangements to meet at MRM. He was bringing Wally for his first snow skiing experience.

After breakfast and clean-up, I headed up for a shower. Mindy opted to skip one. By the time were ready to head out the door it was 1150am. As fro she and I, we had no time clock. Plus, we hoped to stick around and see the band, which wasn’t slated to play until 9pm. We did, however, need to be to give Tommy the Adventure Park pass for Wally, and he needed to be there, geared up and at the A.P. building by 115pm.

We were in the middle of Marysville when Tommy sent a text sharing that he was just getting onto 33 from 270. He’d be pushing it time-wise if there was any type of crowd at MRM. The drive was easy and went really fast. We called my mom and dad during the drive up. Mom shared that the cardiologist called and wants to see her Monday at Adena. Called dad asking about Uncle Kenny, who was in Riverside with potential heart issues as well.

Couldn’t help but notice how much more snow there was on the ground in Marysville and beyond. Where in Columbus we had little more than a dusting, looked like as much as 4 or 5 inches by the time we arrived MRM. It was pretty cold and windy, too. Lucky for us, we managed to get a premo parking spot just outside the lodge in the 2nd row. And as luck would have it, the spot right next to us vacated too. I thought I spotted Tommy circling the lot and tried reaching him by call and text. No answer! Boom – spot gone! Again, we needed to give him the Adventure Park pass as well as Bella’s ski helmet for Wally.

While walking up we spotted Bob & Mary Ann, Scott & Zach, Tommy & Wally. Good timing. The park, by the way, wasn’t as crowded as we feared. No significant lines either. I gave Tommy the pass but then waited with him just in case they needed to see my membership pass, too. They didn’t. He was behind only one person but that person took forever getting passes or whatever else he was doing. God lord!!!
Meanwhile, I was chomping at the bit to get on the hill with my brand new Sick Day’s!

After Tommy got the passes worked out, told him that we’d meet him at Four Star once he had Wally in his lesson. I still hoped he’d have a little time to work with him on the bunny hill conveyor belt ahead of time, but it would be close.

Lines weren’t too long at all. Clicked into my new skis around 1pm and headed up Four Star. Bob I. made some comment about my new Ohio powder touring skis. In reality, though, they’re more than that. I didn’t respond. The snow surface was packed powder after Friday’s cold snow fall. There was snow in the evening’s forecast but I wasn’t counting on it. First run was just slow and steady, just to get used to the new boards. They’re 9 cm’s longer than my Mantra’s coming in at 179 but any fear I had of it skiing too long was quickly banished. Didn’t look or feel too long at all.

After a couple of runs all the ski peeps asked how the new skis felt. I gave the most honest response that I could. I dunno. Need more snow and more runs. The lines picked up in a hurry, but nowhere near the crowd of the prior Sunday. Tommy finally hooked up with us around 140-145pm. That it was quite the ordeal getting Wally ready and settled for the class. We skied 3 or 4 runs together before Mindy and I opted to take a break. And actually, she and Mary Ann headed in well ahead of me. I did a couple more runs with Tommy and the others. Neighbors were all there too. It was full-on ski peep day – The Gardners, O’Connell’s, Imber’s, Cubra’s, and the Tabor’s. Of course, my work buddy, Chris and his girlfriend, Tammy were there too.

Tommy, I think, did a couple more runs before joining us in the lodge. Mindy &Mary Ann already had drinks (Bloody Mary’s) by the time I found them. Mindy had bowl of beef stew too. Like most ski days, I was starving. Definitely churn through the energy stores fast. Mary Ann offered me half of a homemade deli sandwich that Bob made. And Bob’s makes a mean sandwich. This I know from traveling with him a few times. It hit the spot.

Once Tommy was on board, I went for pitcher of beer. Sadly, they were out of both IPAs they had on tap this month. Opted instead for plain old Sam Adams Lager. Enjoyed a pitcher of beer, sharing it with Tommy mostly. Bob popped in briefly but was quickly back out. We were inside for about an hour. Tommy set out ahead of all us to fetch Wally from his lesson around 330pm. He met us back in the lodge. And after Wally had some food and drink it was time to display his newly acquired skills. Before heading out, I headed to the Pilot to fetch our clear goggles. Smart move!

Like Olivia, Wally was eager to ride the main lift up the hill. He rode up between Mindy and Tommy. We planned to take him down Mary Ann’s backside just as we’d done with all the kids past. For some reason, Tommy got poles for Wally, which is a bad thing for beginners. Think balance. He struggled perhaps a little more than Olivia but never gave up and never cried, though there was a time or two when I thought that he might. We took him down Sundowner which is a flatter hill, but even that was a lot of work. He was struggling with the pizza concept for stopping or controlling his speed. But still, not too bad.

At the bottom, I suggested Tommy take him back to the bunny hill and work on turns and stops. He agreed. The two of them peeled off together while Mindy and I headed back to Four Star. We skied with the others into dark. About that same time it started snowing and accumulating in a hurry. Within an hour the runs were turned into something more akin to my new skis. I was like a kid in candy store. Man, was the snow ever fun! I was more than pleased with the snowy conditions, especially with the new boards.

We took a 2nd break around 630-7pm. For the first time all season, I had cold fingers and couldn’t shake ‘em on the hill. Heck, I was warmer at HV in subzero temps. This time my gloves got a little damp from the heavy snow fall and then using them to scrape snow away from under my butt on the lift. Kenny came in about the same time. He bought me a beer. This time I tried a New Belgium Fat Tire. Had just the one, as Mindy made sure that I knew that I was driving home. No more beer and no more George Bailey for me. Mindy ordered us a pizza, too, which we shared with the neighbors.

Tommy & Wally stopped in the lodge around 7pm sharing that they were done and heading out. Wally said he had a good time, which is all that matters. Hopefully, Tommy will get him back up where he can work on his newly acquired skills soon. We headed back out around 740pm. My gloves were still a little damp, but I decided to just deal with it. Heck, I had two other pair in the Pilot, but didn’t bother going for them. It was still snowing and coming down at a really good clip. The snow on the hill was ideal for my new skis – powdery but mucked up. Anymore, I love it like that. For the next 45 minutes or so we tore it up. Next to no lines. As much fun as we were having, come 830pm, Mindy and I collectively decided to call it a night. Word had it that the roads were bad and slow. We’d been there for 8 hours and were both tired.

After stashing our skis in the Pilot, we headed inside the lodge to bid farewell to all our friends. We also picked up Bella’s helmet that we left inside with Chrissy, who had called it a day much earlier. By the way, this, I think, was her first day on the slopes since tearing her ACL Last winter at Snow Shoe.

I got out of my exterior layer and ski boots before hitting the road. Route 33, it turns out, was even worse than I imagined. Only one navigable lane all the way into Columbus with the brief exception of Marysville proper, which pretty much had both lanes passable. Bottom line, took 75 minutes to get home (normally 45 minute drive).

Got home at 10pm. It was snowing hard at home too, but judging by the ground, nowhere near the total snow fall as MRM. While I carried all of our gear inside, Mindy walked the pug, who was more than ready and waiting. For one reason or another, I was hungry all day long. Couldn’t seem to satisfy it. I woofed down a few snacks and even made a sandwich, but not matter how much I ate, I still felt hungry. I envisioned arriving home and having a few beers or drinks, but in the end settled only for a Diet Coke and ice water. Nothing sounded better. Mindy and I headed for bed by 1040pm.

Friday Curve Ball

Slept in till darn near 625am. I didn’t prep coffee the night before , but it wasn’t such a big deal, at least for me. It did, however, delay Mindy getting hers, which wasn’t until I finished exercises. By then, she was just about to get in the shower.

I was a little surprised that it was 30 degrees. Apparently the temp went up overnight. It was snowing a little bit too. The warmth wasn’t expected to last. In fact, the temps were forecasted to drop all day eventually settling around 10 degrees later that night. A chilly Saturday in the offing, too, which suited me just fine. We planned on skiing MRM with all of our ski peeps.

Once again, Jacob was staying home from school ill, his 4th sick day that week. I opted to delay my run until after bus stop time. Around 7am I logged onto my work laptop. My plan was to crank out my contribution to a quarterly presentation by the end of the day. Mindy left for school at her usual time of 730am. I worked and played until bus stop time. Took Eiknarf out with us, and as soon as the bus pulled away with the kids, the pug and stayed out long enough for her to relieve herself. We were back inside by 806am.

I enjoyed a 2nd cup of coffee and worked a little while longer before heading out on my run around 840am. I ran just three miles. Back at the house, I opted to shovel the drive and walk free of something less than an inch of new fallen snow. Mindy had put down some salt the evening before and I was still working on the new stuff.

Inside, I had to join a 10am conference call. I waited until it was over to fry up a few eggs for the pug and I. It was afternoon in a jiffy. Stayed focused on work through mid-afternoon. I didn’t hear even a peep from Jacob, though I did let Eiknarf in his room after hearing her scratching at his door a bit earlier. Snowed on and off all afternoon. Didn’t add much accumulation but it was awfully pretty. At times it was coming down really hard.

Headed up for a much needed shower around 2pm. Nothing like sitting around all day in my running clothes. Bella and Mindy were home around 4pm. I stayed busy with work until 5pm or so. It was a Jimaken weekend, so Mindy and I made plans to visit both CBC and Barley. It’s rare for us to visit CBC on a Friday. Jacob came downstairs around 430pm, which was the first time I’d laid eyes on him all day. Said he was feeling marginally better. Jimaken was there to get the kids around 530pm. I suggested we leave for CBC around 630pm. Before then, Mindy walked down to talk to neighbor Chrissy. She was down there for almost 30 minutes. While she was away, I did a little more work and play. I even spent a little time writing for my blog, which has been behind all year.

Just as we planned, we left the house for CBC near 630pm. Last minute we opted to drive the Pilot since it was already scrapped and recently warm from Mindy’s commute home from school. We took an empty CBC growler too, just in case they had Bodhi on tap, which I expected they would.

The bar was crowded. No paired stools available immediately in the door. But that didn’t stop Vince from pouring us both a Bodhi. We sat at a small table and chairs at the corner of the bar by the window. We didn’t have to wait long, though. The couple at the corner of the bar was soon called to their dinner table. Sweet!

Working the bar along with Vince was Kevin. Haven’t seen him for a while. Then again, we haven’t been in on a Friday for a long time either, which is his normal work night (school teacher by day). Kevin soon brought us some risotto balls. Mindy doesn’t care for them so much anymore, ever since they added diced carrots along with another crunchy veggie. Says it’s a texture thing.

Mindy ordered a dinner entrée. Shocker, I know. Me, I simply went with spinach artichoke dip. Haven’t had it for a long time. Boy was it good! Enjoyed a 2nd Bodhi and shared it with Mindy, who opted not to order a 2nd. We made plans to meet Ben & Ryan at Barley’s after dinner. It was about 845pm when we settled our CBC tab and headed for home. Unfortunately, the Bodhi keg blew so there wasn’t any filling of the growler. Said they’d have another on by Saturday morning though. Jamie, the manager, talked to Mind and I at length. Shared that there’s ongoing tension between the CBC brewery and the restaurant, which are independently owned and operated. The brewery will only provide the restaurant two kegs of Bodhi per month – no more. Somewhere there’s a rub, which we’ve not been privy to.

I drove to Barley’s. Arriving later than usual, we got a parking spot much closer than we might’ve otherwise. Inside, I immediately happened up a couple regulars, Katie and her husband, Rich. Meanwhile, I saw Ben & Ryan sitting at one of the two community tables. Mindy headed over to their table a few minutes ahead of me.

Steve, I think, is the kids name who served us. I ordered a Double Dog. Ben was a little taken back when mine came served in a real pint glass. His came in a tulip glass, which holds a couple ounces less. We chalked it up to my elevated status as a highly thought-of regular . As usual, enjoyed story telling with Ben & Ryan. They shared the misadventures of their November Puerto Rican vacation while we shared stories of our holidays. Lots of laughs.

I enjoyed a 2nd Double Dog before it was all said and done. Mindy was drinking only water. Before leaving, which we didn’t get out of there until 1115pm, we made tentative dinner plans with Ben & Ryan for a couple weeks out. Ben’s an excellent cook. Mindy drove home.

Once home, I poured a CBC IPA into a pint glass while also enjoying some hand to mouth snacks. I’d eaten the spinach artichoke dip around 7pm but nothing else. I was hungry. Mindy came back downstairs but just long enough to say good night. Said that she needed to get to bed if we were going skiing come morning. You betcha! I stayed up playing on my computer for another 20 minutes or so. I finished maybe 2/3s of my beer before joining Mindy, who was already asleep, in bed.

Scrapping the Defib

Up near 6am, I planned to work from the Hilliard office all day. To that end, I was a bit more deliberate with my morning routine. Knocked out exercise by 615am and then remembered that it was trash day. I hustled out through the garage then wheeled out can to the curb. My timing couldn’t have been better. The trash was just pulling up in front of our house. In fact, he started to pass our house by but promptly stopped and backed up a smidge to empty our can. Actually it was only half full. We could’ve easily gone another week. Still, I was glad I got rid of the garbage.

Back inside, I picked up right where I left off and delivered Mindy’s coffee. Next, I proceeded to fool around online while enjoying coffee of my own until 640am, when I halted my fun and moved on to stretching just ahead of a run. Jacob was staying home ill again, so other than Mindy up and in the shower, the house was quiet.

I left for a run around 650am. It was cold and cloudy – about 20 degrees. Ran the full 4.1 miles. Mindy was on her way out the door just as I made my way back up the drive. She asked that I keep her posted on my mom’s status. Inside, I leashed up the pug and headed out for a brief but fruitful walk. Bella was already upstairs tending to her hair and teeth. And by the time that the pug and I were back, it was all but time to head out to the bus stop. Because we’re now the first stop, her arrival is far more punctual given that she waits just down the street until 8am to start her pick-up.

Makayla shared that she and her sibs along with Kenny, were heading up to MRM after school. It was Lillian’s first ski club and she didn’t want to ski alone. As expected, the bus pulled up at 8am. Back home, I enjoyed my breakfast as well as a 2nd cup of coffee before high tailing it upstairs for my shower and ready. Didn’t take me too long at all. Was ready to leave for the office near 845am.

Arrived at the office near 9am. Had to take a parking spot in the far lot, which is extremely rare but will almost certainly happen more frequently now that so many others are moving into our facility. Settled into my office by 920am, complete with a fresh pitcher of ice water. Worked for about an hour before walking down to visit with a few peers whom I hadn’t seen for a week or more. Chatted with the three of them for a while.

Didn’t have any errands needing run so rather than take a lunch break I just plowed straight on through the work day. Started snowing sometime after 12 noon. Just a dusting though. Nothing major. By the time I left the office for home, which would’ve been around 5pm, the roads were surprisingly bad, even though there wasn’t much in the way of snow accumulation. I proceeded with caution.

Talked with my mom earlier than afternoon. She was leaving the hospital for home. According to her, the cardiologist, scrapped the idea of the external defibrillator as well as the rehab/nursing home stint. Said it wasn’t necessary. Somehow I doubted what she was telling me, but she was aware of the risks. Sounded pleased as punch to be heading home. Shared all of that with Mindy once I arrived home.

While Mindy put the finishing touches on dinner, we discussed the evening’s plans. Decided to nix gymnastics due to the horrible roads and weather. Neither one of us wanted to be out driving on the slick roads at rush hour. Can’t recall what we had for dinner.

After dinner and clean-up, I did some reading via my Kindle. However, the battery was about dead so I didn’t get too many pages read before placing it on charge. Early on, Mindy and Bella headed upstairs to our bedroom to watch TV. I thought they were going to watch the CBS Thursday night sitcom line-up, but it sounded more like American Idol, which I had no desire to partake in. While they watched Idol from our bedroom, I wrote for my blog.

Come 10pm, I was feeling tired enough to head to bed. By then Bella was off to her own room and Mindy all but asleep. We cuddled for a few before we both fell asleep.

Quiver of Three

I got a good night’s sleep and was up and out of bed near 6am. After completing calisthenics I woke Mindy by placing her coffee on the nightstand. It was about 615am. Jacob was staying home from school again. Mindy said she planned on calling Craig later that day. Downstairs, I enjoyed coffee and internet, and spent far more time than I intended. It was after 7am before I finished a meditation and stretch and headed out for a run. As a result of my late start, I shaved a mile off my work day run. Instead of 4.1 miles, I ran just 3. It was pretty chilly again – only 27 degrees.

Got back to the house near 740am. I made sure that Bella was up and getting ready then headed out with the pug. Mindy had eggs awaiting my return. Enjoyed those just ahead of bus stop time. Once again, the bus pulled up at 8am sharp. I think we’re the first stop again. Not sure why the route change, but it works well for me.
Back at home I sucked down a 2nd cup of coffee before heading up for a shower. I also double checked my work calendar to make sure I had the correct meeting times for later. Nothing until 1030am. I wanted to be across town and at my desk near 9am. I hustled through my shower and ready. I was headed across town by 840am.

Thankfully, an uneventful drive across town. Parked at 904am. Inside and logged on 10-15 minutes later. Our 10am was cancelled due to no pressing issues. Tried calling my mom again, but still no answer. Fed up, I called the hospital’s main desk. They said I was dialing the wrong number. Huh? It’s the number she called me from. Come to find out, I was calling her cell phone which wasn’t working correctly. Got a hold of mom in her room. Duh!

Mom provided lots of details surrounding her prognosis, including the fact that they wanted her to go to a nursing home for rehab and also wear his external defibrillator vest. She wasn’t thrilled with either idea. I asked if she wanted to have the hospital transfer her to Columbus Riverside or OSU. I also shared that the hospital must honor such requests. She was at best noncommittal. We agreed that I was going to call Dr. Idris to get the exact details surround her diagnosis/prognosis. Mom was bent on going home, but her heart EF was still only 15, which again is extremely dangerous.

After my brief chat with mom, my boss showed up. We had a little time to chat before our 1030am monthly service review. We talked about the CCENT test I failed in December. Encouraged me to pick up the pieces and take it again. The service review went well. Finished up in about an hour.

After the meeting, my boss asked if I wanted to do a quick lunch. I thanked him for the offer but declined in order that I spend time following up on mom’s situation. I called the hospital and got a hold of Dr. Idris, the primary doctor responsible for mom’s care. Dr. Idris was adept at clearly explaining mom’s situation. He was also very clear about the danger of her not following his recommendation of rehab and the external defib. We talked for 20 minutes, me taking copious notes. The call ended with me agreeing to try and pursued mom to comply with his recommended care, and he agreed to stop in and talk with mom again too.

I decided to wait a little while before calling mom back. When I did the first thing she shared was that Dr. Idris was back to see her and said that I didn’t mention the possibility of her transferring. No duh! I reminded her that she didn’t want to pursue that angle so I didn’t bring it up. On her part, she was noncommittal as to whether she would follow the plan.

Worked at the customer location through the afternoon. Left for home at 4pm after calling ASBCO to make sure that my skis were ready. They were. I was very anxious to get them. Took 270 to 71N. Mindy called just as I was nearing ASBCO. We talked just briefly. My skis were indeed ready and they looked awesome with the Marker Griffon bindings. Sweet!

I missed a call from Tom C. while I was in ASBCO. I called him as soon as I was on the road. We talked for the duration of my drive home, discussing work, married life, and our eventual retirements. Always fun talking with Tom. Got home around 5pm.

It was date night, but Mindy and I had already agreed to simply stay home. As such, because he was sick, Jacob stayed home with us while Bella went with her daddy. By the way, Mindy talked with brother Craig, who’s guessing Jacob has a virus. After Bella left, Mindy and I enjoyed a quiet evening at home. She worked on report cards while I played on my PC. Around 630-7p, we heated leftover roast beef. Mindy put hers in a wrap. I had mine on plate complete with mashed potatoes. Yum!

Bella was home around 8pm. She brought home a lemon tart dessert that Molly whipped up. She was very excited about it. Bella sure does love Molly. We let her skip a shower on Tuesday but insisted she get one Wednesday. Both Mindy and I caught ourselves thinking it was already Thursday. How depressing!  That doesn’t typically happen to me but it did last week.

Bella Asking Questions

Slept in until 615am. Was still a little tired after an awfully long day Monday.
Downstairs for exercise: sit-ups, windmills, and curls.
Delivered Mindy’s coffee near 630am.
Enjoyed coffee and internet until 7am.
Logged onto my work laptop shortly thereafter.
Planned on working from home through mid-morning and then heading across town to work at a customer location for the afternoon.
Decided I wouldn’t run until after bus time.
Jacob came in our room around 6am and told Mindy he was sick. He was staying home from school.
Mindy left for school around 730am. Asked that I call her with any news about my mom.
In the 20-25 minutes between when Mindy left and me walking Bella to the bus stop, I stretched and meditated.
Got Bella on the bus at 8am sharp. Walked Eiknarf immediately after.
Enjoyed a 2nd cup of coffee before heading out on a run.
Got a call from mom around 830am. Doctor hadn’t been in yet. Wondered if Mindy called her earlier. Wasn’t sure. Told her I would call back.
Headed out on a run around 845am. Ran 4.1 miles.
It was cloudy and cool – 32 degrees. Supposedly back to winter after today, and even some snow in the forecast.
After my run, I fried three eggs – two for me, and one for Eiknarf.
Via text, heard back from Mindy. Said it wasn’t her that called my mom. Tried reaching my mom’s hospital room, but to no avail.
Showered and off to work across town by 1130am.
Had to park about as far away as possible. Chilly walk in, but at least the sun was out.
As soon as I was logged in and settled I tried reaching my mom again at the number I assumed was to her hospital room. Call went immediately to VM but with a message sharing that the VM account hadn’t been set-up.
Attended 1pm weekly meeting. Lasted about an hour.
Tried reaching mom again midafternoon. But again to no avail.
Decided to stick around through the end of the business day.
Joined our weekly staff call at 415pm. Among other things, discussed 2014 objectives.
Headed for home around 515pm. Took 270 all way around.
Mindy had already left to take Bella to gymnastics by the time I arrived home. I’d be doing the pick-up.
Mindy had rotisserie chicken in the microwave. We enjoyed a chicken dinner around 630pm. Jacob was still in bed and sick, no fever but extra sleepy and somewhat nauseous.
Tried calling my mom again three different times. Each time no answer.
Left to get Bella near 715pm.
Got to witness the last 5 minutes of practice.

In the car on the ride home, Bella asked if Mindy & I were going to make her quit gymnastics. Apparently Mindy said something to that effect on the drive there earlier. I denied any such notion. After all, the only discussion I had with Mindy was about not doing the out-of-state meets and then the possibility of suggesting she consider trying something else (I.E. art class, COSI class, guitar lessons, etc). Nothing was eminent.

At home, we called it a night early and headed to bed just after 9pm.

Buying a Sick Day

Up near 6am.
Clear sky and 40 degrees.
Sit-ups, windmills, push-ups.
Took Mindy coffee near 620am.
Sipped coffee and played on the internet until 645am.
Since sometime Sunday, my mom was in the hospital with apparent heart issues. Had a stint procedure planned for early that morning. I knew that my dad and brother Tommy were planning to be there. Originally, I was going to go too, but remembered that I committed to covering for a peer who would be on vacation all week.
Meditate & stretch ahead of a run.
Headed out the door near 7am. By then completely cloudy.
Jacob already picked up by the bus.
Ran 4.1 miles.
Mindy gone by my return home.
Walked Eiknarf immediately after seeing Bella onto the school bus, which showed up right at 8am.
A little more coffee then a shower.
Off to work by 845am.
Planning to visit ASBCO at lunch. Took my ski boots.
Called my dad’s cell phone near 930am, asking about Mom’s status. He shared a few details. Heart too weak for stint procedure, and as a result, kidney and liver function poor, too. Had to postpone the procedure until her vitals improved. Didn’t set a time/date. Yikes!
Put finishing touches on monthly report.
Around 11am got a call from dad sharing that they were going ahead with the procedure. The meds worked some, but also felt it imperative to do the stints given that her heart was pumping at 15% (EF -15).
Left for lunch break near 1210pm.
Drove to the Polaris ABSCO location.
Scott S. not in. Another kid helped me. No fuss. Bought the Line Sick Day 110s and upgraded to Griffon bindings.
I asked them to make sure and have them ready before the weekend since I had to leave my boots. Said he’d have them ready by Wednesday. Sweet! Wasn’t in there more than 20 minutes.
Headed just down the road to Saturday’s for a haircut. First time at that location. They got me right in.
Danielle was my stylist. Cute. Couldn’t have been older than 22 or 23. Fast, effective and efficient.
Done in 15-20 minutes. Tipped her well.
Back to the office.
Covering for a peer who was on vacation all week. Took care of a couple escalations.
Dad called again near 3pm to share that the procedure was over. No stints because there was no blockage to speak of. No heart damage either. Said they referred to her heart issue as some syndrome due to stress. At first that sounded like good news – no heart muscle damage and no blockage, but the more I thought about it, the more concerned I became. After all, her ejection fraction was still on 15-20.
Mindy and I made arrangements to head to Adena – Chillicothe to see mom after work.
Rest of the work day went relatively fast.
Left for home near 5pm.
At home, Mindy shared that niece Lindey was coming by to stay with the kids, and Jimaken was taking Jacob to basketball so we could visit mom.
Mindy had a beef roast in the crock pot. We opted to eat later and left shortly after Lindy showed up.
While for Lindy to show up, I Goggled stress heart syndrome. Learned that it’s called Broken Heart Syndrome, or stress cardiomyopathy. Read a lengthy Johns Hopkins article about it. Mindy hadn’t heard of such a diagnosis. Was skeptical.
Rained for the entire drive down 23 to Chillicothe. Visibility was tough due to no highway lighting.
Guessing it was near 630p when we arrived. Found mom’s room easily.
Brother Charles was there. Haven’t seen him since Tommy’s place summer ’12. He left shortly after our arrival. We made it a point to invite him along with us to Tahoe. He declined for not skiing in maybe 20 years.
Nurse in the room for most of the next hour. Mom gave her a hard way to go the entire time. She took it well.
We asked for a more detailed explanation of mom’s condition. Nurse paged doctor, though said it was shift change and might be the oncoming doctor who would have to stop by and explain.
While waiting for the doctor, I dosed off a time or two.
Next thing I know, Mindy is having words with the nurse, frustrated that a doctor hasn’t yet come by to explain, let alone check on mom’s heart.
The nurse eventually went for the floor on-shift doctor, Reginald.
Reginald was most pleasant and very patient all things considered. Felt a little sorry for him since he was coming into the situation cold (no prior knowledge of mom’s condition). Mindy continued pressing for information and Reginald did his best to explain the ‘stress cardiomyopathy’ diagnosis.
Said they had another cardiologist coming in Tuesday morning to get another EKG and would then know more.
Mindy and I left for home between 8-830pm. Both of us were convinced that mom should transfer to Columbus Riverside or OSU for much better heart care.
It was still raining as we exited the hospital. Realized that I left my umbrella in mom’s room. Rushed back to get it.
As I was walking out for the 2nd time in the last five minutes, mom told me that I broke her heart. That’s my mom!
Rainy drive home. Took about an hour.
We got home before Jacob, who was at basketball practice.
Josh & Lindey were there with Bella. Josh was playing Bella’s Yamaha acoustic guitar – and pretty well, too.
Mindy and I were starving. She promptly whipped us up a plate of mashed potatoes and roast beef. Yummy!
Jimaken and Molly dropped Jacob at home around 945pm. Offered well wished for my mom. Thanks!
Josh & Lindey left around 10pm.
Josh & I talked about hooking up for a guitar jam session sometime soon.
Couldn’t believe it was already after 10pm. We headed to bed just ahead of 1030pm.

Paying - or Skiing - it Forward

I was up and out of bed near 7am. I felt like a champ thanks to almost 9 hours of sleep and not a drop of alcohol the night before. I made coffee then played around online for a while before delivering Mindy’s coffee and heading out for a run. It was cloudy and 30 degrees when I headed out the door. The forecast called for mostly sunny. Not sure what was up with the clouds. More importantly, though, there wasn’t any rain in the forecast or on the radar. I badly wanted to go skiing.

I finished my 3 mile run before 9am. At the time, the plan was to get Ashley back home before skiing, but once she was up, she was very eager to go with us. Mindy and I chatted about it, and I checked the MRM site to verify the cost. Yikes! $70 for a two hour lesson, equipment rental and all-day lift ticket. However, as a member, I could purchase a book of 5 for $150. That sounded like a much better idea, especially since I’ve all but promised to take the boys once this winter too. We checked with Ashley to make sure that she didn’t have a problem with Olivia going. She was happy we offered. Said Olivia’s been chomping at the bit to go with us anyway. It was settled, then. Mindy rounded up Bella’s retired gear, most of it too small but still in great shape (ski pants, jacket, mittens, gator, goggles and helmet). She was all set. We opted not to pack snacks since more often than not they go uneaten. Instead, the kids always brow beat Mindy & I for cafeteria money. We did, however, pack drinks, but more so for the road to and fro.

And we talked briefly about stopping at First Watch on the way, but I made an omelet with left over Andouille sausage instead. Made fried potatoes using leftover baked potatoes too. It was delicious. We agreed to stop for donuts at Tim Horton's on the drive up. That made all three kids super happy. It was 1140am before we pulled out the drive. Always takes a lot longer than one realizes to get everyone ready. But no worries.

Mindy dropped Bella, Olivia and I at Tim Horton’s while she and Jacob filled the Pilot across the street at Thornton’s. We bought a dozen donuts and ten Timbits. Next stop, MRM! Arrived around 1230pm. Mindy sent a text to Bob, who said on Saturday that he thought he’d be heading up. Said he wasn’t too far behind us. Cubra’s were already there, but minus Tina and Trevor who stayed home to attend a football banquet.

We hoped and expected the crowd to by much dialed down from that of last Saturday, though they did have a big air contest going on that was originally slated for Saturday but moved due to poor weather. Still, the lot was only about half way full. Olivia was very excited once she saw the hill and snow. And she had us all in stitches when she asked if we could ride the 'big swings'. :) While Mindy, Jacob, Bella geared up, I took Olivia up to get her going. We had to wait in line in the main ticket office where I ran into Bob Cubra signing up Cameron for the big air competition, which was free but required a signed medical waiver.

Saw Mindy and the kids walk by while we were still in line. Cumbersome, but worth it. Bought the 5 pack. Headed over to rentals to outfit Olivia in boots and skis. Bella came along. She was huge help to Olivia. I very much appreciate her generous spirit. By the time it was all said and done, it was 115pm, or 15 minutes before her 2-hour lesson was slated to begin. Mindy and the kids took Olivia to the bunny hill and conveyor while I went back to the Pilot to get into my own gear. I met them right outside the Adventure Park lesson building. Had to wave them over to get Olivia started. As always, the MRM staff was very nice and helpful. Asked that we be back to get Olivia at 330pm. She was stoked, so full of personality.

We headed over to Four Star where I still needed to get my lift ticket. Soon we were on our way up the lift. By then it was sunny and the temperature around 36 degrees. The snow was what’s commonly referred to as corn snow – loose granular, and a lot of it. Perfect! I’d waiting for a ski day like this. And a perfect day to work out the Mantra’s. Collectively, our first run down, though 2nd for Mindy and the kids. They got in a run before coming over to meet Olivia and I at the lesson/rental building.

Loved the thick corn snow. At the bottom, I spotted Bob walking with his skis to the lift. Just arrived. At the same time I turned looking up hill only to see Mindy fallen about halfway up. MY heart sunk, as the conditions reminded me much of those in Oregon at Meadows when she tore her MCL, though the snow that day was much thicker and deeper. I was pleased to see her get up and getting her skis back on. But once she got back to the lift line I could see that she had a bloody nose and scraped face. It didn’t look bad but she couldn’t see herself and insisted on going to first aid. I went with her and so did Bella. Bob headed up the lift.

Turned out being just a tiny scrape inside one of her nostrils. Apparently scraping her face against the icy corn snow left her face feeling worse than it actually was. They gave her a couple antiseptic wipes and that’s about it. A few minutes later we were back at it. Reminded Mindy to ski a bit more deliberately in such conditions. Said she took her eye off her path to help or lookout for a little girl when she fell. We skied for the next couple hours before taking a break and going after Olivia. The snow was slow but nevertheless fun. I was digging it.

Met Olivia at the Adventure Park building. Her instructor shared just how good she did. Said she needed to work on looking ahead rather than at her skis. Otherwise, he said, she did just fine. Olivia asking immediately if we could go do the big hill. No. Let's go grab some lunch and get warm. She was in favor or that, too, especially after we promised to make good on the big hill thing after. :)

In the cafeteria we got the kids food and drink. Mindy & I shared a bowl of their yummy chicken and dumplings, which hands down are the best I've had anywhere. Think tasty giant dough balls filled with chunks of chicken. We got along table easily. Not too big a crowd at all. I went after a pitcher of beer. No more Accumulation, so I went with Elevator Three Frogs IPA. Not bad. Supposed to be getting Deschutes in soon.

Hooked up with work peep Chris and his girlfriend, Tammy. Bob Imber soon joined us too. Shared my pitcher with all of them. I certainly couldn't drink it all. Because Chris and I talk skiing all the time at work, he was aware of my pursuit of the V-Werks Katana's. Hadn't shared that story with anyone other than he and Mindy, but went on to explain that I had a change of heart. As much as I love them, they're probably not the best ski for me. Told him my decision to go with the Sick Day 110. Chris is a bit of a snow ski guru. Knowing me and my style he shared that my choice was a wise one. Said he didn't want to burst my bubble relative to those bad ass Katana's. Explained that I would likely head to ASBCO on Monday to make my purchase in hopes of having them ready for the slopes by the following weekend.

Olivia was eager to get out and give the big mountain a try. Truthfully, I was a little reluctant given what we went through some five years ago with Jacob & Bella. Both wanted the same only to stop and cry once at the top. Olivia, however, was perhaps a bit more gun-ho. Why not? We headed up Four Star. They slowed the chair a little for her first ride up. And having done this a time or two, we were more prepared for the ride up, the dismount, and then our strategy.

No problems - on and off the lift without any trouble. And then, after reconvening for a photo op at the ski slope sign, we headed down Mary Ann's backside. Our plan was to spread out across the trail every 20 yards or so in a zig-zag pattern and then have Olivia ski to each of us. It took a while and for the most part, she kept her wits about her the entire time. And once at the bottom, she insisted on heading up again, which is far better than our two did their first runs down. In each case, Jacob & Bella both cried and wanted to go home.:) So up the Four Star we went again. Bob was such a big help and very good with Olivia. We went down the same trail and this time Olivia exhibited control by employing the pizza technique to control her speed. Still didn't have the turning thing down by any stretch, but this was her very first time.

Bella was a huge help too. Thanks Bella. However, it was her idea to bail out to the main hill. Still not sure why I thought that OK. Bottom line, I had to ski down that with Olivia between my legs. That about killed my legs for some reason. The back of my left knee was aching again like it was in HV. Think I hyper extended a muscle back there or something. At the bottom, Olivia insisted we go up again, but this time we put the kabooshes on it, and instead called it a day. Very cute! Olivia and I headed to the rental return and grabbed her street boots.

We met the others at the Pilot, stopping to say goodbye to Bob I., who was parked just a few spots over from us. Olivia thought he was my brother. Again, too cute!

It was fast drive home. Bella wanted to order pizza for dinner, but that didn't sound good to Mindy and I. We were both tired, and I still needed to run Olivia home, too. The plan was to head straight home, unload the Pilot, then take Livy home. That all went smooth. I think it was near 8pm when I finally dropped Livy at her place.

Back at home by 820pm, I relaxed with some ice water. Had a snack or two too. We headed to bed fairly early - certainly before 10pm.