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.