Kohl's, Sam's, Giants, Tommy & Rocky

 

 

 

I was out of bed near 730am and promptly downstairs where I started some coffee. I remembered the forecast calling for clouds and heavy rain but at the time it was mostly clear. While the coffee brewed I was overcome with the sleepies again, but rather than return upstairs for bed, I plopped down on the living room floor with one of the recliner pillows. I might’ve stolen another 5-10 minutes of sleep before bouncing to my feet and getting on with my morning.

I enjoyed coffee and internet for the next hour or so. I don’t believe I entertained a run until 10am. By the time I did it had clouded over, just as the weather prognosticators had predicted. It was fairly warm, though, a sultry 75 degrees. As a result, I ran shirtless very much enjoying the air splashing against my bare skin.

After my run I returned to my PC where I searched for the pitching net Rocky said he wanted for his birthday then ordered it from Wal-Mart.com. It wouldn’t arrive until Aug 7 or 8, but it wasn’t available in stores so this was the best option. We ordered a bucket of baseballs too. Mindy agreed that we’d simply capture the picture of the contraption and make it into a card and put it in a gift bag he would open at our house later that afternoon.

We were celebrating Rocky & Tommy’s birthday’s beginning at 4pm. It sounded like two of the girls were coming for sure, we were uncertain about Courtney. She didn’t respond to our invite. Of course Tommy was coming, and later confirmed that Wally would be accompanying him. Dad was coming over also. Before our company arrived we had an active agenda. Mindy wanted to run to Kohl’s, Giant Eagle, and Sam’s Club.

We showered and left the house for Kohl’s around noon. Our main reason for shopping at Kohl’s was to get Mindy a new pair of slippers. She goes through 2 or 3 pair a year. Don’t ask me how, but her big toe always wears through the front. She also wanted to get another wicking shirt or two for Bella. Speaking of Bella, since about Xmas, she’s become increasingly concerned about her wardrobe and insists on wearing items that are non-girly. No glitter, bling, or dresses. I convinced Mindy it’s best to let her ride out the phase rather than push back. It won’t last too long.

While in Kohl’s I picked out a few tops for Mindy that I really liked. It’s the return of the paisley, hippy look with an updated styling. She liked what I picked a lot. I think she ended up buying all three. We found only one wicking shirt for Bella – gray. She’s sensitive to wearing bright colors now too.  We left Kohl’s and headed next door to Sam’s Club where we picked up some pork ribs – hopefully the same variety that David grilled for us in SC. They were the best ever! We also picked up a tray of brownies and a 12-pack of brats for out birthday cookout later that afternoon. We looked for the yellow saffron rice, too, but they didn’t have it. 

Across the street to Giant Eagle next. It started to storm while we were in Giant Eagle – heavy rain and thunder. There we picked up a birthday cake, an OSU ball-cap for Rocky, and a small bag of yellow saffron rice. We headed home in the on again, off again rain storm. I told Mindy that before doing any party prep, I needed to take a nap. I grabbed my Kindle and plopped down in the recliner. It was 225pm. I didn’t have a lot of time to nap, especially since I told Tommy he could come over around 3pm.

I napped for 15-20 minutes, and that was just about perfect. Before anyone arrived I helped Mindy with some prep, though we were keeping this event pretty simple. We laid out limited snacks – fresh fruit. Along with brats we’d be grilling hot dogs and having pastas salad as a side. All of our guests arrived between 3-4pm – Tommy, Wally, Dad, Ash, Steven, Olivia, Lindsey, Rocky, and Landon. Our kids got home around 415pm from their overnight with Jimaken.

Almost immediately, the neighbor girls came over to intercept Bella. I only asked that she be sociable and not run off with her peeps. We boiled the brats ahead of time so all we needed to do was grill them for a brief time along with the hot dogs. Didn’t take long at all. Our propane tank ran dry not a minute or two into the grilling. Good thing I always keep a spare ready for the go! We were eating by 530pm. I ate somewhat light. Wasn’t really that hungry.

Rocky predictably badgered us about opening his gift. He’s all about presents.  Tommy gifted him a bag full of stuff that kids love – sparklers, silly string, etc. We gifted him a ball-cap, some candy bars, and of course the pitch back net and balls, but only in picture form. He said he understood that it would be shipping. We gifted Tommy his CBC shirt, too.

Next up was singing, cake and pie. All afternoon I was snapping photos using my 70D. I love how responsive the shutter is as compared to my S120. I shot only in auto mode to keep it simple. I think I got some pretty decent shots for indoor photography. The small sheet cake we bought was just about the perfect size. Just a few pieces remained, which we planned to send home with Rocky anyway. About half the guests opted for chocolate pie, which was extra yummy. Lindsey agreed to run Olivia home, that way she was able to stay a little longer, She loves hanging out at our house. Tommy, Wally and dad were the last to leave. We talked around the kitchen table for a while after the others left.

I paid Wally a shiny dollar for cleaning up every bit of the silly string the kids sprayed all over the back yard. I’m impressed that he was patient enough to gather it all up. There was quite a bit of it out there. Tommy shared that Wally is very much into organizing and cleaning. Hmm?

Had a nice time. Everybody was gone by 730pm. And after everybody left I snuggled up in the recliner and finished my latest book. We headed for bed around 10pm but I struggled to get to sleep. That might have something to do with me drinking a cup of coffee late afternoon.