D.C. Trip Rules

Up for work near 630am after hearing Mindy get in the noisy shower. It used to be that I would pop right out of bed. However, her in the last 6 months or so, I’ve definitely taken a turn for the slower, more methodical waking. I stumbled into the master bath where I brushed my teeth still with one eye closed. Not sure why I do that either.

Once downstairs, I stepped out onto the deck to drink in some morning air before engaging in calisthenics. I’d soon be back out to whip out push-ups. The kids, meanwhile, we in the kitchen having breakfast and packing their lunches, something do pretty much every weekday morning these days. Gone is the hour or more I had all to myself when I used to get up at 530am. I feel like I need that extra hour of sleep anymore. Finished calisthenics about the same time that the kids were on their way out to the bus stop.

Felt good to settle in at my desk with coffee and internet. Like most morning’s, come 715am Mindy left for school, but not before reminding me that we needed to be at Jacob’s school for a 7pm D.C. trip meeting. Ugh! I spent another 20-30 minutes enjoying the morning before seguing into meditation, stretching and finally my run. Hit the road near 8am and ran the full 4.1 miles. Nice, sunny and moderately warm.

Back from my run near 835am, I was prepping breakfast and lunch when a customer reached out needing my help with a critical issue. I had no choice but to set aside my personal agenda and jump head first into work from home. It must’ve been around 930am when I sent my boss a message letting him know that I’d be in as soon as I had this critical issue under control. Ended up working from home until 1030am. It was near 11am by the time I got to the office. By then, however, it felt almost as if I’d already put in a full day.

It didn’t take my boss long at all to inquire about my progress with the project he delegated to me while he was on vacation. And for the lion’s share of his two week vacation I worried about making enough progress to meet his expectations. I spent as much time as I could reasonably spend working on it. I put his mind at ease, sharing that I made significant headway and was eager to present him with my findings. He suggested we meet on Tuesday to review since he needed most of Monday to dig out of his vacation hole. I can definitely relate to that.

I spent most of my day working on the same issue I worked on earlier rom home, and then one other. I didn’t bother taking a lunch break. I had a scheduled 2pm call get canceled. I asked my boss if he had time to meet then to review project progress. After a bio break he was ready. After a brief meeting he was very pleased and thankful for what I was able to accomplish. His body language said everything. I could see relief all over his face. That in turn left me feeling good.

Not sure what time it was when I left work for home, though I know it was after 5pm. A buddy and former direct report stopped by to talk and show me some recent photos of his trip to Austria and Germany where he attended the real Oktoberfest in Munich, and he even got in some early season skiing in the Alps. Awesome pics.

Called my mom on my drive home after seeing I had a missed call from her from earlier. She answered in the most God-awfully sounding voice. And after a brief greeting she shared that she’d fallen earlier that morning and broke her wrist while mopping the kitchen floor. Said she was in a cast and still in pain. Looking at the positive side of things, I advised that it’s better a wrist rather than her hip. Said she was supposed to see a bone specialist the following day. Didn’t sound as if the attending doctor at the hospital had any idea if the bone was set correctly for healing. Oh boy!
We talked a bit more about this and that, but ended the call about the time I pulled up at the house.
Thinking it was near 540pm when I arrived home. The garage door was up but no one immediately around. The rear hatch on the Pilot was up too. It was soon obvious that Mindy was recently home from the grocery as nothing had yet been carried in. Once I set all my work stuff aside, I helped carry in the groceries. She confirmed that we’d be having rotisserie chicken for dinner, which sounded really good. Not only that, but we’d be enjoying some of those yummy Bob Evans scalloped potatoes too. While she put groceries away and got dinner ready, I spent a little time online. I also made a call to the GE appliance store advising that we no longer wanted/or expected a replacement range since we were able to make those purported scratches go away.

The chicken and taters were very good. Wrapped up dinner and clean-up around 635pm. We needed to be at Jacob’s school by 7pm for the D.C. trip meeting. Just before we were set to leave, Makayla came over. She seemed disappointed that all of us were going. I think she expected that Bella and I would be staying home. She asked if she could go with us. Sure.

We arrived at the school with no time to spare. They were just getting started by the time we found our way to the auditorium. Because there was such a large turnout, the principal changed the venue to the gymnasium. The meeting lasted about 40 minutes. We sat with Chrissy, Makayla’s mom, who was there with Lillian. Too funny. The crux of the meeting was to review the rules for travel, dress, and hoteling while the students are in D.C. for four days here in a couple of weeks.

By the time the meeting ended it was dark. And like most mass exoduses, took a while to get out of the parking lot. Arrived home shortly after 8pm. I got changed into my PJs then around 830pm I tuned into MNF. Mindy headed to bed even before 9pm. Shortly before that, I made myself a bowl of ice cream, something I rarely do. I stayed up until halftime.