Livy Time

 

Since I was working from home I opted to sleep in a few extra minutes. I got up for good once Mindy was in the shower. Hard to sleep through that. Downstairs I slowly progressed through calisthenics, knocking out 50 sit-ups, 40 windmills and 50 push-ups. The kids headed out for the bus about the same time I finished calisthenics. It wasn’t a few minutes later when Mindy headed out.

I enjoyed a little more coffee before prepping and heading off on a run. Of course that prepping included meditation and a stretch. And just as I do most Friday’s, I trimmed my run to three miles. Already well into the 70s, which made for a warm, sticky run. No worries. Feed it!

Stayed busy and focused on work until the noon hour when I took a break and headed out to mow the lawn. For the second week in a row, I did a quick cut, abandoning trimming and edging. Back to work near 1pm. Fairly easy afternoon. As a result, I was able to squeeze in a couple required training classes.

The formal work day might’ve been winding down, but my inside the house work was just getting started. Around 4pm I headed to the basement to get busy with the rest of the wiring (basement kitchen and bath. If nothing else, I hoped to get holes drilled through the studs. With a plan drawn up, that went really fast. Of course it doesn’t hurt that I have an awesome drill/driver and a really sharp spade bit. Didn’t even take half an hour.

We were expecting Olivia sometime around 5pm. She would be spending the night despite the fact that both of our kids were going to the Hilliard crosstown HS football game with friends. Before she arrived and before Mindy got home, I pulled most of the 12/2 wire for the kitchen and bath. Again, having an exact plan made it go relatively fast.

Later, when Mindy left to run Jacob and his buddy, Joey to the school social – an event preceding the football game – I headed back to the basement to pull the last couple runs, which included the new feed for the existing storage area lights. I had to drill one more hole up through the top plate to get from the finished area to the storage area. And damn if I didn’t nick the a ½” copper water line. Thing is, I knew it was there and thought that I accounted for its presence by coming out an extra ½” or so. Decent nick but at least not all the way through. No leak! Still, it was the last hole and the only one out of more than a hundred where there was any problem.

That was a good stopping point. I’d completed far more work than I imagined. By then it was well after 6pm and time for a much needed shower. Olivia was over with Ashley. Olivia cried when she found out that the kids were going to a football game, especially Bella. She’s told us before that she doesn’t like Bella having friends over when she visits. Ashley explained that because she’s an only child, she doesn’t like to share her friends.  Mindy and I did our best to cheer her up, and Ashley even offered to take her home and have a girls night. Olivia declined in favor of staying with her pawpaw. 

To amuse her, I took her out back to the treehouse and sewing. We swung, played hide and seek, and walked the pug. She was happy – content. The plan for Me, Mindy and Olivia to do dinner at Barley’s. Thinking we left the house near 715pm. Not a big crowd but certainly larger than the Friday prior. We asked for seating at one of the two community tables. Shortly after we arrived I got a text from Bob I. asking if it was a Barley’s night. Turns out, he, Mary Ann, and some extended family were in the back having dinner.

I enjoyed two beers during our relatively brief visit – a pale ale and then a Centennial. Mindy had a Warlock. Olivia ordered Sprite. Mindy and Olivia went around back to find Bob & Mary Ann. A gentleman soon approached, one I wasn’t familiar with, calling my name and acting as if he’d known me his whole life. Said we did camp together. This I knew had Bob Imber written all over it. Sure enough, he and Mary Ann put him up to it. I didn’t get it at the time but later learned he’s the cousin that lives in Portland, Oregon. They had their toddler daughter, Mallory in tow – a blonde tow-head who was very shy, and certainly very weary of us – even Mindy.

We’ve seen very little of Bob & M.A. this summer. In fact, save for a brief visit the week of the attempted break-in, we’ve hung out only once way back in early June. Those two just got back from the Carolina beaches – Oak Island. Heading out again, only this time to California. We chatted for a few minutes before they headed out, which was about 20-30 minutes ahead of us.

Aside from snacking on some fries, I opted to pass on a dinner entrée. Mindy and I originally agreed to share a brisket quesadilla, but all I ended up eating was a few of Olivia’s wings. I wasn’t that hungry. Mindy talked about getting the kids a takeout order, but in the end we didn’t. And the truth is, they rarely eat it when we do. I suggested that we stop at Wendy’s instead. Mindy sent them a text asking their preference. They insisted on pizza.

We arrived home around 915pm. The kids weren’t expected home for another hour or so. Meanwhile, it was an absolutely gorgeous night – calm, clear, and warm. I cracked a White Rajah then headed out front where Olivia and I hung out listening to Pandora via my phone and Jambox. She’s so daggone funny. In an instant, she had Demi Lavada (sp) programmed into my Pandora account.

Mindy ordered three pizzas before the kids arrived home, hoping to time the delivery to their arrival. Turned out, the kids arrived home shortly before the pizza showed up, which was ideal. Had to be near 1015 when the pizzas arrived. We had a housefull, Jacob, Joey, Evan, Bella, Olivia, Makayla, Lillian, Emily, and another girl, Teetee. Mindy cited how tired she was and was quickly off to bed even while the kids were downstairs enjoying their pizza.

I retreated to my PC where I enjoyed a 2nd beer and some music. I stayed up until 11pm or so.