Xmas Moosical

Going to bed at an early hour the night before did nothing to jeopardize my 5:30am wake-up. In fact, I was up a few minutes early laying there contemplating the day. But I’m not one who enjoys laying casually in bed. It seems like such as waste of time. I’m sure there are healthful benefits to it, but I’m just not wired that way. I’d rather be up moving some idea forward with action. I exercised, walked Ykraps, and made our first cup of coffee before 6am once again. Before making food I read the Daily OM and checked my email. After breakfast Mindy wrestled Jacob to the floor to install eye drops to clear the pink eye. She was going to do Bella but decided the evening would be more conducive to the sure battle. Honestly, though, Jacob didn’t fight her at all. Mindy reminded me about the 2nd grade Xmas show tonight and asked if I planned to attend. I told her I would. To leave with her, I would have to be home by 5:30pm. The house was clear by the usual 7:20am. I was left alone to shower and finish readying for work. I was downstairs by 7:34am. Again today, I took ten minutes to play the saxophone. I left for work around 7:50am. Clouds were moving in just as the sun was rising. And while the temperature was expected to reach into the mid to upper 50’s, rain was expected, too. The morning went quickly. I stayed very busy. I left for my run around 12:45pm. The streets were still dry as I left for my run and the sky, while cloudy, didn’t look like rain. As it turned out, the day’s run went smoothly. And compared to the last several days, there was only a slight breeze blowing out of the SW. I stopped in to see my boss after my run. We chatted about a few different things. I was back in my office by 2:15pm eating my packed lunch. I talked with Ashley while I ate. She told me she was thinking of visiting this evening. I let her know that unless she was coming after 8pm, we wouldn’t be there due to Mindy’s 2nd grade Xmas show. She rescheduled for Wednesday evening. She told me, too, that she kept Lil’ Rocky home with her today since Linzy had a doctor’s appointment. The afternoon breezed by and it wasn’t long before 5pm was right on top of me. And in an effort to be home by 5:30pm I left promptly at 5:05pm. It was raining when I left the building and did nothing but come down even harder as I made my way home. I pulled into the drive just before 5:30pm. Mindy walked Ykraps and had already prepped coffee for tomorrow AM. All I had to do was put my running clothes in the dryer and rinse my lunch containers. I did that lickity-split! We all loaded into the Trooper destined first for Gloria’s since she was joining us at Mindy’s school play. As we entered Holy Hill we could see that her car was still where she leaves it each morning as part of her own little park and ride routine. We sat in her drive until she got home. It was only a five minute wait. Even still, the kids, and especially Jacob, got a bit restless. Finally, just after 6pm, Gloria arrived home. Mindy went in the house with her for a brief minute while I waited in the Trooper with the kids. In the meantime, Jacob was acting up mostly by kicking my seat and being defiant. That lasted just a minute or until Mindy and her mom loaded in. Soon we were on our way to Monterey Elementary School. The rain continued making driving a little tough. We arrived at school around 6:25pm. We parked along the curb by the school’s main entry making for a quick exit and entrance, which was nice given all the rain. We headed to Mindy’s classroom where she met up with some of her peers and began doing her role in all of this. We headed into the auditorium where the show would eventually commence. Right off the bat I say my old pals, Danny & Mary Elswick. As I understand it, their grand-daughter is in Keri Ann’s 2nd grade class, and also in the show. We talked for a few. They shared the story of my ex responding to an add their son placed online or in the paper selling his Bull Mastiff (a ridiculously large breed of dog). Kelly drove to Rushville, Ohio to buy it from him. She didn’t realize it was him until she asked who to make the check out to. They both crapped when they recognized one another. Apparently Todd shared with his parents how much Kelly has changed over the years. It was crowded so finding seats was important. They moved on quickly. I did tell them of my recent engagement to Mindy whom they’ve only met once. Later I saw Keri Ann’s boyfriend, Kevin back chatting with Danny. After the show I asked Kevin if he knew Danny. To my surprise, he was one of Todd’s best friends form high school and spent lots of hours at their home and in their hot tub. That shocked me! I probably met Kevin when he was just a high school punk hanging with Todd, and now he’s dating one of Mindy’s good friends. That’s good for a laugh or two. The show went quick. These elementary school shows are all about the same. Young kids in costume singing and speaking lines with almost no emotion. They’re still learning the art of acting. They’re simply following someone’s queue. Many look completely uninterested. Still, they’re cute! After the show, me and a couple other guys (Kevin and J.D.) helped tear down the stage. There’s not a lot of muscle at an elementary school by nature given that most teachers are young woman. Monterey is no exception. We left the school around 7:45pm destined for home. We dropped Gloria at her house just after 8pm. We arrived at our house by 8:30pm. By the time Mindy got the kids into their jammies and ultimately into bed it was 9pm. Just before putting Bella in bed, Mindy insisted on putting some of those pink-eye drops in her eyes for preventative measures. And boy did she ever pitch one! She’s ultra dramatic. After the kids were asleep I worked on my blog and popped some popcorn to curb my out-of-control appetite. But that’s what happens when I don’t eat dinner. After a long day, Mindy and I headed up to bed just before 10pm.

Spring-like warmth continues

Feeling well rested, I was up & out of bed at 5:30am sharp. Going to bed at such an early hour served me well once again. To stay in tune with the season, I lit the Xmas lights in both the living room and family room as I made my way downstairs to begin my morning routine. The 24 hr a day Xmas music was already playing on the stereo which we leave on most night’s anyhow. Ykraps seems to enjoy the background noise. By 5:50am I was heading out the door with Ykraps for a warm morning walk. I wore only my wooly fleece since the temp was already in the 40’s. We took an easterly walk, which is uncommon for a morning walk. 99% of the time we head west then north. And I generally allow him to lead. Today, he chose east. Probably for some of the same reasons that I like to mix up my running trail form time to time. I didn’t question it. I simply let him lead. Back home before the clock struck 6am, I found myself making our usual frou-frou coffee. I placed Mindy’s by her bedside right at 6am. I returned downstairs to read the Daily OM and to fix the day’s food. Come 7am I had lunches packed and breakfast on the island. Mindy is so spoiled! We ate our breakfast and the kids made their way downstairs. I noticed right away that Jacob’s left eye was a bit swollen and on closer observation, a little irritated. He said it didn’t itch. He has been exhibiting cold symptoms lately, too. Like most mornings, the kids were slow getting ready. Sure as it was a Monday, they were out the door by about 7:20am. I, in turn, was left behind as master of my dominion. I showered, dressed, and returned downstairs by 7:38am. I took the next 15 minutes to ready all of my work gear and then play the saxophone. I hadn’t played any tunes since last Xmas time. I shouldn’t go that long! Some of the more obscure notes fail to return to me naturally. I grabbed my handy-dandy fingering chart to recall. It comes back easily, however. I left the house around 7:55am. I remembered that I had a new guy beginning today, so I hustled out the door and ultimately onto work. The work day went well and I got my new hire introduced and organized fairly quickly. Certainly much faster than the last time. Come 12:50pm I left for my run. Today being December 11th puts us ten days away form the winter solstice. I couldn’t help but notice how low in the sky the sun plays these days. It barely seems to get 40 degrees above the horizon. Even with the low sun it was warm. It was almost 55 degrees. I was a tad on the warm side, but not too ridiculous. I was back in my office by 2pm eating my packed food. The afternoon was a bit more frantic that than the morning as I had multiple issues competing for my time. However, I managed as I always do. Unfortunately, I didn’t get out of the office until almost 5:30pm. And this was a Mindy Monday. It was almost pitch dark when I left the lot. As I pulled out into the main path out of our lot, I almost t-boned a silver Honda Accord that was flying by with no headlights on. I flashed my lights so get her attention and to help her get her lights on. But despite my efforts, she kept them off. Sadly, she was going the same direction as me taking the same turns. On a few different occasions along our way, she turned on her headlights. But as soon as she saw me she would turn them back off. I’m still not sure what she thought she was doing or proving. One thing’s for certain, she wasn’t too smart! And since she was leaving our lot, I can only assume that she’s a fellow employee. Geesh! Traffic was terrible on I-270 south. We came to a stand still a few times. The closer I got to Roberts Rd, the traffic problem became clearer. It looked to me like a cement truck rear ended a pick-up truck. A third car was involved too but they were pulled over out of the flow of traffic so I couldn’t be sure why and how. Thankfully, it didn’t appear that anyone was hurt. The traffic broke free as I passed the accident. Once I was home, Mindy took a break away from her holiday elf tasks to walk Ykraps with me. We spent the next hour or so talking about our pending holiday party and a number of other stuff. This time of year can be so busy. It’ll run you over if one allows it to. The kids showed up with Jim M a little bit after 7pm. They seemed happy to be home, especially Bella. Jacob only shows emotion after his daddy leaves. Again, understandable. Mindy coaxed them upstairs for their bath while I worked on holiday pictures and my blog. She called for my help with the tuck in process shortly thereafter. When we returned downstairs, I poured myself a glass of Spumante’ and did some internet surfing while Mindy did some Xmas cards. I joined the MNF game just after the opening kick-off. Slowly but surely I began to fall asleep. I did manage to see most of the first half. We headed to bed around 10pm.

Cantata Spumante'

I woke around 7am but drifted back to sleep until almost 7:30am. Again, I had to be mindful of the clock, so getting up and moving was critical. Mindy will be playing part in a Christmas Cantata with church choir. She needs to be there by 10am. I was looking forward to attending and cheering her on. I made a pot of coffee then quickly completed my exercise routine. Before 8am I was back from walking Ykraps, sipping coffee, and catching up on the Heisman scuttle online. I made it a priority to be out the door on my run by 8:30am. Just before leaving for the run I asked Mindy if I really needed to leave with her to church. I didn’t although I got the feeling that she much preferred me to leave with her. I opted to meet her there. That way I could take my time getting ready and take care of a couple household chores. After a run, some breakfast, and a few chores, I was ready to depart for church. Just as I was leaving Mindy called looking for her eyeglasses. I found her spare pair at and departed at roughly 10:16am. I arrived just before 10:30am. Mindy was just preparing to enter the sanctuary with the rest of the choir. I handed her eye glasses to her just in the nick of time. Lucky for me, Mindy’s mom saved me a seat. Although it wasn’t as crowded as mindy assumed. There were plenty of open seats. The Cantata was interesting to say the least, but I think it’s safe to say that no one will mistake this group for the Mormon Tabernacle. Make no mistake, I’m not saying that I could’ve done any better. No sir! But I don’t think anyone sang on key. There was a guy with a Bobby Sherman wig that freaked me out! In the end, I appreciated the entertainment value. Mindy sang her heart out and managed to crack a few panes of stained glass in the process (Mindy – I love you :)). The service ended around noon. We gathered in fellowship hall for cookies and punch. We didn’t stay long. Bella rode home with me. We stopped by Kaileigh’s to drop her school shoes. We left them on the porch. No one was home. The weather was shaping up nicely by the time we arrived home. It was nearly 50 degrees and sunny. This weather could not be wasted. My dilemma was whether to use it to put up additional exterior Xmas decorations or to rake the back yard, which had a fairly thick cover of late autumn leaf fall. And judging from years past, I knew that if I didn’t rake today that I might not be able to do it until the January thaw. I opted for the raking. Mindy was going grocery shopping and took Bella. Jacob stayed back with me and eventually joined up with me in the backyard. He was interested in playing football and jumping in a leaf pile. After I drug three tarps full of leaves back to our mulch pile, he had plenty of fluff to jump in. I raked for about 1.5 hours. Lucky for me, Mindy brought me an anti-inflammatory with a glass of water just before she left for the store. For the most part, I was able to rid the yard of the season’s final fallen leaves. That always includes the weeping willow tree and the honeysuckle bushes that line the pond and typically hold their foliage until late November or early December. After finishing up, I played an hour’s worth of football with Jacoby. The game ended in a 77-77 tie. :) We headed in and soon Mindy was home with her Wal-Mart haul. I helped drag in the bounty before retreating to the shower to rinse the yard debris remnants off of my person. When I reemerged, it was damn near time to leave for Gloria’s and Sunday dinner. We arrived at Gloria’s just after 4pm. We were the first family members to arrive. Bella was already there. Mindy dropped her off prior to grocery shopping. Within ten minutes everyone was there who was showing. Todd, Missy, Mia and Larry were absent. Gloria whipped up her family famous ‘goulash’. For dessert we had ginger bread and nut bread. I had a piece of each. This time, however, I implemented portion control after remembering last Sunday’s gut buster. We left Gloria’s somewhere near 7pm for home. And just like always, I walked Ykraps as soon as I arrived home. He’s so patient. Mindy got the kids a bath while I read about all of the NFL action from earlier in the day. And incidentally, the Vikings won keeping their slim playoff chances alive. After the kids were fast asleep, Mindy and I both enjoyed a mimosa with the Spumante’ she bought. It was a very satisfying capper to a productive day. She headed to bed around 9:30pm, and I headed up a little after 10pm.

Holiday Hustle & Bustle

1) My Charlie Brown Xmas tree 2) Door to door poinsietta vendors 3) Macy's Xmas shopping There wouldn’t be much slack in my morning. I was up at 7:00am even though my body desired another hour of sleep. After all, priorities are priorities. Mindy needed to be at choir practice by 9am which translated into a 7am wake-up call for me if I wanted to run before she left. I would be staying home with Jacob, Kaileigh, and Bella. Just the idea that I would have to postpone my run until sometime after 12 noon sent shivers down my spine. That’s all I needed as motivation to get up and moving. While I pounded out my exercises the kids began to stir and mill about the house. Mindy remained in bed for a little while longer. By the time I returned from walking Ykraps everyone was up and about. Mindy began making bacon and eggs just before I left for my run. For the first time in a long while, I was running before 8am on a Saturday. I took the Trabue Rd route, and the traffic wasn’t too bad at all. I was back by 8:30am and breakfast was all but ready. I finished cooking the eggs so Mindy could put the finishing touches on herself before heading to choir. By 8:55am Mindy was gone and I was left to fend for myself with Jacob, Bella, and Kaileigh! We ate our breakfast, played, and watched some television. The kids wanted to watch Elf. While the kids watched the movie, I blogged. I got out my saxophone out for a blow after blogging. Bella was not too amused. She insisted I stop playing. If wish you could’ve seen her eyes! I didn’t stop. Instead, I asked her to go play in another room if my booming tunes bothered her. Time passed quickly and soon Shelly, Kaileigh’s step-mother to be showed up to picked her up. Earlier, I had tried unsuccessfully to get permission for Kaileigh to stay again tonight. Shelly had plans to get Kaileigh’s hair done, so she couldn’t allow it. I don’t see Kaileigh nearly enough. Mindy was home in two shakes of a rattle. It was just after 12 noon. I took a fast shower then dressed for an afternoon of Xmas shopping alone. I thought that I might take in a movie too but didn’t have any firm plans. Just before leaving, we were solicited by a pack of young girls selling small poinsiettas for $4 each. Mindy bought one and gave them $5. I left for Tuttle Mall around 12:30pm. Reality struck once I got within a mile of the mall. Traffic was backed up on I-270 for at least a mile as it often is around the holidays. The idea that it was a shopping weekend never fully dawned on me until that moment. I would soon be in the middle of all the Xmas shopping chaos. Being a Tuttle mall veteran I was smart enough to know to avoid the foolish practice of circling in the lot waiting for a close parking spot. Instead, I drove around back and found a spot quickly, but even those were few and far between. I shopped Macy’s first – my favorite store. After 1.5 hours and about six stores later, I left empty handed. I know myself all to well. I need to find that first gift before I start making measurable progress. My next stop was the Sawmill Rd area. I stopped in the Wine Vault to check for Honey Raspberry Ale. They had none. However, the stop wasn’t for not. I managed to find a hard-to-find gift for another. Next, I shopped Target. This used to be my favorite Target in the city. Today, however, it was a bit picked over, but I did manage to drop a couple hundo on many small gifts for family. After Target I crossed Sawmill to shop Kohl’s and Dick’s. Most notably, I was hoping to find a Buckeye jersey for Jacoby. Kohl’s had no youth jerseys and Dick’s the lines were 25 deep in each lane. I wasn’t waiting and there was only one jersey close to his size. I put it back for another to purchase. I felt OK with my limited progress. Realistically, this is a three or four major shopping day thing for me each year. One down, three to go. Before heading home I had a few more stops. First, I stopped at Strader’s after hearing a radio add for $5 poinsettia plants. I stopped and bought two. Mindy called for about the fourth or fifth time. Honestly, I thought about not answering but ultimately did. Holy smoke! She asked me to pick-up the proverbial milk if I thought about it. On my way down Riverside Dr I stopped at the Big Greek Cuisina to get a gyro combo. They have the best gyros in town bar none. My loop was almost complete. I had one or two more stops. I stopped at Kroger in lower Arlington/Grandview on Chambers Rd to pick-up some beer, wine, and yes, milk. I was going to stop at Gentile’s too but after Kroger there wasn’t a real need. For a grocery store, they have a most excellent beer selection. It was nearly 5pm and I was finally headed home. I had pretty much circled the entire NW side, albeit efficiently with little or no back tracking. That’s always an indirect goal of such adventures. And even though I didn’t get some people taken care of as I had wished, I did get some good ideas. At home I put things away and took Ykraps on his evening walk. The sun was sinking fast. Just as we got back home, Mindy and the kids returned form visiting her friend Tara. For the next couple of hours we tidied up around the house and the kids ate their Wendy’s dinner. Mindy picked herself up some Barley’s carry-out. Mindy wanted the kids in bed by 7:30pm if for no other reason than their late night Friday. Jacob was understandably bummed about the potential of missing the Heisman announcement. I assured him that I would wake him up. He reluctantly bought that option. But realistically, he had little choice! The Heisman show began promptly at 8pm. I pour myself one of my new Holiday Ales - Goose Island Christmas Ale. It was very yummy. ESPN milked the Heisman show for an entire hour, but did a very nice job. Troy Smith, our OSU hero, won it! He beat out a local boy, Brady Quinn from Notre Dame. Troy Smith spoke with conviction and intent. I was very impressed. Seemingly, he’s become a good role model for our youth. I’m very glad he won. After the Heisman, I had a couple more beers. I switched back and forth between Columbus Pale Ale and the Goose Island Christmas Ale. We went to bed just after 10pm. Another morning with pressing deadlines comes Sunday.

Traded a night at Barley's for a night with Kaileigh

1) Kaileigh and Bella entertaining us with song 2) ornament 1 3) ornament 2 Diffused moonlight was shining through the half-moon window as I cracked an eye towards the clock. It was about 5:40am. Time to get up. By the time I brushed my teeth, pee'd, and was downstairs, it was 5:45am. I choked down my vitamin then tucked my toes neatly under the lip of the sofa to rip off 55 sit-ups. Fifty push-ups and forty curls later, Ykraps and I were bundling ourselves for an early winter's walk. It was brutally cold! It was only 10 degrees! The forecasted low wasn't expected to drop below 18, but somehow it had plummeted further. Perhaps because of the clearing skies. To complement the low temperatures, there was a swift NW breeze blowing too, only adding to artic blast. I was eager to get back home and get some hot coffee in our bellies. But the last time I gave Ykraps coffee he got the shits. Although, it might have had more to do with the creamer than it did with the coffee. You see, I gave him the expired stuff. Never again, though. I don't care how much he begs! I took Mindy a cup and placed on my night stand. She was grateful. I returned downstairs to read the Daily OM, meditate, and prepare breakfast and lunch. Today's Daily OM was about experiences and how we may at the present perceive them as either positive or negative. In the long run, however, they're neither. Instead, they're building blocks of a well intending universe. http://www.dailyom.com/articles/2006/5957.html Come 7:00am lunches were packed and breakfast was ready. Neither of kids wanted any breakfast. Mindy departed around 7:20am and I took to the shower. I made quick work of my shower and dressing. I was back downstairs ready to go by 7:40am. I took a few pictures, strummed my guitar, and picked up a few items laying loosely around the house. I arrived at work by 8:05am. It was a beautiful sunny morning with just a few clouds hanging around in the eastern sky making for an interesting sunrise. In fact, Mindy called my cell to tell me how taken back she was with the sunrise from her point-of-view. She described something I couldn't see from Hilliard. She was in Grove City. My work day started off like most Friday's. It was really intense. I worked hard up until time to leave for a run. I made it to the gym by 1pm. It was only about 18 degrees. Definitely cold with the ever-present Hilliard wind. As I wound through the Britton Farms subdivision and out onto Davidson Rd I saw a gathered crowd and heard the unmistakable sound of a marching band. What could it be, I wondered. I figured it might be a celebratory parade for the Division 1 State football champs, The Hilliard Davidson Wildcats. It was. They were holding a parade in their honor all along my running trail. As I made my way around the corner and along Davidson Rd, I was out just in front of the marching band. The amassed crowd cheered me as I ran by as if I were their champion. I made the most of it and used it to motivate me. About halfway down Davidson Rd. I had to divert to the road as the crowd poured onto the asphalt running path. By now I was well in front of the parade and the anticipating crowd began to chant and cheer for me again except this time even louder. Of course it was all in jest, and in the name of fun. I played along and thanked everyone for coming out as I ran by. I thought to myself that this might be the closest I ever come to such glory, except, perhaps, when I move onto the afterlife. For certain, this run was one for the book! I was back and showered by 2pm. Too, I was hungry and looking forward to my packed lunch and the last half of my work day. Things got even busier in the afternoon. I was completely immersed in work related escalations. As busy as we were, I was able to smoothly hand-off all the major issues to my peer and left for home somewhere near 5:15pm. I witnessed heavier than usual traffic on I-270 south as I got in my vehicle. So, in an effort to avoid the mess I took the back way down Old Dublin Rd. I was home by 5:33pm - record time and no traffic jams whatsoever. Mindy and I made arrangements earlier in the day to have my GD, Kaileigh over for the night.. Mindy picked her up after school and after running a few errands. I was excited to see her. I haven't seen her for about a month. Mindy made pigs-in-a-blanket for the kids and chili dogs for us. They were delicious. After dinner the kids played and watched the movie, Elf. We blew up our queen-sized air mattress so all three kids could sleep in Bella's room. They were excited, and consequently, they stayed up much later than usual. They didn't fall asleep until well after 9pm. That's almost unheard of in Jacob and Bella's world. Kaileigh, I think, stays up later routinely. After the kids were down for the count Mindy and I relaxed in the living room before getting in the hot tub. We hadn't been in the hot tub for probably a month. It was awesome. We piped out Xmas music and there was lots of steam due to the frigid, clear winter air. After hot tubbing I popped two bags of popcorn and cracked yet another beer. I drank four throughout the night. We headed to bed around 11pm.

The First Snow

I woke from my slumber right on time after a very satisfying, relaxing night’s sleep. By the time I was down stairs contemplating my exercise routine it was 5:40am. I choked down a vitamin, refilled my water cup, and began my daily calisthenics. Come 5:50am Ykraps and I were ready to endure the winter chill that lingered just outside the door. The cold air gained my quick attention and left me more awake than I already was. Once Ykraps and I were back, I was fully engaged and ready to get going with my day. I poured two cups of coffee – one for Mindy and one for me. I took Mindy hers then promptly returned downstairs. I read the Daily OM, which dealt with ego and spirit - a great read for those struggling to let go of the notion that we are separate from everyone and all things. After a few minutes on the computer I did my morning meditation. It was the most satisfying in a long while. After finishing, I turned the Xmas music back up, lit the tree and mantle, and got to prepping our daily food. Mindy was gracious enough to make both of us salads for today’s lunch the evening before while she prepared dinner. That made lunch prep go much faster. Essentially, all I had to pack were fruit and nuts. For the morning’s breakfast I made scrambled eggs topped with cheddar cheese – a common entrée. The children were slow to get moving this morning and didn’t move for much of a breakfast, but then again, it’s often hit or miss. After Mindy left I leisurely made my way to the shower and readied for work. As daylight broke, it began to snow and stick. It was a real winter wonderland. I took a number of pictures to commemorate the event. I left for work at 7:45am and arrived just after 8am. There were several slippery spots on Wilson Rd since the majority of the snow fell right at rush hour, but once on I-270, it was smooth sailing. It felt good to be back in my office for the entire day. I got plenty of catch-up work done and left for a run around 12:45pm. It was a very chilly run. I bundled in three upper layers which adequately masked the chill. Let’s just say that mini-me froze out on the trail. The afternoon in the office went quickly, and things continued getting busier as the day’s end neared. I stayed after it until about 5:20pm when I finally left for home. I called Mindy and let her know that I was stopping at Target and Home Depot first. I stopped at Target first where I bought that tree topper I wanted as well as some other tree decorations, dental floss, and sharpie metallic markers. At Home Depot I bought some more D-Con mouse treats to feed the mice that find there way into my garage when it turns cold. In addition, I bought the material to make the 6ft coat rack in the laundry room. That consisted of one 1x4x6’ and ten coat hooks. I also bought some furnace filters & a beautiful lamp for Bella’s room. Mindy and I later decided we’d give it to her for Xmas. At home Mindy was just putting the salmon in the broiler. I dressed warmly to walk Ykraps as the temperature continued to drop. There was a very stiff cold wind coming out of the NW. When we returned I carried in an armful of firewood. Diner was soon ready. We had a very low carb meal. We had broiled salmon and brussel sprouts. Mindy whipped up a tasty coating for the salmon, too. A recipe she found in the Adkins book. After dinner I cleaned up the dishes in a hurry. As soon as I finished I bolted to the PC to update my blog and catch me through Wednesday. Meanwhile, Mindy and the kids readied for a game of Topple. I joined them minutes later after I had added text and pics to my blog. The game didn’t last as long as the game the other night. The kids were distracted somewhat by the Rudolph movie that whirled in the DVD player. At 7:45pm Mindy rushed the kids upstairs to brush their teeth and get into their PJ’s. They were in bed and asleep in very short order. Mindy began some laundry. I headed back downstairs and poured myself a glass of champagne while I mounted the new tree topper and placed the spiral tinsel on the family room tree. When Mindy finally joined me, she poured herself a glass of shiraz. We then tweaked a few of the tree decorations. We removed all of the red poinsettias and replaced them with all white helping give the tree that silvery shiny look I was going for. We spent a little while talking about us – Mindy likes to do that often. At 10pm we headed up to bed. We never did build that fire.

A Good Night's Sleep

Ykraps is concerned after hearing word of a coyote in the neighborhood. He asked if we could move. Jacob figured out quickly that I put dish soap in his cereal. I was up at 5:45am after a fulfilling and restful night’s sleep. I literally leaped from bed to begin my morning routine. After making quick work of my exercise and walk with Ykraps I returned to read the Daily OM before doing my own meditation. The message was freakishly timely, as is often the case. It was about “Lashing Out” – expressing our emotions. I found great meaning in it. I began the rest of my morning in a wonderfully positive mood. I did my usual breakfast prep but once again didn’t need to pack my own lunch since I still had Monday’s in the fridge at work. I had only to pack nuts and fruit for Mindy. Mindy left for work around 7:20am and I headed up to shower and dress. I took a few minutes to pay some early monthly bills and to take a few pictures. The weather was expected to turn much chillier today. I kept in the back of my mind the ongoing manager’s conference at work but decided against an early run. We were scheduled to wrap up today at noon anyhow. I left for work at 7:55am. I arrived close to 8:10am - long enough to head upstairs and drop my coat, fill my water, and grab my coffee creamer. I was downstairs in the conference room by 8:30am. We picked up where we left off the day before. The morning presentations went fast. Before we knew it, it was noon and time to move on and back to reality. I headed upstairs to my center where I checked a few emails and addressed a couple pending tasks. I left for a run at 1pm ET. It was chilly and there was a stiff breeze blowing almost directly out of the west. But after last Friday’s 65 mph wind, this was nothing! Believe it or not, I still felt a little queasy from the D&B thing. I toughed it out and was back in the gym after 42 minutes. A hot shower felt really good and helped me transition into the afternoon. Back in my office I ate my two-day old lunch and worked to dig out of the hole created from being out of pocket for almost two days. I worked hard, too. I didn’t leave the building until almost 5:25pm. On my way out I ran into my old buddy, Don Robinett. I shared the news of my recent engagement and let him know that we would eventually be distant family. Don is someone I have always respected on so many levels. I left for home but thought I might stop at Target to buy this silver wire tree topper for one of our family Xmas trees. After talking with Mindy, I could tell that she was a little disappointed that I was running late. It always seems to happen on Mindy Wednesday’s. I scrapped the Target stop and headed straight home where dinner would be waiting. Once in the door I could smell the polish sausage and sauerkraut cooking. It smelt wonderful! But before digging in, we took Ykraps on his evening walk. The night was turning colder quick. Tomorrow promises to not even top freezing, and it's expected to deliver the season’s first appreciable snow fall. I could check my blog, but last year I'm quite sure that we got our first and only big snow storm this same week. In fact, I think it was on December 8th. We finally sat down to eat our dinner. The meal tasted even better than it smelt. I decided to add a hint of honey to both the kraut and the sausage. That made it taste even better. We both had a second helping. After we cleaned up the dishes Mindy readied for choir – early than usual. She reported needing to rehearse her solos before others arrived. She left by 6:30pm. After her departure I decided the time would best be spent updating my lagging blog. I worked on my blog for the next hour solid adding both text and pictures. Jim brought the kids home just before 7:30pm. Bella seemed delighted to be home, but Jacob did not, at least not until his daddy was out of sight. To help them transition to home, I offered up some TV. They wanted to watch a Xmas show. Fortunately, The Grinch had just begun on the Cartoon Network. I allowed them to stay up till 8pm watching. When it ended, I rushed them upstairs for PJ’s, read, and tuck. That went with little incident. By 8:20pm I had the kids asleep soundly. Back downstairs I continued my work on the blog. By the time Mindy arrived home – almost 9pm, I was caught up through Monday. Once she got settled in, we talked about a few things while I put up my Charlie Brown Xmas tree. This was my solution to our tree dilemma. I need that creative outlet for Xmas. More pointedly, we discussed Lindsey’s childcare situation and came to a conclusion how we’d help moving forward. But before finalizing I’ll let the idea sink in for a day or two. Mindy headed off to bed just after 10pm. I stayed up about ten minutes longer matching up a basket of clean white socks. At 10:30pm I headed up to bed also.

Motion Thickness

Me after gaming Xmas tree in it's bling Although I slept much more soundly, I still woke feeling tired and achy after another night sleeping on the family room sofa. It’s not like I was relegated to the sofa, however. That would never happen. Instead, I just didn’t feel like getting up and going to bed. At one point, I woke during the night and dropped to the floor seeing it as a better option for my back. And while it was better for my back, it’s much too hard for a comfy night’s sleep. I woke at 5:45am and got going with my day. I brushed my teeth using my gym bag grooming kit, so I didn’t need to go upstairs. I exercised, walked Ykraps, and got busy with the day’s breakfast. I didn’t need to pack a lunch since I had food that I prepared for Monday already in the fridge. When Mindy came downstairs I let her know that I would remain out of pocket for the better part of the next two days due to a Manager’s conference. And I could tell she was a little aggravated with me after last evening’s tree decorating debacle. However, we discussed the particulars only briefly as I prepared to enter the shower. She left for school and I readied for work. I took my time since I didn’t’ need to be at work until 8:30am. I left for work at 7:50am. At work I went to my office to login, but then headed directly to the conference room specified for our meeting. The verdict’s still out on these multi-day conferences. Are they meaningful & productive, or are they just a diversion from the grind? We went all day long with only a working lunch. I was chomping at the bit to go for my afternoon run, but never let on that it bothered me (Never let em’ see you sweat). Around 3pm we bolted for a team building exercise at Dave & Buster’s. And I’m not a D&B kinda guy. I’ve never put a dime in a video game in my life, although I have played pinball and air hockey at Funway Freeway years ago. We were each given 130 point cards to do with as we saw fit. I couldn’t hardly walk around like a bump on a log all afternoon so eventually I asked a peer to race jet skis. It was fun but he won. As it turned out, I was going the wrong way most of the time. From there we moved on to race cars. Fun for the first minute, but after that I got really sick. I was dizzy beyond belief and had an upset tummy. I walked away on my own to try and shake it off. I never did. I played about ten games of Skee-Ball until I could take it no longer. I bolted for home around 4:30pm. I called Mindy on my way home so she wouldn’t be surprised at my early arrival. She didn’t seem too excited that I was coming home early. I warned her that I was feeling ill and also had to run immediately. So, as soon as I arrived home I dawned my running clothes and hit the streets of Scioto Woods. The cold air against my face was a welcome addition. It at least temporarily washed away the squeamish feeling. Back at home Mindy had prepared dinner, bunless cheeseburgers and green beans. The burgers were delicious! After dinner we played Topple on the family room floor wit the kids. At 7:20pm the kids were ready and in bed. Mindy and I retreated to the livingroom for a heart to heart chat. It proved meaningful and productive, I think. We went to bed between 9:30an d 10:00pm. I was looking forward not only to a full night’s sleep but one in my own bed.

Work From Home

1) sunshine Monday morning, 10am 2) naked tree 3) step-mother Sheila with her charm necklace 4) It's a 30 year old 'Jimmy'. My first oil painting comes home - 1976 I did most of my Sunday night sleeping on the sofa, what little there was. My neck/back ached as it often does whenever I spend any measurable time on that sofa. I ‘woke’ for work around 5:40am. My head was all abuzz from a lack of sleep and the sugar buzz left over from the evening before. Crusty is a good description for how I felt. Regardless of how I felt, I sucked it up and readied for the work day as normal, or so I thought. I exercised, walked Ykraps, and contemplated the many issues swirling about my brain. My thinking wasn't all that positive most likely due to lack of sleep. I prepared lunches and breakfast and moved about as if the day would go as planned. As Mindy was preparing to leave for the day she reentered the house requesting help lowering the garage door. It was much colder today than those days past. She had already fooled around with the detector lights thinking they were out of align. History tells me it was due mostly to the sudden drop in temperature. I had to do nothing more than threaten the sensitivity switch & and down it came just as easily as ever. Problem solved! The problem was solved but my disposition had changed. I was determined to take care of a major Jimmy need. My body, mind, and soul could not continue on with my usual Monday pattern of shower and then work. I decided right then that I was going to work from home. I logged in to our corporate intranet & sent my boss and peers an note telling them as much. I needed a day like this. After mentally preparing myself for this day of solitude I dawned my running attire for a brisk morning run. I was out the door by 8:15am. It was a cold, but sunny run. And it was very enjoyable. All the stress an pressure I felt earlier had lifted and more importantly, the sugar buzz had subsided. Once I was back in the warm house I logged back into work and began working. And while I could never work form home everyday, it was sure nice to sit in my PJ's doing my job just as I would from my office. I interacted with my team members and even joined a conference call meeting with my peers around 11am. We met for almost one hour. After the meeting I continued working all afternoon. I took a few breaks. Around 2pm I put Xmas lights on the tree that Mindy and I put up in the family room. After completing the tree I did some more work then took a shower. At 4:15 I wrapped up for the day. At 4:30pm I left for my Dad's place, taking the birthday card and gift we had for Sheila. They were home as I expected they would be. Aunt Margie was there, too. Sheila had the first chemo treatment today. I gave Sheila her card and gift and we visited for about 1.5 hours. Just before leaving, I asked my dad if I could one day have the oil painting I completed in high school that hung on the wall of their enclosed front porch. He fetched it right then. When I left for home I gave Mindy a call on her cell. She had been Xmas shopping and dining with her momma. I arrived home and quickly leashed up Ykraps for a cold early winter's walk. Just as I was leading Ykraps out the door Jim surprisingly arrived back home with the kids. I told him he could go right in while I walked Ykraps. Mindy wasn't home yet, and he was about an hour earlier than usual. Jim left soon after I returned with Ykraps. And Mindy arrived home soon after he departed. I made myself some chicken broth and relaxed at the kitchen table. Mindy and the kids began decorating the Xmas tree. And truth be told, I wasn't that thrilled with the idea of using her mixture of sentimental and classical tree decorations. In fact, I didn't even want the tree in the family room. Instead, I wanted it centered on the living room picture window. This compromise thing was for the birds! I have always treated a Xmas tree like a canvas. It is my seasonal work of art. Because of this, I think it's fair to say, I pouted and then chose not to participate in the tree decorating. Meanwhile, despite the tree being nine foot tall, the kids placed all of their ornaments on the bottom third of the tree. After their decorating hour, Mindy rushed them upstairs for bath and bed. I participated just briefly in the read and tuck before returning back downstairs. I tuned into the MNF game - Eagles vs. Panthers. The Eagles won! Mindy asked me why I was so stand-off-ish about the tree. I explained myself best I could. I didn't plan to compromise on how my Xmas tree would look. It bothered me - plain and simple. I slept on the sofa all night - again!

Mimosa and the Vikings!

1) Champagne and OJ with breakfast 2) Bella in costume on our way to Gloria's (Mindy's mom's) We woke Sunday morning at almost 9am again. Because we slept so late, I was certain that Mindy wasn’t going to church. In fact, she stayed in bed long after I got up and got moving. She slept till almost 10am. I took my time since it was my day off. I coffee’d then readied for a run. I chose this time to stay in the subdivision. Upon my return I enjoyed a hot breakfast prepared by Mindy. To complement the eggs and fruit, I made us mimosa’s. We laughed as we taste tested the champagne we bought at Kroger on sale for $5.99. We could hardly tell any difference from the $70 bottle of Moet & Chandon we bought at our engagement celebration dinner in Oregon with Rina and Glenn. Marketing, I would suspect. I ended up having three of those puppies. Mindy had two. Before I knew it was NFL time. And today’s game featured the Vikings against the Bears. I was sure we could beat them. Sparing you the details, we couldn’t we lost despite holding them to a lowly 107 yards of offense and into 5 turnovers. Biggest problem was, we turned the ball over five times, too. And if that wasn’t enough, we allowed a punt and an interception to be returned for touchdowns. Boo! I yelled at the TV more than once. I don’t know that I’ve seen a poorer performance from my team since the Cincinnati game last September 18th. Before the final gun, we had to depart for Gloria’s for Sunday dinner. Learning the final score would have to wait but the outcome wasn’t in question. But just before leaving the house, Jacob and I carried up the 9ft artificial Xmas tree. We arrived at Gloria’s just after 4pm. Everyone was present for the first time in a long while. We had sloppy Joe’s, fried potatoes, and meatloaf. For dessert we had chocolate cake with chocolate icing on top and butter cream icing in the middle. I foolishly ate what amounted to three pieces. It tasted so good! I would pay later. We left for home around 6:45pm. Jacob and I walked Ykraps once home. Mindy got the kids ready for bed. I was not only stuffed, but also wired from too much sugar – just a terrible feeling! I laid around feeling wired through the night. I tried sleeping during the SNF game but couldn’t. I got up from bed around midnight because I couldn’t sleep. I laid on the couch with my mid going 100 mph hour almost all night.

Someone Else's Wedding

A coyote wandering in my backyard. Can you say - NO GEESE! ( and yes, Pat, it's real) Mindy's friend Shelly ties the knot. Pictured - Mindy,Shelly, Bill, Jeremy (best man), and then Shelly and Bill's blended family. Mindy at CBC. We slept in until just after 9am Saturday morning. I was surprised it was so late but obviously needed the sleep. We needed to get up and get moving, though because Mindy had to be at the church by 10:15am for Shelly’s wedding. I made quick work of my exercises and Ykraps walk. I returned for coffee with Mindy. Before running I drove Mindy to St. John’s Lutheran church, where the wedding would take place a couple hours later. I returned home to run. I was back home by 10:30am. I copied all of November’s pictures to CD before leaving for a run. It was 11am when I headed out the door. I had to hurry since I had to be back at the church by 12:15pm for the actual wedding. I was back by 11:35am. I showered and dressed in my tan, Evan Picone suit. Just before laving I cleared all the pics from my camera memory and exchanged the batteries for those freshly charged. I took a quick pic of myself before heading out the door. When I glanced out back I saw what at first I thought was a stray dog lingering in my back yard. However, on closer observation, It was a Coyote! Camera already in hand, I quickly snapped off four pictures, the first through the glass for not wanting to scare it away. After that, the remaining three were with the door open and him recognizing my presence. He didn’t bolt like I though he might. Eventually, he moseyed away towards the woods. It spooked me just a little, but I liked the potential trade-off - coyotes for no geese! I rushed out of the house at 12:05pn in a hurry to get to the wedding. Mindy asked that I be there by 12:15pm. I didn’t want to disappoint. I was stopped at every light, but still made it there by 12:19pm – close enough! I was seated right away. This was a relatively ‘small’ wedding only about 30-40 people including small children. The ceremony lasted only about 20 minutes, but then there was the picture taking afterwards with various wedding party attendees. As they departed the church we blew bubbles limousine side. We loaded up our stuff and drove off to the reception all the way out at Oakhurst Country Club. I was starving having only eaten a couple chunks of cheese prior to leaving the house. At the reception Mindy and I scarfed some meatballs and lil’ baby sandwiches. They had a cash bar and it was still early (2:00pm), so I didn’t partake in any drinking if alcohol. Mindy lead an impromptu toast to the bride and did quite well. Through the reception Mindy and I danced a few times, although Mindy danced much more than I. One of the brides neighbors/friend is a Latino woman, an man could she dance. You might say she had ‘mojo’! We stayed at the reception until almost 5:45pm. I was beyond ready to go. On our way home we stopped by Cross Roads united Methodist Church so that Mindy could decorate the altar. She volunteers for this function frequently. The church was other wise empty. While she decorated the altar, I goofed around. I played the piano, acted as if I were giving the sermon, and then took a number of pictures. I wanted to drink some holy water but the caldron was empty. Were out of there after 30 minutes or so. It was unique to live behind the scenes so to speak. Finally home, I walked Ykraps and then tuned into the final ten minutes of the USC/UCLA game. The game was significant in that if USC won, they were all but assured of playing us in the National Championship game. If they lost, then Michigan would likely get a rematch. I wanted USC to lose to force the rematch with Michigan. USC lost just as I had hoped. Mindy and I left for dinner. We landed at CBC – Columbus Brewing Company – a Cameron Mitchell restaurant. We chose to sit at the bar in lieu of a table. That way I could keep an eye on the Florida Arkansas game. We ordered drinks and appetizers. I ordered a key lime martini and Mindy ordered a Shiraz. My martini did not taste so good. When the server asked how it was I was kind but honest. She comp’d me a CBC Pale Ale. Later, I ordered a 90 Schilling, their Scottish Ale. It was extremely good and very strong. We hung out at CBC for about two hours. We made friends with a couple of girls who sat next to us. Both had anthropology degrees. We got to talking bout our visit to Seattle and the Bodies Exhibit. We talked for some time. They were an interesting couple. We left close to 10pm. Before heading back home our curiosity took us to the new Brewery District Kroger. We’d heard so much about how nice it is and wanted to see it. Besides, we needed a few things. It was right around the corner. While inside, and yes, it was very nice, we bought some veggies, champagne, orange juice, pop-tarts, and a few other miscellaneous items. Finally, after 30 minutes in Kroger, we were destined for home. At home we didn’t waste much time getting ready for bed. We were both exhausted.

An amended end

Brother Robert's newest addition, Evan Mathew Wright - born 11/29 @ 3:58pm ET - 8lbs 4oz. - 21 inches , and he's tall too! :) The deck as we transition from spring weather to more winter-like conditions Mindy's manger scene - according to her, a holiday must! Although I can’t say with 100% certainty that I woke on time, I am all but certain it was very close to 5:30am. Friday began as a warm, rainy day but ended cold, gray, windy. The day would serve as a transition from the freakishly warm late November weather to the more realistic, December type weather – right on cue. I worked hard & ran hard. This day will go down as one of the most challenging runs of all time. We had a westerly wind gusting up to 65 mph and rarely settling under about 40 mph. It stood me right up! The good news was that once I made it to the turnaround point (2.5 miles) It was smooth sailing! For the first time ever, the wind nearly pushed me over on the return. I had to fight to slow down a few times. I was anxious to get home and get on with my weekend. Mindy was heading to a Wedding rehearsal and dinner so I would have a couple of hours to do whatever I pleased. After bidding her farewell, I spent the next couple of hours tending to household chores. At 7:45pm I left for Barley’s. Mindy planned to meet me there after her wedding thing. I arrived to a very crowded bar (standing room only). Bob and Mary Ann, and Jeremy and Courtney were the first faces I saw. They were near the entrance. They congratulated me on my recent engagement, and never bought the “break-up” story I concocted as explanation for Mindy not being with me. I didn’t try to sell it too hard. As we talked and exchanged greetings, Mindy showed up. In celebration, Bob bought the two of us our first drinks. I had a Xmas Ale, Mindy had a Shiraz. She was eager to share her ring and the ‘engagement story’ with everyone, and did. Soon Mindy’s friends, Keri Ann and Kevin arrived. We talked and eventually ordered some food. After we ate and had another beer, Mindy’s friend Tara and her hubby, Alfonso arrived. He’s from Peru. He spoke very broken English. We hung at Barley’s until maybe 11pm. I was getting very sleepy – probably form the exhaustive, windy run earlier in the day. We were home and in bed by midnight.

Glutton for punishment

I am a glutton for punishment. I stayed up Wednesday night entirely too late. I didn't get to sleep until after 1am Thursday morning. I started out watching the basketball Buckeyes playing North Carolina. Innocent enough, right? Well, it was an exciting game in every way. The game didn't begin until 9:00pm and lasted until well past 11pm. Still not too late. And I even watched the second half from bed. At game's end, I was wide awake! Uncharacteristically, I laid there wishing I were sleepy for a few. Sometime after midnight Bella began calling for her momma. After a few chants for her,, it turned to me. I thought that I'd give Mindy a break and deal with it. I went to Bella's room and laid down with her. Even while I laid there beside her, she continued her "I want my mommy" chant even as she drifted back to sleep. It ended in an incoherent mumble but I could still sense what she was saying. I tried to get up and head back to our room before she was completely out. but she caught me and she insisted I stay longer, so I did. About ten minutes later I could tell she was out. I tucked Elephante' under her arm and tip-toed back to bed. I was thirsty, had to pee, and unusually hungry. I went down stairs to pee and quench my thirst. I thought for a moment about making some food but decided against it. I had eaten everything in sight at the company potluck earlier in the day, but I hadn't eaten any dinner. Regardless, I passed on eating through the night. I wandered back to bed where I laid until I finally fell asleep. When 5:30am rolled around my eyes felt like sand and my head a little fuzzy. I had to get up and get going just the same. I got crackin' on my exercises and eventually found my way outdoors to walk with Ykraps. It was another fabulously warm morning. But at least it wasn't pouring rain this AM. I completed the walk and my other routine tasks. Before long, we were eating our breakfast together. Jacob joined us but came in the room in a foul mood. Sometimes he just likes to project discontent on us. You know the look, a wrinkled forehead, and a sharp gaze out the top of the eyes. I tried filling his cereal bowl but he pulled it away causing a few to spill. His mother had seen enough and asked him to go to his room. Of course he, but somewhat defiantly. He begged for mercy once there sharing that he needed to eat. He sassed his mother a few more times leaving her few other options. After she calmed, she headed up the stairs with the dreaded spoon. He got a whack or two. When he returned downstairs he was much better but still a little bitter and angry. I thought he might earn more, but didn't. Mindy doesn't allow the children to be disrespectful under any circumstances to anyone. I tried to help ease his pain and helped him with his shoes before they left for the day. Jacob has a hard time with our relationship, I can tell. And I understand him too. After they left I carried on with my normal shower and such. I was ready for work by 7:45am. I left for work and arrived just after 8am. I saw along my way that gas process went up about $.15 overnight, and I need gas. Crap! I could've saved about $3.00 had I acted promptly. Work went quickly. Our weekly staff meeting was moved to Thursday so that always moves the AM along much faster. We didn't exit our meeting until 12:15pm. I was shocked that it was so late. I had a few things to do before leaving for my run. I left around 12:50pm. The weather was once again very nice for running. It was about 65 degrees under mostly cloudy skies. But for whatever reason, my legs were ridiculously stiff. Probably due to lack of rest. Being an everyday runner I count on my sleep to rebuild what I tear down each afternoon. Being the veteran that I am, I chugged through it. The afternoon went quickly. I left the office just after 5:10pm. Before heading home, I stopped at Target to return the set of rope lights I bought two nights before. I was hopeful that I would find two different sizes, but that wasn't the case. They simply reduced the over size making buying one replacement to resolve my problem futile. I thought for a moment about buying three new sets to make it all the way around the pergola but decided against it for now. And even though I returned the one set, I grabbed the company url off the box to poke around their webpage, and possibly even send them some feedback. That went quickly and before I knew it, I was home. Mindy made taco salad for dinner. But before sitting down to eat I took Ykraps on his ceremonial journey. Mindy insisted on driving to the Convenient store and fetching some sour cream since what we had in the fridge looked suspicious and expired near Halloween. Bella went with her momma; Jacob came along with me. I took the opportunity to talk with Jacob about his feelings towards me. I assured him that his daddy will always be his daddy and that he didn't have to love me, but that I loved him. I only asked that he be kind. He felt good about that and told me that he didn't love me but only liked me. I chuckled. We took a longer walk than normal. Jacob was excited with all the Xmas lights on display and wanted to drink them all in. As we approached our turn towards home he insisted on going a different route. He's very independent like that. I wasn't sure if he even knew the way home. I kept going the direction I intended, not wanting to cave to his every desire. I looked back a couple of times more than half expecting him to come a running. He didn't. I stayed my course and as I came around the corner closing in on our home I saw Jacob coming form the other direction - thankfully. I could just hear Mindy if I returned home without Jacob and couldn't explain what had happened to him. I asked him if he got worried or scared, and he said, no. He said he knew his way back. Mindy returned just as we were entering the house - good timing. We all sat down for dinner. The taco salad hit the spot. For dessert Jacob and I enjoyed a piece of Chocolate Mousse cake I brought home from the potluck. After dinner Mindy did her usual thing. She rushed the kids upstairs for baths. I was crashing fast having garnered little sleep the night before. I snuggled up in my reading chair and drifted off to sleep. She never woke me for the tuck and read. I slept till 9:30pm. And when I finally got up, I stayed awake just long enough to check on the Bengals Ravens score then head upstairs to bed. I was still pretty tired.

How Do I Get Out of This One?

I woke a few times throughout the night but never for longer than a couple of minutes. The first time was due to Bella calling for her mommy. And because of my poor eyesight, at first glance I thought it was near 4:30am, but after a second glance I realized it wasn't yet midnight. It was closer to 11:30pm. I went to bed somewhere near 9pm so I had a couple hours under my belt by then. The next time I woke it was 2 something, and then again around 4am. I got up for good at 5:24am and was downstairs at 5:28am. I felt very rested and marched through my exercise and vitamin routine like nothing. I leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk and left the house around 5:40am. It was spitting micro droplets of rain but nothing to be concerned about. But once we reached our halfway point, or the farthest point from the house, it begna to rain hard. Here I was, no hat, and getting soaked. And of course Ykraps insisted on doing some major sniffing around about the same time. Suddenly my peaceful, tranquil mood turned a bit stormy. And wouldn't you know it, it stopped soon after we got back inside. Hmmm? After toweling off myself and Ykraps, i made Mindy her coffee and took it to her in bed. She woke for a second, slid to my side of the bed, and asked for a hug and kiss. I obliged then left her alone so I could attend to the rest of my normal morning business. I did some peaceful mediatation and read the Daily OM. I had lots of extra time due in part to my slightly early rise as well as having no need to pack either of us a lunch. Mindy was lunching with a friend, and we are having a holiday pot luck at work. I did make our usual eggs & fruit for breakfast. Today featured fried eggs. Jacob joined us downstairs sometime around 7:00am. Bella never did come down for breakfast. She chose ot lay in our bed watchign her usual Sponge Bob DVD. You'd think that she'd be sick of that damn thing, but apparently not. Mindy commented about diving head first back into her low-carb eating for gaining five pounds on our trip and needing to be in the brides maid dress this Saturday for her friend Shelly's wedding. Without giving it much thought, I spouted off my standard weight loss lecture. Now's never a good time to be thinking of trying to lose weight for a coming event. That time was last spring. Need I say, she didn't care for my comment. I meant no harm, however. Apparently it's just something you don't say to your S.O. My point, of course, was relative to the weight loss infomercials you see in late spring that offer miraculous weight loss programs to help you fit into that bikini by summer. Come on! Should've of been working on that even before winter. And just as Mindy's noted for doing, she aired her feelings minutes later. All better! :) She loaded the car and I retrieved Bella and brought her downstairs. She inisted on being carried stating something about her feet huring too much. She's something else! Soon they were gone and I was in the shower. I shaved this mornign too, which took a couple extra minutes. I didn't rush myself by any measure. I took some time to pay bills, play guitar, and tidy up before heading off to work. I arrived to work by 8:20am. Things were not so busy this morning allowing me time to catch up on some dangling issues. I left for the Honey Baked store at 10:40am, just as I had planned. We ordered a whole ham and three roasted turkey breasts for our potluck. I agreed to expense the meat. I was at the Honey Baked store in no time flat. And since I was on Sawmill Rd, I stopped in Pier 1, Border's Books, and The Buckeye Corner. I spent no more than 20 minutes in total perusing thier wares. I was back at the office by 11:45am. I called one of my peers to come help me carry in the goods. There were plenty of bring ins too. Many of the engineers cooked up some really good stuff. Before i would eat a thing, I would have to run. I left to run at 12:05pm. It was fairly warm once again, cloudy but warm. It was in the mid 60's. And it was a good run. I worked up quite the sweat, due in part to the heavy humidity. I was back and ready to eat by 1:20pm. By now most of the engineers had alredy began eating. We had about eight pies & cakes, several crocks full of potatoes, as well as many other delicious sides. And we had the main course, the Honey Baked meats. It was goooood! I had too much. I could pass up some of the desserts either. I had two or three. I was full. We had a ton of leftovers by days end. Any worry that we wouldn't have enough for our C-shifters was put to rest. Besides, we had already carved off about 4 lbs of meat and put it in the fridge just for them. now, however, there were a butt load of sides and even more meats and dessert. I took a little home. Mindy called as I was leaving work. I tried calling Ashley too, to see how her day with Stephen unfolded but got only her VM. This is the first time that jerk has seen Olivia. I wish he'd just go away. As i told her, even a jerk will want to see his 'trophy' at least once. Any how, Mindy had been off of work since noon time. She had a doctor's appointment and then a plethora of Xmas shopping to do. She was heading home at the same time as I. While conversing she realized that she forgot to pick-up the wedding gift she was having gift wrapped at Lane Avenue Mall befor leaving. She swore a few choice words and then professed to be going back before choir practice later this evening. At home we walked Ykraps together. We tried to reach Bob to see if they had the baby today, but to no avail. We left a VM - no answer. We tried dad, too. No answer. I didn't bother leaving him a VM; he doesn't know how to retrieve them. Back home Mindy dove into the Honey Baked ham I brought home. Meanwhile, I took the rope light set I bought last evening at Target out to the deck to replace the strand that has a section burnt out. To my chagrin, the plug size doesn't match-up with the existing lights even though they're the same brand. That's crap. I thought they looked ever so slightly smaller. I may have to live with the 4 feet of burnt section, or repalce all three strands. That'll be a $30 expense, however. Mindy soon left for Lane Avenue mall, Choir, and a quick stop at her mom's. She insisted that the kids would behave when Jim drops them later. Jacob, as you may already know, can be quite the handful when he's dropped off to me alone. It makes me a little nervous, still. After she left and before the kids arrived I played some guitar, placed Jacob's bike on garage hooks. In the process, I noticed that the new box of DCON I put in the garage has already been half eaten. I carried Bella's tiny little bike to the basement. I blogged until the kids got home at 7:40pm. The drop went OK except for jacob calling Bella a liar whe nshe blerted out that Jacob didn't like me. :) Jim left after only two minutes inside. I allowed the kids to enjoy some Halloween candy before readying for bed.

Just Tuesday

1) a typical Newell sunrise 2) Xmas village 3) blinded sunshine I was awake and downstairs for exercise and the rest of my routine by 5:40am. The relatively clear skies we had on Monday we apparently gone even though there wasn't any precipitation expected. The high temps were still expected to reach well into the 60's. I did everything that I usually do on workday mornings. I walked Ykraps, made lunch, breakfast and meditated - not in that order. I made scrambled eggs for breakfast. The kids each had a bowl of cereal before their departure. Mindy left around 7:20am and I, just like most other days, headed to the shower. After tinkering around the house for a spell and playing a few licks on my guitar, I departed for work. It was 7:50am. The traffic on my way to work was back to normal. I think it's safe to say that the light traffic of Monday was restricted to folks simply extending their weekend by an extra day in lieu of taking the entire following week. Work was busier too. I kept busy all day long , but then again I always do. I left for my run around 12:45pm. It was 60 degrees on the nose when I headed out. I chose to run without a jacket again. My run went rather easily. I took notice of all the houses already decorated for Xmas. We go through the 90 day Halloween, TG, Xmas decoration phase so quickly any more. Realistically, many holiday decorations will remain up well into January, depending on the weather. If we have a severe cold snap after Xmas, as we often do, they could remain up for most until the January thaw, which routinely comes the last week. The afternoon was as busy as my morning. I stayed involved up until 5:10pm. When I left for home I called Mindy. I let her know that I would be stopping at Target to pick-up those rope lights I need for the deck. While there, I luckily remembered that Ykraps needed some god doof. I carried a 55lb bag on my shoulder. I found the lights. They looked marginally smaller than the three sets I bought last year, but they were the same price and the same brand. I figured it was my imagination. It was a quick stop. I was heading home by 5:35pm. Mindy let me no earlier that she had wings cooking. I could smell them as soon as I opened the garage to laundry room door. Before settling down for some food, however, I took Ykraps on his walk. Mindy asked me to eat first but I declined. I just can't relax knowing I have this pressing chore looming. It doesn't feel right, and besides, the walk helps me transition to home life. After we returned, I sat to eat some wings. I wasn't all that hungry, probably due to eating the hearty and satisfying salad that Mindy made for my lunch this morning. I ate about eight wings along with several pieces of celery. After dinner Mindy allowed the kids to help with more Xmas decorating. She was hanging the lighted pine roping on all of our oak banisters. The kids were excited to help. She's very patient with them. Throughout the evening, Jacob pushed her buttons to the point that I was certain he was gonna get the spoon, but he didn't. For whatever reason, he enjoys pushing his momma's buttons to the point of punishment. Come 7:20pm she herded them to a bath. I blogged and added pictures to each vacation day entry. There's so many good ones. I headed upstairs for the read and tuck, but then returned downstairs after only about 5 minutes. The kids both wanted extra hugs form me tonight. Lucky for me, I was in good standing with Jacob tonight. After a little more blogging I finally retired to the family room where I laid on the sofa and listened to soft music. By 9pm I was falling asleep. I was very tired. Mindy coaxed me upstairs at some point. I think that I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Back in Black

Blurry, but it still shows the deep colors. Olivia diggin' her papaw! After nine straight days off of work and a trip across the country, it was time to get back on the horse. I didn’t really feel like it, but knew that I had to. I knew my bedroom clock was fast, but forgot how fast. I guessed it to be roughly 15 minutes. So, I popped out of bed as it read 5:50 something. After brushing my teeth and making my way downstairs I could hear the coffee maker going through its brewing cycle - a clear indicator that it was a bit earlier than I had thought. It was just now 5:30am. I felt pretty good for it being 5:30am and having a body clock that’s all out of wack. Once again, I didn’t miss much about work while on vacation. I am convinced more than ever that I would be a perfect candidate for early retirement. That is, of course, as long as I could find a consistent and generous source of cash! :) Oh well, until I find that supply of cash I’ll have to keep working. With that in mind, I began my morning ritual, which doesn’t change much, work or no work. Ykraps and I did our walk in the dark but warm morning air. There weren’t many visible stars for a thin layer of fog. Upon my return I took about ten minutes to quiet my mind and reconnect with my source of abundance. Now in the right frame of mind, I began carrying on with the rest of my morning. Making lunches today went really quick since there were two pre-made salads left over from the anti-pasta salad we ordered from Minelli’s Saturday evening. I had our breakfast ready to go by 6:38am – far earlier than usual. When Mindy came downstairs she pointed out the stunning sunrise unfolding out of doors. The sky was a combination of purple, pink, and orange. I shot a couple of pics but feared they’d be blurry for not having a steady hand. Soon everyone was back into their routine. Mindy and the kids were off to school and I was off to the shower. I toyed with driving the BM’er but decided against it last minute. When I finally left for the day I couldn’t help but notice the sparse traffic on Wilson and again on I-270. I guessed it to be a popular vacation week for folks – the week after TG and deer hunting week. We’ll see how Tuesday flows. I arrived at work by 8:10am. It was a smidge difficult finding my way back into a routine, but I managed. Thankfully I had logged in from home on Sunday and cleared about 600 emails. Come 10:15am I was pretty much back in the groove. I managed to sneak a peak at the Viking headlines fresh off their first win in a month Sunday afternoon. I left for a run at 1pm after getting a bit sidetracked. The weather was remarkable for running. It was 65 degrees under hazy sun with only a slight SW breeze blowing. I didn’t need a jacket. It was a fabulous run. I felt slightly bloated from all the eating and drinking while vacationing, although I wouldn’t say I over did it on any one particular day. When I returned to my office it was already 2pm, but it didn’t seem like it. The only downside to the fallback thing of four weeks ago is that undeniable feeling late in the work day when one’s convinced that it should be later. Traveling to the west coast for a week cured that, however. I could’ve bought that it was mid-morning. The afternoon went quickly. Ashley called mid-afternoon to chat a little. We agreed that she would come over for a visit this evening, and she would be bringing Olivia and Lil’ Rocky. I was happy to hear that. The rest of my afternoon was spent working diligently. The next time I glanced towards the clock it was after 5pm. Yikes! That went fast. I made quick work of preparing for departure. I was in the Trooper by 5:15pm. The light traffic from the morning, I could see, carried over to this evening. The freeway was moving at a very fast clip. Great! I arrived home even before 5;30pm. Mindy was already there as was Ashley. It was a ‘daddy day’ for the kids but Bella chose not to go. She wanted to stay home. Jacob went to dinner alone with his daddy. After unloading my work stuff, I held Olivia for a spell so Ashley could relax. She looked really tired and reported having cold symptoms. I also sought a hug form Lil’ Rocky but he wouldn’t have any part of that – rarely does. I wasn’t real hungry so I didn’t eat dinner. I held Olivia some more. She loves being held by her Papaw. I put the original Grinch cartoon in for the kids to watch. They were getting a bit rambunctious. Ashley readied to leave around 645pm. Mindy came in to hold Olivia before she left. She hadn’t had a chance to spend any measurable time with her yet for all of the household chores I make her do. But, if she wants to keep her allowance… . :) Ashley left a few minutes later. Rocky denied Mindy and I hugs goodbye as he often does. Mindy rushed the kids upstairs for a bath and jammies while I updated my blog. My PC has been acting buggy since my return from vacation. I looked and saw that Ashley had been all over the Internet too. I chose to back load my PC to the day before we left. That process safely removes any configuration changes made in the interim, but doesn’t remove updated files such as documents or pictures. That worked perfectly. After helping to tuck in the kids I returned downstairs to add pictures to my vacation blog entries. Mindy continued with her Xmas decorating, adding her miniature village to our leaning shelves as well as other items. She spent another two hours or so. After blogging, I retired to the family room to catch the MNF game. The game featured Green Bay at Seattle. And to my surprise, it was snowing in Seattle and pretty hard, too. It was fun to watch. Also, we couldn’t help but feel connected having just spent a day there less than a week ago. Through the first quarter I turned down the volume and read. I finished my latest Deepak book, Power, Freedom, and Grace. Very, very good! Come halftime I headed up to bed. Mindy had gone up a few minutes before hand. I turned the game on from bed but only saw another five minutes or so before drifting off to sleep.

Has Spring Re-Sprung?

1) The pond at sunrise 2) Jacoby and Bella walked Ykraps with me this AM I woke around 8am anxious to get going with my Sunday, my last day of vacation. I did my usual: prep coffee, vitamin, exercises, and walk with Ykraps. It was another gorgeous day taking shape. Saturday ending up reaching 70 degrees – a new record. I returned from my walk with Ykraps and made coffee for Mindy and I. Jacob was in bed with his momma when I dropped off her coffee at the night stand. Soon she was up and downstairs, her and the kids. We enjoyed a fairly casual morning from there on out. Mindy readied for church and was all ready to go come 10am. She decided to allow Jacob to stay home with me at his request. He didn’t feel well and I think she liked the idea that he wanted to spend uninterrupted time with me. The only drawback was that I’d yet to run. She understood that and was OK with Jacob staying back and watching TV while I ran. He was right where I left him before my run. He was eager for my return because we had agreed to play some football in the backyard. Our plans were kyboshed, however. Mindy took the Trooper and the football was in the back. And even though I had a back-up football in the shed, she had the shed keys too. They share a key ring with the Trooper keys. I felt bad for Jacob. He and I headed outside anyway to run around the yard. He ended up helping me with more yard winterization projects. I let him wield the tree prunners to help cut down the climbing roses that have become a bit of an eye sore. He enjoyed hacking away at them. We also pulled up the remaining tomato vines. I also spent some time using paint thinner to further remove the oil stains left on the concrete drive even after power washing yesterday. The petroleum based distillate did a fantastic job of removing what was left. We had a lot of fun hanging out together. We sat on the deck sipping water until Mindy got back. Once she returned home we quickly retrieved the football form the Trooper and took to a game in the back yard. Of course we played by Jacob’s rules, which almost always means he scores everytime and I don’t. He doesn’t realize yet just how competitive that I am, but he’ll learn! As it turned out, he was injured on his second set of downs. He cried and called me names. In reality, he ran into my knee with his shin. He eventually stopped crying and we played some more. He wants to play organized football, and he has a butt load of talent, but he’ll have to get over the wining thing if he hopes to play. After we finished playing and working outside we went inside for some food. Mindy was chomping at the bit to go tanning and to the grocery. This time both Bella and Jacob would remain behind. Bella was pushing my buttons all day. I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. After Mindy left I decided to take them to the park. Bella had asked earlier, and after thinking it through it seemed like a good way to kill time and work out some of her pent up energy. We drove the Trooper to the park and took Ykraps, too. Bella made a new friend almost immediately. Jacob and I played football the entire time. Ykraps took a crap and then spent time tied off to the swing set. I forgot to bring his scoop so the doggie-doo remained. We hung at the park for a little more than an hour. When we returned to the house I logged onto Yahoo Gameday to check on the Vikings game. Bella went upstairs to watch TV. Jacob hit the couch. The Vikings had a 31-12 lead and were about to score again just as I joined. I was pleasantly surprised. Suddenly however, the Vikings lost he ball via a goal line fumble and Arizona returned it 99 yards for a touchdown making the game somewhat close. Are you kidding, I thought. I was on pins and needles as we tried everything we could do to give them the game, including allowing them to recover and onside kick with 30+ seconds left. The Vikings survived and won. I was relieved but tense. Mindy arrived home with groceries and needed help carrying them in. It was now about 4:30 and I hadn’t even had a chance to shower. I was about to lose it. Meanwhile, the kids were ordering various food entrees before Mindy even got grocery item number one put away. Bella also told her mommy that I wouldn’t put a movie in for her. True – but she never asked. After helping carry in the groceries I retreated to the shower where I could accomplish two goals. I could get clean and get some alone-quiet time. After a shower I jumped in bed to catch a little football and a short nap. It felt amazingly good. At Mindy’s request, I headed downstairs around 5:30pm to grill some steaks. I fired up the grill then began watching more football downstairs. And truth be told, I was a little annoyed at the continued clutter in the kitchen/family room from all the activity. There was stuff every where, or so it seemed. As luck would have it, the grill ran out of propane. Great! Good thing we have a broiler. :) We ended up broiling the steaks and they turned out quite good. Mindy made brussel sprouts as the highlighted veggie. For dessert we ate the two pieces of pumpkin pie that her mother sent home yesterday. After dinner Mindy raced the kids upstairs to get there weekly washing. The game plan called for Ykraps to get his bi-annual bath after they were through. I discovered to patches of irritated skin on Ykraps, one on his foot and the other on his lower back. After a bath I would try to put some Neosporin on them. His bath went pretty well. Bella helped. After we got everyone bathed and tucked in, I went down stairs to write and watch football. Mindy began decorating for Xmas. She has more Xmas decorations than perhaps anyone else I know. She decorated for a good three hours. I had fallen a sleep reading at 11pm and she was still going strong. I headed to bed. But when I got to bed I suddenly felt wide awake. Crap! In addition, my back was achy further contributing to my inability to fall back asleep. Mindy finally joined me ten minutes later. I asked her to rub my sore right shoulder to hopefully loosen the swollen muscle. She did. I laid there until after midnight contemplating a number of things: mother, step-mother, kids, bills, work, etc.

There's No Place Like Home

1) Bella was after a green sucker right in the door 2) Ashley visits with Olivia 3) It's Dcon the mouse. I found him in Ykraps' dog food container a bit out of sorts. Sadly, he was slow and lethargic. I'm certian he puttered away to die. Like a dream, I woke in my own bed for the first time in several days. I really appreciate my own bed whenever I return from being away. I must admit, however, that Glenn's bed was surprisingly comfy. Still, there's no place like home. I had a case of jet lag, too. We didn't get up until just after 9am, and I could've slept even longer. We were expecting the kids to be home around 11am so that looming deadline helped prompt me into action. The morning was uncharacteristically beautiful. Nothing but clear blue skies and very mild morning temps. It was nearly 50 degrees already. I pushed through my exercise routine then leashed up Ykraps for a pleasant morning walk. The house felt cluttery with our luggage still strewn about the house as well as several of Ashley's things. I must admit, that had me a little on edge. As soon as we enjoyed some coffee, I began unpacking all of my luggage. My goal was to be completed before the kids returned. Mindy asked that I get my dirty clothes organized too since she was about to begin laundry. The kids arrived home at 11am sharp. Bella was happy to see me, but the verdict seemed out on Jacoby. He's very self-conscious about showing any affection towards me in front of his daddy. I can fully appreciate how he feels. We took a few pics of the kids and continued on with some household chores. I decided not to waste the incredibly nice day taking shape and ventured to the garage and the shed to further winterize the property. he first thing I did was stow Mindy's second bench seat in the shed since it has been sitting idle in the garage most of the summer and fall. Next I pulled all the cars off the drive and along the curb so that I could power wash was the automobile fluids that have leaked both from Mindy and Ashley's clunkers. By then it was about 65 degrees and felt incredibly warm in the sunshine. I was able to wash the majority of the petroleum based residue off the concrete. And while I had the power washer out, I re-did the front porch since a bunch of sparrows have shit allover it after nesting in the English ivy that covers the front of our house. After power washing I pulled the BM'er out of the garage so that I could stow the John Deere against the inside wall. I learned last year that my garage could handle both mowers and two cars nicely as long as I placed them strategically. While I had all vehicles out of the garage , I went ahead and blew all of the loose debris out with the leaf blower. After finishing with the garage I emptied all the clay flower pots for winter storage. Meanwhile, back inside, Mindy was taking down all of the fall decor that has been up since the last weekend of September. It's hard to believe that it had been up for almost two months. She brought four pumpkins outside destined for the mulch pile. I spent another hour or so winterizing the yard. By the time 3pm rolled around I had completed quite a bit. I was satisfied with our progress. We made arrangements to be at Gloria's around 4:30pm so Mindy could show off her ring. I asked if she wanted to have some pizza with us. She did. We ordered a Minelli's pizza just before leaving for her house. We picked the pizza up on our way. We were running about 25 minutes later than planned. No big deal. It was just us (Mindy, the kids and I) and Gloria – no other family members which felt a little odd. We sat at the dining room table to enjoy some pizza and then some pumpkin pie. We watched the Georgia versus Georgia Tech football game in the background. We stayed at Gloria’s until almost 6:30pm. Once home Jacob and I walked Ykraps, who hadn’t yet taken his evening walk. And until this walk, he hadn’t pooped since we’ve been home. Like usual, Mindy got the kids settled for bed between the hours of 7 & 8pm. And after they were tucked into their beds, we got comfy in front of the family room TV for the big USC/Notre Dame game. USC wasted little time dominating the Fighting Irish, fueling the fire that they should be the team playing the Buckeyes for the National Championship. Mindy went to bed before the game was over. I stayed up. Once the outcome was no longer in doubt, I took to updating my blog. I had the entire week saved in a Word document. I also spent about an hour downloading all of my vacation pictures. I stayed up until 1am.