Fun Times @ MRM 2011

I knew it was early but woke feeling completely rested at 645am, so I got up and headed downstairs. I started some coffee then checked in with work. The only lingering issue was set to be dealt with when the customer’s site opened at 9am. I spent quite a while on the internet enjoying coffee.  I checked the weather forecast. It was 28 degrees and spitting snow. Wasn’t expected to get any warmer than 33 throughout the day with lingering flurries. Hmmm? Looked like a winter-like day in the offing.

It was 9am when I set out on my run. When I left, the house was still quiet. I ran three miles like most other Saturdays, and it was over before I knew it. At home, the house was still quiet and so was work. For that I was most thankful. I checked MRM’s HD webcam. Folks were out there skiing alright. Didn’t look crowded and it actually looked fairly decent. Mindy was up around 10-1030am. The kids were up a little later. Jacob wasted little time heading off to find his friends while Bella headed to the neighbors.

Work remained quiet and the weather forecast for Bellefountaine called for snow flurries and a high of 31. Skiing suddenly looked/seemed doable. The coming week doesn’t look at all – 40s during the day – mid 30s at night. If we were gonna get to do any skiing before holiday, it would have to be Saturday or Sunday. Come 11-1130am I asked Mindy what she thought about heading to MRM. Without hesitation she agreed. With the kids off playing, we went into ski prep mode. Just like that, we were going skiing. Mindy inventoried and prepared her stuff, as well as the kids. I’d already done the same last weekend.

I showered then loaded our skis into the Pilot. While Mindy readied, I prepared a cooler with drinks and snacks. Mindy corralled the children by phoning the neighbors. I called Kenny to let him know our plans just in case they wanted to join us. Said Chrissy was in Cincy picking up a wedding dress but should've been on her way home. He was working on their dryer, but said they just might meet us there. The kids were extremely excited to learn that we were headed to MRM. Can’t recall a time when they were so cooperative. I’m thinking it was 1pm by the time everyone was ready to go. Maybe even a little later. I wasn’t too concerned about the time. Any skiing was a bonus in my mind since I’d already written off any chance of pre-Xmas skiing.

Continued snowing through our entire drive up to MRM. Felt wintry! Some of it was even sticking. It didn’t take long for the kids to start getting on each others nerves. Mindy had to get involved a couple of times. I’m thinking it was just before 2pm when we pulled in the lot. More cars than I expected, but still only about half capacity. We were all excited to be there. And quite frankly, hard to believe that I was donning my ski gear. I helped the kids gear up after doing myself.

We headed up to the window to get our passes at 210pm. Mindy inquired about a snowboard lesson for Jacob. Said one was set to begin at230pm. Perfect. We were living right! We had already talked with Jacob, explaining that he was gonna take lesson straight up, both here and in HV. He didn’t give any push back. Sometimes you just never know.

At the first opportunity, I slipped into my skis and pegged over to the lesson tower. The mini workout was nice. We chatted briefly with the instructor, who said the lesson would last about an hour. Jacob was in good hands. Mindy, Bella, and I headed off to ski. We pegged back to Four Star, but Bella was struggling. I had her remove her skis and carry them. That’s a whole lot easier.

So there we were, standing in our skis at the bottom of Four Star in a heavy flurry of snow surrounded by nothing but white. Awesome! Suddenly, it seemed as if we were there only last weekend.  Couldn't help but feel giddy. Up we went. Certain runs were completely snow covered, while others sat with next to no snow, although the day’s flurries were already starting to stick and accumulate. 

We let Bella choose the first run. I was surprised when she chose one of the blacks, Sugar Bush, which is the 2nd run to the left of Four Star. She wanted to lead, too. The snow was surprisingly nice with a little loose granular atop a packed surface. A few ruts here and there, though. We probably did 4 or 5 runs before my blackberry rang. I checked it at the top of the lift. Damn it! It was a call I needed to respond to. We did two more runs before I begged off to the get my laptop and head into the lodge. At the same time, Mindy & Bella went to get Jacob after his lesson.

MRM's wireless connection was strong and fast, and I found a table near a power outlet. I made a couple calls and got the situation under control after about an hour. Finally able to relax a little, I went for a beer and popcorn. Just as I got back to my table Mindy and the kids came in with a tray of food from the cafeteria. She brought me a bowl of chili. Called Kenny. Said they were just a few miles out. Cool.

Mindy and the kids headed to Sundowner while I did a little more work. At 505pm I considered my work done and took my laptop back to the Pilot. Passed Chrissy and Makayla heading in to pee. Saw Kenny and Lillian too. Told them we'd meet them on Sundowner. I rode Four Star up and soon found Mindy, Jacob, and Bella. Bella and Mindy took off. I rode down with Jacob, eager to see his stuff.  He probably fell 15 times but her didn't give up. He was tired when we got down. Said he was going back to the bunny hill for more practice.

Did a run or two with the neighbors. Kenny being a relatively new snowboarder said he was gonna find Jacob and hopefully give him some pointers on the bunny hill. Me, Mindy, Bella, Chrissy and the girls did Sundowner 3 or 4 times before I begged off to pee. Might've did another run or two by myself when I spotted everyone going in for a break. I checked my skis and went after our cooler.

Mindy got me a Sam Adams Winter Lager. We took about a 30 minute break. Mindy shared that her arm somehow got stuck in the lift chairback and caused her to fall getting off. Said she hurt her arm and shoulder doing so. Wasn't sure if her pole got stuck or what.  Jacob, meanwhile, was chomping at the bit to get back out there. Said the tips Kenny gave him made a world of difference. The tip he gave? Bend your knees a little. He also gave him a pair of wrist guards. Having watched him fall those 15 times, he really needed them.

We all headed back out to Sundowner around 730pm. I found Jacob again pretty quickly and rode down with him. This time he did much better. Might've fallen three times, but could actually ride, stop, and turn. Mindy & I begged off to Four Star for a couple rides before calling it a day. The kids stayed on Sundowner with Chrissy & Kenny. All three girls were having a hoot of a time.

With the onset of night the snow surface became somewhat hard and fast, or just the way I like it. We did two runs before calling it a night. Mindy asked for the keys while I went back to Sundowner to get the kids. Jacob was already walking towards me. Told him to meet his mom at the car. He said he was tired and ready to go. I could hear Bella, Makayla and Lillian before I saw them. Once again, they were having a great time. Needless to say, Bella wasn't at all pleased when I called her away to leave.

We were on our way by 830pm or there about. Took about 50 minutes to get home. Reminded everybody that they'd need to help carry in our gear.  Once at home, we allowed Jacob a hall pass for walking the dog. We were fast and efficient at getting everything inside. Mindy quickly begged off for a hot shower as much to help heal her sore arms and shoulders as it was to get clean (didn't shower beforehand).

While Mindy showered, I made a plate of nachos smothered in cheese. I poured myself a pint of Cousin Eddie, too. It was almost 10pm before we knew it. Jacob headed to bed without saying much to anyone. Bella had me make her a plate of nachos smothered in cheese just like mine. Mindy asked me to rub her sore shoulders. She already had a nice bruise on her left arm, the one that got caught in the lift chair. It wasn't ten minutes later that Mindy requested a plate of nachos. She and Bella were soon off to bed. I stayed up just a little while longer but can't recall what I did. Must not have been anything special.  I was in bed by 11pm.

Sounds & Sights of the Season

I woke after hearing Mindy in the shower presumably using her sinus rinse. Holy smoke! Sounded like a leaf  blower. I covered my head with a pillow so I could try and go back to sleep. It worked well enough that I slept for another 20 minutes or so. I’m thinking it was near 715am when I got up for good and headed downstairs for exercise and coffee. By then, Mindy already had the kids up and getting ready for school. She left for work just as I was starting sit-ups. She asked that I give her a call if I wouldn’t be able to get the kids off the bus come 4pm. I didn’t see it being an issue.

After push-ups, I played around on the computer while drinking coffee until it was time for us to head to the bus stop. 810am came quickly. The kids were stoked, this being their last day of school until January 2^nd.  Met Chrissy and both girls there. Chrissy asked if it was pajama day at work. Nope – day off!

Bus arrived on time. Soon, Eiknarf and I headed back home. Even though this was my on-call comp day, I still agreed to join a 10am conference call that I expected to run for about an hour. I planned to get my run in beforehand.  To that end, I enjoyed another cup of coffee but then headed out for my run around 845am. It was near 30 degrees, so I wore regular winter attire, including a hat and gloves. I ran just three miles like I do on many days off.

Back home near 915am, I enjoyed more coffee and internet ahead of the 10am meeting/call. I had my work laptop up and running since I’d be on-call over the weekend. I wanted to be aware of any bombs ahead of time. The call commenced on time and lasted for 65 minutes. It was a good, productive call. Glad I joined, although I was getting a little antsy wanting to get on with my day’s personal agenda.

I spent the next two hours working on Xmas gifts, both putting them together and then the dreaded wrapping. I planned to do a little more Xmas shopping too, so after some lunch I headed up for a shower. By then it was near 130pm. The day was flying by. Set out for Target, Dick’s, and Kohl’s near 2pm.

Visited the west Hilliard Target first. There, I picked up a few gift bags, but that’s it. I popped in Kirkland’s too but nothing caught my eye. Next, I crossed the street and made a quick stop in Kohls where I bought myself a pair of wicking long johns, some over the calf running socks, and a new wallet. Geesh, I wouldn’t want to leave the impression that the stop was all about me. I bought a Xmas present too.

Put my Kohls purchases in the car then walked to Dick’s right next door. There I bought myself a new winter weight wicking shirt and ski socks using a gift card I received last Xmas. I had to chip in some of my own money too, but got a good deal on the shirt (20% off).

It was 330pm in a hurry. I needed to get home if I was to intercept the kids. Saw that I had two missed calls on my blackberry. Seems I’m never really off work. I listened to the VMs before driving off. Arrived home a few minutes later where I quickly stashed all my purchases then played at the PC until the kids arrived home from school, which was right at 4pm as expected.

Jacob headed out to play with a bunch of school friends right away. Bella was in her room. Someone knocked at our door around 430pm. It was a neighbor kids mother, whom I hadn’t previously met. She said she was curious to meet the parents of the boy her kid likes to play with. Can’t recall her name. The dad sat in the minivan in the driveway. Their kid whizzed off on his bike just ahead of them pulling away.

Mindy called around 445pm to let me know that she was on her way to get the boys after finishing up her own Xmas shopping errands. It must’ve been about 510pm when she and the boys got home. By then, I already had two work issues to contend with right out of the shoot. Lucky for me, both seemed to be heading the right direction. Mindy asked if I would be interested in doing Barley’s for dinner with all four kids. I resisted at first but ultimately gave her the thumbs up.

Thinking it was near 630pm when we loaded everyone into the Pilot and headed for Barleys. Mindy put our name in for a booth/table. I walked to the bar to say hello to a number of peeps. The place was as packed as it’s been all year, and likely due to Mark Pansing’s presence, who is town from Arizona visiting family. I ordered a Brew Kettle Xmas ale. It was OK, but not much different than anybody else’s.

Mindy got a booth within eye shot of the bar. She got the kids drinks and fries and then milled around visiting with friends. After chatting briefly with Mark I joined Mindy and the kids at the booth, although I chose to stand rather than sit for most of the evening.  Mindy was pleased to see that they had St Joan’s on tap. She ordered one of those.

Bob I. showed up after we’d been there 30 minutes or so. Mary Ann was working. Talked with Lenny, the owner, briefly. He engaged the kids in conversation asking them what their favorite Barley food was. Jacob and Bella shared their faves openly. Jacob shared that he prefers buffalo sauce but with Gates on the side. Lenny shared that he likes to do the same only with Texas and Gates.

My second beer was their newest porter. It was just OK. Meanwhile, Mindy made a new friend, a younger girl and her boy friend. The girl went to school with nephew Joe. Mindy spent a lot of time talking at their table. As he often does, Darwin showed up just before we needed to head out. However, we did stay long enough for me to enjoy a third beer, a Double Dog IPA. Bob, Darwin, Mindy & I discussed the pros and cons of heading to MRM on Saturday. They were still planning to open even though their webcam showed as much bare grass as snow cover. Sadly, it didn’t look like we’d get any runs in before our holiday trip. I considered that a bad thing, especially for Jacob since he hasn’t tried his new snow board yet.

Thinking it was 9-930pm when we left for home. Mindy drove. We dropped the boys at home first. Lindsey met us in the parking lot. Mindy must’ve texted ahead. The boys had a good time.

Everybody wanted to visit with the neighbors, so after only five minutes in the house we walked down to Kenny & Chrissy’s with the dog. She was very excited to see Woody. Terri was there with her kids too, and they already had the music cranking. We blended in quickly. Talked about the island Xmas party and when we’d do it. To my recollection, we never did get a definitive plan in place. Per the usual, everybody’s got this or that going on leading up to Xmas day.

Kenny & Chrissy shared that Lindsey stopped by after work to get the boys and was freaking out that we weren’t home. She was also freaking out about her car, and the loud squealing noise it was making. Kenny said he looked at her car best he could in the dark. It was coming from her alternator. Said it was loose so he tightened the best he could but said it appeared to be out of line with the main pulleys. Hmm? I was a tad confused because I thought Mindy called Lindsey and told her we were taking the boys to dinner with us. But apparently Mindy only sent a text, but to the wrong number. Oops! She didn’t mention word of it when we dropped the boys.

It wasn’t long before Mindy was dancing on the counter tops. Oh boy! We hung with the neighbors until 11pm. Had a good time. Headed home and to bed.

Cousin Eddie's in the House!

I was awake a little early and subsequently out of bed and downstairs well ahead of 530am. After a quick glance out the back door, I hit the go button on the coffee maker then headed to the living room where I completed 50 sit-ups.

It was raining again and the temperature a balmy 55 degrees. Certainly not the winter weather I'd been hoping for. I played around on the internet for a solid 20 minutes before heading to the family room for meditation. There I made a concerted effort to get back to the basics, desperately wanting to release all the angst and worry from every corner of my mind. It worked marginally at best.

I delivered Mindy's coffee around 610am. She asked how I was feeling. OK, I guess. Back downstairs I stretched then prepared for a run. Because it was so warm, I skipped hand and ear covers. Immediately out the door I was reminded that it was trash day by the presence of the neighbors cans already at the curb. I also heard the trash truck's unmistakable whine off in the distance. I quickly drug ours to the curb before heading off on my run.

I ran the full 4.1 miles in a light rain. Aside from getting a little wet,  it was a good run. Back at home, I pulled our empty trash can back to its resting place then headed inside where Mindy readied the pug and leash for our walk. She took care of business fairly quickly. Thanks Eiknarf.

Mindy made a plain omelet for me & Eiknarf. It was tasty. Enjoyed some fresh fruit (cantaloupe and strawberries) along with it. Mindy was off to school at her usual time. After finishing breakfast, I cut up Eiknarf's egg and mixed it with her dog food. As expected, she woofed it down quickly. I headed to the shower a couple minutes after 730am.

I'd be visiting another customer first thing that morning so I dressed accordingly. I even took the time to iron a dress shirt. I was downstairs ready to go by 753am. Bella assured me that she had already taken care of her hair and teeth. Good girl! The kids and I headed out at 810am. Makayla was at the bus stop again after missing the past two days for being ill. I teased her about wearing both a toboggan as well as a hood when it was so warm. More often than not, she's without either even when the weather calls for it.

Eiknarf took off after a pick-up truck pulling a construction trailer as far as her leash would allow. I think she was a little surprised when I gave her a quick yank. She rolled and flipped to a stop in an instant. Bella gave me this disapproving look and went to her aid. I assured Bella that I'd do it again if she's inclined to be so foolish. Bus arrived pretty much on time.

I quickly gathered my things and headed off to work, which again would start with a customer meeting downtown. Traffic wasn't a problem. I made good time, arriving in the Arena Grand parking garage by 845am. This time I knew to walk around to the building's main entrance where I could get in and out of the weather without a badge. I'd still need to get a visitor pass from the security desk, however.

Once again, I ran into yet another former co-worker whom I hadn't seen in as many as ten years. After chatting for a few minutes I teased him about his graying hair, otherwise he still looked pretty much the same. One of my current co-workers walked up during our conversation. He had the meeting room details. I followed him to the assigned conference room where we prepared for the monthly presentation. Soon, the customer entourage filled the room. Before the formal meeting got going there was a little holiday banter, most seemingly eager to get past the meeting and on with their holiday. My piece of the presentation was last, and was met without any questions. I later learned that the person most interested in my stuff, and therefore most likely to grill me, was not in the meeting. It was just after 10am when we wrapped up.

Our team had a lunch outing planned for the ShadowBox at 1115am. I asked my peer if he was going straight there or back to the office first. He wasn't that familiar with the Brewery District so he said he'd likely go back to the office and ride with someone else. I thought I might kill the hour Xmas shopping but ended up simply driving home for an hour and doing a little work. I was home by 1020am, but struggled to get my laptop fired up and logged onto the network. It literally took 30 minutes. In kind, I was able to do very little before it was time to head to the Shadow Box. Before leaving the house,  I grabbed a couple dollars worth of quarters just in case I needed to feed a parking meter.

Traffic on 70E was backed up just after Mound St. Seems like it's that way any time of day anymore. I wisely exited onto 71S and took the Greenlawn exit, pretty much avoiding the entire traffic jam. I was out front of the Shadow Box by 1140am. Finding a relatively close parking spot, however, proved to be a daunting experience. No meters, at least at first pass.  I then tried the parking lot right behind the place but it was full too. Already annoyed by the crappy weather and then the PC troubles I was having earlier, I was just about to throw in the towel and head back to the office when my boss celled asking of my whereabouts. Told him I was out front but struggling to park. Went on to advise that if I didn't find one soon that I was begging out and heading back to the office. Just as I was telling him that, a meter freed about a half block north of the venue. I soon joined the team already at their stage side table. There were only six of us. Apparently the others had customer commitments.

I recognized and said hello to a few of the actors from my birthday event. Of course, they didn't remember me. After all, they see so many faces. Rene was our server/actress. I already planned on keeping my drink soft, but let the others order first. They all went soft too. I ordered a Mt. Dew. We ordered our food as soon as the drinks arrived. I ordered a pepperoni sub.

The show started soon after our food arrived. It was funny, entertaining, but a watered down version of their night time shows. One thing about the performers that I can't help but feel little uneasy about is  the fake, over-the-top plastered on smiles they wear either when serving the audience or performing on stage. Sitting so close to the stage I noticed that many of the performers could use some serious dental work. From that I gathered the pay and benefits must be meager. The show consisted of two or three tunes and then three or four skits.  The show was over by 1pm and we quickly herded out. Our team reconvened briefly in the bar area but just long enough to inventory the troops. We headed to our parked cars and then back to the office.  

I'm thinking it was 130pm when I got back. I got involved in several things at one time which only made the time go by even faster. For one, I was playing around with a new reporting tool. That consumed the better part of my afternoon.  One of my customers called my desk phone near 5pm. That call kept me engaged and at the office until almost 7pm. But given that I had Friday off, I didn't mind the extra work. My boss was still there when I left for home. He reminded me that he'd be off until Wednesday.

I called Mindy on my drive home. She and Jacob were on their way home from CBC where they'd just finished having dinner. Bella opted to stay at the neighbors. Figured we'd get home about the same time. Mindy was bringing me two more jugs of Cousin Eddie as well as some food. They pulled in the drive just as I was entering through the garage.

It was already 730pm, and the way I saw it, beer time.  I poured a Cousin Eddie to enjoy along with the CBC quesadilla. Both were dynamite! I ended up drinking two pints of the good stuff. It was a school night for Mindy and the kids, so they were off to bed before 930pm. I stayed up until 1020pm, a pretty early bed time considering that I wasn't working on Friday, though I did commit to joining a 10am conference call that I expected to last about an hour.

Where's the Snow, Dammit?

I was up and out of bed about 10 minutes early, but the good sleep ended as much as 30 minutes before that. I felt darn good after falling asleep at roughly 830pm the night before. It was Wednesday which coincides with rain. For whatever the reason, the two have gone hand in hand for several months running now. It was raining pretty hard too. After sit-ups and push-ups, I checked the weather forecast. It was 41 degrees with steady rain, conditions I utterly abhor. 

I enjoyed coffee and internet until 555am, which was more than enough time to surf the net end-to-end. :)  I made it a point to dedicate more time and effort to meditation, something I sorely needed. Inside, I’m still horribly tormented with the crappy weather,  or the absence of snow having so much wrapped up in its presence both her at home and then in HV. And I know I am stressing over things completely out of my control, but I need to be honest. It’s what’s eating Gilbert Grape.

I delivered Mindy’s coffee just before 620am after both meditation and stretching.  I wasn’t at her side long. I was back downstairs, dressed, and out the door for my run by 625am. Thankfully, the rain was reduced to a light sprinkle for most of my run. I got wet but not drenched. There’s a big difference. I hardly noticed it at all. It picked up again as I neared home, but that’s never an issue. By then I’m usually a hot steaming furnace.

Before setting out on my run I had the wherewithal to place Eiknarf’s leash by the door along with a Kroger bag. All I needed was the pug. From the front porch, I spotted her sitting atop the stairs almost as if she were awaiting my return. I rang the door bell and it worked. She came running, barking. I promptly opened the door, leashed her up, and headed out. We walked for a while before she finally relieved herself.

Back at home, my eggs were ready and so were Eiknarf’s. I left hers in the pan while I enjoyed my own. Bella was heading back to school following her illness Tuesday. She came down wearing a Santa hat with a tiara attached. She was doing the Beacon Singers Xmas show for the student body that day in the gymnasium. Said here throat was still sore. Mindy reminded her that she’d need to tough it out since neither one of us could leave work. She acknowledged Mindy’s request. Mindy soon left for school and I headed off to the shower. I dressed up a bit, this being a customer site work day.

Bella and I waited in the garage for the bus. It made no sense to stand out in it like Jacob was doing. I noticed that only Lillian boarded from Chrissy’s house. Apparently Makayla was still sick. Too bad.

I wasted no time grabbing my gear and heading off to work. The rain was coming down pretty hard when I left the house. Another rainy drive around I-270 in the pouring rain. It’s almost comical.  Traffic wasn’t an issue, although the pace was somewhat slower due to the rain. Even still, I made it to the office by 850am. With a fairly long walk to the building from the lot, I was happy that the rain was once again reduced to only a sprinkle.

I hadn’t sat my stuff down for even a minute when the customer brought me an escalation needing immediate attention. It took about 20 minutes to get my laptop booted up and on the network, but as soon as I could, I got their issue addressed. I had a 10 and 11am meeting planned, the former to review current issues and the later to review the November monthly report. I’m liking 11am time slot far better than the old 1pm time frame. We wrapped up the second meeting in something less than an hour. I hoped to head to Easton for some Xmas shopping if time and work load permitted. And as luck would have it, I headed out near 1230pm.

I planned stops at Target, Dick’s and Macy’s, but Target first. I used my Droid not only for my shopping list, but also to zero in on the Easton Dick’s, which I hoped to make my 2^nd stop. Very cool. Thanks to GPS, the Droid already knew where I was and pointed out that Dick's was just around the bend. I headed in Target where I spent about 30 minutes getting almost all the items on my list.

Feeling a bit pinched for time, I thought better of my vanity stop at Dick’s and instead headed over to Macy’s. Though I’ve shopped this one before, I wasn’t familiar with the layout. Took me a while to find the departments I was interested in visiting. Probably spent another 45 minutes there. Got most of what I had on the list. Felt good about that. But what’s even better, I saved a ton of money between the sale price, extra discount for Wednesday, and then a special 20% coupon I received in the mail. Nice! Could NOT have picked up the same stuff at a discount retailer for less.

I’d been gone for about 90 minutes. As much as I wanted to keep shopping, I made the responsible choice and headed back to work. The afternoon went smoothly. I joined a scheduled call/meeting at 4pm that lasted until 430pm. As luck would have it, I got involved in a significant issue at day’s end and didn’t get out of there until almost 545pm. With a 30 minute drive home, that would get me there close to 615pm.

I called Mindy once I was on the freeway. She said she tried calling, but I had my phone on do-not-disturb mode for most of the afternoon. Said we had dinner guests, her friend Jennifer and niece Lindy. Both, she said, were staying for dinner. I love them both but also was tired and crabby after a long, rainy day. At first Mindy said she’d wait for my arrival before serving dinner. I asked that they go ahead and eat.

Hit the normal slow down near Sawmill but otherwise it was smooth sailing until I hit the reconstruction near

Roberts Rd

, but even that kept moving. I was home by 615pm as predicted.  Sure enough, everyone was engaged in dinner when I entered. I felt a bit awkward. I went through the normal after work paces of unloading my lunch containers,  stowing my jacket, then a little banter.

Hungry, I went ahead and prepared myself a plate of the chicken and pasta concoction Mindy whipped up. I joined the others who were all but done with theirs. Asked Bella about her concert to which Jacob butted in to share his perspective. Mindy quickly asked him to stop talking and let Bella share. She said it went OK but that her throat bothered her throughout. It hadn't dawned on me until I was halfway through dinner that Lindy was over post surgery. Looked great, exceptionally even. I apologized for not asking how she was doing earlier.

Mindy's pal Jennifer made some comment about this being the first time she's seen me at a non-booze related event. Not sure how good that is, I retorted. As I understood it, Lindy worked on everybody's hair save for Jacob.

Jennifer left while I was in the middle of the clean-up. We've been wanting to hook her up with Tom Clark for some time now. She's attractive, fun, and smart. Lindy hung out playing Wii with the kids for about an hour. At some point Mindy shared that she saw & talked with Rene at the professional development class. I miss Rene. We used to hang out almost weekly.

I'm guessing that it was after 800pm when Lindy departed. Jacob promptly tuned the TV to the Buckeye basketball game. He watched the entire first half from the family room but spent halftime in the basement playing with his new mini-basketball hoop setup. Think loud!

Mindy headed to bed shortly after 9pm asking that the kids find themselves there by 915pm. Not five minutes later Jacob headed to his room to catch the rest of the basketball game. Growing bored with the basketball game well well before it was over, I tuned the TV to the NatGeo channel where I watched a far more interesting program about massive black holes and how we now know that they reside at the center of each and every galaxy in the universe, including our own - the Milky Way. Whereas in the past we've  associated black holes with epic destruction, now the prevailing thought is that they may in fact be the 'machine' that cranks out the actual galaxy. Makes total sense to me.

I popped some popcorn to enjoy while watching TV.  Bella's highly evolved sniffer must've smelt it from her room and soon found her way to my side on the sofa where we shared what remained of the tasty snack. She didn't hang that long. She headed back to bed near 945pm. I stayed up until 1030pm.

KF Take All

Up on time again and I am happy to report without a lingering case of the sleepies. I took a quick glance out back noticing once again a coating of frost albeit light compared to the past few mornings. After sit-ups I went for coffee. My timing was just about right. It had just finished brewing. I checked the weather first thing. It was 27 degrees and cloudy. Expecting a big warm up over the next few days, and they’re now predicting 60 degrees by Thursday with rain. One would think that would all but destroy the little bit of snow MRM managed to make over the past few days. I looked across the nation, too. It’s not really snowing anywhere but in relatively few pockets in the Colorado Rockies.

Disgusted with the weather, I did my best to focus my attention elsewhere. It worked only marginally. Without a doubt, I am feeling a little stressed. No snow either here or in NY; I am nowhere close to ready for Xmas; and the stock market's tanking. I just needed to scream!

As you might guess, I had a hard time with meditation and just when I needed it most. Couldn’t really stop the chatter. It was more like the 10-15 minutes before upping from bed. Mulling lots of stuff/situations. At 612am I stopped to deliver Mindy’s coffee. I headed immediately to the family room to stretch and then ready for a run.

Stretching went really well and I am once again happy to report that my shoulders, neck and upper back are feeling as good as I can remember. I’d like to think that moving push-ups to every other day has made a big difference.

I dressed in the same running layers as the previous few days. And I could tell right away that it was a bit warmer. It doesn’t take long for 27 degrees to feel almost warm after spending time in the teens. Likewise, the teens will feel similar to the 20’s once we spend a few days in the single digits. I am sure that’s coming, but when?

I ran the full 4.1 miles after getting out the door a few minutes ahead of 630am.  The run passed quickly. Home in the blink of an eye. Leashed the dog for a walk as soon as I was home and in the door. We walked to the west over the new concrete now exposed and open to foot traffic. She was slow to go but eventually did. I was patient.

Inside, Mindy had breakfast well underway, and I was really hungry. While feeding Eiknarf I was reminded that we needed to move all the KF stuff just outside the garage door so it could be picked up. I made a cardboard sign that said, “KF - Take All”. I placed it by the front door so I wouldn’t forget to move it all. I planned to enlist the help of Jacob before heading to the bus stop.

Breakfast was good. Mindy made enough eggs for Eiknarf. I can tell that’s she’s expecting them now. Won’t touch her regular food until she’s had some eggs. Bella complained of her throat hurting. She had cereal for breakfast, Cocoa Krispies. She ate it all but didn’t drink the milk. Said she doesn’t care for chocolate milk.

Mindy headed off to school, actually professional development, near 730am. At about the same time, I headed to the shower. I was downstairs again by 750am. Somewhere along the line, I remembered to quiz Bella on her hair, teeth, and socks. Good thing I did, because once again, she’d neglected to address them. This time, though,  she still had ten minutes to get it all done.

I asked for Jacob’s help in the garage moving the KF stuff just outside the overhead door, but by the time he got into his shoes and joined me, I had it all but done. Bella watched from the laundry room door steps. I placed the homemade placard in front of the pile hoping that would do. They actually request that every bag, box be marked with a KF. I supposed to avoid any misunderstandings.

That part done, now we just had to hope that they would take it all. Bella took Eiknarf while I fired up the Accord. We were at the bus stop right on time. Only Lillian joined us. Makayla was sick, throwing up.  Probably the same bug as Bella.  The kids were soon off to school and me off to work.

Had a couple key meetings taking place during the day.  The first, an internal meeting, was meant to serve as a planning meeting for the two other meetings later in the day with a large customer. The initial meeting was set to begin at 930am. That came upon me fast.

We talked through several potential issues. Glad we did. It’s important that we’re all on the same page in front of the customer. My boss offered that we all go to lunch on the way to the customer’s location. Agreed to meet in the lobby at 1115am. That gave me roughly 45 minutes to tie up loose ends. I figured that we wouldn’t be back until 330-400pm.

Headed to the lobby at 1110am. My boss pulled his car to the door where we loaded in. Just as we were heading off I got a call from Bella’s school office sharing that she was sick and needed to go home. I apologized for my inability to get away, but suggested she try Mindy if she hadn’t already. She hadn’t and thanked me just the same. I agreed to check with Mindy my first opportunity.

We arrived at On the Border near Easton at roughly 1145am. I called Mindy while the others headed to the table. By then, Mindy had a plan to get Bella. She was out to lunch with her teacher peeps but would head back to the class and then go after Bella. She had forgotten that I was in these important meetings all day. Agreed to touch base later. I put my phone on silence.

I hadn’t eaten at On the Border before. Pretty good stuff (Mexican). I’d have to say, their salsa is better than the Vaqs. The chips weren’t as good, though. The entrees, just so, so. We were there for about 30-40 minutes. Not too long. We headed down the road to the customer’s campus with about 10-15 minutes to spare. I knew we’d have a tough time parking. Their lots are always packed. Sure enough, we had to park way out. No worries. It occurred to me was we made our way to the building that I didn’t bring my access badge. I had to get a visitor badge just like the others.

Found the meeting room with relative ease. It was an executive type briefing. I assured our guest director that it wouldn’t be a beat up session and it wasn’t. These guys are always first class. And that’s just how the meeting went. Talked through several concerns and developed a game plan for moving forward. The first meeting went long. From there, we drove to the second meeting located in the same building that I spend each Wednesday.

The second customer meeting went equally as well. While there, we happened upon their Santa passing out scrumptious looking baked goods. He was perhaps the most authentic looking natural Santa I’d ever seen. Nice touch. I skipped the treat, though others partook. I didn’t have anything smaller than a $1. I know, cheap!

The 2^nd meeting took place in the director’s office. All in all, it was a very positive meeting. Lasted upwards of an hour. We left for our home office near 330pm arriving right around 4pm, or pretty much when I thought. I had a lot of to-do’s build up while we were out. As a result, I was very busy for the last 1.5+ hours of the day.

Talked with Mindy late afternoon. Advised that she took Bella to see Dr George (Craig’s partner). He gave her a strep test which came back negative. Said he was surprised given how red her throat was. Said she could return to school the following day. Because of her absence, Bella wasn’t doing her Xmas concert at school. Mindy said we could have a date night if we wanted.  Neither one of us were very hungry, though. Agreed to simply stay home.

I didn’t get out of the office until 550pm. Traffic was still fairly heavy. I arrived home just after 6pm. The kids were gone with Jimaken. The house quiet and neat. Mindy was on her laptop, presumably Xmas shopping. We chatted for a while, her providing an updated status on our Xmas shopping, and me sharing details from my work meetings. Near 630pm, in a rare moment of weakness, I decided to pour the last pint of Cousin Eddie. It was too much longer before Mindy left to run a couple more Xmas shopping errands.

I was left alone for about an hour. Sadly, I can't recall what I did with the time. I think that I spent most of it writing in my blog. I ordered the Xmas gift for Jacob from Amazon. Hopefully it will arrive before Xmas.

The kids were home from an evening with Jimaken before Mindy returned from the Flower Factory. Once Mindy was home I pulled myself away from the PC. I'm thinking it was close to 830pm when I took a dive on the family room sofa and promptly fell asleep. I didn't wake again until about 1030pm. By then, Mindy & the kids were off to bed and sound asleep. I shut down the house, including all the indoor Xmas lights then headed for bed.

Ugly Forecast

Happy 74th Birthday, Mom

I was up and out of bed near 530am, on time for all intents and purposes. I glanced out back at the weather. Once again, it was crystal clear and looked frigid. A coating of frost covered everything. After calisthenics I checked the weather forecast in detail. It was only 18 degrees but also expected to climb into the 40’s by mid-afternoon. Our cold snap appears to be gone and looking ahead ten days, it didn’t look like winter weather would be returning anytime soon. High’s expected in the 40’s & 50’s with evening lows barely scraping the freezing mark, putting in serious jeopardy any pre Xmas skiing at MRM.

I actually began to worry a month or so ago when the weather pundits predicted another early winter again this year. Now more than ever, I am convinced that they’re clueless. Must use a magic eight ball to forecast the weather.

The two prior December’s were a boon for early skiing, with early snow storms and hi temps below the freezing mark for most of the month. Admittedly, I was allowing the uncooperative weather to dampen my spirits.

I enjoyed coffee at the PC until roughly 6am when I moved to meditation and stretching. I completed both ahead of delivering coffee to Mindy. Bella complained of feeling under the weather at bedtime the night before, and Mindy took her temp and discovered that she was sporting a fever of 101.5. Mindy asked if I could stay home by any chance. But I could not. Had a couple important meetings I needed to be in. She contacted her principal and prepared sub plans online before returning to bed.

After meditation and stretching I went ahead and delivered Mindy’s coffee. She confirmed that she was staying home with Bella. Planned to get up around 7am to make breakfast and prod Jacob. I left for a run near 635am.

It was cold, but I wore the appropriate attire making it an enjoyable experience. I ran the full 4.1 mile track. Mindy had Eiknarf ready for a walk as soon as I was back from the run. She and I walked west despite the new blanketed concrete and the construction barriers. We walked through the straw & seed.

Back home by 715am, Mindy had my breakfast all ready to go. I questioned whether Bella was really ill citing a quickly bursting temperature at bedtime not being that unusual. She didn’t seem to care much for my opinion. It was my mom’s b-day. I planned to give her a call later in day to wish her well and check her status after a blood clot screening late last week.

Mindy made a plain omelet for Eiknarf and I to share. As usual, Eiknarf cried like a baby at my feet for her share. Mindy was a tad stressed that no sub was available for her class. Her teaching partner acknowledged the problem and agreed to take both classes. Mindy’s shared how difficult that is to do and be effective at the same time. But she had no other alternatives.

I was off to the shower near 730am and back downstairs by 750am. Mindy shared her plan which included a potential trip into school later that day if she could get her mom to help out. She had another professional development day planned for Tuesday. Not of her own doing. As it was, she wouldn’t be in normal mode again until Wednesday.

I headed to the bus stop with Jacob at 810am. The bus was actually early, there as soon as we walked out. Chrissy’s girls had to run out to catch the bus while I held her up. I headed back home with Eiknarf where I chatted some with Mindy. I reminded her of Tuesday’s Kidney Foundation pick-up. We had a gargantuan pile of stuff to give away in the basement. We planned to carry it to the garage later that day, most likely after I got home from work. We were supposed to have the boys after school too. When I left, we still weren’t sure how we’d pull that off. We planned to keep in touch through the day.

Arrived at work near 840am and got situated fairly quickly. Mindy called me mid-morning to let me know that she made arrangements to have her mom come over so she could head into school to prepare for Tuesday’s absence and then grocery shop afterwards. And if things went well, she said she’d pick-up the boys too. Said Bella’s fever was still gone, but was now complaining of a sore throat.

Stayed busy all day long finalizing monthly reports for presentation later in the week. Attended back to back meetings too. The two Monday meetings caused me to work straight through the imaginary lunch hour.

Mindy called later afternoon on her way home from the grocery and with the boys in tow. Said she had taco meat cooking in the crock-pot for dinner. Also shared that her mom would almost certainly bail on dinner for not wanting to drive home in the dark.

I got out of the office just after 530pm. It was completely dark and had warmed considerably. According to the Accord, it was 38 degrees – even warmer earlier when the sun was up. Arrived home near 6pm. Sounded like the kids were having fun. Soon dinner was served. I let everyone else get their tacos prepped before descending on the kitchen.

I opted for two hard shell tacos. And they were way better than the Vaq tacos. Bella wasn’t eating tacos. She was having leftover tortellini. Again, doesn’t care of tacos. Also reiterated that her throat was sore. Landon didn’t eat that well either. Odd.

Unfortunately, I brought a work related issue home with me and needed to dig in soon after dinner. Mindy managed most of the clean-up while I got logged on. I finished the heavy stuff later. I spent a couple hours working that issue and in between worked on a personal xmas project. In other words, I was making good use of my time.

Lindsey showed to get the boys around 745pm. They were soon off for home. And as soon as I had that work related matter under control, Mindy and I carried all the Kidney Foundation donations from the basement to the garage. There were probably 6-8 large trash bags full of toys and then another 6-8 kitchen-sized trash bags full of the same. In addition there was a large artificial plant, a couple large planters, and a couple boxes.

Finally making a dent in the basement, though we still have some stuff to get rid of – the elliptical machine, an old PC, an old door, and the old fluorescent kitchen light fixture.

Getting close to where we could start construction. After getting all the KF stuff carried up to the garage I changed into my PJs, poured myself some ice water, then bounced between my PC and the TV catching some of the MNF game between Seattle & St Louis. Both teams looked bad at least early on. I started to dose and headed to bed near 1030pm. By then, Mindy had already been in bed for almost 90 minutes.

Snow Making Weather

Once again, I had the wherewithal to take a few Advil before heading to bed. I’m sure that helped prevent a nasty headache when I rolled out of bed near 830am Sunday morning.

It was another sunny start and once again it looked absolutely frigid outside with everything in a thick coating of frost. My eyes were dry even after a shot of eye drops. I started some coffee then headed to my PC. While waiting on the coffee, I read about the Buckeye basketball team’s initial defeat at the hands of Kansas the afternoon before. I saw none of the game. Our star player didn’t play due to back spasms.

I enjoyed coffee in front of the PC for at least an hour before finally heading out for my run around 10am. Once again, it was sunny & cold - in the upper teens. Pretty much the same weather as the day before so minus fresh socks, I wore the same uniform too. The 3 mile run went well.

Back home near 1030am Mindy still wasn't up and neither was Eiknarf. That surprised me. Figured Mindy must've been hung over She finally got up around 11am. Said she felt fine but was once again congested. She looked a tad swollen in the face too. When she joined me, I was in the middle of making myself some breakfast. For starters, I was frying up some leftover rotisserie chicken along with a couple eggs. I was craving some wholesome food. I asked Mindy if she wanted any. She did not.

The eggs and chicken were tasty. Hit the spot. I might've over did it a bit. The food weighed heavy in my stomach. I thought I might take a brief nap. I laid on the sofa but didn't really sleep, though I tried. It actually left me a bit nauseous. Mindy showered and planned to Xmas shop by her lonesome after I declined an invite. Sometime Saturday,  Lindsey inquired about us watching the boys while she Xmas shopped. We told her near 3pm, or about the same time we expected the kids home from their weekend with Jimaken. While I lounged on the sofa, Mindy headed off shopping. Asked that I have Bella clean her room immediately in the door if she wasn't back to tell her first.

While Mindy was away, I laundered my running clothes and played on the PC> I watched the Bengals game too. They were ahead much of the game. In fact, the lead the entire game, that is until the final seconds when the Texans punched it in to take the lead and the game.

At the same time, things weren't looking too good for the Vikings either. At one point, I saw, they were losing 21-0, but were slowing creeping back in the game. It wasn't on TV but they kept flashing scoring updates. Mindy was back around 330-4pm. By then, the kids were home. It was too much longer before Lindsey dropped off the boys. Lindsey called ahead and asked if Olivia could come over too. Of course.

Mindy headed to the basement to wrap presents. All the kids headed outside to play, even Landon and Olivia. A little time passed when I glanced out back and saw both Olivia and Landon outside without jackets. And what's worse, Landon had only a skimpy white t-shirt on. It couldn't have been but 30 degrees. I made them come in. Said their coats were over at Chrissy's place. I wouldn't let them go back out to retrieve them. Figured we'd have Bella bring them home later when we called her for dinner.

Speaking of dinner, Mindy was making tortellini and salad. She invited nephew Joe over for supper too. I hoped she forewarned him that we had the grandkids. Late in the afternoon I saw that the Vikings blew an unlikely comeback. They were down by 6 points with time expiring but had the ball on the Lion's 1 yardline. But just as the entire season had gone, they managed to screw the pooch and fumbled the ball on the next play. Game over.

Joe must've arrived around 5-530pm. He was more than fun with the kids. They all like playing with Joe. I bounced back and forth between the kitchen, where Mindy & Joe were hanging out, to my PC where I was working on a Xmas project. Lindsey got back from her Xmas shopping spree just before dinner was served. She brought about three loads of laundry too. She put one in before she left. I threw that one in the dryer and washed the 2nd load while she was gone. She picked up where I left off. Dinner was served around 6pm. There were nine of us in total (5 kids). The tortellini was good, and so was the garden salad.

After dinner, the kids played Wii. Olivia did something unsavory and earned herself a timeout. Can't recall what it was. Mindy forgot about her sitting in on the steps. Mindy rushed in to chat with her once I reminded her. She let her rejoin the others after apologizing to Bella.

Mindy reviewed Lindsey's pending electric bill and wrote a check to cover the expense. Lindsey was all up in arms over the amount - $148. Not sure the time when Joe, Lindsey and the boys left. But I'm thinking that Joe left first. Mindy reviewed our weekly schedule with Lindsey discussing what evenings we could be counted on to pick-up the boys. Monday was one of them. Not sure about the others.

I'm thinking she and boys left around 8pm. Mindy quickly asked if we could hear the noise. What noise, Jacob asked. Nothing! The house was suddenly and once again quiet. After everybody got into their jammies I suggested we watch Christmas Story after seeing that it was available as a movie-on-demand. Mindy hadn't seen it before. I've seen it maybe 15-20 times but never from the very beginning. Always joined late.

I'm thinking the movie played until after 930pm. Mindy and the kids promptly headed to bed. I tuned to SNF at least for a while. Hungry for a snack, I tapped into the Hickory Farms summer sausage that Mindy bought at Target on Saturday. Bella joined me briefly too. She wanted to try the sausage. She loved it. Had two or three pieces. Sent her back to bed.

I headed to be no later than 1015pm, about the time I started to dose off on the sofa. Good night moon!

Frigid Night at the Zoo

I wisely took a few Advil just before going to bed to help ward off the potentially ill side effects from the 4 beers the night before. And I am happy to report that while I may have slept in a bit longer than normal for a Saturday, at least I woke feeling decent.  I was up and downstairs by 815am. It was clear, sunny, and cold. Heavy frost coated everything in sight. Depending on the source, it was anywhere from 19-21 degrees.

I started coffee then played on the internet. Did that for an hour or more. Mindy was up surprisingly early. I’m thinking it was even before 9am. I took Eiknarf on a walk in the cold winter air. Very refreshing!

Somewhere between 930-10am I headed out for a run. I bundled warmly and added sun glasses to the recent winter uniform. Like most Saturday’s, I ran only 3 miles. Mindy was in the shower when I got back. We planned to go Xmas shopping that afternoon before heading to the zoo to watch Bella sing with her school mates.

I headed up for shower after Mindy was out but before she was fully ready. Even though we knew we were going Xmas shopping, neither of us had much of a plan, and that includes where we might be going. I figured Target a good start, however.  

Not sure the time when we left for Target but I’m guessing it was somewhere close to noon. Traffic was heavy but  I expected that. I parked about as far away from the building as humanly possible hoping to avoid door dings and crazy folks. It took us a few to get in synch, but little wonder after neither of us shared a plan. We finally decided to take care of one kid at a time (our kids, grand kids). We also agreed to cut back on the number of outfits for the grandkids this year. Kids want toys, not clothes.

We didn’t have a lot of ideas for toys, but both agreed that getting Landon his own DS made sense. We looked at DS’ and Xbox’s but bought neither. Lines were too long for mandatory electronics assistance. Mindy declared that we’d be better served buying those items via the web. Good call! In the end, it was a good start, but still lots more to go. I couldn’t help but share my recent bah-hum-bug outlook with Mindy. For whatever the reason, the entire Xmas thing isn’t resonating well with me this year. Hopefully my outlook will improve as the season progresses. Come what may.

We saw Chrissy pulling in as we were leaving Target. Mindy was on the phone calling CBC to see if they had the Cousin Eddie on tap yet. Talked with Jen, the manager. Said they did. Yippie! We only waved as we headed for some lunch. Mindy suggested the Vaq, which pleased me much. That was my choice too. It’s right up the way from Target and only a few patrons at still a relatively early hour.

We were seated in a booth and quickly approached by a friend from Mindy’s past. I think her name was Ty. She talked a mile a minute and went on and on about hospital talk. I couldn’t keep up, but Mindy seemed to. Funny, the girl talked to Mindy like she’s seen her just the day before. Lots of complaining interlaced in the conversation. Before she left, she acknowledged talking a lot, but also added that I’d seen or heard nothing until I met her sister Ta. J Ok.

Honestly, I could’ve survived on chips and salsa alone. They were fresh and delicious. Almost always are. I ordered a regular Coke to boot. One of the rare occasions when I drink regular soda pop. Mindy ordered a side of guacamole to go with our chips. It hit the spot too. I ordered a lunch dish, beef taco, burrito and Mexican rice. Mindy ordered a mexican seafood combo, something she orders almost every time we go there.

Like every other time, the food arrived fast. I ate my taco first. It was just OK. Not nearly as good as normal. It didn’t help that I was quickly full. I thought I’d take one bite or two of my burrito and then take the rest home. I cut into it revealing chicken even thought I specifically ordered both beef. I called it to Mindy’s attention who later flagged down our server, whose name now escapes me. He quickly addressed the problem whisking my plate away but promptly returning with an entirely new plate. I figured he do that.

I ate just a couple bites then requested a to-go box, caring not to make a pig of myself.

We headed for home where Mindy carried in our complete haul after I opened the house. It wasn’t that much though. She headed to the basement with all of it and apparently even started wrapping. While she did all that, I stole a quick nap. At some point I heard Mindy on the phone with Chrissy making arrangements for us to get Makayla around 415pm so we could be at the zoo by 5pm, where we planned to meet Jimaken and the kids. Over hearing their conversation, I butted in and said 4pm because I planned to stop at CBC for some Cousin Eddie before heading to the zoo.

I freshened up while Mindy walked Eiknarf. It was 4pm in a jiffy. Chrissy & Makayla were at our door right on time. Makayla didn’t look happy. Not sure what the matter was, tired I presume. I also think she thought Bella was would be with us. It was getting cold and expected to dip into the teens overnight. I asked if she had on long johns and also made sure she had gloves. Chrissy ran back home to fetch her ski pants. Mindy was taking hers. I know this, it always a lot colder at the zoo.

We left the house by 415pm and arrived at CBC near 430pm. Mindy ran in with two empty jugs returning with them full five minutes later. Said the girl working the bar at first said they were out, but eventually realized they put more on tap overnight. Yes!

Off to the zoo. We took 315n all the way to Hard Rd. We then cut across Hard to Smoky Row then north to

Powell Rd

to the zoo. That turned out being a wise move affectively avoiding all

Sawmill Rd

traffic. We arrived at the zoo just before 5pm as planned. Jimaken and kids were already there.

Mindy celled Jim to let him know we were on our way to the gate. He was getting in on our new family pass. I was bundled warmly, wearing my thick fleece jacket zipped to the neck and then my long wool overcoat, ear covers, and thick running gloves. I was quite comfortable. Mindy had hand warmers for those wanting. I passed. Not only was Jimaken there with the kids, but so was his friend Pez and his son Vincent. Mindy offered each of them hand warmers. The girls’ show was in a covered outdoor stage area that also had wind blocks. It was chilly but not nearly as cold as it was just out from the cover.

The stage was adjacent to the large pond surrounded by tree covered in Xmas lights. It was really pretty. However, I can’t see myself going up here just to see the lights. As we made our way to the stage, Mindy pointed out that one of my customers was having their Xmas party there that night in one of the heated buildings. Nice!

We had a good 30 minutes to go before show time. Jim, Jacob, and Pez fled to get everyone hot cocoa. I didn’t want any. I enjoyed a bottled water instead. The first event, and the only event we were there for, was Beacon 2^nd and 3^rd graders performing 6 or 7 Xmas songs. The performance was cute. I captured their first song on video. Their final song was a medley of Xmas songs played on kazoos. That was pretty cool, and all the kids seemed to enjoy it.

The show might’ve lasted about 45 minutes. Mindy talked a bout looking at the lights afterwards. The kids wanted to see animals. But I wasn’t that eager to stay much longer. I snapped a few pictures of the Xmas lights then made a beeline for the men’s room. Many of the others did as well. I was happy to hear that everybody was ready to go soon after Mindy shared that almost all the animals are indoors. Duh, they’re not stupid. It was cold!

Bella asked more than once if she could come home with us. And Mindy and I were prepared to let her if she had her dad’s blessing, but he said no, which was probably the right thing. I was actually very proud of Bella for keeping her chin up and not crying. I could tell that she was fighting it once or twice.

We hustled to the waiting Pilot which seemed a lot further from the gate than when we first arrived. Couldn’t believe the number of cars lined up to get in. The zoo marketing department is to be commended for their efforts. Like on our way up, Makayla was out cold in a matter of minutes. We took

Riverside Dr

all way to Trabue stopping only long enough to mail my mom’s birthday card at the upper Arlington post office near

Fishinger Rd.

Makayla woke as soon as we pulled in the driveway and ran right home. We told her we’d be down shortly for her mom’s graduation party. Mindy and I headed inside where we spent just a couple minutes before leashing up the pug and heading down to the neighbors. We took a jug of Cousin Eddie. Mindy said she’d drink that too. Hmm?

Eiknarf was hugely excited to be going to see Woodie. We really wanted her to pee first but she’d having none of it. She wanted to see Woodie. Out on the front porch was presumably Chrissy’s dad along with his girl friend. Chrissy was anxious for all of us to finally meet him. We could hear him from our place as we made our way down. Mindy stopped and chatted. I headed directly inside eager to release the pug and put down the growler.

Greeted everyone is sight, and when Chrissy’s father came back inside I finally got a chance to meet him. Can’t recall his name. I didn’t realize it at the time but he didn’t have any teeth. I only discovered that after offering him some smoked deer that Mike O. brought over. Chrissy joked all week that he promised to wear his teeth. I’ll say this. He’s a rowdy soul. Took a real liking to Mindy as well as couple other girls in attendance. Chrissy handled his presence well. Missy, here sister, not so much. She seemed mortified by his behavior. I talked with her about it some. She’s embarrassed by him. That’s how I would feel too. I fully understood where she was coming from. I only reminded her that it was no reflection on her. She’s done quite well for herself and her family despite his antics.

As often happens at one of Chrissy & Kenny’s parties, soon the girls were dancing on the counter tops. And one of Kenny’s relatives brought a mason jar filled with holiday moonshine. He offered me the first nip. Having never experienced moonshine before, I was sure what to expect. This had an apple & cinnamon flavor and went down easily with no burn. He shared that it’s all in the distilling process. I was careful not to drink too much of it.

Mindy & I went through the first growler of Cousin Eddie in no time and soon went home for the 2^nd jug. We gave Chrissy her combo graduation/birthday gift – 3 Pandora bracelet charms. The dancing continued for an hour or two, culminating in Kenny exchanging shirts with a female co-worker of Chrissy’s. Her boyfriend didn’t seem amused. Don’t blame him either. I would give Mindy an earful for such antics.

Mindy said it was near 130am when we headed for home. I’ll have to take her word. I didn’t bother looking at the clock. Good night full moon!

Cousin Eddie goes AWOL

I was up near 530am and downstairs a few minutes later. I glanced out back and into the sky. Socked in under cloud cover. It was a sit-up/push-up day. Completed both in a hurry. Enjoyed coffee at the PC for the next 10-15 minutes.

Near 6am, I did a brief meditation then woke Mindy by delivering coffee bedside. She asked that I turn the heat up, but I had already done so. Relatively speaking, it wasn’t that cold. It was 32 degrees, and unfortunately too warm to make snow at MRM. Supposed to be a lot colder over the weekend, though. Hopefully, they can make a lot of snow because even warmer temps and rain are coming next week. So much for a colder, wetter winter.  What’s worse, not any better in Ellicottville, either. Or for that matter, even Oregon is failing to get the usual snow fall. Approaching two weeks without any appreciable snow fall, and I don’t see any in the ten-day forecast.

With our HV trip fast approaching, we need a miracle snow storm to strike. Even though it doesn’t look good right now, a lot can change in 10 days. I need to meditate on it.

After a thorough stretch, I set out on a run near 630am wearing both a hat and gloves even though it wasn’t as cold as the previous two mornings. I ran the full 4.1 miles with no trouble whatsoever. Was back at the house near 710am. Mindy had the leash waiting by the door and soon brought the pug. She and I headed out to the west for the first time in a while. They had the freshly poured sidewalks covered in a thermal blanket and barricaded with cones. We crossed the street where she took care of her business in short order.

Mindy had my eggs ready and waiting. They were good. Jacob was wearing his DARE t-shirt to school. Mindy headed off to work and I headed to the shower. It felt good to slip into a pair of jeans, a t-shirt, and a comfy black sweater. It was a Jimaken weekend. Bella wasn’t too pleased, numerous times expressing her displeasure. Said she has nothing to do there. I suggested she share that with her dad so he can think of things that she likes to do.

Headed out to the bus stop at 810am. The neighbors wouldn’t be there. This was Chrissy’s Columbus State graduation day and all three kids were going. Jacob and Bella shared how lucky they were for getting to miss school. I only added that most graduation ceremonies are boring unless you’re the graduate. The bus was on time. There at 815am. Eiknarf pee’d before we headed back inside. I took a few minutes to enjoy a little more coffee before heading in to the office. Left the house just ahead of 830am.

Work was quiet. Not a lot of folks in the office. That was more than fine with me. Allowed me time to get caught up on a number of things without interruption.  Spent most of the day reading lengthy trouble tickets and summarizing into a report.  I planned to take lunch around 130-2pm and shop for a new airsoft rifle for Jacob at Gander Mountain. Thought I might make a stop at Target for birthday cards too. And since that would leave me near home, thought I’d finish my work day from there. Made little sense to go back to the office, especially when most of my peers were out.

I left the office near 2pm and drove to the west Hilliard Target. Traffic was slow but not nearly as bad as it could’ve been. I was in Target long enough to pick-up a few greeting cards and then do a little browsing. Couldn’t have been there longer than 20 minutes, though. Next up was Gander Mountain. And even though it’s just a few hundred yards south, it took a while in the ever increasing traffic.

Somehow I wasn’t paying close enough attention and ended up in the wrong store, Marshall’s I think. I realized my mistake right away in the door and quickly exited and headed right next door where I intended to be. A sales clerk directed me to their airsoft stuff. I couldn’t find anything similar to what Kenny bought for Jake, and the more I pondered the idea the more foolish it seemed to be buying yet another airsoft gun. Heck, the kid already has three or four. I left there a little frustrated that it’s two weeks before Xmas and I haven’t done any shopping. Not in the holiday spirit either.

It had to be near 3pm when I arrived home and greeted Eiknarf, who just as quickly returned to her pen for a nap. I fired up my laptop, but had plenty of time to fix some lunch while waiting for it to go through the entire boot-up process. By the way, Mindy and I made a deal earlier in the day. I would be home in time to intercept our kids from the bus (4pm), and she would pick-up Rocky & Landon from after school care. She also planned a Xmas shopping stop prior to getting the boys.

Mindy called to confirm our arrangements near 330pm Advised that I was indeed at home. And sure enough, the bus pulled up in front of the house near 4pm. The kids were quick to unload their school stuff and back out to play. I kept working until 5pm or so, when I finally set my weekend out-of-office. Mindy was home with Rocky & Landon around 5pm too. We’d have them until 745pm, or when Lindsey got off work.

Jimaken showed to get Jacob & Bella shortly after 5pm. After our kids left, Landon & Rocky kept themselves busy playing Wii. Mindy & I planned to visit CBC once Lindsey picked up the boys. Between then and 745pm we both played around online with Mindy doing some online Xmas shopping. She wasn’t too pleased to find all the American Girl stuff she wanted back ordered until after Xmas. And speaking of Xmas shopping, we planned on going shopping together Saturday afternoon, one of relatively few weekend days without kids and plans in recent weeks.

Mindy fed the kids dinner (leftover pork roast) around 6pm. Both kids are fairly well. The evening went by relatively quickly. Soon it was 730pm. With the temperature hovering near freezing, it started spitting snow/sleet. It was expected to get down near 20 degrees during the overnight. Lindsey showed up at 745pm. We had the kids all ready to go when Lindsey got inside. We quickly took care of her budget/income related stuff before they headed off. And it wasn’t too much longer then before we hit the road for CBC.

Ben & Ryan were supposedly meeting us there, and so was Tom C. I think Mindy said that she sent a note to all of our peeps via FB. We took two empty growlers, hoping to have one filled with Cousin Eddie and the other with Winter Warmer.

The parking lot was near capacity. I let Mindy out at the door before parking the Accord. I joined her inside a couple minutes later. She was already sitting at the bar with Tom Ben, and Ryan. There wasn’t a stool immediately available for me, but I was happy to stand having spent too much time on my rear while at work. I tucked the two empty growlers under Mindy’s stool. At the same time Kate was apologizing and explaining that they were already out of the Cousin Eddie. I was sure she was kidding, but she wasn’t. Heck, it’s only Dec 9. She said they had more in the brewing process and that it would almost certainly be ready by Saturday. I was bummed, but what could I do. I went with the 2^nd best option, a Bohdi.

Spent a while talking with Ben, Ryan, and Tom. Hadn’t seen Tom for close to two months. Think it was the Friday we took Glenn to Barleys in late October. We eventually ordered food. Everybody order entrees save for me. I ordered an appetizer, spinach artichoke dip.

When our CBC friend Stella got off work, she joined us too. Mindy was hoping to hook her up with Tom C. but she had another CBC server peep with her. His name is Mike. I think I had 4 beers through the course of the evening. I verified that Mindy was driving before # 3 and 4. We had just one of our growlers filled with Winter Warmer, but planned to stop in Saturday afternoon to get some of the yummy Cousin Eddie. Kate asked that we call first just to make sure. Tom C. left about 30 minutes or an hour before the rest of us. I picked up the check. Told Ben & Ryan that we’d likely see them again Saturday at Chrissy’s graduation party. Quite sure that it was near 1130pm when headed for home.

Eiknarf was happy to have us home. I took her out for a quick walk in the cold night air. Built a fire and hung out in the family room for an hour or so before ultimately calling it a night and heading for bed.