Ski Holiday Valley

Merry Xmas 2011

Family Xmas 2011

It was about 7am on Xmas morning 2011. As usual, I was the first one up. As  Just as I finished brushing my teeth Mindy rolled over and shared that she was up in the middle of the night placing the kids gifts around the tree.  She went right back to sleep. I headed downstairs and started some coffee then put Mindy’s gifts around the tree.

I went to my PC with coffee where I spent the next 30 minutes or so before being joined by Mindy. Now near 745am, I began to contemplate doing my run before anyone else got up and about. Usually that’s not the case. The past few Xmases I waited until the gift opening was over before running. So naturally, I expected the kids to be up & chomping at the bit to get to their Xmas bounty.

Just before 8am I was joined by Mindy. We exchanged Xmas morning greetings then I asked her opinion about a pre gift opening run.  She was all for it. I quickly garbed out for a run. It was sunny, about 30 degrees and frosty. Expecting a high somewhere in the 40s later.

I wasn’t a half mile into my run when I heard a car horn honk from well behind me. It was my dad, or at least it looked like his minivan. I gave a quick wave then continued on my run. I saw him park and head on inside our house. Mindy was up and awaiting him.

I ran three miles extending a warm Xmas greeting to the few folks I encountered out and about. By the time I was back at home everyone was up. The kids, especially Bella, were cheering my return. She was ready to open her gifts. My mom and dad were sitting comfortably in the family room.

The kids tore into the Santa gifts first with Jacob finishing his in record time. Bella was slow and methodical. I didn’t keep count, but due to the nature of their Santa gifts, I’m quite sure Bella had more. She got lots and lots of American Girl stuff. Jacob got a Xbox 360 with Kinnect. They probably had a good 30 minutes of gift opening.

Mindy gifted my parents next. They each got gift cards and candy. It was my turn next.  I got a couple cashmere sweaters, some socks, gum, and an Adele CD, the same one I bought about two weeks prior from iTunes. J The kids got me an Adrian Peterson ornament, the same ornament that Lindsey and boys got me. Mindy also got me a 1.75 liter bottle of Jack Daniels.

Bella asked for help getting batteries in one of her American Girl doll accessories. It needed AAA batteries, the same type I just recently purchased. Problem was, I couldn’t find them anywhere. Looked high and low. It was driving me crazy. Mindy looked too. About an hour later I found them in the picnic basket just below the battery tub. Yeah!

Everyone enjoyed some of Mindy’s breakfast casserole. Next up, Jacob asked me to get his Xbox hooked up. Sure, why not? We had to disconnect his Play Station first. Took longer than I thought, but we got it hooked up. Jacob called and asked Jake to come down with one of his games.

My mom and dad departed near noon. Mom was heading back home and dad was heading to brother Bob’s. Mindy was getting anxious about getting to her mother’s. Not sure what time she planned on getting there, but we didn’t leave the house until 145pm.  As Mindy shared, we would be some of the last to arrive, which she dreaded. Apparently Mindy’s mom keeps score.

We had the Pilot loaded with gifts, food, libations, and the pug. We had everything Frankie would need to stay through our vacation, but Mindy wasn’t sure we’d be leaving her.

As it turned out, we weren’t the last to arrive. That made Mindy happy. Honestly, I was indifferent. We spent the first hour or so visiting before the gift opening began. Mindy asserted that we give our gifts first.  And by the time everyone had given their gifts another two hours had passed. The day was moving fast. I drank two Barley’s Double Dogs but stopped around 5pm.

Everyone interested in playing the lottery game brought $5 worth of tickets. We played two rounds. During the first round, Mindy & I won 4 or 5 tickets that were worth $25. That ended up being the big hull. I’m quite sure that round two (about 15 tickets) netted zero dollars in winnings. They advertise 1 in 4 are winners. Guess we bought the 3 thru 4 tickets. :)

We hung out with family until 8pm. And it wouldn’t be a holiday if it wasn’t filled with hourly interruptions from Lindsey pleading for our help. Thanksgiving day it was her car. Today it was finding child care for the following week. Apparently her mother, sisters, and grandparents said no. Big Rocky, who she’s relied on a few times recently, apparently moved on Xmas eve and Lindsey had no idea how to reach him.

Mindy gave Lindsey a call on our drive home.  Ashley stepped up to watch the boys on Monday, but she’d be heading back to work on Tuesday. Beyond encouragement, there wasn’t much more we could do to help.  Home would be a chore. We had to unload our Xmas hull and organize ourselves for our trip to HV early the next morning. Add to that, everyone was tired and really wanted to relax. That wasn’t in the cards, at least for another couple hours. Mindy spent a lot of time putting away Christmas gifts before focusing on our trip. I spent time organizing food for our trip, including cutting up what remained of the Honey Baked, one bag for travel, and another for home.

By 10pm we had the house looking fairly decent considering it was Xmas. We also had all of our ski trip stuff packed and ready to go. I sipped a pint of Double Dog while doing the final prep. We all headed to bed near 1030pm. Good bye Xmas &hello HV!

On the Eve of Xmas 2011

It was Xmas eve and I was up early once again so I could intercept the grandkids. Because it was a Saturday, I didn’t have exercises on my agenda. So after starting coffee I headed directly to my PC. I tried unsuccessfully to order Glenn’s replacement macbook pro battery. Something seemed afoul with Apple’s webpage, at least the checkout part. I must’ve tried five or six times before giving up.

Lindsey dropped the boys around 8am.  And soon I was joined downstairs by Mindy. We enjoyed some coffee before I set out on my run.  I am thinking it was near 9am when I headed out.  It was cold enough that there was frost on the ground and cars, but it couldn’t have been too far from 32 degrees.

I ran the usual three miles in something under 30 minutes .  When I got back, I made a batch of scrambled eggs for my mom and the boys. Mindy didn’t want any and was down the basement doing yet more xmas wrapping. I pulled a little bit of the Honey Baked ham out too. Mindy enjoyed some of that.

No sooner had I washed the pan the boys both asked for more eggs. I kindly made some more. By the time we were done with breakfast it was already nearing noon. We were expecting my family ot beign arriving near 3pm, but ahead of that Mindy would be leaving for the hospital to pick-up grand daughters Kaileigh and Sienna. Kai’s step-mom Shelly had her baby (Trip) the day before. Mindy was very excited to see the baby too.

I’m thinking that she left around 130-2pm.  I took shower while she was away. I’m pretty sure that dad showed up just before Mindy got back with the girls, which was just before 3pm and before anyone else arrived. Not sure who showed up next, but soon we had a house full of family, including Tommy, Wally, Ashley, Stven, Olivia, Lindsey, Rocky, Landon, Kaileigh and Sienna. Tommy’s step-daughter, Jaucqie came over with her two kids (Bradley & Brrook) too. Mindy passed out Xmas gifts around 4pm one kid at a time.

The neighbors, Kenny & Chrissy, came over at 4pm to give Rocky & Landon a gift, an Xbox of all things. Chrissy insisted. Very gracious. Courtney & Zach showed up late. By then, Joey was over to pick-up the girls, Kaileigh and Sienna. Wondered if there might be some tension. Joey was very cordial. I really like him. Not only is he a good dad to Kaileigh, he’s pleasant to everyone.

Courtney hadn’t been to our house for two years to the day, or Xmas 2009. She looked about as good as she has in years. Zach was friendly too.  As it was, we had Courtney’s Xmas presents from 2010 as well as this year’s. Zach was pleased and surprised we had a gift for him too.

While we had a house full, Ben & Ryan stopped over briefly. They were over at Chrissy & Kenny’s celebrating Xmas (Kenny’s family). We offered that we’d be stopping down once our company was gone. It was somewhere near 8pm when everyone left. Mom was still there, of course, but she planned an early bedtime.  Our kids were back from their Xmas with Jimaken. They were very excited with their new Kindle Fires.

They walked to the neighbors with us. Their house was much like ours, family and Honey Baked ham. I imagined the millions of homes around the country doing the exact same thing.

We hung with the neighbors for no more than an hour. Mindy and I needed to get the kids to bed and the do Santa Claus. I’m thinking it was 930pm when we headed home.

Mom was just heading to bed. Mindy insisted Jacob & Bella head to bed too. They weren’t in bed but 15 minutes when we started carrying the gifts up. We left them out of sight of the balcony until we were sure they were asleep. Bella was struggling to sleep and kept coming to the railing. We eventually gave up and headed to bed. I figured to be up early so I planned to place the gifts under the tree then. It couldn’t have been much later than 1030pm.

From bed I was hoping to catch the Xmas eve celebration from Rome, starring the pope, but I just couldn’t stay awake. Mindy, I know, was banking on me falling asleep quickly. She was right. Merry Xmas!

Let the Yule Tide Chaos Begin

Mindy & I were awake near 7am but not out of bed until 730am. I headed downstairs first to prep coffee, exercise, and await the arrival of the boys, who were expected to show up somewhere close to 8am.

I'd just sat back down at my PC with a cup of coffee when I heard a car door. It was Lindsey dropping the boys. They were both happy and excited and smiling ear to ear. It didn't take long for the boys to pop the big question. Can we play Wii? Asked that we wait until the kids were up.

Mindy was up early and back to wrapping presents while did my best to keep the boys entertained. I left for a run near 9am. Both boys asked if they could join me. Sure, if you think you can keep up. Landon expressed disappointment when I didn't let him go. :) But by then we had a movie whirling in the Blu-Ray. I hoped that would not only keep them occupied, but also quiet. It was 36 degrees and cloudy when I headed out. I ran just three miles and felt terrific.

Mindy put a beef roast in the crock-pot and then left for Kroger. She was picking up a Honey Baked ham as well as some other stuff for our upcoming holiday celebrations. Of course Jacob and Bella were up by then and were interacting with the boys. Jacob and Rocky asked if they could slip off to the park to play. I agreed as long as they left without alerting Landon who was busy playing Wii.

Mindy was back around 1130am and asked me to brown sausage for her famous breakfast casserole while she showered. My mom arrived around 1230pm. She'd be staying with us through sometime Xmas day. My dad showed up a little bit later. Mindy was still in the basement wrapping presents at her make shift wrapping station.

Mom and dad left to visit the cemetery where aunt Linda's buried mid-afternoon. They were gone for roughly an hour. Jacob & Bella were leaving late afternoon to spend the night and celebrate Xmas with him. They'd be back home Xmas eve evening. Jimaken must've gotten off work a little early and was there sometime between 4-430pm.  Not long after they left, Mindy dished up the roast beef that had been cooking in the crock-pot all day. Rocky was much looking forward to it. It's his favorite dish. Dad opted not to have and roast. Instead, he left for brother Bob's Xmas celebration.

We weren't expecting Lindsey until some time after her usual get-off time of 730pm, but she showed up while we were enjoying dinner. She got off early for not being busy. She took a few minutes to enjoy some dinner before heading home with the boys. Before she left we did her finances.  Not expecting Lindsey to get off early, we had asked my mom to keep an eye on the boys while Mindy & I made a quick visit to Barley's. But given that Lindsey got out of work early, that was no longer necessary. We offered that mom join us, but she refused. She simply asked that we set the TV up for her. We also invited her to join us for the island Xmas party at the O'Connell's which was slated to start at 8pm. We planned to head over there as soon as we were back from Barley's.

I'm thinking we showed up at Barley's around 630pm.  Decent crowd but nowhere close to what we encountered Wednesday. We brought two growlers to be filled, but I didn't think that was going to happen after discovering that they were out of the Double Dog IPA. Manager Zach said that they sold well over 200 growlers that day. Said they ran out of three of their most popular beers.  I ordered a pint of Cousin Eddie from their guest selections, and then ordered a St Joan's for Mindy. Unbeknownst to me, Mindy had already ordered a glass of wine. By the way, they can't or won't sell growlers of their guest selections. Mindy and I agreed to finish our beers then head to CBC to have our growlers filled.

We spotted Atlanta Tim just over the half wall at a table with his biking buddy as well their dates. Mindy went to chat with him first. I joined them later. We heard through the grapevine that he's got a new gig with the railroad in North Carolina. I asked about that. Said it was indeed true but that he needs to sell his house here first.

Meanwhile, Mindy spotted a teacher friend, her baby and husband in a nearby booth. She went over and talked with them. And I think she gave her St Joan's to that woman's husband. I walked over to meet her teacher friend too while Mindy held their baby. I walked back to my peeps at the bar while Mindy carried on with her friend and the baby. At that point we still planned to leave and head to CBC to have our growlers filled, but by the time Mindy rejoined me at the bar a few other longtime peeps showed up (Bob and Carol and banker Dan). We decided to stay for another beer and have our growlers filled with Barleys Pale Ale & St Joan's.

While enjoying a Centennial off the firkin, I shared my recent Hyundai woes with the twins, Kurt and Kevin. They're car guys. If nothing else, I thought they might be able to impart some wisdom. I had to laugh when one of them asked if this was a long story. :) I could tell that I was boring them to tears with all the details.

Kurt advised that he has two Hyundai's and that they've been most reliable. Reminded me that online forums often give the wrong impression because you won't get anyone posting positive feedback. They both agreed, however, that we likely just got a lemon. Agreed that my best bet might be to trade it in.

It was 815pm. We were late for the island party. Mindy asked that I settle the bar tab so we could leave. In years past we have purchased gift cards for all of our Barley's servers. This year we didn't. Instead, I left a hefty tip when settling our bill.

Arrived home near 825pm. Once again, we invited mom to join us at the O'Connell's but she opted instead to head to bed. We wished mom a good night then quickly gathered the island gifts and walked down to the neighbors.

We arrived about 35-40 minutes late. By then, the small gathering was already in full swing. Mindy apologized for out unintended lateness and then quickly transitioned to passing out island Xmas gifts. I cracked one of the three bottled beers I brought. Interestingly enough, since roughly TG, I've been drinking growlered beer almost exclusively. Haven't been into the bottles much at all. Terri laid out a really nice spread of finger foods, including buffalo dip, summer sausage, and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and soaked in barbeque sauce.

We hung out for a couple hours easily. Towards the end of the evening Mindy & Terri got into a philosophical discussions regarding gays. Once again, it quickly turned heated with both expressing their strong but polar opinions. I really wished Mindy hadn't broached the topic since one could easily predict the outcome. We convinced the two of them to change the subject and move on to more common ground ... Christmas. Jesus Christ, can't we all just get along. It's Xmas! :)

Mindy and I headed home I'm guessing around 1130-12 midnight. I walked Eiknarf before we headed to bed. Let the yuletide chaos begin.

Hyundai Pains Me

Not too concerned with being up right on time, I slept in a few extra minutes. It was near 540am by the time I was downstairs doing sit-ups. Frustrated with the weather both home and in New York, I decided to avoid looking at the forecast and instead looked only at the current temperature for my run's sake. It was 44 degrees and cloudy near 6am.

Mindy was already done with school so I didn't need to wake her. That gave me more play time and widened the time window for my run. I didn't bother heading out the door until 640am after a decent meditation and stretch.

It was nice to run in dry conditions after two rainy runs in a row. I ran the full 4.1 miles and felt good throughout. I was in good spirits, this being the last work day of the year. It was also trash day, and Jacob put our can at the curb the night before. It was still setting unemptied when I returned from my run.

I was surprised to return and find Mindy already awake and preparing to walk Eiknarf. She wanted to get an early start to her day. Said she would make my eggs while I showered. Cool. That saved me lots of time. She asked if I wanted a lunch. No. Figured I'd take only a banana. I had tuna in my desk if the urge arose. Besides, I didn't envision myself working a full day at the office.

I had to pick-up Lindsey and the boys. I agreed to take the boys to their dad's place and then drop Lindsey at work.  I left the house close to 8am. I didn't have to wait long at all at Lindsey's. They were all up and ready. Right away, Landon asked if he could stay home with Mindy. When I told him that he couldn't he cried quietly for the rest of the drive to his dad's place. I felt bad for him. And then when we got there he didn't want to go in. That kind of stuff bothers me. The boys father and his new baby momma live in the dilapidated Lincoln Park West apartments. Not exactly a place that exudes health and happiness.

Dropped Lindsey at work next. I told Mindy that I might stop back home for more coffee since I felt so rushed earlier. However, it was already nearing 830am. I went straight to work instead.

Not a lot of folks in the office. The lot might have been as barren as I've ever seen it on a week day. That made me happy. I figured that would equate to a very easy day. However, things don't always go as planned. Turned out, we had a couple large scale issues brewing that required my attention and intervention, and kept it for the better part of the first half of the day. My boss was working remotely and asked that I give him a call. We talked about a number of work related matters including a conversation about a another call he and would be joining at 2pm.

If everything went well, I figured I would leave after that 2pm call. Aarrow called sometime around 130pm to let me know the car was ready for pick-up. Would be open until 530pm.  I talked with Mindy and arranged to pick-up the car. I would drive home and then she & I would head to Aarrow in the Pilot. Mindy would then head off for a few more Xmas errands and I would drive the Hyundai home.

Things pretty much went as planned. The 2pm  meeting lasted about 30 minutes. I tied up several loose ends and left for home just after 3pm. Mindy wasn't there when I arrived, but showed up about 15 minutes later. It was pouring rain again, something I didn't think was forecasted. But then again, I swore off reading the weather forecast for the day. We left for Aarrow around 345pm and arrived there just after 4pm. Dave reviewed the work they performed an I settled the tab. I asked Mindy to stick around long enough for me to get the car started. We parted ways at Avery Rd. She went south and I continued to the east. The Hyundai drove fine all the way home. Sad there are so many issues with it. Every time I drive it, including the test drive, it seems the ideal little car.

I was home by 430pm and had the house all to myself for at least another hour while Mindy ran  a few more Xmas errands. The kids were at Mindy's mom's for the afternoon. Mindy planned to pick them up on her way home. Mindy called to let me know her status, and while we were talking, Bob I. stopped by dropping off Xmas gifts. He and M.A. were heading north to Wadsworth later that evening for the Xmas holiday weekend. Thanks Bob! It was pouring rain. Bob didn't stay long, maybe 10 minutes. 

I'm thinking it was near 530pm when Mindy & the kids got home. Bella was going to a Xmas party at the dance studio with her gymnastics team. Mindy planned to drop her off near 7pm, run an errand, and then pick-up Lindsey from work on her way back home. I would then head out at 830pm to fetch Bella. Up to that point, I played on my PC listening to music, updating my blog, and creating an Elf Yourself using pictures of Mindy and her sibs from their youth. It amused Mindy enough that she forwarded it to her sibs for their viewing. I paid $5 to download into my video collection.

I sent brother Glenn an email earlier that day asking if he still needed a battery for his Mac book. If so,  I planned to order it for him for Xmas. Said he did in fact still need it.

I left to get Bella around 820pm. Jacob was going to go with but opted out last second. None of us had eaten dinner. I thought I might stop at Wendy's on the way home. Bella and her gymnastics peeps were playing on the trampoline when I showed up. We wished everyone there a merry Xmas then were on our way home. Bella liked the idea of Wendy's. I asked if she had an idea what Jacob might want. Yes. Spicy chicken sandwich with lettuce. Bella ordered chicken nuggets and fries, and I ordered a spicy chicken sandwich and large fries for Jacoby. I then ordered two Dave's Hot n' Juicy's, one for me and one for Mindy.

Pushing 9pm, we woofed down our food in a hurry. Being the beginning of my Xmas vacation, I poured a pint of Cousin Eddie and we watched the LAs Vegas Bowl - Boise State and Arizona State. It was a blowout. Boise State dominated from the outset. Mindy headed to bed well ahead of me, and asked that the kids be in bed by 1030pm. That's about the time that I headed for bed. Both kids were in their rooms but wide awake. Jacob was playing a game on his Play Station and Bella was watching TV while  also bouncing off the walls. I asked that they keep the noise to a minimum and went to bed. Good night.

Dropping Cousin Eddie at Brother Bob's

I was up just after 530am on another cloudy, rainy Wednesday in Columbus. At first glance the rain appeared light, and nothing to be concerned with. I grabbed my exercise shoes and headed to the living room where I whipped out 50 sit-ups and then headed to the kitchen for push-ups. The reason I relocate for push-ups is because I prefer a hard surface, such as the tile floor. Doing push-ups on carpet feels a bit awkward & clumsy.

I poured some coffee then headed to my PC where I checked the weather forecast for both home and HV. Here at home, we were expecting a high near 58 with heavy rain, up to a half inch by day's end. Again, another rainy, soggy Wednesday. I checked the forecast at HV next. My stomach went to knots after seeing that they have revised their forecast for all of next week now showing highs above freezing and night time lows anywhere from 28-30. Barely snow making conditions. Oh boy!

About that same time I heard the intensity of the rain pick-up. It was literally beating against the skylights and roof much like on might expect in spring or summer. It continued through meditation, waking Mindy, and stretching. Good grief. Can a guy get a break? At 635am I stood at the front door fully dressed for my run but hesitant to dart out into the heavy downpour. I waited about three or four minutes to see if it would subside. It slowed, but not much. I headed out with a come what may attitude.

Lucky for me, the intensity of the rain slowed more and more as my run progressed. I didn’t get soaked but was definitely wet. More than anything, I was incredibly warm. Too warm, in fact. I wasn’t real sure of the current temp but it felt like the mid 50s. I think I had my PC temp indicator mistakenly set to Ellicottville. I was dressed in full winter garb including a thick toboggan and gloves. I removed the toboggan first and then later the gloves. That made a big difference, though the thick wicking shirt and fleece jacket were a bit much, too.

The rain was reduced to a spit by run’s end. I encountered Mindy out front of Kenny & Chrissy’s place on my return out walking Eiknarf. I suppose she realized that I got a late start. She was soon off to work while I tore into my eggs after stripping out of my wet attire.

The night before, I had made arrangements for Lindsey and the boys to come by at 815am so we could take her car in to Aarrow Radiator to have the alternator and door handle fixed. Would ask them to look at the transmission, too. I hurried through breakfast so I could get showered and dressed before their arrival. I had plenty of time, though I was a tad anxious since I needed to be in New Albany that morning too. I figured that I might not get there until 10am. Oh boy!

The rain soon  picked up again and was back to down pour conditions. Ready before Lindsey and the boys arrived, I sent myself another Xmas list that I hoped to fulfill at lunch. Lindsey and the boys were there at 807am. At first I told them we still had time, but just as they began removing their shoes I figured we might as well leave right then. Landon wanted to ride with me. Rocky chose to ride with his momma. Lindsey followed me to Aarrow which is located on the remote western edge of Hilliard off of Hayden Run Rd.

It poured throughout the entire drive. I could tell Lindsey was nervous sticking so close to my bumper. We arrived at Aarrow near 835am. I asked Lindsey and the boys to wait in my car while I took the keys in and talked to Dean. Before even leaving the house, I made Lindsey promise that she wouldn’t be calling Aarrow during the day hounding them about the car. Told her it would be her bill to resolve if she did. Said she wouldn’t and wondered why I would even broach the topic. Really? You do it every stinking time! J

Dean and I reviewed what needed addressed: the door handle, the alternator out of align, and the transmission codes. Said he’d call me later to let me know what it would take to get it fixed. Cool! Still raining, I took Lindsey and the boys back home, but not before Landon asked if he could go to my house. Told him I had to work. I dropped them at home near 9am. Before heading to New Albany, I made a brief pit stop at the house where I mistakenly left my laptop power cord and mouse. That would’ve been bad had I not realized it then. I was back on the road by 905am and decided to take I-670 east instead of the I-270 loop.

The decision to take 670 was a good one. Only a slight delay through downtown, but it cleared as quickly as it formed. I arrived at my destination far earlier than I anticipated. I’m pretty sure that I was in my office by 930am where I was quickly greeted by one of the managers asking for some help with an outage. No problem. Honestly, I wasn’t aware. We held our regularly scheduled 10am status call/meeting as planned.

I used the rest of my morning to run some new reports that I planned to send to a couple of the directors for their evaluation. That took me up till 1230pm or so, or when I planned to head out for some Xmas shopping. If all went well, I’d be making four stops. My first stop was Kohl’s where I picked up a gift for brother Tommy. Took some doing. Much larger crowd than I ever expected. Turned out, it was the same everywhere. Easton is a happening area at Xmas.

Next stop was Dick’s, a former Galyan’s, thus a larger version than we have in Hilliard and also much nicer. There I picked up some back-up ski gloves for myself as well as a couple more gifts for Tommy. I also picked up a gift card for Jimaken.  Aren’t I a great guy?

Next stop was Target for some stocking stuffers. I was in and out of there fast. Forgot to get playing cards. Crap! Not sure how my attention got diverted. One last stop, another simple gift for Mindy. It was nearing 2pm. Not bad. Made all four stops in about 75 minutes. I headed back to the office.

I still hadn’t heard from Aarrow regarding Lindsey’s car. So, come 330pm I decided to call them. Dave answered and shared that he was waiting to hear from Hyundai on the price of the parts necessary for the repairs and said he would call me back shortly. He called back not 10 minutes later. Covered the alternator first. Said the hole on the bracket holding the alternator to the block was stripped or somehow made oblong, which was forcing the alternator out of align with the other pulleys. Said it would be $600-700 to replace the bracket since he’d have to tear apart the entire front half of the engine block to replace it. Uh – no! Said he had it straight and tight but couldn’t guarantee it would hold. Would charge me $85 just for that.

To replace the door handle would be about $123. Said they read the P1529 code, which commonly suggests the transmission. Not performing poorly then. Asked how I wanted to proceed. He recommended we take it back to where ever it was replaced and have them fix it again. Shared that was in 2007 and when it was still under warranty. Opted to clear it. Certainly not spending another $2200 -$2600 for a new tranny. Said he'd most likely have it ready Thursday afternoon.

I had a lot of house keeping issues I needed/wanted to take care of in preparation for my Xmas vacation, including sending out notes to my clients advising them of my absence as well as my back-ups.  I got everything buttoned up by 510pm and then headed for home. I didn’t even consider taking 670. Instead, I took I-270 around.

Mindy and I talked during my drive. We still have a few Xmas gifts to get, but collectively we’ve made a big dent this week. Mindy was giddy for being officially on Xmas break until Jan 3^rd. The evening’s plans were sort of up in the air, but we knew we have the kids back home. Jimaken planned to drop Bella at gymnastics and then Jacob home. We had no dinner plans. I suggested Barleys. I was starving having eaten only cheese and fruit since breakfast. Mindy liked the sound of that. We also planned to drop the Imber’s gift by their house on the way.  She planned to call Jimaken to see if he would drop Jacob at Barley’s instead of home. That way, we could enjoy a relaxing dinner until it was time to pick-up Bella from gymnastics at 830-9pm.

Left for the Imber's and then Barley's soon after I arrived home. I'm thinking it was 605pm when we backed out the drive. I had the Imber's address this time, and we pulled up a house or two south of theirs. Mindy ran the gifts up and placed them on the porch then returned to the car and we pulled away. As soon as we were back on Grandview ave. she sent Bob & M.A. a text suggesting they check their porch for goodies.

Arrived at the Smoke House a few minutes later. It was packed to the walls. Chatted with some peeps sitting outside and then headed in to the bar. Mindy suggested we get a table since Jacob would be joining us soon. I picked the two seater closest to the bar, but didn't plan on sitting myself. I ordered a Double Dog IPA and then a St Joan's for Mindy. The Double Dog was delicious. Janet immediately asked if I'd be having another presumably so she could give me the happy hour pricing for both.

About 5 minutes later the twins, Kurt and Kevin showed up. We chatted for a bit. Not another 5 minutes passed before Jimaken showed with both kids. He was leaving Jacob with us but taking Bella on to gymnastics where we'd be picking her up afterwards.

Mindy called and talked with nephew Joe at length. We ordered food when she came back to the table. I ordered KC wings and fries. Jacob ordered tenders with buffalo sauce and then Gates of Hell on the side. Mindy ordered  a Barley burger.

About the same time that our food arrived, nephew Joe and his buddy, Tony showed up. As I understand it, Tony's a bar tender at Level. He seems like a great guy. We hung for a while. I heard Mindy invited both to stop by the house later. In the meantime, I had just finished my second Double Dog when Mindy asked if I would drive. Yes. I stopped drinking so she could enjoy herself a bit more, this being the beginning of her Xmas break. She ordered a Cousin Eddie this time. I was so proud of her. :)

As 815 neared, I reminded her that it was time to leave to get Bella. She asked if I would mind going after her while she remained there with Joe & Tony. No problem. Jacob went with me to fetch Bella. We arrived at DCW just ahead of 830pm. Bella was surprised, and I think a little disappointed that her momma didn't come. Said she promised she'd come get her.

We weren't home too long before Mindy, Joe & Tony arrived. By then I was nestled into the corner of the sofa and in my PJs tuned to the NatGeo channel watching Planet Earth. Tony shared right away that it was Sigourney Weaver narrating, and then how much he loves that program and those like it. Hmm? A man after my own heart. :)

Mindy cracked open a bottle of wine for two of them. Not sure if she partook but I'm guessing she did. I was content with ice water given that Thursday would be a work day. And besides, I was already getting nappy. It couldn't have been 30 more minutes before I was sound asleep. I remember waking hearing Joe and Tony leaving.

I'm thinking we headed to bed for good at 1010pm. It wasn't too late. Both Mindy and I expressed great pleasure in placing Eiknarf with Bella for the night. Good night Frankie!

Xmas Errands Galore ... and more fun with Cousin Eddie

I slept in until 550am figuring I’d have plenty of time to complete my routine and still make it to work on time. I glanced out back seeing a wet deck and cloudy skies. It was spitting rain, but hardly noticeable. I completed 50 sit-ups then went for coffee. It was already 6am. Geesh, how time flies when I sleep in.

I played around online until 615am and then did a brief but decent meditation just ahead of waking Mindy. Once she was up and awake I headed back down stair to stretch and ready for a run. It was already 630am when I plopped down on the floor for my stretch routine. I took my time, not wanting to sell myself short.

I dressed in the usual winter garb despite the slightly warmer temps. The way I saw it, the light rain countered any added warmth. I ran the full 4.1 miles, the entire time in a light rain. I half expected to find Mindy already gone once I was back at home but she wasn’t. However, she was making last minute preparations.

I asked if she still planned to have the Pilot tire repaired after school. For me, that’s a big deal. She said she did. She also had an appointment to have the oil changed in the Pilot. I asked what Xmas errands I was expected to address that day. I was already hoping to make stops at Dick’s and Wal-Mart. She reminded me that I needed to stop at Victoria’s Secret (Pink) for Kaileigh. At the time I was still mulling over my options, whether or not to hit a stop or two before going into the office.

Mindy left work about the time I sat down to eat my breakfast that was waiting in the microwave. It was a Rachel day, and we had her check and a gift card waiting on the island counter. Mindy prepared a tub of cut veggies for my lunch. I didn’t say anything then, but I still had two other containers at work in the fridge. I put the newest batch back in our fridge just before heading up for a shower. Oh yeah, I fed Eiknarf her share of the omelet too.

I opted to wear jeans again. I didn’t have any customer visits planned. Why not? The office would be half empty anyway. I was showered and dressed by 8am. However, instead of heading immediately off to work, I played around online for a while. I left for work, Wal-Mart and Dick’s at 830am. I decided to stop at the Hilliard Wal-Mart first. There I planned on getting Rocky an airsoft gun if they had the one Jacob recommended. Turns out, they did not. I left there buying nothing.

Next, I headed across the street to Dick’s where I planned to pick-up a gift card for Steven, but thought I’d look at their airsoft offerings as well. However, I already knew that they tend to be a bit pricier than most other places. It was 850am and their posted hours were 9am to 10pm. To my surprise, the automatic door opened and I went ahead and walked in. Two guys in the store greeted me and said I was the day’s first customer. What do I win? :)

I walked to the airsoft stuff way in the back first. They had a decent selection, but nothing close to the one I wanted. I noticed that the exact same container of 10,000 airsoft pellets was $22.99, whereas it was only $14.99 at Wal-Mart. I bought only the gift card. I took Hilliard Rome Rd all the way to Davidson Rd
then to work arriving near 915am.

I had an 11am meeting that wasn’t on my calendar. A peer pinged me asking if I planned to join. Not sure what happened. The meeting was an informative one. Glad I attended. And yes, another meeting related to reporting. I had a 2pm meeting on my calendar too, but before that, I planned to make a run to the Dublin Wal-Mart and then Victoria’s Secret.

It was raining lightly when I left the building. The Dublin Wal-Mart is just up the road. I had to park at the far reaches of the lot, but I didn’t mind. At least I could take comfort knowing that few others would bother parking so far away thus protecting my car.

Inside, I went right to the airsoft aisle. Cool beans! They had the gun Jacob recommended, and it also came with a second, smaller pistol. I knew Rocky would love that. I got him a pair of goggles and a jar of 10,000 airsoft pellets too. Before heading to the checkout, I picked up a new image projecting night light for Bella. Her princess night light is fading. I got one similar, only this time one that projects stars and planets. Cool! She’ll love it.

Next, I headed to Tuttle Mall, just down the road a spit. I parked and entered through JC Penney’s. That might be a first. I was a bit disoriented entering the mall from that vantage point but quickly got my bearings and made my way to V.S., and more specifically, Pink. The line wasn’t too long, but customers at each register. I didn’t mind the brief wait.  The line moved quickly. I picked up a $50 gift card for Kaileigh. I also asked the store associate if she could change my $20 bill for two $10 bills. Said she couldn’t open the register. No biggie. I really needed a $10 to contribute to my boss’ Xmas gift from the team. I’d have to get change elsewhere.

I made one other stop before heading back to the office. It was a fruitless stop, however. I was back by 130pm. I spent the 30 minutes before the planned 2pm call/meeting eating my packed veggies and cheese. I ate both tubs of veggies.

As 2pm neared, I got a message from a peer that we needed to move the meeting out a bit if at all possible. I took that to mean she needed me to try and reschedule it with the leader. What’s more, she couldn’t give me a new definitive start time. I felt like an idiot. I went ahead and asked the leader if we could move the start time to 3pm, but also reiterated that we didn’t have a firm commit yet from the customer. Ehh boy! The leader agreed, but said he had a hard stop time of 4pm. I relayed this back to my peer. At 225pm she let me know the customer was agreeable to a 230pm start. I quickly scrambled to ping the leader to see if we could do 230pm. He agreed.

The call/meeting was another very informative one. Glad I participated. We finished near 330pm. I spent the rest of my time in the office running some new reports. Before wrapping up for the day, I popped in the office of a nearby peer asking if he had two $10 bills for a $20. He had two $5 bills and a $10. That would do just fine. Cool! I taped the $10 bill to a sheet of printer paper and scribbled a note for Lee and left it in her desk just as we discussed. She was the one coordinating the gift but currently working off site. I’d be off site on Wednesday.

At 415pm I left for the day but planned to stay connected and plugged in via my blackberry til l530p. I made a stop at Kroger for Holiday Valley booze. There, I picked up a bottle of Jack Daniels, Sky vodka, and Goldschlager. The cashier in the liquor department tried upselling me to the ‘holiday Jack’.  It was $47 for a fifth. No thanks!

It was about 435pm as I made my way towards home. For the first time in a long, long time, I was the first one home after a Rachel day. That meant I got to be in a virgin-clean home. That made me happy. Ahhh, So nice! I carried in my stuff and then checked in with work. Everything was quiet. Wahoo! Mindy called around 5pm. Said she was at the Honda dealership having the oil changed, the tire plugged, and her transmission fluid changed. Doing it all for $70. Not bad! I didn't think they'd do tire repairs there, though I know they sell them there. Said she planned a stop at Target before coming home. I checked to make sure she still wanted to do CBC for dinner. She did.

While waiting for Mindy to get home, I took the time to edit and publish a handful of blog entries. I even had time to add a few photos. I’m thinking it was near 540pm when she arrived. While she readied for dinner out, I took Eiknarf on a walk. Ran into Mike O’Connell out with his dogs. We chatted briefly.

Back at home, we gathered up some gifts that we planned on dropping off after dinner and then headed out. We took the Accord. Mindy shared a fairly lengthy story from her day at school. While painting Xmas ornaments with all the first graders, it seems one of the boys decided to stick his finger in the hole at the top (Mindy removes the ornament hook apparatus for some reason). In doing so, he got his finger stuck and couldn’t get it out. They tried everything including ice, soap, vegetable oil, etc. Nothing worked. Mindy decided to break the ornament, but all that did was make it worse. The entire ornament shattered save for the ring around his finger, now on there with sharp shards of ornament glass sticking his finger. Mindy called the kid's parents, and his dad came to the school to assist. Still no joy. Mindy eventually called b-in-law Larry (fireman) asking for any advice. He suggested what I was thinking, small scissors or cutters. That eventually worked but not before causing the boy’s finger to bleed. Mindy cut her finger in the process somehow too. Lucky for her and the school, the kid’s parents were really cool about the whole ordeal.

CBC was fairly crowded, but there were still a few stools open at the bar so we pounced on them. We had a jug we hoped to have filled with Cousin Eddie. I was worried that they’d be out. As Kate shared, the week before Christmas is ‘jug fillin’ week.  We had her fill the jug then put it in the fridge just in case they blew the keg while we were there. In the meantime, we both ordered a pint of the delectable treat.

We chatted with Kate through the entirety of our visit. We eventually ordered some food, opting to share a salad, a bowl of their tomato crab bisque, and my favorite, the spinach artichoke dip. Everything was delicious. I had a second Cousin Eddie, too. Bella called while we were enjoying our food. Said her daddy bought her a new pet, a black bunny, to replace her deceased hamster. Hopefully they don’t try to house it in the habitrail. J She named it snowflake. 

Mindy picked up the tab and gave Kate a really nice Xmas tip. She also sought out Stella to give her a little cash, knowing how tight things are for her and Olivia this Xmas.

We headed for home in the rain. Actually, not home. Before home, we planned to drop the Imber's Xmas gift, but we could only find the street and not the address. I didn’t want to guess, so I offered that we simply go home and do it again another day. Mindy reluctantly agreed.

Arrived home around 830pm and both of us quickly changed into our PJs. We each enjoyed a couple of the cookies Rachel left for us. She’s quite the baker. We sat in the family room watching the Buckeye basketball game against Lamar. It wasn’t expected to be much of a game. The Buckeyes trailed 4to 3 early on but quickly took the lead and never looked back. I stopped watching just after halftime and fell asleep on the sofa while Mindy played on her laptop. I think it was 1020pm when I woke and headed for bed. Mindy and Eiknarf followed.

Celebrating Dad @ 76

Happy 76th Dad

We had Eiknarf in our bed, and her snoring woke me numerous times. However, despite the interruptions, I still slept pretty well. Because we didn’t have the kids to be concerned with, I figured I could sleep a little longer.  To that end, I didn’t get out of bed until 540am.

I glanced out back where there were clear skies and no visible frost. I later learned the temperature was above freezing, or a balmy 37 degrees. It was Monday, which in my world was a sit-up/push-up day. I quickly whipped out both ahead of enjoying any coffee.

I was a little surprised to read that the Chargers manhandled the Ravens the night before. I didn’t see any of the second half. I played on the internet until 610am. Again, I wasn’t in a big hurry since I didn’t have to be back from my run to take care of the kids before Mindy’s departure. I did, however, need to wake Mindy, and did so with coffee in hand around 615am. I then returned to the living room for meditation and stretching.

I was done with both by 630am and dressed for my run maybe ten minutes later. I know it had to be after 645am when I left for my run. In the brief hour since I woke, the sky managed to cloud completely over. It didn’t impact my run in anyway.  I ran the usual 4.1 miles about 15 minutes behind my usual schedule. I happened upon the old couple I frequently see out walking at three junctures. We exchanged brief holiday pleasantries.

Mindy was about ready to leave when I got back to the house. She reviewed all of her planned after school Xmas related stops. I reminded her how important it was to stop and have her left rear tire checked/plugged before anything else. I filled it to 32 lbs psi on Saturday morning but by the time we left MRM Saturday night the low tire indicator light was on again. I looked for a nail/screw but didn’t see one. It definitely needs addressed before we leave for our ski trip. This was dad’s 76^th birthday, too. We invited him over for pizza on our way to dinner the night before. He was noncommittal at the time but promised to let us know by Monday afternoon.

With Mindy already gone, and no kids to contend with, I enjoyed my breakfast at a more leisurely pace. That was nice. I think it was 750am when I finally headed up for a shower. It didn’t take me long to ready. I was downstairs around bus time. Instead of heading to the bus stop, I checked in with work since I still had my laptop fired up from the weekend. Things were quiet. I think it was near 830am when I left the house for work.

I had a handful of Xmas related errands I wanted to run sometime during the day. I decided on my drive into the office that I could focus better on work if I made two of the stops even before heading to work – Target & Home Depot. I stopped at the Mill Run Home Depot first picking up two new CFL spot lights and some AAA batteries. I then  headed to the Target next door where I planned to get gift cards for the girls and Rachel. While there, I picked up some stocking stuffers and a gift for Lindsey from the boys. Much to my surprise, they were out of Xmas themed gift cards. I was a little frustrated but what could I do. I simply smiled and told the clerk that I’d stop by another Target later, and probably at lunchtime.

Work was as quiet as I expected it might be. A lot of folks are already off for the holidays, and many who choose to take the week before Xmas off. Personally, I’ve tried both. If staying home, I definitely prefer the week before. I called Aarrow Radiator sometime during the morning asking about bringing in Lindsey’s car possibly Tuesday morning. Dean suggested we bring it in on Wednesday instead. Tuesday looked way too busy.

Still had our usual 1pm Monday meeting. As soon as it was over I left for lunch. It was 140pm. I planned stops at Target, Aspen Ski & Board, and perhaps even Dick’s. I took my laptop just in case I wanted to work from home for the rest of the afternoon. I headed to the Sawmill Rd Target first. It was packed. I was in and out of there pretty fast, though, after finding a plethora of Xmas themed gift cards.

From there, I headed across the street to Dick’s hoping to get Steven a gift card. It was crowded too, and they do the single line checkout thing. They has an associate directing guests to the next available register. The looked to be at least 20 deep and only two or three folks working registers. I asked a clerk if I needed to wait in the line to buy a gift card. Yep! Thanks, but no thanks. I figured I’d hit Dick’s again at a more convenient time later in the week.

Aspen Ski & Board was next. I was hoping to pick-up a snowboard bag for Jacob while using one of the $20 off coupon we received from MRM. I didn’t realize it at the time but they sell the board bags by size. I found one a bit longer than Jacob’s board but with a lot of extra padding that I thought would be ideal. We’ll most likely stow Bella’s skis in it  too. With the coupon, I got it for $34.

I’d been gone about an hour. It was roughly 245pm. I opted to head home and work the rest of the afternoon from there. I drove straight down Kenny to Tremont, to Lane, to Riverside, and finally to Trabue. I was home after about 10 short minutes.

While my laptop booted up, I whipped up a burrito with last week's leftover taco meat. It was delicious. I’m sure that was due in no small part to being ravenously hungry.  Thankfully, there weren't any urgent emergency issues going on, but I did have a 4pm call I needed to join. I kept thinking I’d need to squelch the kids once they got home on the bus, but just before the call began I remembered that they were with their dad and on Xmas break. Duh! I used my blue tooth headset for the call for comfort's sake. Otherwise, I find them offensive. Nothing worse that someone walking around in public presumably talking to themselves, but then only to spot the small black bud in their ear.

The call was an important one but brief. Didn’t last but 20 minutes. For that I was excited. I heard from Mindy near 430pm. Said she was on her way to get the tire checked. I asked where, she replied, Brown Tire. I laughed and said that’s where I’d expect Lindsey & or Ashley to take their cars, but not her. She said that she got the idea from those two. Great! When I suggested she try Discount Tire or somewhere equivalent, it did little more than angered her. She ended up bagging the tire repair altogether and instead said she was heading to Target for wrapping paper. Now that’s having one’s priorities in their proper order. J  However, to be fair, she was feeling overwhelmed still needing to pick-up the boys at Magdalene, too. I offered to do it, but couldn’t until after 530pm. Lastly, Mindy shared that my dad would in fact be joining us for dinner, and would arrive near 530pm.

Like a watch, dad showed up at the front door at 530pm. Mindy and the boys weren’t yet home. Dad and I chatted briefly, him explaining his recent knee woes, which are relatively few and far between. However, he’s still experiencing periodic discomfort in the second knee replacement now after about two months. Pretty much to be expected. 

Mindy and the boys must’ve shown up around 540pm. And after a quick birthday greeting for my dad and a peck for me, she wasted little time ordering a pizza. She also shared that we would celebrate his birthday with sugar cookies in lieu of a cake. The boys didn’t disappoint, asking almost instantaneously if they could play Wii. I agreed, but with stipulations – no bickering. Now, having said that, I knew there was no way in hell they could play without bickering. Still …

They started bickering even before the game was live, arguing over controllers. Rocky’s quick to take advantage of Landon if permitted. I did my best to govern without a heavy hand. I left to get the pizza not five minutes after it was ordered. I'm guessing they keep basic pizas queued up for baking using stats from years of operation. It was ready when I got there. Ran into Mrs Dent, Rocky’s kindergarten and first grade teacher. She was there having dinner with her four boys. They were just on their way out. She introduced me as Rocky’s grandpa. Geesh, I feel old!

Back home, Mindy quickly served dad and the boys some pizza. It was good, though perhaps a little overdone.  The boys each had at least four slices. Rocky initially stopped after two until I declared that you could only have the same number of sugar cookies. He then opted for two more slices of pizza. Too funny!

While Landon was there in my grasp, I took the opportunity to measure his weight, height, and waist line after preparing to buy him some husky jeans online from the Osh-Kosh website. They boy is a tank! He’s 45" tall, weights 62.2 lbs, and has a 25.5” waist. Good thing I didn’t order the day prior, because I would’ve bought too small. I had to go with a size 7H, and even then he weighs more than the recommended fitting, but is 3” shorter”. The waist should be ideal. I figure we can always roll ‘em up a little. And hopefully, he’ll begin to stretch out length-wise without more girth. J

We sang dad the happy birthday song with a single candle in a sugar cookie. He seemed to enjoy it. We all partook in the cookies afterwards, with Rocky eating the lion’s share. I’ll bet he had 6.

Lindsey arrived near 745pm. She seemed in good spirits. We talked about getting the car in on Wednesday. Even though she hoped for Tuesday, she understood the limitation. That’s when they can get it in. Otherwise, it would simply sit there. She didn’t stay long. Soon she and the boys left. Dad left about the same time too. I can’t recall who left first. Asked dad if he was coming over on Saturday. He seemed to draw a blank. Hmmm? I was sure that Mindy invited him.

It was just Mindy and I after 8pm. I quickly changed into my PJs then completed Landon’s Osh-Kosh jean order online. Mindy did some more wrapping. Was down the basement for about an hour. By then I had updated my blog through Thursday last and then finished writing Saturday’s, too. I poured a Cousin Eddie near 9pm and headed to the family room where I tuned into the Science Channel catching The Universe, and another program about black holes – probably the hottest topic in space theory these days. Mindy soon joined me, asking me to rub her sore shoulders and upper back. We watched the next program, too – The Meteorite Man, or something like that.

We stayed up until 1020pm, I believe. I was already dosing from the sofa. Even still, Mindy was surprised when I joined her heading to bed. Eiknarf was more than stoked to be joining us. Us, not so much. She takes up an incredible amount of room and she makes a lot of noise.

Janie's Love Life Revealed

While I could’ve slept even longer, I got out of bed around 815am. More surprising than me sleeping past 8am was that Mindy was up before me. Not sure what got into her. She must’ve been motivated by the Xmas spirit.

Mindy was sitting at her laptop when I joined her in the kitchen and poured some coffee. It was cloudy at the time though expected to clear some time soon. The kids didn’t stir for a couple hours yet. During that time Mindy worked on the Xmas list while I played with my photo collection. I took Eiknarf on a walk at some point, too. She and I spent most of our time in our own backyard so to avoid two other dogs walking our trail with their master.

As expected, the back yard is really squishy with all the recent rainfall. I had to walk deliberately. Mindy showered around 9am in preparation for some solo Xmas shopping. Think it was near 945am when she left the house. She suggested I leave the kids a note if I left for a run.

I decided I’d rather speak to the kids before leaving for my run. Near 10am I headed upstairs and called to Jacob who didn’t budge. Tried Bella next. At least she responded with an, “OK” before rolling over and going back to sleep. It was still chilly and near 30 degrees but now under clear skies. I wore the usual winter running attire.

I ran three miles without any problem.  Was actually very nice. I had an hankering for some bacon, and planned to make some when I got back home. Jacob was up first and shortly after I was back from my run. I put the entire package of Oscar Meyer applewood extra thick cut bacon on a foil covered baking sheet in the oven on 340 degrees. I continued work on my PC while the bacon cooked.

It was about 1115am when the bacon was ready and when I began cooking an omelet. I made enough for myself and Eiknarf. I was surprised when Mindy came in after being gone something less than two hours. Asked if she wanted any. She didn’t. She & Bella did have some bacon, however.  Kenny had invited Jacob to go back to MRM again on Sunday, but Jacob said he was too stiff to board again so soon. Didn’t think he would go. Bella wasn’t formally invited but we figured they’d take her too if they were going up. But as it was, they were at church.

We invited Lindsey over to do laundry, which would also allow me the opportunity to get a better look at her car. After talking with Kenny, I wanted to check the alternator mount. We told her she could come over around 130pm. Until then, I lounged around the house in my running attire and eventually tuned to Sunday NFL action come 1pm. As often happens, I started getting really nappy as 130pm neared. I dosed from the sofa. Of course, as soon as the boys arrived they asked if they could play Wii. I knew that was coming. I shared that today was football day. Rocky headed outside with Jacob and his pals to play football in the neighbors yard.

Lindsey started some laundry and then asked if she could leave the boys and run home to complete some Xmas errands. We agreed. She was gone only briefly. And when she got back, I motivated myself up & off the couch and headed out to look at her car. I pulled it in the garage and up on the two ramps I picked from a neighbors trash a couple years ago.

Mindy came out and shared that Lindsey asked to go grocery shopping with her. I told Mindy that it was OK with me. I didn’t plan to be long under her car. I could keep the boys as long as she didn’t mind having Lindsey with her. She was good with that and took her along.

I could see right away what Kenny was talking about. The alternator pulley is out of line with the engine pulley. It’s at about a 5-10 degrees out of align. What I couldn’t determine, even with being underneath, how the alternator mounts to the car’s frame. I also looked the transmission over. Being front wheel drive, it’s all up front. Nothing leaking, but then again, I didn’t expect it to be. I decided the best thing to do is take it in the shop, but this time to my buddies at Aarrow Radiator in Amlin (west Hilliard) and have them fix the door handle, the alternator, and check the transmission. I planned to call on Monday.

I pulled Lindsey’s car back to the curb then headed inside to watch more football. It was about 3pm. Happily, the Bengals won, effectively reinserting themselves in the playoff hunt. The Vikings, meanwhile, we suffering another embarrassing defeat at the hands of the Saints. Think high draft pick! Mindy & Lindsey were back around 4pm. Lindsey continued work on her laundry. She must’ve had three or four loads in total. Our kids were leaving with Jimaken around 5pm until Wednesday. When the boys asked if they could stay for dinner we shared that we were going out to dinner. We planned on visiting the Fish Market.

5pm came quickly, and Jimaken showed to pick up the kids. Lindsey and the boys hung out for another hour or so while the last load of laundry finished drying. I’m thinking they left near 6pm. Mindy enjoyed a Brew Kettle Winter Warmer just before we readied for dinner out. We headed out near 630pm. Traffic was almost nil. I was surprised then to find the Fish Market lot damn near full.

Asked Mindy where she wanted to sit. She opted for the bar. Cool. The bar was lightly populated, maybe two or three couples. Janie was working bar along with another young gentleman.  We chatted briefly, me asking if they might have the CBC Hop Odyssey on tap. Nope, but they did have Great Lakes Xmas Ale, a hot commodity in these parts. They also had CBC regular IPA. Mindy chose the G.L. Xmas ale while I went with the CBC IPA. I’m not too big on the Xmas ales anymore. Too sweet.

Asked Janie about her love life given that’s been the topic of out last two visits. Funny though, we don’t get there very often. This was just our 3^rd visit since the Sunday before Xmas last year, or right after the Mannheim concert. Our last visit was in the spring time when we met the chiropractor from PA, and the same night we picked nephew Joe up in Savannah. :)

Mindy and I perused the menu, but I wasn’t really that hungry. I suggested we share an entrée. We ordered the lobster bisque and then a surf & turf special – the filet oscar. We shared the bisque which was really good, and then I was done. Mindy enjoyed the entire filet and tater while I nursed a 2^nd IPA. We picked up a gift certificate while we were there. I picked up the check.

We arrived home near 8pm or just after. Felt good to get out of my clothes and into my PJs. I poured a Cousin Eddie then tuned into the Sunday night football game between San Diego and Baltimore. Mindy asked me to rub her sore shoulders and back. Of course, I obliged. She begged off to bed shortly after 9pm. I stayed up until 10pm after dosing from the sofa.