Back to the Basics

I was up and out of bed just ahead of 530am. I felt great, well rested, and ready to get after the new day, new work week, and new year. The coffee was prepped. I just needed to hit the go button. The sky was clear, and it looked brutally cold. After sit-ups, I checked the actual temperature. It was 14 degrees but with a stiff breeze blowing in from the west. Accounting for the wind chill, that made it more like 3 degrees. This would far and away be my coldest run this season. No worries. I was actually looking forward to it.

Coffee was ready near 550am. I poured a cup then returned to the PC where I spent another 10 minutes. Time for meditation. There’s no denying that my best days often begin with a good meditation. With that in mind, I made it a point to leave myself plenty of time to zero in on the stillness within.

And while I would be returning to work, Mindy would be enjoying her final day of Xmas break. That meant I didn’t need to bother waking her with coffee. Instead, I moved directly to stretching immediately after meditation. That went well, too. After a stretch, I dressed warmly for a run. I kept it basic wearing two upper layers, underwear, running shorts, tights, and long socks. I also wore hand and ear covers along with a fleece toboggan. And aside from the initial shock of the cold air whipping across my face, I was comfortable for the duration of the 4.1 mile run. I was extra careful with my footing since there was a thin layer of snow covering the ground.

I could see that our kitchen lights were on as I passed by the O’Connell’s place. That meant Mindy was up with the kids. And she had Eiknarf’s leash waiting by the door by the time I returned. She soon went after her. How pathetic! She had to carry her down the stairs from the comfort of Jacob’s warm bed.

Eiknarf and I headed out into the cold. We walked east to avoid having the cold wind blowing in my face. We’d have to face it going back, however. She took care of business after lots of sniffing around. I’m sure she was cold, too, especially being fresh out of bed. Meanwhile, back home, Mindy was making breakfast for me and the kids.

It was already 725am when I sat down to breakfast. Bella and Jacob were both up and having breakfast too. Both were more alert than I expected given their long 17 day Xmas vacation. Mindy planned on meeting her bff Teri for a late breakfast, I only assumed it at First Watch. At least that’s where they typically meet. I know Mindy was looking forward to it.

I headed up for a shower later than I might’ve preferred. It was already 740am. But I do this everyday, so you might even say that I’m a pro. J I was back downstairs shaven, showered, and dressed before 8am. I spent the next few minutes throwing together a healthy lunch consisting of a fruit medley, banana, cheese, and a salad. It didn’t take but 5 minutes to prep it all.

Before heading out with the kids I started the Accord. I’d driven it only five or six miles since December 22^nd. I knew I’d be making a fuel stop on the way in. Mindy asked if I’d be coming back inside after seeing the kids onto the bus. Yes. They & I headed out right at 810am. Mindy made sure both were wearing hand and ear covers along with winter coats.

I scraped the Accord while the kids stood at the bus stop talking with Chrissy and kids. Chrissy advised that she was off work, too. Not sure why. Thankfully, the bus was on time. Nothing worse than standing still in the cold.

With the kids on the bus, I headed back to the house with Eiknarf, who wasn’t enjoying the cold at all. Mindy reminded me that this was date night. We made no firm plans, however. I reminded her to take an ABSCO coupon if she planned on looking for a new ski jacket. I showed her where they were stashed. I left for work at 820am already knowing I’d be making that fuel stop at Thornton’s.

Gas was $3.29 per gallon, and the Accord took 15.1 gallons, which cost me just a few pennies less than $50. That equated to 21.5 miles per gallon on the last tank. By the way, the Pilot got 22 mpg on our HV trip. I am always surprised by that, especially fully loaded with gear and with the Thule on top.

I was able to get a parking spot upfront and found my way to my office by 850am. It took a little while to get situated, stowing my lunch, filling my water pitcher, and firing up my laptop. My first order of business was going through all of my email. I deleted most of it. With everything still relatively quiet, I decided to tackle some more online training. I have about ten classes that I’m required to complete before month’s end, and I absolutely hate waiting to the last minute.

I talked with a peer a couple times briefly but that’s about all the personal interaction I had all day long. By the day’s end I had completed five of the required courses. That was a load off my mind. I talked with Mindy late afternoon. She had been to lunch with Teri and had also been to ASBCO in Arlington. She was on her way to the one in Powell hoping to find the perfect new ski jacket. The zipper broke on her current ski jacket while we were at HV. I was able to temporarily fix it using an MRM ski tag wire.

I talked with Ashley sometime during the late afternoon too. She was heading back to work after an ortho appointment with Dr Monfort. He shared that he’s planning on putting braces back on her upper teeth once her root canal is finished. She didn’t remember that being part of the plan. Oh boy! Yeah, I remember him sharing that with us. We talked for a while about a few other things, too. Among them, she shared her disappointment in Steven for failing the typing test at Teleperformance. Could only muster 18 words a minute. I guess the requirement to be hired is 30.

I held my tongue initially, but Ashley prodded me for my opinion both on Steven and on her potential move to Kentucky. I was still a little hesitant at first, but she asked for my fatherly advice again. I like Steven, and Olivia seems to adore him. But so far he hasn’t proved to be the bread winner type. In fact, I don’t think he’s had even one full-time job since I’ve known him. I was frank, but also kind. I don’t’ want Ashley to look back five years from now and wish she had moved on with her life.  But I was also quick to reiterate that she has to decide what’s best for Olivia and then herself. No one else can decide for her, nor should they. She genuinely seemed to appreciate the talk. My baby is finally growing up and facing her problems head on. I like that.

Close to day’s end, Mindy sent a text asking what time I’d be leaving for the day because if I wouldn’t be leaving work until 530pm she planned on going back to the Arlington ASBCO to pick-up a jacket they were holding for her. That would make her third trip to an ASBCO store that day. Long story.

I shared that she should go ahead regardless, and not worry about me. While it was date night, I wasn’t really wanting to go out to dinner anyway. I am more focused on getting my diet back on track. Dinner out would surely delay/kill that notion. Besides, we’ve got a kidless weekend ahead.

I ended up leaving work shortly after 5pm. I called Mindy once I cleared the first two roundabouts. She was on her way to ASBCO. We talked until I was nearly home. Lisa Shultz was right behind me as I pulled in the subdivision. I thought about turning into her court so we could chat. Haven’t talked with her in a long while. Last second, I opted not and headed directly home.

It was nice to be home and in a clean, quiet house. I rinsed my lunch containers, stowed then in the dishwasher, then cleaned and readied the coffee pot for Wednesday. I ate a couple cheese sticks too. I spent the time before Mindy got home online. Soon in the door, she showed me her new ski jacket. Primarily black with some subtle purple lines and lots of extra zip pockets. Looks nice on her. I am happy to have her join me on the dark side of the color wheel J

For dinner, Mindy suggested cream-of-chicken over brown rice. That sounded awfully good. It took about 15 minutes to make. I shared the gist of my conversation with Ashley. Mindy & I are pretty much in lock-step relative to those issues.

We also briefly discussed Lindsey’s cell phone dilemma. Last month we scorned her for spending $50 per month on an unlimited pay as you go plan, and offered her our spare cell phone for $10 per month as a alternative. But since it was so last minute, we agreed that she could do the $50 plan one more month, but should plan the switch at the beginning of January. It was time to do it. But unfortunately, the more we talked through it, the less I liked that idea either. What is that teaching Lindsey? Certainly not to be accountable to herself. If she were a college kid then, yeah, it would make sense but she’s almost 28 and the mother of two. She needs to be figuring these things out on her own. We decided to advise Lindsey to pursue her own cell plan however she saw fit. Though, having said that, her spending $50 a month on an unlimited internet, text, and call plan isn’t smart budgeting either. I can’t fix everything.

I returned Lindsey’s call and shared our thoughts. Said she preferred to have her own plan anyway but for other reasons. For one, doesn’t like the idea of us having a view into her calls and texts and such. She said she’d be by within 20 minutes to get money to cover her monthly cell bill.

She and the boys showed up about 20 minutes later. Mindy already had the cash ready  to hand her. They didn’t even take off their shoes and barely came inside. We talked with the boys a little before they left and then asked Lindsey if she’s started Rocky on the new meds Dr Shultz gave him. She hasn’t. That’s another story for another day. They headed out and we headed to the familyroom.

It was another 15-20 minutes before the kids got home from dinner with dad. Said they had fun with their bunny, Snowflake. Went to City Barbeque for take-out dinner. Mindy had both get ready for bed, but not before Bella gave both Mindy and I a foot massage. She’s really good at it. Jacob must’ve felt left out and joined us on the sofa and actually started rubbing my foot. Too rough, sorry! J

We watched the tail end of the OSU/Nebraska basketball game. The Buckeyes won easily. We then tuned into the Sugar Bowl, Michigan versus Virginia Tech. I was pulling for Michigan, but wasn’t too concerned either way. Virginia Tech held a slim lead 3-0 when I fell asleep. And at the time, Michigan looked rusty and confused. Must’ve been about the beginning of the 2nd quarter when I dosed off.

Mindy send the kids up to bed at 915pm. I woke on the sofa around 11pm and headed up to bed. Eiknarf was downstairs with me. I dropped her off in Bella’s room and put the baby gate up. Good night moon!

Cold & Snowy

We were expecting the boys again, but if memory served, not until 9am or so. To that end, I got up around 830am, or about as late as I have through our entire 11 day Xmas vacation. I felt good, though, and quickly started a pot of coffee. And since it was Monday, I completed 50 sit-ups and 50 push-ups, something I haven’t done since the Friday before Xmas. Gave myself a nine day reprieve.

While sipping coffee, I remembered that I left Lindsey’s white load in the dryer overnight. Oops!  I restarted the dryer for about 5 minutes to fluff away any wrinkles. I folded the entire load before she arrived to drop the boys.

Predictably, the boys asked if they could play Wii, but this time with the caveat of once the kids were up. They're learning. For the time being, I put in a DVD, Toy Story 3. Mindy was up a little later. I’m thinking it was near 915am. We had to remind the boys more than once to keep the noise down at least until Jacob and Bella were awake. They both needed more sleep.

Holiday Valley sent an online survey regarding our stay. I took the time to complete it. My reward was a 10% off coupon for our next stay as well as a chance at winning a complete skiing/lodging package via a month-end drawing. I printed off the coupon then also sent a copy of it to Bob I. 

Mindy worked on her grocery list and then started tearing down Xmas decorations, starting first in the livingroom with the leaning shelves. Jacob must’ve called to Rocky from over the railing. Rocky came running to the living room sharing that Jacob invited him up to play Xbox. Rocky was very excited.

I prepared for my run a little later. I’m thinking that I got out just ahead of 10am. It was cold, about 26 degrees, with continuous light snow. I dressed warmly remembering to add long running socks to my wardrobe. That helps a lot. There was a stiff, cold breeze out of the west. A bit shocking, at least initially. I ran the full 4.1 mile track. My legs, I am happy to report, were almost back to normal.

Freshly back from my run and really, really hungry, I suggested that I make some ham salad. Mindy liked the idea. I used our Pampered Chef chopper to dice up leftover Honey Baked ham, a red onion, and a stalk of celery. I then added a little garlic, horseradish mustard, and mayonnaise. Took no more than five minutes to whip up the concoction. I didn’t bother searching for a recipe, rather, I simply went by instinct. I made Mindy and I sandwiches. Mine was good, and Mindy liked hers too. I left the rest out on the island to put on crackers through the afternoon.

I called Ashley around noon to see what she was doing. She and Olivia were at Targhetto. I invited them over, and if not both then perhaps just Olivia. She accepted the invite for Olivia citing the need for some time away from one another. Said she'd bring her by in about 20 minutes.

We tuned into the Buckeye game (Gator Bowl) at 1pm, the last time we will see them in a bowl game until 2014. With that in mind, I was hoping for a super showing. Early on, it became apparent that we weren’t gonna get the super showing. Instead, we looked slow and predictable. Keep in mind, we were playing a Florida team that went 6-6 just like us. But we made them look like a top ten team.

Jacob gave up hope early, just after the first half. He headed out to play in the snow with the other kids around 230pm. There was only about a half inch of snow accumulation, but it was the season’s first, so the kids were very excited. It was still coming down, too, and it felt really cold, especially after experiencing lots of unseasonably warm temps the past few weeks. All the kids followed suit and wanted to head out to play in the snow and cold. Mindy found snow pants, hats and gloves for all.

The boys minus Landon played football in the neighbor’s back yard while Bella, Olivia and Landon rolled around in the snow and then fed the ducks. I didn’t feel comfortable with the kids playing too close to the pond so I kept a close eye on them the entire time. In fact, I had to holler for Olivia to step back away from the water at least twice.

At some point Landon and Olivia ran over to Chrissy’s without asking. Mindy called down and insisted they head back to our place immediately. Landon came right away. Olivia, well, she was slow to return, but did. Mindy gave her an earful for leaving the yard without permission. Perhaps a bit difficult for her to understand since all the kids tend to bounce from house to house on the island.

I kept a loose eye on the Buckeye game until it was obvious we weren’t gonna win. I headed in to work on my blog when we went down 28-14 with 7 or 8 minutes to play.  I was able to get caught up through New Year’s Eve and added lots of pictures dating back to Xmas Eve, Xmas, and our HV trip. I could still hear the game and it sounded like the Buckeyes scored again late. Mindy confirmed but said there were only a few seconds left. We tried an onside kick but it proved unsuccessful.

Where had the day gone? Just like that it was after 4pm and darkness already beginning to set in. Lindsey showed up much earlier than we expected. Said they released almost everyone despite her request to stay. They sent her home due to very low call volume. She left for home with the boys and her clean laundry near 5pm.

Save for the tree, Mindy had all the Xmas decorations down by about 500pm. She left for the grocery store just ahead of 530pm. Said Jacob was due home anytime.  Well, he must’ve been heading up the walk as she was backing out, because a minute later Jacob came inside to tell me that he was going with his momma. Meanwhile, Bella and Olivia were next door playing at Chrissy’s only this time with permission. All of the sudden, I had the house all to myself.

I spent most of that alone time playing on the internet and then writing in my blog. I spent a little time reading brother Glenn’s too. There, I learned that one of brother Tommy’s old girlfriends, Phyllis, passed away sometime in 2010. Glenn only recently found out after having his Xmas card returned with a note. I also read where he’s going to cease daily blogging after 10 years. We’ll see.

Ashley called to see what time she should come pick-up Olivia. I suggested close to 6pm. As a result, she showed up a little after 6pm. We visited for a while, me showing her most of my late November and December photo collection. We watched some old Olivia videos together too, many of which I gleaned from her old camera, which either broke or was stolen. Glad I downloaded the videos and photos for her when I did.

Mindy & Jacob were home from the grocery just after 630pm, or about the same time that Ashley asked for me to call Olivia home from Chrissy's. I headed out to help carry in the groceries first. I in turn asked Mindy if she would make the call down to Chrissy’s to have Olivia come home. She made the call. Before they left, I had Olivia sit on my lap and watch a couple of the videos. As you might expect, she was enamored with herself. I’m thinking it was about 7pm when they finally left.

Just like that, it was me, Mindy, Jacob & Bella. Save for the tree, Xmas was already a thing of the past. The house was in relative order too. Mindy whipped up some pork nachos with the leftover pork roast.  I asked that she set some of the pork aside for me, however. She topped the nachos with Mexican seasoned pork, cheese and hot pepper rings then baked them in the oven. They smelt terrific. I ended up having a plate full of ‘em.

There’s little doubt that I gained weight over the holidays, and most of it after TG. I haven’t weighed myself but I’ll bet anywhere from 8-10lbs. It’s time to return to my regular eating & drinking habits. Been eating way too many snacks and drinking alcohol almost every day for the last three weeks.

We watched the end of the Rose Bowl, me cheering for Oregon over Wisconsin. Oregon was sporting chrome-like helmets. They were very cool. Oregon won after Wisconsin tried to down the ball with 2 seconds left and down on the Ducks 20 yard line. Duh!

We joined the Fiesta Bowl next, #3 Oklahoma State versus #4 Stanford. It was back and forth from jump, and unless I'm mistaken, 28-28 at the half. Since it was a school night, and the first since Thursday, December 15^th, Mindy quoted the kids and 830 bed time. But that quickly turned into more like 915pm.

I was now in full return-to-work mode. Come 950pm my eyes were heavy, so I headed to bed. You’d of thought Mindy was gonna fall over. We headed to bed together, but with the understanding that we'd tune into the second half of the game from bed.

Stanford scored right away to take the lead. Now about 1030pm and both of us very sleepy, we turned the TV off and went to sleep. Good night Xmas vacation 2011.

Hairs to a New Year

Not entirely sure what time it was when Mindy and I finally fell asleep but it had to be somewhere near 2am. Needless to say, an early rise wasn't in the cards. I woke a couple times after daybreak just to status my well being. I felt surprisingly good. I think it was 845am when I finally rolled out of bed and made my way downstairs.

I started coffee then went to the computer. For grins, I checked HV's website. It was near 40 degrees and raining. Lost quite a bit of their snowpack since Friday. Looks like we left at the ideal time. I checked MRMs website too, but I can't get to their live webcams due to the security settings on my PC. They were opened but with relatively few runs opened. Moreover, the day time high was expected to reach near 50 degrees with winds up to 50 mph.

I enjoyed coffee in the quiet for about an hour. Mindy joined me first somewhere near 10am. She wished me happy new year, had some coffee, then headed over to Chrissy’s to get her cell phone, which she left there after partying the night before. She walked over in her robe.  No sooner was she back home when she disappeared. I found her back in bed when I headed up to get my running clothes from the closet. I wasn’t surprised. She had quite a buzz going New Year’s Eve.

I headed out for a run near 1030am. Just before, I heard kid voices upstairs, but no one had yet come downstairs prior to my departure. It was New Year’s Day and also Sunday. To that end, I ran just three miles. My legs felt much fresher than Saturday, but still noticeably fatigued. The weather was cloudy and near 50 degrees last I checked. For the time being anyway, the winds were calm.

During the my run, the clouds started breaking up and the temperature started dropping. And by the last ½ mile or so, a few strong gusts of wind kicked up as well. I’m glad I finished when I did.

Right away I grabbed the Pilot keys and headed out to unload the Thule. I backed the Pilot to the lower (less steep) half of the drive. I opened the Thule towards the ever increasing winds. Had I given it more thought, I would’ve opened it from the other direction. I quickly unloaded the skis, poles, and Jacob’s board a little worried that a strong gust might rip the lid off. It went fine, though. I quickly closed and locked the Thule then carried the gear into the garage for stowing. We had Bella’s skis in with Jacob’s snowboard. I was surprised how quickly the edges of his began to rust, just two days. Of course we stowed them still covered in snow and wet leaving HV. I wiped his board and edges dry and left them out of the bag.

My skis were stowed in a light travel bag, too. And just like Jacob's board, my edges were starting to rust a little too. Mindy’s, however, were fine, the only pair not stowed in a bag. Note to self. While I was busy tending to the skies Kenny stepped into the garage startling me. He was returning the wine bag Mindy left at their place and was hoping to get his kids. He shared that he bought a Thule like ours last week. He headed inside to check on his kids while I kept on task. He didn’t stay long. Was back out a minute or two later. Said all the kids were up and having some of Mindy's homemade waffles. Wanted them to head home as soon as they were done.

Already near noon, I wondered where the morning had gone. I didn’t have a waffle of my own, but did finish Bella’s. Mindy had a pork roast already in the crock-pot, which would serve as dinner. Her mom and my dad would be joining us. She planned to pick-up her mom around 3pm.

We were also expecting niece Lindy to show around 3pm. She was coming over to cut mine and Jacob's hair. I took a shower about the time that the final day of the NFL regular season kicked off. The Vikings game wasn’t on, which was probably a good thing. I was more looking forward to the 415pm Bengals game. Win and their in the playoffs. The boys played Xbox in Jacob’s room for most of the afternoon, and did so quietly. For that Mindy & I were grateful.

Can’t recall what time Mindy headed out to get her mom, but I'm guessing it near 230pm. By then I was napping from the sofa. She wasn’t gone long. I’m thinking that she was back at home by 255pm. And niece Lindy was over soon after Mindy & Gloria arrived. She trimmed Jacob's hair first, really just fixing his bangs and then trimming his sideburns.

She brought the clippers for me, a #3 guard. She took her time and did a nice job, leaving more length than I typically do on top. I'll most likely have it cut the same way moving forward. It lays nicely from the the outset where typically I'd have to gel it up for two weeks. Thanks Lindy! I gave her $20. Though we invited her to stay for dinner, Lindy stuck around just a short while longer.

Dad showed up around 430pm. We weren’t planning to eat until 530pm. We sat in the family room watching football and chatting. Dad and Gloria talked about people they know in common from growing up in the bottoms. Dad brought up the annual Florentine’s gathering he recently attended. Turns out, Gloria knew many including some I know, too, like the Conrad’s.

Mindy had dinner ready a little earlier than 530pm. I’m thinking it was 515pm when we sat to eat. The pork and sauerkraut were really good. Hit the spot! Lindsey showed up from work about the time I was finishing clean-up. We sat some of the leftovers aside for her to enjoy. She wanted only some of the pork, and in a take-home container. I offered  that she could leave her laundry for me take care of through the evening and then on Monday.

And then, to help further, Mindy and I offered to watch the boys again on Monday after Lindsey shared that she had nobody else. The kids will be back in school and daycare beginning Tuesday. One of the downsides to the after school care being part of the school. Not open during the holidays. We’ve kept the boys everyday that we’ve been home over Xmas break, and it really hasn’t been a problem at all. They like being at our house, and Jacob & Bella have been asking to have them over.

Lindsey headed home with the boys around 6pm. The rest of us sat around the dinner table long after our meal talking and then sharing a plate of Xmas cookies. Dad left first, then a few minutes later Mindy ran her mother home.

By the time Mindy got back home it was much colder than it was earlier, still windy, and even snowing a bit. In fact, all of the sudden, it felt a lot like winter for the first time since the weekend before Xmas. The forecast was calling for a coupe really cold days Monday & Tuesday with highs in the mid 20’s. But it's supposed to warm up again, heading into the weekend. In fact, 50 degrees and sunny by Friday.

I poured myself a Jack & Coke and then tuned into the last game of the NFL regular season, the Cowboys versus the Giants. Winner would claim the final playoff spot, and the loser heading home. For my money, a fitting way to end the regular season. From the outset, the Giants looked strong and built a 21-0 lead. Mindy pealed off to bed even before halftime. Jacob and I stayed up.

Getting bored with the game, I figured I could be much more productive and ultimately headed to my PC to do some more writing. Jacob, howwever, stayed up watching the game. I was a little surprised when I joined Jacob again midway through the 4^th quarter and saw that the Cowboys were making game of it. It was 21-14. I watched the rest of the game with Jacob. The Cowboys lost. We both headed to bed after the game. I was surprised to find Bella still awake. I only asked that she not make a lot of noise.

Ringin' in the New Year ... Grand Kids, Kohl's & Kenny's

I was out of bed near 730am in anticipation of the arrival of the grand kids as well as the new year now just a hours away. It's also worth mentioning how good it felt to sleep in my own bed after four nights away. That feeling never gets old. I prepped a pot of coffee then checked the weather. It was 44 degrees under cloudy skies. Because it was Saturday, I didn't plan any calisthenics. I planned to play on the  computer and sip coffee until run time.

Lindsey dropped the boys just after 8am. They both seemed happy to be at our place and asked if they could play the Wii once the kids were up. Yes, once the kids are up. Until then, I put a movie in for them to enjoy. I chose Ratatouille. They sat surprisingly quiet watching the movie for about 45 minutes all the while I did some writing for my blog.

Mindy must've gotten up around 9am. Shortly after she was up, I prepared and left for my run, the last of 2011. I ran just three miles and was still feeling the effects of skiing 5 days in a row. My legs were spent. They weren't sore or stiff, but lifeless and tired.

Once Jacob and Bella were awake the kids played in the basement and then the XBox in Jacob's room. Landon was excluded from a lot of the play. I'm thinking it was 11am or after when I whipped up a ham, cheese, and spinach omelet for Bella, Mindy and I. The boys ate leftover HV pizza, but then asked for scrambled eggs after finishing the pizza. Jacob wanted scrambled eggs too.

Soon after our late breakfast, Mindy, Jacob and Rocky left to run a series of errands, including taking back a few Xmas gifts. Mindy needed to stop by her mom's first to pick-up the receipts. I'm thinking that they were gone for more than 2 hours. Of course, I had Bella and Landon home with me.

As expected, Lindsey got off work early and was there to pick-up the boys around 330pm. Mindy apparently called or texted that she would be dropping Rocky once their shopping spree was over. Mindy called me shortly after Lindsey left to measure my willingness to have the boys over night. Jacob apparently wanted Rocky to stay all night. I didn't mind. Mindy said she would call Lindsey and have her bring Landon back. I then suggested shared my desire to run to Kohl's to see if they still had that jacket I wanted. Mindy suggested we make the run together and have Lindsey keep an eye on the kids for an hour or so.

I'm thinking that it was near 430pm when Mindy got back to the house with Jacob & Rocky. Lindsey and Landon showed up around 5pm. It wasn't long before Mindy and I headed off to Kohl's in the Accord, its first such use since the Thursday before Xmas. Traffic around the Hilliard shopping area was moderately to heavy. But we weren't in too big of a hurry.  Kohl's was fairly busy, too.

Mindy and I went our separate ways once inside the store. She went to make a Jacob related return while I headed to the men's department to look for that Free Country Jacket I had my eye on before Xmas. At first pass it didn't appear that they had any, but after making a second pass I found that they had two, and both mediums. I was thinking I wanted a large since I would most likely wear it skiing with two thick layers underneath.  I tried it on wearing a light sweater and my thick winter fleece. It was a tad snug in the arms but otherwise fine. It was originally priced at $100 but marked down by %50, or $50. But I also had an internet coupon good for 15-20% off depending on the total amount spent.

I really don't need another jacket, but have been looking to replace my light ski jacket for the last two years. I carried it with me as I went to find Mindy.

I found Mindy in women's coats. She's in the market for a new ski jacket now too after the zipper broke on hers while at HV. Their inventory was pretty much picked over. She couldn't find anything she liked that also met all the requirements she was after, like zipping inner pockets, water proof, and attractive.

We moved on to look at snow/ski pants for both kids. We found some for Bella that match the colors of her ski jacket. They were regularly $50 but on sale for $22.50, of course they'd be even less with our coupon. We headed to the boys department next where we bought a pair of snow pants for Jacob. He's only 11 but we had to buy XL/ 18-20. They're really cool and match/clash with his new jacket. We got Jacob some new daily wear socks too.

Mindy picked out some new underwear for herself and then browsed a few other items, but picked out nothing else. We headed to check-out where we waited patiently in line behind two others. Our total outlay was something like $110 after accounting for the sale prices and then our coupon. Our overall savings, which Kohl's likes to point out at checkout, was $160. And according to the clerk, more than our total bill. I quipped that we would've saved even more had we stayed home. We all laughed.

We were gonna walk next door to Dick's to look for a new pair of ski gloves for Bella but they turned off their lights just as we were heading to our car to drop our bags. No biggie. It's not like we're going skiing in the next couple of days. Instead, we simply headed for home.

As we neared the house Mindy suggested we make a quick stop in the corner Convenience market to buy some scratch-off lottery tickets with our Xmas lottery game winnings. Why not? We bought $20 worth of scratch-offs and then spent $2 on the night's Power Ball drawing, which was sitting at $20 million.

On our walk back to the car, we were first approached by a 20 something male asking for directions to Toledo.  I was a bit leery but gave him quick directions while also keeping my distance (about ten feet). When he asked for further clarification Mindy quickly offered greater detail all the while I was using exaggerated body language to get her attention to move away from the seedy looking stranger.

Just as we turned to get in our car another 20 something male, who was also in the Convenient store while we were, asked if I would be kind enough to give him a jump. I reluctantly agreed. He was parked right next to us in a beater pick-up truck. I noticed a missing bumper and the tires had cords showing. He had jumper cables ready and did the attachments at his end. I insisted on doing my own. Didn't want him monkeying with my car. It still wouldn't start. Sounded like a started/solenoid problem to me. He shared that he came from Reynoldsburg. Something didn't seem right with him either. I kept a careful eye on him until we gave up on the jump thing and left him there and headed for home. Once I was back in the Accord, Mindy shared that she had 911 dialed and was ready to press call if he tried something.

We arrived home around 7pm. Lindsey was watching TV. Apparently Jacob, Jake, and Bella were already at the neighbors, where we planned to spend our New Year's Eve. Early on, we thought we'd be spending it with the Shultz's just as I have for many of the past 15 or so, but we hadn't heard from them. Furthermore, a glance across the pond revealed a dark home. I wondered if they might've headed home to Norwalk or possibly even made a trip to Manhattan and Times Square.

We weren't home too long before we gathered our stuff and headed to the neighbors. We offered Lindsey the opportunity to join us but she declined citing the need to get a good night's rest in order to be at work early the next morning for overtime. When she headed home, Mindy, Landon and I headed to the neighbors, but not before I diverted across the street to get a quick photo of our house in Xmas lights.

Just two other couples at the neighbors, Mike & Julie and then Josh & Rachel. All the kids were upstairs, the boys playing video games and the girls doing who knows what.  I brought the jug of Barley's Pale that I bought last Friday night, December 23rd. It was still fresh. Mindy brought wine and a whole assortment of kiddie champagnes. Chrissy laid out a spread of hand to mouth foods, including cheese, meats, dips and crackers.

After a beer, Kenny suggested we head to the basement to shoot some pool. Sounded good to me. Josh and I were partners. We didn't fair to well, either. These days, I pretty much suck at pool. Was getting pretty good back in my single days. Oh well. We still had fun.

While playing pool, Chrissy hollered down that their two pugs got out and wanted Kenny to go after them. He & I suggested she enlist the help of Jacob, who excels at such endeavors. She wasn't pleased and seemed to hold a grudge for the duration of the evening, or until just before midnight. Mindy & Julie were out on the back deck chatting. I headed out briefly to see what was up. It was a lovely star filled New Year's eve with the temperature still around 40 degrees. As a matter of fact, it didn't seem like New Year's eve at all.

Just as it usually does, the waning hours went by quickly. Soon it was time to ring in the new year. We kept a loose eye on Ryan Seacrest (Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve) through most of the evening. These day's (post stroke) Dick's role has been minimized to just a few brief cameos. With 15 minutes to go, I rushed home to get two bottles of cheap bubbly. Aside from Mindy & I, no one else expressed interest in champagne, though the kids wanted the kiddie variety.

We rang in 2012 at the stroke of midnight ET. :) What now? We hung out with the neighbors for perhaps another hour. Mindy was getting loopy from the wine and now the champagne. She eventually slipped off quietly to the sofa and fell asleep. I cracked open a rocket of Hoppin' Frog's Doris the Destroyer Double Imperial Stout after polishing off the entire growler of Pale Ale. It was really good. I believe we've had that sitting around since last winter, a gift, I believe from Bob I.

Near 1am I figured we ought to be heading home. I woke both Mindy & Landon (all the other kids were already at our house playing and having a sleep over) and headed home. Landon pissed himself while sleeping at the foot of Jake's bed. Mindy was still buzzed, but managed to get Landon changed into PJs before plopping down in our bed. I made sure all the kids were settled before jumping in bed myself. The boys (Jake, Jacob, and Rocky) were in Jacob's room playing XBox games. The girls were giggling in Bella's room. Good night and happy new year -  Wahoo!

Holiday in the Valley Day 5 - Buebird Ski Day in New York - Thunder Storm in CMH

Because it was our day of departure, I thought I might get up earlier than I had all week. That wasn't the case. I ended up sleeping in until 715am. It was probably the least amount of sleep I had gotten all week. I still felt pretty good though. I quickly donned my running gear, grabbed my door key, and breakfast pass and headed out. The sky consisted of broken cloud cover and the temperature was much warmer than the prior two days. In fact, it was already above freezing. This I could tell by the dripping icicles. The sun was just coming up over the southeastern hillside. A picture would've been nice.

I grabbed a cup of OJ before setting out on my run. Only a handful of early risers having breakfast. It was a fairly easy run uptown and back. Adding a new wrinkle, I headed north of route 242 just past the post office and further into the Ellicottville neighborhood. Again, very quaint. I didn't go too far, though. I turned around after about two or three blocks.

Back at the Inn, I poured two cups of Starbucks from the buffet then headed back to the room. I fancied them up with our homespun fixins. Mindy was happy to have hot coffee from bed. While she and the kids began the waking process, I headed out to clear the Thule of snow and prepare it for loading. I was concerned that there might be a heavy coat of ice under all the snow. The snow was heavy and sticky but swept off rather easily. I then threw out all the trash we amassed on our drive up. I'm guessing that I was out there for 20 minutes.

Back in the room, Mindy was just beginning to pack our gear. Check out is 11am but our goal was to be out closer to 10a. While Mindy dealt with the clothes, I packed the dry storage tub and cooler. The two 12 packs of soda we left out on the deck were weakened from four days in the snow and rain. I asked that we handle them with care. I carried out the big bulky stuff first (cooler, tub, two suitcases). I enlisted Jacob's help for the rest. And yes, he failed to heed my advice on carrying the soda. The Coke carton split at the seams. No biggie. I must've made 12 trips up and down the steps loading the Pilot. We had a lot of stuff, especially the incidentals.

Once 90% of our gear was loaded for departure, I took a shower. Everybody geared up for skiing just before exiting the room for the final time. It's always a bit tricky trying to pack efficiently to leave but also planning to ski. You have to have gear stowage available as well as anything you want to change into before leaving. We managed. I headed to the lobby desk to checkout while the kids and Mindy waited by our ski gear. No surprises.

It was 1025am by the time we were at the lift. By then it was bluebird conditions. Unfortunately, we were all dressed a tad warm. We all took Mindy's advice and unzipped our outer shell about half way. That helped a great deal. At least for the first 45 minutes or so, the morning sun  and warmer temps softened up the icy spots making for favorable ski conditions. We skied a handful of runs, including me doing Champagne. It was fairly easy, though my legs were about spent. Independence was opened for the first time all week. While Mindy & the kids did Northwind, I did it. Awesome! Fresh, ungroomed terrain. Morning Star was opened again, too, so I suggested we all ski it. We did, but because it had a southern exposure, it was the first run to get a bit sticky/slushy. We headed back up the Morning Star lift but stayed on Northwind, Mardi Gras, and eventually Cindy's. But aside from Cindy's all the runs were getting sticky from the warm sunshine. Shaded from the bright sun, Cindy's was still very nice. We skied it a couple times. Jacob's lat run down Cindy's was perhaps his most daring. For the first time all week, he let it rip a bit, though still under control.  Nearing 1230pm we skied once last time down Sunrise to the Pilot. Mindy and Bella headed in the Inn bathrooms to change into street clothes while Jacob and I loaded our skis into the Thule. We were on the road by 1245pm, our first stop the Burger King directly across the street for lunch. It was 1250pm when we hit the road for real, though we still needed to gas up in Salamanca.

We stopped at the last gas station before hitting route 86. The laws must've changed in the last year. New York used to be a non-self serve state. But now they had pay at the pump and self-serve. I like that a lot better. We joked about the crusty kid that fueled us the two times prior. At 105pm, we were finally on the road for home.

The drive home went incredibly fast. We were in Ohio in the blink of an eye. Unless I'm mistaken, it's only 100 miles to HV from the Ohio/Pennsylvania border. This time the drive across route 90 to 271 went faster than ever. For me, that's generally the most monotonous stretch. I was getting drowsy and asked Mindy if she would mind driving once we got to Cleveland. She agreed. But I got my second wind once we hit 271 and 71 south. By the way, it rained on and off once we got out of the HV area. I think we left at the ideal time.

The temperature hovered in the mid 40's for most of the drive home. Once we hit 71 south we got into some spring-like torrential down pours. And as we closed in on CMH, there was even some lightning. It was near 50 degrees and pouring rain as we connected with I-270. We decided to head straight to Gloria's place to pick-up Eiknarf. The kids were very excited to see our dog. We arrived at Gloria's house just after 6pm. Made really good time, a 5.5 hour drive that include a drive-thru stop for food, a stop for gas, and lastly a rest area stop to pee. We visited with Gloria for about 10-15 minutes arriving at our home just before 7pm. Mindy wisely reviewed the unloading plan with the kids even prior to our arrival.

We didn't plan to unload the Thule until the following day. Took us about 5 minutes to carry everything else inside. Bella walked Eiknarf while Mindy & I carried gear to the basement, unloaded the cooler and tub, and sorted laundry. I poured a Hop Wallop to enjoy through all the chaos. While Mindy went for a hot shower I furthered our organizational cause. Soon after Mindy was out of the shower I changed into more comfortable attire ,namely my PJs. Always feels good to strip out of the long johns and ski socks.

Bella spent some time creating signage for her personal business, Peanut's Spa. She hollered over the balcony for Jacob and I to come visit. I had to laugh at the sign and service. For $2, she gave me an incredible foot/toe massage complete with lotion. I joked that all she needed was some soft music. Jacob saw to it that there was noise versus calm. And when Bella offered to do his feet next, he balked. Mindy, however, fresh out of the shower, took advantage of her services too. I think she's found her calling.

Mindy peeled off to bed early, asserting more than once her strong desire to sleep in our own bed. I'm thinking that it was 1030pm when I joined her. Good bye HV and hello pillow.

Holiday in the Valley - day 4

I was up at 715am and feeling pretty good despite Mindy coughing all night long. Once again, I was quickly outfitted in my running gear and out the door by 730am. I stopped for a quick cup of orange juice that darted off into the cold with just a few stray snow flurries. The day's high was expected to breach freezing but they were still calling for snow all day with an additional inch or two by day's end.

With the walks cleared, it was a comparably easy run. This time I took a right into town running by the EBC, Balloons, and other popular EVL party spots. I noticed that Ellicottville has its own jean company aptly named The Ellicottville Jean Company. The run was easier than the day before though I was beginning to feel some fatigue in my legs after three days of skiing.

Back in the room I showered then asked the others if they were ready for breakfast. The only one ready and willing was Bella. She and l headed down to the buffet. It was near 9am so the crowd at its optimum. They were serving sausage and eggs again. Yum-yum. All the tables taken, we opted for the big comfy sofa in the lobby near the fire. Very nice! We both enjoyed perusing the local paper while we ate. Bella was an enjoyable date. She buttered a bagel to take back to Jacob.

Back in the room Mindy was up and in the shower. Said she was feeling a little better now that the antibiotics were kicking in. We were geared up and at the lift line by 1015am. Jacob was a bit more daring, this his third day boarding at the Valley. We started off doing Laurel and Tannenbaum then sprinkled in a few runs on Crystal, Northwind, & Mardi Gras. While Mindy and the kids played on the green and blue hills, I peeled off for a few runs each on Yodeler & Champagne. Yodeler was a real workout. Never have I seen it so mogulled. But the moguls and rollers were spaced far enough apart to allow for carving, but with my tired legs it was one heck of a workout. The benefit, of course, was that Champagne now seemed like a piece of cake. I guess it's all a matter of perspective!

We took a lunch break in the room near 1230pm enjoying Honey Baked ham sandwiches and brew. It was 2pm before we headed out again. I had a heck of a buzz after just two beers. It was snowed on and off all day, and sometimes hard. After our break we noticed that Morning Star was now opened. Excitedly, we skied over there and did that run. Like most other times, it wasn't groomed which made it difficult for the Mindy and the kids. Not entirely sure why, but they had created large tight rollers even on Mardi Gras. The snow boarders were loving it.  We spent a lot of time on Tannenbaum & Crystal until another late afternoon break in the Tannenbaum lodge, after which Mindy & Bella tried out the new mountain coaster for $8 each. For my money, it appeared a rip off. Begins at the Tannenbaum lodge and ends or turns around, just above where the Tannenbaum run releases into Spruce Lake. They both enjoyed it, but Mindy agreed that it was priced way to high. She cited $3 as the right price. After the coaster ride we did a few more runs at that end but spent the lion's share of our evening on Mardi Gras, Northwind and Cindy's.  By nightfall, Jacob's confidence was soaring. He was doing all of his runs without stopping and even did Cindy's from the very top, which by then was quite daunting (icy and mogully). I was very surprised, He even asked if he could stay there and ride up the Cindy's lift by himself while we did Northwind. Mindy & Bella headed in a run before Jacob and I.

We finished up our Thursday skiing around 7pm with a plan to return to the Depot for dinner, but this time for their pizza.  When we headed in it was still snowing albeit lightly. Regardless, it was the wintry conditions we'd been hoping for all autumn long, and for that I was most grateful.

Mindy & Bella were showering when Jacob and I got back to the room. We headed to dinner at 8pm. Once again, I had to scrape the Pilot clear of snow. The Depot was a bit more crowded than the evening before. Including us, there were two parties waiting tables. Thankfully, the wait wasn't too long, about 10 minutes. This time we were seated closer to restrooms, or deeper into the narrow establishment. Brian was our server again. Mindy & Bella were pleased with that. He remembered what I was drinking but was lost when trying to recall both Mindy & Bella's preferences.

We ordered two large pizzas. The first, a pepperoni, and the  second a pepperoni, sausage, and hot pepper rings. Took about 10-15 minutes for our pies to arrive. Mindy and I shared the latter while Jacob and Bella shared the former. It was better than Cadillac Jack's but definitely not anywhere close to the  pizza back home. I enjoyed a 2nd Jack & Coke with dinner. Brian brought us a pizza box for our leftovers which amounted to nearly an entire pie.

We tuned into the Baylor/Washington Alamo bowl batch-up from our beds. I started to dose right off but quickly got my second wind. The game was exciting. Lots of scoring and lots of big plays. Bella gave both Mindy & I a foot massage while we watched the game. It was heavenly. Still can't believe she's that good at it.

Mindy eventually put in her ear plugs and asked if we could turn off the TV more than once. And eventually both kids asked the same. But I held my ground wanting badly to watch more of the game.  I turned the volume way down as a concession. Baylor was behind by 18 points at one point. I must've fallen asleep mid way through the third quarter. When I woke they were up 52 - 49 with about 8 minutes left. I didn't see any more of the game. Good night moon!

Holiday in the Valley - day 3 - Heavy Snow!!!

Like a kid at Xmas, I rolled excitedly from bed just before 7am and went quickly to the sliding glass door with a view looking out over the slopes. Everything covered in a fresh 4" of snow. And moreover, it was still coming down.

Like the day before, I quickly changed into my running attire and headed out the door for my Ellicottville run. Burrr! It was cold too. It couldn't have been more than 20 degrees. I snapped down a quick cup of orange juice at the buffet then headed out taking the same trail as the morning before. Only this time I took to the opposite side of the street where there was a sidewalk the entire way into town. The only trouble was, it was coated in 4 inches of snow. I hadn't gone 200 yards when I looked up and saw a snow plow coming my way on the sidewalk. After seeing no traffic coming from behind, I quickly bounced out into the street to allow the plow to pass. Only in Ellicottville would they have snow plows for the town's sidewalks! It had belt treads much like the trail groomers.

From that pint forward, the walk was scraped the entire run. I was giddy with excitement for the wintry ski day ahead. For my money, the snow couldn't have come at a more opportune time. I was back by to the room and in the shower by 745am. I alerted Mindy to the freshly fallen snow. She was happy but just a quickly back to sleep. By 805am I was off to breakfast and blogging in the main lodge.

This time I grabbed a table near an electrical outlet so I could blog without worry of losing the battery, which was down to 15% life. The place filled up quickly and two couple joined me at the table. I didn't mind. Soon, Mindy and the kids showed up but had to sit at a table across the room. We laughed that we were both sitting with strangers. Mindy and the kids got the table from the two Columbus guys just as they were leaving.

When the opportunity presented itself, I joined Mindy and the kids. Wednesday's breakfast was all carbs, no eggs or sausage, only waffles, cereal, muffins, bagels. I enjoyed two fresh waffles they were good.

Back in the room we quickly changed into ski attire and were in line at Sunrise by 10am. Jacob was eager to show us his stuff, though figured he would venture back to Creekside to practice his technique. We encouraged as much. Whatever you need to gain more confidence.

He did well enough that he decided to hang with us instead of going to Creekside. We took him down Laurel, Tannenbaum, and eventually Crystal, the first two being more scenic than technically challenging. Jacob was doing progressively better which each ensuing run. In fact, by lunch time, he was turning both to the right and left and completing full runs without stopping. He's still very careful, just as he was on skis, but he was definitely getting the hang of it.

Meanwhile, the snowfall was awesome. At times it snowed so hard one could see only a few feet ahead. It was gorgeous. We played until 1pm when we headed back to the room for lunch. We hung out there for about 60-90 minutes before heading out again. It continued to snow at a remarkable clip making our trip that much more enjoyable. They were making snow all day too, something we anticipated given the lack of ideal conditions up till now. We held out hope that they might open some of the other runs before the end of the week.

We took a late afternoon break in Yodeler after doing Crystal about 5 or 6 times in a row. It's a good run for working on technique. Jacob was showing lots and lots of progress. Unfortunately, Jacob lost one of his wrist guards while de-gearing in Yodeler. We checked in lost and found and back tracked all his steps. Crap. We still owe Kenny $20 for the pair. Not wanting to risk a wrist injury, Mindy headed into the Yodeler gear shop to see if they sold them there. They did. In fact, they were only $15.

As evening set in, the crowds thinned. If there's one thing we've learned about Holiday Valley, the crowds, no matter how big, tend to leave as darkness sets in. We skied until about 5pm before going in for another hot tub break with the promise of heading back out for more skiing soon after.

Once again, Jacob opted not to hot tub. It was just Mindy, Bella and me. This time Bella befriended two boys in the pool and was playing monkey in the middle. We did the same thing as the day before, hot tubbed for 20 minutes then hopped in the sauna for about 10 more  minutes.

I enjoyed another beer before gearing up and heading back to the slopes. I had a good buzz! We skied until almost 8pm with Jacob doing Cindy's top to bottom for the very first time. Mindy and I let Jacob & Bella lift and ski together for the first time. They did well. No fighting/bickering that we could see.

I showed everybody the short cut back to our room, which was to ski to the south end of our building. Saving us about 5 steps and several paces to our front door. Mindy showered. I only freshened up before heading to the Depot for dinner. Jacob was equally excited about the dining at the Depot.

Even though the Depot is within eyeshot, Mindy wanted to drive. After all, it was cold and snowy. However, before heading out, and for the first time all winter, we had to scrape and warm the Pilot. I enjoyed every second of it, too. A novelty if you will.

We were seated at the window table again. We've been to the Depot maybe four times and have been seated at the window table three times. This is the place adorning all the Stone's memorabilia as well as many, many others. I was bummed to learn that they were out of the Southern Tier Old Man. None of the other beers sounded remotely good. I opted instead for a Jack & Coke. The kids each ordered Mt Dew. Mindy had a Sam Adams Winter lager. I was surprised when all four of us declared an hankering for wings.

Jacob and I split a basket of 20 hot while Mindy and Bella split a basket of 20 mild. They were quite good. I drank two Jack & Cokes through dinner. And yes, it was still snowing.  I drove us back to the room which again was right across the street.

I opted for only water once back in the room to further ensure another easy early rise. I'll bet all of us were out by 1030pm. Good night snow fall!

Holiday in the Valley - day 2 - Snow RAIN Snow

After lots of tossing and turning I finally woke for good just after 715am and felt my way through the dark hotel room and into the bathroom. Planning ahead, I had my running kit placed strategically in the closet so I could grab them in the darkness and then dress in the bathroom. It didn't take me long. By 730am I was headed out the door for my morning run.

It was cold, about 26 degrees. I stopped in the lobby where I had a quick glass of orange juice from the complimentary breakfast buffet just before heading off on my run. Last second I decided to try running up through town instead of the Holiday Valley Rd. hill I've run every other time we stay at the Inn or Tamarack. I wasn't sure if there was a sidewalk available since the ground is usually covered in well over a foot of snow. That wasn't the case this time. There might've been 2 inches. I ran the first mile or so opposing traffic but without the benefit of a sidewalk. There were two other runners about a 1/4 mile ahead. I cut over at the same place they did, which just happened to be at the town cemetery. There was a sidewalk on the that side. I ran all the way into town. And then, instead of turning right towards EBC, I went left into the residential area with a clear view of the semi-private Holimont ski area.

Many of the homes in the area look like they were built in the late 19th/early 20th century. Some are absolutely gorgeous. I wound my way through the small neighborhood and eventually back out onto 219 and back to the Inn @ HV taking the sidewalk the entire way back. The crowd at the breakfast buffet was twice as big as earlier.

Mindy and the kids remained sleeping in the room. I grabbed my backpack (Mindy's laptop) and headed to the main lobby for breakfast and blogging. On the menu were sausage and scrambled eggs. I enjoyed my breakfast in the finely appointed lobby at a table near a roaring fire while writing in my blog. I blogged for about an hour or until just after 9am when I headed back to the room. By then Mindy and the kids were just up and stirring. While they headed to the lobby for breakfast, I showered and dressed for a day of skiing. Mindy suggested I head out to ski by myself rather than wait for her and the kids. I headed out at 10am sharp.

I did several runs by my lonesome letting it rip. The conditions were what most would describe as typical east coast ski conditions - groomed, packed surface with several icy spots. All the runs were very, very fast. I celled Mindy who was just heading out with the kids. We agreed to meet at the base of Cindy's. I wondered how Jacob would do coming down the Snow Ledge. As it turned out, not good. I waited and waited, until finally, there they were. Bella skied down and said Jacob was not happy. I could see Mindy at the cut over but still no Jacob. After about 5 minutes there he was, carrying his snow board and walking down the mountain. I felt for Mindy, knowing how he must've been giving her an earful. By the time he reached bottom nothing good was coming from his mouth. All negative.

Mindy headed in to see about a lesson while I headed over to the Creekside lift (beginner hill and lift) where Jacob could practice. While Mindy was inside, Jacob talked of quitting, going back to the room, never trying boarding again, and on and on. At one point I thought I might grab him by the scruff of his jacket as he continued to espouse negative sentiment. But on the other hand, I felt for him, having just struggled down a fairly difficult terrain with next to no experience. Once Mindy reemerged, Jacob and I had done taken a ride or two down Creekside. Jacob's mood improved as he regained some of the confidence he demonstrated on Sundowner back at Mad River. Mindy purchased him a 90 minute private lesson with Courtney for $105 that started in about 40 minutes. Until then, we all did Creekside with Jacob. During our time on the bunny hill, it began to snow hard. Very wintry looking! We cheered in delight over the welcome snow fall. Having done the beginner hill 3 or 4 times, I was ready for a beer and real skiing again. I told Mindy that I was heading back to the room for a beer and a quick break. I would meet them at Cindy's soon after Jacob's lesson was underway.

In the room, I poured myself and IPA and enjoyed a small snack. I wasn't there long. Probably 40 minutes. I was surprised when I threw back the drapes and noticed that the snow had turned to rain. :( My hope was that it would turn to snow again in a hurry. I geared up and headed out to meet Mindy & Bella near Cindy's. Word on the slopes was that 4 inches of snow was coming that evening. I was stoked to learn that. I skied down Sunrise and met Mindy and Bella at Cindy's. We skied several runs over the next 90 minutes.

Near 3pm, we skied back to Cindy's/Mardi Gras base to find Jacob. We happened upon he and Courtney near the bottom of Mardi Gras. I scolded Bella for interfering, stopping near them after we'd just asked that she not. We didn't want Jacob to see us. We could tell that he was already doing better. At the end of his lesson I skied over to greet him. He was eager to show us his mojo. We did a couple of runs down Snow Ledge where he showed marked improvement. Meanwhile, it had to be near freezing, but it was still raining and showing no signs of changing back to snow anytime soon. Still, the talk about the park was big snow coming. I'm thinking it was near 430pm when we decided to bag it until the rain stopped. We headed back to the room and then the hot tub.

Jacob, as it turned out, wasn't in to hot tubbing with Mindy, Bella and I. He remained in the room watching Sports Center and playing on his Kindle Fire. Mindy and I poured beers in our plastic Viking cups. We met two single guys in the hot tub from Columbus who worked at Honda. One had his 9 year old son, Billy with him. He kept trying to hook him up with Bella. It was funny. Neither seemed interested. Bella was back and forth between the hot tub and heated pool. After about 20 minutes Mindy and I opted for the dry sauna just inside the club house. Once again, we were joined by the two Columbus guys, who admitted being on the prowl for some women. It was 5-530pm and still raining. We headed back to the room.

WE hung out in the room for at least another hour before the rain started to change back to snow. But even then it was wet and mixed with sleet. And even then, it turned back to all rain again. My snow pants were wet as were my gloves. I made sure that everyone brought tow of everything just in case conditions turned as such. Still, no one was excited about heading out in the rain. We opted to call it a night and go do dinner around 7pm.

After showers, we walked across the street to Cadillac Jack's, Jacob's pick. By then it was snowing again, but still a very wet snow. The place was about 3/4 full but staffed for half that at best. Service was kind but awfully slow. And one of my biggest complaints is the lack of good beer at either there or at the Depot. Surprisingly, not into the micro brew stuff at either venue.

Jacob and I ordered orange soda while Bella went with Mt Dew. Mindy had only water. Jacob ordered a buffalo chicken pizza, and Bella and I shared a pepperoni pizza. Took forever for the food to arrive, but we took the slow service in stride. They're out of practice since they haven't really had any crowds yet this season for the lack of appreciable snow.

We headed back across the street near 830pm. The snow had turned back to almost all rain. I was bummed because if it didn't turn back to snow soon, I knew our Wednesday skiing would be in serious jeopardy. While we watched a football game from the room the rain turned to all snow. Through it all, several diehards remained out skiing through it all. This we witnessed just out our window. The forecast was still calling for 4 inches over night and then another 2-4 inches the following day with a high of 25 degrees. All of the sudden, it looked like my fears were unfounded.

We turned off the lights near 10pm. Good snow fall!

Holiday in the Valley - day 1 - Cold + Snow = Ski

In an effort to be on the road by 9am, I was up a little after 630am. And while Mindy never actually requested a specific wake time, I planned to wake her after exercise, a stretch, and some coffee. That ended up being just after 7am. And for the first time that I can readily recall, she gave me little more than a disapproving grunt before rolling over and going back to sleep. Truth be told, I was more than a little put out after pouring so much of myself into the planning of our holiday ski trip. However, I also knew that she wasn't feeling so well.

Speaking of not feeling well, the tingle in my sinuses was still there but to a lesser degree. I continued to hold out hope that it would pass without becoming a full-fledged cold.

I headed out for my run around 715am running only three miles, just like I do on weekends & holidays. It was partly clear and about 35 degrees. Expecting a high in the mid 40's here at home. Meanwhile, the streets were extraordinarily quiet with little to no commute traffic as well as any others out for a morning run/walk. I enjoyed the stillness.

Back home, I pulled the Pilot to the bottom of the drive where it's far more level. I then loaded our skis and boards into the Thule. Went in easily. I then headed in and packed our dry goods tub and cooler. We weren't taking much in the way of food, just our coffee fixin's, Honey baked ham and cheese for sandwiches, and a few condiments. Our breakfasts would be included in our lodging package and we planned to have dinner out each evening.

We didn't have enough ice, so while Mindy showered, I headed to the Circle K for a bag of ice. I paid for a small bag but took a large since that's all they had available. Back at home I put the must-keep-colds in the cooler then placed the large unopened bag of ice over top. It just fit. By then, it was closing on 9am, my preferred departure time. But I had already resigned myself to the fact that we wouldn't be on the road by then. Realistically, leaving by 10am would still get us in town before 4pm, which is pretty much the target. Before heading up for my own shower, I loaded everything into the Pilot, including the tub, cooler, suitcases, soda, water, Gatorade and ski boots and bags. All that remained were everyone's personal effects.

While Mindy contended with the children, I took a shower and dressed. I wore the same jeans that I've been wearing for a week running. Very comfortable! We locked up the house around 945am but still needed to drop Eiknarf by Gloria's  and then top off the gas. I asked the kids to remember our starting mileage, 37,074. I could've set the trip odometer but decided to make a game of it. Gloria was up and awaiting our arrival. We visited for about 10 minutes before hitting the road. All of us were more than eager to get there.

We topped off our fuel at the Georgesville Wal-Mart with the Pilot taking only 4 or 5 gallons. And we're off!

It was a pleasant drive up I-71N towards Cleveland. Traffic wasn't an issue nor was the weather. It was a gorgeous morning, in fact. Like we have a two or three other times, we made a pit stop for lunch at the Northfield exit (Rt 8) Wendy's. We had a quick lunch and were soon back on the road. Guessing it was near 1230pm when we got back on the road.

The rest of 271 and then route 90 east to Pennsylvania went fast. Always does. In fact, the entire drive always goes incredibly fast, almost as if we're in a time warp. Nobody asked for a potty break. I was a little surprised. Mindy and the kids did a lot of napping. I got tired a few times but each time I was able to shake it off. I kept a close eye on the temperature which hovered around 41 degrees all the way across route 90 & 86. However, I know that the Pilot's outside temperature gauge reads 3 to 4 degrees warm. We didn't see any snow until we crossed into New York near Jamestown. There were 3 or 4 inches of snow present there, especially on the north facing side of the highway.

We exited route 86 into Salamanca at roughly 3pm, or just 5 hours after leaving cowtown. It's another 12 miles or so to Holiday Valley through the land of icicles, which there were none. There was a fresh coating of snow about the ground, however, which made everybody cheer. The real temperature in Salamanca was at or near freezing and the skies completely clear.

We pulled up to the door of the Inn at HV near 330pm. Just the sight of snow and skiers raised my spirits more than you can imagine. And based on the weather reports, they had far more snow on the slopes than I had seen last I looked on the web cams. I felt at ease. Check-in was a snap.

When I booked the room way back in late October, there were no lift view double queen rooms available. But based on the recent weather woes, I figured there might be more than a few cancels. When I asked, they were more than happy to change our booking to a lift view room. The only snafu was that we weren't permitted to purchase our 5-day lift tickets until 430pm. No problem. We headed to our room to unpack.

Our room was 215, which is just three doors from the southern-most corner of the lift view suites. Ideal, really. We placed our cooler, soda, and water on the deck overlooking the lift and Sunrise trail. Mindy and I unloaded our packs and suitcases into the available drawers and closet while the kids stretched out on one of the beds. Jacob said he was tired and didn't want to ski/board that evening. Said he preferred to nap in the room. Actually, we considered that a blessing since he really needed a lesson before unleashing him on the slopes of HV with his new snowboard. Mindy went after the lift tickets at 430pm while I poured the both of us pints of St Joan's.

Mindy, Bella, and I headed out to ski around 5pm. It was gorgeous, too. A slivery moon hung low in the southwestern sky and temperature hovered near 28 degrees. We cruised up Sunrise and cut across Snow Ledge to Cindy's. No problem. Felt great to get on my edges! We did 5 or 6 runs before breaking at Yodeler lodge. As I eluded to earlier, there was far more snow than I envisioned, but many of our favorite runs weren't yet opened. Still, there were plenty of well maintained runs to ski. And a side benefit was a very limited number guests. We could pretty much get right on the lift without a wait.

We skied for about 3 hours before heading back to the room and then heading into town for dinner. We planned to visit my personal favorite, the Ellicottville Brewing Company. The kids weren't too excited about my choice given the usual crowd and long wait. We stopped at the local grocery before going to dinner. We needed to pick-up a few items we didn't have at home. Bella and I went in to shop. We picked up whipped cream, swiss cheese, chocolate for Mindy, donuts, and white bread.

We got a parking spot right out front and they quoted us a 20 minute wait. In reality, we were paged to our table soon after getting two beers from the bar. Mindy opted for the imperial stout while I went with their Imperial IPA, Pantius Dropius. Bella ordered root beer and Jacob ordered just water.

We were seated in the same booth we sat the night of the Vikings playoff victory over the Cowboys. Can't recall our servers name but she was more than pleasant. Mindy opted for the burger while I went with the chicken quesadilla. Bella ordered fries and macaroni and cheese, and Jacob ordered smothered fries. I ended up drinking a second Pantius Dropius. It's really good! I picked up the check. Mindy drove us back to the Inn.

We all jumped into bed around 1030pm. Good night slivery HV moon!