Honeymoon on a Mountain

I woke at 6:30am to bask in our first full day of marriage. I wasted little time exercising and readying for the daily run. Tommy was already up tending to the coffee maker. There was a steady rain coming down in the city and lots of snow in the mountains. In fact, the television revealed that we could expect about two feet of snow through Sunday on the mountain. Wow!

Just like the day before, Mary Ann was up early and in a very pleasant mood. I guess we have to give credit to Bob! :) I left for my run just after 7:00am. Not only was it raining but there was a chilly, stiff breeze blowing in my face as I descended towards the river. Thankfully, the rain never got too heavy. I ran to my usual turn around point (Ilchee).

I was back before 8:00am. I was very wet from the constant light rain. The first thing I did was return to my jammies and then threw my damp running clothes into the dryer. Once again, the team pulled together another family style breakfast complete with sausage, home fries, scrambled eggs, and toast.

In between showers, we packed and loaded the cars for the ski trip. We would be gone for 2.5 days so we had to take quite a bit of food and clothing. And while we’d be driving the rented minivan to Tom Shepherd’s we wouldn’t be taking it to the mountain. Instead, we planned to take the two CRV’s up. Because of this, we were mindful of over packing. Mindy and I consolidated our gear to one big suit case, as did Bob & Mary Ann. However, I had a couple of “carry-on” bags too (one for running clothes and another for my laptop, book, and camera). While we had hoped to be on the road well before 10am, we didn’t leave Glenn’s until 10:15am. The good news was that Tom’s house was on the way to the mountain.

We arrived at Tom’s by 10:40 and wasted little time in transitioning our gear from the minivan into his vehicle. We were on our way to Mt Hood by 10:45am. Mindy and I rode with Tom S. Tommy, Bob, & Mary Ann rode with Glenn. The drive was delightful – no problems.

Just as I had predicted, the beautiful green mountain vista turned to a winter wonderland just as we rounded a corner shy of Government Camp – around an elevation of 3500’. And as we entered Government Camp, the snow was coming down hard. It was clear now why chains were mandatory. We stopped at the Lodge at Government Camp (where we’d be staying) and chained up. We asked inside the general store where the lodge office was. Just as I thought, it’s in the main lodge located in the ski park. So, if we wanted to seek and early check-in we’d have to drive up to the ski park. The Government Camp ski village is a lot prettier than I remember it. It’s grown a lot since the last time we were through, too. After chaining up, we headed up the winding six mile road to the ski park. The snow came down even heavier as we ascended higher. The winding road up the mountain resembles a mouse maize with towering walls of snow on each side – at places reaching over ten feet high.

Finally at the ski park, Tom dropped me at the door of the historic Timberline Lodge where I entered seeking an early check-in. The young lady at the desk stated that our room wasn’t ready yet, but to check back around 3pm – the regular check-in time. We bagged the idea of checking in early and instead proceeded to get skiing! We’d simply leave all of our overnight gear in the cars while we skied. As it often does, the snow was draped over the towering roof of both the main & day lodge making for a beautiful picture. Folks often can’t believe it when I tell them that the snow gets up to 20’ feet deep up here, but it does.

We quickly oriented ourselves and began the process of obtaining our ski rentals and lift tickets. We wisely did a two day rental package saving ourselves about $9 each. Too, we got our daily lift tickets for $28 each in lieu of the usual $47 since we were lodge guests. For Mindy and I, the total cost of skiing Timberline was $47 a day each – not too bad at all. It’s more costly to ski Mad River back home. As it often does, it took awhile for everyone to get mountain ready, but by 1:30 we were ready to hit the slopes.

We ventured out into the heavy snow gathering atop the lower mountain slopes. There we huddled one last time and agreed on a meeting time in the very likely event we get separated. All of us agreed to do the green trail down the mountain first. Mindy, having skied only two other times, struggled to find her ski legs. She fell a number times on the initial descent. But, after falling three or ten times, she finally got her ski legs and managed to make it to the bottom.
We skied the same green trail a handful of times. But, because it connects with many intermediate (blue) trails, I was able to test my skills a little too. We got in a number of runs before our first beer break. It should be noted that the conditions weren’t the best, especially for novice skiers. The snow came down hard and harder, and there were several periods of almost total white-out conditions. But hanging out on the lower mountain below the timberline made it relatively easy to navigate. The upside to the wintry conditions was the beautiful powder.

At 4pm we made our way to the day lodge for some food and brew. Everyone was psyched about the skiing and the cool winter storm we found ourselves in. There’s something cozy about heavy snow, good friends, family, and beer. Some of us enjoyed a bowl of chowder while the rest enjoyed chili. And if memory serves me, I think we drank three or four pitchers of beer. By 5pm we dawned our ski gear for another few hours on the mountain. However, Mindy and Tommy called it a day, happy with what they had already accomplished on the slopes. Mindy agreed to check-in to our condo over at the main lodge.

We took several of the more challenging lower mountain trails during phase two. It was exhilarating! Visibility was better as darkness fell, too. The lighting helps define the contour of the slopes better than during daylight. We skied until 7:30pm when the rest of us agreed to call it a night and go find Tommy, Mindy, and Mary Ann. We converged at the day lodge where we were quickly united with the entire team. We loaded our gear into the CRV’s and headed down the mountain to our condo.

Finally at the condo we stowed all of our ski gear in the provided storage closet conveniently placed in the covered parking. We each grabbed a handful of bags and gear and rode the elevator to our condo. – unit #1. Just as the pictures inferred, the condo was finely appointed and plenty big enough for the seven of us. There were 3 bedrooms plus a huge loft that doubled as a fourth bedroom. There were two large full baths, granite counter tops, a gas fireplace, and stainless steel appliances. The livingroom had 20 foot ceilings with huge window overlooking the village, mountains, and the ski resort across the street. All very nice! We marveled at the adult sized icicles hanging from the roof of our veranda. After a short break, Mindy went to bed. All the boys decided to take a walk to the local brew pub – Mt Hood Brewery. Mary Ann decided to stay back and read, relax, and enjoy the warmth of the fire.

We set out on foot, leaving the CRV’s behind. After all, we were certain the pub was just around the bend. Unfortunately, the bend turned out to be about 1 mile, and it was still snowing fairly heavily. Lucky for us, the temperature wasn’t bitter cold. Once we arrived at the brewery we were told by the staff that they’d just closed. Damn! That was along walk for nothing. Back up the slight hill towards the condo. We ended up at Ratskeller’s, a rather youthful bar-restaurant. They had live entertainment and quite a large crowd. We didn’t have a problem finding a table but did have a little trouble getting the attention of a waitress/waiter. But just before giving up we finally garnered a couple pitchers of beer. Tommy went to kitchen and ordered us a $25 pizza. I was crashing fast! I was very tired and falling asleep as I sipped my beer. I managed to wake for pizza but continued to battle the sleepies throughout. Around midnight we headed back to the condo. Unbeknownst to me, Tommy, Glenn, & Tom decided to carry on with the partying. They headed to Charlies, the pub directly across from our condo, for more fun. Bob and I called it a night.

I went directly to bed where I must have fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Portland/Vancouver - Life's about to change

I was up at 7:30am whipping out my sit-ups, push-ups, and curls. I tried brewing some coffee but experienced technical difficulties with Glenn’s secondhand coffee maker. And just in case any anyone’s interested, that would make a great Xmas gift/B-day gift for him. Just before heading out the door for my run Mary Ann was up making a cup of tea. She reported sleeping well. I took off on my run just after 8am. It was just above freezing under cloudy skies. I love running in Vancouver down to and along the waterfront. It’s very picturesque. I ran to my usual turnaround – at the Ilchee statue.

I was back at Glenn’s just before 9:00am – about a 50 minute run. By then, everyone was either awake or getting there. Immediately, we began formulating the morning’s plan, which included a trip into Portland. Mindy and I needed to visit the Multnomah County offices to procure our marriage license. Ultimately, we decided that it would be most efficient if only Mindy, Glenn and I rode into town. We figured we’d be about one hour, give or take fifteen minutes. In the meantime, Tommy would take Bob and Mary Ann on a walk about the town. Our plan called for a large family style breakfast upon our return.

Traffic was light to moderate crossing over the river into Portland. We were at the County office in less than twenty minutes. Thankfully, there wasn’t a line and the form was short and self explanatory. $60 later we had our marriage license in hand. Back to Vancouver.

We were back in Vancouver 15 minutes later. We received a call from Tommy indicating that they were at the waterfront and headed back to Glenn’s. We spotted them along our way and picked them up. We all piled in the CRV for the short ride back to Glenn’s.

Back at Glenn’s everyone had their to-do’s. Tommy, Mary Ann, and Mindy made breakfast. After breakfast Bob and I headed off to the local Safeway to get our weekend ski trip’s groceries. We had a rather short list, but somehow Bob and I managed to turn that short list into a full cart. We had lots of goodies and lots of drink! Thanks Mindy! :) Once back at Glenn’s we unloaded our haul then asked for a large storage container to pack the dry goods for travel. Through the remainder of the mid-day we showered individually and readied for the big event.

I was ready by about 1:15pm. Suddenly, time was moving too fast! We would need to depart Glenn’s by 2:00pm if we were to ensure an on-time arrival at the First United Methodist Church of Portland.

We left Glenn’s just after 2pm destined for the church. I drove the minivan. And thinking back it was probably best that I drove as it served as an outlet for my mounting anxiety. As luck would have it, traffic was calm all the way in, and we found the church rather easily. We were there by 2:35pm. It was a beautiful church nestled at the foot of the west hills of Portland, the very hills that would serve as the venue for our vow exchange. We let the gentleman at the desk know that we were there to see Pastor Lowell Greathouse, although he wasn’t expecting us until 3pm. As we toured the sanctuary Lowell came and found Mindy and I. He seemed as pleasant in person as he did over the phone. He asked to meet with us privately to discuss and/or lightly rehearse our ceremony. We spent the next 30 or 40 minutes talking about the ceremony and about our life experiences. He did a good job of easing my nerves. He offered to head up the hill a little early but that wouldn’t work because were still waiting on the good doctor, Tom Shepherd, that is. He was meeting us at Council Crest Park (the pinnacle of the hill) at 3:45pm, and he had the boom box for our wedding music.

Just before heading up we realized that neither Glenn or Lowell knew the most efficient way up the hill to the park. So, Glenn and Lowell did some Googling and/or Mapquesting until they had it down. That ate another ten minutes or so. It was time!

Up the hill we wound following one another. The homes on the hill are very posh, housing many of Portland's elite. Finally, we reached the pinnacle and our destination, Council Crest Park. And being the blessed souls that we are, the skies cleared revealing a vibrant, warm, and bright sunshine. Tom Shepherd was already there waiting our arrival with boom box in tow.
We gathered at the park’s center stone courtyard. The view was spectacular and the accoustics awesome. After everyone took in the view we began the ceremony by listening to Because I Love You So, by Jim Jenkins. We had some technical difficulties with the boom box which Tom quickly remedied by replacing the batteries. As the song concluded Lowell took over and began with a prayer.

After the opening prayer we were all taken back by the appearance of a rainbow arching high overhead and enveloping the entire wedding party. Mindy and I knew it was the universe acknowledging our union. Pastor Lowell then recited the readings that Mindy and I had selected & prepared. Next, Lowell tied the two readings together with a few of his own words and then moved swiftly to the vows we crafted. A quick glance around I witnessed a tear or two being shed by just about everyone. The ceremony ended after our rings vows, a kiss, and the presentation of the newest version of Mr & Mrs Wright.

I was relieved that the ceremony and the planning was finally behind us. We left the park and headed back down to the church where we took care of the formal paper work. We took a number of photos before leaving the church then bidded Lowell farewell. We left destined for the Bridgeport Brew Pub in Portland’s Pearl District. It was just a handful of blocks away.

Mindy phoned her mother along the way telling her of our fresh news. It sounded as though she were happy for us. We grabbed an upstairs table at the Bridgeport and quickly ordered a couple pitchers of their quality brew. Mindy broke out some toasting glasses which we used for our first round. We ordered a number of appetizers and entrees as the celebration carried on through the early evening hours. We left the Bridgeport around 8:30pm destined for Glenn’s place. We were all interested in having a clear head and plenty of energy for our ski trip tomorrow morning. Having drank only one or two beers throughout the evening, Tommy drove.

We stopped at the neighborhood Safeway before heading back to Glenn’s. There I bought some giant cookies and a dozen white roses. We weren’t back at Glenn’s long before everyone was changed into there comfy jammies. It was just after 9pm. We proceeded to prepare two breakfast casseroles for our ski trip, and then we did a champagne wedding toast. Mindy made it clear that she wanted to be in bed early. After all, it was our wedding night. I think we were in bed by 10:30pm.

The Wedding:

Jimmy Wright and Mindy Thompson
Wedding Ceremony
Council Crest (meet at FUMC)
February 23, 2007 4:00PM
____________________________

Gathering (Jimmy, Mindy, Glen, Tommy, Tom S, Bob and Mary Ann)
(Music)
(form a semi-circle around Jimmy and Mindy)

Greeting and Opening Words
Friends, today we come together with Jimmy and Mindy, on this special occasion in which we have gathered in God's presence in order to celebrate life and to honor the meaning of love. We are here today to acknowledge and lift up Jimmy and Mindy’s love for each other and to surround them with our love as well.

For this is the day that they chosen as their wedding day, and they have invited us to be a part of it with them. And it is our privilege to celebrate and witness their vows of marriage and the public statement of love that they will make to each other.

And so, we ask God's blessing on Jimmy and on Mindy and on their marriage, on the families that they bring together, and on the sign of love that this day represents for us and our world, especially at this time in which we seek out true and authentic signs of love in our midst.

Prayer: As we gather, will you pray with me... God of all life, the source of our love and understanding, we rejoice this day in knowing of your abiding presence in the midst of our lives. We have come here today to celebrate life and to support Jimmy and Mindy as they come to join their lives together. We ask you to bless them in their journey in the days ahead and help them keep alive the spirit of love that has brought them to this important day in their lives. Today is a time to honor lifelong commitments and to remember that your presence and our support for Jimmy and Mindy will help to nurture their love for each other.

May they give their vows to each other in the strength and spirit of your steadfast love. May the promise of your word root and grow in their lives, so that they may experience true love in their journey together.

Grant them each the vision and the hope to persevere in trust and friendship all of their days. Support them and support their family that through their love for each other they might feel the strength and joy that comes when lives are shared and when enduring commitments and promises are made and kept, for we ask these things in the name of all that is holy. Amen


Readings
Genesis 2: 15-24
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man saying, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge and good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’ Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ So out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh; and the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, ‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh.”

From Martin Luther King’s book The Strength to Love“The meaning of love is not to be confused with some sentimental outpouring. Love is something much more than emotional bosh. An overflowing love, which seeks nothing in return, is the love of God operating in the human heart. Love is the most durable power in the world…the most potent instrument available in mankind’s quest for peace and security. The great military leaders of the past have gone, and their empires have crumbled and burned to ashes. But the empire of Jesus, built solidly and majestically on the foundation of love, is still growing.”

Meditation
--Jimmy and Mindy
Today we are here at your invitation in order to celebrate the meaning of love, not only in your life as it is now joined together through your vows and promises to each other, but also to remember what love means in our lives as well. As we see in the readings that you have chosen for this day, over the years countless writers, thoughtful, reflective men and women, have attempted to capture in words what it means to find and experience authentic love and to nurture it in life.

The writer of the Book of Genesis reminds us that our connection is so intimate that we actually come from each other into life…and through love we are willing to leave what is familiar and precious to us in order to create new life with the person we choose as our life partner.

And Martin Luther King, Jr. reminds us that love is the most powerful force in the world…a force that connects us with God…is durable…and is fundamentally related to our quest for peace and security in life.

The search for authentic love is not new. It is embedded in our inner spirits and is a fundamental part of our common search for companionship and meaning in life.

So the vows of marriage are the culmination, in the form of a wedding ceremony, of this unconditional giving and receiving…this offering if you will…that you are making to each other. And we are here to witness to this giving and receiving of love between the two of you.

Jimmy and Mindy, we have come to listen to the words that you are about to share with each other, so that we can see the continued forming of the miracle of your love for each other. And we do so knowing that God is present in this place as well.

Jimmy and Mindy, we pray that the joy that is at the heart of love will follow you all of your days together. Amen.

Declaration of Intention
Jimmy and Mindy, you have invited us to share this day with you. Is it your intention that the love you have for each other will be expressed in a constant commitment of support and understanding wherever that may lead? (It is)

Mindy, will you fulfill the covenant that is embodied in this marriage to Jimmy and commit yourself to love him, to rejoice with him, to comfort him and to seek to understand him in the days ahead? (I will)

Jimmy, will you fulfill the covenant that is embodied in this marriage to Mindy and commit yourself to love her, to rejoice with her, to comfort her and to seek to understand her in the days ahead? (I will)

Love grows when it is surrounded by the love and support of others, so now I have a question for each of you as well:
Will you promise to give your love and care, your support and encouragement to Jimmy and Mindy as they continue to live out their love for each other in the days ahead? (We will)

Prayer: Let us pray.... Dear God, as Jimmy and Mindy prepare now to share their vows of marriage with each other, we ask that you bless them and guide them. We pray that you will remember them and uphold them. And we pray these words in the name of the One who taught us to pray: Our Father, who art in heaven…. Amen.

Marriage Vows
We've come now to that special part of the service in which Jimmy and Mindy will share their vows of marriage with each other.

And so Jimmy will you begin by repeating after me:
I, Jimmy, take you, Mindy, to be my wife. To be none other than yourself, I promise to stand by your side; to encourage you, and be open and honest with you; to laugh with you, and cry with you; to always love you, honor you, and respect you; both freed and bound by our love, for as long as we both shall live .

And Mindy the same vow:
I, Mindy, take you, Jimmy, to be my husband. To be none other than yourself, I promise to stand by your side; to encourage you, and be open and honest with you; to laugh with you, and cry with you; to always love you, honor you, and respect you; both freed and bound by our love, for as long as we both shall live .

Exchange of Rings
Do you have symbols of your love that you wish to share with each other?

Jimmy would you repeat after me:
As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your husband. I choose you to be my wife this day and forevermore. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours.

Mindy would you repeat the same words:
As a ring has no end, neither shall my love for you. This ring I give to you as a token of my love and devotion to you. I pledge to you all that I am and all that I will ever be as your wife. I choose you to be my husband this day and forevermore. With this ring, I gladly marry you and join my life to yours.

Blessing and Closing
Jimmy and Mindy, you have committed yourselves to each other as husband and wife through these vows and promises...and so at this time, you may begin the celebration of your marriage by kissing. Kiss

At this time, it is my privilege to introduce you to, Jimmy and Mindy Thompson-Wright. Our ceremony has ended, but the celebration of your love has just begun. Congratulations….and Amen.

And We're Off!

Even though I was almost completely packed, I still found myself rushing around this morning with a strong case of the butterflies in my stomach. I resigned myself to the fact that I would be like that all day, this being a work day/travel day.

I packed myself a light lunch – nuts & leftover Chipotle’s. Mindy didn’t need a lunch.

I did my daily run from home to avoid the feeling of it hanging over my head later in the day. At my run’s completion I wrapped a gift for Mindy that I planned to present to her on Friday. In route to work I stopped at the bank to withdrawal a little cash. I didn’t arrive at work until almost 9am.

Because I had already finished my run, I decided to work straight through until 3:00pm. I spent the final hour of my work day preparing for my absence (VM, out of office email, etc).

I left for home at 3pm sharp. Mindy informed me that she’d be picking Ashley up at her house since her car apparently wouldn’t start.

I arrived home by 3:15pm. I had a short list of to-do’s needing addressed before 4pm. I got on those immediately. I worried that the icy snow still lying on the sidewalk might put Ashley in harms way while trying to walk the dog and taking care of the kids. I got out the square garden shovel and cleared a path to the adjoining neighbor’s dry walk. That meant i had to pry/shovel two inches of ice off the walk. It wasn't easy by any means. I also screwed Ykraps’ dog leash into the frozen ground just off the deck in case Ashley has to abandon a full blown walk for whatever reason.

Mindy arrived around 3:45pm. By then I was well into last minute details like airplane snacks, laptop, double checking all literature on reservations and such.

We were completely ready by 4:05pm. We expected Bob shortly after 4:00pm. We were more than ready. And yes, I was more than a little tense. By the time 4:30pm rolled around, still no Bob. Mindy tried his cell and then his home. Mary Ann answered and said she’d call him at work. He called back minutes later to let us know that he was on his way.

Just a little rushed, we loaded our gear inot his minivan and hit the road. It was 4:55pm. We stopped by Bob’s to pick-up Mary Ann and their luggage. By 5:15 we were on the road. We arrived at the airport by 5:30pm. Bob was kind enough to drop us at the terminal to check-in while he went to park the car. That worked perfectly. Just as we were handing our checked luggage to the TSA folks, Bob walked up. Next stop - security!

Tommy was no where to be found. We stopped at the Columbus Brewing Company’s kiosk and ordered two of their 1859 Porter’s. Finally, we all began to feel the euphoria of vacation time. Tommy soon showed up. It was 6:15pm. Minutes later we walked to our gate where we waited only a matter of minutes before we boarded our plane destined first for Minny.

We landed in Minny after a rather nappy flight. Hey, but no bumpy weather. We stopped in the food court along concourse F and had a fast food break. We arrived at our departing gate just before boarding. We sat on the plane a good 40 minutes waiting on our pilots. Like I often do, I fell asleep. I did wake just before take-off, however.

The flight to Portland was scheduled to take about 3 hours and 20 minutes. That was about right. We landed around 11:30pm. After gathering our luggage at a rather empty airport we were shuttled off to the Thrifty Car Rental just down the airport highway. We called Glenn just before we arrived at the rental facility to let him know we were in town. We guessed being about an hour. The rental went quickly, although they tried feverishly to upgrade us but we didn’t bite. We went with the basic rental – no frills!

Just after 12:30am we arrived at our destination – Glenn’s place. Glenn had the house well prepared to receive five guests. After our initial greetings we settled in for a cold brew while Glenn gave a house tour. Mindy was the first to call it a night. The rest of us stayed up a little later. Glenn, Mary Ann and I did a shot of tequila just before going to bed.

Foreshadowing

Your typical 'Jimmy' type riddle

Travel Stress - nothin' new

I purposefully slept later than usual not getting out of bed until about 5:50am. I felt a little anxious and nervous about our looming trip. Nothing new, however, I always fret over my getaways. I heard the coffee ‘beep’ ready as I grabbed my last few winks of sleep. Downstairs I choked down my One-A-Day and began to exercise regiment.

While exercising, I noticed how much better my mid-upper back has been since Mindy’s been walking on it once or twice each day. We’ve pretty much got it down to a simple five to ten second routine. She knows right where to step to get it to pop & crack. And when it pops and cracks the dull achy pain is gone almost instantly.

Ykraps and I headed out for our walk. We discovered a very thin but slippery coating of ice in the walk and drive right out the door. It hadn’t rained so this had to be a product of the “freezing fog” the weather forecasters have been speaking of. A simple glimpse of the walk didn’t reveal anything but man was it slick. I was careful with each step. I determined then that I would be pulling Mindy’s van out of the garage, or moving the Trooper out first so to avoid any possible collision.

Inside, I went about making the morning’s coffee. Just as I was sprinkling on the cinnamon, Keri called for Mindy. I think she was a little surprised that I answered the phone. She needed the school’s fax number and told me she was sick. I told her to get her hung over ass up and into school. J I delivered Mindy’s coffee. I could hear that she was in the shower. I let her know that Keri called, too.

After reading the Daily OM I got crackin’ on food prep. I made Mindy and I some tuna salad to complement the fresh garden salads she had made for us the night before. For breakfast I made scrambled eggs topped with Monterey jack cheese as a salute to Mindy’s school – Monterey elementary. I couldn’t help but wonder which came first- the cheese or the school?

Mindy thought perhaps that her eggs were under cooked and runny at first glance, not used to seeing them with white gooey cheese sprinkled about. I got a nice laugh out of that! The kids and Mindy prepped to leave just after we finished our eggs. While Mindy warmed the minivan, I went out to warm and move the Trooper. Just as she was ready to back out of the garage, I backed the Trooper out of the driveway in case she slid. She did a good job and avoided any visible sliding. Problem avoided!

After the family was gone I settled in for a healthy ten minute meditation. During so, I was able to escape the crowded thoughts that so typically swirl about my brain. I was energized afterwards. After a shower I was back downstairs readying to depart. I made a mental not e of things I wanted to accomplish during the day and at work in preparation for our trip. There was little else I could pack at home until tonight. What probably stuck out more than anything was that I hadn’t published my blog since Thursday, although I had up through Monday already drafted

Work wasn’t too bad but noticeably busier than most Wednesday’s. This was due in part to having so many people off in training – something we occasionally have to endure. I left for my run at 12:45pm sharp. I was anxious to run again today with music draining into my ears. I listened to Pink Floyd, Animals. The album ended about a ¼ mile form my run’s end.

After a semi-fast shower I hustled back to my office to enjoy my lunch. It was 2pm. I had an hour to eat, work, and contemplate the five interviews we had scheduled for 3pm. As they often do, a couple candidates arrived early. I had several things to do so I kept my time schedule just the same. At 3pm sharp I left my office for the interviews. The interviews went until just before 5pm. I was mentally drained at their conclusion. After wrapping a few necessary to do’s I headed for home. I didn’t get too far before I realized I had not sent off the last three days of drafted blog entries. I retuned and sent those to home. I talked with Mindy as I entered the elevator on my way back up. We lost connectivity as the elevator ascended.

Once I was back on the road I reconnected with Mindy. She shared her afternoon adventures and that she had dinner already to go. We were having Chipotle’s burritos in a bowl and El Vaquero Chips & Salsa. Cool!
She reminded me that Ashley & Olivia were headed over to rehearse for coming weekend, too. And by the time I got home, they were already there.

I walked Ykraps as soon as I got my stuff settled in the house. I had to work at controlling my stress as the ever pressing packing deadline was suddenly upon us. I knew in the back of my mind that I would get it all done but still it causes me a certain amount of mental fatigue. My nature is to just start doing it now with complete unadulterated laser-like focus. I want to think about nothing else.
Mindy, on the other hand, likes to interact and do other things at the same time. I struggle there. I felt the stress as I reentered the house with Ykraps, but I stopped, took a look at Olivia, took a deep breath, and went and sat with her and Mindy for a few minutes. It was almost like medicine. I just love her to pieces!

Ashley & Mindy chatted and played with Olivia while I ate some of my Chipotle’s. After finishing up I got crackin’ on my final packin’. This required focus. I had to be careful to not forget the little stuff - charge cords, certain CDs, DVDs, etc. I finished my packing around 9pm and immediately switched into blog update mode. After the blog was all caught up I added another 3 or 4 albums to my new MP3 player.

Through the evening we talked with Glenn, Bob & later Tommy. Everything is set. We watched the final 30 minutes of Idol before going to bed. Tonight it was the girls, and man could some of them sing!

Bonus Round, MP3, and Jack

It was Tuesday morning. I was up and rearing to go by 5:40am. My thoughts turned to the fast pace of the week. It was already the second day of the week. And given that we’re leaving for Oregon Thursday evening, time seems to be slipping by quickly. There’s still so much to do. I calmed myself via exercise and the realization that everything will get done as planned. It always does. Plus, Mindy does a great job of tying up the details. It really makes a huge difference having someone else working on the plan, too.

After exercising and walking Ykraps I was back inside making the morning’s first cups of coffee. I delivered Mindy’s bedside. She had just popped out of bed and had already begun making the bed. I headed back downstairs. I did some surfing and then read the Daily OM, which talked about the way we fill voids in our life. Often we try to fill the emptiness with stuff, shopping, or food – all very temporal things.
I checked the temperature. It was a balmy 39.7 degrees! What a difference a day makes. Yesterday at this time it was only 9 degrees. We’re expecting rain today, which if heavy, will further help to eliminate the heaps of snow and ice.

It was 6:30am and time to move into food prep. I whipped up lunch for Mindy & I and then got started on breakfast. I threw everyone a curve ball this morning. The leftover French bread setting on the counter looked very appealing. So, in lieu of eggs, I whipped up some gourmet French toast. Even Jacoby wanted some. Te kids and Mindy left at their usual time, and I headed up for my shower.

Before leaving for work, I took some extra time to organize and finalize a document I had been working on, and brought our ski gear up from the basement storage. I left for work around 8:15am.

Right out of the shoot, work was busy. I took of numerous tasks through the morning hours. At 12:45pm sharp I left for my run. I was a little extra psyched to have my new MP3 player along for the run today. It’s been over three months without tunes. I realized today how it adds another dimension to the run. It takes the mind further from the mundane physical landscape to a more introspective place. It was very nice. The temperature was nice today, too. It was 46 degrees!

After the run I returned to my desk with plenty to do. Some time just before 4pm I went and met with my boss to, among other things, discuss my merit raise/bonus. I didn’t get back to my office until almost 4:50pm. When I got back I added some RAM to my laptop and wrapped up a few other loose ends. I left the office at 5:10pm destined for home. The warmer temps and rain made a significant impact on the snow pack. I could see parts of my driveway I hadn’t seen in weeks. It was still raining when I got home. Jacob wanted to walk Ykraps with me, but Mindy quickly nixed that, not wanting to risk him getting sick out in the dreary weather.
He understood.

The ice covered walks were now malleable slush. I suppose the fear is that they’ll freeze over night making them slicker than before after the day’s rain. Back inside, dinner was about ready. We were having beef tips & gravy served over whole-wheat lasagna noodles (low carb). To complement the main entrée, Mindy made a fresh salad. Bravo!

We ate and cleaned up the kitchen all before 6:30pm. Record time! Mindy built a fire and put in a movie for the kids. We both got crackin’ on packin’. For lots of reasons, packing is always a stressful activity for me. First of all, I like to do something and be done with it. But because I need to use a number of personal packables right up until time to leave, I can’t wrap up the task fully. That and the fear of forgetting something major causes me much stress.

Mindy finished her packing well ahead of me. While she tended to the children’s bedtime needs I continued on. Thank God for lists. I keep a checklist in Excel that I tweak for each Oregon trip. It really doesn’t change too much, and comes in very handy, especially for addressing last minute to do’s.

After I packed all I could, Mindy and I talked about family dynamics for the next hour or so. Before heading off to bed, we snuggled against the warm fire she had built earlier. Mindy had a glass of red wine, and I had a Jack Daniels and Coke. We fell asleep there in front of the fire. We woke and headed to bed around 11-something.

Shoveling

I woke a couple different times through the night only to see that I had a few more hours left to sleep. That always feels good. I woke for good around 5:35am and by the time I was downstairs fumbling with my vitamin bottle it was 5:40am.

I wasted little time readying for my exercises. Instead, I got right to it and was done in less than seven or eight minutes. I leashed up Ykraps and headed out the door for a walk. Ykraps made good on his part of the walk. He took care of one and two. I was certain that it was warmer this morning. I made a point to check once we got back.

To my surprise, it was only 9 degrees. It’s sad that that feels warm! The forecasted high is 38 degrees today. If hit, that’ll be one of only two or three times that it’s been above freezing in over a month. It’s winter! I decided then that I would take my snow shovels, boots, and gloves along with me to work. I planned to stop by Gloria’s to shovel her walk and drive. I noticed it was largely untouched at dinner yesterday, although she won’t be driving anytime soon. Still, the ice needs to be removed or it’ll be there until May!

I didn’t take Mindy her coffee because this was yet another holiday for her. This one was official. It was President’s Day. I spent just a few minutes on the PC before getting going with making lunches and cooking breakfast. I read the Daily OM, which was fittingly about recognizing our personal growth & rewarding ourselves. I enjoyed it. Even more insightful was the recommended read, Eckhart Tolle’s, The Power of Now. Great book. I’ve already read it.

It was now 6:30am – time to get moving. I quickly changed into food prep mode. I packed my lunch and whipped up some scrambled eggs topped with sharp cheddar cheese. I enjoyed my quiet time immensely. Soon Mindy and the kids found their way downstairs despite it being a stay at home day. They, after all, had big plans. Massimo was slated to visit with his momma Teri, one of Mindy’s best friends.

I finished my breakfast and headed up to the shower just after 7am – a tad earlier than usual. I returned showered a dressed by 7:35am. I still had to tear down and load my laptop, warm the Trooper, and load my snow shoveling gear. In my mind I committed to making a trip to Best Buy this afternoon, too to get a new MP3 player since mine’s been dead for 3 months now. I have $115 worth of gift certificates I received from my team. It’s time to get that new player just before our ski trip.

I left for work at 7:54am. I was happy to be heading out. I was alone for the first time all weekend long. It’s rare for me to go so long without solitude.

Work was pleasant and because of the great job I did on-call, there weren’t any time bombs waiting my arrival. I am good! Still, there’s always plenty to do. I had a few personal things I wanted to see through to completion today as well. I accomplished everything I needed to do. Come 12:45, I left for my run. And going by AOL weather bug, it was 39.7 degrees! Wow - a heat wave! I backed down from my thick middle layer to my thing middle layer. I still maintained wearing gloves and ear covers. I ditched the gloves at the half way point. I was on fuego!

After my run I showered up quickly and went straight to the Trooper. Best Buy is only two or three minutes north of my office thanks to the two new roundabouts. Like anything high tech, there are so many choices and so many bells and whistles. But I’ve been shopping MP3 players for some time weighing the pros and cons, and evaluating how I’ll use it. One can spend anywhere from $50 to $400. I decided my use would almost exclusively be limited to music while running or some other sporting activity. I wouldn’t need it view pictures, movies, or anything crazy like that. Too, I wouldn’t use it to store my entire music catalog. I simply needed a reliable player that could take the sweat and bumps it’s sure to get on the trail. I eventually settled on the Sansa c250 (made by Sandisk). It has 2 gig of storage – more than enough for me. That’s easily 450 songs! Chances are good I’ll never load up that much.

I was going to settle for the c240 with 1 gig of memory, but it was only an additional $10 for the 2 gig model. That seemed like a no brainer. Besides, I was still under budget. None of the players come with a reliable waterproof – shockproof case. I would still need to spring for one of those. They are comparatively expensive for what they are. The one specifically my player is $32. I sprung for it given that it’s almost useless without one. I was out the door after coughing up with tax $109 in gift certificates.

I was back in the office by 2:30pm. My afternoon was very busy. I chatted with Mindy late in the day to confirm my intentions of stopping by her mom’s to shovel snow. Mindy would be running some errands in my absence.

I left work at about 5:25pm and headed directly to Gloria’s. Because of the rather warm temperatures and sunshine most of the day, the snow/ice had softened. I first shoveled the sidewalk leading form her door to the drive. That came up pretty easily. The driven over ice/snow combo on the drive was yet another story. It was tough! I used my square landscape shovel to pry up the stubborn layers and would shovel it to the side. I worked on it for over an hour until darkness and atrophy set in. While there, the neighbor was trying desperately to move an older full size van from the grips of the ice and snow. I helped push and shovel, but to no avail. He really needed a couple of carpeted door mats – not the wood planks he was using. Without disturbing Gloria, I left for home around 6:45pm. Funny thing was, Mindy arrived home from her errands just as I was opening the garage door, and less than a minute later Jamaken returned with the kids.

I didn’t even change out of my sweaty wet clothes before walking Ykraps. Mindy asked if I wanted dinner after we returned. I didn’t feel like a full sized meal. It was after 7pm. She went ahead and readied the kids for bed. After they were down for the count the two of us talked about our day as well as our coming trip. Mary Ann called to chat with Mindy around 8pm. Mindy went to bed kind of early. I stayed up formatting my new MP3 player, downloading the weekend’s pictures (man did I get some good ones), and ultimately reading. And some what out of character, I didn’t go to bed until 11:30pm.

Let's Play The Family Feud

I was up for the day right around 8am after a fairly good night’s sleep. Because we had Olivia overnight, I got up for a 2am feeding, and Mindy got up for the 7am. I was up for only 45 minutes before she finished and fell back asleep. Surprisingly, I felt wide awake by the time I put her back down. It didn’t take long before I fell back asleep, however. That’s never been much of a problem for me.

Mindy had Olivia back in bed by the time I made it downstairs. I was almost certain that she’d be up for the duration given all the sleep she had since yesterday afternoon. She must’ve been tired. I wasted little time getting on with my exercise routine. By 8:20am I was ready to walk with Ykraps. We enjoyed our walk, and Ykraps even bared fruit.

As we scaled the driveway to the house, I took notice of the need to shovel yet again before Mindy leaves for church. The whole shoveling thing is getting old. I’ll be pleased when the weather breaks. Not wasting any time, I sucked down some coffee and logged into work via my laptop. Nothing was afoul. Readying to run, I realized that my running clothes remained wet in a basket from Saturday. I had to throw them in the dryer before I could dress for the daily run. It didn’t take too long – ten minutes.

I didn’t check the clock carefully, but would guess I was out the door running before 9:30am. I stayed in the subdivision given the poor road conditions. Inside I wouldn’t have to dodge fast moving cars. Traction, however, was a bit challenging, but I lived. I was back in a jiffy. Without any hesitation, I grabbed the snow shovels and got cranking on the driveway, first clearing a path for Mindy’s mini-van and then the walk leading to the front door. Mindy let me know that she nixed the idea of taking Olivia to church since she was once again sound asleep. No worries. Her and the kids left for church by 10:15am. The kids were sad that Olivia wasn’t going along.

After Mindy departed I made myself a big breakfast consisting of leftover polish sausage, scalloped potatoes, and eggs. It was good n’ hearty! In the meantime, Olivia kept sleeping. I was able to get all sorts of little tasks completed. She didn’t wake up until just before Mindy and the kids got home from church. By then, Ashley & Lindsey arrived to pick her up.

Mindy and Bella left for Heather’s baby shower around 12:30pm. They were driving out to brother Tommy’s. I gave Mindy decent directions and Tommy’s phone number in case she got lost. The girls left soon after Mindy. All that remained were Jacob and I. It was very peaceful!

Jacob was hell bent on watching the Buckeye basketball game coming on at 1pm. I was determined to read and even nap. As soon as the game started I snuck off to the quiet living room while Jacob watched game in the family room. That worked well. I didn’t hear him yelling at the TV even once! Goal accomplished. I was able to read and nap. Jacob let me know when the game was over. He and I went to the basement and played a game of nerf basketball. He won 87-86. Just as we finished, Mindy and Bella returned. We didn’t have too long before we had to leave for Gloria’s.

We left the house at 4pm destined for Minelli’s where we were picking up a family size order of lasagna, spaghetti, and salad. It was ready once we got there. It was $94. Everything was packed in a large box ready to carry. I didn’t bother inventorying it, I trusted them.

We weren’t at Gloria’s too long before Mindy;s sister questioned the size of the order. She was almost certain we were shorted an order of lasagna and spaghetti. I placed a call back to Minelli’s, who admitted making a mistake. I drove back to pick-up the rest of our food. It was piping hot, too! I have a blister on my right hand to prove it.

Back at Gloria’s we all settled in to eat. We hadn’t gathered in a few weeks - the Sunday before the Super Bowl if memory serves me. Everything was good. I had a little spaghetti and a little lasagna. OK – I had a lot of lasagna! Just when I was contemplating thirds I overheard an evil exchange taking place between Mindy and her younger brother, Todd. At first I thought they were kidding, but quickly it became apparent they weren’t. Mindy was ripping him for not serving Bella some ice cream when he was up serving his daughter Mia. He told Mindy to take care of her own kids, or something like that. This obviously infuriated Mindy, who always, I must admit, goes out of her way to make everyone, especially kids, feel special and would never do something alienate one against the other. Before I knew it, Mindy threatened to leave and was gathering the kids to do just that. I had never before witnessed such negative emotion from her, although she was obviously provoked.

I left the table in an attempt to calm her privately, but I could tell there was no coming down off the ledge. She had already launched her proverbial howitzer missile. Sibling rivalries are real and often rooted in deeper issues from the past. I presumed that’s what was going on here. As much as I hated to, I agreed to leave. I went back into the kitchen and said our goodbyes.

I gathered that both of them, Todd & Mindy, probably wished they’d handled it differently. It’s so hard to pull back, apologize, and admit ones mistake, especially in front of so many others.

We left for home and it was barely even 5:30pm. Once we arrived home, Jacob and I walked Ykraps. Jacob insisted on more sledding when we were done. The snow hill was getting slick from the afternoon sun and the repeated travels. It was loads of fun. Soon Bella and Mindy joined in the fun. We all sledded for about an hour. To our surprise, Bella was into it. She flew down the hill, over the hump and onto the frozen pond. She loved it. Even Mindy and I went down a time or two.

I had to laugh because Bella’s boots kept coming off. On closer investigation I could see that she has plastic grocery bags over her socks – an old Grandma Wright trick! Apparently she wasn’t the only one with such and idea! The trouble was that made her feet too slick for the boots. It worked, however. Bella never once complained about cold feet

Just after the sun went down we headed in. Everyone was happy and smiling. I was most happy for Mindy who was noticeably shaken by her run in with her brother. She kept reliving the exchange. I teased her about it a little but knew when to stop. As I expected, her aggression was rooted in issues from way back. I should’ve been a shrink!

Soon Mindy had the kids in bed and returned downstairs for some quiet time. We threw in the towel on the Sunday evening cartoons and instead talked. I had an ice cold pumpkin ale and Mindy a glass of red wine. I played a little guitar and did some reading while Mindy took care of a few chores. We went to bed right at 10pm. Mindy was still thinking about her crusty exchange.

More Snow, Olivia, and meatless Lasagna

Happy 21st B-Day Ashley!!!!

We were both up early for a Saturday, and Mindy even before me. She was up just after 7am & I just before 7:30am. A glance out the bedroom window revealed, just as predicted, another bout of snow. And by the looks of it, we had about an inch so far. Downstairs, Mindy had the coffee started and was already prepping cinnamon rolls for the kids. I casually went about my morning calisthenics. When I finished I leashed up Ykraps and headed out for a winter walk.

The snow was totally cool and very pretty. The forecasters were calling for around three inches through the day - more just to the south. After the walk I enjoyed some much deserved coffee before heading out for my run. I had to get going since Ashley would be over at 10am for her hair appointment. This is her 21st B-day! I left at 9:00am. There was about two inches of fresh snow on the ground during my run and more coming down. It did little more than slow my run, due in part to the slushy snow laying on top of the hard packed snow/ice underneath. Despite being fairly winded when done, I got right on shoveling the drive. Again, I can not afford to be lazy about snow removal. I shoveled the fresh snow then attacked the ice build-up on the sidewalk to the front door. It had about two inches of hard pack and ice. It came up rather easily with the square landscape shovel. Before going in, I removed the larger part of the big hump at the foot of the drive - left over plowings. My Trooper clears it nicely but Mindy's mini-van struggles. I didn't want to risk her ripping the muffler or something even more critical off the beast. While shoveling Ashley and Olivia arrived. Mindy warned that time was ticking away and that they needed to leave. I was quick to reorder their priorities. As far as I was concerned, she could be a little late.

I finished up the shoveling then headed in to ready for my child care duties and to check in with work. Work was good so Mindy and Ashley left me alone with Jacob, Bella, and Olivia. I was just a tad nervous, but no big deal. The kids were very well behaved. Olivia was a little cranky for the first 45 minutes but I soon discovered almost by accident that she was tired. I placed her on a pillow covered in a blanket on the floor and she fell asleep for the next 2+ hours. That made the rest of the time fairly easy.

Mindy and Ashley arrived home somewhere close to 3pm. Just before Ashley was leaving, her grandmother phoned to cancel her plans to watch Olivia so that Ashley could go out with friends for her b-day. Without being asked, we volunteered to have Olivia stay the night with us. Ashley left for home around 3:30pm. Soon after another bottle, Olivia fell asleep again. I took a shower then announced that I was going to Barnes & Noble to fetch a new book. Jacob asked to come along. I was warm to his company. We drove to the Lennox plaza. There, we hit Barnes & Noble, Old Navy, and Target. I got a new book by Lynne McTaggart, The Intention Experiment. At Target we bought some fabric softener. After being gone just over an hour we headed home.

At home, Mindy had dinner cooking. She made spinach lasagna, salad, and rolls. As she put the finishing touches on our dinner Jacob and I took Ykraps on his evening walk. It was still snowing and fairly hard, too. After we got back form our loop with Ykraps we let him in the house and returned to play in the snow. I grabbed one of our sleds and took it out to Jacob who remained on the hill leading down to the pond. I introduced him to sledding down the hill and onto the frozen pond. He loved it! We did that for about fifteen minutes or until Mindy beckoned. Dinner was ready.

The lasagna was very good. I ate until I could eat no more. Mindy kindly cleaned up the dinner dishes while I played with the kids and tended to some work related issues. While Mindy readied the kids for bed, I played on the PC. I enjoyed a couple cold beers, too. I had a Mad Hatter and then a Honey Raspberry Ale. Mindy crashed early. She headed to be even before 10pm. I stayed up. I intended to read and watch Mad TV. After Mindy headed to bed I did just that. I also popped some corn made especially for popping - Orville Redenbacher. I read about twenty pages before Mad TV came on. I saw the first 30 or 40 minutes of Mad TV when I could no longer keep my eyes open. I went to bed.

Bagging Barley's

It was Friday again, but because I’d be on-call through the weekend I wasn’t as psyched about it as normal. Even still, I was up right on time and eager to begin my day.

After a quick workout I leashed up Ykraps for our Friday morning romp. I feel a little sorry for Ykraps relying so heavily on his sense of smell to unload his wastes. However, three days into this round of snow, there are plenty of other dog markings which seem to serve as his personal launching pad. It was surprisingly cold this AM. The actual low was -4 degrees. I didn’t expect it to be so cold.

Back home I made some coffee for Mindy and I – hers delivered bedside. Made lunch & breakfast – the usual stuff. Mindy left for school about fifteen minutes later than usual since Ashley was watching the kids from our home today. Remember, her and Olivia spent the night. The garage door was again giving us fits. It wouldn’t go up or down all the way. I tried adjusting the sensitivity controls but to no avail. I released it from the opener mechanism and went manual for the time being. I was hopeful that the moderating temperatures would cure the trouble as it often does. I was quick to be showered and ready to go. I warmed the Trooper for a short stint before leaving.

Work was dicey from the go, but almost all Friday’s are. I worked hard all morning long. I left for a run around 1pm. It had warmed to almost 20 degrees by then – a heat wave by comparison. Lucky for me, my trail was plowed to the asphalt making for a very pleasant run. My legs were a little sluggish today so having bare pavement to ruin on was a welcome sight.

Back in my office around 2pm, I picked up where I left off. I worked darn hard to eliminate any possible issues form getting out of hand. My motives were admittedly selfish given the fact that I would be on-call. I left work after tying up several loose ends somewhere close to 5:30pm. I had hoped to meet with my boss but it never happened.

I called Mindy as I drove along Trueman Rd. I let her know that I was stopping at Home Depot for lumber. I hoped to begin constructing the shelves in the basement this weekend. I drew up plans a few months back and referred to them just before leaving work. I had all of my material in short order. I headed home with twenty-one 2x4’s and other miscellaneous hardware in tow.

I walked in the door only to find our home in total disarray. I was not pleased, but it is about what I expected. We could never have a sitter watch the kids routinely form our home. I like it to look when I get home like it did when I left. I understood why, however. Ashley watched Jacob, Bella, and Lil’ Rocky all the while he took care of Olivia. Still, it didn’t lessen the impact a messy house has on my psyche. I tried my best to ignore it and immediately walked Ykraps then carried in my lumber by myself.

No sooner did I finish did Ashley ask for a ride home (her car is stuck in snow in front of her house). I dressed it my full winter garb and took her and Olivia home as requested. I loaded my snow shovels so that I could help free her car from the packed snow.

Her car was wedged in about a foot of snow with plowings directly behind. We tried for about thirty minutes to free it by rocking & digging. That didn’t work to well. I continued digging and pushing until I could push no more. But being one to never give up, I kept digging more. Finally, I insisted Ashley find something to give her front passenger side tire some traction. She produced a rough floor mat, which I thought would work perfectly. Twenty minutes later we had her free. I had to do the rocking through. It took some real doing. I was soaked with sweat and exhausted. We parked her car on the opposite side of the road.

I arrived home just before 8pm. I'd been gone so long Mindy and the kids were worried about me. The house was back to normal, and for this I was most grateful. There was order, soft music, and candlelight. It was very tranquil. The way it should be. Mindy put the kids to bed after I arrived. I helped with the tuck in then poured myself a glass of Riesling – the last one. I poured Mindy a red. We collectively decided to order a Minelli’s pizza, too. Mindy flew. I was content to simply sit on my ass. She returned with our favorite pie in hand - pepperoni and extra cheese. Too, I decided we should crack a bottle of Spumante. For the next hour we ate pizza and drank wine. In fact, we polished off the entire bottle of Spumante'. It went down easy! We thought about hot tubbing but those hopes were quickly dashed when I realized that I forgot to reset it after the power outage a week ago. A quick check revealed my fears. It was only 85 degrees in the default economy mode. We headed to bed after our hopes of hot tubbing were dashed.

Jacob goes to Hooters!

I leaped to my feet at 5:30am. I was well rested and felt one hell of a lot better inside. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting some rest and staying in the now. I’ve spoke about it lots. I am an old pro at conjuring up a negative future event with little support evidence for such worry. Even though I am aware, I still do it. This time I caught my spiral in progress. Many thanks to Mindy for making me feel so special and for reminding me what’s really real and important.

I pushed through my exercises and was walking Ykraps by 5:55am. We had to take an extra long walk before he finally took a much needed doggy dump. Had we not, I was certain that there’d be a carpet cookie for Mindy later in the day. Nothing says happy Valentine’s Day like a remanufactured Purina carpet cookie!
A quick survey of the road and walks convinced me that I stood a better chance of getting a run on a smooth surface from work. Our streets looked like third world streets.

Our walk kept us out for fifteen minutes. Finally back inside I went about making our coffee. I took Mindy’s to her. She was just getting in the shower so I left it on the lingerie dresser (hers). :)

Back downstairs I skipped meditation but really shouldn’t have. After reading the Daily OM I immediately began packing lunches and cooking breakfast. I made tuna for both Mindy and I, an then whipped up some scrambled eggs

Mindy reminded me of the long day that lied ahead. She has parent conferences after regular school hour and expects to be there until approximately 8pm. That will make for a long day, indeed. I went for a shower even before Mindy and the kids left. I suspect that they departed around their usual time.

I warmed the Trooper and left for work at 7:45am – the earliest I have left in a while. The commute was fine and the roads superb. Hats off to the snow boys!
I arrived at work even before 8am.

As usual, my day was broken up by my run. The first half went quickly. Some time early morning my boss released my performance review. I took a few minutes to read and review. About as I expected. I left for my run at 12:45 on the nose. It was cold but certainly not unbearable. I was hopeful that my trail would be scraped and clear, but one I ventured out of the Britton Farms subdivision and onto Davidson Rd my hopes were dashed. It was completely snowed over with a layer of road plowings to boot. No chance of running through that.

I planned as I ran. I could see the trail plow was busy at work across the street at the new elementary school so I took that trail as far as it was cleared. I ran about a half mile over there. And as a means of getting in my distance, I ran back into the subdivision taking several off shoots and loops not normally traversed. I ran for about 35 minutes, which equates to about 4 miles. Not bad given the lack of a proven trail.

I was back in my office eating my lunch by 1:50pm. The afternoon went quickly. Mindy called to let me know that she had to make other arrangements for the kids since Ashley’s car was stuck in snow. Mindy arranged for her nephew to pick-up Ashley and take hr to our house to watch the kids until I got home. This enabled her to do her parent conferences with little worry.

I left work just after 5pm. Traffic was light, just like most evenings this week. I was home by 5:35pm. Ashley was there with the Bella and Olivia. Jacob went to dinner at Hooter’s with Mindy’s nephew, Joe. He was home before I had a chance to get all of my routine chores completed.

After getting settled, I spent a little quality time with Olivia. Ashley played basketball with Jacob. The kids had lots of energy tonight, especially Bella. I was a little on the tense side. After getting Olivia to sleep – some time around 7pm, I took to computering. I spent some time updating my blog. Mindy arrived home before finished. The kids were already in their jammies but were still up and about the house since we promised they could wait up for their momma.

Mindy let them stay up a little longer than usual, but then got them off to bed. After the read & tuck (8:20pm), we sat together in the living room while Ash and Olivia watched TV together. Actually, Olivia was sound asleep. Mindy and I each had a glass of red wine, the first red wine I have had in probably a year. Around 9:20pm Mindy went in to talk with Ashley. I added pictures to my blog for the last five days. I finished at 10pm. Mindy and I went to bed minutes later. We finished watching an expose’ on JonBennet Ramsey from bed.

Snow, Ice, and Valentines

I was not in the most pleasant of moods and for a handful of reasons my sleep was not great.
I slept about as late as I could get away with without botching my morning schedule. It was 5:48am when I finally drug my lazy ass out of bed and made my way downstairs. And actually, this was the second time I had awoken and headed downstairs. The first was just after 4am when the rare inability to sleep struck. I suppose it’s fair to say that a few things were bothering me enough to cause insomnia. But after a little computer time I was tired enough to head back to bed.

After scratching, taking a vitamin, and checking on the coffee, I was satisfied enough to move on with my morning calisthenics. I decided while exercising that I would do my run after walking Ykraps for fear of encountering a covered trail and terrible conditions later in the day.

I leashed up Ykraps and ventured out into the weather. While walking I gathered data to use for navagating my upcoming run. The walks were covered with about 6 or 7 inches of snow with at least another inch of sleet/ice on top – not enough to support my body weight. My only choice was to walk in the street. Because of salting, at least the snowy streets didn’t have the crunchy top coat. There were only a few miscellaneous tire tracks in the streets. These I would use as my running trail. I’ve done this before – Xmas 2004 comes to mind.

Back home I unleashed Ykraps then despite no desire, began chipping a fresh layer of ice off the driveway once again. This was getting really old! After chipping away the ice I laid down another coating of salt. Once back inside I made myself a much deserved cup of coffee. After sucking it down it was about 6:40am. I quickly dressed for a run.

I didn’t bother alerting Mindy as I didn’t think she’d want to be awaken just for me to announce my run. I knew right away the run would be tough. Not only did I have to focus on staying in existing tire tracks but also jump around from one to another – never an easy feat! I kept my chin up and forged ahead. The exercise and benefits were unbeatable.

As one might imagine, I encountered a number of vehicles stuck or almost stuck since all the roads were unplowed. And to get in four miles means I run on all the little off shoots which were even worse. However, to my surprise, a few of these were groomed. I could only surmise that someone with a plow took care of the entire little road for his neighbors. It benefited me too! But of the four miles, less than a half mile or so was in that good of condition. I just toughed it out!

Daylight had broken by the time I rounded the corner for home. Just as I was approaching the house I saw what looked like Lindsey plowing towards me in her Honda. As she got even closer it was clear to me that it was indeed her. I took immediate notice of her more than half snow covered windows as she fish tailed away. I just shook my head in disbelief. Too, though, I wondered why she was over. As I understood things, she didn’t make any arrangements for Mindy to watch Rocky today.

Once back home I quickly began peeling away my layers. Mindy was up and confirmed that Lindsey had dropped Lil’ Rocky for her to care for. I let Mindy know that I would discuss this with Lindsey later. But the more she reviewed yesterday’s dialogue, the more it seemed to me that Lindsey might have took their conversation as Mindy granting permission to bring him over despite her own comment about not going to work if the roads were bad. Regardless, he was here.

I pulled out a frying pan to make some eggs before I showered. Mindy’s cell phone rang. It was Lindsey. She was stuck just around the corner in ass deep snow. Great! She wanted me to come help. Frustrated, I geared back up in my winter protective devices and went out to warm my Trooper. There was a thick layer of ice about my windshield which took a great deal of time to free. Just as I cleared it off, Lindsey came motoring by only going the other direction. She rolled down her window and told me to forget it. A friendly neighbor had freed her.

All of this only added to my already sour demeanor, and it was Valentine’s Day. Crap! I had Mindy’s card already stashed, but I hadn’t her gifts, although I knew what I was getting her. I had hoped to get them on Monday, but due to the storm I didn’t. This, like everything else, only added to my stress. I readied for work and left by 8:05am. The good news was that my Trooper was plenty warm when I left because I chose to leave it running from earlier.

I phoned the office to let them know that I was on my way. Things were better than the day prior. And to my surprise, we only had one call-off. I stayed very busy all day long. I worked right up until 1pm. Instead of running (did that earlier) I went to Tuttle mall. My first stop was Macy’s to pick out some earrings. Next, I stopped at the Godiva shop for some fresh chocolate truffles. I felt so much better after procuring Mindy’s gifts. I would need to make one more stop for flowers but wouldn’t do that until after work.

The afternoon went quick. I finished the year-end review, merit, and bonus process with my team of engineers. Before I knew it, it was time to go home. I purposefully hurried to Kroger's skipping giving Mindy a call along the way. I didn't want to be detoured from my goal. Happily, Kroger's had an ample supply of beautiful roses, some with decorative baby's breath and assorted other accompaniments, and also some just plain. I chose a dozen orange with all the trimmings. They were $40 - a deal on Valentine's Day. I worried for a second that Mindy would've prefer red, but I stuck with what looked the prettiest and freshest. I organized her gifts in a Godiva gift bag then headed for home.

I called Mindy on the way home. We firmed plans to attend Barley's Oyster's and Stout night - her preference. Mindy already walked Ykraps, so once I was home we exchanged Valentine's gifts. I got lots of "practical" Grandma Wright type gifts. I got a tube of tooth paste, some Twix bars, Goetz caramels, massage oil and implement, some tongs, and a tune-filled greeting card. Perhaps I should've specified "practical" as in tools! Mindy got roses, Godiva chocolates, sterling silver earrings, and a greeting card - everything a woman supposedly wants for Valentine's Day save for the loving affection.
After Mindy vased her roses we left for Barley's. We only had until about 7:15pm, and it was already just before 6pm.

We arrived at Barley's minutes later. To our surprise, there much of a crowd for an Oyster's & Stout night. Usually these things draw a shoulder to shoulder crowd. Most of the attendees were Barley's frequent flyers. Word had it that the weather hurt the turnout, and a bonus they would be extending the event to Friday, also. Truth be told, I am not too big on Oyster's, but was willing to give them a go. We got a couple seats at the bar after Rebecca kindly bequeathed hers to me. And in honor of the event, we both ordered a Stout. No sooner than we began sipping our Stout Bob and Dan entered. It was good to see more familiar faces. I noticed Bob's right hand was wrapped. A skiing injury, I assumed. As we talked, we ordered food - a dozen smoked oysters and an order of Gates of Hell chicken wings.

We talked more in-depth about our fast approaching trip, and more specifically about the logistics of getting to the airport and such. As of now, it sounds like Bob will pick us up at our house after he gets off work. Soon Rick showed up. Hell, it looked a lot like a Friday night, but then again, maybe these guys show up every night. We're not sure. We teased Bob about it since we knew he was in on Monday night. Our food arrived in the middle of all the discussion. The Oysters were pretty tasty but nothing I would ever seem to crave. The wings were fantastic! In fact, mine were so good that Mindy ordered a batch of Honey Chipotle for herself. We hurried through our dinner and paid our tab. We had to get home. It was about 7:10pm. Mindy called Jimaken as we left.

While driving down Dublin Rd towards home, we heard a sudden rumble then in an instant the entire sheet of thick ice laminating my hood flew up and over my windshield launching high into the night sky. I saw it come to its crashing end via my rear view mirror. Good thing no one was behind me! Once we arrived home Mindy asked that I drive repeatedly over the snow bank blocking our drive to make her exit and entrance easier. I was happy to oblige her.

Soon the kids were home where we suddenly found ourselves in the throws of read & tuck. As usual, while Mindy did most of the work, I blogged all the while enjoying a piece of chocolate turtle pie still left from Saturday night. For entertainment, we tuned into American Idol. While watching, Mindy treated me to a 25 minute back rub. After Idol we headed for bed.