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.

Yellow Snow!

We already knew the weather was going to go south, but just how far south we didn’t know. In fact, based on what they were saying, we even anticipated that school might be canceled. A call came about ten minutes before 6am that school was indeed closed. Mindy was thrilled and rolled back over and went to sleep. Meanwhile, I got up and got going with my morning.

We already had about two inches on the ground and it was still coming down. Schools were canceled because the snow was expected to pile up to ten inches through the day and then a thick layer of ice and sleet to boot.

After exercising Ykraps and I ventured out for our morning walk. The conditions were brutal with snow coming down hard and horizontal from the east. After making quick work of our walk, I unleashed Ykraps into the house and began shoveling the drive. I knew that if I didn’t shovel we could have a real problem on our hands later with the ice and all. After shoveling I found my phone ringing. It was Lindsey wanting to know if Mindy would be kind enough to keep Lil’ Rocky since schools were closed. Mindy lovingly agreed.

Back inside I was more than delighted to get some coffee in me. I went about the rest of my morning prep just like any other day. I played a little, packed my lunch, and made my breakfast. After a shower and dressing for work I was back downstairs to ready for departure.

I warmed the Trooper then once again shoveled the drive in case Mindy had to leave. We had already accumulated another inch or two. Driving into work was slow but no real traffic jams. The lot was completely barren when I arrived. I was surprised! We also had a couple of call-offs due to weather and closed schools. After getting some coffee I remembered to call Mindy to let her know that I arrived safely.

The snow kept coming down and the forecasters reaffirmed what they had promised all along – very heavy snow and lots more coming. We collectively decided to buy pizzas for our team at my prompting. I agreed to pick them up after my run. I left for my run at 11am to ensure a 1230 pizza pick-up and to get my run out of the way before it really got bad.

It was a fun and exciting run tromping through the heavy snow. It was tough going for the first mile running through unplowed streets until I got to the asphalt trail leading to the high school which any more is always plowed early. Today was no different. The stretch out was easier than the return since the weather was uncharacteristically coming out of the east. And once I got past the housing development the wind picked up and large drifts were forming across the trail making running a bit more challenging. Still, it was fun.

I made it back in about 47 minutes – about five minutes longer than usual. After a quick shower I drove off to pick-up the fourteen pizzas at the Hilliard Joseppi’s. I called Mindy on my way after seeing that I missed a call or two. We chatted briefly, and during our call she mentioned finding a Word document that shared intimate details of my life from the third grade onward. I wrote this to better understand how I got to be the person I am. Glaring to her was one relationship in particular. Truth be told, I was a little taken back that she felt so comfortable reading my private docs regardless of how she came about them. We discussed it only briefly before I arrived at Joseppi's. The pizzas were ready just as I arrived. Perfect! After loading the Trooper, I was on my way back to the office. It was 12:35pm. The weather was demanding of my focus, so focus I did. I called one of my engineers on my way back and asked that he meet me at the rear door to help carry the fourteen pies. The pies were delicious. We destroyed our seven rather quickly. I chose to leave my packed lunch in the fridge and instead enjoy some pizza.

The rest of the day and afternoon went slower than usual only because I ran so early. Generally I'm not back from my run until 2pm and finished eating by 2:30pm. But here I was with the entire afternoon still in front of me. I used the time wisely meeting with my engineers reviewing their 2006 performance. I left for home around 5:20pm destined for home. The snow was still coming down although it was more like ice balls by now, and the roads were a total mess. Lots of vehicles were off the roads. I navigated carefully and arrived home around 5:45pm. After a quick walk of Ykraps I got to shoveling again. Mindy had shoveled for the third time around 2pm. Now, we had about one or two inches of icy snow that was stuck to the drive. The snow in the road was about 10 inches deep and unplowed. I didn't want to leave the Trooper on the street. My only hope was to scrape the ice away and pull it up before more fell. It was coming down fast and furious.I had to unlock the shed to get to my square landscape shovel which works great for removing icy snow. That proved a bit challenging given the foot or so of snow piled against the door and the iced up locks. I got to the shovel nonetheless.

I worked my ass of getting all the ice chipped away. At first I wasn't going to use driveway salt, but opted to last minute. I was convinced it was the only way to secure an ice-free drive. The trade off is damage to the concrete. I was stiff and sore when I finished but it had to be done. Now, should Mindy have to travel tomorrow, she'll have half a chance. I chose to opt out of dinner still feeling full from the mid-day pizza. Instead, I had a few handfuls of peanuts throughout the evening while updating my blog. And when I was through, I popped some corn. It was almost 9pm by now. We tuned into the very end of Idol and stayed tuned through House. It was captivating. Mindy learned somewhere just after 8pm that school was indeed canceled for Wednesday. That's five! Any more than that and she'll need to make 'em up. We headed to bed at 10pm.

They say big snow's a coming

For reasons I can't understand, I woke late & tired on Monday morning. This, despite a solid eight hours of sleep. I know, too, that the only cure for a case of the sleepies is a good workout and vigorous walk in the frigid cold. I did just that, and by the time that Ykraps and I found our way back home, I was pretty much awake.

I made two cups of coffee and then took Mindy hers. She was already up beginning her own prep. I casually went about the rest of my usual morning routine. I read the daily OM, meditated, and surfed the web. I did all of this in a very short window of time - probably about ten minutes.
By 7:35am I was well into food prep. I packed both Mindy and I a lunch and then made scrambled eggs topped with sharp cheddar cheese. We woofed down our breakfast just after 7:00am. The kids were slow to rise. Some what out of character, Bella was up & ready before Jacoby. I guess Jacoby had a case of sleepies, too!

Mindy left around 7:20am - and no power outage this AM! I went paid a couple early bills and then headed for the shower. After warming the Trooper I headed off to work at 8:00am. I got just a half mile down the road when I realized I was without my laptop. I made a quick turnaround and headed back home to grab my PC. That cost me about eight minutes - no biggie!

I arrived to work just before 8:30am. I quickly got settled in and began working as if I had never left for a weekend. I spent a good chunk of the morning meeting with my engineers going over their performance reviews, merit raises, and annual bonus. Everyone was in fairly good spirits, including me. Because of my busy morning, runtime came quickly. Sometime earlier in the day, GoBucks IM'd asking if I were busy. I was, but still chatted briefly. I ended up asking her to call me at my desk. She expressed some concerns, and I offered to help however I could.

The talk in the gym was of the coming snow storm. I was asked if I would be running in the snow. Please! Do you have to ask? My run went well. And for the first time in weeks, I was able to not wear by lined windbreaker as a middle layer. Instead, I wore a thin wind shirt as a middle layer. It was the first day in a long stretch of many where the temperature topped freezing. It was 36 degrees an hour before I left, but a bit cooler during the run. We had some snow squalls. The began and ended well.

The afternoon went quick. I headed home after sticking around the office until almost 5:30pm. unlike most Monday's, this wasn't a Mindy Monday. We had the kids. Along my travels home, Mindy and I agreed that she would make chili dogs and reheat scalloped potatoes for dinner. That sounded delicious!

Once I was home Jacoby quickly dressed to walk Ykraps with me. He was eager to walk on the frozen pond again. We both enjoyed watching Ykraps fall through the ice Sunday evening (it was very shallow - 6 inches). But because of the day's brief warm-up, I warned against icing again today. Jacob understood. We walked Ykraps along he walk and harassed each other by throwing snow all along our walk. Jacob had a lot of fun.

When we returned, Jacob went in and I retrieved some additional firewood for a possible fire later. Dinner was ready and I was hungry. Jacob and Bella had chicken drumsticks in lieu of chili dogs and taters. I passed on dessert, although Mindy indulged herself. Jacob and I headed to the basement for some basketball. We played for about thirty minutes, or until Mindy called for him.
While the kids readied for bed I tinkered on the computer. A few minutes later I went up for the read and tuck.

After the kids were fast asleep, Mindy and I returned downstairs to relax and talk. We, once again, talked about some of the premarital issues we had talked about earlier and then a few more. It was good, and I think Mindy finally sees the good in these topics. Around 9pm we went to family room where Mindy walked on my back and me on hers. Both of us have found that very fulfilling sexually! :) Not really. It helps keep our backs aligned. It can literally relieve one of my routine stiff necks and mid-back pain instantly.

We headed to bed around 10pm like good kids.

Almost cut my hair ... it happened just the other day

Day begins

Lack of sleep wasn’t an issue. I woke just after 8am eager to get out of bed and get going with my Sunday. I slept for nine solid hours. Mindy would’ve preferred I stay in bed longer but just the thought of wasting another hour in bed sent shivers down my spine.

I quickly made coffee then went about my exercises. After finishing my exercises I leashed up Ykraps, all the while feeling good about having his new leash. No longer would he and I trip over or step on the loose extension. Our walk was fun!

Home for coffee. Wahoo! Mindy was downstairs shortly after I finished my first cup of coffee and dressed in my running clothes. She planned to make steak & eggs for breakfast while I ran. I ran out along Trabue rd today even though sound reasoning suggested not. I was careful and fully willing to leap deep into the snow banks to avoid any potential head on collision with a motorist.

Food, rest, and work

I was back from my run by 10:40am The steak and eggs were all but ready. I was hungry but sweaty. Once gain, I stripped out of my running clothes and re-entered my PJ’s. We ate and chatted some more about the logistics of being married one day soon. After getting the kitchen back in order I went upstairs to find Mindy laying in bed about asleep. We napped together for another hour or so. It was 1:30 when we pulled ourselves up and out. I was eager to begin making progress on my next storage project, which is to build storage shelves in the northeast corner of the basement to hold 30 or 40 large storage tubs.

Down the basement I began relocating the many boxes of tools that lie in that spot now. As I finished up the clearing, it dawned on me that I might be able to use Closetmaid shelving in lieu of building from 2X4s and plywood. I left for Home Depot/Lowes to look at what was available.

Lowe's and haircut

Along the way I decided that a haircut was in order, too. After all, I haven’t had a single hair cut since December 28th. I was a week or two overdue. They had a fifteen minute wait, so I ventured Lowes directly across the street from Saturday’s. Closetmaid makes storage grade shelving in widths of 20” which is four inches shy of my desired width but not out of the question. However, the cost of using their material versus wood would more than double the cost, yet I would gain little if anything. I nixed that idea. I’ll stick with wood! J

Back to Saturday’s

Perfect timing! I was called to the chair as soon as I entered the shop. I hadn’t planned to get a hair cut when I left the house. I hadn’t even showered. I was grungy and smelly and wearing a ball cap. But my need for a haircut prevailed. She sheered the back and sides then whisked me off to the shampoo chair. After a quick wash she trimmed the top and I was good to go! The cost - $16.95. And after a $4.05 tip I was on my way.

Back at home making dinner

Mindy left me a voice mail wondering when I’d be home. Apparently the kids were home from their weekend with Jim, and Mindy wanted to visit her mom. However, Jacob did not want to go with her and Bella. Instead, his preference was to hang out at home with me. I was already just about home, so I didn't bother calling back. Once I arrived, Mindy and Bella departed. While they were gone Jacob and I played nerf basketball for over an hour. After we were both tuckered out, I began the arduous task of making dinner, which Mindy had casually intimated as she left for her mom's.

I pulled a box of Tilapia filets from the freezer and placed four of them in luke warm water to defrost. In the meantime, I sliced up six or seven red skin potatoes to make scalloped potatoes. This time I made them with ingredients found in the fridge - not the $30 gourmet version, although I did loosely follow the same recipe tweaking the ingredients to make do with what we had and to alter the consistency more to my liking. I was really excited about making the scalloped potatoes than I was the Tilapia. After the Tilapia was satisfactorily defrosted, I concocted a mixture of olive oil, lime &pineapple orange juice as a marinate.

The sautéed red onion and garlic smelt terrific. Jacob even commented on how good they smelt. he asked if we could have some garlic bread. In lieu of expensive gruyere cheese, I used pepper jack, Swiss, and feta cheese to top the taters. Bottom line, they looked & smelled even better than the last batch. Mindy and Bella returned home just after I placed the taters in the oven. I knew the Tilapia would need less than ten minutes to broil, so I waited to cook them. Mindy whipped up some garlic bread which was sure to please Jacoby. As a veggie, we made Brussel sprouts in butter.

Dinner was served around 6pm. It was very, very good, especially the taters. But truth be told, the Tilapia tasted a little like Pinesol. Note to self - no more lime and pineapple orange marinate for fish. Next time I'll use only olive oil and garlic salt. After dinner dishes were done we got into the chocolate turtle pie, again. It was now after 7:00pm.

The day ends

The kids went to bed at their usual time. Mindy and I talked, exchanged back rubs, and watched the Sunday evening Fox cartoon comedies. They were very humorous! We headed to be just before 10pm.

Steak, Shrimp, and IPA ... does it get any better?

We were both awfully tired. I woke a few times in the early morning hours but didn’t jump out of bed until almost 8:30am. That burning desire to not sleep my life away is what helped push me along. Mindy communicated her desire to sleep a little longer. In granting her wish, I pulled the door closed to minimize the noise from my morning activities.

After starting some coffee and choking down my One-A-Day, I began my exercises, which got my blood flowing. Quietly, I bundled for a morning walk with Ykraps. Our walk was non-eventful. We were back five minutes late no worse for the wear. The temperature felt almost warm. I checked Weatherbug on my return only to discover that it was in the mid teens. That was funny! The mid-teens felt spring-like!

I lazily went about having coffee and playing on the internet. I wasn’t very productive at all. Come 10am I decided to install my running clothes and set out on my first run of year eleven. Just about the same time, Mindy made her presence known to the world. I bidded her a good morning and then took off on my Saturday morning run.

I kept my run internal to the subdivision, not feeling much like dodging fast cars, especially given the somewhat late hour. The run went well and went by quickly. I was home before I knew it.

In the door only minutes, I was quick to change back into my pajamas not wanting to sit around in my sweaty & smelly running clothes. Mindy wanted to talk about some things we’d briefly touched on the night before, so we sat at the breakfast table and talked for about an hour. We talked about things that all couples should discuss before getting married, but most don’t. Some of the discussion broached topics I was certain Mindy didn’t really like, but just the same, the issues needed to be discussed. I knew that in the long run our relationship would benefit from having discussed these issues now. Most of our discussion centered around our individual finances and how we’d recognize these issues should our relationship end. My point, of course, was that now was the time to discuss them rather than risk surprise later. Again, Mindy didn’t like discussing such things. But the fact is, the number of relationships and marriages that end are staggering, so these what if’s should be aired.

We came to moderate agreement on a few things, but I was also certain that we’d have more discussions on these and other issues in the near future.

Mindy had some errands she wanted to run and so did I. We both eventually showered and prepared for our day about town. I asked how she felt about me going to see the new Hannibal movie by myself, knowing of her disdain for such movies. She didn’t seem too warm to the idea.

I left destined for Wal-Mart, Old Navy, and Giant Eagle. Mindy was headed dress shopping and then to her mom’s. At Wal-Mart I bought a new leash & collar for Ykraps, a new tooth brush, some greeting cards, sun glasses, and a neck strap.
At Old navy I looked for new ski gloves for Mindy. They had none. It’s spring in Old Navy. At Giant Eagle I bought two big steaks, some jumbo shrimp, asparagus, a chocolate turtle pie, six pack of Mad Hatter IPA, and a couple of things for Gloria. Total damage of today’s shopping - $150.

I arrived home before Mindy. It was 1:30pm. Ashley was due over at 2pm. She was leaving Olivia for me to watch while she shops for a birthday outfit. She called while I was out shopping to ask if Lil’ Rocky could come over too. And of course I agreed.

It wasn’t long before they were over. Ashley left just after getting the two kids settled. The time went fast. Me, Olivia, and Lil’ Rocky played for about 2.0 hours before Mindy got home and another hour before Ashley returned from shopping. I enjoyed my bonding time with Olivia although she got a little fussy towards the end. And the fussier she got, the sleepier I was. Mindy took her off my hands for the last half hour while I captured my second wind and even snuck in a short little nap.

After Ashley left with the kids it was approaching 6pm. We decided we ought to get busy making our Saturday dinner. I took charge of cooking the steaks and shrimp. Mindy took ownership of the asparagus. For asparagus to turn out well, one has a very tight window. We were eating just after 7pm. Our steaks were 1.25 inch Angus Rib-Eyes. They turned out fabulous as did the jumbo shrimp. And the asparagus was just right, too. After cleaning up, we enjoyed some chocolate turtle pie.

Through dinner and after, I enjoyed three Mad Hatter IPA’s while Mindy enjoyed some red wine. In between IPA two and three, I did a shot of tequila – the first in years, and probably since our Puerto Plata trip when I did one with daughter Ashley.

We stayed up until 10:30pm when we both gave way to sleepiness and agreed to head to bed. I tried to watch Mad TV but fell asleep minutes into the programming. So much for comedy relief!

Running

Finally, a Power Outage!

Friday was finally here and I was up to greet it at 5:40am. A clear sky loomed large just out the door, but it was still cold, although not nearly as bitter as it was earlier in the week.

Just as I was lunging through my sit-ups, the power went out, but not before bouncing three or four times. Almost instantaneously, Bella let out a very loud cry for her mother, and when Mindy didn’t immediately respond, she next cried out for Jacob. Mindy finally gathered up both the kids and pulled them into bed with her. It was still only 5:45am.

I finished my exercise routine then lit a few candles to serve as our only light source. I found the stillness and quiet most comforting. As settled as we could be, I leashed up Ykraps for our morning walk. His leash was once again a problem causing him to get tangled and me to trip. I noted that I’ll have to get out and replace it this weekend.

Back home, the power remained out. I made a cup of coffee for Mindy and I. Thank God for the auto brew mode! And just like always, I delivered hers upstairs. Back downstairs I decided to simply relax and enjoy my coffee. I snuggled up against the back of my reading chair then eventually grabbed my guitar. I strummed a few tunes before deciding I should get moving with packing our lunches.

I packed usual lunches under candle light and reflected light from my rechargeable flashlight. Because the power was out, there would be no hot breakfast. I haven’t gone without eggs on a work day in years!

Soon Mindy was downstairs gathering her stuff to depart. I noticed that she hadn’t showered and asked why. Turns out, she was reluctant to shower with out the ability to blow dry her hair. She chose stinking over vanity. Before departing, she asked for my help in raising the garage door – something I hadn’t immediately thought through. There’s a release cord that must be pulled to disengage the electric opener. As Mindy backed out the drive I went out to lower the door. And just as the door hit the concrete the power came back on. The timing was impeccable! It was almost like the jolt of the garage door hitting the floor forced it back on.

As she pulled away, I witnessed Mindy slow apparently in disbelief. She phoned me minutes later to express her disdain. I found it totally humorous that she leaves and the power restored. She expressed feeling a little snake bit. Hey, but she has me! :)

I switched into power-on mode. I put my jeans in the dryer then went around the house resetting most of the clocks. I also checked for stray lighting left on. Just after completing a quieter meditation and jumping to my feet, the power went back down. Oops! O.K. – maybe I’m not blessed. I gave it a few minutes – about 8 to be exact. Lucky for me, the power came back on for good enabling me to shower and ready as normal. I wore a vintage Muff's black t-shirt today. It's probably 26 years of age. Wow! I wasn’t going to let no power stand in between me and a shower anyhow. The rest of the morning at home was non-eventful. I left for work just after 8am.

It was Friday so I braced myself for a challenging day at the office. And challenging it was. I worked awfully hard. I had a little extra motivation for getting to my run, this being my anniversary day and all. So come 12:45pm I set out on my anniversary run.

The weather was perfect. It was cold but it was also very bright and sunny. And truth be told, I didn’t care what the weather. I was so excited to complete today’s run and hit this milestone. I was admittedly a little more careful stepping off of curbs and making my cuts not wanting to injure myself and jeopardize the streak.

After completing today’s run I put the icing on number 3652 – 10 full years without a miss! I expect some day that my face and name will be up there along with my fellow streak brethren, Cal Ripken Jr, who played in an unbelieveable 2632 straight ball games, and Brett Favre, who has started a record 237 consecutive games for the Green Bay Packers. Over the ten year period I have ran over 15,000 miles going through 20+ pair of running shoes. I have ran in sub zero temps and also in scorching heat. I have endured pounding rain, extremely high winds, grueling hills, and foot deep snow. I have run sick, hungover, and without much motivation. I have run in a handful of countries, many states, and numerous cities. I’ve run at 3am and I have run at 10pm – whatever it took to keep the streak alive I have done. Through it all I just keep runnin’. As one might guess, I was in a celebrative mood at my run's conclusion.

The afternoon was busy and a blur all in one. Come 5PM I was eager to get home and let the weekend begin. I called Mindy along my way home boasting about the day’s milestone. She allowed me to go on and on for a while. She advised that Jimaken was at our home playing with Jacob in the basement. Seemed a bit strange. Apparently he had been there for at least 30 minutes.

He was still there when I arrived home, but he and the kids prepared to leave shortly there after. I walked Ykraps. Mindy came along. We hung out for the next hour or so until it was time to ready for an evening out. It should come as no surprise that we were headed to Barleys.

We left for Barley’s shortly after 7:30pm. Being somewhat of an off week, the place was rather barren as compared to many recent Friday’s. There was plenty of bar side seating available. Mark, of Mark & Trudy fame, was just leaving when we arrived. Network Mark and new guy, Tim were the only familiar faces remaining. No Bob & Mary Ann, (they were skiing in NY), and no Courtney and Jeremy. However Jeremy appeared a few minutes later to pick-up some carryout. We chatted briefly and even discussed the possibility of hooking up Saturday for some fun. No Steve and no Rick. Rebecca was there too and expressed having trouble getting to my blog. She gave me her email address and asked that I send the url.

Lee served me up a Kiss My Bitter Ass (KMBA) IPA off the firkin. He quipped that he visited my blog and was disappointed not to find any pics of himself. Hmmm? I was certain there are plenty of pics if Lee and Janet on there, but mostly in the archives.

We ordered food. Mindy ordered the Tuna steak topped in Wasabi, and I ordered a Cuban and fries with a side of Gates of Hell hot sauce for dipping. This was a notable night for Mindy. She did not drink any wine. She had two Russian Imperial Stouts instead. I had three pints of the firkin.

As the evening wore on, other familiar faces showed including: Thad & Monica, Steve, and Josh. We left for home around 11:15pm.

Once home and in our comfy sleeping clothes we talked about our relationship along with eating some freshly popped corn. We were in bed asleep by 12:30am.

Home Sweet Home

One to go! I was up at 5:40am on yet another cold winter morning. The glow of the waning half moon was most impressive against the snowy back drop. I began and completed my exercise routine without any unforeseen consequence then dressed for a cold winter morning’s walk with Ykraps. It was colder than I expected with a fairly stiff artic breeze forcing wind chills down around -17. Despite this continued deep freeze, and I supposed because of the expected warm-up, most schools were not closed or delayed this day. I made coffee for both Mindy and I, which I hadn’t done since last week. Mindy was in the shower when I took hers upstairs. I left it on her lingerie dresser and returned downstairs. I checked the official temperature which was a balmy 2 degrees, and as I shared earlier, the wind chill was -15. It was time to get busy making lunches. I made both of us lunch and then scrambled some non-embryonic eggs topped with sharp cheddar cheese. I served the eggs with cut fruit. The kids, a little out of sync after their three-day sabbatical, didn’t ask for any breakfast. In fact, only Bella cried that she wanted to stay home. We teased her about staying home alone, but all that did was make the whining worse. She was awfully cranky! Mindy and the kids departed at their usual time. Mindy let me know that she’d be stopping by her mom’s after school provided she gets released as planned, and that Jim would be dropping Bella off to me – most likely around 6-630pm. I’m glad she said something. Otherwise, I might have used the time to shop or do something unique for myself. After they left I made quick work of my shower and change of clothes. I warmed the Trooper then left for work at 8:05am. Once in the Trooper & on my way, I realized that I left my parka at home, but I was bundled in my wooly fleece so I wasn’t too concerned. Besides, barring any problems, it’s a very short walk from the lot to the building. The pace of my morning was feverish. I was busier than each proceeding day and still had a couple of pre-planned conference calls I needed to join. During the later call, cousin Dodie IM’d. I hadn’t talked with her since our family Xmas party. We caught up on a few things, including my step-mother Sheila. Because of these calls, I didn’t leave for a run until just after 2pm. I was beginning to get a little jittery. I left for my run by 2:15pm dressed in my full winter gear. My groin pull felt marginally better again today. For this I am grateful. I was beginning to worry it might be something worse. I trust it will continue to improve with each passing day. The run went well and was especially easy after the turn around. I had the breeze at my back on the run in. The afternoon went brutally fast, helped along mostly by the late run. It was already 3:15pm by the time I got back to my desk and ate my lunch. I stayed pretty busy through what was left of the afternoon. And literally, the next time I looked up at the clock it was 5:00pm. I was in the middle of helping a couple of engineers with an issue so I didn’t get out of the office until 5:20pm. Just as I was starting the Trooper my phone rang. It was Mindy. She reported having Bella with her, which would free me up until 7pm after all. I headed straight home bent on spending some quiet reflective time alone. Along my trip home I made a few calls to family. I called my dad, Lindsey, and then Ashley. My dad gave me a full report on Sheila’s progress as well as some insight into his recent activities. Sheila’s having some difficulties with therapy, I learned. I arrived home around 5:40pm and instantly switched into hurry-up mode. I organized myself for the next morning and then walked Ykraps. Even though it was in the teens, it actually felt warm given the recent artic weather. I was back inside and free to relax by 6:05pm. I decided my time would be best spent updating my blog and adding pictures. I did just that for the next 1.5 hours. Mindy arrived home just after 7pm. I apologized for not starting any dinner. She understood as usual. While I put the finishing touches on my blog, Mindy whipped up homemade burritos. We ate those at 7:30pm. They were very good! Soon after we finished eating, Mindy got Bella ready for bed. She would have no part of going to sleep while Jacob was away at the hockey game. Jim brought Jacob home around 9:15 or so. Bella was happy to see him. Mindy quickly readied him for bed, and retucked "the peanut", too. While she took care of all that, I sat on the family room floor strumming my guitar and also watching some TV. I watched Scrubs and then 30 Rock. Both were very funny. After 30 Rock, Mindy and I headed to bed.

3650

1) the virgin snow on our front lawn 2) Gloria's renal artery: before & after - quite dramatic! 3) Oliva expressing joy The phone rang very early. It was a co-worker of Mindy’s calling to report another day without school. All the effort Mindy put into preparing a lesson plan for a substitute teacher the night before was all for not. I was certain, however, that she didn’t mind. My day would proceed as usual so I got up and going with my day. It was just after 6am. Once again, the early AM temperatures were below zero with a significant wind chill. The prior evening’s snow was very pretty under the crystal clear sky and very bright moon light. After a quick set of exercises, Ykraps and I set out on our journey through the snow. The snow glistened like never before under the chilly moon light. I think that was due in part to the extra fluffy snow. Most of the snow we get is the wet heavy stuff and rarely if ever does it snow when the temps are in the single digits as yesterday. Regardless, it looked spectacular. Upon our return, I let Ykraps in the house but headed back out to shovel the additional inch or so off the drive and walks. Again, I can’t afford to be lazy with my steep drive. I was definitely ready for some coffee when I got back inside. Mindy had mentioned waking at 7am but just before I headed downstairs she advised that she was going to phone Ashley to request a much later arrival time. I took that as she no longer wanted up at 7am. I went about my morning in peace. Mindy got up just before I headed to the shower. She left Ash a VM requesting the time change. I took a handful of pictures of the beautiful sunrise & fluffy snowfall. We had about 3-4 inches total. I readied and left for work as usual. Work was busy and the day went fast. We had our standing Wednesday staff meeting that lasted only half an hour. But I had plenty else to keep me hopping. When I got back from my meeting I saw that Mindy had called a couple of times. She reported Ashley being 50 minutes late arriving. She was stressed over it. Gloria’s procedure was to take place near noon and Mindy certainly wanted to be there. She called again later, just after she arrived. As it turns out, the procedure was done before she got there. She wasn’t too happy. Regardless, the most important thing was that it went well. They placed the stent in the renal artery. She was already in recovery with only minor complications associated with taking an uncoated aspirin after the fact. That made her vomit, and in turn, they gave her some Phenergan, an antihistamine commonly used to control itching from allergies and or nausea and vomiting. But from the sounds of it, she experienced many of the documented side effects from taking it, too. It made her loopy, angry, and fidgety. To counter that, they gave her some Dilaudid, a very powerful pain killer, and favorite amongst the junkie community. After that, as I understand it, she was pretty much out of it for a while. She was given only a half dose. It sounded like she’d be going home tomorrow provided her blood count was in check and her blood pressure regulated. Mindy left the hospital around 3:45pm destined for our appointment. I, in turn, left work around 4:05pm. She arrived just before me. I arrived at 4:30pm sharp. We talked for almost an hour. It was a good, productive meeting. We followed one another home, and arrived just after 5:45pm. Ashley and the kids seemed to be having a good time. Jacob had been out playing in the snow. We decided to make a Bob Evans family sized turkey dinner via the micorwave. As a side, Mindy whipped up Stove-Top stuffing. Hey, it's TG dinner! Everybody enjoyed it. After dinner we played with Olivia and took a few pictures. She makes the funniest facial expressions, unlike any I've ever seen a baby make. While trying to make her giggle, I made her cry, instead. Apparently I had scared her. I felt bad and cuddled her fears away. After my time with her, Mindy took a turn. She enjoys her as much as me. She helped Mindy ready the kids for bed. I heard Mindy laughing her ass off up stairs. She soon called for me to bring the camera to capture a special moment. Olivia was bouncing on Jacob's bed and was once again making one of those priceless faces. We all got a big belly laugh! Ashley left as the kids were going to bed. After she left Mindy read my blog while I did some reading. I finally finished my latest Deepak book, Life After Death. American Idol came on at 9pm. We watched. It was as entertaining as always. We headed to bed almost immediately following Idol. We exchanged back crackings just before heading up. Oh yeah, as far as we could tell, Mindy would be returning to school on Thursday.

Rina, Renal, and Renin Stimpy

I purposely slept late knowing that I’d have plenty of time due to having my lunch already packed and not having to prep any food for Mindy. I slept until 6:10am. But truth be told, that was about ten minutes later than I had planned. Still, not a single worry! Once again, it was brutally cold. The 6:15am temperature was -3 degrees and the wind chill was around -18. I took the artic chill in stride and began my indoor exercises. All went well. I was excited about our morning walk. There’s something macho about braving the ridiculous cold that gets my juices going. I was plenty warm in my fleece and winter parka, hat, and gloves. But as fun as it was, I was happy to be back inside for some hot coffee afterwards. After some coffee, the internet, and mediation, I was ready to make some breakfast. I made myself fried eggs and fruit (go figure). By 7:15am I was ready for a shower. Before heading up, I took a few pictures of the cold sky. Mindy was awake once I entered the room. Mindy and the kids followed me downstairs after my shower. Mindy was heading up to the hospital again today, but as late as mid-morning she still wasn’t sure who’d be watching the kids. She hoped to hear from Ashley, but as of yet she hadn’t heard back. I started the Trooper and let it warm for a good long time before heading off to work at. I left the house at 8:05am. I was happy to be working from my office today. We were very busy. Mindy left a number of messages on my VM asking me to call, but I was tied up either in meetings or simply engrossed in my work. I later learned that she contacted her old friend Tara and she volunteered to keep the kids. Several updates on Gloria’s condition flowed in throughout the day. By mid-day the latest thought was that she might have had a heart attack. They scheduled a heart catheterization and canceled the MRI. I left for my run soon after. Again, it was bitterly cold. The temperature hovered barely above ten degrees with wind chills approaching -10. But this was becoming old hat. I ran through it like nothing. And once again, my biggest hurdle was dealing with a pulled groin, but even that felt measurably better today. About half way through the run it began to snow just as predicted. As I closed in on the finish the snow began to accumulate. Through the afternoon Mindy kept me posted on the condition of her mother. The heart catheterization revealed a healthy heart but a clogged renal artery to one kidney (Renal Artery Stenosis). Suddenly, all the pieces were beginning to fit. This is why her blood pressure was so high and why the meds weren’t lowering it. It seems the kidneys release a hormone-like enzyme called renin. As blood flow to the kidney slows, more renin is released raising blood pressure. Good job doc! He scheduled her to have stent placed in the restricted artery sometime Wednesday. I think I can safely speak for everyone in saying that we were all relieved to not only have a cause but also a reasonably simple solution at hand. Nothing’s worse than being sent home with no findings. Mindy inquired about me picking the kids up from Tara’s but after she learned that I wouldn’t likely leave the office until 5:30pm, she went ahead and planned on doing it. Meanwhile, outside, the snow continued to come down. We had a little over an inch with plenty more to come. Word had it that there were accidents everywhere and the freeways were either closed or down to a snails crawl. As predicted, I didn’t leave for home until 5:30pm. Before leaving, I caught myself up on the latest addition to the Rina & Glenn soap opera. Geesh! I stopped at Home Depot along the way to take back $25 worth of closet project parts. While there, I looked for storage containers and fireplace tools. They had neither, at least anythign I liked. All of their fireplace supplies have already been replaced by spring related items. I decided to stop at Lowes which was right down the road before proceeding home. Lowes had an ample selection of storage containers and a few fireplace tool sets on close-out. I got a new set 60% of the regular price. I paid $22. The handles always come loose and fall off the current set. I hate that! I also bought three 50 gallon storage containers. By the time I left Lowes the heavy stuff was just beginning to come down. As reported on the radio, traffic was backed up everywhere. We had about 2.5 inches by then. Because of the traffic reports, I took the back way home – down Fishinger Rd to Old Dublin, and then through The Glen. Smart move! The snow was beautiful, and since the temperature was hovering around ten, it was extremely fluffy snow. When I arrived home Mindy, bless her heart, was already shoveling the drive. However, despite prior warnings from me about trying to drive up our steep snowy drive, she learned the hard way. I helped shovel as soon as I got home and walked Ykraps. Of course the toughest part was shoveling where she had attempted to drive up. But because the snow was so fluffy, even that came up easier than usual. We had it done in about ten minutes. Once we were back in the warm house we decided, because of the late hour, to forego dinner. Later, I made myself a plate of Tostitos Chips smothered in cheese and topped with sour cream and hot sauce. Once I finished off the nachos I rendered myself to the big overstuffed chair and did some reading until bed time. Passively, I watched the second half of American Idol.

Snow Day but No Snow

1) The news by phone is startling 2) As proof by the weather bug, we're in a deep freeze! 3) Having the blood pressure taken 4) Perhaps by premonition, I snapped this pic on the way out of the hospital Monday eve 5) This one too after they asked Gloria if she were pregnant 6) Minelli's pizza and red wine Up on time. It was 5:38am by the time my eyes met up with the stove top clock and I confirmed by touch that fresh coffee was ready. I choked down a vitamin and quietly went about my morning routine being careful not to wake “the mommy”. After all, this was Mindy's first snow day in two years, so she had designs on sleeping in. I was more than happy to oblige as long as the kids remained at bay, too. But as I later learned, that proved to be wishful thinking. It was -3 degrees and the wind chill, as predicted, was a bone chilling -18. Like many others, I was eager to venture out to get a feel for the “deep freeze”. Ykraps certainly didn’t seem to mind, but his leash did. His 16’ retractable extended but wouldn’t retract. He and I fumbled and tripped over it a number of times. Aside from that, it was a very beautiful morning. The sky was exceptionally clear and the stars were bright and crisp. And, of course, it was cold! Back inside, I leisurely went about making some coffee choosing not to make Mindy any. Instead, I figured that she would get her own once she got up and going. I made my lunch and fried a couple of eggs. I sat quietly and ate my breakfast enjoying the peace. I tried to make as little noise as possible while showering but that’s almost unreasonable given the design of our master bath. Mindy was wide awake as I finished up. She & the kids pretty much headed downstairs when I did. I warmed the Trooper at 7:40am and went back inside to make final preparations. Just as I was putting my coffee supplies away, Mindy checked her phone & saw that a call was missed from a familiar number. However, she was sure who it was. She guessed it was her brother-in-law wanting to share news that his ailing mother passed. She called the number and it was, in fact, her brother-in-law, Larry. Suddenly she let out a huge gasp and a look of serious concern came over her face. I waited to hear the news. When she hung up she told me that it was her own mother in harms way. Apparently she had just been ambulanced to the hospital for what appeared to be stroke like symptoms. As one would expect, Mindy wanted ot get to the hospital right away. But being off of school due to weather put Mindy in a difficult situation with the kids. She called Grandma Sharon to see if she would keep them while she went to be with her mom. She agreed. I chimed in, however, and volunteered to stay home and watch the kids. After all, I could work from home. That is what we did. I contacted work and made arrangements. Mindy showered then left for the hospital. Mindy called every hour or so with updates. Everyone knows that going in through the emergency room often lends itself to a long wait. Today was no different. Mindy said there was little information and no official prognosis, but that they had pretty much ruled out a stroke. She would be admitted but wasn’t sure when a room would come available. In kind, Mindy wasn’t sure when she’d be home. I understood. As the day wore on, I stayed pretty busy working from home. The kids wanted me to play but I reminded them that I really couldn’t abandon work even though I was home. As much as they could, I think they understood. As the morning turned to afternoon, I began to fidget over my pending run. I wished I had run while Mindy showered, now. Around 2pm Mindy called to check in. They were still waiting on a room, and she didn’t know when she’d be home. I let her know that I would need to run before our 4:30 meeting with Pastor Steve. She understood. This being streak week only added to the drama. On the other hand, the sub-zero temperatures affected me little, if any. At 3pm Mindy called to let me know that Pastor Steve had stopped by to see Gloria, and due to the inclement weather he asked that we move our meeting to Wednesday. She also pointed out that her mom would be moving into a room very soon. The cancellation worked fine for us. I now had a running slot built into my day. Jim was coming to get the kids for his usual Monday visit at 4:15pm. I would run after he left. In turn, Mindy would be coming home to see the kids before they left and then would be heading over to her mom’s to pick-up a few of her personal comfort items to help soften her hospital stay. In the meantime, I worked through the day with only a few breaks smattered in. Mindy & Jim arrived within ten minutes of one another – somewhere close to 4:15pm. I was already dressed in my running clothes so that I would be ready to run. After the kids departed, I dashed out into the bitter cold to complete my run. I was so happy to be running! And, yes, it was chilly. While I ran, Mindy headed to her mother’s. We would meet back at the house, and head to the hospital together. I completed my run by 5:20pm. Despite the bitter cold, I worked up one hell of sweat. The only trouble I had was with my groin, which has been hurting the past few weeks. It was worse today, however, I think because of 'ball restriction' which goes hand in hand with extreme cold. I jumped in the shower minutes after returning home. Mindy was still at her mom’s. I had time to shower, dress, and tidy up a little awaiting her arrival. Finally, near 6pm, she arrived home. She had a story about gaining access to the house. The garage door was inoperative and the screen door was locked, apparently by the paramedics. She had to do a B&E to gain access. We walked Ykraps together before we left. That allowed time for the Trooper to warm. We arrived at Riverside hospital at 6:30pm. All of Mindy’s siblings were still there. The room, 7101, was full. Call me self-conscious, but I think we must have stunk because no sooner than we arrived did everyone else leave. We visited with Gloria for about 30 minutes. While there, they came and took her blood pressure. It was still something like 190/90. Not too good. They also scheduled an MRI but had no idea what time they’d come for her. The nurse said it could even be in the middle of the night. I guess a good night’s sleep won’t be in the cards. In preparation, they asked Gloria all sorts of questions, most pertained to the housing of any metal objects on her person, which would cause major troubles during an MRI. They also asked if she was pregnant, had any tattoos, or had an IUD or diaphragm. That was pretty funny. I guess they’ve got to ask! We left the hospital just after 7pm, both of us hungry. After making our way out of the hospital garage we called Minelli’s and ordered a pizza for pick-up. Once home, we changed into our comfy clothes. Just as we both dig into the pizza, the kids returned from their evening with daddy. Bella was crying that she didn’t want to come home. I think that surprised Mindy, but kids are fickle! We enjoyed our pizza. Bella had some too. Jacob didn’t want any. After pizza, Mindy got the kids settled into bed. I helped with the tuck. We stayed up and talked a while longer, but not for too long. And by the way, Mindy learned just before we left the hospital that SWCS would be closed again Tuesday. She’s living a blessed life. We headed to bed somewhat early. We were in bed by 9:30pm.

Super Duper Sunday

1) The Super Bowl match-up 2) Prince - Purple Rain 3) Bears 4) Colts - I think you can tell who won! Happy 47th (ex) Kelly! Once again the kids were up earlier than allowed milling about the hallway and our room. I shewed them out once and Mindy again later. They were up and playing noisily around 7am. I rolled out of bed just after 8am. Our room still resembled a disaster area with all of the master closet's contents strewn about in various piles. The contents even spilled into the hallway making it unpleasing to the eye as well. I tried not to look as I stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen. The kitchen, while not as bad, was not in its usual order either. This put me over the edge! I needed to make coffee but there were a few pans and dishes in the sink from the chicken and dumpling event. In front of me looked to be about an hours work, and I wanted to exercise. Add to that mix a couple of loud children and we had the makings of an unpleasant morning. Mindy found her way downstairs as I stared at the ugly mess. She could tell I wasn’t pleased. In disgust, I put the mess aside and went about my exercises not wanting to look at it, much less clean the mess. I wanted instant order. The anxiety was mounting. I already felt that my weekend had escaped me by giving my entire Saturday to the closet project. And from my perch, every room in the house was amiss. Anxiety!!!!!!! After my walk with Ykraps I kept to myself at the PC not wanting to socialize much. I was in a foul mood. Mindy came in to measure my mood and gain some perspective. I decided to share so that she understood the source of my frustration and that it wasn’t her. Although, come to think of it, she was the impetus for most of the mess. :) She understood after I shared my feelings and went to great lengths to rid us of the problem. I readied for my run just before 10am. Before I left, Mindy asked if I was up for a hot breakfast upon my return. I declined. It was very cold. The temperature was a balmy 2 degrees and eleven below with the wind chill. However, the sun was shining brightly making for a beautiful day and an easy run. Barring the short time the breeze was in my face, it was like a spring day. And once again, I worked up quite a sweat. Mindy had made the kitchen whole again and was almost finished putting all of her stuff back into the closet. The house was almost back in order save for my own closet gear, which lying as it was looked like total excess. Beyond the guilt, I had an undeniable feeling of panic as I stared at the massive piles of clothes. Chaos and clutter often cause me to feel this way. But I realize, too, that the only cure is to get crackin’. So, get crackin’ I did. Slowly but sure I chipped away at the mass of material placing many garments I knew I’d never again wear in a separate pile to be donated to charity. About two hours later I was just about done with the re-org phase. I still had to order the charitable goods and find homes for stuff that had no business being stored in our master closet in the first place. I worked on that for another hour or so. Come about 4pm I finished up. My only regret was not getting a before and after photo. As dinner time approached, we collectively decided to have chicken and dumplings once again. So, Mindy heated the pot on the stove for about an hour, which allowed the broth to thicken resulting in even better texture and more flavor than when it was fresh. Before I ate, I took Ykraps on his evening walk. It was getting even colder as the sunset. Dinner was on the table when I got back. After we all finished eating, the Super Bowl was less than an hour from kick-off. We joined the pre-game programming in progress. The game kicked off promptly at 6:25pm. The Bears scored on the opening kick-off reminding us immediately of the National Championship game. And just like that game, the other team won. However, to say the games were similar beyond that would be misleading. It was a competitive Super Bowl and the good guys won! Tony Dungy was once a coach for the Vikings. That should help explain why the Colts are so good! :) The game meant a lot to Jacoby. Because of this, we allowed him to watch the game from bed. He hung in there until near the end but ultimately fell asleep. We knew before he crashed that school was canceled for tomorrow due to the extreme cold. Before we went to bed it was below zero and wind chills hovered close to 20 below. We went to bed immediately following the Super Bowl programming.