Tag: celebration

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All or Nothing

Friday was good until it got bad enough to become good again. I stayed pretty busy at work, but struggled in the afternoon as the girls went looking for houses. I stopped by PetSmart when we got back to town, because I needed something to interrupt how I was feeling, and I got Muad’Dib a bunch of treats. Mark needed some computer help as well, so I stopped to see him for a bit too. When I got home, I managed to sit down and talk with Summer for a long while, and eventually we were able to agree that they would slow down long enough to breathe and catch back up from all the recent heaviness. We’ll give it three months without any more of that added stress, and focus on some therapy and heavy communication to see if we can maintain some momentum with our positive change. Eaddie came around and I took them to Waffle House for a late dinner, and we had a good time.

Eaddie was gone all Saturday, so I took Summer to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. They were depressingly slow compared to Old South, and after eating our food, we figured out why. We went back to PetSmart to use another coupon for some food, and then briefly stepped into T.J. Maxx before making it back to the house. We cleaned up a bit and stayed busy most of the afternoon until we decided to go to New China for dinner. I wanted to stop to see my parents on the way back, and Summer nervously went along. Mom had a surprising amount to say, and Summer came home upset for a while, but we talked a little more before bed and then woke up with clearer thoughts.

Summer got some Spam and I made breakfast sandwiches for the three of us. Eaddie left and Summer went to the gym, and I cleaned up the kitchen. Later on, we walked to Walgreens with Muad’Dib to try and get Summer’s prescription, but they were closed. I eventually warmed up some spaghetti for dinner, and at some point the day before we had started watching Wonderman, so we continued that in the evening until bed.

Document the process and build a roadmap to success.

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Let’s Table It for Now

Summer got up and made us a simple sausage and egg breakfast with toast. I started cleaning up the dining table so we would have room for cookies, and did that all through the afternoon. I tried my best not to just hide things away somewhere else, and put stuff where it actually needed to go. Eaddie left to have Christmas with Eli’s family, and Summer made some homemade dog biscuits, followed by cookies for us to decorate.

I eventually had a shower and took Muad’Dib for a run. Mom made duck soup, so I ate with them before everyone came over to decorate cookies. Noah showed up much later than he told us, and Eaddie followed. Dad came over a little after I got back, and we got to the cookies.

Dad left after we got tired of decorating cookies, and then Eaddie had Summer open up one of her presents. It was Phase 10 Tiles, which was a take on the original, except with little plastic tiles instead of cards. We played a few rounds of that, but Noah couldn’t wrap his head around the gameplay and we ended up quitting halfway through.

Noah and the girls opened presents after that, and it wasn’t long before Summer was ready for bed. Muad’Dib seemed pretty tired too. Eaddie took Noah somewhere, and then it was off to sleep.

It was like Christmas all year long.

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Simple Party

Muad’Dib had to wear his ugly sweater again all morning today since we had our Christmas lunch and Dirty Santa. He ended up sleeping for a lot of the day just because of how uneventful it was until the food got there. We had Colton’s, which could have been better just for being kind of cold by the time we got it, but it wasn’t bad. Afterward we just went around the table playing Dirty Santa. David was sat next to me, and Teisha had him start. Then it went all the way around and I was last. Shane actually got the toilet golf set that I brought, and he seemed tickled, which was the best possible outcome, I think. When it got around to me, I stole a returning “boss voodoo doll” from Scott, which had been re-gifted a couple times in previous years, along with a small handful of lottery tickets. It happened to be David who regifted that one.

The afternoon dragged on pretty awfully after not leaving for lunch. I sort of dreaded coming back home, but I guess it was water under the bridge by then. Summer and Eaddie were watching TV. I took Muad’Dib for a good run, and then I warmed up leftover pizza for everyone when we got back. The girls decorated the tree and I watched a little bit of YouTube as they finished up and went to bed. I started dozing on the couch, so I had to get up from there to go to bed myself.

…to shreds you say?

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In the Doghouse

Summer had to work today, so I got up early on my own and went to breakfast with the rest of the family that was still in town. Tom and Angela had to fly out immediately following that, so we planned to eat at Old South right by the interstate. They ended up being closed, but we had some good time to visit at Stoby’s before they left. Afterward we eventually decided to go to my parents’ house to visit later on in the afternoon instead of going to Petit Jean, because Cutie had injured her paws running around the day before.

I went home and got some little disposable dog booties for them, and people eventually started showing up at my parents’ house. I brought the Onewheel along, but didn’t really end up riding it. We sat around and munched on some food, then took a walk with the dogs back to our house, but bypassing the drainage basin. The booties seemed to work reasonably well, and only tore up a little bit.

More and more food came out, my parents started cooking eggrolls, and I think by the end of the evening everyone had eaten too much and still had a lot left over. I rode the Onewheel back to the house with Muad’Dib and then drove back with Summer so we could all visit and eat.

I was really achy and tired all afternoon and evening, so I mostly laid on the floor with the dogs. Muad’Dib would get super jealous when I would pet Cutie, but they both kept wagging their tails in spite of their angry growling. Eventually everyone left, but I had to meet Brandan at Kroger to return Cutie’s water bowl that they forgot.

Eaddie had gone to her father’s, but got home shortly after I did. I laid down with Summer for a little bit, but kept wanting to fall asleep. I got up, was assaulted by a barrage of Vine stuff after a dead couple days, and eventually got to bed.

Good boy!

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The Immigration Holiday CDV

I got up at five to start the turkey and ham on the smoker. It was cold and dark outside, but fortunately it lit right up without any fuss. I even managed to chop a block of wood in half to throw in with the charcoal. Summer got up after a little while and went to a race that was evidently not in Conway, but rather at the dam. When she got back, she helped me get everything finished, and we actually made it to the airport right about on time. Eaddie, Eli, and Cici drove separately, which was fortunate because we sent them back for things we forgot.

We had a steady stream of family coming in for a little while, and it took some effort for Julie to take control of the layout of all the food, but we eventually got there. There was a ton of food all over the place, and I ate too much, but wasn’t completely gorged. More than anything, I was just exhausted from starting so early and running the whole time.

I brought the Onewheel and rode around with Muad’Dib for a bit, and then Kevin brought his Pint out so the others could try it out. Brandan and Nikolle both gave it a shot, but I think Cici spent the most time on it. We eventually went back in for Dad’s magic show, and then Uncle Rick and Tom jammed on a guitar, keyboard, and harmonica for a while. We were spread out around the building, so I did a lot of wandering. Muad’Dib behaved wonderfully, but it was surprising that he and Cutie didn’t really care about each other. They played very little, but both just kept wandering and looking for scraps.

As things eventually wound down, Julie showed off her plane and then we headed out. Tom and Angela would be flying out in the morning, but we planned breakfast with them before they leave, and then the others wanted to go to Petit Jean. Summer and I got to the house and I cleaned up minimally so she could go to bed.

All Fridays matter.

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The Gathering

We grabbed Burger King and made it to work this morning through lots of sunshine, but it was still cold out. It was a short day with lunch from Marketplace Grill. I got the cilantro lime shrimp tacos, which were good even after the long drive, but just didn’t fill me up. They cut us loose at 2:30, so we ran home to find Eaddie making chocolate covered strawberries.

I took Muad’Dib for a run early since it felt too cold and tiring to ride the Onewheel to Point Remove later in the evening. He did great, and I got some rice from my parents so I could eat the steak that was left for me in the fridge at home. We got back and I ate, and then cleaned up before picking up Dad to go to the bar.

Tom and Angela were already there and trying to gather chairs, since they were absolutely packed with holiday visitors and trivia night. I saw Toby and Kyle that I knew from the schools, and more and more family trickled in. Muad’Dib and I went outside with Brandan to get Cutie, but she got way overstimulated inside with all the people, noise, and especially food, so he had to take her back out to the car for most of the night. I was really proud of Muad’Dib, and eventually just let him off the leash because he was happy to sit right by me.

We had a good time visiting, but it really was too loud. I hate the bar atmosphere. We parted ways, I dropped Dad off and got the turkey and ham, and then it was a rush to bed so I could start smoking early in the morning.

Good dog.

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Unbirthdays

We caught another, much larger rat overnight. Then, in a change of pace, Summer and I swapped roles this morning. She went to the gym while I did some work from home. I wanted to tinker with the server some more, and finally got everything wiped and the proper version of Windows Server installed. I also wanted to get Hyper-V running by the end of the day. Eaddie had a recital and some other stuff to do for school, so she was gone for the early afternoon.

Dad wanted to get pizza to celebrate his birthday early since just a few of us would be going to Hot Springs next weekend for Maxwell Blade’s final shows. We ran a little bit late, but I eventually rode Muad’Dib over on the Onewheel while the girls followed behind in the car. Julie and Kevin stayed home because they weren’t hungry and Kevin took a nap.

We ate, and then planned to go see Julie and Kevin. The girls had other things to do, so they went back to the house. I sent them off prematurely with my Onewheel though, because Julie wanted some time to take a shower first. I had Eaddie come back for me on her way out for the evening, and I took the time to dispose of the rat.

I took it back by my parents’ house first just to show off. Then I took it up to Washburn Park where I relelased the other one last night. This one was larger and seemed less afraid of me, because it would look around through the trap at me as my hands moved all around. It scurried off into the woods, and I continued across town to Julie’s house.

I just barely beat my parents there, and we sat and visited for a while. Kevin was mostly immobile, but seemed to be doing really well. Julie was doing well, but was exhausted from having to entertain others that wanted to check in on the both of them. I could relate, because for all the nice deeds, seldom does she have time to actually do the very basic household chores that need to be done. Sometimes some peace and quiet is gift enough.

We eventually left, and I made it to the house just before Eaddie got back. I cleaned up a bit, then tinkered with my server some more before having an anxiety attack and finally getting to bed.

Remoteception

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Birthday Boo!

We all slept a little late today. I didn’t see Eaddie at all because she was starting band stuff and would be out all night. I had a stomach ache that lasted from the early morning hours on through about lunch time, and it may have been from the greasy hog meat.

I tried to clean up a little bit, but was kind of scattered all day. I jumped from task to task and couldn’t really focus on anything. I keep filling up with worry and then don’t accomplish much.

The big event for the day was Grant’s surprise 40th birthday party. Summer went to the gym and I was going to grab some food before the party, but then Dad said they had spring rolls. Muad’Dib and I drove over to eat quickly before going to the marina visitor’s center.

I took the Onewheel with us so I could give Muad’Dib a run around the park. Blake and Mitch beat us there, and we stood outside talking with Robert and some of the other folks. It was a pretty good turnout, and a nice, quiet place to have the party. When Grant’s mom got the text that they were on the way, I had to put Muad’Dib in the car because of a “no pets” sign. Several of us recorded the surprise, and then we got to eating the catered Subway sandwiches while Grant made his way around the room.

Summer came ot get Muad’Dib after she finished at the gym, and they went on a run before going back home while I visited with the group. We weren’t out super late, and I stopped by the Neighborhood Market for some shampoo before getting back to the house. Then it was a quick night to bed.

Gross.

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Fantastic Fourth Try

I wanted to take Muad’Dib out for another early run since we’d be gone all day, and Summer wanted to clean up the yard a bit more after Eaddie’s mowing yesterday. Then we got ready to take my parents to Little Rock for some KPOT and a movie.

Mom drove us all in her car, so it was a little wild. Eaddie was stuck in the very back and got carsick, but she made it to the restaurant. This was only my second time at KPOT, and it was pretty frustrating. We were sat relatively quickly, but it took nearly ten minutes for anyone to acknowledge our existence after that. A girl eventually came over and asked if our server had talked to us yet, and it really seemed like tables weren’t assigned to servers, and she had just decided to take care of us.

The soup base came out slowly, long after we received our first order of meats and veggies. It took a while for us to get our soups boiling, so I had a plate of some fried rice and chicken nuggets while I waited. The rest of the food was fairly good, but it really made me rethink the value of the experience. I had a much better time on my first visit.

By the time we finished, we had just enough time to get across Little Rock to the IMAX for our movie. We were sat in our usual spots, but Mom couldn’t handle the giant screen, so she and Dad went back up several rows. We thought the movie was pretty good, but found it to be really predictable with very little rewatchability. I might sit through it if I caught it on television in a hotel, but otherwise I don’t know that I would ever seek it out to watch it again on my own.

The trip back home was just as scary, but we bumped Eaddie up a row. Muad’Dib was super excited to see us, so we took a quick run to see Dad before making it back home for a good bath and brushout before bed.

He does not want. He feeds.

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“barbecue”

I left around lunch time to get a free slush from Casey’s, and grabbed a pretzel and some free cheese sticks from Sonic on the way back. Then I got another slush on the way home. Julie wanted to go to Fat Daddy’s for her birthday dinner, so Summer and I met the family there. I picked up a third slush after dinner.

Muad’Dib and I went for a walk when we got home, and Eaddie left to spend the night at Maristella’s.

After that, only television noise.