Tag: family

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The Kayak Hunt

We got up this morning and decided to go to Conway to hunt for a kayak. I texted Mom to see if they wanted to go to Sam’s, and Summer and I went to get some pork chop biscuits from Hardee’s for breakfast. She headed to the gym while I got ready, and then we went to pick my parents up when Dad got home from church. We went to Old Chicago for lunch, and the poor girl flipped my slice of pizza face-down on the table while trying to serve us. I don’t think I’ve ever had them serve the first slice, so it was a bit odd in the first place. I think I’d rather just figure that out on my own.

After lunch, we headed to Sam’s Club and wandered around. We ran into Steven there, and Summer and I started video chatting Ronda on Marco Polo while she sat in the car waiting for him. We didn’t buy a whole lot, but I did pick up a Bug-A-Salt gun, and I’m super excited to ruin some pest lives during our next cookout. I may even season some food with it. The salt. Not the bugs.

From there, we went to Dick’s to check out the kayaks. We ultimately decided to wait for a proper deal, so I’ll just have to keep watching online for a great price. We walked to Old Navy to spend some bonus money I had, then went to Marble Slab for some ice cream before heading home. We stopped for just a minute at Walmart to look at their kayaks before taking my parents home. It’s back to group projects tomorrow, and I’m less than thrilled. Vacation is coming.

Shop ’til you drop.

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Double Date with Folks

Work was supremely frustrating today. Amanda and I were sent to pull Ryan’s cables at Jason’s buildings, and even if it was unintentional, we had the distinct feeling that Jason was selectively assigning difficult jobs to others so he wouldn’t have to do them. I’m covered from head to toe in fiberglass insulation, and now my skin hurts everywhere.

I went to New China for lunch with Allen and Kristen, and we met Summer there. It was an interesting time, and Kristen wants to hang out with us as couples now. Life is strange.

The afternoon was finishing up the bullshittiest cable run I’ve ever had to do, and then Ben cut us loose at 4. I refused to let Jason beat me out the door, so Heather, Gary, and I all left a few minutes earlier.

I went home and started charging Summer’s Amazfit Bip before she got there to go swim at my parents’ house. Dad came out to join us in the pool for a bit until Mom got home from work, and then we all went to Ruby Tuesday for dinner.

CONGRATULATIONS.
UNITED NATIONS

Adventure Time!

Road Warrior

We didn’t have a whole lot of extra time for adventure today because we had to get back home for work tomorrow. We slept in after an exhausting day and checked out of the hotel at noon. I happened to think to check Craigslist for an Aeron chair since we were in the city, and I found a few listed at a pretty good price. The first call I made ended up not working out because someone else had just bought them, but I arranged to meet another gentleman that had some for sale.

Before that, we headed downtown to find some food. I got us into the neighborhood where we had eaten at a Vietnamese restaurant about eight years ago, and Summer picked out a Moroccan place called Baida. It seemed to be a family affair, and we were one of two occupied tables there. The food was great, and the guy that served us was super nice, though a little slow on the water refills. I had him pick us out an appetizer and my meal, and we chatted for a bit about food. It seemed like a cool place to become a regular.

After lunch, we went across town to meet up with the guy with the Aeron chairs. It was a super nice, older neighborhood, and the people inside were a super nice, older couple. He worked in furniture, and was able to get the chairs pretty cheap. I didn’t love the fit of the B size, and he agreed that a C would probably be a better fit for me, so I ended up not getting a chair. Not thinking about having a full car on our return trip, I asked him to keep me in mind if he comes across a C model in the near future.

From there, it was time to head back home. We made the rest of the trip with only minimal stops for gas, and then for TCBY in Harrison. I made quick work of Highway 7, then hit up the car wash before unpacking for the night.

He doesn’t want lovin’. He wants chicken.

Adventure Time!

STL

Today was the day for our trip to St. Louis. I picked the girls up and we headed up Highway 7 around 9. It was a pretty good day for a drive with just a little rain near the end of our trip. We stopped at the Cliff House Inn for some sausage biscuits for breakfast, then made it to Springfield to eat at Lambert’s for lunch.

The food there was awesome. Everything was cooked perfectly aside from the dry chicken strips, but the girls loved them anyway. It was a ton of food, and they kept coming by with more to serve at the table. Everyone got to catch some throwed rolls, and Summer even got a hubcap cinnamon roll as a reward for cutting loose with the fried chicken instead of a salad.

After that, we made the rest of the trip to St. Louis to meet Summer’s sister Beth. We got there a little late because Waze didn’t have the right destination, but Google Maps got us back on track. As soon as we got there, Beth locked herself out of her car, so we ended up sitting in my car waiting for a locksmith. It got me thinking that I should get the tools to take care of that kind of thing myself, but I don’t know if there are any rules regarding that.

Once we got her into her car and the girls loaded up, Summer and I made our way across the city to get to the Crowne Plaza by the airport for the evening. We got a pretty decent rate of but I was disappointed to find out there was an extra $10 overnight parking fee. The in-room refrigerator was also super tiny, and there wasn’t a good rack for the towels, so they put them on the shelf under the sink touching some pretty gnarly looking plumbing.

I started feeling a bit sick, but I think it was just being so full from everything I ate and drank all day. Hopefully I’ll be over it in the morning so we can enjoy a little bit of the city before heading back home.

What do you mean the continental breakfast is twelve dollars?

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Home for the Evening

Work was dreadful and exhausting today. Jason and Allen took the day off and left us to pull a ton of cable. No surprise. I ended up with Ben and Ryan, who ended up spending quite a bit of time fighting with some phone cabling issues with the change we were making. It was hot and sweaty, and my foot has been hurting worse from what I assume is some bruising from dropping my kayak on it last weekend.

After work, I felt so gross and tired that I wanted to go swim for a while. The girls just got home from church camp, so Summer brought them over to swim a while too. Then I picked up some Little Caesar’s on the way back to their place before coming home to prepare for the trip. At least they’ll have one night at home before heading out again. I wish I had more time to sleep though.

Gotta find the lobsters on the walls.

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The Long Shot

After a weekend of feeling how I assume this camel must feel, I took a shot and waited for Summer’s bus to get back to town.

Five hours of melting in the sun later, they showed up and I’m happy to report that things worked out. I’ve been bitter and cold for so long that I kind of forgot how not to be. It’s time to raise that guy from the dead. He wasn’t perfect either, but he was definitely less cynical, and probably a bit nicer too. At least he acted like it.

You’re dumb, and I hate you. Welcome home.

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Radio Silence

She said we weren’t good for each other. I asked for some time, and she said she would think about it until the end of the day.
But she had already thought about it for much longer than that. I just didn’t know it.

She said I hurt her feelings when I joked. I asked her if she would talk about things and work on it with me.
She quietly shook her head.

In a relationship that should be two people communicating, she chose not to communicate.

She chose not to work on us, expecting instead to fall into some effortless fairy tale fantasy.

If something is wrong, you have to say something is wrong. You can’t go on telling someone they’re perfect in every way, and then expect them to know that something needs to change. Some people are more compatible than others, but no matter what, every single relationship is a choice. Sometimes that choice requires a lot of hard work.

I wish I had been given a choice at all.

Thanks for your support.

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Premonition

We’ve entered the stage of heavy dreaming and suspicion. I find myself wanting to know absolute truths. Do I question what’s in front of me, or do I just let it go now without a fight? If I fight, is it worth the struggle, or is it best to leave it all behind?

I’m at a disadvantage when I assume the best in people. I’ve grown sarcastic and cynical, yet assume honesty and take everyone else at face value. I guess that’s my fault. Everyone’s got a story. I just wish it wasn’t so hard for people to share it sometimes.

I tried to separate myself this time as a precaution, and I thought it helped at first. Maybe it did. Or maybe it was my undoing.

Or maybe it’s something else entirely.

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We’ll All Float On

I tend to not let myself get too excited. It helps to mitigate the disappointment when shit goes sideways.

Only days until the finish line. I let myself get excited. Summer was finally here. We were supposed to leave for New Orleans today for the quiz bowl tournament. Not only was I excited, but I spread that excitement to my friends, and they were excited too. They’ve been asking me about our plans, and letting them know I wasn’t going was splitting myself open again every time.

I let myself get excited. Summer had so much in store for us. For the first time in such a long time, I was looking forward to the future. We were going to take a trip to Wisconsin to pick up the girls after their stay with her sister. It was going to be such a fun trip. I was so looking forward to it.

The support structure is here in full force. Hardy and true. Built to withstand so much worse.

But even a clean break leaves things broken.

So, are you coming to the game?

Traditions

What are Traditions: Mother’s Day 2018

I’m absolutely exhausted after today. We got up this morning and checked out the yard to get an idea of how to tackle it in the afternoon. Summer helped me get my 55-gallon tank outside for cleaning, and then went home to receive the girls. Once they got cleaned up, they came over with some Taco Bell before we started on the back yard.

It was pretty tough getting the girls to do anything. Autumn was particularly whiney about the whole ordeal. Eaddie was a little more willing to receive direction. Summer did the lion’s share of the work with the power tools while the girls did a bit of raking and picking up after Summer clipped the larger plants with the cutters. I managed the fire and did a little bit of trimming, and spent a bit of time cleaning fish tanks when we found some baby box turtles.

The yard looks better than it ever has, and I’ve got the wood piles mostly down to what I can manage to burn in a few bonfire events. I think I have some better ideas on how to tackle projects for the kids now too, but time will tell.

When we finished, the girls went home to clean up while I picked up outside. I filled the fish tank that will be used for the tadpoles, but didn’t have a chance to mess with the canister filter. The box turtles are in a box with some damp leaves and a tray of water until I have a suitable terrarium for them. I’m still not sure where to put them, though.

I went to their house as soon as I got out of the shower, and we met my parents at La Huerta for a mother’s day dinner. It went pretty well, probably in part to how tired the girls were. They wanted to pay for their mother and I was going to pay for my parents, but Mom ended up making Dad pay for everyone. I guess I’ll have to work on that, too.

Yard work sucks, but so does life, and then you die.