Tag: holiday

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Forth

Summer had a run in Dardanelle this morning, and I wanted to force myself out of bed to go with her. It started super early, and she had already made it out the door, but wasn’t in the car yet. I quickly got dressed, loaded up the Onewheel, and then we were off. We got to River Front Park with time to spare, so I let Muad’Dib take off on a wild run down the street for a bit. I don’t know if it was just the stimulus of being in a new place, but he ran like crazy.

The race started, and we found a bench up by the gazebo. It got hot and humid fast. Summer finished pretty quickly, but then wanted to wait for what she thought were door prizes. I took Muad’Dib to Shipley’s for some breakfast, and not only did she not warm up my kolaches, but she also gave me the wrong ones. We made it back and rode around for a total of three and a half miles until Summer realized what she saw were actually placement prizes.

We made it home to clean up, and I got some more laundry done. Then we went to my parents’ house to finish up spring rolls and then power wash the pool cover water bags. That took significantly longer than either of us expected, especially after we were interrupted by a pretty intense storm that passed through quickly.

I finally finished up and we went home for a short rest before we decided to go downtown to see the festivities at the train depot. I didn’t want to leave Muad’Dib home for several hours since he was already cowering from the fireworks. I figured I could drop him off back at home before the show started. We picked up Dad, found a spot to park at the mall, and walked to the depot. There was still a lot of room, so I went back for the car and moved it to the end of the block downtown.

We set up our chairs on the sidewalk to watch the band, and then Summer and I wandered briefly to see what food we could find. We ended up getting a load of food from what I later learned was Cecil’s food truck. He gave us one of our meals for free, which was completely unexpected and appreciated. I really never knew the guy in school, so it was a blast from the past to see him twice in short succession.

The band was pretty good, and it felt nice for a while, but it actually got gross and humid as the wind died down later in the evening. Eaddie didn’t want to stay in Clarksville again, so she came by to pick up Muad’Dib from the depot, and we waited for fireworks. Summer had a good time, but I was pretty disappointed in the fireworks show. There really wasn’t that much to do downtown, considering the crowd that showed up. Cecil and his crew ran out of food super fast, and there were really only two other food trucks.

After the show, we hustled to the car to get out, and I curbed the shit out of the rear passenger side wheel. Then we were still stuck in traffic for quite a while before we could get out. Once we did, we dropped Dad off and then went home to go to bed. Eaddie and Eli were watching TV in her room, and Muad’Dib came out from under the bed, happy to see us.

Everything is sticky, and I hate it.

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Gross Kids

Summer had to work today, so I slept in for a while before getting up to make a sandwich for breakfast. Then I cleaned the kitchen, and what should have been a simple task of loading the dishwasher turned into a gross food-dumping exercise with extra scrubbing. Not only were dishes left with food stuck to them, but there was just plain foods left in them. Eaddie eventually got out of bed and asked for some gas money, and I remembered that I didn’t pay her back previously because she failed to write her mileage down like I had required of her.

She left to spend the night in Clarksville, and then Summer made it home and took a bath. I had a stomach ache all morning, but it eventually settled down. I did some laundry and other cleanup until Summer was ready to eat. Then we loaded up and took Muad’Dib to Buffalo Wild Wings. The service and food were surprisingly good, and it’s been fairly consistent lately.

We stopped into Walmart after we ate so I could pick up some vitamins and minerals, because I am old and malnourished, apparently. While we were there, some lady and a bunch of kids came down the aisle. One of the older kids started looking for some iron pills, but was concerned about whether or not they were green. While we were standing there, she proceeded to pop open a bottle, break the tamper seal, and then start to put it back when it didn’t meet her criteria. I immediately got onto her for that, but they likely just moved on and put it down somewhere else.

We made it back home and I took Muad’Dib for a run. There were a few distant fireworks that had him on high alert, so I let him cruise on through the neighborhood at his own rapid, and possibly nervous pace. He skipped a different zig-zag through the neighborhood this time, and we went through the basin. We visited my parents while Mom was watering her plants, and then we rushed home. He kept hiding under the bed from the fireworks outside, so I really don’t want to leave him home alone tomorrow. Summer wants to go see them up close, but I hate the crowds, the weather, and leaving Muad’Dib alone. My pick is to watch from Mt. Nebo where it’ll be much more peaceful.

Isn’t pride kind of like, the first big one on the list?

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Quiet Focus

I felt like I slept okay even though my mind was reeling all night. I woke up around four and laid awake for most of the next couple hours, then got up and out for work. I forgot the power went out briefly yesterday, which messed up my clock. I was a little later than usual, but still there well before eight.

I had a pretty good, focused day after a bit of frustrating back and forth where our Aptean support just plain didn’t seem to be reading our messages. We still never got a real answer for anything by the end of the day. I had to fight with the laptop I had for Gary, since he decided he wasn’t going to be able to make it in person. I was planning to use him to test some of my recent policy updates as a part of updating for best practices, but instead I got to test something completely different.

The day went by really quickly, but I wanted to get something good for Muad’Dib for lunch since it was his birthday. We shared some chili cheese fries, chicken bites, and even a bit of my burger before heading back. It didn’t feel horribly hot, but it never felt like it got any cooler.

The rest of the afternoon flew by as well, and I didn’t even realize when it was time to leave. We walked out a little later than usual, so I just let the car do its thing most of the way home. Summer had a roast in the slow cooker all day, and Eaddie was having her birthday dinner with Eli’s family instead, so the two of us sat down to eat.

Afterward, I ran Muad’Dib to my parents’ house to help Dad pick up sticks in the front yard before they come over to mow. We didn’t stay long because it was warm, so we headed home and I gave Muad’Dib a much overdue bath. Eaddie had Eli and Mari over for a little while after Summer went to bed, so I tried to get things cleaned up quickly.

I finally got a copy of my new repair estimates for my car, and even found my original copies for the warranty work, but I know I had a check from the insurance company, and I can’t find it or any evidence that I deposited it.

Cheque please!

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Just Eat It

I didn’t sleep very well or very long. I didn’t let myself sleep in because I knew I wanted to get some meals in, so I took Muad’Dib outside and then brought some breakfast back upstairs with us. I was really proud of him when he did a great job of sitting by a table alone while I went into the other room to get food. Summer was slow to get out of bed, but then I slowed down a bit as we were trying to get out of the room. We ended up checking out right on time, and made our way down the road to Southern Tail for brunch.

Summer walked up to the front and learned that they were only seating people with reservations, which would have been nice to know before we planned an entire weekend around the event. They didn’t take any of her information, and instead told us to come back around 12:30. We sat in the car until then, but when I walked back in to ask about seating, I was told there was a wait list, and we wouldn’t get a seat until around one. That they the girl got my number and called us back in at 12:35.

We got seated outside as the heat intensified. It wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t fresh feeling. There was a pretty good band playing live, and the food was good though. Service was slow, so we didn’t have much for drinks, but it was an okay time. It might have been worth the price at a better season with some good company.

We headed straight home after that, and had a little bit of time to lounge before heading to my parents’ house to swim. The pool was surprisingly cold, and by then most of it was in the shade. Julie and Kevin eventually showed up with some Popeye’s chicken and we picked at a little bit of food.

I was completely beat by the time we got home, so I shut down quickly and got ready for bed.

What did you expect?

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In Memoriam

I decided to stop the iron supplements today so I could level out before my eventual annual checkup. We had brunch planned at IHOP for Autumn’s birthday, and we barely got around for that. Eaddie slept late while Summer had to go to Atkins to pick up Noah. Things immediately started going wrong.

The restaurant was pretty busy, and they were not prepared. A table behind us had some kind of drama going on, so a manager demanded that they leave. When they refused, he walked away saying the cops would remove them. Things settled down pretty immediately after that, and we eventually got our order in. Of course, it was a full hour before we saw a morsel of food, so we sipped ice waters until then.

Afterward, I ended up taking Muad’Dib home while Summer dropped Noah off. Eaddie wanted to go ride bikes, so I was tasked with getting out the bike rack in the heat of midday. I immediately started pouring sweat in the humidity, but we eventually got everything loaded, aired up, and ready to go.

We had a false start when my watch incorrectly alerted me that I had left my phone. We turned back before I realized it actually was in my pocket. We got to the lake and unloaded the bikes, but I realized I didn’t have Muad’Dib’s collar remote, so I left Summer with him on a leash and ran back home.

I couldn’t find the remote at first, and in the process, I dumped a full tumbler of water all over the kitchen floor. I mopped that up, dried my socks, and eventually loaded up again. The kids had gotten their bikes and started riding around the marina, and Summer was walking around with Muad’Dib. I brought my Onewheel since I wasn’t sure what the mood would be like after I had been gone so long.

Summer got Muad’Dib into the water and splashed around with him a bit. I was still hot and burned out, so I mostly sat from that point on, but I did take Muad’Dib for a couple short runs. Eaddie, Eli, and Ceci eventually came back around and hung out with us before we loaded up to go back home.

We unloaded and the kids went for more biking while I took Muad’Dib to my parents’ house for a brief visit. Summer started a bath for him when we got back, but I made it in there to take over, which upset her for some reason. She always refuses any time I mention that maybe she could bathe him, so I just didn’t get it.

I got him bathed and she helped dry him. Then I vacuumed a ton of hair off of him before finally getting to wind down for bed. Eaddie got home and took a shower, but then started to leave again. Summer was in bed, so I had to play bad cop again and tell her she needed to give their family a break and stay home to finish cleaning her bathroom and bedrooms, which have been complete wrecks all week.

Finally, I made a mad dash to finish up for bed, exhausted from the break.

And not one “thank you” was heard.

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Family Assembled

We slept in a while today after a long day yesterday. Summer got up, and I followed to make breakfast croissants. Then Eaddie got up and they spent the day together cleaning up the porch and assembling planters I had gotten from Amazon Vine. We originally had plans to have Mother’s Day with Eli’s family, but several of them couldn’t come down, so they wanted to try for another time.

The day went by pretty quickly, but it felt good to get so much done. There’s more to clean up, but we have at least a little more space now than before. We wanted to do something with my mom, but they didn’t want to go out to dinner with everyone else in town, so Summer and I went to Popeye’s to pick up some chicken.

Eaddie went to visit her grandparents while we waited in the longest line I’d ever seen at that restaurant. The drive-through was wrapped around the building and there was another line inside, but they did a fantastic job of working through all the orders.

We made it to my parents’ house, and then Julie responded that they had been napping all day, but they’d end up coming to visit. Eaddie showed up late as well, so we didn’t wait for her to eat. It was a good time, and then Eaddie took Summer home. I followed a little later and let Muad’Dib run off some energy before driving him the last couple blocks.

We ended the evening watching some of the Kevin Hart roast on Netflix, but we didn’t start early enough to finish it. I was proud of Summer for staying up as late as she did, but we had to get sleep before work.

Motherhood takes many forms.

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Mid-to-Late Forties

Summer decided to take the day off for her birthday, and spent the first day of spring break with Eaddie. In contrast, I went to work and spent a lot of time reading Microsoft documentation. Muad’Dib and I went to Sonic for lunch, but it was slightly cold and super windy, so it wasn’t quite as enjoyable as I had hoped.

The whole day kind of crept along, but we eventually got to go home. The car routed me off the Interstate early, so we drove by and saw that Zaxby’s was, in fact, permanently closed. I think we loved their chicken the most, so this was pretty upsetting, not to mention the fact that I still have some money left on a gift card.

The girls were gone when we got to the house, because all three kids wanted to take Summer out to dinner. I offered to go along, but Eaddie said they just wanted to go with the four of them. I rested for a bit, and then walked Muad’Dib to my parents’ house where we ate some bok choy that Mom stir fried.

We walked back home as it got dark, and Summer and the kids all met us out in the road as they were leaving. Then Summer went to bed, and I eventually trailed along.

Fewer and fewer breaks feels like living life in reverse.

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Spur of Thought

I really planned to have a Soylent this morning, but then I got super hungry just as I was getting into Morrilton again, so we stopped at Wendy’s for a small breakfast. Muad’Dib was super distracted and didn’t want to come inside, which left me shivering in the wind. We finally got inside and I continued tinkering with Intune.

Summer finished with her meeting early and wanted to meet for lunch, but I didn’t want to eat too early, so I had her meet me at the office. She came in to see Maple, but she was being shy all day and wouldn’t even come to me for a treat. We went to Ortega’s and had a really good lunch, and then I had her go by Ridgewood on the way home so I could try their pastrami special.

Earlier in the morning, I finally emailed Future Motion for an update on my Onewheel. It took them all day to respond that after thorough testing, they found nothing seriously wrong with it. That was exactly what I knew they would say, and I probably should have just disputed the charge with Discover Card first instead of talking to them again. They’re such an incredibly shitty company.

I finished the slow afternoon, completely forgetting about therapy until right at 4:30, so we raced out the door and made it just in time to wait another five minutes. I felt like our session was really good this time, but I didn’t realize how depressed Summer was really feeling. All I can really do is try to keep communicating with her, but doing happy little things is never going to be enough to turn this around for good.

When we got home, she put the cabbage in the slow cooker with the corned beef she started in the morning, and then we waited to eat. Once we did, dinner was great. Then her birthday present arrived and we set up our pair of BedJets for some temperature controlled air in the beds. Hopefully this keeps us comfortable and try, since she has a habit of feeling cold and then sweating all over the place.

What do you call a cow who tells dad jokes? Corney beef!

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Long Distance Pool Party

We lost power briefly last night, and I woke up gasping because my battery backup just doesn’t have any life left in it. I got back to sleep after a reset, and eventually got up to eat a leftover waffle. Summer did her nails and watched TV, and I got ready for my trip to the Springdale Pool Lounge.

I couldn’t find anyone to ride with me, so I made the trip alone. I stopped in Alma to charge, and went into Harp’s for some food since the pool hall wouldn’t have any. I got some pretty good chicken strips and a hilariously small serving of potato wedges, but it was all more than enough.

I got to Springdale about half an hour late after all of that, but it looked like they were just getting settled in anyway. There weren’t a bunch of people, but we had a good time and played a few rounds of some pretty bad pool. We were only there for about three hours before we had to give up the reserved tables, and then we parted ways.

I stopped by the Hawaiian Bros just up the road and had a little bit of food, but brought most of it back home. I had to stop in Alma again to charge for a little bit, and then wound down for bed.

Don’t get distracted by all the pretty lights.

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The Browns

I managed to stay pretty busy at work today, bouncing around in Intune and HubSpot. I also got my Windows 11 Pro license key delivered, so I was glad I hadn’t tried to get an update from Janice on account of how busy she always is.

There was a slight chance of very little rain, but it felt nice outside, so we went to Taco Bell for lunch. Muad’Dib did great, so he got go run back down the street afterward. The whole day went by pretty quickly, and then we headed home for an early birthday dinner.

I stopped by the old house looking for my Brown’s Catfish birthday reward, but it wasn’t to be found. When we got back home, it was in the mailbox, evidently having never been delivered before. I must have just imagined receiving it in the first place, though I did have another points reward that was delivered.

The girls, Muad’Dib, and I loaded up in the car and met my parents, Kevin, and eventually Julie at the restaurant. I let Muad’Dib run around a bit at first, but then he had to wait in the car. I wasn’t starving, but the food was good and I overate. I was frustrated that the girl refused to scan my reward card, so we didn’t earn any new points on the nearly $200 ticket, which still would not have been enough to earn another $10 certificate. She said to scan for points would be “double-dipping.”

Eaddie had a concert to attend, so we left there and came home to bed.

AND a credit fee? Get outta here!