Fathers Day

I had a great one. I got to do just what I wanted, which was sing in church, play with the kids, and be left alone to do a few smallish projects outside on Sunday. Turns out the weather would have been great for my original idea of a bike ride, but i was much more productive by tearing apart the deck to fix a downspout issue, killing some mold on a portion of the roof over the office, and mowing the yard. All that rain has sent that grass into crazi-grow mode...
And, to top it off, we made Yesterdogs last night for dinner. And I think we found the solution to re-creating the actual Ultradog from the famous Eastown establishment. Hot dog chili.... I had forgotten that in all of the previous incarnations, it really sealed the deal. Finely-shredded cheddar, shredded kosher pickles and then the chili, along with boiled hot dogs and steamed buns... ohhh yeah. I had 4 - and was quite satisfied... That and a couple of beers and my weekend was complete.
Ann got me a new watch as a Fathers Day gift - I had been hinting about that since my old one, a wedding gift from her 10 years ago, was in need of replacement. Neither Clare or Addie could keep it from spilling out of their little mouths though, and the surprise was off... but it was nearly as fun hearing Addie blurt out "We got you a watch, dad" as we headed down the stairs for breakfast yesterday.. she's such a cutie.
The night before, Clare let a bit sneak out when she commented that a watch reminded her of something, I forget how she said it but it was clear it was on the tip of her tongue, and one look from Ann reminded her to zip it shut.... but it was too late. In a rare moment, I was actually paying attention and picked up on the slip right away. Funny stuff anyway -
Ann and I also got to see our first movie in quite some time, we enjoyed the new Indiana Jones movie Saturday night thanks to our impromptu babysitters in the form of Karen and Jock.
(Thanks guys!)
Being back at work today in the Elgin bureau is a relief from last week's fun in the main office, but it almost feels like a vacation just being here. What I really need though is some solid time off - a week or more to just let out a big sigh, turn the phone and email off, and just relax.
I'm looking forward to Door County around the 4th holiday, then some days off at home to knock out some long-overdue projects including the stripping of wallpaper and painting in the dining room. I also need to tackle some landscaping and finish off the playset in the backyard with landscape timbers and woodchips. I'm sure one or all of those will take longer than expected - but it will beat having to drive to Elgin or anywhere else for a week and a half.
Our trip to Grand Rapids will also be a blast, capping off the vacation time with the Hankins/Richards side of the family. I can taste the vodka tonic already... ;-)))