Thanksgiving was a success. There were 10 in attendance and it went great. I brought the grill over so we didn’t have to take up any room to get the ribs heated and everyone liked the cheesecake too. Sandy did carrots and they were good also, we had the turkey and there was a vegan offering for those who didn’t imbibe in animal flesh. We got home and caught the last of the Cowboy’s game and they won again! Although they were playing the New York Football Giants who are the worst team in our division. While still mathematically alive, there isn’t really an actual chance. No surprise, we knew this.

I talked with Ron and he said that Jim has vacated the building and that he’s ready to set up an RV site for me on the property there on Peach St. I’m kind of excited about that even though I think they got 2 feet of snow overnight. When I lived up there that was par for the course for the winter months. With the warming, not so much. I’m conflicted because it’s ridiculous to try to cool your environment all the time because AC will kill you but how well do I function in the cold? The point is moot for the time being, we’d just be summering there.

I’m thankful for life, it’s rough and not for the faint of heart but it beats the alternative.

After last night I was a little sore, not sure why, probably from hauling the chairs. Grabbed a basic breakfast sandwich and an energy drink and headed north to David and Keli’s place. Got there around noonish and spent the the afternoon in the pool. David, Keli, Johnny, Katie, Jeff, and Richard were the adults present along with McKinley, Madison, Evelyn, and Ryan as the cast of kids.

David made fajitas and I don’t think that the beef was done right in a rare miss for him, give him a minute and you’ll have the best you’ve ever tasted I’m sure.

Left there and stopped over at Tim’s shop to say hi, he sent us home with a rack of ribs and some chicken, more food than we needed for sure. It was good to see him, Amy, and TJ. It was hot today but it’s Texas in the summer, not a huge surprise.

It’s the third of July but the town is celebrating it today so we actually took the eBikes to it this year. I strapped a cooler to my bike and we threw the chairs on our backs and headed out, got there about 6:30 and sat in the sun for about 2 hours before the sun went down. We had water, gator aid, and lots of ice and water to pour over us so it wasn’t too bad.

It was a nice show, Professor D was playing and they put on a good show, there were a lot of kids around but it is a kid friendly place, it was fun to watch parents chase down the kids. The show was exactly 30 minutes like it is every year, I did hear the music this time and wondered if it played all the time and I’m pretty sure it did.

The eBikes were great for the ride home, we were able to navigate the pedestrians without too much issue and took the back roads and got home in a jiffy.

This is where my sister, mom, and I scattered my dad’s ashes on Father’s Day in 2014 (I think) so I’ve actually been here before. Prior to that, I had been to Glen Rose. It was a place where Dad took us and I believe a place he lived in his childhood. I remember swimming around the river next to the rocks. It all looks somehow vaguely familiar but I’m not sure, and there’s no one to ask aside from my sister who (given our young ages) should remember less than I.

It’s Presidents Day and despite the fact that the presidents aren’t really worth celebrating, it was a nice day. We started the day off getting the house cleaned up a bit which always gets me in a better mood. Then my friend Tim came over and we looked over the plantings and hung out for a bit. Then Sandy and I threw the bikes in the Xterra and headed out for a 10-mile bike ride.

Finished off the day with breakfast for dinner. Life is good.

19.55 miles is my new longest bike ride of the modern era.

Sandy and I went biking on the Cotton Belt Trail mostly. We started in NRH and went 8.2 miles west into Colleyville. I was mostly manual on the way out and then e-biked it back. A good time was had by all.

Although it was technically last Sunday, we all got together to celebrate Adrian’s birthday today. It also happens to be Hanna’s boyfriend’s (Mike) birthday. I didn’t realize that but it makes sense, I’ve already called it that Mike and Hanna are going to get married and his birthday falls on the same as her dad lines up astrologically. Not that it’s a real science but neither is religion and plenty of people subscribe to that…

I finally think I have a system to start applying to jobs en masse. I created a share on the NAS and will have a main sheet to track applications and keep copies of the posting and what resume I sent. I really need to pay attention to what I’m sending out as I caught a mistake on my end date for Think Talent saying 09/2013, so my end date was before the start date. That’s just bad. I’m paying special attention to the WGU placement services. I’m sure something will turn up.

After I got that done, Sandy and I took the bikes out and got somewhere around 15 miles done on the Trinity Trails. It was nice, Monday during the day it was deserted for the most part and we went from Handly Ederville to Gateway. Beautiful weather to be outside today. Even had a ladybug hitch a ride with me on the way back to the truck.

What a nice day, despite the fact that it didn’t get above 36 today, it was nice to go out with the family to celebrate mom’s and my birthday’s at Saltgrass Steakhouse in Bedford. We went at 2pm so it was nice and quite with barely anyone there. Sandy, mom, and I had the steak and potato’s while Cortney had the veggie plate and Ron had the fish and then we all came back here for cheesecake and Black Forest cake from the Swiss Bakery.