I've been able to gear down a bit over the holidays, which has been nice. I'm going to pay for it, though, beginning next week because my calendar is jammed in January and February 2023, with three and two days trials at the end of each month. That's a lot and combined with my mediation practice, there won't be a lot of free time in the near future for me.
Joe is playing in a 3-on-3 basketball tournament in Franklin today, which might not be the smartest move because he's still coughing a lot and at night he's having trouble breathing normally. Yesterday, the pediatrician told us we had nothing to worry about - that, in essence, he had a cold. Still, when your son struggles to breath, it's concerning. Jude is going to see about renewing the prescription for his inhaler that we got a couple of years ago when he dealt with something similar.
I took JP, Joe, and Joe's buddy, Preston, to a Predators' game in 5 degree weather a day or two before Christmas. The walk back to my truck was brutal but the game was fun.
The boys and I also went to Fenwick 300, a diner in Melrose, for what turned out to be an unusual, but fantastic, early morning breakfast. Due to rolling blackouts caused by the cold temperatures, we had to wait a bit longer for our meal and I had to do without coffee but in the end, it was all worth it as we shared a tasty breakfast together.
Jude's brother and sister-in-law, James and Megan, and their kids, James and Caroline, left yesterday after visiting from Charlotte for a few days in between Christmas and New Year's Day. We were happy to have them stay with us on the back end of their trip, as Jude finally ended her Covid-19 run and Joe recovered from a Christmas gift of strep throat, his lingering cough notwithstanding. It's fun to have little ones in the house again because it just brings a different energy to everything we do. I like that and I miss it.
Jude organized a Predators' game outing for her extended family to celebrate her parents' wedding anniversary on December 27. There were 25 or 26 attendees and we all sat together, so it was a fun night.
The next night, I hosted James, Megan, and the kids at a Belmont U. basketball game. The kids loved sitting so close to the basketball court in our seats. It worked out great, actually, as a few of Joe's basketball teammates were there, too, and we moved them over to our section so everyone could sit together. James and Megan left at halftime to put the kids to bed and the rest of us saw a rollicking good game as Belmont defeated Bradley 63 - 60 in a game they probably shouldn't have won.
The weather warmed up after Christmas, so JP, Joe and I got a baseball workout in at Belmont U.'s baseball field at Rose Park. That's kind of a Christmas holiday tradition for us or so it seems. Somewhere, I've got photos from last year of Joe - shirt off - taking batting practice on the baseball field at Rose Park just about this time of year. Funny.
I've been running a lot over the holidays, which has been nice. It's been such an up and down - mostly down - year for me in terms of running consistently. It's nice to be over Covid-19 for the second time, not coughing, and able to bang our four miles without too much effort. My goal of running longer more often this year fell by the wayside earlier in the year but, still, I managed to run fairly regularly in 2022 in between being sick or injured.
JP and I ran together again yesterday, which was awesome. Four brisk miles down 21st Avenue and back on Music Row. Every run with him is a gift and yesterday was no different. A true blessing.
Joe's favorite Christmas gift might well have been the 5th row tickets to a WWE event (Monday Night Raw) that I got for him. It will be his third WWE event and he's very excited. His enthusiasm for professional wrestling hasn't waned a bit, which is amusing to be but not so much to Jude. JP's gong to sit this one out so Joe and I will have a night out together.
I've made an effort to watch a few movies rather than limiting myself to reading only, as I often do. The Tender Bar. The Color of Money (a rewatch). Top Gun Maverick (also a rewatch). A 30 for 30 ESPN documentary about Jimmy Connors' historic run in the 1991 U.S. Open to the semifinals.
I'm pretty sure this is Joe's last Christmas season to believe in Santa Claus and, of course, the Elf on the Shelf. It's been a bit sad, to be honest, because the Elf hasn't moved every night. Even sadder, of course, is the fact that Joe hasn't looked for the Elf every morning. There's that passage of time thing, again. Inexorable, always marching forward.
Last night, we watched Tennessee smoke Clemson in the Orange Bowl, 31 - 14. It was an unexpected end to an unexpected season from my standpoint. The Vols finished 11 - 2 and an eyelash away from the four team playoff for the national championship. It's been so much fun for Tennessee football to be relevant again.
On a down note and to cement the fact the "Blue Christmas" theme, after I dropped JP off at the Green Hills YMCA mid-week early one morning, a Land Rover Defender plowed into me as I sat at the intersection of Green Hills Circle and Hobbs Road, waiting to turn left. The whole thing was bizarre, as there was no traffic at all but the other driver never saw me as he turned left and cut the turn way, way too short. Thankfully, no one was hurt and may truck is drivable. Getting it repaired will be a pain in the ass, though, and not something I really have time to deal with. Such is life, though, and it could have been worse.
All right, with my coffee at Dose finished, it's time to drive down to Cool Springs and watch Joe play basketball. Jude called and he lost his fist game, 26 - 24. Here we go.
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