Thursday, March 7, 2024

Spring Break Begins

Cameron spent the day getting ready for his trip to Florida.  He didn't have a lot to pack, but he did have to walk to Brett's, get the van, fill it with gas, attend all of his classes and take a quiz at 6 p.m. before he left for the Indianapolis airport.  The trip got a little stressful once he arrived.  There was only one person working the TSA security check in, so it took four times as long as normal to get through.  There were people cutting to the front so that they didn't miss their flights which only added to the stress.  To make matters worse, one of the baggage scanners stopped working in the middle of the chaos.  I didn't realize that any of this was happening until he called me afterward to let me know that he was on his way to the gate with five minutes left before boarding.  He made it on to the plane with no problem.  The only issue was that he had to skip dinner.  

Once I saw that his plane had departed, I left for Orlando with a bag full of snacks in tow.  The trip down was filled with construction and semi trucks.  I didn't love that part, but enjoyed talking to Meg on the phone and listening to George Harrison music on the way.  I arrived at the airport at 11:25, but it took awhile to get through the arrival traffic and into the parking garage, so it was close to 11:45 by the time I walked into the terminal.  By the time I sat down to wait for Cameron, his flight had landed.  He was the last person off of the tram, but we were just both happy that he had made it safely and his spring break could start.

Thankfully, there was a lone McDonald's open in the food court, so Cameron could get french fries and a Shamrock Shake before we headed to Ocala.  The drive home was a lot better and I really had fun talking with Cameron.  He played a lot of music from History of Rock N Roll and told Andy stories just like Meg used to when she took the class.  We arrived home at 2 a.m. exhausted, but excited to finally be able to enjoy our week together.

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

One Day More

I talked to Cameron for awhile this afternoon.  He filled me in on his presentation on the Coke Company in Business Presentations class.  It sounded super interesting and I was glad to hear that it went well.  We went over his packing list for his trip to Florida and his weekend in Syracuse afterward.  He didn't need to bring a lot as we had almost everything here that he would need.  He was very excited to have only one day left before Spring Break.  I was incredibly happy to hear him say that he was really looking forward to spending time with us in Ocala. 

When we found out that we would have to move, I wasn't sure how it would work out with us in two different states, but so far it has gone very well.  We have still been able to see Cameron monthly just as we did the other Heinisch children.  I talk to him almost daily and he has Brett close by if he needs a family member.  It has also helped that about half of his friends at IU are from out of state.  They are all  adjusting to their first time living far away from home as well.  In fact one of Cameron's friends is flying to California tomorrow night out of Indy at the same time that he is.  He should have someone to keep him company and eat dinner with before he boards the flight.  Overall, I couldn't be more pleased with how well Cameron's transition to college has gone and am looking forward to spending the week with him soon.  

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

The Tax Man Cometh

Tonight, Meg and I finished her taxes, thus completing the Heinisch family taxes for another year.  Meg's were the easiest, so it was a great way to end.  Cameron and Brett's were also pretty easy, but since this was Cameron's first year filing taxes and Brett's company was sold, we had to double check all of their entries.  Doug and mine were more complicated than in years past because we sold the house and lot, moved, opened several new accounts, calculated the best amount for us to contribute to my IRA to get the maximum refund and researched extensively to see if we could get a credit for our new energy efficient air conditioner.  Cal's were the hardest, however, as he bought and sold stocks and bitcoin this year both giving him a capital loss.  That was new to both of us, but we figured it out before he filed.  

In the end there were so many positives this year that tax season was a lot better than in the past.  First, this should be the last year that any of us have to file in two different states for awhile.  Second, each one of us got a refund with Meg earning the most due to the college tuition credit that she received this year.  Lastly, I learned a lot this year that really helped out our family.  It felt very nice to be a contributor to our family's success over this  past year.   

Monday, March 4, 2024

Reading

I figured out today that I have read five books since we moved to Florida in August.  I definitely felt proud when I realized it this afternoon.  Devoting more time to reading was one of my goals when we moved.  It had been the one thing in my life that I had really been missing.  Life had been too busy in Syracuse and I just didn't have much free time to read.  Even when I did have time, I didn't feel like concentrating on anything besides relaxing.  It has been very nice these past few months to read before I go to bed instead of playing Candy Crush.  I have enjoyed some books more than others, but that hasn't mattered to me. My body needed the rest.  My mind needed the relaxation.  What a wonderful way to enjoy the extra time that I have found by slowing down our pace of life.  

Sunday, March 3, 2024

A Stange Feeling

My parents called last week to let me know that one of my classmates had died when the car he was driving was hit by a train.  I didn't know what to say except I was sad to hear that.  I hadn't seen him since our 20 year class reunion and had lost touch with where he was or what he was doing.  It was weird to think that someone that had been so incredibly important to my life while I was growing up was a stranger now.  

I thought a lot this week about that the reality that my childhood was more of a dream than a reality.  Memories ebbed, flowed and ran together.  There was so much that I hadn't thought about in years.  I shared some of those reminisces with Doug while we were on a long walk on Sunday.  It was more of a story than a part of my life anymore.  I felt bad that the life of someone that I knew long ago had ended in a tragic way.  I was sure that it would be a hardship on his family, but realized that it didn't really affect me except for the sadness that I felt for those who were mourning his loss.  I knew that thirteen year old me would never believe that there was life beyond middle school.  It was amazing to think that there ever was a younger me that didn't know Doug or wasn't the mom of the Heinisch four.  The reality was that I enjoyed my life now more than I ever did then. It wasn't because it was horrible then, but because I loved my life now.  Guess that's why I am always looking forward and never back.  

Saturday, March 2, 2024

Florida Festivals

One thing that we have noticed since we moved to Florida is all of the festivals.  It seems like there's at least one every week in our area and sometimes many more.  They aren't always in Ocala, but almost all are within driving distance.  We have tried a few since the fall.  Some have been great while others have been a bust.  When we didn't have any set plans this weekend, Doug asked to see the list of local events that I had found on the Ocala city website.  There were actually quite a few to chose from on the list.

The first one that we talked about was Swamp Fest at Swamp Head Brewery celebrating their sixteen years in business.  It looked tempting, but we knew that it would be packed with very limited parking.  We decided to pass on that one.  The next one had a theme that seemed to be in abundance around here - Strawberry Festival.  Both Doug and I were allergic to the fruit and all of those theme festivals looked like a county fair.  Thus, we decided to pass on any with strawberry in the title.  The one that caught both of our eyes was the Greek Festival at a Greek Orthodox Church in Belleview.  

We weren't sure what to expect when we pulled into the church twenty minutes from our home.  There were already a lot of cars parked in the grass outside of the church with a big bouncy house and a tent in the backyard.  The church hall was full of tables and vendors selling jewelry, crafts and antiques.  There was a band playing Greek music and the cafeteria was serving traditional Greek food.  Doug picked out a Greek beer to try before we headed outside to check out that area as well.  We each found some food to try - a Gyro for Doug and a Splolaita for me.  We also learned about two other Greek drinks, Ouzo and Mextaca, but didn't try either of those.  We ate inside and listened to the music.  While we were eating, the guitarist jumped up on a table and started playing.  It was really neat to see him do that and we both enjoyed it very much, although Doug was positive that the table was going to tip over.  Thankfully, it did not and we stayed for awhile once the band was finished doing a little bit of shopping.  I found a really beautiful dragonfly necklace to bring home.  It was a fun way to spend an afternoon and I was thankful that we tried it.  




Friday, March 1, 2024

The Arm of St. Jude

Several weeks ago, I read in our church bulletin that the Arm of St. Jude relic was coming to our parish.  I didn't know a lot about it, but was very interested in seeing it.  The next day, the church called to see if I would help sell souvenirs at the event.  I thought that would be a great way to support the church and would give me a chance to be involved.  

I arrived today at 12:30 for my shift, a little nervous as I didn't know what to expect.  When I walked into the church, they were just starting to set up for today's exhibition.  The entourage accompanying the relic had gotten stuck in an hour's worth of traffic.  I didn't mind the lateness as I really enjoyed watching the process.  It felt like they were getting ready for a rock concert.  There was center stage to unpack, banners to be hung and souvenir tables to get ready.  The men from the church working this afternoon even reminded me of a road crew.

It didn't take very long, but because we had to wait an hour to begin helping, the priest in charge of the relic allowed us to ask for a blessing from St. Jude before other parishioners arrived.  Hearing the priest talk about St. Jude knowing that the relic was on display in our church was awe inspiring.  Jude Thaddeus was the first cousin to Jesus.  The priest reminded us several times that the bone on display had been part of the arm that had hugged Jesus and Mary many times.  I was amazed.  It was the first time that I had thought of Jesus as a real person and not just the Son of God.  

I spent the rest of the afternoon working the souvenir table and had a lot of fun.  It reminded me of my days at the garage sale as I had to add all of the merchandise in my head and make change quickly.  It was also packed as there were a lot of people buying souvenirs to take with them during their time of veneration with St. Jude.  By the time that I had left with my own remembrances of the day, I know that I had watched at least five hundred people file through the church.  I could not stop talking about the experience when I picked up Doug from work.  I was excited to share it with my children as well.  What a wonderful way to spend the day, one that I will long remember.