Celebrating Cal

We have had a great summer having Cal home.  It sure seemed that he has enjoyed it as well.  He remarked time and time again on how much he liked working at Tippy.  He also was able to finish an economics class and still have time to hang out with Hannah-Marie and his friends.  We have even gotten to spend a lot of time with him.  Today he and I had breakfast with my Mom and Dad and her siblings and then went grocery shopping at Meijer.  He was enthusiastic when talking about his sophomore year and may even look for a job once he returns.

It didn't dawn on me until a week ago that one perk of Cam and Meg starting school so much earlier than I was that I would get to spend so much time with Cal.  He was here most days while I was cleaning and always had a story to share.  Through his encouragement I have officially become an "Impractical Jokers" fan and have watched more of the gameshow network than I would have thought possible.  We will miss him as he heads back to Bloomington tomorrow and were glad that he suggested one last meal together at Chubbie's to celebrate such a wonderful summer.  It will be strangely quiet once he leaves, but thankfully we know that he has become a great communicator.  We are already looking forward to visiting him over Labor Day weekend.

A Quick Trip to Bloomington

Meg and Cam had late start today and didn't have to leave until after 8 a.m.  I took Brett to the dentist and was back just before they left.  I barely had time to get ready before he called to say he was done.  Brett had finished packing the van this morning before his appointment, so once I picked him up we started our journey to Bloomington.  Traffic was light, but there were a few road closers.  They didn't delay us too much and we made it to Oliver winery before noon.  Brett picked up a bottle of wine and a bottle of cider for his apartment and I did the same for home.  

Our next stop was Brett's apartment.  It was a lot bigger than Doug had described.  We started immediately unpacking everything we had brought down and also the items that he did not have time to sort through on Friday.  We rearranged a couple of items, hung clothes in his closet and fit everything in his apartment with plenty of room to spare.  We believe that we shall even be able to fit the brown chair in a corner of his living room now.  We just have to see if we can fit it in the van on our next trip down.  

Brett wanted to eat lunch at an Indian restaurant on fourth street.  I was glad that he suggested it.  The food was delicious.  After we ate we walked over to CVS to get Brett batteries.  He then stopped at the comic book store while I got the van.  It was hot today and he appreciated a ride to the union.  I left for home after I dropped him off with the hope of being home by 7 p.m.  I would have stayed longer, but with school starting on Wednesday and Cal leaving for IU I knew that I would need to get home.  I enjoyed my day with Brett.  He talked a lot about several different topics ranging from his masters programs to social issues of the day to video games.  It was great to hear his opinion and bounce some of my ideas off of him as well.  

Guys and Dolls

Once I figured out that Brett was coming home this weekend, I reserved tickets at Amish Acres for Guys and Dolls.  Brett had seen it at IU years ago and really enjoyed it.  Therefore, he was up for another viewing.  My Dad also wanted to go, so we all caught the matinee this afternoon.  I did not know what to expect from the musical and thought the first half was a little slow.  Cam agreed with me, but Meg, Dad and Brett really liked it.  The second half picked up and we all thoroughly enjoyed how it ended.  Our next reservations are for Sister Act in October during Brett's fall break.  Doug may even join us for that one.

After we got home Doug, Cam, Cal and my Dad left for Tippy.  They had plans to play nine holes before dinner.  While they were gone Brett sorted through all of his clothes downstairs still in tubs and the miscellaneous items he had stored.  He then packed for his trip back to IU tomorrow.  Our plan is to leave after his dentist appointment at 8 a.m.  I am hoping to help him unpack and have dinner before leaving at 3.

My Mom and Dad joined us for dinner tonight after golf.  The guys had had a great time with Cam almost beating my Dad.  Doug said he started off slow, but had a very respectable round in the end.  Cal topped them with a 38.  Dinner was delicious and we all enjoyed spending the evening together.  It has been wonderful having everyone home for the weekend.  So glad that Brett will be at IU this year.  It will be great to see him more often.

Miles Lab

Cal had been asking all summer if we could go to Miles Lab, but every time we had planned it something had come up and we hadn't been able to go.  Tonight, however, we all decided to make it a priority.  Cal had to work until 5 and didn't get home until 5:30.  We had left before that to take Meg to a soccer get together in Elkhart.  Thus, he drove over separately.  While Meg was at her function and Cal was heading over we took Brett shopping.  He needed a new pair of dress shoes.  He and Doug found them at Kohl's, while Cameron and I were at Target getting groceries.  The four of us finished up by 7:30 and we were able to pick Meg up by 7:45.  She had fun at the get together.  They also spent time going over the scrimmage with Concord from today.

The party was close to Miles Lab.  Therefore we beat Cal and HM to Miles Lab.  They arrived just in time to order appetizers.  Everyone then picked something new to try off of the menu for dinner.  Cam and HM went for the gusto ordering a hamburger sandwiched in between two grilled cheeses.  Brett was the only one who stayed away from the hamburgers and instead tried their fish and chips.  Between my and Cam's sandwiches Cal will have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.   The food was delicious, but the best part of the evening was listening to everyone talk.  I so appreciated that they all wanted to be together and that they chose to have dinner with us.    

Home Again

I talked to Doug several times throughout the day.  Their trip to Bloomington was an easy one.  Doug drove the U-Haul and Cal took the CR-V.  They stopped at Cal's house first.  He did not remember how big it was and they were thrilled that all of the furniture fit without a problem.  Cal and Jayce have two bedrooms on one side of the house.  There are two more on the other side.  In-between are a living room, a kitchen and a den.  Austin and Jayce had worked on the outside deck this past week.  Cal said it was the perfect backyard.  They may even buy some outdoor furniture.

Once they unpacked at Cal's they headed over to Brett's apartment to unload his furniture.  It was also roomier than Doug remembered and we may even bring down the brown chair that matches the couch.  While Doug and Cal went to lunch Brett waited for the internet service to arrive.  They were at his apartment and had it set up before Doug and Cal were back with Brett's breadsticks from Mother's Bears.  Everyone was excited to be on the road before 2:30.  Friday traffic was expected to be thick and they were glad to miss it.

While Doug was in Bloomington I spent the afternoon at the doctor and hospital.  They took several tubes of blood with the hope of finding out exactly what has been creating the joint and muscle pain.  I also had to go to the hospital and have an x-ray of my left ankle.  It has definitely gotten worse in the past few weeks.  I am planning on taking a break from walking until I find out what is causing the pain.  I appreciate that Dr. Clouse and her CMA spent a lot of time with me.  I just haven't been feeling the best.  Hopefully, I will have some answers soon.

Doug, Brett and Cal arrived home before Meg, Cam and I finished at the Bethany School Kick Off.  Meg and Cam had a great time hanging out with their friends.  Meg was going to go bowling with a group of them, but we said no as she was the only girl that could make it.  She didn't mind, however as she had more time to catch up with Brett that way.  Doug had dinner ready for everyone once we got back.  It was very nice to have our entire family together again.  The laughter and the conversation were priceless.

U-Haul

Doug rented a U-Haul today to take all the boys' furniture to Bloomington tomorrow.  Luckily, Meg did not have practice tonight so she could ride with me to the truck rental place in Goshen and bring Doug's car back to Syracuse.  Cam decided to sit out of practice tonight as well.  His weren't mandatory this week and his knee was killing him.  I didn't mind him missing as it made our evening a little easier.  We iced his knee when he got home and encouraged him to take Ibuprofen before practice tomorrow.

Once Doug got the truck home we started loading the furniture.  It all fit easily with a little room to spare.  I didn't think that they would be able to get the couches out of the basement in one piece, but they did.   Doug said that there were piles of Cheez-Its that fell out of the couch when he moved it, which meant some extra cleaning in the basement.  It was well worth it, however, as we were ready to free up some of our living space.  They also took a few lamps, tables and dressers out of our house as well.  Now I am hoping that it all fits in Brett's apartment and Cal's house.  Guess we'll find out tomorrow afternoon.

New Record

I finished cleaning the main level this morning at home.  I was glad to get it all done.  The house looks great.  Since I was able to finish the cleaning I had time to get to school this afternoon and work on my room.  I wasn't thrilled to be there, but was excited to set a new record for myself.  I had my room completely ready in five hours.  In years past I had spent at least four times that much time working at school during August.  I could have finished even quicker except that my new teacher desk arrived yesterday and I had to move all or my supplies and reorganize everything.  I also had to set up my computer replugging everything in through the tiny holes in the desk.  I was proud to have figured it out without help.

While I was at school the custodians stopped in.  The new student furniture hadn't arrived, but they had tables that my class could use.  We had broken several of the small ones last year and they were glad to give us something newer.  I was happy that they were able to deliver them today.  I knew that  I wouldn't be able to get back in my classroom before next Wednesday, so it was nice to get so much accomplished.  Doug and I went out to dinner tonight to celebrate.  It was wonderful to sit down and relax.  The last three days had been filled with many hours of cleaning and rearranging.  I was definitely ready for a break and enjoyed the company very much.