A Thankful Post

Every year in the month of November Brett posts a daily post of what he is most thankful.  I was honored today to see that spending time with me made his list.  It has been very nice to have both he and Cal home this week.  They add excitement to the Heinisch home in different ways which is appreciated by the rest of us.  With them here there is always something going on or someone to talk to about all sorts of topics from movies, to the Bears, to memories of days gone by, to thoughts of the future.

Today was a fun day with Brett.  We were able to knock a few items off of our to-do list and have fun along the way.  I really appreciated that he and Cameron went to see Crimes of Grindelwald with me.  I know that I was the one who wanted to go and thankfully, the movie was better than we expected.  Cal had an interview this afternoon and then hung out at my parents and Hannah-Marie's, so I didn't get to see him until after the movie.  I was glad for the time we had while watching the Bears and picking on Doug for falling asleep on the couch.  That seems to be our two favorite activities together.  He made staying up to finish the laundry a lot more enjoyable than it would have been.  I truly appreciate that both boys still enjoy hanging out with us while home from college or on our visits to IU.  I hope Cam and Meg feel the same way when their turn comes to head off to college.

A Day Trip

I had asked the Heinisch children in October if they would keep November 18th open so that we could take a trip to Michigan to celebrate my fiftieth birthday as a family.  I was glad that everyone was able to make time to send the day with Doug and I.  Cal invited Hannah-Marie as well and we all enjoyed a wonderful trip to Michigan.

The first stop of the day was Saugatuck.  I love walking up and down their streets browsing in their shops.  We were surprised at how many of the stores were closed for the season, especially Kilwin's as their fudge would make a perfect holiday gift.  We did, however, find a lot of shops still open including several favorites such as The Butler Pantry, American Foods and Glik's.  The girls bought jewelry that they really liked and I purchased a cream and crimson striped sweater perfect for IU games.  Brett didn't find anything, but Doug, Cam and Cal were happy with the pumpkins salsa we took home.

Lunch was eaten at New Holland Brewing Company.  Everyone enjoyed the pepperoni pinwheels as an appetizer.  Meg even made them her main course choice.  Cal was excited at first as it looked like they were going to let him partake in the Bloody Mary bar, but in the end they carded him ruining his fun. After lunch we walked through Holland window shopping.  HM was on a mission to find an ornament for her mom and with Meg and Cal's help she got a nice one.

Our tour of Michigan led us to Grand Rapids next and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum.  Doug and I had wanted to take Brett there ever since our first visit several years ago.  They had added on to it since we had been there including a wing on Betty Ford's life.  The museum was interesting and everyone took their time walking through the exhibits.  My favorite were the stairs leading to the  helicopters evacuating those stranded during the fall of Saigon.  Brett and Doug both first thought they were the stairs that Ford fell down which was recaptured many times over in gag bits on SNL.

Our last stop in Michigan was Founder's Brewing Company.  Meg wasn't hungry, but the rest of us ordered something small to sample.  Cam kept us all updated on the IU vs. Arkansas game which unfortunately ended with the Hoosier's first loss of the season.  The drive home was an easy one, just dark.  My parents met us once we returned, so that we could enjoy cake and ice cream.  I also opened my birthday gifts appreciating the jewelry, Mickey Mouse sign, pajamas, bird feeder and sweater very much.  It was a wonderful way to end a week long birthday celebration.

Bleacher Butt

Today was a tough one on my back as we had four basketball games to sit through.  Cam played in the Central Noble tournament this morning.  They won their first game fairly easily which put them in the championship round at noon.  Thankfully, there was an hour time period in between games so I could walk.  It was cold, but I had brought warm clothes so it wasn't too bad.  It was also a nice break for my back.  Cam's team didn't fair as well against West Noble, but Cam wasn't too disappointed with their second place finish especially since he saw the B team get beat by over fifty points.

We were home long enough to get a few items checked off our to-do list this afternoon including Doug's haircut.  Brett went to Huntington's for lunch with us and we enjoyed his conversation.  He was bummed, just as we were, to find out that it had been sold.  Meg spent her afternoon working on a paper.  She had two games tonight as well along with senior basketball pictures.  Thus, she had to be at Bethany fairly early.  We headed over around six and watched the Bruins win both games this evening against South Bend Clay.  Although my back was definitely ready for a break from the bleachers I did find the Colonial fans entertaining and finished seventy-five pages in Phantom of the Opera.  We played cards again once we got home.  Meg went out with Preston afterward and got home a little later than we did.  She was happy to have him back for Thanksgiving break.

Home and Flown

It was cold today, but I was able to meet Doug for lunch as there were no school delays.  I had not been to Champion before and appreciated seeing his office and taking a tour of his work environment.    We had lunch in downtown Elkhart at 523 Tap & Grill.  It was very nice and had a delicious lunch menu. Doug stuck with his usual Caesar salad.  I tried the turkey and avocado sandwich.  I enjoyed spending an hour with him during the day.

Once I dropped Doug off at work I decided to check out the Concord Mall.  I had hoped to get my steps inside today while shopping, but Martin's and Walmart didn't quite get me as many as I had hoped.  I was surprised to see how few shops were open in the mall, but I was able to get in over 5000 steps by doing laps around the perimeter and touring JC Penney and Hobby Lobby.  I wasn't the only person using the mall for exercise, but I was the youngest.  It was great to walk inside and I really liked Hobby Lobby.  I hope to go back soon.

I had enough time when I got back to Syracuse to unload groceries and pick up the house before Brett and Cal arrived.  I was very happy to see them and they were thankful for a break from school.  We had fun catching up and I was able to get a load of laundry in the washer before Doug and Cam got back from his basketball game at Westview.  It was definitely the most laundry that they had ever brought back.  I didn't mind and got enough done that they at least had clothes to wear for the rest of the weekend.

Cal surprised us all when he said that he had made plans to go with Jayce to Purdue tonight to see Cameron.  Purdue still had class Monday and Tuesday and they wanted to hang out in West Lafayette tonight and tomorrow with their friends.  We didn't mind at all.  I was just shocked as Cal hates being in the car and I knew that would make for a lot of driving today.  He said he was up for it, so after visiting with all of us and eating dinner he left.  The rest of us spent the evening playing "Oh, Hell!" It was a great start to Thanksgiving break.

Wow, 50 Years Old!!

Well, today was the day.  After talking about it for quite some time I finally turned fifty.  The number didn't really scare me.  I looked upon it as an honor, a milestone in life that not everyone reached.  I had big plans for today, and although a snow day cancellation changed them, it was still a wonderful birthday.

Originally, I had planned to meet Doug for lunch and to do some shopping this afternoon. The ice that arrived early this morning quickly changed that.  I did have time to get my walk in before it became too slippery, but driving to Elkhart at noon was out of the question.  I was disappointed at first as I hadn't met Doug for lunch more than once in the past seven years, but thankfully, he cleared his schedule for tomorrow so I could meet him then.  Cam, Meg and I decided the next best plan was to have Dairy Queen for a birthday lunch.  That quickly changed as well when we found out that they were out of hot dogs.  Fortunately, Penguin Point was not.

Meg had a project to work on this afternoon with a group from English and practice as well.  She left around 12:30.  My parents came up at the same time so that we could have an afternoon of Euchre.  Cam was the big loser on the afternoon, but he didn't seem to mind.  I ran him to practice once they left and Meg brought him home.  Doug arrived just before five and said that the roads were clear enough to go to Fort Wayne for dinner and shopping.  I was super excited as I wanted to go to Yankee Candle and Cam and Meg were more than interested in eating at Biaggi's.  We all had a wonderful night and enjoyed a delicious dinner.  It wasn't quite the day I had planned, but it sure was a special 50th birthday.

A Night Off

There were no basketball games for Meg and Cam tonight which was nice with a full schedule this week.  Meg didn't even have practice which she appreciated as that gave her time to go to dinner with her friends.  She has been having a lot more migraines than she has had in years, so the break will hopefully help with that as well.  Cam did have practice and they both had piano this afternoon, but overall it was an easy evening for both.

Doug and I went out to dinner once he got home.  We made it back for the IU vs. Marquette game.  They hype was big for that game and for the Michigan/Villanova rematch from last year's championship game.  Neither game lived up to the hype with Michigan destroying Villanova and IU winning easily.  Doug, Cal and Cam were all happy with that and remained hopeful for a successful season for the Hoosiers.  Cal said he planned on going to quite a few games this year and Doug and Cam were already looking for tickets to see a game over Christmas break.

Home Again

Doug spent the past two days in Toronto at a board meeting.  He had several presentations to give and had worked very hard this past month to get ready for it.  He was pleased with how they went and was also thankful for the great food that they had at the dinner and lunches.  He let me know that several members of their group were happy to see that they had Fresca to drink.  He knew that I would share that opinion.

The only part of the trip that was frustrating for him was his return flight.  It was delayed almost an hour from the airport in Canada.  Then he had to wait fifteen minutes for his bag as other luggage was stuck in front of it.  While waiting he just missed the shuttle to pick up the Pilot and had to wait another twenty minutes.  In the end it took him an extra two hours to get home.  Although annoyed by the delay, he was happy in the end with his trip and glad that the important parts went well.

Once Doug got his car he drove straight to Cameron's basketball game at Lakeland.  As the B game ran late, he only missed the first half.  It was a tough game to watch as the Lakers ended up winning by thirty-six, but Cameron played a lot and even had a three point shot hit the rim and fall out.  Once the game was over we all headed to Albion for Meg's game against Central Noble.  As her game started at six and we wouldn't be there before eight, I was hoping that maybe we'd only have to watch half of the game.  Central Noble were state champions last year and had two college bound players returning to their lineup, so we new it would be a tough game.  Unfortunately, the JV game also ran late with Bethany winning in overtime.  I was glad for the girls, but not sure that I could sit in the bleachers for another hour or more.  I did survive, however, and was glad to see Meg play in the fourth quarter.  It was another rough game, but Meg did well even in a thirty-seven point loss.