Camp Crosley Week

Today we dropped Cameron off for his ninth summer of camp.  He sure had changed since his first year, but his enthusiasm for Camp Crosley had not waned.  I still remember picking him up after his first year at mini camp.  He was not ready to leave.  Three days just wasn't enough. This year he was assigned to teen camp.  I was nervous about it, but Meg reminded me that she liked it better than main camp.  His cabin was filled with boys by the time we arrived.  He picked a top bunk in the direct path of the air conditioner.  He did not know anyone in his cabin this year, but that was alright with him.  He signed up for wake boarding which will be a new experience for him.  He wasn't sure what other activities he would choose.  In the past he had enjoyed archery and paddle boarding.    I told Meg that it was always easier for me to leave her than it was for me to leave Cam.  He has always been quieter and I worried about him meeting other boys.  It has never been a problem, however, and won't be this year either.  I can't wait to hear all about his adventures when he returns next weekend.

After we dropped Cam off, Meg, Doug and I drove to Mishawaka for Matthew's graduation open house.  It was hot, but there was shade and the children had a pool to cool off in.  We stayed for an hour or so visiting with Jan, Jackie and Jennifer before heading to Grape Road.  Meg needed cleats for soccer and Doug wanted a new belt.  Doug found success at Kohl's, but Meg struck out at Dick's Sporting Goods.  She was able to try on sizes, which helped when we ordered them later.  We then had dinner at Papa Vino's.  Doug and I were glad to see that they had a lighter menu which gave us several options.  Cal even thought it was delicious when he finished my leftovers later.  Meg enjoyed her lasagna and made sure to let Cal know that he was not allowed to eat any of it.  They were still in a disagreement over who ate the missing chicken wing from Buffalo Wild Wings last night.

Love the Weekends

Meg arrived this afternoon from Bluffton.  She was very happy with how it went.  They lost two games and tied one, but Meg said that she played well at forward.  There were only fifteen girls on the trip so she was in the majority of the games which gave her plenty of playing time.  While in Ohio the team stayed together at a church which Meg really enjoyed, although they didn't make it to bed until after midnight.  Needless to say the soccer and late night left her exhausted.  That didn't stop her, however, from meeting up with her camp friend, Kaelin, as soon as she got home.

Joey had to go home last night, but Breece spent the night.  He and Cam played video games until the early morning hours, and Doug was surprised to see them when he left for work this morning.  Cam did finally head up to bed at 7 a.m.  Breece then slept on the couch til Cal came up to watch Wimbledon.  Instead of going upstairs he decided to lie down on the shoe bench.  By the time I checked on him he was sound asleep.  It was a first for the Heinisch family.

Cam wanted to go to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner since he would be leaving for a week of camp tomorrow.  We had a lot of fun with him.  Doug started a bonfire when we got home.  Grandma and Grandpa stopped by to check in with everyone.  Cal got back from work shortly after they arrived.  It was the perfect way to enjoy a Saturday night.

Golf, Friends & More

Cal got home last night when Cam and I were at soccer.  He was happy with the progress he made on the old house, but wasn't excited about working today.  This should be his last week at Tippy.  Hopefully, it will go well for him.  Meg had 7 v 7 last night.  She felt it went well.  She spent this morning packing for their soccer tournament in Bluffton, Ohio.  She was excited for the trip.

Dad and I spent the majority of our day at the Round Barn golf course in Rochester watching Cam play in an Indiana Juniors tournament.  It was a tough course with tight fairways and lots of trees.  The creek running through it made it challenging as well.  Cam played sixteen holes very well.  Number one and ten were difficult for him leaving him with quadruple bogies on both.  He wasn't too upset about it and felt his 95 was solid.  Dad and I thought so too.

Meg had left by the time we got home.  She texted later to say that everything was going well.   Cam had invited Joey and Breece over for the evening.  They had a fun evening filled with nerf gun wars, basketball, soccer and some video game time.  Doug joined in for the sporting events and built a bonfire for the boys.  With everyone busy it was the perfect time for me to go to dinner with Jen.  We had a great time catching up.  I have appreciated her friendship so much over the years.  Some awesome memories, honest conversation and a lot of laughter, I couldn't ask for anything more.

Change of Plans

Doug and I had planned to go to Michigan next week to celebrate our 25th wedding anniversary.  I had always wanted to visit Petoskey as it was the summer home of Ernest Hemmingway and the basis for his Nick Adams stories.  Doug was more than willing to go with me as Traverse City had been recommended to us several times for its wineries and it was less than an hour from Petoskey.   Earlier in the week it looked like we were going to have to cancel our plans.  Doug had a project due at work that he needed to finish before he left and an important meeting on Monday.  Today, however, Doug let me know that he was able to complete all that he needed to and the only change we would need to make would be to leave Monday night and return Thursday instead of the original Sunday to Wednesday plan.

Thus, while Meg and Cam were at piano and soccer today I worked on cancelling reservations and making new ones.  I was happy with our change in itinerary in the end as we could keep our room at the Stafford Perry Hotel which was in existence when Hemingway vacationed on Walloon Lake.  I also found a turn of the century bed and breakfast in Traverse City that was within walking distance of the shops and restaurants on front street.  Our Monday night stay would now be a Hampton Inn that I paid for using points from our DC trip.  It should be a great adventure and a wonderful way to celebrate twenty-five years of road trips together.

A Wonderful Summer Day

We all took advantage of this beautiful summer day.  Cal worked on cleaning out his house in Bloomington.  He was pleased to report that he put his couches out on the side of the yard on Monday and today they were gone.  He couldn't believe it as he felt they were disgusting.  If he thought that then I was sure that I would totally agree.  Either way, we were all happy to have that checked off his list. After cleaning he spent time dog sitting Winston as Hannah-Marie and her parents were in town for orientation.

Cam went golfing with Grandma Jane while Meg met several of her friends at the Chief for ice cream.  I used that time to thoroughly clean out the van.  It wasn't my favorite job of the summer, but it sure needed it.  Once they got back the three of us went to play miniature golf at Paige's Crossing.  Cam and I had never been there.  Meg went with her class in middle school.  We all had a lot of fun and for the first time ever Meg almost beat us.

Tonight Meg, Aaron and Preston went swimming at Grandma's.  They then came back to our house for awhile.  Doug worked until almost 7 p.m.  When he got home we went to dinner and then he and Cam kicked around the soccer ball.  I finally talked Cam into new shin guards which should work well for him this season.  The weather forecast was for hot and humid weather again this weekend, but today was beautiful and we all made the most of it.

As Meg would say, "I'm Done!"

The past twenty four hours have done a number on my nerves.  First, Cal left yesterday morning for Bloomington.  He had planned to spend the week there cleaning his house and setting up his new one.    He took the Civic down since it had air conditioning.  I reminded him several times to watch his speed especially since the car drives faster than the truck.  He wasn't worried about it, however,  and in all honesty I should have been either as he hdsn't had a ticket since he first started driving.  Around 2 p.m. my Mom called me to see if I had read Cal's Twitter post.  This was what I saw:

I called him right away and he said that he was on I-465 and just wasn't paying attention to his speed. I was relieved that the police office let him go and that Cal said he learned a valuable lesson.  He did eventually make it to Bloomington without further incident.

Later in the evening, Meg and I sat down in the living room to check in with Doug.  She had soccer questions for him and I was impressed that he actually had the remote.  Normally, Cal or Cameron had taken over the television by that time of the day.  As we were talking he flipped it to one of his favorite channels - Starz Westerns.  They were featuring a 1971 spaghetti western that he had not seen before.  Unfortunately, within a couple of minutes of viewing the western both Meg and I were in shock.  The scene Doug stumbled upon had three naked sixty year old men in a wagon.  Since they were covered we didn't think much of it until the main villain shot the cart and it went down a small hill.  All three men flew out and I was not sure that Meg and I would ever recover from what we witnessed next.  Fortunately, Doug was fast with the remote and flipped it to another channel before we were too scarred!

Lastly, this morning I went out to put a new ear of corn on our squirrel feeder.  I happened to glance at Cal and Cameron's golf net and noticed a chipmunk was under it.  When I investigated further I realized that somehow the poor creature had hung himself in the net.  I believe that I screamed more at that sight of the strangled chipmunk then I did at the old naked men incident, but it was close.  Cam did try to get the animal out, but it was completely embedded in the netting.  I appreciated greatly that my mom was able to help "bury" him after their golf round.  By then, however, my nerves were done for the day and I was thankful that the rest of the day was a quiet one.  

Twenty Down, Fourteen More to Go!

One of the reasons that I decided to quit teaching was to focus on my health.  In fact the plan was to make that my number one priority.  I had gained weight this year and the swelling in my feet had risen into my legs.  I was also having intense pain in my left leg and back.  I knew that if I didn't do something these problems would only get worse.  Thus, as soon as we got back from Bloomington in early June I laid out an plan.  I would work daily on strengthening my legs and back which included setting a goal of 10,000 steps a day on my FitBit.  Lastly, I joined Weight Watchers to start eating healthy.  

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started my quest on June 3rd.  I had had success on Weight Watchers years ago, but was younger and could exercise more intensely.  With the broken ankle and the arthritis in my knee I was restricted by the rheumatologist in what I was physically able to do.  I  didn't let that stop me and went into my health adventure with a positive attitude fueled by the new Weight Watchers points menu.  Chicken, fish, eggs, vegetables and fruit were now zero point foods.  Carbohydrates and sugars were valued at a much higher point value then they were years ago, but that didn't bother me as I liked so many of the other foods on the low point list.  

Doug decided that he would also start a healthy eating plan as well which meant that it would be even easier for me to follow.  Today was the five week mark and I was thrilled this morning when I weighed in. I had officially lost twenty pounds.  Since I started this new lifestyle I had stayed within my smart points and gotten in 10,000 steps or more every day even when we were on vacation.  I felt better and the swelling in my legs and feet were gone.  I had set my goal at thirty-four pounds and wasn't sure in the beginning if that was realistic.  I know it may not come as quick as the first twenty, but I feel confident that I can make it happen.