Happy 82nd Birthday Grandpa Cutes

One of my favorite days of the year has always been March 27th.  Not only was it Granny's birthday, but my Dad's as well. As a child I thought it was really neat that they both had the same special day.  I definitely never forgot either one's birthday.  When I was pregnant with Meg, I thought it would be fun to have her share their day as well.  In the end, I was ok with her being born on Aunt Dolly's birthday instead.  I don't think either her or I would have made it if I stayed pregnant any longer than that.

Today, I thought a lot about my grandma and my dad.  They have both been such an important influence on my life.  Cal recently asked me what my favorite memory of my dad was, and I told him that it was really a collection of memories surrounding my time working at the radio station with him.  I absolutely loved that job.  From answering phones to cleaning out the record collection to working the Cubs games to painting the WKAM sign in 90-degree heat to writing down all of the requests for the noon show to running the booth at the fair to painting my car pink for the demolition derby, I loved it all.  The people that worked there were so much fun, and I felt like I made a lifetime of memories during those summers.  

Even though those days were awesome, the best part about my dad was watching him be a grandfather to my children.  The relationship that he built with them in their youth has transcended time and each one has a unique relationship with him to this day.  I truly enjoyed looking back at pictures today for his birthday post.  It showed him at his best and why they have always loved doing things with him.  Almost every story they tell from their youth starts with "Grandpa and I" or "Remember when grandpa . . . " I really appreciate that I don't have to tell them my stories for them to see what he was like when I was a child.  They have all gotten to live it and for that I feel truly blessed.  

Doctor Day

Since Doug is now commuting farther to work, we thought that it would make sense to schedule all of his doctors' appointments on one day. I am sure that it wasn't his favorite day of the year, but it was an important one.  When I made the appointments, I decided to space them out with an hour and a half between them so that he could also work from home. Thus, by 9 a.m. he was finished with the dentist and back home working. 

At 10:30 the two of us left for Dr. Aich.  It was the only appointment that I went with him, and I was glad that I did.  We had a lot of questions about his Vitamin B12 test results as the numbers dropped again and he was close to being back in the deficient category.  Our doctor noticed it right away and increased his number of shots from once a month to twice monthly.  That sounded good to us as we realized that low Vitamin B12 can create a lot of neurological problems.  The second issue that our doctor was concerned about was not on our radar, but it made sense once she pointed it out.  Doug's heart rate was extremely low.  That was rare for him, and she was worried that the propenal that he was taking for his tremor had lowered it.  She did an EKG to make sure that it wasn't an undiagnosed heart event, but once that was clear, she suggested that Doug begin taking a half dose of his medicine in the morning and then another half dose after lunch.  She thought that would help with the low heart rate.  I was glad to hear that as Doug had been extremely tired lately.  I never thought about it being his medicine.

Doug's checkup took longer than we thought that it would, but he still had time to eat lunch and work for a little bit before heading to the dermatologist.  Thankfully, it was only a five-minute drive from our home. He was happy to get in right away and glad that he went as she had found a spot on his head that needed a biopsy and took a picture of a few moles on his stomach that she wanted to watch.  It was a quick procedure, and he was back home and working before 2:30. Although, it was a busy day of appointments, it was nice to have Doug home for the day.  

Moving Right Along

With Brett's wedding now only three months away, the planning has started to really pick up.  Karen and Brett have been working on the wedding registry.  This month the two of them have also met with their mentor couple and checked in with the church's wedding planner. Brett has been spending a lot of time packing for the move as well.  Meg and I have been helping where we can.  She has been working on the bouquets, and I have been drafting wedding invitations and making Karen's shower gift.  I even got to try on my mother of the groom dress this week and absolutely loved it.  

When I look back at the planning list that Brett, Karen, and I started last September, I can't believe all that we have gotten done.  I also cannot believe how quickly the time has flown.  It seems like only last month that we were helping Meg get ready for her big day.  One thing that I am really happy about is that Brett decided to incorporate parts of Meg's wedding into his - the DJ, the photographer, the dancing, without duplicating hers exactly.  He's also been able to keep the wedding costs inside of their budget.  I definitely cannot wait to see how it all comes together.  

Great News

Before Cameron left for Spring Break, he had an interview with the Indiana University Sports Marketing Department for an internship during the next school year.  He was extremely excited about the possibility of working with them, but didn't want to get his hopes up.  I was 100% sure that he would get it, but once he told me that 250 people had applied and only twenty would be chosen, I did get a little bit nervous.

In the end, there was no need for worry.  Cameron was offered the internship last Friday and let them know today that he was excited to accept it.  Although the position doesn't officially start until next August, he was already looking forward to the opportunity.  He doesn't know the specifics of his weekly schedule but heard in the interview that he will be working every football game, may be keeping stats and possibly will be interacting with the television crew.  The specifics didn't really matter to him or I.  We were both just thrilled that he would get the chance to work with IU Athletics and find out if sports marketing would be the career for him.  

March Madness

Although I did make it to the CCW Nothern Deanery meeting yesterday morning, the rest of the weekend revolved around March Madness.  The first day of games was a little bit boring with all of the favored teams winning.  The second day brought more close games and an upset that most predicted when #11 seed Drake beat #6 Missouri easily.  Although Uncle Dan was bummed about it, Mizzou's loss actually helped most of our brackets.  Upset aside, our favorite part of basketball this weekend was watching all of the Big Ten teams win their first-round game making the argument for IU to be in the tournament even stronger.  Our beloved conference still did not have a top pick for the final four, but it was nice to have teams to pull for next weekend as well.  

One team outside of the Big Ten that we were cheering for almost got beat today.  Florida who is a strong contender for the national championship, almost went out in the second round.  We happened to be in Gainesville at Kanapaha Botanical Garden for their semi-annual plant sale when the game began.  After purchasing a few new plants for the backyard, we headed to Relish for lunch watching basketball on my phone.  The game was definitely intense, and when we arrived at Swamp Head with only six seconds left, we found the place absolutely packed.  Even with the large crowd, we could have heard a pin drop as everyone was glued to the television. Florida only had a four-point lead with six seconds to go.  Thankfully, the Gators held on to win and we enjoyed tasting a few beers while listening to Tom Petty before heading back home.

Happy 24th Birthday Meg

Meg turned 24 years old today. When I write it out like that, it seems so incredibly old. Sometimes it feels like time has just flown and she was in elementary school just yesterday. Other times it feels like she’s always been in her mid 20s. Either way, I am incredibly proud of the young woman that she has become and to be her mother.

I talked to Meg several times today. I was thrilled to hear that she and Nick were celebrating her special day with a trip to Michigan. They made plans to go to both Saugatuck and Holland before returning tomorrow. Pepperoni pinwheels, shopping and beer tasting were all on the menu. Our family absolutely loves Michigan, so I thought it was the perfect place for her to visit before she moved to Florida.

I also thought it was a really nice way for her to say goodbye to year 23. There had been some wonderful days for Meg including her wedding to Nick, her honeymoon, and her trip to California, but there were some really big challenges as well. It was hard for both of them, but in the end, it was wonderful to see that they had navigated the challenges well and had grown as individuals and also as a couple. 

Doug and I both look forward to seeing more of Meg this next year. We are also extremely excited about Nick ‘s upcoming confirmation and their move to Florida. It will be nice to have her close and I know that I will enjoy spending a lot more time with her soon.

End of a Wonderful Spring Break

Although I was sad to see Cameron's Spring Break end, I was very happy to spend the last day in Florida with him enjoying some of our favorite activities, shopping at the Florida Citrus Center and having lunch at Rock N Brews.  Both were a success as Cameron found several fun gifts for Cora and we each had a wonderful meal while watching basketball and listening to music videos. While Cameron and I were together, we talked about Spring Break, March Madness, IU basketball, his summer trip to Greece and the end of the semester.  It was incredibly nice to have time together before I dropped him off at the Tampa airport.

Cameron called on his drive to Syracuse.  He said that the flight arrived early, his new luggage worked well and the basketball teams that he had been cheering for had won.  The only downside to the trip was the guy who whistled on the plane.  That would have driven me crazy.  Thankfully, Cameron had earphones to block out most of the noise.  

I definitely cried on my way home from the airport but overall did pretty well.  Doug and I had really enjoyed the boys visiting this past month and I knew that I would really miss having company in the house.  Fortunately, I had several upcoming events to look forward to including spending the week of Easter in the Midwest, Meg moving to Orlando, our trip to Key West and Brett' wedding.  All would be a lot of fun and I would need time to rest before our next adventures started.  With all of the ballgames on this weekend, I should have plenty of time to do just that.