Selection Sunday & The Oscars

There are two events in the spring that Doug and I look forward to every year.  One is the Selection Sunday show that kicks off March Madness and the other is the Oscars.  For the first time ever both of them occurred on the same evening.  Thankfully, the first one was at six with the second starting at seven which meant that we could watch both.

Selection Sunday went pretty much as anticipated with no big surprises.  We were disappointed that IU was once again one of the first four out, but all of us expected that after we lost to Northwestern in the Big Ten Tourney.  The Oscars were a lot more exciting this year.  Conan O'Brien hosted them once again and was just as funny as last year.  Doug's favorite movie of the year, One Battle After Another, took home the most golden statues with Sinners close behind.  The lead actor prediction had changed in the last few weeks.  A month ago, everyone thought it would go to Timothy Chalamet, but he made a remark about how he had decided to become an actor because no one really went to the opera and ballet anymore.  I thought it was funny as his mother and sister were both ballerinas, but the voting community didn't like his comments, and the Oscar went to Michael B. Jordan instead.  In the end, Cal and I thought it was the best pick as he was very good in his roles as Stack and Smoke in Sinners and his humility was well known.  Doug, Cal and I also loved the tribute to Rob Reiner by his friends, Billy Crystal.  Even Barbara Streisand made a cameo honoring Robert Redford.  Overall, this was my favorite Oscars of the past few years and I was very glad that Cameron and Doug had fun watching it with me.

Uppercrust

Since we have moved here, one of our favorite places to visit as a family is Gainesville.  There is never a time that anyone stays with us that we don't plan a day there. Any combination of Kanapaha, Relish, the University of Florida or Swamp Head Brewery make for a wonderful afternoon there.  Today's trip took us a new place in Gainesville, Uppercrust Bakery.  We had never heard of it until last summer when Cameron, Doug and I saw it featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.  We had all wanted to try it since then and finally had a day to do so.  

The bakery was crowded when we arrived, but not quite the long lines that the morning would have brought.  Each one of us picked a croissant - chocolate raspberry for me, ham and cheese for Cameron and spinach and feta for Doug.  There weren't a lot of tables at Uppercrust, so we decided to take our food to Swamp Head where Cameron could order his first beer there on his own.  It was a beautiful afternoon to sit on their patio, enjoy our meal and watch basketball.  The croissants were just as delicious as Guy Fierro said that they would be and in the end, we were all glad to add another wonderful place to visit on our frequent trips to Gainesville.

Play Ball!

For the first time in a long time, I went to a major league baseball game.  When Cameron decided to spend spring break with us, Doug suggested a spring training game.  I was surprised by how excited all of us were about it.  I hadn't been to a game since Cameron was in preschool.  Even Meg and Nick kept the night open to meet us.

The trip to Joker Marchant Field was a tough one with a missed turn and a lot of traffic, but other than that we all had a great time watching the Pirates vs. the Tigers.  We ate some of the traditional snacks - hot dogs and peanuts.  Several in our group ordered a beer or two while watching and all of us had fun.  The Tiger mascot was a little dated and the Pirates pitcher took a ball to the face, but even those couldn't dampen the mood.  The evening reminded me of how much I used to love following baseball when I was in middle school and of all of the fun that we had taking our own children to major league games. I don't know if we will make it back to another game this spring, but after tonight, I decided that I wouldn't wait another 15+ years to go to another one.  

A Wonderful Lunch

Since I wasn't going to be able to go to this month's Lunch Bunch or even the CCW meeting, Robbi invited me to join her for lunch at Chicken Salad Chick today.  She also asked her friend Robin to go, and I had such a wonderful time with these two ladies.  The weather was rainy, but none of us minded as we spent several hours catching up on our family's lives and several items at CCW.  

When I moved here, I didn't plan on making friends with women from a different generation than mine, but I have absolutely loved hanging out with Robbi and Robin.  Both are grandmothers and retired. They have been able to give me some great life advice and have enhanced my relationship with God.  They challenge me to put myself first while still being an important part of my family.  Today's lunch was exactly what I needed, and I am so glad that I was able to make time to go before Cameron arrived for his spring break vacation.  

Armadillo

Doug was in Orlando last night, so I was a little bit nervous when my Ring doorbell went off alerting me that there was motion out front.  I don't mind staying by myself since I have a security system, but when I am awoken out of a deep sleep it does make me jump.  I picked up my phone right away trying to guess first what it was.  So far, we have had a coyote, several cats and even a lizard set the camera off.  

Instead of any of our previous late-night guests, I actually saw an armadillo walking across the video that the Ring doorbell captured.  My grandparents had had a ton of them outside of their home in Arcadia, but I hadn't seen any in our neighborhood.  Thankfully, I knew that they were harmless.  The video also answered another question that had been bothering me - "What was digging in my front planters?"  I don't know how I am going to solve that problem, but at least I slept soundly the rest of the night knowing that I wouldn't have to worry about lizards sneaking in the house with an armadillo on guard.  

Generosity Eludes Some

Recently, Doug's dad told him that one of the Nigerian statues that he gave him was worth a lot of money because it was from a specific tribe and was made of ebony.  When Doug relayed the story to me, I knew exactly what bust he was referencing.  It was my least favorite as the woman in the statue was naked and I found it extremely inappropriate.  Because of that, I had stored it with several other memory items that Jeanette had given us before she died instead of displaying it in Doug's room.  

I knew from the research that Nick and I had done when we were sorting the African collection that the statue wasn't worth very much.  I showed Doug the research that I found, and he said that he figured that it wasn't valuable.  The memories of the entire collection, however, did mean a lot to Doug.  It was the only memorabilia that Doug had asked his dad for when he moved into Oak Crest.  He didn't want to financially gain from the collection but wanted the pieces because they reminded him of his childhood and life on Rich Road.

Because of this, I was floored when Doug mentioned that his dad said that he wished he hadn't given it to him because of its value.  Doug wasn't offended which said a lot about his character.  I know that I would have been upset if my parents had done the same thing.  I am glad that Doug and I do not revolve our life around money, but instead our family.  God calls all of us in Deuteronomy 15:10 to "Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless your work and in everything you put your hand to."

A Lightening Scare

I got an early morning text from my Aunt Vicky with a photo of a firetruck outside of my parents' home.  Lightening had stuck their house.  I couldn't believe it.  With everything else going on in their lives right now, it didn't even seem real.

After an afternoon of no electricity and a few days without internet, everything was restored at my parents today.  Hoosier Tree had assured me that the tree that it hit was not permanently damaged.  It would only need some soil replaced around the roots.  Nipsco checked the line into the house and all was fine with that.  Mediacom replaced the modem that was taken out from the storm, and the electrician checked the entire house for faulty wiring and thankfully found none.  Even the 75-inch television that was first thought to be blown came back on with the restored internet. 

In the end, my parents were very fortunate that nothing more serious had happened.  I told my mom that I believe that this was a sign from God that they need to move into an assisted living home.  She laughed at first, but I truly believe that as do several of my children.  Life should be easier as you age. Staying in a fifty-year-old home is hard to manage for any of us, but for those with serious health issues it is almost impossible without a lot of help.  I am very glad that the house survived the strike, but hopefully, they will see that now.