Rounding the Bases at Mudhens Stadium

One of my favorite things to do in Toledo is walk by the Mudhens stadium when a baseball game is playing.  The crowd, the noise, the restaurants, the lights and the references to Klinger make it a fun place to be.  Imagine my surprise when I found out that the Owens Corning softball game that Cameron talked about was played on the Mudhens field. What a great experience for the interns even if they got destroyed by the upper management that played against them.  Cameron even got to run the bases with his first at bat turned into a single.  I don't know if this internship will land Cameron a job with Owens Corning, but it definitely has provided him with a lot of great memories and skills to take into any position that he gets.  He couldn't ask for more than that when the summer started.  

JabberJaw

When Meg got Doug his beloved Six-Million-Dollar Man lunchbox for his birthday, she asked me what one I had as a child.  I remembered being excited about picking out a new one every year but couldn't recall any of them except for my very last one - JabberJaw.  I don't know why I bought that one as I wasn't a huge fan of the show, but something about it caught my eye.  I kept it for quite a few years as it held up very well being made of plastic instead of metal which seemed to rust right away.  

Last week, I found the exact JabberJaw lunchbox on eBay and sent a picture of it to Meg.  She responded right away that she would get me one for my birthday if I wanted.  I graciously declined as it didn't mean to me what Doug's lunchbox meant to him.  She asked me what did mean a lot, and then almost answered her own question before I had time to respond.  The childhood item that I absolutely loved were the "Moody Cuties" that I picked up on each trip to Riley to visit my brother.  I could remember vividly going to the gift shop and looking through all of the dolls closely examining each one before I made the purchase.  It made the trips hold a special place in my heart instead of being as overwhelming as visiting a children's hospital can be.  I was surprised to see them on eBay as well.  Thankfully, I did not need Meg to buy me these either as mine were safely tucked away in my storage tub.  Maybe I will get them out and display them next to Doug's lunchbox.  Either way, I am glad that these small treasures brought back such fun memories for Doug and I.

DIY Project Week

For the last year and a half that we lived on Sunset Drive, money was tight.  Cameron was in his final year at Bethany, Meg was a senior in college, and we had purchased a second home in Ocala.  I did everything I could to budget our income, move investments and even sell items that we no longer needed to help pay the Florida mortgage. 

During that time period, I also worked very hard on getting our home in Syracuse ready to sell.  Housing prices were on the rise, and I wanted to get top dollar.  I knew that we had several items that needed repaired or replaced before we could list the home.  I thought about calling a contractor to come in and get a quote for everything but decided first to see if there was anything that I could do myself.  I wasn't overly handy, but I could follow directions well.  I was surprised to find a lot of YouTube videos on DIY projects that I needed done.  My dad also had electrical and plumbing experience, so I asked him for help as well.  I was amazed at all that I could complete with my dad and YouTube's help.  It saved us quite a bit of money and help me to gain confidence in my own abilities.

I have carried that newfound skill to Florida and have been able to fix a few items in our home here.  I even found a faulty outlet after two electricians were unsuccessful and was able to add daisy chain repair to my list of things that I could fix.  This past week, I spent quite a bit of time working on a few DIY projects again.  First, I replaced a broken latch on our fence after a windstorm tore it off of the vinyl gate.  That went well, and I appreciated Doug's help with it.  After our success with the fence, I talked Doug into also helping me replace the fluorescent lights in our garage.  That definitely proved to be the easiest of our tasks.

The third project was a little more challenging. Our grout had never been professionally cleaned since we moved in, and many places desperately needed it.  I tried several different ways to clean them, but they were too hard for me. I finally found the easiest solution from Google Gemini.   In the end, the tile looked great but cleaning it exposed a flaw in how my baseboards were installed.  The water from cleaning the tile had seeped under them and the inexpensive board had swelled in several places.  After a lot of work, I finally got them sanded down and repainted.  They didn't look 100% but would do for now.  

I decided that I would take a break from any type of DIY projects for the time being. I was happy with my new latch and the clean tile but was exhausted from the work.  The best part was that I saved over $500 with both projects and had a week to rest before Cameron arrived home for a short summer break. 

Walking Buddies

One of my absolute favorite places to go to in Ocala is Sholom Park. I found it shortly after Doug started traveling here for work and I have visited it at least once every week ever since then. The park is absolutely beautiful and the perfect place to be on a hot day especially with their shaded walking paths. It’s also very well maintained, and I love to see all of the people out enjoying the park just as much as I do on my walks.

One of the best parts about the park is all of the wildlife that I encounter while I am there. Today, eight turkeys and one egret greeted me as I walked along the paths. The turkeys make me laugh every time I see them as they love the park, but hate being close to people.  Watching them run (waddle) away from everyone is just so funny. The pond always brings in some type of waterfall and although it is usually a grey heron, today’s bird was a beautiful white egret looking for minnows or a lizard or two. I know that a lot of town and cities have a nice park or walking path to enjoy, but I think Sholom Park is one of the most gorgeous that I have ever seen.  It reminds me of God's glory and how wonderful life is here in Florida.

Bachelor Party Fun

Cal sent us this picture from Bloomington this weekend to let us know that he was ready for Brock's bachelor party.  He also thanked Meg for the birthday gift as everyone except for Maggie loved his new shirt.  I was glad to hear that he was having fun.  The guys had already "survived" a boating adventure on Lake Monroe and were hanging out at their Airbnb tonight.  Tomorrow that had plans to play Chase the Chicken complete with a Colonel Sanders outfit for Brock.

All of Cal's plans sounded awesome, but most of all I was happy that he and his college friends were still hanging out together.  Not everyone has a friend group like theirs and maybe not everyone wants one, but they have all been an important part of each other's lives since freshmen year at IU.  It was nice to know that they still were supporting each other across the miles and now through new relationships.  

Benson Boone

Last year when our Spotify top 100 song lists came out, Cameron remained very quiet about his number one.  I wasn't really sure why as he loves music and always joins in the conversation when that topic is involved.  After a few days, he finally told everyone why he didn't say anything.  It was because his top song of the year was Mystical Magical by Benson Boone.  He did get a little bit of ribbing after that, especially because he claimed Cora played it too much when he had actually put the song on repeat last year during Little 500 weekend.  

With all of that said, everyone did really like the song and were glad to hear that Cameron attended a Benson Boone concert with Cora last weekend.  This was his first major concert and the two of them had a great time at it.  I loved all of the pictures that he took and his description of Benson Boone as an entertainer.  There is no better memory than a first concert.  I could still remember seeing REO and being amazed at hearing them in person. I know this will be one that Cameron never forgets.

Family Reunions

While Doug and I were at Dan's last weekend for a "Cousins' Reunion", Meg and Nick were attending the Yoder Family one as well.  I was very glad that they were able to make it as they had missed the last two years due to Nick's travel schedule.  They both said that they had a lot of fun and caught up with a lot of family members that they hadn't seen for a while.  

Meg's trip also allowed her to spend a lot of time with Grandma Jane and Grandpa Cutes.  Grandma was very happy to see her and Grandpa enjoyed watching the Simpsons with her.  Meg also made time to visit Toledo on her trip.  She and Cameron met at the Toledo Zoo and afterward he took her on a tour of his apartment and Owens Corning.  Meg told me that she really enjoyed her stay and was happy to have had a few days with everyone. I have been so glad that our family makes an effort to stay in touch and visit often even though we live miles apart.  I truly believe that it makes us appreciate each other even more.