New Furniture Shopping

I noticed a few weeks ago that Doug's armchair was getting pretty dirty.  The main section was fine, but the arms looked downright filthy.  I tried to clean them, but it didn't help very much.  I asked him what he thought about getting a new chair.  He still liked the one that I got him when we bought the house but agreed that it was probably time to start looking.  Once Meg saw the chair, she was all in for us replacing it.  I definitely was ready.  Doug's chair had served a nice purpose these past few years but had outlived its lifespan.  

I had purchased Doug's chair on Amazon but didn't really want to use them again.  We got lucky with his as it was the perfect firmness for Doug, but I thought it was too big of a risk to try buying online again.  I also thought that we might get better quality from a furniture store.  Doug and I spent this afternoon shopping for chairs.  We stopped at Ashley Furniture first.  It had the perfect set of barrel chairs complete with a marble table, but I was worried about the color matching our couch.  I was more than ok with getting rid of my armchair but really didn't want to buy a couch as well.  Our next stop was Rooms to Go.  They had a lot more chairs to choose from, but the prices were more expensive, and I didn't like any of their chairs better than the set at Ashley.  

In the end, Doug and I decided to wait.  We used Google Gemini to place the green chairs in our living room and liked how they looked.  We just weren't sold on the color.  Maybe we will go and look after Cameron visits.  Either way, it was fun to window shop today and start thinking about new furniture.  

A Job Offer

Last week, Cameron gave his final presentation to the Supply Chain Department at Owens Corning. He was very happy with how well it went and was pleased with all of the compliments that he received. This week, he interviewed for a position with their development program. He had met with several members of the steering team for help and had spent a lot of time over the weekend preparing for the interview. By Tuesday, the stress level was at an all-time high. There were seven interns vying for four positions in the Supply Chain Department. He felt that he had a good chance of receiving an offer but wasn’t 100% sure. 

This morning at 8:30, Cameron had an appointment with his intern coordinator. I had told him last night that no matter what he heard at this meeting, we were extremely proud of him and that the skills he had learned at his internship with Owens Corning would serve him well wherever he ended up getting a job. Thankfully, Cameron no longer needs to search for a job. Owens Corning made him a fantastic offer that he plans to accept once he reads through the contract with his dad next week. I was extremely pleased for him. The job market is tight right now with a lot of layoffs. Cameron doesn't have to worry about that and knows that for the next three years he will be employed with a company that has made a commitment to develop him. At the end of that time period, he will be able to apply for a position within Owens Corning that would suit his talents. He doesn’t know yet where he’ll be for the first year as they take tow 6-month rotations at a plant somewhere in the US. I secretly hope it’s Ocala or Tampa but realize that that’s a longshot. No matter where he ends up next June, we are absolutely thrilled for him and very happy that he took advantage of all that Owens Corning had to offer this summer. It proved to be the difference in getting hired or not. 

A Helpful Surprise

When Doug visited with his dad a couple of weeks ago, he mentioned to him that he may have to retire earlier than planned because of his Parkinson’s diagnosis. His dad asked if Doug was still able to stay with Meg a few days a week and if overall, he was feeling healthy.  Carl was relieved to hear yes to both of those questions. At the end of the conversation, Doug talked to his dad about taking some of his inheritance early, so we could pay off the Pilot and our house in the next couple of years. That would really help Doug's new retirement plan.  Since the Pilot had a larger interest rate on its loan as compared to our mortgage, Doug asked about help with that first. I was a little surprised to hear that Doug‘s dad was very receptive to it. In the past this topic had led to hurt feelings. I was glad that they were able to talk about it rationally and that Doug’s dad was prioritizing Doug’s health. 

Even though Carl had told Doug that he was going to help, I was still a little surprised today when the wire transfer came through. I know that Carl worries about his own long-term health expenses and wasn’t sure if he would be able to come up with the funds needed to help Doug. Needless to say, I was incredibly happy for Doug. He’s a dedicate employee and bread winner for our family.  Although I know he likes working for now, this money lowers Doug's stress levels tremendously as he starts planning his retirement. 

Today, I paid a good portion of the Pilot's loan and re-organized our budget with the knowledge that Carl has offered another payment in January to finish the loan. I do not take any of this lightly. Doug and I have worked very hard to help our own children start their life debt free. I feel blessed to now receive some help for Doug and I.  

Agathe Von Trapp

Several Christmases ago I gave Meg a memoir that Agathe Von Trapp wrote in the early 2000s. She was the oldest of the Von Trapp siblings and her book shared memories of her life with the famous singing family. Once Meg was done with the book, I put it on my reading shelf.  I wasn’t sure how interested I was in it, but I didn’t want to get rid of it just yet. I normally don’t read two non-fiction books back-to-back, but I knew that her memoir would be a lot different than Mike Campbell’s autobiography, so I decided a few weeks ago to pick it up and at least giving it a try. It was also short and small, so I could easily take it along with me on my trip to the Midwest in July.

Last week, I finished the book and was absolutely surprised with how much I enjoyed it.  Although I liked the musical, Sound of Music, I didn’t quite share the love of it that Doug and Meg did. Because of that I never dreamed I would find the book fascinating, but I definitely did. Her memoir was a lot different than the movie. Even the names of the Von Trapp siblings were changed for the film. Agathe wrote about her time with her real mother and life during World War I that was not a focus in the movie. It was obvious from the memoir that the personalities of Maria and Colonel Von Trapp were swapped in the movie, but that probably made sense since Maria wrote the book that inspired the movie and wanted herself to be seen as the positive parent. I already knew that the family did not walk out of Austria as is portrayed in the last scene of the movie but didn't realize that the Von Trapp Family Singers were famous throughout the world. It was fun to learn about their travels, their summer singing camp and their family lodge in Vermont. Overall, I really enjoyed the book and recommend it to anyone who loved the movie.

Will they or won’t they?

For the past six months, Brett and Karen have talked about possibly moving to Florida next year. Sometimes they seem all gung-ho about it ready to leave the state of Indiana and other times they’re not quite sure. They like the idea of living closer to family but love the town of Columbus. They really enjoy their church, the choir and the people they have met through their religious activities. Then again, they also realize that once they have children, they would like to live closer to us and Karen‘s parents, which makes a lot of sense as well. One of the biggest issues that they have right now in Columbus is there aren’t a lot of people their own age to meet. Most are older and already have families. Brett doesn’t mind this as he’s used to hanging out with older people and loves the guys he has met at Knights of Columbus where he is by far the youngest member. Karen, understandably, would like to find a group of friends her own age.  She loves the women in New Albany, but that’s over an hour away and it's hard for them to get together on a regular basis.

Through all of their talk about moving, I have tried to stay extremely neutral. I would love it if they lived closer to us even if it’s in Tallahassee, where Karen’s parents live. Although we travel to Bloomington quite often now, those trips will diminish next year once Cameron graduates and moves away from Southern Indiana. Thus, it would be really nice to take a 2 1/2-hour trip to see them instead of boarding a plane or making a driving 13 hours. 

Even though I think it would be nice for Doug and I if Brett and Karen moved, I try not to put any pressure on them. I would hate for them to move and not like Florida. It is very hot in the summer, and they would have to find new jobs, new friends, and a new church. That isn’t always easy. So, I have decided the best thing I can do is just listen and be supportive. God will lead them where they need to go, and I trust His judgment.  For now, I will just be very happy that Meg and Nick live so close, and that we have been able to travel back-and-forth to the Midwest quite a bit these past three years.

The Craziness of IU football

Last week, Cameron let me know that he would not be able to get us complementary tickets to the Indiana versus Western Kentucky football game in which he would be recognized for being a Director of Student Athletic Board. I was bummed to hear that as we had a lot of fun last year going on the field with him for this honor and our entire family had decided to go to this game this time since it was Cameron's senior year.  We had two tickets but really needed seven more.  I had hoped that Cameron would get at least an extra two for this event.  

Cameron provided me with a link so that we could order tickets which was very nice.  I planned to pick up four of them today, and then we would only need three more which I would order this Thursday when they were offered to season ticket holders. My plan seemed like a good one. I was ready at 10 AM with the codes and had two computers up and running to get the four tickets. Within one minute of logging on the thousands of tickets that were offered to friends and family were completely gone and we had none of them. I had never seen anything like that. 

Cameron texted me later in the morning to ask me if I got tickets and when I said no, he told me to call the IU ticket office. I called the athletic department and they apologized, but there weren’t any tickets left. I let everybody know that they would probably be on their own for tickets and was completely bummed for the rest of the morning. Cameron called me at lunch and told me that I was not the only parent that hadn't gotten tickets and that he was going to try and call the ticket office. I heard back from him later in the day that he was able to at least get two tickets. They weren’t beside each other, but they were one in front of the other, which would work for our family. Now we just had to wait until Thursday and try to get five more tickets. I wasn’t hopeful but knew that it was my best shot at not paying outrageous prices that were being offered on Seat Geek. 

There was good news out of today. Right before the tickets went on sale, Doug received an email letting him know that he could get the family tickets today. The link was the same as ours, so it didn’t get us any more tickets, but it did, however, feature a picture of the SAB directors at a home football game cheering on our beloved Hoosiers. I thought it was pretty cool that Cameron‘s picture was sent out to thousands of IU alumni and was glad that his affiliation with the athletics department at least got us two tickets today. I can’t believe how different everything is from three years ago when tickets were being given to students for free and now, they were only allowed five for the season. I guess it’s the price of having a National Championship football team, so I won't complain too much.

Elevation 89

While Meg and Nick were here this weekend, we decided that they needed to try Elevation 89.  It is a restaurant inside the Ocala airport that has windows facing the runway.  We had been there a few times before and thought that Nick would love it.  The restaurant was packed when we got there, but thankfully they had a table open and much to our luck, it was next to a window.  Nick not only got to see the runway, but also a plane landing while we were waiting on dinner.  It was a really neat experience.  

While we were at Elevation 89, we also made a list of other places that we wanted to try in the area.  The Polo Pony was high on the list as Doug and I loved it on his birthday.  I also wanted to meet them at the new Crooked Can Brewery sometime as well.  The last place I recommended was one that only I had been to - Eaton's Beach Sandbar and Grill on Lake Weir.  It was a wonderful place and reminded me a lot of restaurant's that we visited in Key West.  No matter which one we pick, I know that we will all really enjoy trying anyone of these places.