One More Visit

Cameron and I made plans to meet for dinner tonight in Ohio halfway between Syracuse and Toledo. I looked up a few restaurants for us to try, but in the end, we decided just to wing it. I got to the first restaurant that we talked about forty-five minutes before he did as he had to work later than he planned. I didn’t mind and offered to keep driving toward him. I couldn’t really find a restaurant while driving and the internet was really spotty, so instead I decided just to keep driving until I got to a town near him and thought we would find a restaurant together. I couldn’t believe how much northern Ohio reminded me of Northeast Indiana. I definitely could have been driving through LaGrange or any of those small Indiana towns, but instead I was in Ohio.

I finally found a place in Fayette, Ohio called One More Bar and Grill. They got really good reviews. The outside looked pretty sketchy, but Cameron and I decided to give it a try. It ended up being a dive bar, kind of like Huntington’s in Syracuse was before they remodeled. When we first walked in I never would have thought that it would end up being the perfect spot for our 2 1/2-hour dinner. I was sad to see that they didn’t really have salads tonight as Thursday was taco salad night but enjoyed my meal of chicken tenders just the same. Cameron tried their coleslaw burger and said it was really good. I never really eat onion rings but decided this was the perfect time to try them again.

Cameron and I spent the next several hours talking and it was so nice just to listen to him talk about his life right now. Cameron had had a very challenging junior year complete with filling underappreciated and over committed. Thankfully, he was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and that college is not forever and every day is not perfect. Making his own money and living independently over the last two weeks has made all the difference. He still wasn’t sure what he thought about the Owens Courtney development program but was very thankful for the experience that they were giving him. He also really liked his roommates, which I was very glad to hear since they lived in such close quarters. By the end of our time together, Cameron had moved on from talking about life and instead told me all about a new series that he was watching on Prime called The Boys. He said it wasn’t for me but did tell me all about the superhero influenced series and what he enjoyed about it. I was sad when I pulled away from the bar. I knew that I wouldn’t see Cameron for over a month. I would really miss him in Florida this summer but was just so pleased that he was happy in Toledo.

More Work to Do

I made it back safely to Syracuse around the same time that Doug landed in Florida. Brett and Karen had just crossed the Indiana border when I called them to check in. It was after midnight before they got home, exhausted, but still happy about their weekend. We all agreed that we needed a day to rest to recover, but of course that wasn’t going to happen.

While Brett, Karen, and Doug all went back to work today, I spent the day in my parents' garage getting ready for the garage sale. It was hard work and took a lot of time. My dad was really struggling with the fact that I wanted to price everything to go and not to make top dollar, but I knew from our last sale four years ago that with a garage sale this big and no large ticket items, selling volume will make us a lot more money than over pricing everything just to take it back in when the sale is over. I hope that my strategy works, but Doug reminded me the biggest goal was for me to get all of my items back to Ocala and to help my parents downsize their possessions. That goal I should obtain by the end of the week.

Saying Goodbye to Wisconsin

Doug and I had breakfast at the hotel this morning with Brett and Karen before we left Green Bay.  Nathan's first mass was at 2 p.m. this afternoon, but Doug decided that we would have to skip it as it would be cutting it too close for him to catch his flight out of Chicago.  In the end, I was very glad that he made that decision as Brett said that the mass was over two hours long and that would have made Doug miss his flight completely. Brett did say that they thought the mass was beautiful as it felt like a continuation of yesterday's ceremony complete with a large number of priests in the audience.  They also had time in between breakfast and mass to take a tour of Lambeau Field which they both found fascinating.  

Although all four of us agreed that it took a lot of traveling to get to Green Bay this weekend, we were each happy that we were able to share this memorial occasion together.  I really appreciated Doug telling me that he was glad that I really pushed for him to attend.  When I first mentioned it to him, he was lukewarm to the idea because of all of the traveling that we would have to do.  After everything was over, he couldn't have been happier.  He enjoyed the ordination, reception and seeing his extended family, but most of all, Doug was glad to have shared it with Brett, Karen and I.  That was very nice to hear. 

An Inspiring Ceremony

Today, Brett, Karen, Doug and I got to attend the ordination of Nathan Budde into the priesthood. None of us had ever been to an ordination before and were amazed at what a wonderful ceremony it was.  There were over seventy priests in attendance to celebrate the event as well as the Bishop for the Green Bay Diocese.  I could never put into words how beautiful it was to witness someone give their life fully to God.  It was so inspiring to see the support that Nathan received today and to hear about his journey in the seminary.  I did tear up several times when I saw Jenny crying.  I understood what it was like to watch a child get married but could never imagine the commitment that she was witnessing one of her own undertake. If I could still see Nathan as that cute, inquisitive little five-year-old at Brett's confirmation mass, just think what she saw.  Overall, it was a wonderful morning and all four of us were glad to have been a small part of it.

Once the ordination was over, Doug picked Title Town Brewing Company for lunch.  It had changed quite a bit since we were last there twenty years ago and we really loved the new look.  We ate brats on the roof top while Doug and Brett tried several of their microbrews.  We had the perfect view of the city of Green Bay and took some wonderful pictures while we were there.  The only negative was that Karen ended up with a sunburn.  I never even thought about that happening since the weather was on the cool side.

Tonight, the four of us went to the reception celebrating Nathan.  It reminded me a lot of a wedding celebration.  There was a dinner, open bar, and a guest book for us to sign.  Although there wasn't any dancing, there was a slide show and tables set up with memorabilia of Nathan's path to Christ.  There were a few speeches as well.  Doug got to see his Aunt Barb and cousin Rob who he hadn't visited with in over twenty years.  We had wonderful conversations at our table with friends of the Petrie family and caught up with each of Nathan's four siblings before we headed out.  Everything about today was wonderful.  I was so glad that we were invited and even happier that Brett, Karen, Doug and I got to share this day together.

An Afternoon Together

Doug and I had originally planned on going to the Chicago Art Institute today but ended up having an even better time in the Windy City. Cal told us last night that he was only going to work until noon and would have the entire afternoon off. We were really excited to hear that as we would prefer hanging out with one of our children over a museum any day. This morning while Cal was working, Doug and I walked through the Lincoln Park Zoo, picking up breakfast at their café and visiting the animals. Doug’s favorite part was getting to see the wolves in action. One of them had buried a sea gull and was digging it up for a snack when we walked up to the fence. It was the first time that we had ever seen a wolf that close and were amazed at the strength of the animal.

Cal was ready for lunch when we returned and the three of us spent the next four hours walking in Old Town, stopping for lunch at an Irish pub and having drinks at several of Cal‘s favorite bars. We talked about so many things, his work, living in Chicago, his thoughts on the future and memories from the past. I had so much fun and didn’t want the afternoon to end. Although I was sad when we finally pulled out of his apartment complex, I was very happy for the quality time that we got with one of our children today. I know that Cal would like it if we lived in the Midwest, and him popping in for an afternoon visit was the one thing that I knew I would miss most when we left Syracuse. I do believe that our family has made the best of it, living so many miles away, and I am glad to be an important part of our children's life. I am also already looking forward to our next visit to Chicago in July.

Heading to Chicago

Today was a lot of fun.  First Aunt Vicky stopped by to bring tables for the garage sale.  She had Molly, Jaxson and Greyson with her.  They helped me get a few things done and did a little shopping as well.  I tried to give them whatever they wanted, but Aunt Vicky insisted on paying, so we got the four of them some great items and made enough money to purchase yard signs for the sale.  

Once Doug was done working, he and I headed to Chicago for the night.  Traffic was better than I thought it would be and we made it in plenty of time for dinner.  Once Maggie arrived home from work, we walked to one of the oldest celebrity restaurants in Chicago.  Although the wait time was way too long for us, we had fun looking at all of the pictures of the famous guests that they had hosted over the years.  

Our next stop was Marge's, which was the longest continually running bar in the city.  We got the last open table and really enjoyed our meal.  The four of us talked a lot about the Survivor finale and the old episodes that Cal and Maggie were watching now.  It was amazing to me how different the weather felt just a few blocks away from the lake.  There was no wind, so it was a beautiful night for a walk.

After dinner, we went back to Cal and Maggie's apartment.  She had to get up at 4 a.m. so we said goodnight to her early and stayed up watching basketball with Cal.  He and I had a wonderful conversation after Doug fell asleep about life, family and so much more.  I was very thankful for his openness and enjoyed the evening very much.  

Making the Best of It

Doug and I did not get to go to Michigan like we planned due to a phone call from Doug's doctor and too much to do in the garage.  We were both disappointed in skipping our favorite places to visit in Holland and Saugatuck but made the best of the change in plans. We worked on the garage quite a bit which really helped me feel a lot better about getting everything done by next Thursday.  It wasn't all manual labor, however, as we also went to Oakwood for lunch on the patio and drinks at Goshen Brewing Company in the late afternoon followed by dinner at Hacienda.  The evening was spent playing cards and watching Jeopardy.  As an added bonus, I could finish up sorting clothes for the garage sale at the same time.  Overall, the day ended up being a lot of fun and productive as well, but most of all, I was just really happy to spend it with Doug.