A Visit North

While we were having a relaxing weekend at home, Cameron spent his two free days in Syracuse visiting Grandma and Grandpa.  My mom was worried about the snow on the roads, but thankfully all was clear and he made it with no problem.  My parents enjoyed watching the IU basketball game Saturday night and ordering dinner out with him.  Cameron was able to get his laundry done and to help do a few small projects for his grandparents as well. 

I really appreciated him visiting them. The winter can feel very long in the Midwest and having something fun to look forward to makes it go by a lot quicker. Cameron also hadn't been able to visit much last semester, so it was nice for him to get a break from Bloomington as well.  He even had time to go to brunch with Samuel and was happy to report that his friend had no lingering issues after his emergency gallbladder removal in Ecuador.  Overall, it was a great weekend for all, and I am glad that my children prioritize their grandparents as they were such an important part of their childhood years.

We Have a Working Septic

On Saturday morning, I noticed that my shower drained very slowly.  I thought that maybe there was hair clogging the drain, so I cleaned it out right after I was finished.  Yesterday, however, I realized that there was more to it than just a clogged drain.  Not only did my shower drain slowly, but the toilet started making a gurgling noise when the water was running.  After Doug said that his was doing the same thing, I decided to do some research and became instantly worried.  Everything that I read said that it was a problem with our septic.  We had never had this happen when we lived in Syracuse, so I feared the worst.

Thankfully, we were able to get a hold of a septic company relatively quickly even though it was Sunday morning.  They wouldn't be able to send someone out until this afternoon but assured us that this was normal for a full septic tank and as long as we didn't overuse it, we would be fine.  Doug and I spent the afternoon avoiding the drainage system as much as possible even dumping our dish water outside in the rocks like The Wilders did on Little House on the Prairie.

The company arrived promptly at 3 p.m. this afternoon and were able to tell me within fifteen minutes that there was nothing seriously wrong with our tank or drain field.  Their plan was to pump out the tank and change the filter and all would return to normal.  There was one minor hiccup when the water still wouldn't flow correctly after that. Once they unclogged the pipe from the house to the tank, everything began working perfectly.  I appreciated all that they did and even tipped them enough to buy lunch for all of their hard work.  

Oscar Movies

The Oscar nominations were recently announced, and I was surprised by how many of the movies that we had either seen or at least heard of this year.  That hasn't been the case in quite some time.  Since there were also a lot of actors that we knew, Doug and I decided to look at the list and try a few nominated movies that we hadn't seen or that Cal and Cameron had recommended.  

The first one on our list was Sinners.  I knew that it was scary and that there was a twist that involved vampires, but even when it happened, I wasn't ready for it.  Overall, I liked the movie and thought that it was well done, but didn't move it past One Battle After Another, Marty Supreme or F-1 for my top choice for Oscar.  The next movie that we watched was Jay Kelley.  I had never heard of it until we watched the Golden Globes.  It had gotten good reviews and starred George Clooney, so Doug and I decided to give it a try.  It was the story of an actor past his prime who was having a midlife crisis.  Doug really enjoyed it as he could relate to several of the themes in it.  

Our last film choice wasn't nominated for best picture, but it was definitely our favorite of the three.  Cameron had been talking about Weapons since he watched it at the beginning of Christmas break.  Doug's not usually one to choose a horror movie, but since Cal and Jim had also recommended it, he was ready to see what all of the hype was about.  It was extremely scary, had a unique plot and was very entertaining.  Both Doug and I loved it and couldn't stop talking about it the rest of the week.

A Weekend at Home

For the past six weekends, Doug and I have either hosted someone or have traveled somewhere.  Although we have had a lot of fun with our family, we were both exhausted and truly appreciated a weekend at home just the two of us hanging out and enjoying Ocala.  We had a few small projects that we wanted to complete and we did make it out of the house to go shopping a few times and to attend mass, but mostly we had fun watching television and playing Ticket to Ride. We also talked with each of our children and were happy to hear that they were enjoying their weekends as well.  

When we moved to Florida, I thought every weekend would be just like this one - quiet and just the two of us.  I am glad that it didn't end up that way.  I love visiting everyone and have a great time when our family is here with us.  If we didn't exhaust ourselves keeping up with all of our children, we would never appreciate the solitude of being empty nesters on those rare weekends that it happens.  

A Bonus

When Doug worked at Champion, the thought that he would ever get a bonus became a family joke.  Even when he was promised one for helping after he left the company, nothing ever came to fruition.  Thus, I learned to never believe in promises from a company even when made in writing.

Because of this, I only half listened when Doug talked about getting a bonus from S.I. Goldman after he worked for them for a year.  I was just happy that he found a job that valued him, respected his time and paid the bills.  Imagine my surprise when Doug came home with a bonus check in hand this past week.  Not only had had S.I. Goldman honored their promise, but they restored my faith in the business world as well.  

Today, Doug put the money into our savings account.  We plan to take a real vacation this spring and spend a week in California.  The money will really help pay for that and the times we travel back to the Midwest to see our family.  I feel truly blessed and couldn't be happier.  

Back to the Dermatologist

When Doug went to the dermatologist at the end of December, she biopsied another spot on his head.  It was near his last melanoma and was a lot smaller, but it still came back as melanoma in situ.  I was really disappointed when I heard the news.  His last one was very traumatic for both of us with an open wound on his head for ten days that was bigger than a half dollar and deeper than one as well.  Cleaning it out and taking care of it was one of the worst medical experiences of my life and wasn't something that I was looking forward to doing again.  Doug felt exactly the same way that I did and neither one of us were looking forward to his doctor appointment this afternoon.

One change from last spring was that they sent us to a plastic surgeon instead of a dermatologist.  She did not have the greatest bedside manner and made me worry a lot more than last time, but there was one positive.  This surgeon would be able to get the biopsy back in a day or two which meant that I did not have to clean out the wound as Doug would be on the mend at least a week quicker than the last time which was a relief.  Hopefully, this will be the last time that we have to do this, but if not, we at least have a better option going forward.  

IU vs Purdue

Tonight was the IU vs Purdue men's basketball game and all of us made plans to watch it.  Cameron had the best seat front and center behind the basket, but the rest of us had just as much fun watching it from home.  It was fun to see the crowd dressed for "stripe out" at Assembly Hall and I was glad that Cameron was wearing his favorite longtime Hoosier jacket to match the theme.  I don't know if I truly believed that IU could beat the #12th ranked Boilermakers, but I was hopeful.  Mostly, I wished for a close game and a full stadium.  Thankfully, I got both.  

The Hoosiers started off hot in both shooting and rebounding leading almost the entire first half going into the locker room up 40-29.  I waited for a big run by Purdue or a cool off in shooting by IU, but neither really happened.  Our defense rattled their star player and our offense held strong.  The Boilermakers did cut into IU's lead, but the team held strong and ended up winning the game 72-67.  

As much fun as I had watching the game and seeing Cameron in the stands high fiving the players afterward, my favorite part of the evening occurred when the game was over.  Cal texted our family group chat "Beat Purdue at our hobby sport, sorry Nick."  Meg followed that with "I'm just remembering football season when you said, "wait until basketball season comes" and now it's even more embarrassing for you."  Both texts made me laugh out loud.  I definitely thought about saying something, but Nick had just gifted us Diamond level at Hilton, so I kept my comments to myself.  Either way, it was a fun night and a great win by the Hoosiers.  Maybe there is a chance for us to make the tournament after all.