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. 

A Cool Down

While we were in Indiana freezing, Florida was enjoying an atypical eighty degree weekend for January.  It was still really warm Sunday night when we arrived, but all of that changed yesterday as temperatures dropped at least twenty degrees.  When I went to Bible Study this morning, I actually regretted that I didn't wear a coat as it was in the thirties and even my sweater wasn't warm enough.

The unseasonably low temperatures aren't supposed to change anytime soon.  Meteorologists are actually calling for windchills in the teens on Sunday morning meaning that our weekend trip to Epcot would have to wait for another day.  Even though we had to change our plans, wear jackets in Florida and find a semi-permanent home for the outdoor plants in the garage, neither Doug nor I are complaining.  After surviving one of the worst storms in Southern Indiana in years, a little bit of cold weather is nothing to whine about here.  Thankfully, this type of weather doesn't last long in the Sunshine state and gloomy days are rare.  We will just enjoy the extra time inside and spend it watching some of our favorite shows.

Thankful We All Made It Safely

While we were flying back to Orlando last night, Cal and Maggie arrived safely in Chicago around 5 p.m. They said that the roads were pretty clear after they passed through the northern part of Indianapolis and there was no snow to speak of in Lincoln Park.  I was thankful to hear that and glad that the storm didn't interfere with Cal's work schedule.

Brett called this morning to let me know that he and Karen had a pleasant night at the hotel last evening using their food credit to purchase "dinner" at the hotel snack bar.  Monroe and Bartholemew County were still in the red for travel, but they decided at 8:30 a.m. to try driving it.  I was extremely worried about their trip as I find the drive to be difficult even on a clear day.  Fortunately, Brett had a lot of experience with that stretch of IN 46 and had no problems getting back to Columbus.  The roads still had snow on them, but for the most part were drivable.  The only problem he had was the spray of snow from other cars on his windshield as they passed by.  Neither he nor Karen made it home in time to go to work today, but that didn't matter as most businesses in their area including Extra Space Storage were closed for weather.

Doug stayed in Orlando last night at Meg's while I made the trip home.  It was nice to sleep in my own bed and to spend today unpacking.  I have been traveling a lot since last June, and I was glad that I was done for a while especially after yesterday.  I do not think that I will ever forget this weekend.  Although there were some very scary moments, it was wonderful to spend Cameron's 21st birthday together in a town that we all love, and I thank God for safely bringing us all home.

Winter Storm Fern

Unfortunately, Winter Storm Fern arrived just as predicted and left Bloomington with fourteen inches of snow in less than twenty-four hours.  I tried not to think about it last night but only slept about three hours worrying about how we would all get home.  Cameron obviously wasn't an issue, but Meg, Nick, Doug and I had flights that left at 3:45 today.  Cal and Maggie had to drive all the way to Chicago, and even though it was the shortest distance, Brett and Karen had the worst trip home as the roads to Columbus from Bloomington were extremely hilly and windy.  

By the time that everyone woke up this morning, I had checked the weather channel and the Indiana Department of Transportation road map hundreds of times.  Between the information that I had gathered and the fact that the roads were pretty bad outside our window, we all thought the best thing to do first was call the front desk and ask for a late checkout.  Thankfully, they were very helpful and told us that we didn't have to decide until 1 p.m. on whether or not we would need the room for one more night.  They also let us know that the hotel was open for breakfast until 11 a.m. which we really appreciated since everything else in the area was closed.  

Over breakfast, everyone started to make their plan.  Brett and Karen were definitely staying one more evening as all of the counties in between Bloomington and Columbus were in the red for emergency travel only.  Cal and Maggie wanted to try to leave at some point today and thought that they would wait to see if the snow subsided at all.  Doug asked me to change our flight to the last one of the day with the hope that some of the roads would be clear in the afternoon.  

I called Meg once we got back to our room and she said that they were going to go ahead and try to make it to Indy.  They felt that I-69 would be clear enough to travel on and that their SUV would be able to handle it.  I asked them to call me once they got on the interstate so we could then make a better decision on what to do.  The INDOT cameras were still showing a lot of snow on the roads in Martinsville, but there were a few cars out.

As soon as I got off of the phone, the snow stopped.  We waited about fifteen minutes but didn't hear from Meg, so Doug and I decided that we would just try driving it.  I was very nervous as I knew that I would have to drive due to his tremor but also wanted to get home if possible.  On our way to the van, Meg called to let me know that they had picked up Cameron from Cora's and dropped him off at his place and were heading out, so they would be behind us shortly.  

There was a clear path on the side roads, but only one lane.  The intersections and the exit ramp were a different story as they were extremely challenging to drive on since all of the snow from the plows and the cars that had traveled earlier were piled in the middle.  I wasn't sure that we were going to make it the few miles to I-69, but thankfully, we did.  Cal called as soon as we go to the interstate and decided that they would try it as well.  The weather had not impacted Northern Indiana or Chicago, so he knew once he got past Lafayette, they would be fine driving the rest of the way.

Our trip to the airport was definitely scary with some sections being a lot worse than others.  I drove no more than thirty-five miles the entire way. It was hard to see the road for most of the trip, but I could make out the tire ruts from previous drivers which did help.  There were a few times that a pile of snow would grab my tires, but since I had a lot of experience driving in bad weather, I knew not to brake, to let my foot off the gas and to hold on to the steering wheel.  The worst part of the drive was the several cars that ran up on my bumper going well over fifty miles an hour before passing me.  We hoped that I-465 would be clear, but it was actually worse with piles of snow on the exits and in between lanes.  The toughest part of the drive was the last five miles on I-70.  Doug counted ten cars stuck in the snow on just that section of I-70.  Thankfully, a semi was in front of me and Nick was behind me so I followed the one and knew that the other would not ride my tail.  

As soon as we pulled into the rental car parking garage, I immediately changed our flight to the 3:45 one even though there was only an hour until boarding as there were plenty of seats and very few people in the airport.  Meg and Nick got Shake Shack for dinner while Doug and I took our time getting through security.  It was by far the scariest drive that I had personally ever made, and I was extremely glad to be sitting in the airport waiting on the plane to be de-iced before we took off for home.  

Celebrating Cameron's 21st

Doug and I had a wonderful day in Bloomington.  We started our morning shopping for National Championship merchandise with Maggie.  Cal was busy working and everyone else had plans, so we really appreciated her spending time with us.  We didn't buy a lot, but Maggie and I each got a shot glass commemorating the win, and she and Doug picked up free posters at Upstairs Pub just missing out on the shirts that they were giving away.  We ended the morning by giving Maggie a driving tour of our favorite places on campus.

Cal had just finished working when we got back to the hotel and we were glad to hear that he was able to join us for lunch at Nick's.  Brett and Karen arrived right as we were seated and the six of us had a lot of fun talking and watching the National Championship ceremony on television.  We thought about going, but the cold weather and the fact that it was being held outdoors at Memorial Stadium was a huge deterrent.  In the end, we really enjoyed the atmosphere at the alumni bar while the program was playing, and we were glad that we had chosen to watch it there.  

After lunch, Cora, Cameron, Meg and Nick met us at Oliver Winery to begin our official family celebration of Cameron's 21st birthday.  It was cold on the back patio, but it was enclosed which did help quite a bit. We were all impressed to hear that Cameron and Cora had watched the football team's celebration outdoors at the stadium and enjoyed hearing about it from them.  Before everyone started wine tasting, Cameron opened his gifts.  They were all alcohol themed and Maggie even created a drinking around the world at Epcot gift that highlighted each of the countries with a small bottle.  It was really cute.  Besides bringing a gift from her and Nick, Meg had gotten decorations and dessert for the party and which we appreciated very much.

The snow started to fall on our way back into town.  Meg and Nick decided to take a break at their hotel, but everyone else went to Heartworks Brewing Company.  It was new and Cameron really wanted to try it. Those who ordered a beer really enjoyed them and the atmosphere was a lot of fun.  It reminded us of Infinite Ale Works before they added food.  From there, we traveled to the hotel to regroup before going out tonight.  The snow had definitely increased, and we knew that whatever we did, we would have to Uber.

Meg and Nick had a living room attached to their hotel room, so we decided to meet there at 6:30 this evening.  Several restaurants and bars had closed due to the impending storm, but that didn't change too much for us.  Doug and Cameron walked to Pizza Express to get pizza and breadsticks, and Nick and Brett went to Big Red Liquors for drinks.  We had fun a lot of fun eating dinner and playing games with everyone for the next few hours.  

Thankfully, the two bars that Cameron wanted to go to were within walking distance of Meg's hotel.  It was cold and snowy, but we weren't outside very long.  The first one, Kilroy's, was packed so Cameron decided that Upstairs Pub made a lot more sense.  We had fun hanging out there for several hours while Cameron's siblings bought him a few drinks.  Cal talked several in our group into trying a Malort shot.  It was made famous by the bartenders in Chicago and everyone who tried it agreed that it wasn't terrible but definitely wasn't a favorite either.  There were several football players celebrating at Upstairs as well.  That didn't surprise us as many of the seniors were enjoying their last weekend in Bloomington since most graduated in December. We all enjoyed singing along to the song Fernando in their honor.

Cameron, Cal, Maggie, Cora and Nick wanted to go to Brother's Bar next.  Doug and I decided to opt out as it was already after ten.  We had enjoyed the night out with our children but realized that we weren't quite the college bar crowd anymore.  No one seemed to mind that we were leaving, and we enjoyed hanging out with Meg for a little bit longer before catching a ride back to our hotel.  Brett and Karen also decided to skip out on Brother's and beat us back to the Hilton.  Overall, it was a wonderful day, and I was incredibly happy to spend it together as a family.  

Let the Party Begin

I spent the morning at my parents helping them where I could, packing a few items that I still had stored in my closet upstairs and coloring my hair.  I was glad for the extra time to visit as I wasn't sure that I would be able to return to Indiana until the end of March at the earliest.  Doug and I both had surgeries scheduled in February and Cameron was going to be visiting in March for his spring break.  I wish I could do more, but for now I will just be happy that I was able to visit and do a few things for them such as setting up a Ring camera for their front door.

I left early as I as I wasn't sure what the roads would be like on the way to the Indianapolis airport.  Thankfully, they were extremely clear and since there wasn't any traffic to speak of, I went ahead and drove all the way to Bloomington.  That way, I could get settled at the hotel and buy a few groceries before picking up Doug.  I couldn't believe all of the people at Kroger.  I shouldn't have been surprised as the news of this weekend's Winter Storm Fern was everywhere.  I hoped that it wouldn't be as bad as the meteorologists were predicting but made sure to have food and water just in case.

Doug's flight was on time, and we were back in Bloomington by 8:30 p.m.  Cameron had plans with his roommates tonight, so I was glad that Meg and Nick were interested in joining us at Upland Brewing Company for dinner.  We made the mistake of walking the six blocks to the restaurant.  It was absolutely freezing and my eyes hurt really bad when we arrived.  Thankfully, it was warm at Upland, and we had a great time with Meg and Nick.  He took us back to our hotel and we hung out with them in the lobby bar until 11:30 or so.  We all got a kick out of a guy sitting at the bar.  When we arrived, he told us that they had just closed a minute earlier.  I looked surprised and said that we had checked with the bartender before we left for dinner and that she had told us that the bar closed at 11 p.m. and it was only 10:04.  The guy at the bar got extremely embarrassed and said that they were just customers and he had read online that it closed at 10.  We laughed about it most of the night and the guy ended up buying three of our drinks because he felt bad. He didn't have to do that, but it made for a great way to end a fun evening.