Bad Day

It was the best of times and the worst of times  - I believe that was written by Charles Dickens in A Tale of Two Cities.  Today was the worst of times, so I think I'll call it a night.  Maybe tomorrow will be the first part of that quote.

Garage Sale

The garage sale is over and Brett made $200 for his college fund.  It was a lot of work, but we were both happy with his profit!  Without a summer job, this money will help pay for text books.  He also made $10 to spend on whatever.  Meg sold the most among the Heinisch children.  She usually does. She'll have $45 to spend on Legos and $40 to put in her college savings.  Cam made $41 and Cal $19, so all in all a good three days for them.

When you add it to the money Parce and my parents made we cleared about $600 in all.  Most importantly, the Heinisch children also had a lot of fun during the sale.  They visited with Parce, marveled over what sold and did not sell, told golf stories and downloaded some of Parce's music to their iTunes account. Brett decided to have another sale during the town wide event in August.  Thus, we boxed it all up and sent it to Mom's.  She gets a lot of traffic as her road is busier.  Who knows, maybe Cam will even sell his Elmo tool bench or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  No matter what, they will all have fun!

Moritorium

I am happy to say that today starts moritorium week for the sports playing and soccer coaching Heinisch family members.  We will still make trips to the golf course and tennis courts, but for this coming week it is on our own schedule.  The only morning that we have to be up by 6 a.m. is Monday as Cal is playing in a golf tournament.  During our free week, Cam has plans to try and play 18 holes, Meg is having a bonfire, Cal will be at the golf course as much as possible and Brett has some friends that he wants to catch up with.

The part I am happiest about is that Doug will not have any soccer commitments.  I love that he coaches, but it is nice to have him home in the evenings as well.  He has Thursday and Friday off for the fourth and we plan to go to movies, play golf, cookout, watch fireworks and just relax!  Can't wait!

My Brother

I just love this picture of my brother and I from so many years ago!  My Aunt posted it on Facebook yesterday and it brought back a flood of memories.  I always looked up to my brother and in many ways still do.  Sometimes when the Heinisch children are really struggling with something I ask him to put in a good word for them or look out for them.  Whether it works or not I do not really know, but it definitely makes me feel a lot better.  That is what happened this week, so I will chalk this one up to our guardian angel.  For the first time in a long time I will sleep well!

I can see!

I have been avoiding making an eye doctor for quite some time.  I am not afraid of going to the doctor.  I just know it is an all day experience for me.  I have never been able to have my eyes dialated without spending the rest of the day in bed with a migraine.  I realized, however, that my nearsightedness was getting worse and I avoid reading at all cost as it usually gives me a headache.  Thus, I made an appointment.

For the first time ever we have vision insurance.  It is through the school and has been great.  Because of it, I tried a new doctor and was pleased.  I came out of it with new contacts, reading glasses and my first ever pair of bifocals.  Thankfully, my Mom was available to drive me and my headache wasn't as severe as usual.  By late afternoon the fog of my eyes being dilated had cleared and I couldn't believe the difference.  I can now see the TV clearly and can even see into our wooded lot from our family room.  Why would I ever wait that long?  I have no answer, but hope to be more diligent in the future about visiting the eye doctor.

Shopping & a Movie

This afternoon was shopping and a movie kind of day for Brett, Cam, Meg and I.  Cal and my Dad went to play a practice round for a tournament Cal is playing playing in next week.  Cal shot 75 and beat my Dad for the third straight time, but we'll save that for another post.

Anyway, the rest of us starting our shopping spree at Target.  It is by far our favorite stop.  New clothes were purchased for three of them and Brett was able to find a book and video game he was looking for.  We then ventured to the movie theater to see Monster University.  It is the sequel to Monsters, Inc.  Meg and I really enjoyed it.  Cam and Brett liked it, but thought the original was better.  We all enjoyed some popcorn and the younger two candy.   Watching the movie made me long for Disney World and a hopeful trip next Spring.

After the movie we stopped at Wal-Mart hoping to find the elusive basketball cards that Cam was hoping for.  I realize that in a few short years he will follow the path of his idol and ditch us for his Grandpa Cutes and a round of 18.  Unfortunately, the cards were not there, but we did score on some new snow cone flavors and fireworks!

It was a great day and a nice break from working on the garage sale.  All too soon, school will start again and Brett will leave for college. Thus, I cherish our day together and look forward to several more before he moves on.

Comrades in Arms

Cameron decided that he wanted to try basketball camp this summer.  It is put on by the high school team.  He had tried one in the fall and had a great time.  Honestly, I was hesitant to sign him up.  As I posted in a previous blog I think that basketball is a pretty challenging sport to be a part of.  Only 12 players are on a high school varsity team.  Parents and fans can be very intense, injuries can sideline even the best players, coaches will yell, you may be cut, you will spend a fair amount of the time on the bench, and you have to be prepared for a lot of hard work.  As a Mom for me it all adds up to heartbreak.

However, i signed him up and drove him to camp today, wondering if I should say anything about the pressure this sport can put on a young boy.  I am so glad I didn't. Today I could finally see basketball through Cal's eyes.  He was part of the high school players in charge of helping at camp.  He and one of his best friends, Jayce, were signing the young players in.  When Cam walked up, Jayce said smiling, "Last name please."  Cam instantly replied, "You should know!"  Cal quickly came back with, "Does that start with a U or a Y?" They all chuckled, called each other chumps and Cam headed into the gym.

As I drove home, I thought of all of the great times Cal has had playing basketball, the not so great plays they kid each other about, the times they had to run because of something one of them did or did not do, the wins, the loses and most of all the friendships he has created.  It reminds me a lot of the war stories that my Grandfather told me about World War II.  The basketball court is not a battlefield, but it is something that builds character and helps young men learn how to deal with all aspects of life.  I know when the boys meet up again at their twenty year reunion, they will have lots of stories to share and if Cal's involved there will be a pick up game going on somewhere.

Scary Movies

Brett has rented several classic scary movies over the past couple of weeks and Doug and I have been  watching them with him.  Halloween was one of the first we watched and Doug's all time favorite.  We then watched Friday the 13th, which was the first scary movie I ever saw.  I was only 10 years old and we were at the drive in.  I am not sure I slept for weeks, but I sure impressed my friends when I told them I saw it!  Re-watching it as an adult,however, wasn't as scary.  In fact I thought it was pretty bad.  I now officially agree with Doug that his favorite was the better movie.

We have also watched Nightmare on Elm Street and several of the Halloween sequels.  We are trying out Scream tonight, a scary movie that also pokes fun at the horror genre.  Doug and I saw it in the movies theaters when we were newly married.  Back then I would hide my face during the killing scenes.  Now since we watch them at home I can just put my face into my iPad when it becomes too intense.

So, if you see me a little pale or jumpy know that we problem just finished Halloween 5.  That is next on our summer queue.  Thankfully, Monsters University just came out in theaters.  Nothing like a Disney flick to change the mood!

Mass

Tonight we had a substitute priest as Father Hire was on vacation.  We didn't realize how accustomed to our own priest we have become.  I don't remember having a guest priest in the past five years.  This priest we had this evening did a nice job and I am not against change, but it just didn't feel the same.  The homily was longer and a little bit repetitive.  The prayers were different, but we made it through just fine.  As Father Hire closes in on retirement age I know that we will have a new priest.  For now I will appreciate the familiarity of his mass and enjoy the time we have with him!

Siblings

Since I have not had a sibling in over 35 years, sometimes I forget what that special bond feels like.  Today the Heinisch children reminded of how awesome it can be.  One of the four was knocked down and having a really difficult time getting back up.  So, the three other Heinisch children decided  to make this day all about family.  At first there was some reluctance from the one that was down-in-the-mouth.  In the end, however, it turned out to a wonderful day for all four of them.

Subway was chosen for lunch, and then we were off to miniature golf.  Several hole in ones were cheered or booed, depending on who made them.  The scores were better than usual for us, so we celebrated with ice cream at The Chief.  It is a small shop about 20 minutes away that is only open in the summer and a family favorite.  They topped off the evening by inviting my parents over for dinner.  Everyone enjoyed a game of wiffle ball and bonfire.  By the end of the day all four Heinisch children were smiling, laughing and giving each other a hard time as usual.  It was great to hear.

I know that life will not always be easy for the Heinisch children, and I hate seeing any of them hurt. It does make me feel a lot better knowing that they have each other no matter what.  I love them all and know they love each other even if they don't say it out loud.

The Finals

Tonight is the final game of the NBA championship season between the Heat and the Spurs.  Our house is divided on who they are supporting.  Cal and Doug are 100% behind San Antonio and Cam and Meg have been loyal followers of Miami.  Doug has always liked Tim Duncan, long time Spurs player.  In our town just mentioning the Heat brings dirty looks.  Brett is still bitter that they knocked the Pacers out of the playoffs and Cal just can't stand them.  There are others that are just tired of hearing about LeBron, Wade and Bosch.  Cameron had to bribe our golf pro with Grandma Jane's cookies to get him to say he was rooting for the Heat!

I have remained neutral throughout it all.  It has been a good series with an exciting overtime game six.  I have to admit, however, that I am ready for basketball season to be over.  Since September one or more of the Heinisch children have been playing or watching basketball.  Ready for some down time.

Eye Doctor

Meg has had a problem with her vision since 2nd grade.  It started with bright lights, blurred vision, wavy letters and severe migraines.  We have been on a journey since then to get her help with it.  It seemed to be better, but this year the special needs teacher had her for ISTEP testing and realized that Meg could not sit through a 50 minute test on the computer without excruciating pain.  As I checked her visits to the nurse for headaches this year and came up with a number over 80 (in a 180 day school year), I realized that we were back to where we were several years ago.

Thus, the adventure has begun.  We visited her eye doctor and he said that he cannot help her anymore.  So, he referred her to a different optometrist, one that specializes in vision therapy.  Meg and I went today and had a great first impression.  First he told her that sign of a genius is having a messy desk, justifying Meg's lack of organization over the years (in her eyes at least.)  Then, he diagnosed her with convergence insufficiency, found astigmatism in her eye, was able to tell that both eyes tend to drift out as she has to concentrate for long periods of time and best of all had a plan of action.  She is getting new glasses that should help and then is starting vision therapy in three weeks.

We are excited and hopeful.  The goal is to reduce her trips to the nurse by the time she is in high school.  Our middle school is small and very flexible.  She can leave as she needs to when her head is killing her.  They make allowances for her when she tests, and when all else fails they send her to me and I try to help her.  We know that cannot happen in a high school of 1000 students, so our fingers are crossed that the double vision will be correct and she can be a happy, healthy student before she is a freshmen!!

In thinking of our journey I am still ever impressed that she earned all A's this year and took honors classes even with all of the vision problems!!

Heinisch Golf

The golf bug has hit another one of the Heinisch children.  After watching the US Open, Cameron is addicted.  He has been at the course or in our yard hitting balls daily.  He already is a pro at telling golf stories, just like his Grandpa Cutes.  I know the score he had on each hole, the club he used and even the lie for each challenging shot.

I shouldn't be surprised that Cam is addicted.  Doug got new clubs for our anniversary, my Dad plays almost daily, and my Mom loves carting him around.  The biggest influence, however, is Cam's idol -    the one he wants to be when he grows up, his hero - big brother Cal.  It is neat that they have that bond.  It is also great that Cal is back playing daily.  His coach called yesterday and the boys and girls met to play in a scramble last night.  Today Cal had his non-golfing, basketball buddies out on the links.

So it is official - another Heinisch joins the golf crew.  He has his first tournament Thursday.  Win, lose or draw, he will have fun and that is what is most important!

Busy

As we drove back from Bloomington on Thursday, Doug talked to Brett about his summer plans.  Doug's fear was that since Brett has never had two months of down time, he would start to worry about college or get bored.  Brett wasn't worried at all about that.  He tends to stay busy with writing, books, movies and such.  After today, Doug also has nothing to fear.  We decided over the weekend to have a garage sale with the proceeds to go towards Brett's college fund.  Thus, I thought it would be great to have Brett do the majority of the work, kind of like a part time job.  He was up early and spent several hours dragging boxes up from the basement, sorting through items, pricing and organizing.

After lunch Mom needed help and Brett spent the rest of the afternoon at her house working on various projects, such as mowing, power spraying, moving tables, etc.  He decided when he got home for dinner that setting up for the garage sale wasn't too bad!  We spent another hour in the garage tonight and then unloaded the truck with all of the items that Mom sent over.

It was a very productive day and tomorrow promises to be the same with eye doctor visits, volunteering at the library and working on the garage sale.  I told Doug tonight that I do not believe that he needs to worry about Brett staying busy.  In July he still needs to clean out his room, tubs of elementary/middle/high school memories and shop for college.  Brett was definitely tired, but glad to have accomplished so much!!

Father's Day

It could not have been a better Father's Day here at the Heinisch home.  We started the day serving, ushering and lecturing at mass.  It was a late arriving crowd and when the Eucharistic ministers did not show up, Cal almost had to quickly be ordained to distribute Communion, but overall it was  a nice service!  Doug was able to play tennis with Meg, jog and watch the US Open in the afternoon.

The evening was spent with a delicious dinner of steak, stuffed pork cops and Italian herb chicken.  My parents were able to join us for one of Doug's speciality desserts - homemade carrot cake.  There was a lot of golf talk, a bonfire and badminton.  The Heinisch children gave my Dad his favorites, circus peanuts and orange slices.  We also found him a cane chair to use at Cal's golf matches.  Doug enjoyed his new snow cone machine (or at least pretended to) and the new Phil Jackson book.  Meg had also picked him out a Superman glass.  I thought that nothing could be more fitting.  Doug is the Heinisch family Superman!!  Happy Father's Day!

Babies

Yesterday we met the guinea pig babies of friends of ours, and Cam, Meg and I fell instantly in love.  Doug was there as the voice of reason to explain the reasons why we couldn't bring one home with us.  We knew he was right, but they were so darn cute.  Thus, we will just have to visit and secretly hope that one day we will find out that Apollo really is a female and have babies of their own!

Check

Checklist for June 14th, 2013

1.  Take Cal to a golf tournament in which he wins.  Check

2.  Grocery shop while Cam is at his last day of chess camp.  Check

3.  Pick Cam up and hear the great news about his 2nd place medal in the chess tournament.  Check

4.  Have Brett sign up to volunteer at the library.  Check

5.  Swim at Miss Cheryl's.  Check

6.  Run to catch the ice cream truck.  Check

7.  Kayak with Lexie and Julie.  Check

8.  Catch up with a beloved colleague.  Check

9.  Order Pizza Hut for the Heinisch children.  Check

10.  Dinner out with Doug.  Check

11.  Hear all about the leader board for the US Open.  Check

12.  Bonfire with S'mores.  Check

Information Overload

We were home by 8 pm tonight from orientation.  Brett was able to tour his dorm which is one of the oldest on campus.  That also makes it closest to classes, the library and the auditorium.  He will love it!  Brett also was able to register for classes.  His earliest class is at 11:15 am and he only has one class on Friday!  He will be taking two political science classes, Spanish, Ancient Greek philosophy and a culture class.  I know he will enjoy all.  With all of his AP classes and dual credit, he already has 15 credit hours.

We spent the morning in a very long bursar's meeting, but found the rest of the presentations helpful.  We still have some loose ends to tie up, but I am on information overload and need to sleep before I can process it all.  I know Brett will really enjoy college and the freedom he will find there.

Freshmen Orientation

Today was the first day of Brett's freshmen orientation.  It started off with a bang as we had van problems when we got to Indy.  The van would not accelerate over 30 mph.  So, we slowly chugged into a National rental car shop and luckily they were able to hook us up with a tiny compact car.  Brett and I made it to orientation just as it started.  Doug took the car to a Honda dealer and they quickly found out that a pressure gage had blown.  He was able to catch up with us a hour and a half late.  All in all it was fairly painless.  Brett was impressed that we didn't panic or argue.  I think he did point out that I swore once!!

We spent the afternoon separated as Brett took placement tests and we followed the parent tour.  We met back up at 5 p.m. for a very long advisory meeting.  Then dinner at a residence hall followed.  We split again as Brett went to the sports rec center and took a night tour of the campus.  As Doug and I took our own self guided tour I told him that I was a little nervous for Brett coming to such a large university (40,000 students.). Doug did not share my worry and as we met with Brett close to 11 p.m. I could see why.  Brett was busy chatting away with a girl he had met and as we walked back to the Union several students yelled his name and waved.  Gotta love it!

Trust

If you succeed in cheating someone,

Don't think that person is a fool . . .

Realize that the person trusted you

More than you deserved!

I don't normally read these quotes on Facebook, but this one today summed up exactly how I felt.  Someone that we believed in and supported let us down.  I will forgive the actions, but will not fall for the false promises again.  So proud of my child for handling it well.  Life is not always fair and sometimes no matter how hard you work, your effort is not rewarded.  God love you even more for putting your best foot forward and keeping a smile on your face!

Success!

The first day of summer vacation was a success!  Cal started off bright and early with 6:30 am tennis.  He then headed to basketball, came home for lunch and was back at the golf course at 3 pm for a round of 18.  A game of HORSE with Cam and Grandpa followed by weightlifting ended his evening.  Sounds exhausting to most, but pure Heaven to one who can't sit still!

Meg and Cam enjoyed their first day of craft camp by making Angry Birds hats.  They ate Subway (a Heinisch favorite) on the way to chess camp for Cameron.  It was the first time he had gone and he loved it.  Showed his Dad a new two move checkmate maneuver.  Meg and I ran errands and listened to our favorite songs while waiting on Cam.  They then went to piano lessons which both thoroughly Enjoy.   Tonight Meg went to the high school girls soccer practice with her Dad while Cam beat his Grandpa and Cal at HORSE.

Brett made several trips to the library, finished Nightmare on Elm Street 2, wrote thank yous, picked Cal up from one of his practices, read, went to the Knights meeting and filled out his academic planning worksheet for college.  All of which he enjoyed so much more than classes!  I ran the Heinisch children to a multitude of places and even squeezed in a 50 minute walk.  Doug was back to work and soccer and tried to finish off all of the leftover brats from the open house.  So, yes I would say all in all I would say that the first Heinisch day of summer vacation was a complete success!

Graduation

The past two days have been a whirlwind of graduation celebrations that we have thoroughly enjoyed!  Brett's ceremony was at 10 am Saturday morning.  It went off without a hitch.  I did not cry as I am too happy for Brett.  He has been ready for this day for quite awhile.  I did, however, tear up when he hugged his Academic Superbowl coach.  They have grown very close and I know he will miss their discussions.  

Brett's Open House was a success!  He had a lot of visitors!  Brett had picked out the awards he wanted to display and had a great time showing off his "womanizer" certificate from drama.  There was a lot of food with badminton, corn hole and hillbilly golf in the backyard.  Parce, Aunt Jan, my cousin Jackie's family, my Mom, and Doug's parents stayed until late.  Brett's friend Michael challenged both Brett and Cal to games of chess, checkers and Stratego until well after the party ended.  

We enjoyed visits from Brett's former teachers, the Dean of Students, neighbors, family, friends, church members and even Mom and Dad's pastors.  Several of Brett's friends were here as well as all of his Academic Superbowl team members.  I had framed pictures from Halloween, trips to Walt Disney World, drama, visits to Bloomington, and the first day of school kindergarten to senior year to go along with the DVD that Brett and I made several months ago.

Brett's party was slated to end at 4, but we still had visitors here at 8:30.  Brett stepped out for a little while to attend two other open houses.  By the time we sat down at 10:00 pm, we were tired!  It was a nice feeling, however, and such a wonderful day!  Now summer vacation can officially begin!

We made it!

Too tired to say much tonight, but had a wonderful day celebrating Brett!  I will post more tomorrow about the ceremony, the open house and all that we enjoyed.  Tonight I will enjoy the peaceful sleep of knowing I wake up to a day without a to do list.

Visitors

Doug's parents were able to make it out today and we were all happy to see them.  Jeanette had been having some medical issues and for a couple of days we weren't sure that they would be able to attend graduation.  The doctor cleared her for travel this morning and they were on their way before lunch.  Everyone was thrilled to see them.  The Heinisch children visited with Jeanette, played some Bomberman, and we all went out to dinner.  Thus, we are now all ready for graduation!

Clean, Clean, Clean

My first day of summer vacation was spent cleaning for Brett's 
graduation open house.  I thought I would hate it, but Cam, Meg, Brett and I had a lot of fun.  We listened to songs on the iPod, danced, argued and worked hard.  

The younger two put in about 2 and 1/2 hours cleaning today.  They were thorough and went over any spots that were missed.  Only two arguments occurred - one over the outside front door and the other about the song "Some Nights."  Brett and I put in an extra hour each and all was done on our list except the fish tank.  We have a list for tomorrow as well.  Thankfully, Doug will be home to help.  I appreciate their hard work.   I had thought about hiring someone to help, but would much rather pay the Heinisch children.

Summer Vacation

Today was my last school day of the year.  This is the first full school year I have taught since the 1996-1997  one.  I was happy to have made it through and proud of what we accomplished this year.  Last year at this time having a teaching position wasn't even on the radar for me.  In May of 2012 I talked with our principal about taking a maternity leave for one of the math teachers for part of the year.  She jokingly said, ok, we'll talk about that when it posts in August, but what do you think about teaching FACS (Family and Consumer Science)?  I laughed and told her that the only C I had ever received in junior high, high school and college was in my 6th grade Home Ec. class.

A couple of weeks later, I saw our principal at a reading meeting and she brought it up again.  I had had some time to think about it and told her that I'd be interested if it was more like a life skills class.  She said to look at the standards and she'd talk to the director of curriculum.  She then sent me the posting for the half day FACS position that no one had applied for.  During this time period the high school called and asked if I'd be interested in interviewing for a full time algebra position.  After talking it over with Doug, I decided to seriously consider the FACS job.  It was at Cameron and Meg's school and only half days.  I had taught Algebra before for a teacher on sick leave.  I knew that would be a huge commitment.  Thus, my adventure in FACS began.

I spent the summer learning the standards.  Much to my surprise they had changed over the years and FACS was not the Home Ec. class that I had taken.  There were units on finance, careers, nutrition, relationships, and human development to be explored.  Over the first trimester I was able to develop a curriculum that wasn't just sewing and cooking.  Some lesson plans were just wonderful and a big hit with the students.  Others flopped.

Over the course of the year I have taught students to sew on a sewing machine, cook on a gas stove and so much more.  We made recycling PSAs, sewed buttons, discussed child safety hazards and made kitchen safety videos.  I grew to really enjoy the position and even earned my FACS teaching license.  At the end of the year, another teacher asked me if I would rather switch back to math.  I honestly wouldn't.  This has been an awesome adventure.  I can't wait to see where it takes me next school year.

School's Out for Summer!

All that keeps going through my head is the Alice Cooper song, "Schools out for Summer!"  Or as Brett could add, "Schools out Forever!"  The last day of school is always a great one.  This year we added three days to the school calendar because of snow days, so it feels even better to finally be done!

Brett survived gradation practice.  Cal survived freshmen finals week.  Meg survived field day without broken glasses and Cam just celebrated the Miami Heat victory from last night all day!  As we drove home today each of the four told me that it doesn't feel like the last day of school.  It will by Monday of next week.  Can't wait for days by the pool, craft camp, golf, and all that comes from summer vacation!  I will enjoy it all!

Almost!!

One more day and the 2012 - 2013 school year is complete!  Today was a good day for all!  Brett had his last class day of high school.  Tomorrow is graduation practice and it is all over!!  Meg got to go on a field trip for good behavior.  Except for a stray golf ball and a roller coaster ride not made for the queasy, she had a great day!!  Cameron earned 200 points in AR this year, so he got to eat lunch with the principal at a local pizza place.  I was able to tie up lose ends with my students, watch "Man vs. Food" with the 6th grade and have a Subway party with the 8th graders!

Tonight was topped off with a wonderful night at the Spring Sports Awards.  Cal was the Mental Attitude winner for the Boys Golf Team, a Scholar Athlete and earned his Letterman's Jacket.  All and all a successful day for the Heinisch children!

Graduation Farewell Tour

Today Brett had senior mass at our church.  He and his fellow graduates dressed in their cap and gowns, brought up the gifts, were first to communion and received our priest's graduation blessing.  Once we returned home Brett wrote thank yous for the scholarships and gifts he had already received. He then helped me get some cleaning done for his open house on Saturday.

All of this along with Honors Night, the Drama dinner, graduation pictures and practice made me ask Brett if he felt he was on the "Graduation Farewell Tour."  We laughed, but realized there was some truth in those words.  It has been fun experiencing this with him.  He has received several cards already with great words of praise and encouragement.  Today at church a member of the Lions Club let me know that Brett was the only student they had ever received a thank you from as they host the annual Academic Superbowl dinner.

When I first started this blog, I wrote of Brett leaving for college and how it would affect all of his siblings.  Someone posted a comment that said this could be my blog theme for the year.  I now understand what she meant.  Thus, I will enjoy this tour and hold Brett's childhood memories close in my heart.  He's a great son and I've enjoyed being his Mom.  Looking forward to where his dreams will take him!

Golf

Cal's first year of high school golf came to an end today at the sectional tournament.  His team finished 7 shots away from a birth in the regional.  It was not the way he wanted it to end, but we were very proud of him this season.  Cal played a lot of JV this season, but at the end had really stepped his game up.  As his average kept decreasing, his chances of making the Sectional Varsity team increased.  Thus, the 85 at the conference tournament made the coach decide to give him a shot at Varsity for sectionals.  The week before sectionals there was a three day play off between him and another golfer at three different courses to determine the 5th spot on the team.  Cal worked hard and broke 80 in a tournament for the first time this year to qualify well ahead of his teammate.  Therefore, just having Cal play on the sectional team was a victory for him.  

Reality sunk in for several of the players today as a member of an opposing team lost his father yesterday.  It is hard to feel bad for yourself when you know that someone else lost so much more.  Our team is young and should be contenders in the next several years.  One of Cal's friends made it to regional as an individual, so there was something to celebrate tonight.  We definitely understand Cal's disappointment at being done for the year, but we were happy that he had a chance to play.  He is a dedicated athlete, fun to watch and has a great group to play with.  We are looking forward to the next three years.