Rockin' in the Fifties

Tonight was the annual Spring elementary concert.  The theme was the 1950s as they celebrated Milford's 60th anniversary.  The songs all centered around the 50's and the students were supposed to dress like that era.  We weren't sure what Cam was going to wear.  We decided upon a white shirt, blue pants rolled up and a pair of sunglasses.  As we were getting ready to leave it dawned on me that he could wear my Dad's letterman's jacket.  My Mom was able to find it and brought it to Grandparent's Day at lunch.

Cam did a wonderful job dancing and singing at the concert.  Several people commented on his enthusiasm.  The most comments, however, revolved around my Dad' lettermans jacket.  Cam was the only one with one from Milford.  Perfect outfit for a fun evening.

Interesting

Tonight's Library Board meeting was interesting.  Kim asked for the Board to hire me as treasurer as we have been doing a lot of work with the library financials and it would be easier to have me continue to help her than hire someone with little to no experience.  The state compliance manual spells out that the treasurer may be hired by the Board, so she thought it would be a great fit.

One of the Board members became extremely disagreeable when the idea was presented.  She stated that she was sure that this was illegal.  This was after she asked me to explain the four chapters of the finance section of the compliance manual in three easy steps.  I listened and showed her the manual regarding the section on the treasurer, but she wouldn't hear any of it.  Once it was suggested that the Board table the decision until next month's meeting I had had enough.  I calmly explained that I would resign if that was the case.  This only incited the Board member more, but another one than stepped in to say that the Board was getting a steal hiring me for relatively little compared to the hourly wage of an accounting staff member.  This turned the tide and in a few minutes they agreed to compensate me for eight hours of service from February and March and an hourly price for April.

Kim and Gisela were flabbergasted by the meeting and the hostility of the night.  I wasn't, however.  This is exactly what I thought would happen.  If I didn't have the library's best interest at heart or like Gisela and Kim I would have resigned long ago.  For now we should be able to move forward and our knowledge will just continue to grow.

Welcome to Munchkin Land

Tonight I talked Doug and Cam into watching The Wizard of Oz with me.  It is a movie that I remember watching every Spring and always enjoyed it, especially Dorothy and the Scarecrow.  I have to admit, however, that there was one part that always scared me.  I think I was in third or fourth grade before I would stay in the room when this scene came on.  I know for most children the wicked witch or the flying monkeys would make them cover their eyes.

Not me, however, I had absolutely no problem with either of these.  It was actually the Munchkins that sent me screaming to my Mother.  I just couldn't understand how people could be that little.  I also didn't realize that only their shoes curled up and not their toes or that the flowers growing out of their heads were just part of their costume.  The Lollipop Guild was the worst for me.  Their scrunched up faces and creepy voices were all I could handle.

Doug and I were married several years before I thought about telling him about my irrational fear of the inhabitants of Munchkinland.  Now he and the Heinisch children make fun of me for it and I am alright with that.  I deserve it.  I am happy to report, however, that I can now watch the movie and sing "Follow the Yellow Brick Road" without hiding my eyes.

Pow Wow Week

Last night was the accumulation of the high school's Pow Wow Week.  Students were invited to take part in various dress up days throughout the week and to raise money for a student in need. Cal borrowed Dad's robe for pajama day and wore white t-shirts and jorts along with six of his friends for twin day.

Friday night's activities revolved around individual, team and class competitions.  Cal participated in several and was glad to report that his 3 on 3 basketball team was the overall runner up, losing only on a last minute three.  I think his proudest moment, however, came during one of the class competitions.  He was "nominated" to represent the junior class in the Fear Factor Challenge.  The first competitor to finish a bowl of "ice cream" was to be declared the winner.  Cal said he took one bite and realized that it was really frozen mayonnaise.  He told us that it tasted disgusting, but he didn't want to give up so he put it all in his mouth and did his best not to think about it.  The technique worked as Cal was declared the winner, although I am not sure his stomach felt like it won much in the end.  No matter what it was a great way to break the winter blues and promote camaraderie in their school.  I know the students are already looking forward to next year.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today was my Dad's 72nd birthday and we of course bought him Circus Peanuts.  As this has become an annual gift we decided to mix it up and buy Circus Easter Chicks and Bunnies.  I don't know if my Dad loves Circus Peanuts as much as he loves getting a reaction out of the part of the Heinisch family that despises them.  We also got him a Barnes & Noble gift card as he is an avid reader and a football from Meg and Cam which they started tossing around immediately.   I know that it is not the gifts that he looks forward to each year, but just spending time with the Heinisch children.  They feel the same way.

My favorite part of his birthday this year, however, appeared on Facebook.  Along with all of the well wishers my Dad made his own post.  I thought it summed up his view on life perfectly and was glad to be a part of it!

From a little kid in Milford to an old guy in Syracuse, I really moved a long way away. But, I wouldn't have it any other way I've got a lovely wife and great daughter and son-in-law and four fantastic grandchildren. At 72 years old I can still play golf in the 70s ( if you let me keep score). And that's not the temperature ! It's been a great run. In The words of Jimmy Buffet..... Some of it's magic, some of it's tragic but it's been a good life anyway!!!!!

Happy Birthday Backroads - you are one in a million!

Presentations

This morning the Encore group was in charge of the presentation for Smart Start.  We had done a book study for the past month or so on a speaker that the entire middle school will see tomorrow.  He has done research on teaching, poverty and brain development.  My goal was not to give an opinion on his research or how it will work in our school system.  Instead I focused on presenting information to the staff that would give them an overview of his book and the key concepts according to the Encore teachers.

I was nervous about the presentation before I participated in it.  I wasn't sure how it would work with a group presenting.  I had written the power point and was comfortable with the slides, but we hadn't really worked out who would talk about what.  It worked out fine, however, as two of us stepped up and presented.  The rest of the group answered questions if needed and overall I felt that the morning was a success.

Youth Sports Are Not For the Weak at Heart

Tonight was Cameron's third 4th grade basketball game and it was by far the most disappointing of the season.  It was not that way because we lost or that we played poorly, but because an overzealous coach from the other team ruined it for all involved.  I do not understand the philosophy of deciding in fourth grade who is the superstar and who isn't.  Our team has twenty boys, all of whom play equally and learn all of the positions.  His team had six fourth grade boys with one boy allowed to play point guard.

I sat in the stands and was absolutely amazed at the stupidity of it all.  Part of playing youth sports is learning the game, but it is also learning how to be a good teammate and camaraderie with one's peers.  It's the stories after the game, the waiting for practice to start, the mistakes, the great passes, the growing, and the learning that is important.  It isn't about one or two players playing all of the time, building elite teams and beating up on the B team.  I was impressed with how well our coaches and players handled it.  They learned how to react to the defense and to keep trying no matter what.  They also learned that their coach is coaching all of them and that they are an important part of the program.

Tonight we saw the ugly side of youth sports.  It is the part that makes me cringe.  Youth sports are definitely not for the weak at heart.

SNOW!!! is a four letter word

It started snowing today at 9 a.m. just as predicted and continued on through the rest of the day.  Several people stopped by to let us know that there were slide offs and the roads were slick.  By the time it was all said and down we probably had 3 inches on the ground.  The weather forecaster said that it wouldn't last through tomorrow afternoon, but I have to admit that I am tired of the snow and cold temperatures.  Winter just won't end.  I am ready to be outside and I know that everyone else is too.  Golf practice was cancelled today, and I am sure that it will be tomorrow as well.  I know that the weather will turn more Spring like soon.  Just can't wait!

Happy Birthday Meg!

Today was Meg's 14th birthday and we celebrated it in Meg fashion by going to the mall and eating lunch at Macri's.  Meg found a new outfit to purchase and did some window shopping for shoes and clothes that she would like to buy on our Spring Break trip.  We had lunch with Jeannette and Mike.  That was special as we had not seen them in awhile. 

The evening was spent singing Happy Birthday, eating white cake and watching Meg open her gifts.  She received a lot of clothes, head bands, candy and money.  All in all in was a great day and a wonderful way to celebrate Meg.

When I think back to the day she was born I always marvel at the fact that she made it into this world as her birth was very dramatic.  She fought through and although she spent many months afterward catching up on her sleep and has had reoccurring eye problems that I feel are remnants of her trauma birth, she has grown into a beautiful, confident, intelligent young woman.  I never cared when I was pregnant about the gender of our children as I just wanted happy, healthy children.  I do thank God, however, for adding a girl to the Heinisch family frat house.  She is a wonderful addition to our testosterone world. 

Oh What a Night!

Cameron invited four of friends over tonight for a "Pokemon Get Together."  As they are usually trading or talking about Pokemon we thought that would be a good theme for he and his 4th grade buddies.  They had a awesome time with their Pokemon cards and also added in Ghost in the Graveyard and a game of kickball outside.  They didn't eat as much pizza as we thought they would, but leftovers in our home never go to waste.

Since Cam was having friends over Meg invited Preston over as well.  They had spent the morning at ISMAA together, but that didn't slow them down.  The afternoon break gave them enough time to rest up for the fun of the evening.  Brooklyn and Avery were at their grandparents, so they joined the "party" also.  There were a lot of stories told, the game of whispered played, a walk taken and time for Ghost in the Graveyard as well.  Meg and Preston had the added treat of going to Dairy Queen in honor of her birthday tomorrow.

A lot of fun was had in the Heinisch Home tonight.  It was great being part of it.  Tomorrow will be a new adventure.

Friday Night

We were all ready for the weekend when school ended at 3:15 today.  Cal had plans to watch as much March Madness as possible.  Although the IU loss was disappointing, he did end up going over to Stephen's afterward to spend the night and watch the games with he, Jeremy and Jayce.

Cameron had Bruin Club tonight.  They played games with the 4th and 5th grade teachers and he absolutely loved it.  He talked non-stop when we picked him up about the fun he had and all of the great future classmates he met.  He is extremely excited to attend Bethany Christian next year and we can't wait to see how it goes.

Meg invited Tess to spend the night and we took the girls shopping while Cam was on his adventure.  Meg found her 8th grade graduation dress and Doug and I found some clothes as well.  We had planned to go to Buffalo Wild Wings afterward, but it was a 40 minute wait and the girls decided to order Pizza King instead.  After dinner Cam spent the night with Mom and Dad and the girls settled in to watch Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  Doug and I watched basketball and relaxed.  It was a great way to start a busy weekend.

4th Grade Basketball

Today was Cameron's second 4th grade basketball game.  He has enjoyed the season so far and secretly likes it best when they have late practice so he and his friends can hang out and trade Pokemon cards.  He loves being on the B team as most of his friends are on it too.  He doesn't care what position he plays and cheers for the A team when he is waiting for his game to start.

Tuesday's game was a little disappointing to him.  They lost 14-1 and although he played hard he didn't get the ball much.  Meg and I explained to him that at his age it is tough to pass and hard to get it into the post.  He understood and said he would have to be more aggressive than.

Today's game was a lot more fun for him.  In the first quarter he played the three position.  He liked that as he did get more passes as a wing.  In his next quarter we were all surprised to see Mr. Voirol put him in as the point guard.  Cam did a great job.  He can dribble with both hands and worked to pass the ball to his teammates and had several nice shots.  When the last quarter started and he was back at the point I knew Mr. Voirol had made the right move for that game.  Instead of losing by 13 we actually almost caught them losing only 10-14.  Cameron even had two free throws at the end that would have cut it to two.

I still struggle watching basketball or being a part of it after what happened to Cal.  I was, however, proud of Cameron for stepping up when he was called upon to do so.  I loved seeing him do the exact same spin move as Meg.  He has watched a lot of his siblings games and has definitely learned a lot.

Beck

For the past nine months I have been meeting with a life coach once or twice a week.  Today as I drove to the appointment I couldn't help but marvel in how much different I feel then when I first starting going to see her in June.  She has helped me to understand the difference between introverts and extroverts, to celebrate my successes and to work through the anxieties of life.  I feel a lot more confident and I have stopped making decisions based on guilt.  I sleep better and have a lot less anxiety.

I was excited to tell her today of my experience flying to Florida.  I hadn't planned on overcoming my fear of flying when I first started meeting with her, but when I started to feel better I thought why not.  We haven't flown anywhere in the past 8 and 1/2 years because of my fear.  I knew it was unrealistic, but just needed someone to help me work through it pragmatically.  Her advice definitely made a difference.

In January Beck told me that I did not need to come back if I didn't want to.  One day I know I will be ready to face the world without her advice, but right now it is nice to have the extra support.   Change can happen at any age.  I am glad that I decided to try this approach.  

Erin Go Braugh!

Today we celebrated St. Patrick's Day in my FACS classes.  We started the adventure yesterday as 5th and 6th grade played St. Patrick's Kahoot.  Most of the students in our area do not have much knowledge of St. Patrick or of his significance to Ireland or the Christian faith.  They also do not realize that Irish Americans celebrate St. Patrick's day all over the country with parades and such.  I enjoy bringing that part of history into my classroom, especially for lose who do not venture out much farther than the town of Milford.

Today the 7th and 8th grade finished and taste tested their St. Patrick's Day treats.  The 7th grade made Irish Dirt Pudding.  The Heinisch family tried it at home last night and really like it.  The 7th grade gave it a big thumbs up and I will try it again with that age next year.  The 8th grade made Lucky Charm treats - a version of Rick Krispy treats.  Those were not as good.  The cereal is a different texture and I believe it needed more marshmallows than the recipe called for.  The students did all finish off the treats, but I don't think I will repeat that recipe next year.  In sticking with the orange and green theme the 5th and 6th grade made orange julius, which is always a big hit.

I do enjoy St. Patrick's Day and was very glad that Doug, Meg, Cam and I were able to go to Buffalo Wild Wings to celebrate ourselves.  Cal didn't join us, but instead went with Jayce and Sam to Ihop to have free pancakes in honor of the day.  I hope one day that we are able to visit Ireland.  I believe that would be a fantastic adventure.  Until then I will keep honoring the memory of St. Patrick at home and school.  A blessed saint he is.

Spring Sports

Today was the official start of golf season at the high school.  Cal and his friends had a great first day.  They had to play at Wawasee as South Shore is not open yet.  Cal hit balls over the weekend, but hasn't really been able to play because of the snow.  He was pleased with his first round out, shooting a 35 after bogeying the first hole.  It may have been the five free ice cream cones at Dairy Queen that he had beforehand, but an awesome start just the same.

Meg and Doug were able to take advantage of the new tennis nets at the high school and hit balls for about an hour.  She has really improved and was impressed with how hard she can hit it now.  Cam also took advantage of the nice weather to hit the links.  He and Grandpa headed out after basketball practice.  They felt that they did pretty well also.

Overall, I am thrilled that Spring has come.  We all are ready to be outside playing golf, tennis and soccer.  The doctor said that my vitamin D count is low.  Here comes the sun - just in time and I am ready.

NYC

Before Christmas break Brett called and asked if he could go with his Bible study group to New York City on a mission trip over Spring Break.  We told him that he had to gather information for us - where are they going, what are they doing, who is going with them and how much would it cost.  Brett followed through with all of the information and we decided that we would pay for him to go.

He called several times this week to review what he should take.  Both Doug and I talked about safety tips in a big city with him.  He was up bright and early Saturday morning for the adventure.  The RUF leader is a Presbyterian minister that Brett really likes.  He and his wife are also leading this mission trip, so I felt pretty good about that.  The boys posted a selfie when they started and their enthusiasm was apparent.

Today I realized just what a wonderful opportunity this is for Brett.  Not only does he get to participate in a worthy mission of mentoring inner city youth, he also gets to sight see in a place full of history.  He posted pictures of Times Square and the grave of Alexander Hamilton this afternoon.  I can't wait to hear about all of his adventures this week.

What a Wonderful Spring Day

Today was the start of three days of Spring weather.  It is such a nice break from the cold winter.  The snow has not melted in many weeks because of the extreme cold and today we could actually see grass.  The melting of the snow did bring fog, however, this morning.  I was worried about Cal and Jeremy driving to the SAT early this morning, but they made it without any problems.

Our day was spent working around the house and getting outside to enjoy some sun.  Cam went bike riding while Meg and Tess followed along walking.  Tess ended up staying here most of the afternoon and she and Meg had a lot of fun talking and playing games.  Cal went out to Wawasee to play a few holes and Cameron chipped and putted in the backyard.  I was able to take a walk and although it was windy, it felt great to get out.

Tonight we spent the evening at dinner with the Schwartz's.  We had a great time talking with them.  The Heinisch children all at at Mom's and had a lot of fun playing Kemps with them.  What a wonderful start to the Spring season.

A Day Off

I took today off so that I could go to the doctor.  My chest is still bothering me and I have a pain in my throat.  After weighing the options Dr. Mulry decided to try one more medication for my stomach that would help an ulcer.  He also scheduled an ultrasound for my thyroid just to make sure there is not a nodule on in causing the pain.  We will reevaluate in two weeks where I am at.

Before and after I went to the doctor I worked on cleaning out our bathroom.  In the last few years I have thoroughly cleaned every room in the house yearly.  For some reason, however, our bathroom has been neglected.  I still had bath toys in the cabinets from when Cam took baths in there.  I spent several hours working and by the time I took a break I had cleaned out each cabinet and filled one and a half bags with trash and a box for the garage sale.

The highlight of the day happened at school, however.  Today was the elementary awards program and Cam earned a certificate for Musician of the Trimester, a trophy for 100 points AR, a medal for 200 points AR and a plaque for 300 points AR.  He was extremely excited and danced and smiled every time his name was called.  Mom and I were both there to witness his success and were very proud of him.  He has such a great personality with a lot of enthusiasm for life.  I hope that never changes.

Closed

Tonight Doug had County Council, so Meg, Cam and I decided to go see the movie Cinderella.  It opened today and all of us were interested in seeing it.  The movie theater had it up on the marquee and a sign that said the movie started at 7 p.m., but once we got there it was dark and locked.  I was probably more disappointed than Cam and Meg as I was looking forward to going.

We decided that we would wait for another night instead of driving to Goshen to catch the opening.  Instead of our planned event Meg started Half Blood Prince and finished some homework.  Cam also wanted to read and finish a book he had started this week.  Since we were shut out on the movie we talked Doug into Dairy Queen once he got home.  We appreciated the treat.

Insurance & Retirement

Today I  met with our retirement fund advisor at school.  He gave me some great ideas of what we could do with my salary next year.  He also gave me information on setting up Cam and Meg college accounts.  We agreed to meet again in late July and have Doug be part of the meeting.  Next year our plan is to save as much of my salary as possible.

Tonight our insurance agent came over and we went through all of our policies - home, life and vehicle.  There are different rules as we now have two drivers under 21.  We were able to make some changes to fit our family's needs.  By the end of the evening I felt good about our decisions.  Life can change on a dime, but at least I feel like we are prepared.

Summer Jobs

Brett called this afternoon to let me know that he did not get the Marlin Stutzman internship that he was hoping for.  He was very disappointed, but still hopeful that another of one that he applied for would work out.  I talked to him about his thoughts for getting a summer job if he did not find an internship that would work for him.  Right now he didn't want to think about that, so we thought we'd wait until after his Spring Break and then come up with a "Plan B."  I think he would love to stay in Bloomington and work, but not sure how many opportunities there are.  Camp Mack would definitely take him back, but he hasn't decided if he would like to come back home for the summer or not.

Cal also joined the world of teenagers looking for a job.  He would really like to work as a bag boy for Tippy Country Club.  That would be awesome.  He went and applied for it today, so we will have to see if that works out for him.  After that I am not sure what he would like to do.  He has also talked about taking classes this summer, so I saved the information that IPFW sent me for him to look at.

The nice part about all of this talk is the fact that summer is actually approaching.  Another two months and it will be a different atmosphere in our home.  I cannot wait!

The 7th Grade

This trimester Meg has PE first period.  Since she also has band, she can only take PE with the 7th graders.  At first she wasn't sure how she would like that, but as of now she is really enjoying meeting new people and getting to know some of her 7th grade friends better.  Today I walked out in the hall and was greeted by one of them yelling, "Hey, Mrs. Heinisch, Meg is my new bestie and I'll be at your house Friday night."  Then another one texted her tonight and invited her to go walking with her and her Mom.  

I love that Meg meets new friends wherever she goes.  She enjoys her peers and has no problem talking to anyone.  Even my fifth grade class treats her like a celebrity when she walks in the room.  I hope it is always that way for Meg.  Life is a lot more fun when you enjoy the company of others and can make friends no matter where you are.  

Ready for Spring

Today the sun was shining and the snow was finally melting.  It still has a several inches to go, but Cam noticed that his snowman, Gary, Sr. was no longer standing in our front yard.  The drive that was completely ice covered on Friday is now partially uncovered.  Neither Cam nor Meg wore coats to piano today and I swear I could smell spring in the air.

The talk of Spring has turned our minds to golf season.  The boys are supposed to start practice the week of the 16th and golf courses will be opening soon.  Tonight Cal picked out the Indiana qualifier he wanted to play in and Cam checked out a couple of prep tour events that he would be interested in.  Meg and Cam both told me that they would like to attend more of Cal's golf matches this year, so we will make it a family event.  Can't wait!

Boiler Up

Today I went with Doug, Cam and Meg to the Purdue vs. Illinois game at Mackey Arena.  The three of them have been to Purdue but never a game.  It is a great place to watch basketball especially compared to the balcony of Assembly Hall.  The only complaint I had was that it was bench seating and after awhile my back hurt.  It was also crowded, so it wasn't easy to get in and out of our seats.

Illinois led by a lot in the first half then Purdue took over in the second and never looked back.  Meg and I watched the student sections to see if Cal would like it.  By the end we definitely thought he would.  The students are located on opposite ends of the arena and are loud.  They stood almost the entire game and were extremely enthusiastic.  I was worried that if he chose Purdue over IU he would miss out on the basketball atmosphere, but that will not be the case.

We decided to head home after the game and order Bourbon Street pizza.  Next time we will find a place to eat in West LaFayette, especially if it is an early afternoon game.  We did stop at the bookstore before the game and picked out a t-shirt to add to Cal's collection of college Ts.  It was nice to do something that Doug was interested in as he usually is along for the ride with us.

End of a Long Week

Tonight was the end of a long week and I am glad that it is over.  I am thoroughly exhausted and ready to catch up on my sleep.  With everything else going on this week we also had to deal with a teacher being arrested at our school on some very serious charges and a lot of middle school girl caddiness.

The first issue made me sad.  I hope it gets resolved and the allegations aren't as serious as they have been reported.  The second issue made me mad.  I didn't like middle school drama when I was involved in it, and I sure don't like watching it as a parent.  Only 52 more days left in the school year and a lot of them will be fun ones.  A weekend break will regenerate us all for the next week's activities.  Until Monday I will put school out of my mind.

Trivia Challenge

Tonight was the annual trivia challenge at the community center.  It was hosted by the Kiwanis and the money raised helped various charities.  Last year Doug's team won the event and he, Ron, my Dad and Cal were all pumped up for a repeat victory.  I had planned on a quiet night at home, but Angie called and one of the Knights teams needed an extra player and they were hoping that I would be able to play.

I almost said no as I was pretty tired last night, but am so glad that I didn't.  We had a lot of fun and knew more than I figured we would especially since a lot of the questions were geared toward men's interests.  We were all pleasantly surprised when we headed into the final round tied for first in the service category and only five points behind Doug's team.  They were in third overall.

Angie and Megan knew the first bonus question, so we earned ten points for that.  My Dad knew it as well, so they were still five points ahead of us.  The last question was on the fine arts and a challenging one.  We decided that we did not have a guess, so we turned in zero points hoping others would do so as well.  In the end we found out that the painting they were vaguely describing was "The Scream."  Doug's team did not get it either and I felt terrible for Cal.  He has had that painting hanging on the wall in his bedroom since he was in early middle school.  He knew the painter and all the other details about it, but not that it had been stolen in 2004 in broad daylight.

Although none of us were winners there were small victories.  We finished second in the service category.  Doug's team finished third overall and Cal's team beat Maddie and Dylan's.  The best part, however, was that it was a lot of fun.  Angie is already signing us up for next year.

ISTEP and More

I woke up in the middle of the night with a stabbing pain in between my shoulders.  It kept me up and I only slept about four hours.  By the time I got to school I was wiped out.  I couldn't call in sick as we were giving the ISTEP test today and a licensed teacher had to give it.  I knew I could make it, but it hurt a lot.  The rest of my classes were short, so we played kitchen safety Kahoot and that made the time pass quickly.  It also helped not having practice.

Doug and I talked about going to see the doctor, but once we got home from school the pain in my back had lessened.  As it started to fade I realized that it was tension in my muscles causing the pain and as I relaxed the pain subsided.  This has definitely been a challenging time with basketball, pleurisy, library changes, and now ISTEP to give.  I am glad that I made it through it all.  Next year won't be as challenging as I plan to trim my commitments down.

We did celebrate the end of the season with a night out at Buffalo Wild Wings.  The four of us had not been there to eat in quite awhile and we all enjoyed the evening.  Doug even made cookies once we got home.

The End of the Season

After having zero games for the last two weeks, we ended with two in a row this week.  Last night we played Lakeview in the first round of the NEMLSC tournament.  We started off very slow in the first half, but actually outscored them in the second half.  The girls played well and it was a lot of fun coaching them.  We ended up losing by 19, but Meg was very happy with how she played.

Today we played our final game at Westview.  The girls did pretty well, but not quite the same as last night.  Playing at home brings out a lot more enthusiasm in the girls and they do seem to play better.  Everyone played in every quarter and the girls had a great time.  There was a lot of laughter on the bench and a lot of fun.  That was the best way to end the season.

Clean Up in the Gym

Last week we were practicing in the big gym when we heard over the PA - "Gil, clean up in the small gym.  Bring a mop and a bucket."  All of us realized from the announcement that someone had thrown up at the 4th grade practice, but Meg and I knew exactly who it was without even checking.  I did send Bethany over to verify that our suspicions were correct and they were.  Cam was the culprit.

By the time I went in to check on him he was already doing the lay up drill.  His asthma starting bothering him while they were running down and backs.  He told Mr. Voirol that he thought he was going to be sick, but before he could make it out of the gym he had thrown up.  Cam didn't seem to  be rattled by it and neither did the coaches.  Thus, he was back at it and I promised to bring his inhaler for the next practice.

I know a lot of people like to brag about their children.  I do not spend a lot of time doing so.  The one thing I would have to say, however, is that the Heinisch boys are the kings of throwing up.  I'd put them up against most anyone else in that contest.

In Like a Lion

March definitely came in like a lion today.  It started snowing last night and was still going strong this morning.  Cam and Meg made it to religion.  We attended mass last night, so they did not have to be up for 8 a.m. mass.  It snowed until 3 p.m. or so and ended with about three inches of snow on the ground.  Towns south of us received even more than we did and Bloomington was under a winter weather alert.

I hope that this means that March will go out like a lion.  Golf season will start on the 16th for Cal and his friends.  It would be great if they were able to actually play outside instead of putting on the carpet of the high school.  No matter what, winter cannot last forever and before we know it it will be Spring and the cold and snow of winter will be forgotten.