Long Day Back

Today was a long day back for everyone.  No matter how many days our break is, it just never feels long enough.  I did not sleep very much last night and neither did Meg.  That made the day even longer.  We both made it through the day and even our night commitments.  Meg had soccer and I had a FACS meeting at the high school.  Both went well, but we were more than ready for bed this evening.

Brett said he felt the same way as he had a full day with his internship and presentation in his Monday class.  Cal, Cam and Doug seemed to handle the transition better than the rest of us.  Cam has late start on Mondays, so that definitely helped.  The first day back is always the hardest, so hopefully tomorrow is an easier day.

Ready for Christmas

For the last three days Doug, Brett, Meg, Cam and I have been working on putting up the Christmas.  We bought a new tree this year and focused on that the first day.  The last two days we have been getting the rest of the tubs unloaded and by 1 p.m. today we were finally done.  The house looks really nice and it feels great to have it all finished.

Brett left this morning around 10 a.m.  He had a group meeting concerning a presentation for a class.  He felt a lot more relaxed than when he got here last Friday and is looking forward to being done in two weeks.  This afternoon Cam and I with Meg and Doug to Elkhart for soccer.  We went shopping while they were at the Rec Center.  Afterward we all had a late lunch/early dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.

Tonight Cam, Meg and I went to see Mr. Leininger's talk about his trip to Israel and Turkey.  It was very interesting.  They tried some traditional Middle Eastern food afterward.  As the evening wound down we worked on the Puzzle and watched some old movies on television.  We have had such a wonderful vacation and a relaxing break.  I cannot believe that it is over, but am glad that we were able to spend so much time together as a family.  Only fifteen more school days until Christmas break.

Mary Poppins

This afternoon Brett, Meg, Kaitlin, Cam, Mom, Dad, and I went to see Mary Poppins at Amish Acres.  It was by far their best show of the season, although I did really enjoy Smoke on the Mountain.  The play followed the book closely and Cam decided to start reading it when we got home.  Brett said he hadn't teared up that much at a musical since he saw Little Women for the first time.  I was impressed with how well they performed it and am looking forward to next season.

Tonight Doug and I drove to Fort Wayne to do some more Christmas shopping.  We were able to stop at Chop's for dinner as well.  Brett finished up his homework while Cam and Meg hung out here.  Mom and Dad stopped by to let us know that Cal won a Pat's Chicago Dogs gift certificate at the boys game when he hit a three at halftime.  He, Hannah Marie, Stephen, and Aubrey came over to play ping pong after the game.  Once they left Jayce, Alex and Gage stopped by until 1 a.m. or so.  It was fun listening to all of them banter back and forth. 

Creed

Doug couldn't wait to go see the new Rocky movie "Creed."  Today was the first that we were able to go see it and after spending the day working on Christmas decorations we were all ready for a break.  The movie was a lot better than I thought it would be.  I can't believe that they can still keep coming up with storylines, but they have.  Doug said this one was one of his favorites of the seven.  Cam didn't feel that it could really be called a Rocky movie as it was about Apollo Creed's son, but we did.
After the movie we stopped at Target to return some Christmas gifts we bought a couple of weeks ago.  They were a lot cheaper on Thanksgiving day and we appreciated the extra $200 we saved.  Everyone wanted wings so we ordered from Buffalo Wild Wings to bring home.  Cal spent the day with Hannah Marie Christmas shopping, but was here when we got back.  Kaitlin also came over after the movie and the girls enjoyed dancing and talking.  Mom and Dad came back over tonight to play Trumpet and Hearts.  Brett wanted to join in this evening.  He made it most of the way through Hearts and I took over from there.  Doug won this evening, but I won on a last second play at Trumpet.

Happy Thanksgiving & Happy Birthday Grandma Jane

Today was a double celebration with Thanksgiving and my Mom's birthday.  Doug made a delicious traditional turkey dinner.  Although I do not eat turkey, I did find the mashed potatoes, noodles, stuffing and green bean casserole to be delicious.  Doug was the only one who enjoyed oyster dressing, but his carrot cake was a big hit.

After we cleaned up from dinner, we gave Mom her birthday gift.  Cam and Meg picked it out at Lowe's last week - a light up deer.  We originally thought about a flamingo, but the deer was a big hit.  My Mom has live deer that hang out in her yard throughout the fall, so the Heinisch children thought they would like having a friend.

The boys all played pool most of the afternoon.  We left around 4:45 for South Bend for some early Black Friday shopping.  The TV that I wanted to look at wasn't at Target, but we got saved over $200 on some Christmas gifts.  We stopped at the mall as well.  Brett and Doug were just along for the ride, but Meg found some great deals at Hollister.  I stopped at Yankee Candle and picked up a few gifts.  Cam made his big purchase at the Splat Ball cart coming home with a light bulb and strawberry.

Once we got home my parents came back over to play Hearts.  Cam beat us all before the night was over.  Cal got home later than we did.  He went to Fort Wayne with Alex and Jayce to go shopping.  He found a pair of Shaq socks on his trip.  It definitely was a traditional Thanksgiving in the Heinisch home.

You're a Good Man Charlie Brown

Today Brett, Doug, Meg, Cam and I went to see the Peanuts movie.  We had heard good reviews and were not disappointed.  Charlie Brown was the focus and it stayed true to the original Peanut comic strips.  Kaitlin went with us and hung out here afterward playing Just Dance 2015 with Meg. They also found the High School Musical sing along game.  That brought back a lot of memories to me. Meg and I both had fun with that when she was in early elementary.

Doug spent the afternoon making sure he had everything he needed for Thanksgiving.  He started the carrot cake and preparing the turkey.  We played Clue this evening and for the first time in a long time I won.  The Heinisch children started racing to the room.  I didn't know where the murder happened, but after that I joined in their race and beat them all there.  We also had time for a game of Sorry.  Meg said that was her favorite game.  We only have the Disney version, but it was fun just the same.  Brett played Clue with us, but sat out on Sorry.  He has a lot of homework this break and is spending a lot of his time finishing it.  He only has two weeks left after Thanksgiving and cannot wait to be done.  Alex and Jayce were over for awhile.  The boys decided that dinner at Wings, Etc. sounded good and spent the evening in Warsaw.  What a great first day!

And So It Begins

Today was a great way to kick off Thanksgiving break as we had a nice surprise this morning with a two hour delay.  Cam did not, but he decided that he would still go in at the regular time.  Bethany's rule is that students can follow their districts delays and cancellations regardless of what Bethany is doing.  I was not surprised that Cam wanted to go in anyway as he has really been enjoying school.  Doug played basketball this morning, so he was able to take him for us.

I for one was more than ready for a break and I believe everyone else was as well.  Brett left this afternoon to spend the evening marching in a parade in Albion for Pam Galloway.  Meg and Cam ordered Pizza King.  Cal headed to Fairfield to watch the first WHS game of the season.  Doug and I went to dinner at Huntington St. and then came home to take Cam and Meg on in Mario Kart. They had a great time making fun of me, but I finished 3rd in one race which is pretty good for me.  I could have finished dead last in every race.  It wouldn't have mattered as I was too happy knowing that we were starting a five day vacation from school.

One Day More

Even though we only have a two day work and school week, it sure felt like a long day today.  It could be because everyone was busy, me with library board, Doug and Meg with soccer, Cam with Evan and chess and Cal with homework.  Knowing that all we have to do is make it through one more day does help, but it felt to me as though the day just drug on and on.  I was thrilled when I pulled into the house tonight at 8:30 p.m. with the Les Miserables song "One Day More" playing in my head.  Luckily, we do not have a revolution coming, just a much anticipated Thanksgiving break.

The Nerd

Today Brett, Cam and I went to Bethany Christian to watch the play "The Nerd."  Cam had seen a clip of it earlier in the week and wanted to try it.  Brett is always up for a play or musical, so we invited him along.  The first act was a little long and we weren't sure how it would wrap up, but by the end we absolutely loved it.  The ending was perfect and we enjoyed the 1970's slide show at the beginning.  It definitely was a comedy and the students did a great job with it.  There was even disco dancing at intermission.

After the play we made some quick stops at Target, Kohl's and Petco.  Brett needed pants and dress shoes and found both.  We met Doug and Meg at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  They had soccer so they could not go to the play.  Soccer went well and both of them were happy with how Meg played.  Dinner was good and there was plenty of lively conversation going on.  Doug took Brett's car over and Meg, Cam and Brett all rode home together.  According to Meg they laughed all of the way home.

Let It Cheese, Let It Cheese, Let it Cheese

Meg started playing Christmas music several weeks ago.  I told her it was too early, but she and Cam have enjoyed it. Lately, they have been making up their own words to the songs and my favorite so far has been their version of Let It Snow - "Oh the weather outside is Cheesy, but inside it's so deCheesy.  As long as you cheese me so, Let it Cheese, Let It Cheese, Let It Cheese."  Today they could sing the song all they wanted as it did snow all day long.  It didn't change our morning plans, but by the evening the girls basketball game was cancelled and we were all snowed in for the night.

The day was not a total loss, however, as Cam was still able to make it to his chess tournament in Warsaw.  He played well and finished second in the 5th grade category only losing once and to the eventual winner.  Evan was there as well as his friends J.J. and Kayden from Bethany.  The boys had fun hanging out together and playing speed chess and anti-chess.  Doug took him over and I met him there at noon.  I enjoyed talking with Mary while we waited for the rounds to start.

Doug and Cal made it to South Bend for the Notre Dame basketball game.  ND won easily and Doug and Cal enjoyed going.  The snow was heavier in South Bend, but they did alright driving up and back.  Cam and Brett went to my parents for an hour or so.  Brett introduced them to his new favorite serious - Gotham.  Meg and Doug made dinner for everyone.  She made her mac and cheese from culinary arts and he made his own recipe.  They were both delicious.

After dinner we all played Clue.  For the first time in a long time I actually won.  Brett, Meg and Cam were arguing about who would make it to the dining room first and I beat them all there.  Meg bowed out after Clue and Brett, Doug, Cam and I played Rummy.  I forgot how much I liked that game.  We finished the night watching Amityville Horror with Brett.  It was a little unrealistic, but still creepy.  Hopefully, I will be too tired for it to keep me up tonight.  At least it wasn't The Exorcist.

Under One Roof

Brett made it home at 10 p.m. tonight for Thanksgiving break.  He was more than happy to be here and we were glad to have him.  It has been three months since all of the Heinisch family were under one roof and we are all looking forward to the holiday and hanging out together.  Brett and Meg spent most of the night talking about what they would do this week.  Cam had to go to bed earlier than they did because of his chess tournament tomorrow morning, but he got to greet Brett before he headed up.  Cal came down for awhile to discuss politics with Brett before he headed back up as well.  They both find Trump fascinating, but do not expect him to get the Republican nomination.

Doug and I made it up until 11 p.m.  I was impressed as we both had been working hard this week and exhaustion had set in hours before.  This week will fly by quickly, I know, but I am so glad that we will all be able to celebrate together.  Tonight was a good start.

Start of the Christmas Season

Tonight was our first event of the holiday season - Doug's company Christmas party.  It was held at Villa Macri's in South Bend.  I was excited about it as I picked lobster ravioli for my main dish which is one of my favorites.  The conversation was interesting and for awhile revolved around processing deer and diapers for Amish horses.  Don't know how I felt about the topics, but Doug got a kick out of them.

Macri's is a little over an hour away, so it was after 9:30 when we got home.  I didn't feel the best as I am not used to eating such rich foods.  Cam was just getting ready to go to bed when we got here.  Dad and he had played games and watched We Bare Bears.  Meg had tennis and FFA.  Mom was able to take her to both.  Cal had HM over, so I think everyone had a good time.  The only complaint I heard was that Cam's arm hurt form his flu shot.  I would agree with him.  This year they hurt worse than normal.  I keep reminding him that it is better than getting the flu.

Math, Math and More Math

Mastery Algebra has taken on a life of its own at school.  Right now students have to retest and requiz on every standard until they have 75% correct or higher.  Once they get to 75% they can keep taking tests and quizzes until the earn a 100%.  It is great in theory, but it has become more work than I can handle.  I spend my lunch hour and prep grading papers, making copies and coming up with make up work for those who have not mastered the individual standards.  I am also afraid that some of my students have not tried their best on each and every test and quiz as they know they can take it again and again.  Our class average on our current quiz was lower than normal which means it will take a lot of work over the next few days to get everyone caught back up.

For the past month I have had students in my classroom at Warrior Time, Lunch and Success time trying to finish homework, take tests and quizzes.  I love teaching math, but I do not believe I can keep this pace going.  I hope the time off over Thanksgiving break will give me a much needed break.

Almost Like New

Cam decided over the weekend that he wanted to have a taco Tuesday.  Thus, Doug stopped at the grocery and picked up ground beef and chicken and everyone was able to make their favorite tacos.  He has been asking us for different ideas for dinner and this was a good one.  We even had homemade guacamole.

After dinner Doug and I thoroughly cleaned the outside of our kitchen cabinets, counter tops and appliances.  Once it was done Doug put Old English on the nicks in the cabinet doors and by the end of our evening our kitchen was looking new again.  I appreciate him helping me as it cuts my time in half.  It was nice also to do something that wasn't mentally taxing.

I'll Sue Ya

Cameron walked around the house tonight singing the Weird Al line "I'll sue ya, if you put your Christmas decorations up way out of season."  Yes, we became that family tonight.  Not trying to push Thanksgiving out of the way.  It's just that today was the last of the warm weather for awhile and I was hoping we could take advantage of it.  Doug was great at getting everything together and I was able to help as well.  The tinsel pig looked fantastic outside with the snowman and presents, although Doug could have been heard to exclaim, "So with three light up Christmas figures do we get a free mobile home?"  Maybe it looks that way, but I sure do like them as do Meg and Cameron.  At least we live in a town where these do not look out of place.  We also put up lights on the tree out back for the first time.  It looks nice as well.  Tomorrow I need to stop by Shopko and pick up timers for the lights and we should be set.

It wasn't all about the Christmas season tonight.  Cameron and I kept Halloween alive as well.  Once Doug and Meg left for soccer he and I watched Twilight Tower of Terror.  It was a scary movie based on the ride of the same name at Disney's Hollywood Studios.  We enjoyed it more than either of us thought that we would.  Next on our list will have to be A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.  Then we can celebrate all three season at once.

My 47th Birthday

 

 

Today was my 47th birthday and I had a great time celebrating it.  I loved the gifts that everyone found with my personal favorite - the planner! Turning a year older has never bothered me.  I appreciate all of the time I have with this group.  It has been a wonderful year full of new experiences, several vacations, and a lot of family time.  I am looking forward to the year ahead and all that it has to offer.

Shopping, Shopping and More Shopping

Doug and I left for Fort Wayne early this afternoon for a day of Birthday and Christmas shopping.  I finally found a new winter jacket and some boots to match.  I had a lot of coupons to use, so we started at Target then went to Yankee Candle, Barnes and Noble, Kohl's, Dick's and Lowe's.  We got a good start on our Christmas list and will have a new tree this year.  Every place was crowded, but we navigated alright.  While at Jefferson Point Mall we stopped at Bagglio's for an appetizer and DeBrands for a truffle.  Everyone at the mall was waiting for Santa to arrive and the tree to be lit.

After the shopping was done we stopped at Chops for dinner.  I didn't particularly like the risotto or the mac and cheese, but the dessert was delicious and free as it was my birthday.  I enjoyed spending the day with Doug very much.  I know that shopping is not his first love, but I sure appreciate his company.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate my 47th birthday.

Friday the 13th

Cam invited his friends from Milford over for a Friday the 13th party tonight.  Everyone but Ryden was able to make it as he was home with a fever.  Cam had a lot of scary activities planned for the evening - Ghost in the Graveyard, a visit by Slappy the Dummy, Green Sleeves and even a We Bare Bears marathon.  They had a great time and the only casualty was Chuckie, who is now known as Nearly Headless Chuck!  

Meg had her "squad" over as well - Aaron, Preston, Caleb, Gabby and Kaitlin.  They joined in a lot of the Friday the 13th activities plus had fun playing truth pong.  They talked about goinging teepeeing, but we talked them out of it.  All of Cam's friends and Gabby and Kaitlin spent the night.  The boys made it up quite a bit longer than the girls entertaining themselves with a game of Apples to Apples.  They even found out that Jack the Ripper was "inspirational."  Glad that everyone had a lot of fun and that Mom made so many cupcakes.  Not one was left by morning.  

From Soccer to Tennis

Since Meg has decided not to play basketball this year she has had time to focus on tennis and soccer.  Last night she had a private lesson with her coach and today they spent an hour practicing drills.  Meg seems to really like it and after Thanksgiving Cam will be taking lessons as well.  They are both talking about playing team tennis in January and February as well.

Soccer is on Sundays and Monday nights.  She has already earned a varsity letter in soccer and we are extremely proud of her for putting in the work for that.  Now if she can make the varsity tennis team she will earn her jacket as a freshmen.  Either way we are proud of her dedication to the two sports she really enjoys.

Veteran's Day

Today was Veteran's Day and as proud as I am of my Grandpa for serving in World War II, I just couldn't muster the energy to attend the school's program this morning.  Cal ended up with a headache too and missed the high school one as well.  I know everyone means well, but the programs seem long and forced.  Cameron's school instead discussed Veteran's Day and presented information on what it means to be a veteran.  I like that philosophy a lot more than listening to a choir sing or TAPS being badly played by a middle school band student.  Meg did say that her program had some excitement in it.  A boy three rows behind her threw up all over the students in front of him.  The choir didn't even notice and just kept on singing.  She also reminded me about the white table ceremony that Mrs. Fiscus always does with the students.  That is impressive.

I do like what the high school decided to do this week.  They set a goal of raising $400 to send a veteran's family member to DC with him/her to see the World War II, Vietnam or Korean War monument.  The money goes to a national organization that assists with this program.  I know that Paw Paw and Granny would have loved doing that.  The World War II monument was impressive and I wish it would have been built ten years before it was so that we could have taken him there.  Although he could not go so see it, I am proud that we took the Heinisch children to visit it and have retold the many stories about his time in the service.  You didn't have to know my Grandpa long before you realized how much the 52nd Engineer Corp meant to him.

It Has Arrived!

This afternoon the new washer I picked out at Lowe's about a little over a week ago arrived.   My Mom asked me if I was excited.  More than anything I was nervous.  I have had so many problems with the old one these past six months that it was hard for me to believe that I would be able to wash clothes without everything leaking all over the floor or that it wouldn't stop mid cycle because it could no longer drain.  After I read the manual I did run a load of towels.  It worked well and fit a lot more towels in it than my previous one.  I will wash my bedding tomorrow and than I will know for sure how much I will like have the new washer.

MVP

Tonight was the fall sports awards program at the high school.  Doug and I were able to sit together during the opening ceremony before they split everyone up for individual team awards.  As we listened to the jacket and watch winners one category caught my eye.  Every season Wik gives out an academic achievement plaque to the team with the highest GPA.  As the teams were giving Mr. Perek their tropheys, I was counting the stars by the tennis team member names.  I realized that all but four of the players and managers on the tennis team were scholastic athletes.  There were other teams that had quite a few scholar athletes as well.  Thus, at the end of all of the other awards I sat on the edge of my seat waiting for Wik's announcements.  He started off letting everyone know that for the first time in the history of the award (10 seasons) a boys' team had finally won what he believed to be the highest team honor.  As he announced the tennis teams name all of the boys stood up and cheered.  I was incredibly proud of them.  I had always hoped that Cal would be on the first boys team to win this honor.  I have always felt that Cal was an underrated student.  This proved that there was so much more to him than just being an athlete or leader of the cheer block.

After the group awards Doug went to the annex gym with the soccer girls and I went to the library for the tennis awards.  Vince and Shane had a lot of wonderful thoughts to share about Cal and how much the team would miss him.  They felt that he was a great team leader and competitor and would be hard to replace next year.  It was nice that they also thanked me for help with the food and Doug and I for providing the banners.  The best part of the night, however, was yet to come when they gave out the awards.  Cal was voted MVP by his teammates and concurred by his coaches.  Once again I was as proud as could be.  Cal wasn't even sure he would play this year.  Instead he became a team leader and had the best season record for the third year in a row.  I don't know if he was as happy as I was, but he did let me take pictures of him with his teammates and also his coaches.  I will miss all of this next year.  It was awesome to be a part of this team and all of the energy that Cal brought to it.

Home Again

We left Parce's by 8 a.m. this morning.  Cal wanted to get home early.  Doug and Meg had indoor soccer and Brett was busy with classes.  Thus, we thought we'd get up and go.  Meg and I didn't even get out of our pajamas.  The trip was quiet and fairly easy.  I spent a good portion of the afternoon getting the laundry done and unpacking.  Doug decided to work on the leaves.  He got a lot of them raked and burned before we had to leave.

Cal spent the afternoon hanging out with Hannah Marie and then went to play basketball with Alex and Jayce.  Cam and I went Christmas shopping while Doug and Meg were at soccer.  We weren't planning on buying anything, but once we saw the great deals that were going on at Target, we went ahead and bought a couple of things.  We made it back to the last half of Meg's game.  Meg played well, although her team was over matched.  Once the game was over we had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  It was a nice way to end a fun weekend.  

Game Day

We were all up early this morning.  Brett, Doug and Cam really wanted to see the new James Bond movie - Spectre - before the IU football game.  Meg and I went along with them while Cal stayed at Parce's and watched ESPN game day.  The movie was a little long, but still good, especially the opening scene.

After the movie we followed Parce to the stadium.  Cal was invited to the IU vs. Iowa football game by the IU Office of Admissions.  Everyone hung out at Parce and Chokey's tailgate before Cal and Doug headed to the IU one.  Pregame activities included some good food, tossing the football and playing ring toss.  I couldn't believe all of the Iowa fans that were there.  They are undefeated this season, so maybe that was the draw to come.  The game ended up being a good one and Cal and Doug enjoyed it.  IU dropped a fumble that could have put them in a place to time with less than two minutes to go.

Brett, Cam, Meg and I did not make it to the game.  Once it started we headed to the IU bookstore.  Meg and I bought "IU ugly Christmas sweaters" and Cam found a great deal on an IU t-shirt.  The mall was our next stop.  Meg and I picked out four large tumblers from Yankee Candle.  Brett and Cam did some shopping at Hot Topic.  After quite awhile they finally agreed on a Nightmare Before Christmas shirt for Brett and a dinosaur shirt for Cam.  Target was our final stop before we headed to the Union for bowling.  Brett had the best first round he has in a long run and almost doubled Cam and Meg's scores.

After the football game Cal and Doug walked through campus checking out the various dorms.  It sounds like a lot of the direct admit business students live in McNutt as it is close to the business school and also the rec center.  We picked them up at Mother Bears.  We were going to eat there, but it was packed.  Everyone wanted to try Bucceto's for pizza.  We got right in and it was very good.  Brett ran into several of his friends there.  We also saw Femi, IU's soccer great that graduated from Bethany Christian.

Cal went back to Parce's to watch the Alabama game while we went to Barnes and Noble.  We stopped for ice cream at Jiffy Treat on the way out.  After that we were all ready for bed.  It was a fantastic day, but totally exhausting.

End of the First Trimester

The end of the trimester did arrive yesterday leaving today as a teacher day.  I spent the afternoon getting my room ready for next trimester.  I did get a lot accomplished this week despite the stress of the workload.

I picked up Meg after I left school.  She spent the night at Kaitlin's.  They walked to McDonald's for lunch and then stopped by my Mom's.  Cal hung out here most of the day.  He went to the girls game last night.  He hasn't been feeling the best, but is relieved the trimester is over.  He ended up with an 11.0 which is the highest he has had in quite awhile.  Meg also finished well earning an 11.2 GPA.  I was thrilled with both of them.

We were ready to leave as soon as Doug got home.  The trip down was very easy until we got on 37 in Martinsville.  It has been under construction for quite some time and doesn't look to be anywhere close to finished.  It only slowed us up about ten minutes, however and we were at Buffalouies by 8:40.  Brett was already there waiting on us.  We found a table upstairs and everyone enjoyed visiting and catching up.  I appreciated the fact that all six of us were together for a meal.

Once dinner was over Brett was ready to head back to the dorm.  He made plans to go to see Goosebumps later that evening and we were ready to get breadsticks and hang out with Parce.  He was up waiting for us and we all talked, unpacked and enjoyed Pizza Express.  Cam was the first one asleep.  I can't remember the last time that happened.  No one usually beats Doug to sleep.

Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Words cannot describe how stressful this week has been and to top it off today may have been the worst day of my adult life.  It should have been a celebration of the end of the trimester, but instead it ended with a lot of tears.  I cannot change today or the circumstances that led up to it.  All I can do is hope for a better tomorrow.  All that said, I have given a lot of thought to my plans for next year.  I do not know that I can return to teaching.  I know for sure that even if I do, I cannot teach FACS and math knowing that I have five different classes to prepare for and two Warrior Times to support.  I hope that I will be able to sleep tonight and that this weekend is the much needed time with family that I would very much enjoy.

Tennis

Meg started back at tennis tonight.  She will be taking lessons on Wednesday night from 8 to 9 and also on Thursday from 5:30 to 6:30.  Doug was able to take her this evening and both were very positive about the experience.  Cameron will start on Thursday at the same time after Thanksgiving.  Doug decided that we would get a family membership.  That way he can use the exercise equipment and also schedule court time to hit with Cam and Meg.

Wednesdays will be busy for us as Cam has chess after school and then they are taking piano lessons that night as well.  Both Cam and Meg say that they like it that way.  Neither like going straight to piano after school as they feel rushed.  I am impressed with their dedication to it.  Meg hasn't played in awhile because of soccer, but she just loves it.  Cam is into classical music and so far likes Beethoven the best.  He realizes that I am a Mozart fan, so he plays that as well.  We will see if we can keep up this schedule.  Night one was a good start!

End of an Era

For the first time in fifteen years no one in the Heinisch family will be playing organized basketball this year.  There are times that I can't believe it and there are other times that I feel relieved.  It does make me sad that Cal will not be playing his senior year.  I can't help but blame the lack of support that he received from his coach for his decision not to return to the sport he loved.  It does make me feel better that he has found new avenues to play and enjoys those very much.  I am also thrilled that the coach that made his life miserable moved away.  I hated running into him as seeing him always left a bad taste in my mouth.

Meg also decided to move on from the sport that she had played since she was in kindergarten.  Her headaches and the commitment level required were more than she could handle this winter.  Eliminating one sport also gave her time for the two she really enjoys.  Doug and I were disappointed with the response we got from the coaching staff when he let them know that she would not be able to play.  She had worked hard at basketball and kept a program going at Milford when they didn't have much there for him just to dismiss her.  At least we know she made the right decision.

Cam was asked to play on the 6th grade team this year as a 5th grader at Bethany Christian.  He decided to pass on that this year and we were OK with that.  He has become involved in chess and will play tennis this winter and on their club team in the Spring.  We also thought with the extra time this winter we could take them skiing more often.  Cam may play next year, but for now we will enjoy a quiet basketball season and enjoy listening to Cal talk about IU basketball and his own intramural games.

Love This Weather

The weather this week is supposed to be beautiful, especially for this time of year. Meg and I decided to take advantage of it and go for a walk after school. It was the perfect night for it and we had a great time. I love catching up with all that she has going on and walking together is the perfect time to do that. We're both frustrated with the grade she has in Culinary arts.  Overall, this trimester however has gone a lot better then the last one in eighth grade.

Our walk was cut short tonight because of muscle spasms I have been having. Meg didn't mind however as she had soccer to get ready for and biology to study. Soccer went well for her and Doug.  There were 20 people there in total.  Cal had to work so Cameron and I were the only ones home. We watched some We Bare Bears and Simpsons Halloween.   The rest of the week looks as nice as today. We will enjoy that is all too soon it will be winter.

Leaf Season

This weekend Doug spent a great deal of time working on the leaves in our yard.  He cut down flowers and brought in a lot of the summer furniture as well.  Unfortunately for him, the leaf season at our house still has many more weeks to go.  We both love owning a wooded lot and having a multitude of trees on our property, but in the fall it does add a lot of work to his weekends.  I appreciate all that he was able to complete especially since he also had to cut up a tree that feel on Wednesday from our woods into the neighbors yard.  Fortunately, it did not produce any damage.

I spent a good portion of the day taking down the Halloween and putting out the Thanksgiving.  Jayce came out of the basement with Cal and said, "Oh man, that's sad."  Cam said the same thing when he saw the Halloween going into tubs.  We did not work all day.  I took Cam, Meg and Gabby to see Harvey at Amish Acres.  It was just like the one I remembered from Brett's high school days.  The girls had seen it back then as well, but didn't remember a lot.  They all really liked it although it got a little long.  Cam said that he was sure that Harvey was real.  Maybe he's right.

Cal let me take the rest of his senior pictures when I got back and before he left to play basketball at the elementary.  They looked great on my camera.  I haven't put them in the computer yet, but I know they will look nice.  Doug and I then went to Lowe's to look at washers.  We found the one I wanted with a built in sink.  I hope it works as well as I think it will.  They should deliver it next Tuesday and I won't have to fight with my current one anymore.  We stopped at Mad Anthony's for dinner.  It sure was dark on the way home, but well worth the time change as I will be able to drive to school in the light tomorrow.  I will appreciate that.