And We're Off!!

We left right at 4 this afternoon.  Doug was able to leave early from work and pick up Cam.  Cal cut practice short and Meg didn't go to hers as it was at the Warsaw Racquet Club.  I was thankful that we were able to get everything packed yesterday as I only had a couple of things to add to the suitcase today.

The trip down included a couple of thunderstorms, but other than that it was pretty easy.  I didn't know how Cal would handle nine hours in the van with us, but he had his phone, headphones and a book to keep him occupied.  We also gave him the back by himself so he could stretch out.  Cam spent his time coloring in his new Harry Potter coloring book, reading, watching movies and playing on the iPad.  Meg listened to music and texted Kaitlin as she left for Florida today.

I appreciated Doug driving the entire time especially when it was raining.  We made it to Blytheville, Arkansas around midnight central time.  Tomorrow we will only have an hour to Memphis.  Elvis and Pandas - couldn't ask for more!

Ready to Go!

We found out yesterday that Meg's tennis match at Central Noble was moved to tonight.  Cam's tennis was cancelled as well and with the rain forecast Cal said he would forgo golf practice.  This frees up our Thursday evening and we will now be able to leave at 4.  As Memphis is an hour behind us we are hoping to be able to be at Graceland on Friday morning leaving the afternoon available for the Memphis Zoo.  Ever since Cam found out that there are Pandas at the zoo he's been dying to go.

My parents, Cam and I went to Meg's tennis match tonight, but the rain came early and it was cancelled.  We were bummed, but with all of the packing that we had to do and the tests that Meg had to study for it worked out alright.  Cal did have practice, but it was rained out as well.  With everyone's help we were able to get everything ready and most items in the van.  Now we just need to get through school and work tomorrow and we'll be on our way.  Looking forward to it.

Last One on the Court - A Family Tradition

Tonight was Meg's first high school tennis match.  It was at Lakeland and she played #2 Varsity singles.  Both Doug and I were able to attend as Mom and Dad picked Cam up from tennis and then took him to soccer.  Meg started off slow and had a lot of rallies in her first set.  She was up a break and then lost her serve in a long deuce rally.  She rebounded well, however, and ended up winning the first set 7-5.

She started off the second set slowly as well and quickly found herself down 4-0.  By this time three of the Varsity courts were already complete.  We knew that Wawasee had won the match as #1 and #3 singles and #2 doubles already won.  The number #1 doubles was on the court next to Meg.  They had started their third set while Meg was at the beginning of her second.  It looked like we would be there for a third until Meg all of a sudden turned it on.  She won the next four games to tie the set at 4-4.  There was a discrepancy in the score, however, as Meg's opponent forgot to switch sides and after a lot of debate they took one of Meg's games away.

The disagreement did not rattle Meg at all.  She won her serve with ease.  The score moved to 5-4 in Lakeland's favor when Meg went to another level.  She easily won the next two games to go up 6-5 and then won every point in the last game to finish with a 7-5 two set win.  Meg's coach, Doug and I all found humor in the fact that Meg was the last one on the court in a long, laborious match.  That was always Cal's place on the boys team.  Her match was 2 hours and 41 minutes in length almost eclipsing his record of 2 hours 45 minutes.  No matter the length of her match, the slow start or the errors in scoring by her opponent we were all proud of the way she played.

My School Rules

On Friday April 15th Bethany Christian will be focused on the WNDU's My School Rules segment.  The show will be broadcast form the school and all students are invited to be part of the show.  To do this Cam will have to be there at 5:15 in the morning.  For his early morning arrival he will receive donuts before the show starts and an all you can eat breakfast after it is over.  If they can get 140 students there or more they will even get to go home at 2:30 that day.

I asked Cam today if he wanted to participate and he said, "Of course!"  Free breakfast, a chance to be on TV, early dismissal and the class with the most students participating gets a pizza party - he's all in.  Lucky for me, Doug is up early on Fridays to play basketball, so he said he wouldn't mind taking him.  It should be a fun morning!!

Happy Easter & Happy Birthday

Today we had two celebrations.  The first of course was Easter.  We started the morning at a full 8 a.m. mass.  We have a new deacon and have noticed that he is adding a lot to the services and the numbers at mass have grown.  After mass we went home to start our Easter celebrations.  Cal told us yesterday that if we colored the eggs he would join in the hunt.  He has never lost an Easter Egg hunt and this year proved to be no different.  It was a lot closer, however, with Meg only being a couple of eggs short.  Cam took the longest to find his as there was one elusive egg that even Doug couldn't locate.  Luckily, someone saw it inside the headphones and Cam was able to finish his hunt in third place.  They decided that Brett was fourth even though he wasn't here to participate.  Their Easter baskets were also hard to find this year, but everyone ended up with one full of candy, a new Blu Ray disc and a snack.  My favorites were the Cheez-It boxes for Doug and Meg.  They are always debating which is better White Cheddar or Four Cheese.  Now they have their own box.

My parents came over for lunch after their services.  In addition to celebrating Easter we also celebrated my Dad's 73rd birthday.  We loved the spelling bee card we found for him highlighting the word "ancient."  He also got the typical Grandpa gifts - golf balls, flashlights, Circus Peanuts, orange slices and cherry sours.  Doug and Mom contributed to the meal and we all enjoyed it.  The guys played ping pong afterward and I worked on cleaning up.  My Mom made Dad a bunny cake that was delicious.

My parents took Cam golfing after lunch and Cal headed to South Shore.  Doug ran and I folded a lot of laundry.  Brett called and had a weekend full of Easter services to tell us about.  He went to the Easter vigil at his church last night that lasted three hours.  He said he was glad he went.  He also went to a Good Friday mass and plans to attend mass this evening as well.  He spent the afternoon reading and walking in the sunshine.

Doug and I were able to take an hour walk this afternoon.  It was one of the most gorgeous Easters that I can remember.  Meg and Cam both hung outside tonight and we even had a small bonfire.  It will be hard to concentrate this week with Spring Break just around the corner, especially after a day like today.

Suicide, Infidelity & Russian Politics

I started reading Anna Karenina after New Year's with the goal of finishing it before Spring Break.   I am happy to say that I do so last night with a week to spare.  The book had come highly recommended to me since I love early 20th century literature and before.  Everyone knows that my favorite author is Jane Austen and when this book was suggested I thought it was supposed to be a lot like one of her works.  I was incredibly wrong.  The more I read it the more I found it like a Henry James novel - a soap opera with a very unlikeable main character.  I kept hoping something would change, but it never did.  It started with an affair and a broken heart.  It ended with a suicide and a shattered life.

Although I am never found of infidelity there were parts of the book that I really enjoyed.  There were several chapters discussing socialism and communism which would have been main topics of the day.  One of the couples in the book was very likable and their interactions with the peasants gave a great insight into the interactions of the day.  Overall, if asked, I do not know if I would recommend this novel or not.  Tolstoy wrote it well, but after 800 pages I am still not sure that the story was finished.  That coupled with the unlikeable namesake of the book makes me leery that others would enjoy it in this day and age.

Laser Tag & Noods

Today was Good Friday and we all had the day off from school.  Cal spent his time with Jayce and then Hannah-Marie.  Cam, Meg and I went to Goshen for piano.  They are working on Beatles songs and we are all glad that Mrs. Meek is feeling well enough to give lessons again.  After piano we went to Olympia for lunch.  It was packed, but we got a table after a short wait.  Lunch was good and Cam topped it off with a "Goshen College" sundae.  I tried some of Meg's chocolate shake and that was delicious as well.  We stopped at Wal-Mart for snacks for the night.  Cam found a Jurassic World Lego he had been looking for.

Kaitlin, Preston and Gabby all arrived around 3 p.m. to go laser tagging for Meg's birthday.  Cam invited Evan to go along and once Doug got home we left for Fort Wayne.  Ultra Zone was packed, but we were able to get in three games.  I actually did pretty well this time and finished second once.  I found a hiding spot and that helped.  Everyone had a great time playing and all were ready for dinner afterward.  We stopped at Noodles & Company and it was as good as it was last weekend.  Except for an incidence with a retainer all went well.

The six of them hung out at our house for awhile until Preston had to go home.  The girls watched Glee and slept in the basement.  Cam and Evan played his new Star Wars Trivia game.  Doug watched IU get beat pretty easily by UNC.  It was disappointing, but not surprising.  North Carolina is the number one team in the tournament and they played like it.

Rain Out

Tonight was supposed to be Meg's first high school tennis scrimmage and unfortunately the rain had other plans.  It poured most of the day, but the sun came out for an hour or two.  I was hopeful that they'd be able to play, but it wasn't meant to be.  Meg had practice inside today which was disappointing after the anticipation of a match.  Cam also had his tennis practice altered.  They had to give the gym to the high school girls, so they watched one of Federer's matches and worked on footwork.  It wasn't his favorite activity, but he still put it in his top three positives of the day.

Cal also had indoor practice.  It was their rules meeting.  Afterward they all went to Chubbie's for dinner.  It was $2 hamburger night and they ended up with a total of 26 sandwiches at their table.  After dinner he and Doug went to Warsaw to rent a tux for Prom.  He posted on Twitter that it was Red, White and Blue, but fortunately it was more traditional than that and will match Hannah-Marie's dress well.  Alex and Jayce were over this evening once Cal got back. Cam played them in ping pong and watched basketball as well.  It was a quiet night for the rest of us.  It had been an exhausting day at school and I was more than ready for a relaxing evening.

The Big Wally Challenge

Last night was the Big Wally Challenge at Penguin Point.   Warsaw, Whitko, Tippy Valley and Wawasee all sent a team of three high school students to compete for money for prom.  The objective was to eat as many Big Wally's as possible in fifteen minutes.  Cal, Reider and Harry were the representatives from Wawasee and they even talked Steve Coverstone into being their coach.  The boys arrived early poised with a lot of confidence.  The high school radio stations was there to broadcast which we appreciated greatly.  The hype from Wawasee's team was big and they definitely had the largest cheer block in attendance.

Meg and I listened from Cal's truck as he took the van.  We could pick out specific voices in the crowd - Jayce, Kyle, Cal - and loved listening to the commentary.  My parents were able to listen as well and Doug and Cam tuned in on the way home from soccer.  Cal finished 5 and 1/2 Big Wally's in the fifteen minutes as his team completed 13 overall.  That did not give them the win, but helped them finish above Whitko in third.

I was proud of the boys for trying, but most of all impressed with the number of friends they had show up for the event   They definitely had the best coach at their table and the most support.  Cal tweeted later that evening that his days of competitive eating were officially over.  Regardless, they had made a memory of a lifetime.

Happy 15th Birthday Meg!!

Today we celebrate Meg's 15th birthday.  Meg is the daughter that neither Doug and I thought we would have and the one that we couldn't imagine life without.  She has a zest for life that is ever apparent.  Meg thinks the world of her brothers and I love watching her interact with them.  She is the second mother they may not always listen to, but they appreciate her sense of humor and willingness to talk or hang out at anytime.

Meg works hard at school and is really starting to blossom in all aspects of her life.  I enjoy listening to her talk about her friends and love her confidence.  Life is full of so many possibilities for her.  I feel blessed to have her in our lives.  When I think of how we almost lost her fifteen years ago I thank God for the opportunity to be her mother.  No frat house is complete without a "little sis."  So happy to have her in ours.

~ Happy 15th Birthday Meg ~ 

Varsity Tennis

Tonight was the parent night for tennis.  It was a lot like other nights only a little longer.  There were Subway forms and schedules to look at.  We signed up for food for home matches and gave the coach our contact information.  The girls tried to pay attention, but with the new face swap app it was challenging for them to do so.

The best part of the evening for me, however, was on the way home.  That was when Meg told me that she made #3 Varsity Singles.  That was where Cal started his high school tennis career as well.  I was so proud of her.  She has worked hard on his tennis skills and will only improve from here.  I am looking forward to her season.  I know she will have a lot of fun and gain even more experience.

Heading Home

Brett left this morning after brunch.  We had a wonderful week with him and I was sad to see him go.  He may be home soon as he has to go to Michigan to work on something.  Either way we will be in Bloomington May 6th to celebrate his hard work.

Most of today was taken up with housework and basketball.  I was also able to work on several of Cal's scholarships.  Doug was happy to finally say that he finished the Darth Vader puzzle.  I had to stop helping him as I couldn't distinguish the different shades of red and black.  My eyes are a lot better, but not quite that good yet.

Doug made spaghetti for dinner.  There were a lot of close games that he, Cameron and Cal enjoyed watching.  There were also a lot of blown leads.  Those are excruciating for me to see unfold, so I had to switch over to something else.  For the basketball fans in our family it has been one great weekend.

Chess State Finals, Birthday Shopping, Campaigning & IU vs. Kentucky

Today was one busy day in the Heinisch Home.  All six of us were out the door by 9 a.m.  I cannot remember the last Saturday that this would have occurred.  Doug and Cameron left first.  Their destination was the state chess finals in Hammond.  Brett was out the door next.  He planned to spend the day in Fort Wayne helping Pam Galloway campaign for the May primaries.  Cal went to HM's to help her Dad work on sanding his car, and Meg and I headed to South Bend for a morning of shopping.

Meg and I were successful on his shopping trip.  She was able to stop at Hollisters, Forever 21, American Eagle, and Journeys before we left the mall.  She was in need of shorts and shoes.  Almost every store had buy one get one half off for their shorts.  I had time to stop at Yankee Candle ago buy some Easter items before we went to Dick's.  As tennis has been a lot more cold than we thought it would be this Spring, Meg bought some compression pants.  I found a green Nike sweatshirt for myself.  I should be able to wear it to her matches.

We met Godmother Jeannette, Jackie, Anna, Bryce, Evan and Aunt Jan at Noodles & Company for lunch.  We spent an hour visiting with them before we had to leave for tennis.  Meg spent the rest of the afternoon on the courts and I used the time to get out the Easter, put away the St. Patrick's Day,  and hang up the Birthday decorations.

Cal and HM came home while I was here.  Mom and Dad got here in time for the IU vs. Kentucky game.  Mom made corned beef and cabbage plus a lot of other food for dinner which we all appreciated.  We ate and watched the game.  Brett was back by 6:30.  He had a good day working the campaign and except for one minor hiccup all went well.  The IU game was a close one, but in the end IU beat Kentucky.  It was exciting to watch.

Cam called on their way back.  His team finished 19th out of 42 in the state.  He felt very good about their accomplishments.  He was the only one from Bethany that made the state finals in both the individual and team tournaments.  They listened to the game as they drove back.  Once they got here we all celebrated Meg's birthday.  She an iHome speaker, a Glee shirt and a new book to read.  She also got money from her grandparents.  The cake was definitely a hit.  We ordered it from  Lance's and they never disappoint.  It was a wonderful way to finish a very busy day.

St. Patrick's Day

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day and for the first time in a long time we did not have corned beef and cabbage.  In fact we really didn't celebrate it at all.  I believe that is because we have just been so incredibly busy.  I didn't even wear green.  Next year will be a better one as we should have more time for celebrations.

Even without the St. Patrick's Day celebration we did have a great week.  Brett and Meg decided to go see "Once Upon a Mattress" at the high school.  They had a lot of fun together.  Doug and I went to dinner in town and then hung out with Cameron and Cal watching more basketball.  The upsets continued and unfortunately Doug, Cal and I are out of the family pool as MSU lost as a #2 seed.  The more we watched the more we talked about our trip to Houston and the Final Four.  It should be an awesome experience no matter who is playing.

Gowns are Ordered

Today Brett and I sat down to order his cap and gown for graduation as well as go over all of the details of the weekend of May 7th.  We had missed the first round of ordering and wanted to make sure we got it done on time.  As we started to go through all of the emails and letters we had received from IU, my phone rang.  I had a text from Mrs. Thornburg at the high school.  Cal was on the list of seniors that missed the first round of ordering for their cap and gowns.  We all found that ironic.  Luckily, we were still on time to get both orders in and by the end of the day we were set with plans and cap and gown orders were taken care of.

Brett and I were also able to go shopping and discuss all of the job interviews he has had in the past month.  When he first started the process we weren't sure where this would lead, but he has had a lot of positive feedback.  He has also been helping on several campaigns this semester which has kept him very busy.  He definitely has a plan for his future.

Tonight we all stayed home.  IU played Chattanooga in the first round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament.  Everyone was nervous as Purdue had already lost, but IU proved up to the challenge.  They won easily and will play Kentucky on Saturday.  In a day of upsets we were happy the Hoosiers survived.

Dinner Conversation

Meg, Cam, Doug and I met Brett at Buffalo Wild Wings in Warsaw for dinner tonight.  He spent the day campaigning in Fort Wayne for Pam Galloway.  He stopped at the comic book store on his way home and we all arrived at the restaurant at 7 p.m.  Cal wasn't able to go with us as he worked at Sleepy Owl this evening.  He hasn't worked since October, but they were shorthanded and he said he could use the money so he went there after golf practice.

Even thought Cal couldn't be there we still talked quite a bit about politics.  Usually he is grilling Brett on his thoughts, but tonight we were able to.  Marco Rubio dropped out of the race after yesterday's primary loses, so Brett shared his opinion about that.  The presidential race has definitely been talked about more than anything else this Spring.  March Madness started tonight with the
play-in games, so our conversation turned to that after awhile.  Buffalo Wild Wings had all of the games on and the analysis about tomorrow's official start to the tournament.

I enjoyed listening to everyone talk about their day and what was important to them at the moment.  There was always a debate going on or conversations about their memories of times together.  As we walked out Cam and Meg decided to ride with Brett.  I know that there was a lot of singing and talking on that ride home and more memories to share for another time.

Hard Work Pays Off

Meg put a lot of time and effort into tennis in the off season and tonight it seemed to pay off.  She played very well in practice and we all felt good about her progress in the last four months.  I am excited for her as she took a big leap in quitting basketball and focussing on tennis and soccer.  The season is still young and a lot could change, but so far it looks promising at least.  Whether she plays Varsity or JV, it will be fun to watch her participate.  Next week is Meg's first scrimmage against West Noble.  Can't wait to see how it goes for her.

Spring Sports Season Begins

Tonight was the beginning of Spring sports season.  Meg said tennis went well, but it was hard adjusting to being outdoors.  The most difficult part for her was her vision.  Her eyes will adjust, however, and she will only improve as the season continues.   Cal had his first actual  golf practice tonight as well.  He said that it went fine as far as first nights go.  He has been playing a lot so far.  The weather has been very mild for March, so he has been able to get on the course more than in years past.  I don't think that he is worried about his golf game this year.  He is concerned that his friends that are trying out will do well.  We are all excited about the Spring sports season.  Both should do well and it will keep us all busy.

Spring Forward

Today is the worst day of the year as far as I am concerned - the dreaded Spring Forward.  I actually set my clocks ahead an hour last night, so when we got up we would already be set for the day.  I woke up early and felt terrible.  Luckily, I was able to fall back to sleep for an hour or so.  Doug said he had a hard time getting up as well and I noticed that everyone else slept past ten.

Meg and Brett went to mass at 11 a.m. and then to Maria's for lunch.  Cam went to Mom's for a couple of hours while Doug and I went to Kohl's in Warsaw.  We had $30 in Kohl's cash and a $10 off.  Doug bought a shirt and a pair of pants.  I just looked around.  We went to lunch at Mad Anthony's afterward.  It was slow, so we had no problem getting a table.

By the time we got back Brett and Meg were already home.  Cal went golfing with Jayce while we were out.  Mom brought Cameron home and then went to Vicky's for Jess' baby shower.  Meg and I went a little later for about an hour or so.  It was nice and we got to catch up with the Barnharts.

Meg invited Kaitlin and Gabby over after the shower.  The girls were going to play tennis, but it rained all day.  Instead they participated in a yoga challenge.  Then Brett, Cam and I took them to Zootopia after dinner.  The movie was great.  It was a nice way to end the evening, but I still find the whole Spring Forward concept annoying.  My favorite eme this week on Facebook was the one that said, "Why can't we spring forward at 4 o'clock on a Friday afternoon."  That would be perfect.

One Long Day

Doug and I were both up in time to take Meg to tennis at 8:30, but I let him go.  Cam was still sleeping, so I stayed here with him.  Meg's match this morning was a lot like yesterday's.  She definitely has improved, but Warsaw is tough.  The high school season starts Monday.  Meg has worked hard in the off season.  It will be fun to watch her play.

I finished two of Cal's scholarships today.  The first one was online.  By turning it in Cal will actually be applying for more than 30 of them as they all use the Kosciusko County Foundation in looking for their winners.  The second one I had to mail.  I appreciated the three teachers who got him letters of recommendations in time for me to get it there.  I know it is a long shot for Cal to win any of these.  Brett received far less than I thought that he would when we did this three years ago.  Brett had a lot more community involvement, but most scholarships went to students in need.  Unfortunately, we do not qualify for many of those.

Once Doug got home we finished the mudroom.  It looks awesome.  We added some room and color to it all in one.  The new furniture was ordered from WayFair.  So far we liked everything we got except for the slipcover for the white chair.  It was way too big, but the return process was easy.  We even ordered bright yellow/green curtains for the living room that match the furniture and new paint. Doug was able to hang those as well.

Tonight was golf BINGO.  It was very uneventful.  It is a great fund raiser for the golf team, but I just do not like playing.  I am amazed at the amount of people that come every week.  Doug and Brett were pretty tired by the end and none of us won.  Not quite the best way to end the evening, but we did support the Knights and the boys golf team by going.

Pow Wow

In Cal's freshmen year the high school held its first Pow Wow to build morale after several suicides that occurred.  It was intended to be a community builder among students and teachers and it definitely has become one of the highlights of the year.  Cal has enjoyed the competitions and festivities since the very first one.  Tonight Meg was able to attend as well and had just as much fun.  She hung out with the other freshmen and watched Cal participate in several competitions.

Both had stories to share when they got home.  Brett arrived from Spring Break in time to listen to their activities of the evening.  He and Cal quickly turned the conversation to politics and spent the rest of the night catching up on everything happening in the primaries.  Neither want Trump to win, but aren't thrilled with the rest of the candidates either.

Meg headed to bed once the conversation turned toward the Presidential race.  She played the first round of her tennis tournament before the Pow Wow and had to be up early for the next one tomorrow morning.  She did not win tonight, but she was happy with the way she played and competed well.  It was a great experience heading into the high school season.

Cam hung out with Doug and I tonight.   Doug put together our new coat shelf and Cam and I worked on the shoe bench.  We were glad that Brett and Cal were home this evening to help Doug lift the shelf for the coat rack as Cam and I wouldn't have been able to.  Our job was to organize the shoes.  I am happy that one Heinisch child inherited my organizational skills.  We weren't quite finished by the time we went to bed, but by tomorrow night we should be.

What to Do?

Making personal decisions is challenging for me.  I try to list the pros and cons and weigh them both.  No matter what I decide I usually end up second guessing myself.  I am faced with a big decision right now and I believe I know what I want to do, but I am still not 100% sure.  Doug is more confident in the decisions he makes.  Thus, he feels confident in mine.  I appreciate his support, but I am sure I will still ponder the question before I am done.  No matter what.  This time I will not second guess myself.  I made the first step today.  Now I have to wait awhile for the next.  Patience is not my forte, but a skill I can work on.

Almost Done

We decided to clean out the mudroom and add some new furniture to it.  Our computer desk was taking up most of the room and a smaller one was the first item that arrived.  Doug got it together a lot quicker than I thought he would be able to.  It is definitely smaller, but it actually holds more as it has shelves.  Once Doug finished with the desk I pulled every thing out of the drawers and closet in the room.  Our house has been a huge mess, but I got most of it put away tonight while Meg and Doug were at tennis.  It has been a lot of work, but I know it will be so much nicer and more organized when we are done.

Soccer

Tonight Cam had his third week of soccer camp at Bethany.  He has really enjoyed it so far.  They do a lot of drills and work on skills.  Doug exercises while he is there and has time to watch Cam as well.  Cam likes tennis better than soccer so far, but we thought it would be best to keep him involved in both.  Cal was always going to play tennis in high school and then decided in the Spring of his 8th grade year to go back to soccer.  Thus, we don't want to push Cam one way or another.  We just hope to keep him involved in a lot of activities until he decides.

The Model of a Devoted Wife

Yesterday Nancy Reagan died.  I spent quite a bit of time while folding laundry watching the news and listening to remembrances of her life.  The more I listened the more impressed I was with her devotion to her husband.  In a world that talks so much about feminism I love that she viewed it differently.  She loved and supported him in all he did and was not shy about showing that to the world.

There is nothing that I enjoy more than being Doug's wife and mother to the Heinisch four.  I have heard so many women criticize their husbands or talk negatively them.  I've never understood that.  Doug is not perfect, but he is perfect for me.  He is a devoted father and brings a security and strength to our family that I could never duplicate.  I do not wish for much more in life than to spend it with him.  If that means supporting him as he works, coaches soccer and is a member of the county council, then I am all for that.

25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee

Cameron asked Meg and I to attend the musical at Bethany Christian this afternoon.  I had heard of the 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, but had never seen it.  Cameron went to see the dress rehearsal and was sure that we would like it.  We definitely did.  It was enjoyable from the beginning to the end.  All three of us had different favorite characters, but we all agreed that Sarah Leininger did a fantastic job as the lead female voice.

On the way home Cam mentioned that he did not think that a musical about a spelling bee would keep his attention, but it did.  Meg identified with so much of it being the winner of two spelling bees herself.  Everything was exaggerated, but we could pick out several of Milford's contestants in the actors of the musical.  I have been very impressed with everything that Bethany has done so far and their theater department is no exception.  I asked Cam if he would like to try out for the middle school play next year.  He isn't quite sure about it yet, but he has a year to think about it.

New Adventures

Brett called today about a possible job opportunity that would take him to Montana or Maine this summer.  Wow!  At first I was a little taken back as those are quite some distance from Indiana. The more we talked, however, I realized that this was something Brett had put a lot of thought into and very excited about.  Thus, we spent a good deal of time talking over logistics and such of a temporary move to a far off state.  We also talked of his working for the Michigan Republican party and that is still something that he is putting a good deal of time and effort into.  No matter where he ends up it will be an exciting time to work in politics.  The political debates have been interesting to say the least and the showdown that is to come this summer between the Democratic and Republican nominees should be entertaining.

Doug, Cam, Meg and I also had a new adventure tonight.  We decided to try Maple City Indian Cuisine in Goshen.  Everyone was able to try several different foods ranging from chicken curry to lamb to rice pudding.  Not everyone liked everything, but the overall rating was two thumbs up.  Doug and I were glad to have a new place to eat.  We have both grown tired of Buffalo Wild Wings and this was a nice change.  We topped off the evening with a trip to Honey's (or Fro Yo as Cameron calls it.)  I did not think that gummy worms would taste great on frozen yogurt, but Cam assured me that they did.  I decided to play it safe with Yellow Cake Batter.

Painting

Doug and I talked about what we wanted to accomplish before Cal's open house this coming June.  When Brett graduated I went overboard with cleaning, painting, etc.  We learned and this time will take a more laid back approach.  That will make it more enjoyable for all of us.  During our discussion, we did decide that we would repaint the area that needed it most of all - the living room.

Doug started on the project tonight.  The more he painted, the more he decided how pleased he was with the decision to do so.  The color we picked originally was hint of gold and we liked it, but now that Doug is covering it with a cream and hint of green color I like that a lot better.  The walls were in desperate need of painting and already look better.

He was able to get one coat on tonight, although, he felt it took a lot longer than he thought it would.  A big part of that was taking everything off of the wall and moving the furniture.  His plan is to finish it tomorrow and then we can talk about rearranging the furniture.  One casualty in all of this was the curtains.  They are definitely too faded to put back up.

Scholarships

I have been helping Cal work on scholarships for next year.  There are a lot out there and each needs somewhat different information.  Therefore, the hardest part is figuring out which ones he is eligible for and tracking down letters of recommendations and his transcripts.  Brett and I did the same thing his senior year, but went overboard.  We were spending at least four hours a week from January through May working on them and in all honesty it didn't produce much.

I did learn a lot through the process with Brett, however, and it shouldn't be as painstaking as it was with him.  We know that most scholarships are awarded locally, so spending a lot of time on the national ones probably won't produce much.  We also know where to find more items and that makes it a lot easier.  It is awesome that IU has offered Cal $6000 a year already.  That will make a big difference in his tuition costs.  The first round is due next week, but we will not find out until May if he is awarded them.  Until then, we will keep working at it.

A Day at the Doctor's

I dropped Cameron off at school this morning and headed to the dentist's office.  It was a good check-up and I found out that all of my teeth grinding has not caused TMJ.  The mouth guard has helped my headaches, so nothing else needs to be done.  I had time to go home and clean before Cal arrived for his appointment.  His also went well.  We talked to Dr. Mayden about IU basketball and also Cal's bottom tooth.  It overlaps another.  Doc showed me how perfect the rest of his teeth were and didn't recommend we do anything for the one.  Cal would have to have extensive orthodontist  work to enlarge his bottom jaw.  Cal and I decided that wasn't needed.  There are a couple of minor procedures we could try, but Cal is going to wait and see what he thinks later.  The tooth is only noticeable to him.  In a strange irony I have the exact same situation with the same tooth.

Cal went back to school after lunch.  He had to wait 30 minutes after the fluoride treatment to eat.  I went to the library to sign checks and stopped at the grocery store.  My last appointment of the day was at Grossnickel.  It was longer than the other two combined.  I had to first get a new prescription for both my glasses and contacts.   Then I had to have a visual field test.  Lastly, I met back with Dr. Risser about my results.  He said that my visual field test was completely normal.  That was good to hear as the chance of anything internally causing the vision problems are practically non-existent.  He was glad to hear that the eye drops are helping.  He believes there will be a time I won't be able to wear contacts, but for right now I am good to go.  I still have shadows at times or some blurred vision, but it is nothing like it was two weeks ago.  Although, the appointment was 2 hours long, I was very thankful to have answers when I walked out of the office.

Beyond Frustration Today

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away I was in middle school.  I left it when I was 14 and never wanted to go back.  Others, however, have stayed there.  The insecurities that they felt then have never left.  I don't understand it, so there are days like today when I am hurt by others actions or angered.   I know that the problem is theirs and not mine.  I realize that it reflects poorly on them, but not on me.  I wish that either of those statements made me feel better.  I am very grateful, however, for a supportive family, friends that care and a lot of Yankee Candles in my home.