Ready to See Brett

We spent the day packing, doing laundry and cleaning all in preparation to leave this evening for New Hampshire.  We travel enough that I have gotten used to the routine, but no matter how I prepare it always takes more time then I had planned.  I did take a break to take a walk before I picked Meg up from tennis. With that plus watering the flowers and filling the feeders I had 8300 steps by the time we left.  

Cam spent a quiet day at home.  After three days of golf tournaments he was fine with a break.  He was supposed to have a tennis lesson, but Shane cancelled.  In the end I believe that was easier on us.  

Cal had to work today, but we got to see him before we left.  He didn't have a lot of plans while we were gone except for hanging out with HM and working.  Parker Hannifin offered for him to switch to three twelve hours days with four off.  Unfortunately, it is nights which doesn't work in his schedule.

Mom rode with us to Goshen to meet Doug.  She took Doug's car back home for us and we all went to 7 on 7.  Soccer went well.  The girls won both games. Cam walked with me to finish off my FitBit steps.  We left Elkhart at 7:30 with the goal of making it past Cleveland tonight.  There is a lot of construction there and Doug wants to avoid it in the morning.  I bought Subway for everyone for dinner, so we should not have to stop until we are done for the night.  

Golf Tournaments

Cam has played a lot of golf this week.  On Monday Mom and Dad took him to Knollwood for a nine hole tourney through the Michiana Junior Golf Tour.  He called once he finished to let me know that there were two groups still out and he was in third place with a 43.  He was pretty happy with that, although he had a few holes that he felt he could have scored better on.  The best score in the last two groups was a 44 so Cam was a medalist this time.  He was pretty proud of that.

Tuesday he played at Raccoon Run and finished low score for the day.  Today he played in his first Indiana Junior match of the season.  It was at Honeywell in Wabash.  Mom and Dad took him.  It went well as he finished 6th out of 12 scoring a 95 for 18 holes.  He said that he had three tough holes in which the water came into play, but he was thrilled that he finished with a birdie.  They stopped at a diner on the way home and were back by 3:30 or so.  Cam gave me and Doug a hole by hole and a shot by shot description of his round.  Happy that he had fun and learned a lot today.

One Crazy Day

Today was one crazy day.  It started at 6:45 a.m. when I got up to make sure Cal was awake for work.  He was on his way out the door.  Then Cam overslept for Raccoon Run so I had to get him up at 7:40 a.m. to leave by 8.  Meg was next on the agenda.  She had to be at the high school by 9:30 for her Driver's Ed test.  I then headed home to fold laundry.  There was quite a bit, but it was all in baskets or put away by 11:30.

I picked Meg up from her last Driver's Ed at 12:30.  She passed her driver's portion of the class.  Over the weekend she had finished the online part, so she is officially done.  Cam called from Raccoon Run to let me know that he had shot a 42 today and was the low score for his age group.  He was going to play a few extra holes.  After I talked to him Meg and I left for Amanda's.  She needed a haircut and I wanted my eyebrows done.

As soon as we got home we picked up Cam and headed to Goshen for his oboe lesson.  That went very well as he has a new reed.  His instructor said that he could finish his elementary book at the next lesson, so we will order the intermediate one next.  Doug picked Meg up at oboe and took her to piano.  They were a little early, but Mrs. Meek didn't mind.  She just had to put the dogs away.

After oboe Cam and I stopped at Ben's pretzels for a snack for everyone.  We met Doug at piano.  He went jogging while Meg had her lesson.  He took her home from there and I waited on Cam.  Both lessons went well.  Meg won't be able to go again for several weeks because of camp and our trip to New Hampshire, but I set up a time for Cam.  He and I then went to Walmart to get the new Kung Fu Panda 3 movie for the ride out to the East Coast.

Cam's next stop was soccer at Bethany.  It was a cool evening which works a lot better for him when running.  While he played I walked along the trail between Bethany and Goshen College.  I hit my 12,000 steps about 10 minutes before he finished at 8:30.  Once I sat down I was not moving.  Normally, I walk back out and watch him, but this time I decided to rest in the van.  Doug had dinner ready when I got back which I really appreciated.  It was a long day, but a good one.

Finding Dory

Finding Dory came out last week as the long awaited sequel to Finding Nemo.  All of us went to see it at one point this week except for Doug.  Cal, Meg and Cam really enjoyed it.  They felt it was as good as the first one and in some ways better.  Brett and I both liked it as well, but maybe just a little less than those three.  Either way it was fun to go to it.  Pixar makes fantastic movies.  Now we are all hoping they update the Nemo ride at EPCOT.  As Cal has said many times - who wants to sit in a clam going 2 miles per hour watching TV.  It is a little better than that, but not much.  Hopefully, this will inspire some change.

Mini Golf

We were so glad that we worked outside yesterday as it was really hot this afternoon.  In fact as soon as mass was over I took a walk and Doug ran just to beat the heat.  Somehow the path he took avoided all of the rain, but I got drenched.  I decided just to continue after it stopped as I was already soaked.

Doug went to help the Knights with a project around 1:30.  Once he was done we left for South Bend to do a little bit of shopping.  Cal stayed here and played golf with my Dad.  We found what we needed at Dick's Sporting Goods and Kohl's.  While Cam and I shopped at Barnes and Noble Meg went to Forever 21 and Hollister.

We had planned to play mini golf before dinner, but the rain started when we went inside the mall.  Instead we had dinner first.  Doug wanted to try Evil Czech Brewery again and Cam and Meg both liked it.  We then walked across the parking lot to Putt-Putt.  Cameron really wanted to play as he has taught himself a new putting stroke modeled after Jack Nicklaus.  Doug started out on fire with four hole in ones in a row.  Cam's new stroke must have worked, however, as he came back and won.  In fact Meg beat Doug and I as well.  Win or lose we all had a lot of fun.

Sleep Over Part 2

Last night Meg had a sleep over of her own.  Kaitlin and Genevieve came over around 3:30  yesterday.  They first went to my Mom's to go swimming.  Then they had Little Caesar's for dinner.  I took them uptown to see Finding Dory.  Afterward they walked to Casey's for slushies.  Meg said that they did not go to bed until 3:30 a.m. which was still earlier than Cam and his friends.  I took everyone home around 11:30 a.m. this morning.  They all seemed to have a good time.

By the time I got back from running everyone home, Doug had finished with the tree.  Cal, Cam and I had helped him move branches quite a bit last night.  The bigger, newer chainsaw worked well.  Cam and I spent a good portion of this afternoon working on the yard.  He wanted to earn money.  Meg helped for awhile as well.  She still needs an hour of community service before camp.

Tonight Doug and I went to dinner at Kelly Jae's in Goshen.  It was delicious as usual and when we got back we had a bonfire with Cam and Meg.  Cal worked at Adrift.  They were busier than usual because of the Mermaid Festival.  He told them that this would be his last night.  It definitely was a beautiful day today.  I am glad that we got to spend so much of it outside.

Week One is Done

At Caleb Glon's open house I spent some time talking to Michelle Hatfield about Parker's summer and his plans for next year.  Parker is attending Ball State in the fall, but for the summer he is working for her at Parker Hannifin a rubber factory.  I told her that Cal was planning on working at Adrift BBQ in North Webster, but they really only needed him a couple of nights a week and he wouldn't get more than 8 hours a week total.  She said to tell Cal to apply at Parker Hannifin and give her name as a reference.  She was sure that they would hire him.

Michelle then talked with Cal after we left and before he went to orientation he applied.  He had to do a drug test that took a couple of days to get the results, but he found out that week that he was hired.  He started there on Monday and after the first few days wasn't sure that this was for him.  The training was definitely boring, but by Wednesday he seemed to have more to do and that was a lot better.  The hours are great 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.  I have been getting ups t 6:45 to make sure he was up, but he hasn't had any problems so far.  This also gives him his nights free.  This week he was able to go to Hannah Marie's basketball game and to take her to see her Dad as he was in the hospital for knee surgery.  He also gets paid e$12.50 an hour which is pretty good for summer employment.

We are proud of Cal for trying this.  We know that summer jobs after high school are not always a lot of fun.  Both Doug and I had ones that helped remind us that college was a lot better choice.  One day it will be a good story for him to share with his own children.

Coincidence

Yesterday as we were getting ready for Cam's friends to come over for his get together Mrs. Kaiser texted me.  She asked me if I would be interested in teaching 6th grade math full time next year.  What a coincidence that a lot of the 6th grade Milford students were at my house at the time.  The other coincidence was that just last week I had started thinking that if a 5th or 6th grade full time position came up that I might apply.

The first thing I did when I got the text was call Mary.  Normally, I would call Doug, but I had questions for Mary I wanted to ask before I talked to him.  She was very honest and answered them all.  Some were about the class load, others about working as a part of the 5th/6th grade team and a couple were concerning students.  She also gave me tips on working full time verses part time.

By the end of the conversation I was ready to bring the subject up with Doug.  Last year had been a challenging one at school.  There were several reasons why.  I believe switching might solve most of the items, but some are out of my control.  Doug and I talked through those and he gave me his thoughts.  The extra money would be nice and I already know all of the students.  I also love teaching math and believe that it is the subject I teach best.  Thus, the mastery program does not scare me from trying it.  Doug and I have talked in the past about me working two more years.  If I switch to full time and it doesn't work I really worked my two years as I was scheduled for half days before.  My guess, however, is that this won't be the case.

I emailed Cindy three key questions about taking the position.  Her answers to those were all in the affirmative, so as of right now I am planning on applying.  Glad to have had some time off this summer before I had to consider this.  I trust that God has a plan for us and this would seem to work well for our family.

Sleep Over

Cameron had asked us if he could have a sleepover with his Milford friends this summer.  We told him that once graduation was over we would plan a day.  Tonight was the night we chose and we were glad that all of his friends could be here.  Evan was the first to arrive and then Cade and Ryden.  Chance couldn't come until after five, but they kept themselves busy until then.  Nerf gun wars were first on the agenda with badminton next.

While Doug and Meg were at soccer I took them all bowling.  They had a great time.  Chance and Cade wanted a lane with bumpers and the rest asked for one without.  It wasn't busy, so they had no problem accommodating their request.  It was actually trivia night for the restaurant.  The Goralczyk's were seated right next to our lanes.  I hung out with them while they answered questions.  It was a lot of fun.

After bowling the boys had a bonfire and made s'mores.  Doug grilled hot dogs for dinner.  Before they headed downstairs for the night they all went out to play ghost in the graveyard.  Meg even joined them for that.  It just started to lightening as they were finishing up.  Evan couldn't spend the night as he had robotics camp in the morning, but everyone else stayed.  Every time we have Cade over I am reminded of just how close he and Cam really were in first through third grade.  Cade has such a fun personality and a lot of energy.  We all enjoy that about him.  I am pleased that Cam still has a great group of friends at Milford and now a new set at Bethany Christian.

Raccoon Run

Cameron started playing in a golf league at Raccoon Run last week.  It runs every Tuesday morning and once the boys play the required nine holes for a score, they can they stay and play more holes or work on chipping and putting.  Cameron has really enjoyed it so far, and I appreciate my Mom taking him.  He was pleased today as he scored 7 strokes better than the first week.  He was low score today.  Last week one of his golf friends had a play off for first, so Cameron caddied for him.  Today he decided to stay and play three more holes and felt he scored well.

Tuesday ends up being a very busy day for Cam as he also has oboe and soccer in Goshen.  He doesn't seem to mind especially on days like today that are cooler.  Tonight we told him that we would go to Buffalo Wild Wings after he got done and he liked that idea.  Doug was planning on running while we walked during Cam's practice, but instead he went home and worked on the tree.  Mom brought him halfway back to Bethany Christian and Meg and I picked him up.  That way we would only have one car at dinner.  Doug said he got a good start on the tree, but it looks like we will need a new chainsaw to finish the job.  

Storms

WSBT called for severe storms today starting at 4 p.m.  Meg and I decided to chance it by walking up to her tennis lesson at 2:30 p.m.  It was hot, but it looked like all of the dark clouds were going to go north of us.  After we got to tennis, I walked on down to CVS.  Our plan was for me to meet Meg at the courts at 3:30 and walk home.  Once I got to the high school, however, I realized that the clouds had changed and the winds had picked up.  Therefore, I decided to walk on home to get the van.  I am very glad that I did so.  

I picked Meg up just as the lightening started.  We got home just as the storm hit.  I was able to save the giant frisbee that had finally fallen from the tree, but I couldn't get to the flag pole in time to save it.  Normally when we have a severe thunderstorm warning I fill the bathtub with water, but by the time I got to it, the power was already out.  

The storm did not last long, but there was a lot of damage.  A huge tree at The Frog came down and several barns in Milford were flattened.  The neighbors lost a big tree that took out at least four from our lot.  Luckily, they did not cause any damage, but will require a lot of clean up.  

My parents lost power too.  I can't remember the last time that we lost power and so did they.  Cam was planning on spending the night so that he could go to his golf tournament in the morning.  The only place open in town to eat at was Penguin Point and it was packed.  Thus, they took him to the Chinese buffet in Goshen.  He got to try dumplings for the first time and loved them.  

Doug still had soccer as the storms were well gone by 6 p.m.  I spent the time walking and checking out the storm damage.  By the time soccer was over the lights south of Penguin Point were back on, so I was able to get Meg a pizza from Pizza King.  Cal hung out at HM's as she never lost power.  Doug and I went to dinner at Huntington Street.  The crowds had died down by the time we got there and thankfully we had power by the time we got home at 9:30.  

Father's Day

I believe that Doug had one of the best Father's Day weekends he has ever had.  We always try to do something that he is interested in and this one and this one was right up his alley.  The only down part was the drive home, but thankfully we left early and beat the traffic.  Thus, we had a nice afternoon and evening here to enjoy.

After lunch Doug and Cameron went to the golf course to play nine holes.  Cameron continued on with my Mom to play the back nine.  Doug was thrilled with his score - a 46 with four pars.  That is his best in quite awhile.  Meg invited Preston over as they haven't done anything in awhile.  They spent a lot of their time outside and once again got the giant frisbee stuck in a tree!!  Cal spent the afternoon at Hannah Marie's.  They were out on the lake for a good part of it and he came home with sunburned legs.  Doug and I took a nice, long walk once he got back from golf.

My parents joined us for dinner tonight.  Doug cooked out on the grill and we all watched the end of the US Open.  After that we opened gifts.  Doug liked his new shirts and trail mix, but I believe that Dad and he liked the playing cards with family pictures on it the best.  Either way, it was a wonderful day/weekend and I am glad that we got to celebrate what an awesome Father Doug is.

Taste of Bloomington

Today was a fantastic day in Bloomington.  We had decided to stay for the weekend as Taste of Bloomington was happening and Parce only lives a few blocks away from it.  Usually he has friends stay with him, but this time his apartment was open and we jumped at the chance to try it.  We started the morning at the farmer's market.  Meg and Cam each ate a pint of raspberries for breakfast and Doug and I tried other foods.  From there we went to the art fair on the courthouse square.  We liked it a lot better than the one in September as it was bigger and more spread out.  Cam was thrilled when he found some Panda art.  I bought a print of the Sample Gates and Meg found a wolf print she liked.  We also stopped in the game store.  Cam and Meg played a game of chess while I bought the game Pay Day.  It was one of my favorites as a child and I haven't played it in a long time.  On the way back to Parce's Doug wanted to stop at a kitchen store he spotted.  We loved it and "splurged" on a pasta spoon.

We decided on lunch at Oliver Winery.  It was pretty quiet compared to a normal Saturday.  We had a great lunch on the deck.  Cam and Meg had gotten Noodles & Company to go and enjoyed that along with our usuals.  We were going to go creek sliding after lunch, but it was too crowded.  Thus, we went back to Parce's so Cam could watch the US Open.  Doug and I took a walk along the B-Line trail to make sure I got in my steps before we went to Taste.  I was thankful that it was shaded as it was definitely hot today.

Around 3:30 Doug walked over to the Taste of Bloomington.  It started at 3 and he wanted to check it out before we met up with him.  He texted that they had hand stamps so we could go in and out.  Therefore, we headed over around 4:30.  Cam and Meg wanted snow cones as soon as we got there.  That was a great choice today.  Cam tried the wipeout obstacle course.  It was tough.  We checked out the food booths and tried some guacamole.  A polka band was playing, so we decided to listen to them for a while.  There actually were three stages with music.  Another one had country and one had jazz.

Around 6:30 we walked back to Parce's to play Pay Day.  Meg and Cam were ready for a break from the heat.  Doug stayed.  Pay Day was as fun as I remembered and it was nice to cool off.  It was close to 8 when we got back and the place had changed drastically.  The polka band had finished and everyone was waiting for Hairbangers Ball - a heavy metal cover band.  The crowd was enormous and at first I wasn't sure I wanted to stay, but we found some food and a place to stand under the tent.  Once they started I was hooked.  It was like stepping back into college.  They began with Billy Idol's Rebel Yell and ended with Van Halen.  Parce even liked it and it wasn't his type of music.  We could see him in the front row for awhile before he joined us in the tent.  I probably enjoyed it the most, but even Meg and Cam knew a lot of the songs.  It was an awesome way to end a wonderful day!

22,000 Steps

We started the day early once again.  Cal picked the 8:30 a.m. time to register for classes.  It was a smart move on his part as there were less students there and he had a better chance of getting what he wanted.  Of all of the things he has been excited about during orientation choosing his own classes has been the biggest one.  He was very happy when he was done.  His earliest class starts at 9 a.m. and he has no Friday classes.  In addition to what he needed for the business school he was also able to get into History of Rock N Roll and basketball.

While Cal was registering for classes we went to the parent meeting for direct admit students of the Kelley Business School.  I found this to be the best session of orientation.  We received a lot of information and as I did not graduate from the business school at IU it was all new to me.  Cal has been very fortunate to be admitted directly and as long as he keeps his grades at 3.0 or higher he should do well.  

Once we were done we met Cal at the Wells Library.  He had to get his photo ID and then he was done.  We drove out to Foster Quad.  The tours did not start until noon, but at least he could see where it was.  From there he and Doug left for Wabash.  Cal had decided to go home and Meg and Cam wanted to come down for the weekend.  Mom said she'd meet them in Wabash to save Doug some time.  They were all there a little after 1 p.m.  Cal drove Mom's van home.  She said he talked all weekend about IU.  I was glad to hear that.  He definitely is most excited about his classes, the rec sports leagues and IU basketball.  

While Doug was driving I walked to the library.   There were a lot of booths set up for orientation and I wanted to check them out.  I signed Cal up for a parking permit and took home information about renting books.  From there I walked back to Foster to take a tour of the dorm.  I was pleased that each room had air conditioning.  It also had a lot of floor space and two big closets.  Foster is closest to the cafeteria on that side of campus and also next to the business school.  It should be a great location.

Parce and I met up at T.I.S.  By the time I got there I had already walked my 12,000 steps.  He wanted to take a picture by the new gates at the southwest end of campus.  After that we walked down Union Street and through the IMU.  We stopped at Pot Belly Sandwiches on the way to his apartment for lunch.  I really liked it.  We also stopped at the new CVS on Kirkwood.  It is the largest one I have ever been in.

Meg, Doug and Cam were at the apartment by 4 p.m.  I was impressed with how well they did through traffic in Martinsville.  We went to the mall, Barnes & Noble and Target before deciding on a place for dinner.  They really wanted Mother Bear's and Parce agreed to go with us.  Surprisingly, it was not busy.  We got right in and enjoyed the pizza.  We saved room for ice cream and breadsticks and were back at the apartment by 10 p.m.  I was absolutely whipped by the time we went to bed.  Today I put in 22,000 steps on my FitBit.  That was a new record for me and I was pretty proud.  

Orientation

Our day started in one of the new halls on IU's campus.  This area had been run down when we were students, but they have done a great job adding apartment style dorms there now.  After we signed in we were immediately separated from Cal.  He was looking forward to the day plus there were a few IU basketball players in his group which added to his interest.

Doug and I walked to Rawles Hall which was almost all the way across campus for the first parent meeting.  There were several speakers that provided us with a lot of information while we were there.  Most of it we had already heard from Brett's orientation or knew from his years there.  I thought the most interesting part was when they asked how many of us had graduated from IU and had other children already graduate.  There definitely were more hands up than I would have thought.  After the talk we decided to opt out of the lunch portion at the IMU and eat on our own at Mother Bears.  While we were eating Cameron called to let us know that he had finished his first golf tournament of the year.  It was played at McCormick Creek.  He gave me the hole by hole details which ended with him finishing fourth out of eleven boys.  He felt really good about that and so did we.

After lunch we headed over to the chemistry building for the first part of our afternoon portion.  It was more general information with a couple of personal touches.  While we were there the doctor's office called.  Meg had had a lot of blood tests run last week at her check-up.  She has been tired all of the time and he thought they had better check to see if there was an issue.  Dr. Mulry was correct.  Meg is anemic and will need to take iron twice a day for the next two months.  They'll check her levels again then.

Our last stop before we met up with Cal was Woodburn Hall.  It was the same room that we were in six weeks before for Brett's graduation.  The first half of the talk was very helpful.  The head of the residence halls was there to give us information and answer questions.  Unfortunately, they cut her time short for the next session which was just college students answering questions.  Once a woman asked, "When will my eighteen year old stop being a know-it-all?" we decided to leave.  We stopped at the Lilly Library and then walked around for a little while.

We finally met up with Cal at Showalter fountain.  He had had a good day and received a lot of information as well.  He enjoyed the musical that they put on for the incoming freshmen and is definitely interested in attending several of the performances at the auditorium next year.  During this session we all listened to a professor talk for an hour or so and then tried dinner at Wright cafeteria.  The three of us decided to forgo the nighttime activities.  Cal really wanted to go shopping, to dinner and then to watch game six of the NBA finals, so that is what we did.  After shopping we parked at Parce's and walked to Upland Brewing Company.  It was very good.  We were also able to watch half of the game before we walked back.  Doug, Parce and Cal made it up to watch Cleveland beat Golden State to force a game seven.  I tried to stay up, but didn't make it.  I woke up just as it was over.

Heading to Bloomington

We left tonight for  Bloomington.  We had to wait for Cal to finish playing in the Chamber Golf Outing before we left.  Dad had asked him to play and they ended up placing second overall.  Unfortunately, only the winning team received prizes.  The nice part for Cal, besides getting to play, was being closest to the pin on 13.  That earned him a $25 visa debit card.  He was very happy about that.

Once he changed his clothes we left for Bloomington.  Parce said we could stay with him while we were there.  We really appreciated that.  He has the perfect location and the price is right.  Traffic was light around Indy and we only stopped once.  Thus, we were there before 10 p.m. just in time to walk to Buffalouies for dinner.  Parce opted out of going with us as it was too late for him to eat.  Dinner was good as usual and we all were ready for bed when we got back.

Driver's Ed

Meg had her third driver's ed lesson this morning.  She got very lucky in the schedule part of her driving as five of the days are 9:35 to 12:35.  There is only one time that she has to drive before 7 a.m.  Several of her friends got the early morning shift or the afternoon one.  She does miss tennis to drive, but only on Tuesdays.  She's going to take private lessons to make up the tennis.

So far she drives well and has practiced parking a lot.  She feels that Mr. Woodard yells at her all of the time, but that's probably normal for a driving instructor.  She is about half way through the online portion.  They changed the class from when Cal took it.  No matter how many lessons she completes she still has to work on it for 30 hours.  Thus, there is no reason for her to speed through it all.  The goal is to have it done by June 30th.  That is a week before she has to finish and the day before we leave for New Hampshire.

Delegate

Brett had a great weekend as a delegate at the Indiana State Convention.  He was able to meet many members of Indiana's head politicians and listened to a multitude of speeches.  He texted me several times during the events to give me his opinions or share a funny antidote.  He stayed at the Hilton in downtown Indy and was able to walk to all of the activities.

Friday night was pure social and Brett posted pictures with everyone that he met.  He had flown in early in the day to make sure that he could attend everything.  He caught the shuttle in Concord to Logan Airport at 3:15 a.m.  I happened to wake up at 3 a.m. and called to see how it was going.  He said he was surprised when the phone rang, but not that it was me.  I wake up so many times in the middle of the night that I knew I would catch him at some point.  He took the first flight out of Boston to Indy.  I told him that we would pay for it if he did as this flight was $90 cheaper than the afternoon.  Brett didn't mind at all as Doug has always told us that the first flight of the day is the best.  If there are delays there are usually other flights that the airline can move passengers to.  Brett had no problems getting out of Boston and was able to sleep on the plane,  He made it to the hotel in time to rest before the receptions.  He texted me later from his room to tell me that it was all fantastic.

On Saturday there were speeches to listen to and time for voting.  Several candidates were chosen on second and third ballots.  Brett was happy with the choices that were made.  The day ended by 6 p.m. or so which gave him time to pack and ask about transportation back to the airport.  He was once again catching the first flight out and would be leaving before the shuttle started.  They gave him a taxi service phone number and Brett said that the cab came within minutes of his 4 a.m. call.  The flight out was on time and the only down part of the weekend was the wait for the shuttle back to Concord. Even with that he was in his house by early afternoon with plans to attend evening mass.

We were so incredibly proud of Brett this weekend.  His ability to navigate all of the travel to achieve a goal of his was impressive.  He has started making a life for himself and relies on us less and less.  Glad that we can always be here when he needs us, but happy that he is living his dreams.

Last of the Open Houses

We started the afternoon at church for a reception to honor Father Hire.  He is officially retiring as a priest although I believe that the deacon has been doing most of the mass these past few months.  Father Hire has been at our church for over a decade and the first child he baptized at St. Martin's was Cameron.  The Heinisch children really like him, but realize that it is time for him to take it easy.  At one of the masses Meg and Cam were altar servers at he confused the homily and the gospel.  Overall, they have good memories of him at our church, however, and we wanted to say goodbye.

After the reception the four of us went to Jayce's open house.  It was held at the community center in Milford.  Sharon was stressed out about the desserts as she knew Cameron would be ranking them after today's visits.  Luckily, she had chosen a Lance's cake and those are a sure thing.  She also had delicious cookies to try as well.  In fact all of her food was wonderful and we each ate more at this one than any other besides ours.  We also liked looking at all of his pictures as many of them included Cal.

After Jayce's we stopped at Caleb Glon's.  He and Cal are going to room together at IU.  Caleb's was a lot of fun as well as they had a big backyard with a lot of shade.  Cam and I started playing corn hole and pretty soon everyone was joining in.  Caleb's Dad, Jay, challenged me to a match and beat me.  I don't remember the last time I lost, but I still enjoyed playing.

Doug had one more open house to attend for one of his soccer players.  After that he and I took a long walk.  I am glad that we have been able to get to as many open houses as possible.  We have not made all that we were invited too as there were a lot, but between Doug, Cal and I we did our best.

More and More Open Houses

I believe that most of the seniors we know had their open houses today.  It worked out well for us to go as we didn't have a lot going on.  Meg and Cam tagged along again and he had a chance to try more desserts.  Cal went to a lot of the same ones that we did, but in a different order.  He started in North Webster at Michael Seamen's and then headed to Nappanee for Nick LeCount's.  Cameron Adams went with him and then he met up with Hannah-Marie.

The four of us started at Alexandria's.  It was nice and they had homemade ice cream to try.  After that we went to Cassidy Manning's.  Cam liked the desserts there as they were unique and not the typical cake.  He also liked that they had swimming available.  We spent a lot of time visiting with Cheryl and the Rensbergers.  To end the day we stopped at Maddie Birch's.  It was outside like the first too, but it felt a lot hotter.  All three girls had invited different groups of people at each, so we got to visit with a lot of families this afternoon.

After the open houses Doug and I went to dinner in Goshen.  We had planned on going to Kelly Jae's, but they were closed for a private party.  Instead we ate at Verruci's.  The menu is mostly speciality pizza and Doug picked a good one for us to try.  We were home early enough to have a bonfire with the Heinisch children.  Cal was out later than the rest of us as he went to several more open houses.  He felt like I did when he got home - ready for some down time.

Friday Night and Friends

Both Meg and Cam had friends over this evening.  Meg had a movie night with Dylan and Kaitlin.  They both came over around 3 and stayed until after nine.  They decided to watch Hair Spray as all of them like it.  It definitely is one of my favorites.

Cam had JJ over once Bright Time was done this afternoon.  His Mom had asked several times if he could spend time at our house, but this was the first time that it worked schedule wise.  He and Cam had a lot of fun playing outside.  Doug brought home Little Caesar's for everyone and built a bonfire.  The badminton net got a lot of use today and everyone had a great visit.  Glad that we could have everyone here and that the Heinisch children feel comfortable inviting their friends into our home.

7 on 7

Tonight was the first 7 on 7 soccer game in Elkhart.  I drove Meg and and Megan Bray up to it.  So far Doug will not have to drive the white bus as only a couple of girls need rides.  It is hard for him to get back from Bristol to drive all the way to NIBCO field.  Meg will actually miss the last couple of 7 on 7 games as she is going to be at camp for two weeks this summer.  Doug said that he had no problem with that as she attends more soccer than anyone else.

Tonight went very well for the girls.  They are listed as a B team in the league meaning that they have both JV and Varsity on their team.  They played against another B team and lost by one goal.  The team actually started off slow or I believe they would have won.  Their goalies were also absent so each had to take a turn in goal.  They did a nice job at it.

The next game was against a C team - all JV.  Wawasee destroyed them winning easily by 10 goals.  In fact I got so lost in my book at one point I didn't even notice when they started playing again.  That was how lopsided it was.   Meg scored a total of six goals tonight.  I thought she played very well.  Her kick has gotten stronger and she passes well.  I believe that the team as a whole may even be better this year than last.

Bright Time Camp

Cameron has a busy week filled with activities at Bright Time Camp.  I believe that Bright Time is what sold him on Bethany in the first place and he hasn't wavered on the decision to switch since.  This summer he has tennis in the morning from 10:10 a.m. to 11:30.  I have been walking while he plays.  I can get in over 7200 steps on my Fitbit by the time he is done.  That has been great as I upped my goal to 12,000 with the start of summer.

We have been coming home for lunch and to rest for an hour before he returns for his afternoon sessions.  He starts basketball at 1:20 and then moves to chess at 2:40 finishing for the day at four.  Just like previous summers he has really enjoyed it so far.  He likes Mr. Miller, his tennis coach, a lot.  I have heard them all talking about Star Wars with him before and after their lessons.  The basketball coach is new and Cam says that it is going well.  Chess might be his favorite, but overall he has been happy with all three of them.  He wishes that the camps lasted longer than a week, but  he'll be ready to play more golf, however, as soon as Bright Time is over.

Firsts

Today was  a day of firsts for Cameron.  He started with oboe lessons which was a first for him.  He had really wanted to take them this spring, but we just didn't have time.  It went well today and he learned a lot already.  The most important lesson was how to take apart and put together his oboe.  That made a big difference and his instructor fixed a bent key which helped with the squeaking.  He has a new book and lessons to practice for next week.

Tonight Cameron also started practicing with the middle school soccer team for the first time.  He is still unsure that he wants to play, but he did have fun.  We told him to stick to goalie or fullback as he does very well in those positions.  The coach was nice and there were at least eight other middle schoolers there.  His favorite part was playing the different games, especially four on four.

Athletic Awards Night

Tonight was the Spring Athletic Awards program at the high school.  Normally, I find the large group portion of this event to be extremely boring, but not so much tonight.  First, Cal and the golf team got to go up on stage to present the Northrop Invitational trophy to Mr. Beasley.  Of course, they did it with their own style and flair.  Then Meg was honored for earning her letterman's jacket and Cal for being name to the Honorable Mention All NLC golf team.  Even the video portion was fun this year.  The teams picked their own background music and the golf one was the best - Poor Some Sugar on Me by Def Leppard.  We laughed the rest of the evening about that.

These made up for the fact that Cal missed earning his blanket by one JV point.  I knew when he quit basketball his junior year that this would be the case.  He and I talked about it when he was deciding, but at the time the blanket was far from his mind.  Getting away from a horrible situation was first and foremost and we completely agree with his decision.

The rest of the night was split into small group team awards.  I went with Meg, and Doug went with Cal.  Cal was awarded the Coaches' Award.  Doug said that Steve called him the team leader and praised him over and over.  The biggest surprise of the evening, however, was during the tennis awards portion.  Shane awarded a MVP this year and the award went to Meg.  She and I were shocked as he didn't seem to pay a lot of attention to her during the season, so we were thrilled that he  did notice how much she worked and recognized her for it.

Once the awards were over Jeffrey, Beckie, Cal and I all took a picture by our 1985 sectional win picture.  It was a great idea and I am glad that she thought of it.  As we ate dinner later and talked about the evening, it dawned on me that by Meg winning the MVP in tennis I was the proud Mother of the only tennis MVP's this year at Wawasee High School.  In addition they were both scholar athletes.  I wonder if any other siblings have done that in the history of Wawasee athletics.  No matter what I couldn't be more proud of them.

Graduation

Today was such a wonderful day to celebrate Cal's high school career.  The ceremony was short, but very nice.  The students spoke well and the administrators kept the processional line moving.  Afterward we took pictures in the backyard before the guests arrived.  The weather could not have been more perfect.  Pam, Phil and Carl came out yesterday and most of our time was taken up getting ready for the event.  It was nice to have a little bit of time before his open house started at 5.  Doug used the time to make sure we had enough brats, hot dogs, meatballs and queso dip.  I had picked up the two cakes yesterday - one chocolate and one white, both decorated in IU colors to match all of the other decorations we had hung up.

I spent a lot of time in the last month preparing for the day and I was proud of the frames that I had made for Cal.  I used the school days, Halloween, Christmas card and IU ones we had at Brett's only changing out a few pictures.  I added ones for golf, tennis and Cal's friends.  I even made a new one this week that included the pictures he and Jayce took with Marci.  A couple of days ago I went through the medals, trophies and plaques that were Cal's and picked out ones that I thought he would like displayed.  I had even bought an extra 2016 tassel to display as I knew his cap and tassel would never make it back home from the cap toss at the end of today's ceremony.  (I was right about that one.)

With all of the food prep and decorations completed we were ready to celebrate.  The guests arrived early and proceeded to flow in and out through the next three hours.  Cal had told his friends that the Heinisch brat record was nine and several vowed to beat it.  He did an awesome job greeting his guests and entertaining everyone.  Most ate outside and then played badminton and corn hole.  Several of the young children really enjoyed the swing set and a lot of our family and friends stayed an hour or more.  Cal also had several teachers stop by as well as his high school friends.  In fact we were impressed with how many people visited our home today.  It was a true testament to his personality.  As he and Hannah Marie read through the cards tonight I couldn't help but feel proud.  Cal accomplished a lot in his high school career and he did it in his own way.  He didn't ask for a lot of help and never followed the crowd.  He was a leader among his peers and I can't wait to see where life takes him from here.

Time to Celebrate

Last night we went to two graduation open houses - Jeremy's and Stephen's.  They were both nice and we enjoyed them.  Stephen had a taco bar and Cam really liked the cupcakes.  Jeremy's, however, was the top of the dessert train as it included an ice cream sundae bar from Joe's.

Today we spent the afternoon at open houses for Chase Rookstool, Sam Clark, Savannah Schwartz, Bethany Hapner and Cameron Adams.  Once again most of the parties had taco bars, but Cam finally was able to try Jimmy Johns as Savannah had that as her home.  He had refused since he threw up at one years ago in Bloomington.  Meg also went to all of these with us.  Cameron had his list of desserts starting with his favorite.  So far the ice cream sundae bar is still winning.  I didn't eat much, but did catch up with other parents and was able to get ideas for Cal's event tomorrow night.

Golf Sectional

Today was the day we had been waiting for all season - golf sectional.  Last year was so incredibly disappointing and we all hoped for a better outcome.  Doug, Cam, and my parents all made it for the 8 a.m. tee off and by the time I got there I was extremely hopeful.  Cal had shot a 36 on the back nine and was in third place individually overall.  I knew from last years scores that he needed to shot a 75 to make it out of sectionals and was positive that he could do it.

Unfortunately, it didn't turn out that way.  He ended up with a 79 overall ending his high school career.  It was a good score and we were proud of him.  He was disappointed until he saw that it was a tougher field this year and even a 75 would have barely done it.  His team also played a lot better than anyone expected.  Their worst score was an 86 overall and they were all pleased with it.

As Cal was finishing I ran to Little Caesar's to get the boys pizza.  Steve couldn't make it to Sectionals as he has been having a serious problem with kidney stones.  Rob coached them well, however, and had planned to take them to dinner afterward.  They all enjoyed sitting outside Rozella eating pizza, however.  Sectionals didn't end the way Cal wanted, but as he said, it was a lot better than last year.  Missing by one individually and as a team was a heartbreaker.  This season has been a lot more fun.  Sad that it was over.  It's been a great decade of watching him play.  Proud of how well he has led the team this year.  He has grown into such an awesome young man.

Sectional Dinner

Two nights ago we hosted our last golf sectional dinner for Cal.  Doug made lasagna, Caesar salad and breadsticks.  The Moores brought the cake.  It was an awesome evening and we all enjoyed watching the listening to the boys have fun.  As soon as they ate the went out back to play badminton and then soccer.  We invited the parents and the coaches and most were able to join us.  The adults spent a lot of time talking and Sharon and I talked about Jayce and Cal at IU next year.

Normally we have sectional dinner the night before the tournament, but Cal wanted it to be relaxing and he felt that several days beforehand would be best.  I agree with him and am glad that he suggested it.  If this was to be our last night as host of such an event it was a good one and I am glad that we were all able to be part of it.

Teacher Day

I took personal days yesterday afternoon and this morning.  I worked very hard last week to get my classroom cleaned and organized as I needed to be at home more this week with graduation.  It worked well as I really ran out of things to do this afternoon at school.  Meg went in with me and we moved the furniture in the hallway that I would no longer need.  We also took down anything left that I wanted put away, cleaned out the food and put all of the supplies from my shelves and desks in cabinets.  I still had to complete my grades and fill out the teacher last day list, but with two hours left we were done.

Thus, Meg and I decided to help other teachers.  She checked in with Mr. Troyer (or T-Money as she calls him.)  He didn't need a lot of help, but enjoyed listening to her catch him up on her freshmen year.  We also asked Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Brower, but they were doing fine, so we spent most of our time working on Mr. Larson's room.  She took down his bulletin board and I downloaded all of his Smart Board files to a USB and to Google Drive.  Meg spent a lot of time talking to him, but I don't think that he minded any at all.

I did meet with Mrs. Kaiser before I left.  After a lot of talk and deliberation I believe we have come up with a solution for next year.  Instead of the 80% day I will teach a half day and have three classes -7th grade health, 8th grade FACS, and Mastery Algebra - plus a Warrior Time.  Even though I won't have a prep time I like the schedule a lot better as I have less classes to prep for and I love teaching math.  It's worth trying for a year to see how it goes.