Homecoming

Tonight was Homecoming for Wawasee High School.  For the first time in a long time there was a Homecoming parade.  The girls soccer team decided to participate in it and everyone attended.  Cam and I watched from the van along the parade route.  I had planned to get out, but it was raining for nearly all of it.  Meg and Doug were still able to spot us and Cam got out several times to get candy or take a picture of the Penguin.

After the parade Gabrielle came over.  Doug took them all to the game.  Cam was disappointed that Evan wasn't going to stay for it, but had fun with Ryden and Chance.  Meg enjoyed all of the festivities this week, especially the dress up days and the talent show.  Wawasee did not fair well during the game losing decidedly to Warsaw.  Doug picked Cam up in the fourth quarter while Meg stayed for the dance.

Doug and I had gone to Huntington's while they were out.  We were back well before the third quarter ended.  Doug fell asleep by 11, but I stayed up and graded papers until Meg came home.  We had planned on picking her up, but Paula brought her home.  She had a lot of fun and danced most of the evening.  She was surprised to hear that Doug switched her bed into her new bedroom.  She couldn't believe that after eleven years she had spent her last night in her old room.  After filling me in on the evening she headed to bed.  I finally finished grading papers after midnight.  It felt awesome to be done.

Of Course!

Tonight was student led conferences at Milford.  As the name states the students meet with their parents and inform them on how their first trimester is going so far.  Teachers are required to be there in case a parent has a question or two.  Conferences start at 3:15 and end at 7.  As an Encore teacher I stayed in my room and met parents and students there.  When there was down time I could grade papers or write lesson plans.

This year was different.  Since I am part of the 5th and 6th grade team I have to stay in the cafeteria.  The positive was that we were all available if a parent had a question.  The negative was that we couldn't really do much else.  I had hoped to grade papers, but there wasn't time for that.  I did get to meet with several parents that I had hoped to communicate with.  As a group we had 70% of students attend the evening.

One disappointing part was that I had to miss Meg's soccer game against Northwood.  I asked Mom to keep me up to date on the score.  Around 5:30 I first heard from her.  The game was tied 1-1 and Meg had scored.  By half time we were down 2-1, but I enjoyed the fact that Cam also texted me and let me know about Meg's goal.  It made sense to me that she scored.  She always seems to do that when I can't make it to the game.  Unfortunately for the team, Meg was the only one who scored.  The final tally was 4-1.  Doug did text me at the end to let me know about Meg's goal as well.  He said it was beautiful.

I was able to make it home by 7:30.  Cam was already there playing pool against Dad.  He had been ball boy for the Varsity game.  I tried to stop by the high school to pick up Meg, but she was in the volleyball game by then.  Doug arrived shortly after I did.  He was still excited about Meg's goal.  After he gave me the details he spent the rest of the evening finished the staining.  I ordered pizza for all of us and picked Meg up from the game.  It was definitely a long day for all of us, but we survived and are one day closer to Fall Break.

Remodeling

We started a remodeling project a month ago on the upstairs bathroom that was originally our master bath.  It is close to completion and we cannot believe how much better it looks.  In fact tonight when I was looking at it I almost forgot what it looked like just this summer.  Doug said he could not go that far.  The extra large garden tub that was losing tiles was still foremost in his mind.  I am not sure that I disliked that or the too small to turn around in shower more.  There also was a leaking toilet that was an issue.  The only part of the bathroom I really liked was the tile and we had put that in ten years ago.

To keep the project moving forward Doug had to stain the windows and baseboards tonight.  It wasn't quite as easy as we were told that it would be, but he did get it done.  Both looked nice and all that will be left to do is put polyurethane on it tomorrow night and one more coat of stain on the windows.      The countertops also go in tomorrow and the trim on Friday.  Next week the plumber should be back from a wedding and all will be done.  What a nice update to our home.  

Almost

The girls soccer team played Elkhart Memorial tonight.  Doug was hoping for his first NLC win as the head coach.  Meg had a chance to score early, but just missed.  Several other girls had nice shots as well, but sent the ball wide.  In the end Memorial took more shots on goal, and early in the second half finally connected on one that proved to be the deciding factor in the game.

I was disappointed for Doug.  I know that he has put a lot of work into soccer and I really hoped that it would show tonight with a conference victory.  He handled it well, however, and afterward had a lot of positives to say about the game and the season.  There is still hope as there will be another chance when they play Northwood on Thursday.  Wish I could be there, but I have conferences at Milford that night.

End of the Season

Tonight was Cam's last soccer game of the season.  They played against Goshen and he did well at right fullback.  Goshen was a tough team to play, but the boys held their own.  Even though they lost we were able to celebrate a wonderful first year of middle school soccer.  Cam liked his coach, had fun and learned a lot.  His skills improved as well as his stamina.  He made new friends and is already talking about next season.   It was all he could talk about at dinner afterward.

So Proud

We spent the morning at the mall and walking through campus.  We were happy that Cal wanted to spend that time with us.  We told him that he could pick our lunch spot.  Cam and Meg were thrilled when he chose Noodles & Company.  After lunch we walked back to the new media school to take a picture with the Ernie Pyle Statue.  We parked at the Union and were able to give Cal a ride back to his dorm before he met with his speech group.

On the ride home I had a lot of time to reflect on Cal's time at IU so far.  He has told us a lot of great stories.  My favorites have revolved around how well he is doing academically.  First, he has earned an A on each of the tests or speeches he has given so far.  In fact he received a 95 on his Accounting midterm - a weed out class for the Business School in which 30% have already dropped because they failed the midterm.  He was also sure earlier in the week that he bombed his Econ test which actually posted a 95 with the curve.  The class average was 70%.

Cal has also learned to navigate the social life at IU without being drawn into the party scene.  It does sound like he tends to hit up all of the events that offer free food.  He disappointed Parce and Chokey at the KFC buffet, however, as he couldn't keep up with either one of them.  The best story he told us this weekend was his experience with Jayce at a study group.  Jayce invited him to attend an Econ and Finite help session, but didn't quite give him all of the parameters.  As they left, Jayce asked him if he noticed that he was the only white guy in attendance.  At that point he told Cal that it was a study group for minorities.  It didn't surprised me at all  that Cal hadn't noticed.

Everyone's college experience is different and I wasn't sure what it would be like for Cal.  How awesome it is to leave him knowing that he has totally embraced the academic side of IU and has found means to fill his down time with positive activities such as basketball and intramural soccer.  He'll be home in two weeks for Fall Break.  Looking forward to seeing him then.

Family Weekend

This weekend was Family Weekend in Bloomington.  We weren't able to attend last night's induction ceremony at the Kelley School of Business, but we did make it to the IU vs. Wake Forest game this afternoon.  I believe that was more important to Cal anyway.  We had to wait to leave until after Doug and Meg's game with Warsaw this morning.  Luckily, it was at Warsaw High School, which put us 40 minutes closer.  Cam and I spent the morning after I picked him up from his slumber party getting ready.  The only glitch was the fact that Little Caesar's closed so we had to make alternate lunch plans.  There was a Marsh close by and we decided instead to tailgate in the van on the way down.

Leaving a little later helped as we missed a lot of traffic.  Cam and Doug made the game with three minutes to go in the first quarter.  The game wasn't the greatest, but they enjoyed meeting up with Cal at half.  He said the student side was pretty boring, but he did have fun going to all of the free tailgate parties beforehand.  I believe their favorite part of the game may have been listening to Doug getting heckled for wearing green, the opposing team's colors.

Meg and I watched the first half with Parce at his apartment.  Chokey went home for a funeral, so Parce decided not to tailgate.  Meg and I spent the second half shopping.  Neither one of us are really into football, so that worked out well.  We then picked Parce back up to meet the guys at our new favorite bowling alley, Classic Lanes.  It was as fun as we remembered from last time.  Parce and Cal went back and forth in the lead until the last frame where they tied on Parce's final ball.

We ate dinner at Upland Brewing Company.  It was Octoberfest and we each tried something new from the German menu.  Afterward the guys watched more football and Meg, Cam and I went Pokemon hunting.  Bloomington definitely has a lot more Pokestops and Pokemon than Syracuse.  Parce had to leave early in the morning and we were all exhausted from such a fun day that no one made it up past midnight.

Fiddler on the Roof

Tonight Meg, Kaitlin and I went to see Fiddler on the Roof at Amish Acres.  It was as good as I remembered and I believe that the girls enjoyed it as well.  The first act was my favorite as always.  The songs were fantastic and Tevye was funny.  The second act was long, but we made it through all of it getting home around 11.  We were exhausted, but happy that we were able to attend this evening's performance.  We were running out of dates that we would able to see it before the next play took stage.  A lot of the actors that we were accustomed to seeing were in tonight's show as well.  That made it even better.

Cameron was supposed to go with us, but was invited to Conner's birthday slumber party.  He was excited about that and it was a good musical for him to miss as it was close to three hours long.  He got there at 5 as he didn't want to miss practice.  The plan was for the boys to swim and have Nerf gun wars.  He texted me close to ten to say they were having a great time playing Ghost in the Graveyard.  They were still going strong at midnight when I texted him "Goodnight!"

Mosquitos Win 267-0

Meg had a game at Plymouth tonight.  I did not ride the bus as I had to get all of my grades into Skyward for midterms.  It took a lot of time he last two days, but I got everyone retested and all tests and late homework graded by 4 this afternoon.  Thus, I was able to drive over and meet them.

I believe it was a good thing I did as the girls were being bombarded with mosquitos when I got there.  The JV field was next to a wooded area and there were thousands of them swarming the area.  I found a CVS and bought the last two bottles of Off.  The cashier said that there was a run on bug spray today.  Once I got out to the field I could see why.  The teams had moved to the Varsity field, but even that didn’t help.

The game was a close through the first 30 minutes and Wawasee was up for awhile 1-0.  Plymouth may have started slowly, but in the end finished with an 8-1 win.  It was a disappointing loss to them I know, but I think long term the attack of the mosquitos may be the biggest memory from the night.  Kaitlin even said that she killed close to 300 of them during the Varsity game.  Meg tried to talk me into missing school on Friday because of all of the welts she had on her head, face and neck.  I know they were annoying, but I wasn’t going that far.  Luckily, the one that got her on the eyelid did not swell.  

NAGC

I was invited to attend the National Association of Gifted Children conference by our gifted and talented coordinator earlier in the school year.  I will be representing Milford Middle School.  I was thrilled to be asked as I have not been able to attend a conference like this before.  The bonus is that the conference will be held at Disney World.

I spent this evening making the travel arrangements for my November trip.  Doug is going to be able to go with me which is fantastic.  He’ll fly down a day later and we added an extra day to our trip.  Now that I have the flights, Magical Express and rooms at the Coronado secured I can now start looking at the specific conference sessions that I want to attend.  It should be a wonderful experience.  

A Tough Night for Soccer

Tonight both Meg and Cam had games.  I decided to go to Cameron’s as he only has two left out of his six total.  I have also made it to all of Meg’s except the one when we had an open house at Milford.  I missed one of Cam’s earlier when she had a game start late.  

 I knew both would be tough games as the girls played Northridge and Bethany hosted Westview.  These are both premier soccer teams in our area.  I was right as each lost by six goals or more.   Cam and Meg felt pretty good about them in the end, however.  The Heinisch children played as hard as the could and neither came away injured.  Couldn’t ask for anything more.

Politics Aside

I know that a lot of teacher’s are backing the Democratic party in this year’s local elections as they believe their platform benefits Indiana’s educational system best.  I usually listen  to all of the discussion, but do not add much to the conversation.  I also keep to myself the fact that Brett worked for Todd Young who is running against Evan Bayh in a highly charged Congressional race. Brett has also met both Mike Pence and Eric Holcomb, the Republican gubernatorial candidate.  He backs both.  In fairness to the other side, however, I also do not disclose the fact that he met the Democrat candidate for Governor, John Gregg and actually has a lot of respect for him.  

My loyalty is to my son.  Brett believes in the aforementioned Republican candidates whole heartedly.  I trust his opinion and have listened to his thoughts on the matter.  I know this may not make me popular in the teaching circle.  I don’t like arguing politics, however, so I generally keep my opinion to myself.  I have no problem agreeing to disagree, but I realize that not everyone feels this way.

Purple, Purple & More Purple

The painting is done.  Doug was able to finish it up this morning and the purple bedroom and bathroom look fantastic.  I am going to meet with the counter top man on Wednesday and the new window goes in this week.  All that will really be left is hooking up the plumbing and lights.  Cal said it looked better the way it was before, but this time I have to disagree.  Not only were we able to solve all of the water issues, but the bathroom is a lot more functional now.  

While Doug finished the painting I took Meg and Cam to piano.  We also stopped at Walmart for groceries.  I don’t really love going there to shop, but they have a lot better lunch choices than our local grocery.  Cam met my parents at the golf course afterward.  This weekend was the Big Cup and last night he only got to play the front nine.  He was able to finish up the back tonight.  

This weekend wasn’t all work as Doug and I went to Chop’s last night for dinner after going to the Jefferson Pointe Mall.  Tonight we also took Cam and Meg to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  Next week will be extremely busy.  It was nice to get a lot done this weekend to get ready for it.

A Rare Day Off

Today was the first Saturday since the beginning of August that Doug did not have a soccer commitment for the Wawasee girls.  Originally we thought about going to Bloomington, but since Cal was home last weekend and our remodeling project is ahead of schedule Doug decided to stay home and paint Meg's bedroom.  She picked out a purple that is a little darker than her bathroom and matches the main level dining room.  Doug was able to finish the majority of it between today and last night with only a few touch ups left for Sunday.  Much to the Heinisch children's delight he was also able to save Blue.  I painted him on Brett and Cal's bedroom wall well over a decade ago and he is still holding strong.

Doug was also able to use his free Saturday morning to attend  Cam's soccer game.  It was a great one to watch.  They played Lakeland Christian Academy in Warsaw.  Cam started the second half and only sat out five minutes or so.  We were impressed with how much Cam has improved in skills this season.  He was most proud of the play in which he chased down the ball and inadvertently knocked an opponent down.  His team secured a 1-0 victory scoring early and defending the lead for most of the half.  Soccer has been a great experience for Cam.  We are very glad that he decided to give it a try this year.

Team Bonding

Last weekend the soccer team had a party at one of their teammates homes.  There was a ping pong tournament that Meg really enjoyed.  This weekend they spent Friday night together working the concession stand at the football game.  It was a busy night for them as Wawasee hosted Northwood and the stands were packed.  When I dropped Cam off to meet Evan there were very few parking spaces left.  It didn't help in the concession stand that several of the girls cancelled at the last minute or just didn't show up.

The girls who did fulfill the commitment, however, had a lot of fun.  Meg spent her time filling drink orders.  Normally the concession stand closes after the third quarter, but spectators kept lining up and it was well into the fourth before they could finally start cleaning up.   Both Meg and Doug enjoyed one of the players reactions when a fan frustrated with the fact that they ran out of popcorn late in the game said, "What kind of concession stand are you?"  They both told me the story once they walked in the door.

Cam also enjoyed his evening at the game, although he did say that he probably wouldn't go if Evan wasn't there.  They did hang out with some of his other Milford friends.  This has been a great way for him to stay in touch with those he was close to from Milford even though he does not seem them daily.  Mary brought him home a little later than Meg and Doug arrived.  He filled us in on a few antics of the evening and then headed straight to bed.  He has an early morning soccer game and wanted to be ready for it.

Always Happens to Meg

Meg went back to the doctor this week to have her check the rash she had on her leg.  The antibiotics and cream they gave her finally did the trick.  The nurse practitioner said that it is healing nicely and should be good from here on out.  It was definitely a problem for Meg this past couple of weeks.  No matter what we did it just wouldn't go away and kept spreading.  The practitioner said that it was infected by the time we got in to see her.

It seems that medical issues like this always happen to Meg.  When she gets something simple it usually turns into something more severe.  It was that way with Cal as well, so I guess that may just be how it goes for the Heinisch children.  Definitely glad to be done with this one.  She was so tired of keeping it covered and medicated.  I don't blame her.

If You Teach a Man to Fish . . .

This quote has become an important one to me in my teaching philosophy as well as in our approach to parenting. It isn't always popular with students and parents, but I believe it is the best way to teach students how to learn.  Today I introduced it to my classes.  We talked about the quote and how it related to learning math.  By the end of the class period most students started to embrace the philosophy as their own.  I explained that it would be easy for me to give them every answer and help them on every problem, but then they wouldn't learn how to complete the math assignment independent of me.  Although they would probably earn an A on the homework, they wouldn't retain the information.  Even worse, I wouldn't be teaching them how to learn.  

I felt good about the lesson with the students.  I realize that my style of teaching benefits them most.  It has helped the Heinisch children become independent thinkers and learners.  Unfortunately, many parents struggle more with this type of learning than their student.  Teaching students to learn independently knowing that there are times that they will fail miserably is hard.  I know, though, if they stick with it and keep trying the rewards are endless.  They will have not only learned the math skills needed to succeed in the future, they will also learn how to gain knowledge on their own.  This skill will benefit them more in life than any lesson on greatest common factor ever will.  

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

I decided this summer when we drove home from the midnight release of the newest Harry Potter book that I wanted to reread the entire series, before I tackled "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child."  I knew this would be a lofty goal, but there is so much from the series that I just don't remember.  Most of it is minor details, but I feel left out when the Heinisch children talk about small characters or favorite scenes and I can't remember them.

I started with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone last week.  So far I really am enjoying it.  It is a quick read as I will be done with the first one hundred pages tomorrow night.  I appreciate the series even now more that I know where the story is heading.  It has also been a nice break from working on lesson plans or helping with soccer.  I haven't set a goal for when I would like to be done.  For now I'll just enjoy rereading a beloved treasurer.

No practice

For the first time in a long time Meg did not have practice.  Doug decided that since they only have one game this week and had played soccer 30 out of 34 days he would give them a night off.  Meg wasn't quite sure what to do with herself.  She has become accustomed to having something every evening.  She decided to ride along with me to AK Hare after school.   She also used the time to catch up on some homework.  She was hoping that boys tennis would have a match, but they didn't.  Instead she went with Doug to the first half of the middle school girls game to check in with that program.  It was nice to have a quiet evening at home.  We still had plenty to do, but at least we could get started earlier.  Doug was also able to grill out which I really appreciated.

End of Golf Season

Cam had his last golf tournament of the year this afternoon.  They had tried to hold it on several different weekends before, but the rain kept getting in the way.  The weather was no problem today as it was sunny and 75, perfect for a round of golf.

Mom and Dad took Cam to Christiana Creek for us.  He had enough time to practice his putting before his 1:30 tee time.  Meg, Doug and I arrived with three holes left and enjoyed watching him play.  He did well finishing with a 46 which bested two players in the group in front of him earning him a third place medal.  There were other contests besides the nine holes of golf.  He participated in a putt and chipping contest and even a game of corn hole.  Unfortunately, he was not as successful in those, but didn't seem to mind.  Topping several of the "all-stars" meant more to him.

To celebrate we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  We let Meg pick the appetizers as she was stung by a hornet while on the course watching.  She handled it well and the ice seemed to help a lot. There must have been a nest as one of them stung Mom as well.  Other than that it was a perfect day at the golf course.

Cedar Point

Cal came home late Thursday night.  Traffic was light, but the rain was heavy.  He made it in three and a half hours, even with the storm.  He spent Friday morning studying and visiting with my Mom and Dad.  He had time in the afternoon to get a meningitis booster and catch tennis practice.  He said that both went well.  The rest of the evening was at HM's and back here for Joe's ice cream.

We enjoyed seeing him and listening to his week at IU.  He still seems very happy with his classes and the amount of basketball he has played.  He has also been able to get in a couple of rounds of golf and meet some new friends.  His music class has been one of his favorites and he had a lot of information to share with us about the life of Sam Cook.

As much as he had going on yesterday, the true reason for Cal's visit happened today, however.  He and HM were invited to the Zimmer company picnic at Cedar Point.  They went last year and really enjoyed it.  The weather was rainier this year, but they still had fun.  Zimmer rented the place from 10-1 so they were able to ride free of lines and eat lunch without much hassle.  They left in time to get home around 10 p.m.  They were tired and wanted to get back before it was too late.

Cal plans to head back tomorrow afternoon.  We thought about going down for Lotus Fest next weekend, but aren't sure that we will be able to go with Doug's soccer schedule.  Cal will be home again October 8th for IU's fall break.  It will be strange not to see him for a month.  He will keep busy studying and we will be finishing up Cal and Meg's soccer season.  Thus the month will go by quickly and we will enjoy visiting with him again soon.

Unconditional Love

Nine years ago today we celebrated my Grandpa's last birthday on this Earth.  We took pictures and he smiled when he opened his gift bag filled with limburger cheese and Miller High Life.  I know it wasn't the gifts that made his days, but the Heinisch family visit.  It was one of many that summer and fall.  He had been diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in the Spring and I wanted to make sure that we spent as much time as possible with him before he was called Home.

It amazes me that after nine years I can still cry when I think about that time period.  My Grandpa was a modest man, but he was larger than life to me.  His dedication to my Grandmother was incredible.  He not only married her, but took responsibility for her four young children.  Even though he later had his own children I never once felt that my Mom grew up in a blended family.  He was her Dad and my Grandpa.  It did not matter to me that we weren't related by blood.  I thought the world of him.  He never said the words, "I love you."  He never had to.  He spoke it with every one of his actions.

I will never forget the excitement on his face when he pulled in to my Mom's drive with a U-Haul.  He and Parce had driven all night to get there.  I was so glad that he was finally moving back home after a twenty year hiatus in Florida, and I know he was happy as well.  The next seven years were a blessing and my children loved getting to spend time with Paw Paw.  Before he died I remember being devastated that they wouldn't get to make more memories with him, but I did come to realize that the time they spent with him only increased the fond memories I had of our relationship as grandfather and granddaughter.  He put up a good fight at the end and I appreciate that about him.  Every day after his diagnosis was a blessing from God and I cherish them ever so much.  There were a lot of lasts that fall that I got to be a part of.  I was not only there for his last birthday, but I also gave him his last haircut, visited him on his last wedding anniversary and spent the evening with him on his last night here on Earth.

Although I never learned to love his taste for limburger cheese or salted beer, I did gain quite a bit from the time with my Grandpa.  I learned love of country from his stories of World War II.   I learned how to take pride in ones work, no matter how menial it may seem to others.  I also learned how to tell a good story and to be a good listener.   The best life lesson I learned from my days with him, however, was to love unconditionally.  Happy Birthday "CrapPa" - I love you!

Gossip & Social Media

The internet can be a wonderful tool for learning and keeping in touch with others, but it can also be a social media nightmare.  That is especially true for high schoolers.  This week was definitely a tough one for those caught in the gossip circle that can revolve around teenagers.  High school is hard enough.  Rumors, vicious attacks and petty remarks make it even more difficult.  The anonymity that social media provides makes it even worse.  No one takes responsibility for their actions.  Life is challenging for today's teen.  It doesn't matter how many times they are told that the person spreading the rumors or attacking them is wrong, seeing a unpleasant picture or reading a cruel remarks stings.  As a teacher I do not have an answer to the problem.  All I can do is provide support for those that are hurting.  Sometimes it just doesn't feel like it's enough.

A Winning Season

It was a hot match at Whitko tonight with the temperature close to 95 on the field.  The girls must have felt the heat as they came out slow and seemed to struggle through the first half.  Doug spent a lot of time talking to them during the break regarding better traps and passes.  It must have worked as they came out on fire to start the second, scoring the first goal of the night with 35 minutes to go in the game.

I could almost see the relief on the girls faces.  They had out shot Whitko 10 to 2 in the first half, but just couldn't convert.  They did go on to score again with 20 minutes left and put the final touches on a shutout at 3-0 with one minute left.  Everyone was in a great mood on the bus ride home.  Doug was even able to get a team selfie by the bus before they left.  I was glad that they won.  Whitko played as well as they could, but Wawasee was the better team and the win put them above 500 for the season.  I also enjoyed giving Doug a hard time about being threatened with a yellow card from the ref.  He felt they were going for his players not the ball.  The ref obviously didn't agree.  We celebrated the win by taking Meg, Cameron and Kaitlin to Joe's for ice cream - a post game win tradition.

The Dentist

I think I probably was a dentist in another life or maybe I should have been one in this one.  I certainly spend a lot of time in his office.  I guess it's a good thing that I like him and his employees.  Tomorrow will be one more day of visiting them as I broke another tooth a couple of weeks ago.  I am so used to this occurring that I do not even call when it happens unless there is a lot of pain.  Thus, tomorrow when I go for my regular check up I will show it to them and hope to get in soon to have it fixed.

When I tell others that going to the dentist is no big deal, most cringe.  The shots do not bother me at all as I have had so many of them I really don't feel much pain.  I do have to admit that I am not a fan of the drill.  It isn't the pain as usually the shot takes care of that.  It is the cold air blowing on my teeth that I do not like.

I wish I could say that this should be my last visit for awhile, but I realize that probably isn't true.  I know I have broken at least six teeth.  This is not because I eat hard or chewy foods, but because I  grind my teeth.  I have tried to wear a mouth guard and it helps, but a lot of times I take it out in the middle of the night while I am sleeping.  One morning I even found it in between my mattress and box spring.  I guess until I find a way to stop grinding my teeth, I will keep my dental insurance.  It's been a big help so far.

See You Next Time!

We spent the morning in Bloomington catching up with Parce while Cam and Doug played tennis.  It was hot, but they got a few games in before it became unbearable.  We let Cal pick the lunch stop and he decided on Buffalouie's.  Everyone seemed to enjoy it and we got in before the crowd did.

Cal had plans for the afternoon to go golfing and then back to Buffalouie's for "Right Wing Night" with the IU young Republicans.  He was very happy this weekend and had a lot to tell us about how he is doing in classes and what he has been up to.  It was great to see him in his own environment.  I know IU doesn't quite feel like home to him yet, but he has adjusted well.  Already looking forward to our next visit.

B-town - Let's Go!

Our day started early here in Bloomington as Doug and Cam had a tee time at Cascades for first thing this morning.  Meg was able to sleep in, finally, but the rest of us got up with them.  I was bummed that the farmer's market was yesterday, but we had cold pizza and Grandma's cookies for those looking for breakfast.

Doug and Cam were back by 11 and pleased with how they played.  We decided on Oliver Winery for lunch enjoying it picnic style.  Cal and HM wanted to go back to his dorm to get his wallet before going shopping.  We dropped them off and walked to Kirkwood from Parce's.  I found some great IU memorabilia for my classroom and Cam and Meg bought new clothes.  HM looked at albums and then picked out clothes at Urban Outfitters.  The art fair was nice, but we decided not to purchase anything this time.  Doug ditched us for Nick's and Parce hung out at his apartment until we all met up at Garlic Fest for day 2.  The band was pretty good and except for the heat we all had a nice time.

We went to Barnes and Noble before dinner at Upland Brewing Company.  It has quickly become Doug and my favorite restaurant in Bloomington.  We debated between IU soccer and bowling.  Parce said he'd go bowling with us, so the vote was for that.  The Union was closed, but Parce knew of another place on 17th street.  We all loved it, especially the videos of our head shots after each bowler finished a turn.  The game was close, but the younger crowd ended up beating us by 20 pins.  Pizza X breadsticks were last on the agenda and we all enjoyed those after a walk to the B-Line to catch more Pokemon.

Garlic Fest

We left this afternoon for the 3rd annual Garlic Fest after Doug and Meg got back from soccer.  Cam and I had the van packed and Robyn dropped HM off before they arrived, so we were able to get on the road by 1:30.  The trip down was filled with talk of high school classes, teachers and sports.  We also shared some of our favorite Cal stories with her.  The lively conversation and light traffic made the trip a pleasant one and we were able to meet Cal at his dorm by 5.

We were all happy to see Cal and I know he appreciated us making the trip down.  He and HM decided to walk to Kirkwood while we unpacked at Parce's.  After catching up on Parce's trip to Texas we walked to Garlic Fest.  We met up with Cal and HM.  They found some food to try while we listened to the band.

Meg asked to eat dinner at Mother Bear's and we were surprised at how quickly we got in - only had to wait twenty minutes, "tops."  The pizza was delicious and we all enjoyed reading the wall.  We did not find Jeff loves USA, but we now know to vote for Tubbs for Prez.

We spent the rest of the evening at Parce's.  Meg went to bed early and the guys watched football.  Cam and I took a walk down to Little Zagreb's a famous Pokemon stop.  He was thrilled to announce that he had caught six Pokemon by the time we made it back.  I was also able to make my 10,000 steps for the day.

Time for the Weekend

For the first time since school started I will not have to work this weekend.  Last weekend I spent several hours each day writing lesson plans and copying papers for school.  I decided on Sunday night that I really didn't want to do that again.  Therefore, this week I pushed hard during my prep period and after school to get as much done as possible so I could enjoy Labor Day weekend work free.  I am glad to say that at 5:20 tonight I left with school plans on the books, copies in the tray and grades posted.  It was a great feeling.

Doug and I spent the evening at home.  Meg and Cam went to the football game and had a great time with their friends.  We took advantage of the down time to get packed for Bloomington, clean, fill bird feeders and mow.  Doug made spaghetti for dinner and we ate outside.  We even finished an episode of House of Cards.  I know that it may have seemed like a boring evening to some, but it was a wonderful night and a great way to start our three day weekend.

Another Day, Two More Soccer Games

Tonight both Meg and Cam had home soccer games.  I debated all night last night about which to go to as they were even at the same time.  As Cam left this morning, he made the decision for me.  He said, "Mom you've got a lot of years left to go to my games.  Go to Meg's and I'll let you know how we do."  He was correct, so I chose Meg's.

Unfortunately, the girls lost to Argos 7-0.  While I was there Mom and Dad called from Cam's to let me know that it was a different situation at Bethany Christian.  The A team easily defeated Lakeland and Cam even got to play a good portion of the second half of that game.  The B team game was shortened to a half, and ended in a 3-3 tie.  Cam played most of that as well and Dad sent some awesome pictures.  I was thrilled to hear about his game.  He was pleased with how he played and excited to have been part of the A team's win.

I hated having to chose between the two games, but I told Cam that Meg always played her best in middle school when I couldn't be there.  Doug said that maybe next time I should switch and then they could be the victors.  Wish it were that easy.