Finally, Answers!

Today I finally got answers to the problem with my left ankle.  I met with Dr. Nelson at Goshen Orthopedic and he was able to analyze the MRI and explain why I have been in so much pain.  I would love to say that it should be an easy fix, but unfortunately, that was not the case.  I had an old fraction near the small bone on the inside of my ankle with a part of the bone missing.  This has caused a bone spur.  On the outside of my ankle there was a lesion filled with fluid under the bone.  Tendonitis had also inflamed all the tendons surrounding my left ankle as well as the achilles heal.  There was also concern that I had a nerved trapped below my achilles heal which would explain the sharp pains in the ball of my foot and traveling up my leg.

I was bummed when Dr. Nelson said that it was serious damage, but felt encouraged by his compassion and plan for action.  The office scheduled nerve testing to be done next Thursday and a followup appointment with Goshen Orthopedics' foot and ankle specialist.  Until then he asked me not to walk on it.  I explained that I could not promise that and continue to teach.  He then decided that a boot would provide support, so I could teach next week. The medication that Dr. Mohr prescribed had helped with the tendonitis, so I will continue to take that  until I see the foot specialist.  The boot was uncomfortable to walk in, but I was so happy to find out that my pain wasn't all in my head that I won't even complain.

WIT

When Meg transferred to Bethany we talked to the guidance counselor about yearbook.  Meg had taken it at Wawasee and had attended the class with Rachel on visit day last February.  I encouraged Meg to try it as I thought it would be a great way to meet students that weren't in athletics.  The class does not have a scheduled block time during the week, so they meet on Wednesdays at 7 a.m.  Meg asked me to take her as she doesn't want to drive that early yet.  Although it does mean that we have all been up earlier on that day, so far it hasn't been a problem.  Some of the other WIT (yearbook) students have siblings there early in the morning, so Cam always has someone to play ping pong with.  I don't mind it either as I get to school by 7:10 a.m. which is helpful on Smart Start day.  I have about twenty minutes to get my lesson plans on the board and unpack my papers before our meeting.  WIT will add to Meg's workload, but so far it has worked out well.  She has met more students and has been able to spend time with Rachel.

Educators Are All-Stars

Tonight was thank an educator night at the girls soccer game at Bethany Christian.  There were several teachers that Meg considered inviting from Wawasee, but in the end she decided to ask her Spanish teacher from Bethany.  Meg transferred in without a strong foundation in the Spanish language.  The class was intimidating at first as Meg wasn't used to speaking Spanish in front of students.  Meg put a lot of work into catching up and feels more confident in it now.  Nina has been very helpful and supportive of Meg throughout this process and Meg wanted to honor her tonight.  As a teacher I loved the idea.  It brought teachers to the game to cheer on their students and also let the teachers know that they were a valued member of the girls' lives.

Doug, Cam, Mom, Dad, Aaron and I were all in attendance tonight cheering Meg on.  She played absolutely fantastic in the first half and had several opportunities to score throughout the game.  The girls beat West Noble which added to the festivities of the night.  Doug, Cam and I left after the game, but Aaron stayed to watch the boys' game with Meg.  They didn't make it through all of the game as Meg needed to work on homework tonight as well.  It was a lot of fun listening to her talk when she returned home.  She has thoroughly enjoyed Bethany and has made a lot of friends.  We couldn't ask for anything more.

Monday

It was harder than normal getting back into the swing of things today even for a Monday.  Cam and Meg got to sleep in as Monday was their late start.  Thus, they were still in bed when I left.  I did get their lunch ready for them, however, before I headed out.  Although it began slow I was able to make it through the day.   I even had enough energy in the end to meet Doug at Cam's soccer game against Concord.  The game was a tough one.  Bethany led for much of the game, but in the suffered defeat 3-2.  Cam was disappointed, but we were proud of him.  Concord was four time the size of Bethany and the boys held their own and fought tough.  Even with the loss it was a nice way to end the day, cheering on my favorite fullback.

Getting Caught Up

Now that school has begun for all of us Sunday has once again become catch up on housework and homework day for the four of us. Today was no exception.   For me that meant laundry and general picking up.  Doug spent his time mowing and doing yard work.  Cam and Meg had time for mass and homework as well with Cam even squeezing in a round of golf.  I really appreciated Doug's commitment to cleaning and organizing the basement last weekend.  Not only was it wonderful to finish a large project, but it allowed Cam to have his friends over last night as well.  It also left us time to focus this Sunday on having an organized, clean house to start the week.  I know that not everyone else may agree, but for me that makes my life so much easier.

Game Night

Today Meg had a soccer game at Central Noble in the afternoon.  My parents, Cam, Doug and I all drove over to watch her play.  She did well and had several shots on goal.  Bethany got a quick lead to start and although the Cougars were able to score early in the second half, the Bruins held on to win 4-2.  It was fun being back at Central Noble.  The last time I was at the school was for Cal's tennis match senior year.  Today reminded me of that match as the soccer field was just up the hill from the tennis courts and Cam and I sat right beside it while watching Cal and Tim play doubles.  It was a memorable match as the boys had a huge lead and were about to close out when Cam decided to pack up his  chair.  At that moment Central Noble upped their play and almost won a set.  Thankfully, Cam set his chair back down and after a couple more games Cal and Tim held on to win.  Central Noble's rebound in Meg's game couldn't be blamed on Cam this time.  He left his chair set up by the fired the entire game.

After the game, we brought Samuel home with us.  Cam had invited he, JJ and Avery for game night at our house.  All of the boys had played Coo Rebellion before and Cam was glad to have those more knowledgeable to play with instead of Meg, Doug and I.  The boys played other games as well and also spent a considerable amount of time on the badminton court.  Doug ordered pizza for everyone and the night according to Cam was a complete success.  I was so glad that it worked out for him to have everyone over as they were a great group of friends for him to spend the evening with.

More Doctors & More Tests

I spent the morning at the South Bend Clinic meeting with Mom's rheumatologist.  The blood work that Dr. Clouse had ordered in early August showed that my rheumatoid factor was high.  With my Mom's history of rheumatoid arthritis the doctor wanted an experienced opinion on the treatment for the pain in my joints.  Dr. Mohr spent time asking me questions and looking at each joint that was inflamed.  From his observation and looking at my blood levels he felt that my problem might be a soft tissue issue and not necessarily RA.  He ordered x-rays of my left wrist and left knee and was interested in hearing how the MRI of my left ankle went.  He prescribed a strong anti-inflammatory that I will have to take twice a day.   I have a follow-up appointment with him in two weeks to reevaluate the pain and see if I was able to tolerate the medication.

The doctor's visit and x-rays took several hours, so it was lunchtime when I left South Bend.  I was happy to see a Chix-Fil-A on my way out of town.  It was a different experience than our local fast food restaurants.  The staff was friendly and the service was quick.  I wish we had one closer to Syracuse.  After I ate I drove to Goshen to do some shopping.  I needed several items from Target and Petco.  After getting the necessities I still had enough time to stop in at Pier 1.  I hadn't been there in quite some time and enjoyed looking around.  I was glad to find bowls to match the purple plates that Doug game me and I finally found a yellow cookie jar.  It was shaped like a beehive and had bees buzzing around it.  It definitely fit the color scheme of our kitchen.

I spent the rest of the afternoon at the hospital.  My MRI was scheduled for 3:25 and I arrived early in case they needed any paperwork from me.  Check in was easy as I had pre-registered earlier in the week.  I was taken back in the room quickly and met with one of the techs.  She had to ask a lot of questions and instantly alleviated my fear of having to be put inside the tube.  She explained that I would only have to be placed halfway through it since they only needed to take images of my left ankle.  The test took about forty minutes and they gave me headphones with quiet music to listen to.  During the test I was not allowed to move.  That wasn't a problem, except that I kept falling asleep.  Every time I did I would jerk a little.  It must not have been an issue as they did not have to redo any of the tests.  On the way out the tech told me to expect a call on Monday from my doctor and to make a follow up appointment with her.  From that conversation I was pretty sure that they saw something.  I know that the x-ray was abnormal, so I am guessing the MRI was concerning to them.  I decided not to worry about it as I will be finding out soon enough.  

An Intense Evening

Tonight Meg had to play against Wawasee.  Fortunately, the game was at Bethany which made it a little better.  She was nervous all day about it and was emotionally drained by the end.  Bethany did hold on to win 2-0 and Doug said that Meg started and played well.  I was happy for her and her team.  People from both schools had talked about the game and there was a lot of pressure to do well on both sides.  We found out later that several of the girls in the junior class had talked about getting a yellow card in the game for hurting Meg.  Thankfully, it was just all talk.  There was a red card, however, when a Wawasee player popped a Bethany girl in the jaw.

While Dad and Doug were at the Bethany v. Wawasee game, Mom and I went to Northridge to watch Cam play.  It was an A and a B game.  Thus, Cam only played in the second one.  The A team won easily while the B team struggled.  They definitely improved as the game progressed and everyone felt pretty good about it in the end. It was late by the time Cam and I got home and Meg was absolutely wiped out when we got there.  I was glad that she would not have to play her former teammates again this year.  It was a drama filled two years and we were glad to have it behind us.

Solar Eclipse

Monday was a much anticipated event throughout the United States.  The media had been posting about it for months and everyone that I spoke with talked of nothing else.  The solar eclipse of 2017 was expected to be spectacular.  There were news reports warning that animals would believe that it was night time and driving would not be advised during its peak time of 2:22 p.m.  Meg's physic class planned on tracking the eclipse's progress and all students at Bethany would be outside in time with proper eye wear to witness this historic event.

The students and teachers at Milford school were anxious as so many reports were in the news warning of the permanent eye damage that a solar eclipse could cause.  We weren't sure at first that everyone would be able to participate, but in the end there were enough glasses for all who needed them.  After spending a half hour outside on Monday witnessing the solar eclipse I have to say that I was actually let down.  It never became much more dark than a normal cloudy afternoon.  The crescent of sun that shown past the moon was neat the first time I looked through my eclipse glasses, but after that the uniqueness kind of wore off.  I believe that the media had blown this event so out of proportion that the expectations of what we were to witness never matched the actual solar eclipse that occurred.

Cam and Meg said that they enjoyed going out to see if.  My parents and Doug said that it got darker where they were.  Brett report that he looked at it briefly through another person's glasses and Cal posted his thoughts about the media hype.  It wasn't quite what any of us expected, but we had stories to share afterward.  I did get a headache later in the day and had spots floating in front of my eyes once we came back inside.  I was sure that would have happened with or without the eclipse.  The sun was bright and that has always bothered me.  Meg said that she had the same issues.  As far as I have read and heard no one suffered from the permanent eye damage that we were frequently warned about these past few weeks.  It looks as though the United States survived the eclipse of 2017.

One Clean Basement

The only nice part of Brett and Cal both being out of the house was that we were able to give them a lot of furniture out of our basement.  We had talked all summer about what we would do with less furniture.  This past Sunday we finally had time to try out some of our ideas.  We spent quite a bit of time dusting, vacuuming, picking up and rearranging each room of the lower part of our house.  Doug had already worked on it throughout the week and I was amazed at how quickly the basement all came together by the end of the day.

We were able to bring back the red chair from my Mom's and put that in the toy room along with the rocking chair.  It made for great seating for the XBOX 360 that we added to the room.  We moved the poker table and bar into the main basement area which left a lot more space for the pool table and air hockey table.  Cam had been asking for a game night with his friends.  I told him that he could have it as soon as we got the basement cleaned out.  I really thought that it would be after Labor Day before it happened, but I was happy to tell him tonight that he could text his friends that this coming weekend would work.  He was glad to report that everyone was available for Saturday night.

Seven Games in Seventy-Two Hours

Cameron's soccer team was back in action tonight.  That makes seven games in just seventy-two hours.  Once again Bethany proved to be the better team defeating Wawasee Middle School 7-1.  Cam did well at full back once again and it was fun to see them all play well.  It was strange, however, sitting on the sidelines listening to the Wawasee parents talk about what they could have done better to beat Bethany.  I realized that there wasn't much they could do.  Bethany had more experience, was advanced in skill and overall had a better coach.  Being a parent of child on a dominant team has been a new feeling for Doug and I as we were used to picking up the pieces after being on the wrong side of a lopsided win.  Instead my goal tonight was to just sit quietly, enjoy Cam having a good time with his friends and figure out where to order the after game pizza from.

And Then There Were Three

Last night Meg had plans with Aaron after her game.  She was so happy that he came to watch her play at Northwood.  Even though Bethany lost, they still wanted to celebrate her success at starting at a new school and his completion of the first week at Wawasee without her.  While they were out Doug and I invited Cameron to go to dinner with us.  He was reluctant at first as he thought that it wouldn't be fun with only the three of us.  Doug mentioned Kelly Jae's and he changed his mind.  He hadn't eaten there in quite awhile and was soon dressed and ready to go.  Doug and Cam picked out several small dishes to try and we enjoyed each one.  We talked about getting dessert there, but decided instead to stop at Joe's on the way home.  Even though it was only the three of us, we had a great time and loved listening to Cam talk about everything going on in the seventh grade.

Soccer and More Soccer

What a day of soccer today with five games total.  Doug and I started at Cam's tournament at Lakeland Christian Academy.  There were eight teams total in the tourney with two pools.  Each team had to play three games and the winners from each pool then met in the championship game.  Cam's team played very well winning all of their pool games easily.  Cam's team jumped out to a big lead in all three games and he got to play in each one.  The last of the pool games was against LCA and Cam played almost 25 minutes of the 30 minute game.

After the pool games the team had a 45 minute break.  Doug left for Meg's game at Northwood and I ran to Arby's for a sandwich for Cam and I.  I took the opportunity to use the restroom there as well.  The LCA soccer field was pretty basic and I decided when I got there that I wasn't interested in using the port-a-potty they had available.  Cam told me that I made a good choice.  His game started at 1:30.  They played West Noble who had destroyed everyone in their pool games.  It was a lot tougher match than any of the previous games that Bethany played and they soon found themselves on the wrong end of a 4-0 score.  Even though they lost, it was fun watching the boys play.  They all seem to get along very well.

Meg's team played Northwood today.  It was a tough game, but Doug thought that it might be.  The Panthers were pretty good last year and by the time Cam and I arrived Bethany was down 3-0 which proved to be the final score.  Meg played forward when she was in the game.  We are not sure how much she will play this year as it seems that he has her slotted for about half the game.  The best part, however, was that everyone was nice to her and included her.  That was different than years past and should make it a lot more fun.  

The A Team

Tonight the A soccer team played against Argos at home.  Argos has notoriously had a fantastic soccer program for both boys and girls.  They are a small school, not much bigger than Bethany.  As they also do not have a football program their fall emphasis tends to be on soccer.  We weren't sure what to think going into the first game.  We realized that Cam may not play much if at all.  It started off well for Bethany.  Cam's team has three eighth graders that are some of the best that we have seen for their age.  The goalie is not only excellent as a keeper, but he is also six feet tall.  Bethany scored early and took a 1-0.  We were impressed that the coach then started putting in his subs. Cameron definitely got to play and did a nice job at fullback.  It was fun to see how much he had improved from last year.  Although not the focus, it was also nice that the boys won 2-0.

Meg stopped by the soccer game to check how it was going before she headed to a party.  One of the boys were having a group over and she was glad to be invited.  She said that it was a lot of fun.  They rode around in a golf cart and hung out.  She made it home by 10 p.m. which gave her plenty of time to relax and share stories with us before she headed to bed.  It was awesome listening to her talk.  She has only been in school a couple of weeks, and she has already made quite a few friends.

The Swing Team

Cameron found out today that he will be on the swing team for soccer this year.  He had been worried about it, so we were glad that he made it.  His friends are all on the team with him which makes it a lot more fun.  As he will now have to be at both A and B games it will add a lot more soccer games to our schedule.  That will work out fine for our family.  Doug is excited to just be a parent this year.  His job has become extremely busy this summer and his workload has increased incredibly with the addition of Midwest.  Watching Meg and Cam play will be a nice break for  him from budget reports and month end.  I am going to enjoy having him to sit with at games, although at first we will probably be going two different directions as they have games at different venues a lot of the nights.

Summer Vacation is Officially Over

Summer vacation officially ended today for all of the Heinisch family as school started for me and Cal headed back to Bloomington.  My day was long as we had meetings in the morning until 11 a.m. and then had to stay in our rooms until 6:15 for the open house.  Meg didn't have practice tonight, so she at least was glad that we had to be there so late.  She visited with several of her middle school teachers and also found some of her friends from last year to hang out with.

Cal left before any of us got home.  He visited Mom and Dad in the morning, spent the afternoon with Hannah-Marie and still made it to his house by 7 p.m.  He tweeted shortly after arriving that one hour in his house made him hate living in the dorm even more.  He spent the evening working on his room and getting something to eat.  His plan before classes started on Monday was to go to a couple of the welcome week events and also look for a job.

I was definitely sad this morning thinking about summer coming to an end.  We had such a wonderful time together as a family.  There was adventure in traveling, new friends made going to camp, a multitude of rounds of golf and still time just to relax.  I know that my birds and squirrels will miss me and the house won't be as clean, but as the saying goes, "All good things must come to an end."

Celebrating Cal

We have had a great summer having Cal home.  It sure seemed that he has enjoyed it as well.  He remarked time and time again on how much he liked working at Tippy.  He also was able to finish an economics class and still have time to hang out with Hannah-Marie and his friends.  We have even gotten to spend a lot of time with him.  Today he and I had breakfast with my Mom and Dad and her siblings and then went grocery shopping at Meijer.  He was enthusiastic when talking about his sophomore year and may even look for a job once he returns.

It didn't dawn on me until a week ago that one perk of Cam and Meg starting school so much earlier than I was that I would get to spend so much time with Cal.  He was here most days while I was cleaning and always had a story to share.  Through his encouragement I have officially become an "Impractical Jokers" fan and have watched more of the gameshow network than I would have thought possible.  We will miss him as he heads back to Bloomington tomorrow and were glad that he suggested one last meal together at Chubbie's to celebrate such a wonderful summer.  It will be strangely quiet once he leaves, but thankfully we know that he has become a great communicator.  We are already looking forward to visiting him over Labor Day weekend.

A Quick Trip to Bloomington

Meg and Cam had late start today and didn't have to leave until after 8 a.m.  I took Brett to the dentist and was back just before they left.  I barely had time to get ready before he called to say he was done.  Brett had finished packing the van this morning before his appointment, so once I picked him up we started our journey to Bloomington.  Traffic was light, but there were a few road closers.  They didn't delay us too much and we made it to Oliver winery before noon.  Brett picked up a bottle of wine and a bottle of cider for his apartment and I did the same for home.  

Our next stop was Brett's apartment.  It was a lot bigger than Doug had described.  We started immediately unpacking everything we had brought down and also the items that he did not have time to sort through on Friday.  We rearranged a couple of items, hung clothes in his closet and fit everything in his apartment with plenty of room to spare.  We believe that we shall even be able to fit the brown chair in a corner of his living room now.  We just have to see if we can fit it in the van on our next trip down.  

Brett wanted to eat lunch at an Indian restaurant on fourth street.  I was glad that he suggested it.  The food was delicious.  After we ate we walked over to CVS to get Brett batteries.  He then stopped at the comic book store while I got the van.  It was hot today and he appreciated a ride to the union.  I left for home after I dropped him off with the hope of being home by 7 p.m.  I would have stayed longer, but with school starting on Wednesday and Cal leaving for IU I knew that I would need to get home.  I enjoyed my day with Brett.  He talked a lot about several different topics ranging from his masters programs to social issues of the day to video games.  It was great to hear his opinion and bounce some of my ideas off of him as well.  

Guys and Dolls

Once I figured out that Brett was coming home this weekend, I reserved tickets at Amish Acres for Guys and Dolls.  Brett had seen it at IU years ago and really enjoyed it.  Therefore, he was up for another viewing.  My Dad also wanted to go, so we all caught the matinee this afternoon.  I did not know what to expect from the musical and thought the first half was a little slow.  Cam agreed with me, but Meg, Dad and Brett really liked it.  The second half picked up and we all thoroughly enjoyed how it ended.  Our next reservations are for Sister Act in October during Brett's fall break.  Doug may even join us for that one.

After we got home Doug, Cam, Cal and my Dad left for Tippy.  They had plans to play nine holes before dinner.  While they were gone Brett sorted through all of his clothes downstairs still in tubs and the miscellaneous items he had stored.  He then packed for his trip back to IU tomorrow.  Our plan is to leave after his dentist appointment at 8 a.m.  I am hoping to help him unpack and have dinner before leaving at 3.

My Mom and Dad joined us for dinner tonight after golf.  The guys had had a great time with Cam almost beating my Dad.  Doug said he started off slow, but had a very respectable round in the end.  Cal topped them with a 38.  Dinner was delicious and we all enjoyed spending the evening together.  It has been wonderful having everyone home for the weekend.  So glad that Brett will be at IU this year.  It will be great to see him more often.

Miles Lab

Cal had been asking all summer if we could go to Miles Lab, but every time we had planned it something had come up and we hadn't been able to go.  Tonight, however, we all decided to make it a priority.  Cal had to work until 5 and didn't get home until 5:30.  We had left before that to take Meg to a soccer get together in Elkhart.  Thus, he drove over separately.  While Meg was at her function and Cal was heading over we took Brett shopping.  He needed a new pair of dress shoes.  He and Doug found them at Kohl's, while Cameron and I were at Target getting groceries.  The four of us finished up by 7:30 and we were able to pick Meg up by 7:45.  She had fun at the get together.  They also spent time going over the scrimmage with Concord from today.

The party was close to Miles Lab.  Therefore we beat Cal and HM to Miles Lab.  They arrived just in time to order appetizers.  Everyone then picked something new to try off of the menu for dinner.  Cam and HM went for the gusto ordering a hamburger sandwiched in between two grilled cheeses.  Brett was the only one who stayed away from the hamburgers and instead tried their fish and chips.  Between my and Cam's sandwiches Cal will have plenty of leftovers for tomorrow.   The food was delicious, but the best part of the evening was listening to everyone talk.  I so appreciated that they all wanted to be together and that they chose to have dinner with us.    

Home Again

I talked to Doug several times throughout the day.  Their trip to Bloomington was an easy one.  Doug drove the U-Haul and Cal took the CR-V.  They stopped at Cal's house first.  He did not remember how big it was and they were thrilled that all of the furniture fit without a problem.  Cal and Jayce have two bedrooms on one side of the house.  There are two more on the other side.  In-between are a living room, a kitchen and a den.  Austin and Jayce had worked on the outside deck this past week.  Cal said it was the perfect backyard.  They may even buy some outdoor furniture.

Once they unpacked at Cal's they headed over to Brett's apartment to unload his furniture.  It was also roomier than Doug remembered and we may even bring down the brown chair that matches the couch.  While Doug and Cal went to lunch Brett waited for the internet service to arrive.  They were at his apartment and had it set up before Doug and Cal were back with Brett's breadsticks from Mother's Bears.  Everyone was excited to be on the road before 2:30.  Friday traffic was expected to be thick and they were glad to miss it.

While Doug was in Bloomington I spent the afternoon at the doctor and hospital.  They took several tubes of blood with the hope of finding out exactly what has been creating the joint and muscle pain.  I also had to go to the hospital and have an x-ray of my left ankle.  It has definitely gotten worse in the past few weeks.  I am planning on taking a break from walking until I find out what is causing the pain.  I appreciate that Dr. Clouse and her CMA spent a lot of time with me.  I just haven't been feeling the best.  Hopefully, I will have some answers soon.

Doug, Brett and Cal arrived home before Meg, Cam and I finished at the Bethany School Kick Off.  Meg and Cam had a great time hanging out with their friends.  Meg was going to go bowling with a group of them, but we said no as she was the only girl that could make it.  She didn't mind, however as she had more time to catch up with Brett that way.  Doug had dinner ready for everyone once we got back.  It was very nice to have our entire family together again.  The laughter and the conversation were priceless.

U-Haul

Doug rented a U-Haul today to take all the boys' furniture to Bloomington tomorrow.  Luckily, Meg did not have practice tonight so she could ride with me to the truck rental place in Goshen and bring Doug's car back to Syracuse.  Cam decided to sit out of practice tonight as well.  His weren't mandatory this week and his knee was killing him.  I didn't mind him missing as it made our evening a little easier.  We iced his knee when he got home and encouraged him to take Ibuprofen before practice tomorrow.

Once Doug got the truck home we started loading the furniture.  It all fit easily with a little room to spare.  I didn't think that they would be able to get the couches out of the basement in one piece, but they did.   Doug said that there were piles of Cheez-Its that fell out of the couch when he moved it, which meant some extra cleaning in the basement.  It was well worth it, however, as we were ready to free up some of our living space.  They also took a few lamps, tables and dressers out of our house as well.  Now I am hoping that it all fits in Brett's apartment and Cal's house.  Guess we'll find out tomorrow afternoon.

New Record

I finished cleaning the main level this morning at home.  I was glad to get it all done.  The house looks great.  Since I was able to finish the cleaning I had time to get to school this afternoon and work on my room.  I wasn't thrilled to be there, but was excited to set a new record for myself.  I had my room completely ready in five hours.  In years past I had spent at least four times that much time working at school during August.  I could have finished even quicker except that my new teacher desk arrived yesterday and I had to move all or my supplies and reorganize everything.  I also had to set up my computer replugging everything in through the tiny holes in the desk.  I was proud to have figured it out without help.

While I was at school the custodians stopped in.  The new student furniture hadn't arrived, but they had tables that my class could use.  We had broken several of the small ones last year and they were glad to give us something newer.  I was happy that they were able to deliver them today.  I knew that  I wouldn't be able to get back in my classroom before next Wednesday, so it was nice to get so much accomplished.  Doug and I went out to dinner tonight to celebrate.  It was wonderful to sit down and relax.  The last three days had been filled with many hours of cleaning and rearranging.  I was definitely ready for a break and enjoyed the company very much.

Raccoon Run is a Wrap

Today Cam completed the junior golf tour at Raccoon Run.  He had one match left to play which ended in a tie.  That gave him third place overall in match play.  He received a trophy for that and also was awarded first place for stroke play earning even more hardware.  The boys were treated to pizza and Cam was named a captain for the day.  His responsibilities included verifying and recording all of the boys' scores.  It was a great way to end the tour.  Cam has learned a great deal from the program and has had a lot of fun along the way meeting and playing with a lot of other junior golfers.

Let the Cleaning Begin

When I found out that our school would start a lot later than Meg and Cameron's I decided to use that time to thoroughly clean the house.  We had had a wonderful summer with everyone and I was sad to see it go, but the thought of having a clean house gave me something to focus on in their absence.  I began with the upstairs today.  My plan was to dust, pick up, wash windows and scrub the bathrooms.  I did pretty well and by 8:00 p.m tonight I had everyone's bedding washed and even cleaned their doors.  Doug said he'd vacuum for me, but once he started it quit.   That will have to be a project for another day.

All Boxed Up

Meg, Cam and I decided to go to 11 a.m. mass this morning.  We had talked about going last night, but realized that the garage sale was going to run past 5 p.m. so we couldn't.  Doug arrived from Bloomington before we left.  He didn't join us, however, as he had work to do.  I was surprised at how few parishioners were at mass.  In summers past the late mass was always packed.  Doug has remarked several times how small the lake crowd has been this summer.

We spent some time this afternoon boxing up all of the garage sale items.  The majority was earmarked for donations.  I did keep a couple items to either put on Ebay or use in my classroom.  It took a couple of hours to get it all packed up.  I was glad to be done.  We do not plan on having anymore garage sales in the near future, so it was a relief to get rid of so many items.  We also made quite a bit more money than I had figured that we would.  That was a nice surprise.

Back Home Again in Indiana

Brett said goodbye to D.C. this morning and hello to Indiana.  It was a little tricky getting through baggage check as his suitcase was over the weight limit.  He moved the scale to his tote bag and wore his suit jacket on the plane and he had no problems after that.  No one even commented on the fact that he had a jacket on with his shorts and a t-shirt.  He said that he would have even wore a second jacket if he had too.  The flight was on time and except for lugging his suitcase to the van it was smooth sailing.

Doug left around 10 a.m. this morning.  I appreciated him being able to help us set up for the garage sale before he left.  He timed his trip perfectly as he got a parking space just as Brett walked out.  They made it to Bloomington by 2:30.  They picked up his key and had his bed set up before dinner time.  He won't have a lot of furniture this week, but that will come soon.  He and Doug met Parce for drinks and dinner.  They first went to Bear's Place and then Upland Brewing Company.  Brett and Doug ended the night with a walking tour of campus and breadsticks.

While Doug was busy with Brett I worked on the garage sale.  We actually did very well and had customers still coming at 5 p.m.  I packed up a lot of it afterward, but will have to finish the rest tomorrow.  Meg spent the day at the Dunes with the soccer team.  It was a lot of running, but they had fun as well.  Cameron and my Dad went golfing.  They were glad to get a chance to play.  Tonight the three of us went to Hacienda.  We hadn't been in quite awhile and enjoyed relaxing after a busy day.

New Year, New School

Today Meg and Cameron started their first day of junior year and 7th grade.  They were both dressed and ready to go well before they needed to leave.  Cam wore his flamingo shirt and Meg dressed conservatively with jeans.  Meg was nervous, but also very excited.  She had texted Rachel several times last night and felt a lot more comfortable.  She also finished Northanger Abbey which was a relief to her.  Cam said he was excited to see his friends, but not so much about starting class again.  I thought about both of them all day and was so happy when I got a text from Meg before practice stating "I had a very good day."  Dad picked up Cameron and he had the exact same sentiment.   How exciting for both of them.

While they were at school I spent my day working at the garage sale and helping Brett get organized for his trip to Bloomington.  He ended up having to throw out one pillow, but other than that he fit everything in his bags.  He was planning on leaving at 6:30 tomorrow morning to make sure he gets to the airport on time.  It was unseasonably cold today and I am not sure the temperature rose above 60. I was glad that the garage sale was still busy.  We definitely had less to take in at the end of the day.

Tonight was just as busy as the day.  Cam and Doug went golfing.  I took food over to Paula's for Debbi's retirement party and then came back to visit once Meg got home from practice.  Tonight was also the junior class get together.  It was at Rachel's.  Meg wanted me to take her, so after we visited with everyone at Paula's I took her to the party.  I spent the rest of the evening back at Paula's catching up with everyone and helping clean up.  Meg didn't call me until 9:45.  She had had a wonderful time and was glad to get to know some of her classmates better.  As soon as I got home Doug loaded the van.  I had brought most of Brett's items up from the basement and he already had some furniture in the garage.  He will leave around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow.  Hoping for a safe trip for Brett and Doug.

Last Day of Summer

Today was crazy being the last day of summer, but overall it went well.  Meg started her morning at Bethany.  The soccer team ran down to Goshen College and then played volleyball.  She enjoyed it and was glad to be done with two a days.  Cam slept in and was up by the time she got home.  I worked the garage sale until noon or so.  It took quite awhile to get everything set up and I appreciated Cal's help.  The morning was busy which we were happy to see as we have a lot to get rid of.

Meg, Cam and I left at noon for Goshen.  They wanted to eat at Olympia this summer and we hadn't had a chance to yet.  Glad that we could fit it in today.  We then walked down to the shoe store so that Meg could purchase a pair of Birkenstocks.  The workers were extremely helpful and she was excited  to find a pair that fit and that she liked the looks of.  I also bought a pair of shoes that will work well for school.

Once we were done shopping we stopped at The Chief.  We had been there this summer, but definitely wanted to go again.  We had piano afterward and while we were there it started raining.  I was worried about the garage sale, but knew there wasn't much I could do about it.  We found out later that Cal had gotten off work early and was able to carry a lot of the items back in for us.  By the time Cam and I arrived there were only a few items that we had to throw out.

Meg had pictures today and soccer practice.  She was glad to have received the number 11.  She really wanted it as she had worn it the past two years and it was special to her as Doug had the same number in high school.  Once Meg got home we left for Buffalo Wild Wings.  Our yearly tradition has been to take everyone out for dinner the night before school starts.  We had a lot of fun talking about the summer and their thoughts on the school year ahead.  I know that Meg was nervous, but we were so proud of her for taking on this new endeavor.

Nearing the End of Summer

Our director of curriculum called me on Monday to see if I would sit in on a Learn Zillion training session.  Our corporation has decided to use this program for our elementary math students and as a resource at the middle school level.  She said that I would then be a liaison for teachers in our building that would need help with the program.  I was proud to be asked and interested in learning more about Learn Zillion.  I had used it with my high ability students at the end of the school year and there were some questions that I had.  My only concern about agreeing to be a part of the training was the fact that Cameron had an appointment scheduled with Dr. Allen regarding his knee.  I called Doug to get his thoughts and he offered to take Cameron until I could get there at my lunch break.

Today was the training session and it went well.  We talked a lot about growth mindset at first which I felt that I had a handle on.  Late morning and the entire afternoon were spent on using Learn Zillion.  I really appreciated those sessions as I gained a lot of knowledge on their program and was able to have all of my questions answered.  Doug drove home from work and took Cam to the doctor.  Just as Dr. Allen got in the room, I arrived.  Cam definitely has Ogden Slaughter's disease in his left knee.  Besides ice and Ibuprofen there isn't much he can do about it.  It stems from growing quickly and playing sports. If it gets worse, then he will have to sit out a season.  Hopefully, that doesn't happen.  The good news was that he will outgrow it.

Meg had a great day with her friends.  She met Preston, Aaron, Graham and Clayton at Center Lake.  After they swam they all went to Steak and Shake together.  She made it back in time for practice.  Since Cam was golfing with my Dad I told her that I could drive her and walk while she was at Bethany.  Doug stayed late to finish up some work and Cal spent the day at Tippy.

More Golf and More Soccer

Cameron was back at Raccoon Run for match play this morning.  I ran him over and then went back later to pick him up.  He did well, beating his opponent by one hole.  Next week is the final week and we have agreed to let him play.  School will have started, but it is the end of the season party and he doesn't want to miss it.

Meg has started two a days and they have been killers for her.  They do a lot of running.  She said that it is going alright for the most part.  She may have to play midfield, so the extra running will definitely help.  She is also getting to know more of the girls which will really benefit her when school starts.

Last night was the athletic parent meeting at Bethany.  We met with the soccer coach first and signed up for food and ticket taking.  After that we went to the auditorium for a large group meeting.  The one part that really stuck out with me was the fact that the athletic director never once mentioned drug and alcohol use among students.  It was different at Wawasee as those topics were a main focus of the evening.

Tonight Meg and I were back at Bethany for new student orientation.  I enjoyed listening to the discussion even though I knew most of it from having Cameron as a student.  Meg was complaining that she already knew everything and didn't need to go.  Cam reminded her that Mr. Miller took his children and he was pretty sure that he already knew it all since he taught there.  Overall, it was nice to have the two meetings.  Even thought it was a reminder that summer was coming to a close, it was nice to hear about all of the academics that will be offered to Meg.