New Year's Eve

We left this morning for South Bend.  We had decided to take a break from cleaning and painting to eat lunch at Portillo's and to do some shopping.  The food was just as good as it was two weeks ago when Cal, Brett and I went.  Brett changed his hot dog order to a hamburger and I tried the chocolate candy cane shake.  

After lunch we stopped at Target for groceries and then headed to the mall.  I bought calendars first for Meg, Cam and I as they were all 50% off.  Meg did some shopping on her own.  Doug used a $20 gift certificate at Jos. A Banks to buy a new shirt.  Cam and I toured the mall and then met Brett at the Disney Store.  He had been eyeing a Jack Skellington jacket.  It originally started at $99 and by today it was down to $39.99.  It was too good of a deal to pass it up.  I did make a stop at Yankee Candle although I won't be urging as many candles.  The reason we had to repaint the bathroom was the soot stain from the one I had in there.  I promised Doug I would stop burning one in there since he got it painted.  Our last stop of the day was Barnes & Noble.  Cam used his gift card to buy a mystery/thriller written by one of his new favorite authors.

The rest of our New Year's Eve was a typical Heinisch family one.  Meg had Gabby and Preston over for the celebration.  Cameron spent the night at Breece's for his annual New Year's Eve gathering (which he sent invitations out for in August).  Cal left for Chicago this afternoon with Riley and Jayce to hang out with their roommates from IU.  Brett, Doug and I called my parents to come up for appetizers and cards.  My Mom destroyed us at Oh Hell and I won Racko.  In between all of the game playing we made time to watch WKRP and The Twilight Zone.  It was a fun night for all and I felt blessed when the ball dropped at midnight that we had all had a wonderful 2018 and had quite a bit to look forward to in 2019.  

Painting & Cleaning

For the last several years Doug had chosen a project to complete over New Year's Eve weekend.  This year he threw out several ideas, but finally settled on painting the small bathroom on the main level and cleaning out the storage room.  It was an exhausting day for both of us, but I was impressed with how much we got done.  The yellow bathroom had been updated to "banana bread", all of the Christmas had been taken down and everything in the storage room had been stacked and ready to be organized.  I was amazed at how many boxes of Sports Illustrated magazines that Doug really had stored under the stairs in the basement.  He pulled them out and was committed to getting rid of them.  I was surprised by that as well.  Meg also joined in on the day of cleaning.  She took down all of her Christmas and organized her desk.  It was nice having her home for the day.  

Even with the amount of cleaning we did, we still had time to play Ticket to Ride.  That game has been a lot of fun.  We also have been enjoying Cam's Connect Four Shots.  We haven't tried out Brett's Villianous game yet, but plan to soon.  The only dud so far of the Christmas gifts has been the chameleon robot.  The pieces just don't seem to fit together.  We may give up and return it, but Doug said he'd give it one more try first.

Cal spent the afternoon in Fort Wayne with Hannah-Marie.  After all of our talk about "mules" from yesterday's movie, Cal called us to report  that he wouldn't be following Clint Eastwood's career path as  he got his second speeding ticket for driving 70 in a 55.  He was disappointed at first, but realized that it wasn't as much as he thought it would be.  He definitely didn't want to drive after that.

Doug tried a loaded tater tot recipe tonight that was wonderful and also made a new family favorite - pepperoni pinwheels.  Those two along with red lobster biscuits made for a delicious dinner.  Cal left before it was done to watch the Bears game with his friends. We made sure to leave him some of each for lunch tomorrow.  Thankfully, Chicago won, so he wasn't too disappointed about missing the food.  

Purdue & The Mule

Cam left this morning for West LaFayette.  The Browers had invited him to a Purdue game with them and they wanted to spend the day on campus first.  Cam was excited to go even though he was not much of a Purdue fan.  He did know the majority of the players on their roster since he had been following Big Ten basketball extensively this past month.

While Cam was out for the day, Mom, Dad, Doug, Cal, Brett and I all went to see The Mule.  We had been wanting to see it as it was directed by Clint Eastwood, but couldn't come up with a time or date that worked for everyone.  The movie was surprisingly packed for a noon showing, but we found seats together without any problem.  The major story surrounded Clint Eastwood's character as a ninety year old, down on his luck horticulturist.  He became a drug runner for the Cartel earning money for his family and renewing his relationship with them along the way.  Bradley Cooper had a supporting role as well which Doug and I were both happy to see.  All of us walked out of the movie impressed with it and happy that we got to see it on the big screen.

While we were at the movie Meg came home after practice and worked on organizing her room.  She also filled out her application for Camp Crosley.  She was asked by one of her LIT leaders to apply to be a camp counselor.  She wouldn't be able to work there the entire summer, but would be available for five weeks.  It would be a great first job experience for her.  She left at 5 to go to dinner with Kaitlin and spend the night there.

Tonight we watched the football college playoffs starting with Notre Dame vs. Clemson.  It wasn't much of a game and in the end the Heinisch family was glad to see the Fighting Irish get knocked off of their media pedestal.  Cal called my parents after it was over to see if they wanted to come up and play Tripoly.   The six of us enjoyed this family favorite game and finished in time for Cal to watch Alabama win over Oklahoma setting up the championship game on the 8th.  Cam arrived home before it was over and filled us in on his exciting day.  He was disappointed that Bellmont did not win, but was happy for a close game and a day with Evan.

Visiting Friends

This morning I left with Paula, Mary, Wendy and Betsy on what Meg named a "Mom" trip.  Our destination was Fountain City, Indiana to visit Debbi.  I had not seen her since May and missed our daily talks from when I taught with her.  Paula and Betsy had stopped by her home in the early fall, but no one had made a day of it yet.  I was happy to be invited to go with my former colleagues.

The trip down was a rough one filled with quick turns and a lot of hills.  I was thankful for a seat in the front.  Fortunately, the last half was all interstate and we made it in one piece.  Debbi suggested "Little Sheba's" for lunch and we were happy to see her as soon as we pulled into the parking lot.  There were a lot of hugs to be shared and for Debbi, several tears.  We all enjoyed catching up as none of us had spent much time together this fall.  We took pictures and chronicled our day for Meg.  She was "worried" about us being "safe"!!  The service was slow, but no one minded as there was plenty to talk about.  The sandwiches were just as good as promised and by 3 p.m. we were out the door and on our way to Debbi's new house.

We drove through Richmond on our way to her new home.  It was situated on a farm near her parents close to the highest spot in Indiana and the Ohio line.  She and Joshua gave us a tour of their home.  It was nice to see all of her plans come to life.  Afterward we spent several more hours catching up and no one seemed to want to suggest leaving.  Paula finally said that we'd better start back.  It was close to a three hour drive home and several of the women had family trips to take in the morning.  It was sad saying goodbye, but on the way home we saw several towns that would make great halfway points for our next get together.

Paula dropped me off close to 9 p.m.  I was happy to hear that Cam and Brett had enjoyed their day together, eating Taco Bell for lunch, watching Halloween 3 and going bowling.  Cal joined in their fun playing pool and hanging out with them until his friends arrived.  Doug made everyone dinner.  Meg spent the afternoon shopping with Nick once basketball practice was over.  She appreciated my picture updates and was glad that we made it home safely.  Doug agreed to take a walk with me.  I had sat far longer than normal and was still in need of 3000 steps.  I was thankful that he was willing to go with me.  It felt great to stretch my legs and to tell him all about my day!

End to Our Season Tickets

For the past three or four years we have purchased season tickets to Amish Acres.  We have enjoyed the shows during that period of time, but I noticed this year that everyone seemed less and less interested in going.  I personally thought the shows were weaker as well.  Because of that and the fact that Meg would not be here next year to go with us, we decided to end our season ticket subscription. 

Thus, today's performance of Annie was our last one for awhile and unfortunately, it wasn't anyone's favorite.  Cameron flat out hated it and I struggled to stay interested.  Brett and my parents thought it was ok.  Meg liked it the best, but the fact that the people behind us were extremely loud lessened her overall enjoyment of the musical.  I actually thought about turning around and asking them to be quiet.  I'm not sure that I have ever done that before.  In the end I figured that it was our last show for awhile, so might as well just make the best of it.  At least I won't feel guilty when I get a reminder email to resubscribe.  We have all agreed that we're ready for a break from The Round Barn.  

Clean Up Time

It was a quiet day here.  Doug was up at 4:30 a.m for the yearly inventory.  Cal, Brett and I all made time to exercise.  I spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and doing laundry.  Cam and Meg played WiiU before she left to go shopping with Nick.  Cam and Brett then took turns on the PS 4.  When Brett wasn't playing his game or reading, he helped me move Cameron's old television to the bedroom downstairs.  We set the SNES up on it, so they could all play Bomberman.  Cam helped at BINGO today at the nursing home while Brett and I walked.  I finally finished cleaning just as Doug called at five to say he was done for the day.

Tonight Cam, Brett, Doug and I all went to Sleepy Owl for half price pizza night.  It was delicious and we enjoyed visiting with them.  Afterward the four of us played Cam's new game, "A Ticket to Ride."  I had bought it for him as I had read positive reviews on it.  It was just as fun as I had read and once again Cameron was victorious.  He has been on an awesome winning streak lately.

Merry Christmas

Today was a wonderful Christmas in the Heinisch Home.  Everyone voted to open gifts at 10 a.m., which was later than normal, but appreciated by those who wanted to get breakfast started or time to sleep in.  We started with the stockings which were filled with Olympia chocolates, wireless headphones and Buffalo Wild Wings sauce.  After the stockings were emptied, Meg and Cam began to pass out gifts.  There were a lot of awesome presents under the tree this year including a Mack jersey for Cal, Spyro for Brett, an iPhone 8 for Meg and a Sweden soccer jersey for Cam.  Doug appreciated his wine basket and I loved my new bird feeder.

       



After opening presents we all had time to set up some of our new items.  Cam had a new television for his room.  He also spent time changing in and out of his IU jerseys, Sweden jersey and Rutgers shirt.  Meg set up her new mirror/jewelry armoire and Cal tried out several of his food items while wearing his new Bears' jersey.  Brett had to download his games, so he read for awhile.  He wanted to finish an old book so that he could start on his new ones.

My parents arrived at 2 for another round of present opening.  The Heinisch children appreciated all that they received and each eventually found their $50 hidden in their stuffed animals.  Doug's ham dinner finished just as we completed gift giving.  Everything was delicious especially the corn and green bean casserole and mashed potatoes and noodles.  While Mom and I cleaned up, the guys played pool in the basement.  Desserts were next on the agenda.  Doug made English Trifle, which was delicious, along with cookies, brownies and carrot cake.

Hannah-Marie and Nick came over later in the evening and the rest of the night was spent playing games.  Meg picked Five Second Rule and Scattegories Categories first.  Cal wanted Clue which led to a Cameron victory.  Hearts and Sequence were played along with Cameron's new "Connect Four Shots" game.  The night ended with "Oh Hell".  Cam sat in for Doug when he called it a night in order to get up early for inventory tomorrow.  Once again Cameron was victorious adding to his list of victories for the holiday weekend.  The house quieted for the night at eleven with everyone happy with their Christmas Day.

Christmas Eve

It was a cold Christmas Eve, but no snow.  Although it was well below 32 degrees, those wishing for a white Christmas had no luck today - just more wind.  The weather didn't effect our plans, however.  We enjoyed baking cookies, playing games, and going to Christmas Eve mass without any issues.  The only cold part of the day for us was the walk that Brett and I took mid-afternoon.

We all had a wonderful afternoon together.  Mass left us laughing as Brett led us into the wrong pew after communion.  Doug started lasagna right after church.  Our typical Christmas Eve dinner had been sausage, cheese and crackers.  Cal decided this week that our usual menu did not constitute a meal and talked Doug into something different.  Doug didn't mind as lasagna had always been one of his favorites.  While dinner was in the oven the Heinisch children opened their Godparents' gifts and the ones from Grandpa Heinisch.  Everyone was pleased with their presents, especially the new Google Home Minis, except for Cam who already had one.  He instead had a new chameleon robot to build which he was happy about.

After gifts and dinner we headed downstairs to play pool.  Cam once again beat everyone, keeping his winning streak alive.  The night ended the movie "It's a Wonderful Life", a Heinisch favorite.  It was the perfect way to end a traditional Heinisch family Christmas Eve.

Ready for Christmas

Another Sunday, another day of wrapping gifts and watching the Bears.  We had actually talked about going to Chicago today, but Meg ended up having a commitment and we changed our trip at the last minute to yesterday.  I was thankful for that as it was quite a bit colder and windier today which would have lessened our fun at the Lincoln Park Zoo.

Instead we pretty much stayed in all day except for running to the store and taking a walk.  Cal and Meg were able to finally finish their gift wrapping.  Cal did it in between football games and was happy to report that both the Bears and Patriots won today.  Meg wrapped hers between plans with Nick and Sarah.  Cam helped me find two gifts that needed exchanged.  It was easy for him to do as he had spent most of his time today checking each and every item under the tree.  Brett worked on job applications for the majority of the afternoon.  Getting caught up last week really helped him.  He also had time to watch "A Year Without a Santa Claus" with me.

Tonight Doug made appetizers for everyone trying two new dishes - pepperoni pizza windmills and spinach/artichoke dip.  Both were delicious.  My parents came up to watch the Bears game with Cal and stayed for dinner.  We all played games afterward with Cam being the big winner once again.

Christmas in Chicago

Our annual Christmas trip to Chicago started today at the Museum of Science & Industry.  Cal and Brett hadn't been in quite some time and I wanted to see the Christmas Trees Around the World exhibit, so it was the perfect place to visit.  Besides the Christmas Tree exhibit we were also able to view a 4-D movie on the Oceans, tour the U-505 submarine, find our way through the maze of mirrors and check out the farm area.  Cameron even got to make a Santa wax mold before we left for lunch.

There was no debate on where we would eat at this afternoon.  Everyone was more than up for pizza from Giordano's.  We ordered plenty with spinach, cheese and sausage stuffed crust to share.  Thankfully, the wait was short and within an hour we were ready for shopping on Michigan Avenue.  There were a lot of Christmas shoppers walking up and down Magnificent Mile, but we made it in and out of our favorite stores without any problems.  Hannah-Marie and Meg found some cute items at the Disney Store.  Cal guessed his Christmas gift at the Nike store.  Everyone picked out their favorite candy bars from Dylan's and Meg got some great deals at Forever 21 before we headed back to the car.

 

Our last stop of the night was my favorite, Holiday Lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo. We were stopped to get our 3-D lights first and then grabbed some hot chocolate to take along our tour of the zoo.   It was just as beautiful as last year and thankfully about fifteen degrees warmer.  Everyone had a wonderful time.  It was an awesome way to end a wonderful day in the Windy City.

The Official Start to Christmas Break

Today was the official start to Christmas Break for the entire Heinisch family as both Cam and Meg finished their last week of school for the semester.  They were extremely glad to be done as it was a tough finals week.  Doug was home early from work as well happy to have the next four days off.  Brett, Cal and I had already been enjoying their week off, but it was nice to have everyone on the same itinerary.

I had spent the majority of the day wrapping gifts and was thankful to be done by dinner time this evening.  Brett was up early to meet Curt Nisley for lunch before he left for the state house.  He did have time to help me organize the basement and to take a walk.  Cal had friends over last night and was happy to relax today.

Doug offered "make your own quesadilla" night for dinner complete with homemade nachos which was a big hit.  Nick joined us for the evening and Hannah-Marie arrived later.  She had her wisdom teeth taken out on Monday and developed a dry socket.  She hadn't been feeling the best, but was a lot better tonight.  We all played pool and then had a Mario Kart tournament with Cam being the big winner in both.  We ended the night watching A Charlie Brown and Garfield's Christmas.  It was a great way to kick the holidays and Doug and I truly appreciated having everyone together.

Silent Night Game

Tonight was Cam's last middle school game ever and it was the best one of the season.  It was the annual Silent Night game where the students wore pajamas and were silent until the first five points were scored for Bethany.  Everyone then erupted into cheers and chants for the rest of the evening.  At the beginning of the game, the starting five were introduced under spotlight.  Five eighth graders were chosen to start and Cam was one of him.  It was fun to watch and Doug told him later that his handshake with Tyson was so long that they almost called a delay of game =)

Cam played almost the entire game and for the first time ever, almost fouled out.  It was definitely his highest rebounding game of the year.  My parents, Doug, Brett and I enjoyed watching the game and the crowd.  The highlight of the cheering section was the two sixth graders dressed as Bruin Bears.  The costumes looked older than either Doug or I, but the student section had fun with the mascots.  Their cheering worked as Bethany easily defeated Stanley Clark by ten points.

At the end of the game Mr. Miller read the Nativity Story.  He encouraged the students to cheer just as they would at a basketball game when the heroes names were read and to boo when appropriate.  It was the loudest reading of the birth of Jesus that I had ever hear and the most fun one as well.  When it was over, we headed to Buffalo Wild Wings to celebrate a great season.  Brett found it was funny that the one game he chose to watch was also the loudest.  He was happy that he had brought his earplugs.  He had definitely earned his dinner tonight as had Cam.

Christmas Shopping

Cal, Brett and I left this morning for our annual Christmas shopping trip.  Brett had finished his list, but Cal and I still had gifts left to purchase.  We stopped first at Kohl's to take advantage of my 30% off coupon.  The three of us were pleased with our finds and enjoyed hearing from another shopper that Miley Cyrus had done a cover of Brett's "favorite" John Lennon Christmas song War is Over.  We couldn't wait to find it on Spotify.

After Kohl's we headed to University Park Mall.  Barnes & Noble and Box Lunch were high priority stops for the boys.  I had a coupon to use at Yankee Candle for a free jar that I made good use of.  While Brett was checking out Hot Topic, Cal and I made a tour of the mall so that I could get in some more steps before leaving for lunch.

Although there were a lot of great places for our noontime meal, we had decided earlier in the week that the new Portillo's was the choice of the day.  It had opened several months ago, but we hadn't had a chance to try it yet.  It was just as awesome as the ones in Chicago.  Doug called while we were waiting for our order and was disappointed that he didn't get to try it with us.  Brett and I went with what made them famous - hot dogs.  Cal ordered Doug's favorite, Italian Beef.  We also decided to try a chocolate cake shake.  We had heard positive reports on them and were not disappointed.

From Portillo's we drove to Target to buy some groceries, making our final stop of the day The Wakarusa Dime Store.  We had talked about going multiple times, but had never made it.  We were thoroughly impressed with the amount and variety of candy in stock.  Cal was able to easily purchase his last gift while we also chose candy for everyone to try at home.  Brett scored big today when he found bottles of Moxie in the cooler.  He picked up one for each of his brothers and also a surprise drink for everyone to try later.

We made it home by 3 p.m. with plenty of time to spare before Nick and Meg arrived.  She didn't have practice today and they wanted to study for finals.  She picked up Cameron later for us and once everyone got home we all sampled our finds from the Dime Store.  All received thumbs up, except for the surprise drink that Brett picked out - Sweet Corn Soda.  Everyone tried a sip.  It was as terrible as we thought it would be and we agreed that Brett should have to finish it.  We also decided that we'd go back next week when everyone would be able to pick out their own soda to try, although no one was interested in the one marked ranch dressing.

 

Oath of Office

This morning Brett and I drove to the Kosciusko County Courthouse to witness Doug being sworn in as County Council person for District 1.  I was not able to attend the ceremony four years ago as I was working, so I was glad to go today.  The courtroom was packed with family and friends of others taking the oath of office.  Fortunately, Brett and I were able to get a seat in the front row.

There were several others to be sworn in before Doug.  I noticed that a couple of them had asked their wives to step forward and stand with them as the repeated their charge.  I was a little panicked that I would be called to the front as well, but thankfully, Doug knew that I would not have an interest in being in the spotlight.  Thus, I got took photos of the ceremony and Brett caught it on all on video. We were proud of Doug and his years of service to the county council.  At the benediction the pastor encouraged the newly sworn in candidates to take their role seriously and to never forget God and family.  Doug has done that very well.

The Joys of Turning 50

I had a lot of health goals that I committed to once I quit teaching.  Eating healthy, exercising regularly, investigating the continual nerve pain in my left arm and a full check up with our new family doctor.  I am happy to report that today I official completed all items on my health to-do list.  At my check up in October our new family doctor had requested that I get a colonoscopy.  Dr. Freeze recommended it because of my age and history of anemia.  It took me a couple of months to get it scheduled because of Cam and Meg's basketball schedule.  I also had to have it done at the hospital because of issues with my blood pressure and anesthesia which added to the scheduling issues.

Thankfully, Dr. Gerig's office was able to work out all of the details and today I left for the hospital bright and early for my 6:15 a.m. check-in time.  Doug was able to take me which I really appreciated, especially since I was overly nervous about the procedure.  The videos that I was required to watch before hand did not help.  Fortunately, there were no issues and by 8:30 we were on our way out of the hospital  The doctor said that all looked good and I would not need to repeat the process for ten years.  I was extremely happy to hear that as the prep yesterday and last night for the test was terrible.  Just the thought of the taste of the Magnesium Citrate was enough to turn my stomach.

My Mom met Doug and I at the hospital to drive me home.  That way Doug could head into work from Goshen.  The drive home was a blur due to the medications they used.  I did have a chance to eat some cereal before I went to bed.  I woke up at 1:30 not quite sure where I was.  It took most of the day for the loopiness to wear off, but other than that I felt really well the rest of the afternoon.  Brett and I were even able to take a walk.  I was thrilled with that as I did not think that I would be able to continue my 10,000 step streak that I started on June 3rd because of the colonoscopy.  I couldn't answer many of Brett's trivia questions or process my thoughts quick enough to follow along with his stories, but he and I had fun just the same.  Tonight my parents came up and we all played cards.  I was tired by the time they left, but overall the colonoscopy was not the horror event that I had imagined it to be.  I was thankful to have completed it and glad to hear that all was clear.

Wrapping Gifts & Da Bears

Today I had to do my prep for tomorrow's colonoscopy.  Since I wasn't going to be able to do much outside of the house, I asked Doug if we could spend time wrapping Christmas gifts.  That was ok with him as he had several items to work on for Champion and it gave him time to watch the Bears and Packers game.

It was a successful day on all fronts.  We got quite a few gifts wrapped and everyone but Cal and I were done by the end of the day.  Cam's presents may have been the most interestingly wrapped, but he completed them by himself and that was all that mattered to me.  Brett had already wrapped his gifts, so he agreed to take a walk with me while everyone else was watching the game.  The guys were happy when we got back as the Bears had held on to beat the Packers clinching the division title.

The rest of the evening was a quiet one.  Meg and Cam studied for their upcoming finals.  Brett went to see the Grinch with Grandpa Cutes while Cal and HM worked out in town.  I appreciated that Doug flipped it to The Sound of Music after the games.  I hadn't watched it a long time.  It was the perfect way to spend a night getting ready for my procedure in the morning.

A Day of Basketball

This morning Doug and Cam left for Indy.  Doug had received tickets to the Crossroad Classic from a friend for Christmas and they were more than happy to spend the day watching basketball.  The outcome of the first one was disappointing as Notre Dame beat Purdue without much problem.  The IU vs. Butler game, however, made the trip well worth it.  I was able to catch the majority of the game on television with Cal.  It was a close one that Butler led from the start.  A couple of times it looked like the Hoosiers might take the lead, but a turnover or missed shot would put the game back in the Bulldogs' hands.  When I left for Meg's game, IU was once again closing in on the lead and I was hopeful.  Cal called me when I got to Bethany to let me know that the Hoosiers pulled it out with a three point buzzer beater.  I was bummed to have missed it, but glad that Doug and Cam got to see it live.  They didn't get home until 9 p.m. but were still excited about the game once they arrived.  Cam even scored a red Crossroad Classic shirt which he wore with pride.

While Doug and Cam were gone for the day, I kept busy by attending Meg's Bethany Holiday Tourney.  The girls won two close games against LCA and ECA to remain tourney champions.  In between games Brett and I went to see Ralph Breaks the Internet.  The first half was very good and overall we were glad that we saw it.  For the rest of the afternoon, I worked on laundry and picking up the house while watching the game with Cal.  Doug brought home Bourbon Street pizza on his way back, and Brett and I finished the evening by watching "The Others."  It was just as scary as the first time that I saw it, but well worth watching again.

Back Home Again

Brett and I were up early to finish our Bloomington shopping before returning to Syracuse.  We made it through Hobby Lobby, Kroger and Oliver Winery without incident.  As we loaded the last package into the Pilot, Brett looked at me in panic.  He realized that he had forgotten the presents he had bought and wrapped for our family.  We had no choice but to head back to his apartment and pick them up.  At first I was worried that we wouldn't make it home in time to pick up Cameron from Bethany as he did not have practice and needed us to be there at 3:30.

Brett and I talked and decided that we would forget stopping for lunch and just snack on pretzels, goldfish and cereal on the drive.  It worked out perfectly and by 2:45 we realized that we had time to stop in Silver Lake for something to drink.  I was even able to pick up a gift at Wax-Mart saving me a trip tomorrow.  We pulled into Bethany at 3:26 and were happy to see Cameron coming out the door early.  He filled us in on his day while we all drove home.

It took awhile to unpack the Pilot, but we had everything put away and laundry started before Doug got home.  We stayed in tonight playing games and eating appetizers.  Cal arrived close to 7:30.  He was glad to be done, but bummed that his final was a lot harder than he expected.  My parents stopped by to see everyone and play Qwirkle and Oh Hell!  Meg invited Kaitlin over and they had fun catching up and playing Just Dance.  It was a fantastic Friday for all!

Straight No Chaser

Ever since Brett began ushering for the IU Auditorium a dream of mine has been to attend the Straight No Chaser concert with him.  We became fans of theirs over a decade ago when their
"Twelve Days of Christmas" went viral.  As this was the last year he would be ushering as a student, I thought that I had better make that dream a reality.

Therefore, today after physical therapy I headed to Bloomington.  The concert did not begin until 8 p.m. but I wanted to go to lunch with the boys and do a little Christmas shopping as well.  I arrived on campus at 1:15 having stopped once or twice on the way down.  I picked up Cal at his house and then stopped at the Union to get Brett.  Parce had said that Red Robin sounded good to him for lunch as well, so we ran to his home next.  Except for slow service, we all enjoyed the food and the lively conversation around the table.

Cal had to study for a final so he chose to go back to his place after we ate, first picking up the car for his trip home tomorrow.  Parce and I agreed to meet at 7 p.m.  He had not attended a Straight No Chaser concert either and decided to go, once I suggested it.  Brett and I then made our next stop the mall.  We had a list for Target and then did some walking through the stores of the mall.  I was concerned about getting in my steps, so we made sure to take a lap around the perimeter before buying anything.  I was able to check a few other items off of my Christmas list before Brett had to go home and change into his usher outfit.

I dropped Brett off and then drove through downtown Bloomington.  Their lights on the square were impressive and it had been years since I had seen them.  I also checked out the gingerbread city at the union before meeting Parce.  Thanks to free parking due to Christmas break we were able to find a spot close to the auditorium.  We happened to be seated close to Brett's usher station so we were able  to say hello before the show started.

The performance started with a comical presentation on the start of Straight No Chaser in 1996.  The a cappella singing began shortly afterward and we thoroughly enjoyed the songs.  Humor was spread throughout the show and we appreciated their renditions of many of our favorites.  After the intermission they sang only Christmas songs.  I loved their version of the Nutcracker Suite and a Disney Medley.  The show ended with the song that made them famous with a slight change that left everyone laughing.  As a special treat they called the four original members of the group that no long toured with them to the stage  to sing "Back Home in Indiana."  It was an awesome way to end a fantastic performance.  I was thrilled to have witnessed an IU tradition live on stage.

Papa Cameron

Last week Cameron found out that he would have to bring home a baby to take care of for FACS class.  I wasn't too excited about it at first.  None of the rest of the Heinisch children had to care for one and from what I had been told they were a real pain to deal with overnight.  That being said, Cam really had no choice but to bring it home, so we decided to pick a date and make the best of it.

Tonight was his assigned evening and at 5:15 I picked Cam and JaCrispy up from practice.  His teacher had shut it off, so that it did not cry while he was at basketball.  It turned back on at 6 p.m. and shortly afterward starting crying.  Cam knew the routine already as he had to take care of it during the afternoon before school was dismissed.  He first checked to see if the baby needed fed, when that didn't work he tried burping it, then went to rocking it and finally changed her diaper.  That seemed to satisfy JaCrispy and they were soon back to watching Pardon the Interruption on ESPN.

The baby was a lot easier for Cam to take care of then I would have guessed.  He was annoyed by it, but overall it only cried three or four more times during the evening and he did a nice job responding to her.   He and I were the only ones home this evening as Doug had to run to South Bend to pick up his suit and Meg went to Nick's after practice.  Thus, it was a good night to hang out on the couch and watch television.  JaCrispy must have liked it as well as she didn't move from under her blanket!!

He Shoots, He Scores

All season long we have been encouraging Cameron to shoot more in his basketball games.  Although he plays fantastic defense and has made some phenomenal passes to his teammates this year, he has been reluctant to shoot.  Not only have we been encouraging him, but his teammates, coaches and even the fans have been telling him to shoot more.  Tonight he finally got that he elusive basket to fall.  He caught a tough pass down low and instead of looking to pass, he put the shot up and scored easily.  Mom and I were excited to have witnessed it.  The best part was that I happened to catch it on film.  Therefore, I could send it to Doug and Grandpa Cutes as they both had commitments  tonight and missed the big moment.  His teammates instantly broke into cheer and hugged him at mid-court. It was so much fun to witness, and although Bethany eventually lost to LCA, it didn't matter to us.  We were too happy for Cam to pay attention to the score tonight.  

Christmas Cards

I decided that today, no matter what other project I had to do, that I would get started on my Christmas cards.  In years past I have begun writing them the Sunday after Thanksgiving, but this year there seemed to be other priorities that I had to finish before I could write my cards.  Doug offered to help, but I really enjoy sending them.  It gives me time to reflect on the recipients and to remember years past.

Once I got the laundry going and my walk finished, I picked up my orange Shutterfly box and got started.  I took breaks to fold and dry and to take Cameron to piano after basketball practice.  Doug had a Knights meeting this evening and Meg went to Sarah's after piano to work on a Spanish project.    Thus, I had more time to work on them after dinner, and by the end of the evening I was able to finish forty-five cards.  I was happy to have checked those off of my list and was thankful that Cameron agreed to watch a Charlie Brown Christmas with me making the time even more special.  

Tis the Season

It hasn't really felt like Christmas to me.  I have done a lot of Christmas shopping and decorating, but that hasn't quite put me in the mood yet.  Therefore, I decided that tonight we should take our annual pilgrimage to Warsaw to tour the Center Lake Park's light display.  Meg, Cam and Nick agreed to join us.  On the way over we listened to Christmas songs and did a little Christmas shopping as well.  By the time we left Buffalo Wild Wings for the park I definitely felt more festive.

The light display was just as good as last year although Cam was a little unsure of the giant plastic Santa.  I got a lot of great pictures and Doug made sure we took one by the restrooms closed sign.  It was cold walking through the displays, but well worth it.  With egg nog to drink when we got home I could feel the Christmas spirit starting.  Cam and I even made plans to watch a Christmas movie tomorrow night when I started on our Christmas cards.  As the old Christmas song states "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!" or at least feel like it in the Heinisch home.  

Chess Champion

A couple of weeks ago I asked Cameron if he wanted to sign up for the Goshen Chess Tournament scheduled for today.  He said yes at the time, but as the date drew near he wasn't quite sure that he still wanted to participate.  Cam had been an avid chess player for the past eight years, but I had notice that this year his interest had waned.  When I questioned him about it, he said that he felt that it just wasn't that challenging for him.  He had already accomplished what he wanted in chess and wasn't sure that he had the desire to put more time and effort into it.  Membership in chess club at Bethany had dwindled over the past few years and although he still went for the lesson on Tuesdays before basketball practice, he just felt that he hadn't learned as much and wasn't as motivated as in years past.

Since Cam still wanted to play in the individual state tournament in January I talked him into going to today's event.  It would be good practice for that and he would still be able to stream the Hoosier game against Louisville.  He agreed and this morning he and Doug checked in at 8:30 a.m. at Goshen Middle School for a day of chess playing.  There weren't a lot of his friends from Bethany signed up for today's tourney, but he did meet up with his former classmate, Kayden Mayer.  They both played very well as I would have expected and after four games found themselves 4-0 on the day and pitted against one another in the championship round.

While Cam was at chess I spent the afternoon Christmas shopping with Meg in Goshen.  She had a few items that she needed to purchase and I hadn't had a lot of time with her lately.  We had a fun time and I was able to drop her off at Bethany for her basketball game at Lakeland and still make it to Cam's last match of the day.  It was definitely a tense one.  Both boys lost key pieces early and about twenty minutes into the match found themselves with mostly pawns and a king. Cam had less pawns than Kayden, but had retained his bishop.  It took some time, but he finally was able to corner Kayden's king with a small army of chess pieces.  Before he even said checkmate, Kayden shook his handed and said nice game.

Once we took pictures and caught up with Kayden's family Doug headed for home.  He had picked up our new futon and was hoping to unload it before we headed back to Goshen for Meg's game.  It took a little while for the reserve section to finish all of the matches so that points could be awarded.  There were forty-eight players in Cam's section of the tournament today, so we were thoroughly impressed with his 5-0 record.  When everything was completed, Cam was the only person in his division to remain undefeated earning him the championship outright.  He was very happy as he had not won a rated session before.  He had finished in the top three, but never was champion.  We were proud of his win especially given his performance in the last match.  The best part of it all was that it renewed his interest in chess and he got to watch the end of the IU game.  Just like Cameron, IU won a close one at the buzzer.  It was a great day for our eighth grader.

Friday Night Lights

Ok, so we didn't have to go to a football game this Friday night, but we did spend our evening watching Cameron's team play under the bright lights of the Millersburg gym.  There were a couple of fun moments on the court, but overall it wasn't too exciting as Bethany lost by ten.  As soon as the game was over we all headed to our house for a night of cards, games and food.  We started with "Oh Hell" where I finally redeemed my poor play of last week and ended with Euchre.  Dinner consisted of nachos, meatballs, a cheese tray, gherkins and more.  Mom even made monster cookies for dessert.

Cameron didn't want to play too late as he had a chess tournament in the morning.  He finished the night as the big winner in Euchre.  Meg did not join us until later in the evening.  The senior class had a movie night at Bethany where they watched Home Alone and enjoyed a hot chocolate bar.  She and Nick arrived while we were still playing cards.  They watched a movie before he left for home. I spent some time catching up with on her day before finally calling it a night well after midnight.

Christmas Concert Week

Tonight was the middle school choir Christmas concert at Bethany.  Cam was excited for the evening.  He has enjoyed choir ever since he transferred schools and was proud of his performance especially with "What Child is This?"  It was a version that I had not heard before and it sounded beautiful.  The eighth grade also sang Carol of the Bells and Little Drummer Boy.  Cam was not thrilled with his part on the second song - the "pa rum pum pum pums" - but I thought the boys did a nice job with it.  He had hoped to wear his Christmas tie, but Mr. Thomas decided against it.  Overall, I was pleased that I was able to watch him sing.  Cam might not be as animated as he was in his younger days, but definitely just as enthusiastic.

I was the only one who was able to watch Cam's performance live.  My parents had a Christmas party to attend and Doug went to Meg's basketball game at Clinton Christmas.  They all had enjoyable nights as well.  Doug reported that Meg played just under half the game, scoring five points and pulling down five boards.  I had taped the program and posted it on FaceBook so that they could watch Cam's performance as well.

After the program I drove Cam to Culver's.  It sounded as though the students in his grade split on where they were going to go to celebrate the night.  A lot of them went to Dairy Queen, but most of his friends went to Culver's.  He was glad with his choice.  He had a lot of fun and even got a free hamburger from Conner.  It was an awesome way to end Christmas concert season.