The Flu

I heard Cam up at 6:30 a.m. this morning, so I thought he must have been feeling better.  I was sorely wrong.  Cam had been up since 2:00 a.m. and just felt rotten.  His throat hurt so bad that he had a hard time breathing.  His headache had gotten worse and he was running a fever of 101 degrees.  As I had to an ISTEP test to give today I thought the best plan of action was to run him over to my parents.  I would then take the afternoon off and get him to the doctor.  My Mom knew Cam wasn't feeling well, so she wasn't surprised when we pulled in at 7 a.m. She quickly made him a bed on the floor and he was almost asleep before I left.

Meg was still home when I left.  She did not have to take ISTEP, so she had a two hour delay schedule.  Yesterday she had a one hour delay but went in at the normal time anyway so that she and Jackie could go to Starbucks and do some shopping at Walmart.  She wore her new Saved by the Bell shirt to school today.  

I did make it through the morning at school.  I checked on Cam before I had to turn my phone in for testing.  Mom said that he was sound asleep under the fan as he was burning hot.  His breathing seemed to be ok which was what I was most worried about.  Doug said he'd have his ringer on if they needed him, but Cam slept until I got there at 11:30 a.m. 

Mom had made an appointment at the doctor's office for Cam at 1:30.  We woke him up before then so he could get a drink before we left.  They took his temperature as soon as got back in the room.  It had climbed to 102.  They immediately left to get him two Ibuprofen and then tested him for the flu.  I had debated all morning on which one it was - the flu or a sinus infection.  In the end I was right on both accounts.  He tested positive for Influenza A and was also diagnosed with sinusitis.  He was prescribed Tamiflu, Augmenting and Albuterol for his nebulizer.  

Cam wanted to go back to Mom's while we waited for his prescriptions to be filled.  He laid down for the rest of the afternoon.  We stayed there until Doug left work.  Meg had tennis after school so she didn't get back until 6:30.  It was a quiet night of resting here.  Cam will definitely be home again tomorrow hoping for a speedy recovery.  

What a Day!

Today was the worst day of the year at school.  It started off that way and continued through to the end of the day.  I was not quite sure what had happened as I felt we had an awesome end of trimester two and was looking forward to the last trimester of the year.  There were several different items that led to a challenging day - None of which I could control.  I was definitely exhausted by the time I got home.

It was quiet here until 5:30 when Doug and Cam got home from chess.  Meg was just ahead of them as she stayed until 4:30 for basketball conditioning.  Cam was feeling awful by the time he got here.  His nose was stuffed up, his head hurt and his throat felt as though it was closing.  He tried some DayQuil and his inhaler.  They helped enough for him to make it through dinner, but he didn't pep up like he normally does.  Before he headed to bed we decided that we would wake him up in the morning to see what he thought about school.  He had ISTEP first thing and we didn't want to force him to go if he didn't think he could make it through.  He and I were both in bed early, hoping for some sleep and a better day tomorrow.

Teacher Work Day

Today was our teacher work day for the end of trimester two.  I had originally taken it off as we had planned to go on a visit day to Purdue.  Doug's work schedule and Meg's school schedule changed our plans, so I was able to go to school instead.  Today's teacher work day was a quiet one.  We did not have meetings which gave me a lot of time to clean my classroom and get ready for the last trimester of the year.  I had already logged in grades on the way back from Bloomington, so I only had to print off my reports and I was done with that.

As I worked and cleaned and prepared for the upcoming weeks I realized that there were supplies that I needed to purchase for the classroom.  I decided to run to Walmart to buy all that we would need to get us through to the end of the year.  It was nice to be able to do that while working.  Normally, I have to do this on my own time.  I was back well before one and finished the rest of the items on my my to do list.  It felt strange to not have students at school, but I was glad for the time to prepare.  We do not get a lot of time to do so and it was very much appreciated.

A Wonderful Day in Bloomington

The weather today was drastically different than yesterday.  Instead of 40's and rain we had 50's and sun.  Doug started his day with a jog around campus.  He reported when he got back that he had a face plant to beat all of Cam's.  He not only fell while jogging, he stumbled about 10 yards and ended up in a mud puddle along the way.  Thankfully, he survived the incident and made it back to Brett's safely.

Once Cal arrived we made our way to Parce's.  We visited with him for awhile before going to Taste of India for lunch.  Brett and I had eaten there before and really liked it.  Pam met us there as well.  She was in town to check on her parents.  We had some great conversations around the table and enjoyed a nice buffet as well.  After lunch Parce headed back home.  It was his only day off all week and he wanted to go grocery shopping and catch up on laundry.  The rest of us shopped on Kirkwood and then took a walking tour of campus.  The weather was beautiful and we took some awesome pictures.  Cam tried to impress us by jumping the Jordan River, but decided against it in the end.

After our walk we dropped Cal and Brett back at their respective homes.  They both had homework to do and we wanted to get back before it got dark.  Traffic was light on the way home and we made it well before 7.  It was a quick trip to Bloomington, but a wonderful one as well.  Cal will be home for Spring Break in a couple of weeks.  Brett is going on a mission trip to Chicago that week, but will be home for at least one weekend.  We are already looking forward to seeing them.

On To State Part 2

Cam had team regionals today for chess.  He and his team did very well beating both Goshen and Milford to win first place in the regional and earn a birth in the state tournament.  Cam was proud of his win against Goshen.  JJ had told him that his opponent would be difficult to beat.  For a good portion of the match they were tied, but Cam did end up winning fairly quickly.  His second match was against Evan.  Cam really likes Evan, but hates playing against him in tournaments.  He did win that match as well.

The tournament ended several hours earlier than we thought it would.  As it was held at Goshen High School Cam and Doug were home by noon.  I hadn't expected them before 3, so Meg and I had just finished getting ready when they pulled into the driveway.  They helped us load the van and we were on the road a little after noon.  The trip down was an easy one, although it did rain quite a bit.  We had asked Brett to pick up breadsticks and then take a Uber out to Oliver Winery to meet us.  He was more than willing to do so.  Cal had made plans to play basketball, so we told him we'd see him later.

The winery was packed, but we found a table outside.  It was a little chilly, but they have electric heaters that helped a lot.  We enjoyed catching up with Brett while we ate.  He had been swamped at school and was glad for some down time.  After the winery we headed to the mall.  Cal met us there. We did some shopping and then went to Kroger.  Brett picked up groceries and Meg tired to talk Doug into a giant sized stuffed lamb.  She knew it was a losing cause.

After Kroger Cal broke off from our group.  He had to work tonight.  We stopped at Barnes & Noble to look around before making the trip to Brett's apartment.  He had spent most of the day cleaning and it looked great.  We unpacked everything and got the blow up mattresses ready for the evening before going out to dinner.  Doug wanted to try a new brewery called "BJ's".  We were told that it would be an hour wait, but it actually was a lot less than that.  The food was delicious and we were glad that we tried it.  Brett had been there before and enjoyed it then as well.  We spent the rest of the evening at Brett's helping him set up his blu ray player.  Everyone was exhausted, so we called it an early evening.

Back to School

Cam and Meg had a two hour delay this morning, but were finally able to get back to school.  Cam was ready, but Meg was sure another day home from school would work out well for her.  They both had good days.  I picked up Cam as Meg had to stay for tennis conditioning.  There were not a lot of girls there, but she made the most of it.

Our night was a quiet one.  We had laundry to do and packing to finish for our trip to Bloomington tomorrow.  I was absolutely wiped out tonight.  It had been a long week with the flood in Goshen and the end of the trimester at Milford.  I was happy that we had survived both.  I brought home a lot of grading to do, but I was able to get my students all caught up.  It felt great to know that we had a fun filled weekend ahead of us and only one more trimester to complete at school before the end of the year.

No School Part 2

Cam and Meg did not have school today as Elkhart County was still under a state of emergency.  They said they were ok with me going to school.  They decided to sleep in and then eat lunch at Grandma's.  Cam stayed to play games in the afternoon and Meg headed home to watch more Friends on Netflix.  Bethany could not have a virtual learning day as the students did not have time to prepare for one.

By the time I got home Cam was already back.  He was playing Fortnite on the PS4 with a couple of his friends. One of them said that the roads around his house were completely flooded last night.  Meg's friends had asked her about doing something today, but I had told her no earlier.  We felt uncomfortable with her driving north and I wasn't home, so having friends over wouldn't work.  She was able to go to tennis tonight which got her out of the house for awhile.

Doug said the drive to work was more challenging than normal.  Since it was dark he couldn't see the standing water until he drove up on it. Elkhart County had run out of road closed signs yesterday, so not all of the flooded roads were marked.  He made it safely, however, and the water had receded some on his drive home.

Under Water

Bethany cancelled school today as did every other school in Elkhart County.  The rain that started yesterday did not subside and there was flooding all over the area.  Our school system stuck with just a delay although it did get it's share of standing water.  I worked in the morning and was off for the afternoon.  When I got home Meg, Cam and I decided to go to Goshen to see what was really happening.  

The trip over was pretty easy.  We only saw one or two roads with water crossing them.  Meg's friend had told us that Linway Plaza was closed.  We wanted to check and see what that looked like.  I was blown away as we got closer.  All roads in that area were closed.  The Kroger parking lot was completely underwater, enough so that people were canoeing in it later.  The nearby park had also flooded.  The water levels had reached the top of the shelter roof which would have been well over my head.  Meg banned me from saying "Wow!" as that was all I could say after driving by the rain drenched area.

Cam had wanted to go to Hacienda for lunch.  We quickly realized that was out of the question.  We drove to Olympia next, but that was closed as well.  It wasn't flooded, but we found out later in the day that all of Elkhart County was under a state of emergency, so most places had closed.  We settled on Tony's.  We had never eaten there before, but knew that Grandpa and Cal really liked it.  The atmosphere was sketchy, but the food was good.  Since we didn't know what would flood next we drove home after lunch.  Doug had several roads that were closed on his way home.  He left before it got dark, however, so he had no problem navigating the standing water.  I took Cam and Meg to tennis.  We also had no problems with the drive.  By the time that we got home we found out that Meg and Cam had a two hour delay.  None of us were surprised by that.  

Flood Delay

It started raining yesterday and just hasn't stopped.  We did not have any standing water at our house when I got home which I was happy to see.  Normally, the neighbor beside us has a flooded yard that travels into ours when it storms.  As this was not the case we did not have to worry about water in our basement.  Meg and Doug said that there was more water in the Goshen area.  None of the roads they traveled on were closed, but there was some standing water in patches.  Both made it home without any problems.

As the night wore on the reports of flooding in Elkhart County increased.  By the time Meg left for senior night at the boys' basketball game most schools north and west of us had two hour delays.  I heard from her shortly after she arrived at Bethany that they had one as well.  I was completely surprised.  In all of our years of living here I do not remember a flood delay.  I didn't expect Wawasee to call one since our roads were better, but at 8:15 p.m. we joined the list.  I definitely did not complain.  I strongly prefer driving to school in the daylight especially if the roads are covered with water.

Start of a Long Week

This week will be long no matter what I do.  Friday is the end of the second trimester and many of my students have missing work to make up or standards to master.  I spent a lot of time over the weekend organizing lists of what everyone needs to do to finish the trimester strong.  There was a lot of retesting today and I answered more math questions than I have in quite awhile.  That coupled with the ISTEP practice test made for an exhausting day, but I made it through.

Doug got home later than normal as he picked up Cam from the last middle school girls game of the year.   Cam appreciated being able to go and hang out with his friends.  Meg had tennis conditioning until 5.  She decided it was a great night to stop by Grandma's for noodles.  It was quiet here which gave me a lot of time to grade and regrade assignments.  It probably wasn't the most exciting night of the year, but I did get everything done.

A Late Snowstorm

Last night there was an unexpected snowstorm that quickly brought two inches of snow to our area.  The snow had turned to ice this morning, so Meg and I were unable to go to 11 a.m. mass.  Normally, Doug would have taken us, but he had a religious education meeting and wouldn't be back in time.  Instead of going to church I used the time to do my leg exercises.  I added in ones for my back as well and even did the elliptical.

I spent quite a bit of time working this weekend.  The five elearning days have been great from my perspective as I have been able to be home more this winter and haven't had to worry about making up days at the end of the year.  Unfortunately, a lot of my students haven't taken advantage of the learning opportunities and this weekend I had to take time to make lists of those that were missing work or had tests to make up.  It will be a busy week at school with the end of the trimester on Friday and a practice ISTEP test tomorrow.

Cal spent most of his day at HM's.  Meg had homework to catch up on.  She and Cam also cleaned the guinea pigs.  Doug had work to do as well, so we all stayed busy.  I did make time to get Cal's taxes done.  I wanted to do them while he was home in case I had any questions for him.  He won't get as much back as he did last year, but he was happy with the results none the less.

Last night Cal and HM made hummus that was excellent.  Tonight they made dinner from their new recipe book.   Tonight's recipe was a chicken dish with kenwa.  We had never had it before and found it delicious.  Doug had also prepared chicken and waffles in case Meg and Cam weren't as adventurous as the rest of us.  It was very nice to eat dinner together before Cal had to head back to IU.  We were glad that he was able to spend the weekend with us.

A Weekend with Cal

Cal decided to come home this weekend.  He didn't have any upcoming tests and was off of work as well.  At first we weren't sure how we would manage his trip north as Brett had a networking event in Indy during the day and would need the car.  Cal found out later that he had a test to take Friday night, so it actually worked out well.  Brett made it to his event and was back in Bloomington well before Cal was ready to leave.

Cal didn't have time to do much last night except to stop by Hannah-Marie's.  He had bought her a giant teddy bear for Valentine's and wanted to give it to her.  They said that Winston thought it was a real person.  Today they stopped by Mom's for lunch, took Winston for a long walk and then went to dinner with all of us at Mad Anthony's.  Afterward they wanted to stop at Martin's.  HM had gotten Cal a cookbook and they wanted to try several of the healthy recipes.  Cal was proud of the fact that he had lost twenty pounds since Christmas break and wanted to continue his current eating lifestyle.

Mom and dad were here when we got home.  Cal had invited them over to play cards.  We ended up deciding on Tripoloy.  We introduced Dad to the Google Home Mini and Spotify and enjoyed the cookies that Doug made.  It was a fun evening for all.

A Night with Friends

Mary asked us if we could have Evan over tonight as she and Ken were going to Fort Wayne to celebrate their wedding anniversary.  Since Evan had not spent the night in quite some time we thought it would be a great idea.  The only hiccup in the plan came yesterday when Mr. Willems emailed to say that the boys' end of the season basketball party would be after school today.  We decided to let Cam go and have Evan hang out with me.  He had reading to do and I had papers to grade, so it worked out well.  We picked up Cam at 4:30 from Bethany.  The boys headed straight to the PS4 when we got home and didn't leave it except to eat.

Meg had tennis conditioning after school until five and then had plans to go to Hacienda and to spend the night at Jackie's.  Since Cam and Meg were busy I decided that it would be the perfect evening to get together with my friend Jen.  We had texted many times over the last couple of months but hadn't seen each other since late summer.  It was wonderful to catch up with her.  We spent quite a bit of time talking out our current lives and everything going on with the Heinisch children and Grace.  After dinner we hung out at our house for awhile including Doug in our conversations.  It was fun reminiscing about our shared memories from over the years.

Fog Day

Today we all woke up to a two hour delay.  None of us were surprised as it was extremely foggy last night.  I normally go ahead and get up, but I was wiped out this morning and fell right back to sleep.  When I woke up at 8:15 I was surprised to see that Wawasee had cancelled and we would have an elearning day.  I called Doug right away and he said that he was glad that I did not have school as it was one of the worst days that he had driven in to work.

We decided at that point that I would definitely take Meg and Cam to Bethany.  I hurried and got my plans on to our elearning page and we headed out at 5 minutes after 9.  It was difficult to see, but with the light I had a lot easier trip then Doug.  We stayed on US 6 and State Road 15 with the speedometer set at 40 mph.  The only issues that we encountered was the cars without headlights on.  It did take me close to an hour roundtrip, but everyone made it safely.

I spent the rest of the day answering emails from students, doing laundry and cleaning Cam and Meg's bathrooms.  One benefit to the elearning days has been that I have been able to keep our house clean.  The downside to them has been that only about 60% of my students have done the lessons.  I went back to Bethany at 3:30 to pick up Cameron.  It was still foggy, but the visibility was quite a bit better.  Cam and I ran to Ben's pretzels while Meg attended her end of the year basketball meeting.  By the time we got back she was done and ready to head home.  Even thought the weather was better Doug decided to take her to tennis.  He worked while she attended her group lesson.  Although we were all hoping for a delay tomorrow by the end of the night the snow had melted and the fog had dissipated.  At least we knew we had only had one more day to get through before the weekend.

Valentine's Day #28

Today Doug and I celebrated our twenty-eighth Valentine's Day together.  Doug surprised me with a dozen roses and chocolates from Olympia.  Both of which I appreciated greatly.  We had decided earlier in the week that we would stay in this year and have dinner at home with Meg and Cam.  They both enjoyed the macaroni and cheese that Doug made and the gifts that I gave them (a faith necklace and The Help for Meg and a Google Home Mini for Cam.)  Doug was happy to find out that he would now have his own Google Home Mini as well.

Although I loved Doug's thoughtfulness this year and every year on Valentine's Day, we have been married long enough for me to realize that love isn't about one day.  Years ago Doug was scheduled to be gone on a business trip on February 14th.  I remember being extremely disappointed that he would not be at home to celebrate with me.  Fortunately, his trip was cancelled that year, but after that I realized that it wasn't about a holiday.  Love was so much more than that.  It was about trust, patience, building a life together, and all that it takes to raise a wonderful family.  So whether it's Valentine's Day or not I appreciate Doug everyday and the life that we share.

Happy 23rd Birthday Brett!

Today was Brett's 23rd birthday.  We had celebrated with him several weeks ago since he was busy this week and we wouldn't be able to be there on his big day.  That probably worked out better for him as he went out to dinner with friends yesterday and today celebrated at Long Horn Steak House with dinner with a friend from church before going to RUF.  I was able to get ahold of him before he headed out.  He appreciated the cards and gifts he had already received and enjoyed reading all of the posts on Facebook.

Doug and I spent some time reflecting on life since Brett's birth.  Since he was our first he changed our lives immediately as we went from couple to family.  Our world is so different than it was twenty-three years ago.  We have moved, we have added to our family of three, and we have added lifelong memories along the way that we will cherish forever.  I never knew how much we would enjoy having adult children or how much the Heinisch children would appreciate each other more and more as they have grown.  That has been an added bonus that no one had ever told us about when we started our family.  Brett has already done so much in his twenty three years.  He's graduated from college, traveled on a mission trip, lived in New Hampshire and D.C. to name a few.   Can't wait to see where life takes him from here.  He has worked hard this year and has such a bright future ahead of him.  Glad that we get to be a part of his journey.

Knights of Columbus

Tonight Doug was able to make it to a Knights of Columbus meeting.  It had been years since he was able to attend one.  In the past either soccer or the Heinisch children's activities had interfered with the monthly meetings.  As Cam and Meg were on hiatus from team sports this month and Doug retired from coaching soccer, he had a little bit of free time this month.  

Before the meeting started the Knights hosted a presentation on the Saints of the Catholic church which Doug said was extremely interesting.  He came home with several facts to share.  The meeting portion was much as it had been in the past as the Knights recognized organizations that they had donated to recently and listened to presentations from groups that needed assistance.  Doug was glad that he had time to attend tonight's meeting.  The Knights have been supportive of the Heinisch family with Cal becoming one of the newest members.  Hopefully, March will remain free as well, so he can make it two in a row.

A Weekend of Winter

This weekend was a good one for those who enjoy staying at home.  The nine or so inches of snow that we received on Friday cancelled most plans for that day.  Our road did not become fully plowed until late yesterday afternoon.  Because of that I spent forty-eight straight hours in the house.  I had plenty to do since elearning took up most of my day Friday.  Yesterday I caught up on everything that needed done at home.  Therefore, I wasn't sure that I really wanted to spend another day in the house today and was thankful that the two to five inches of snow that had been predicted for this morning ended up only being a light coating.

We all started our day at 11 a.m. mass.  Jackie had spent the night last night and went with us as well. She texted her Dad afterward to let him know that she had been baptized in the Catholic faith.  We all got a laugh out of his response, "Swirlies don't count."  Jackie and Meg went to lunch at Dairy Queen while the rest of us ate pancakes at home.  Doug had to run her to Bethany at 3 p.m. and was pleased to report that the roads were completely cleared.  We decided that we would go to Buffalo Wild Wings for an early dinner once he and Meg got home since I had cabin fever.  We took Cam to my parents' afterward.  He and my Dad had made plans to see "The Greatest Showman" uptown tonight.  They really enjoyed it and were surprised by how many moviegoers there were.  While they were out Meg worked on homework and Doug and I rented "The Revenant" on Vudu.  It was intense, but worth the rental.  Although our day was still pretty quiet, it was nice to leave the house for awhile.

Science Olympiad

Fortunately, the snow tapered off last night, so Doug was able to get Cameron to Goshen College for his first ever Science Olympiad.  I had tried to talk Cam into participating last year, but he wasn't quite ready.  This year, however, he was more interested in trying especially when he learned that Meg's Physics teacher, Calvin, was the Science coach.

Neither he nor Doug knew what to expect when they left this morning.  Fortunately, Calvin was waiting for them when they arrived with all of the information that they would need.  Cam had studied his two events last night to prepare the best that he could.  Doug said that it reminded him of Academic Super Bowl as the students competed against one another in different science topics.  Cam chose Road Scholars and Dynamic Planet.  The first one was challenging, but he knew it would be.  In between events Cam had time to watch some of the other contests including a hovercraft.  Cam felt very good about his answers in Dynamic Planet and was pleased to find out in the medal ceremony that he had earned a 4th place medallion.  Overall, both Doug and Cam were impressed with the event and have already started talking about next year.

Virtual Learning Day for All

All week the weathermen had been forecasting a massive winter storm for today.  Their predictions did not completely come to fruition, as the amount of snow in our area wasn't quite as high as originally thought.  With that said, South Bend did set a record high for snow on this date with 8.8 inches in total and over 80 schools and businesses closed for today.

We knew last night that Bethany would not have school.  The announcement came through close to 9 p.m.  None of us were surprised as several large school corporations in their area had cancelled earlier in the evening.  Wawasee called a delay around the same time.  I was concerned when I went to bed that we would actually have school.  WSBT had changed their prediction for the path of the storm and we were no longer in the heaviest snow amounts as of 10 p.m.

Thankfully, when I woke up my school district had already closed.  I had written sub plans last night just in case they didn't.  I wasn't up for driving in any amounts of snow and did not want to leave Cam and Meg home alone during a storm as I was afraid of our home losing power or getting stranded somewhere.  I talked to Doug around 8:00 a.m.  He was able to make it to basketball this morning.  The regulars decided last night that they were playing no matter what.  He said there were 8 diehards that showed up.  He was happy about that.  Several RV companies in Elkhart and Goshen had closed for the day, but Renegade and Midwest did not.  Doug said that the roads were about normal for a snowstorm with heavier amounts of snow closer to Elkhart.  His trip took about an extra fifteen minutes.

Cam, Meg and I got started on our virtual learning day at 9 a.m.  I had put my plans on our elearning website last night and their teachers had instructed students to take all they would need for their day of learning at home.  It was a quiet day as we all had plenty to work on.  The snow picked up during the morning.  Doug's company sent everyone home at noon and when he got home he could barely tell where he shoved earlier in the day.  He spent the day working alongside the rest of us.

We all finished what we needed to by dinner time.  Doug made Meg's new favorite, lasagna, while I caught up on laundry.  After dinner we sat down for a family game night.  Cam and I had played Pay Day earlier and Meg had talked him into Just Dance as well.  Tonight we were able to get in several rounds of Scattegories and Five Second Rule.  It was a fun way to end a new type of snow day.

Tennis

Tennis season does not officially start until March 15th, but in the Heinisch family it is already in full swing.  Cam has been attending group lessons since early January and Meg began this week with the high schoolers.  Both are already hitting the ball well and looking forward to getting out on the court. Cam's knee still bothers him at times, but nothing that he cannot manage.  He is hitting the ball well and won king of the court this week.  Doug took Meg to both of her sessions this week, so I did not get to see her play.  She said that she played well and since the competition is not as tough this year, she had no problem hitting with the other players.  She is planning on starting lessons with Devon next week.  Her goal is to improve her swing and to learn to hit the ball harder.  Looking forward to a fun tennis season with both Meg and Cam.  No matter how they play, it is always fun to watch them.

A Packed Grocery Store

I went to Walmart tonight while Cam was at tennis.  It was completely packed.  Everyone seemed to be getting ready for the upcoming winter storm that has been predicted for Friday.  Today's storm wasn't quite what the weatherman had forecasted.  Instead of 3+ inches we got a light coating.  Goshen did get more so Cam and Meg had a delay.  By the time Meg drove in at 9 a.m. the snow had already been cleared from the roads.  They thought it was worse yesterday when I took them, but didn't mind the opportunity to sleep in.

Doug, Cam and Meg helped me unload the groceries when I got home.  Meg had visited Grandma Jane while we were in Warsaw and enjoyed dinner there.  Cam had homework to do and wanted to play some Fortnite with his friends.  Thus, Doug decided to make him something to eat and enjoy a dinner out ourselves.  The restaurant was just as packed as the grocery store.  Maybe everyone decided to have a night out before the storms hit just like they were stocking up at the store.  I don't know if the 6-10 inches will actually make it our way, but I do know that we are ready for it if it does.

Elearning Revisted

I woke this morning to find out that we had a delay.  The snow that they predicted arrived in the middle of the night.  Bethany did not have a delay, so I got up to make Cam's lunch and to drive them to school.  Doug said there was enough snow on the road that he didn't want Meg to drive.  We left by 7:10 which gave us twice as long as normal to arrive at school on time.  The roads were a lot worse than I expected.  No one was driving over 40 miles per hour and most were at 30.  Even though it was a slow go, we made it to school well before the 7:50 start time.

I called my Mom on the way home to let her know that it was definitely bad out and that I wouldn't be surprised if Wawasee cancelled.  As I pulled into town my text message sounded and I found out that I was corrected.  We cancelled just before 8 a.m. along with several other schools.  As I hadn't planned on a cancellation last night I needed to get home and put my lesson plans on our elearning page.  I was able to get them out and finish shoveling the driveway before our 9 a.m. elearning start time.

The day was relatively quiet.  I only heard from a handful of students.  As I needed to stay by my computer I worked on other school items while answering their emails.  I even had time to pick up Meg and Cam's rooms all with laptop in tow.  I left at 3 to pick up Meg.  I was happy to discover that the snow covered roads of the morning were now clear. Cam had chess this afternoon, and Doug was able to get him on his way home from work.  Meg rode along with me to get a haircut.  She worked on homework and listed to Amanda tell stories.

The Best Benefit

There have been so many parts of Bethany that we have found to be wonderful for our children.  It has been academically more challenging for both Meg and Cam.  They have found friends at school that share their same interests and values.  Their curriculum encompasses not only academia, but faith as well.  

The best benefit in my mind, however, has come with having them both at the same school this year.  Cam may not always agree with me on this point, but sharing the same community at school has brought Cam and Meg even closer together.  Last night was a perfect example of this.  Cameron wanted to stay for the middle school girls basketball game after school.  As the game didn't start until 4:30 I asked Meg if she could take him to do something beforehand.  Since Jackie was also staying for the game, Meg invited her to go as well.  Meg enjoyed listening to Cam banter with Jackie during their ride to and from Wendy's and while they were eating.  They were both in middle school band together and have several eighth grade friends in common, so they know each other pretty well.  

After Meg dropped them off we waited to here when the first game got over, so Doug would know when to pick Cam up.  Cam's phone wouldn't connect to WiFi in the gym, so Meg texted Jackie to see how it was going.  That led to an argument between them about him texting us.  I had to laugh about that.  I was sure that Cam was annoyed that his sister's friend was bossing him around, but if Meg had not transferred they wouldn't even know each other's friends or be able to create as many shared memories.  Ultimately, they are also better able to support one another and will carry this on through adulthood.  I didn't even think about this when Meg transferred to Bethany, but it sure has been a wonderful benefit for both.  

Super Bowl Sunday

Today was Super Bowl Sunday.  We started our day at mass where Meg had to lector.  She read very well considering the sad content as the verse revolved around the suffering of Job.  After mass we went to the Knight's hall for their annual Super Bowl feast.  Thankfully, they had Meg's favorite - chicken wings.  Cam tried a few as well as the taco bar.  Everything we had was delicious and we were glad that we were able to make it.

We spent the rest of the evening at home preparing for the big game.  Doug put on his Tom Brady jersey as soon as we walked in the door.  Cam picked the menu tonight - queso dip, meatballs, guacamole and cheese with salami.  Everything was great and we enjoyed watching the game together.  The commercials were funny and the game was a close one.  Unfortunately for Doug, the Patriots just missed a catch in the end zone with time running out to lose to the Eagles 41-33.  Doug was definitely in the minority as the Patriots have become the nemesis for most football fans.  The good news for my Dad was that the score brought him an extra $100.

A Nice Reminder

Doug told me this morning that today was his parents 50th wedding anniversary.  I thought back to the stories that Jeanette told us about her wedding day.  The one I remember most was how she fainted from the heat of the building and had to be helped out the back of the church to catch her breath during the ceremony.  As I thought of that story, I was glad that we had saved her wedding dress.  No one may ever wear it again, but one day her granddaughters will like to see what their beloved Grandma wore on her big day so many years ago.

We had spent a lot of time talking about Jeanette last weekend after Kathy Yeager's funeral.  All of the Heinisch children miss her terribly, but they can finally listen to "Here I am Lord" without their heart breaking.  They have fond memories of her and it was nice to listen to them share their favorite ones.  Brett and Cal remarked that they missed her more than they thought possible.  Brett loved his weekly calls with her.  Cal said he dreamt about her last week.  In his dream he introduced her to Hannah-Marie.  Doug's note to Meg for sectional was on her stationary.  Meg said she took one look and had to choke back tears.  Her death was a loss to our family, but this week it was nice to be reminded of how much she was and still is part of our lives.

What a Game!!

I felt well enough to go to school today.  Each class had a test, so I knew it wouldn't be too tiring.  Cam, Meg and Jackie all went to my Mom's for lunch.  Cam stayed to play games while the girls went back to our house to watch a new show on Netflix.  I picked up Cam after school and brought him home to play some more PS4.  Doug had to work late, but said he'd be home by 7:15 to check on him.

Meg, my Dad, Jackie and I all left around 5:15 for Bethany.  Jackie had to meet her Dad at the girls' sectional as he was selling tickets.  Meg, Dad and I had decided once Meg lost on Tuesday night that we would go to Hannah-Marie's game tonight at Fairfield.  Because of Cam and Meg's games we had only been able to see her game against Bethany this season.  We got to Fairfield early as we knew it would be crowded.  That gave us time to get some snacks and find a seat in the Northwood section.  Dad knew a few people in the stands from Nappanee.  That did not surprise either of us.

The game started out much as we expected.  Wawasee played well on defense and hung tough with Tippy Valley, but the number 8 team in the state led through three quarters.  We were impressed with how well HM had defended against their post players.  Both were at least four inches taller than her, but she out rebounded them and drew several fouls on offense.  When Wawasee found themselves down by ten, we weren't sure what to think.  As good as their defense was, Wawasee was struggling to score.  At the start of the fourth quarter the score was 36 to 29.  I turned to Dad and said, "You know if the Warriors could hit a three, this game could turn."  That was exactly what they did and Tippy Valley started to panic.  They turned the ball over several times and missed some key free throws.  With less than 25 seconds left HM had the ball underneath.  She got a good shot up that just missed, leaving the score at 39-38 Vikings.  Several turnovers on both sides and a jump ball found Wawasee with the ball with less than nine seconds left.  A move to the basket brought a layup that rolled around the hoop and fell in.  Wawasee was up by one with 3 seconds left.  Tippy's half court shot wasn't even close.  Everyone in the Wawasee section as well as most in the Northwood area came to their feet.  We were so happy for Hannah-Marie.  It was a huge victory and she played fantastically.

On the way home Meg and I remarked about how glad that we were that we went to the game.  HM called to see if she could take pictures with us, but we were already in Syracuse.  I had promised Cam that we would go to the Italian restaurant that he and Meg really like in Warsaw.  Plus the Northwood fans wanted our seats, so we had to leave as soon as possible.  We filled Doug and Cam in on the game during dinner.  We heard from both HM and Robyn as we sent them congratulatory texts.  My Mom always has said that everything happens for a reason.  Maybe Meg's team lost so we could be in the stands to cheer on Hannah-Marie tonight.  It almost made up for the disappointment of Tuesday night.

A Restful Day Off

I had not been feeling well, so I took a sick day from school to get some much needed rest.  For now it seems that I am only fighting a bad head cold.  Last year a cold turned into Pleurisy and I wanted to make sure that it doesn't happen again.  According to my FitBit I slept almost ten hours only being awake twice and restless for thirty minutes.  My head cold was still front and center when I woke up, but with all of the sleep I did feel a lot better.

Avery, Cam and Meg all slept in as well.  The boys went back to the PS4 after they came down for breakfast.  Meg needed to clean her room.  Once she got that done, she turned to her new favorite show on Netflix, "Riverdale."  We all stopped at Mom's to see the guinea pigs before going to lunch.  The pigs got out of their cage just fine, but didn't drift too far from it.  We had lunch at the Southside Soda Shop.  Cam and I had never been to it before.  The food was very good.  After lunch we dropped Avery off at his home and then went to Bethany to pick up Jackie.  She and Meg had plans for evening with included Hacienda, Wii with Alister and Netflix watching.