Bloomington

We started our second day of Spring Break walking the streets of Nashville.  We have liked the stores there on our past visits and it was a nice day to be out and about.  There were a lot of novelty items to look at as well clothes.   Brett and Doug were able to do some beer tasting at a local brewery while Meg, Cam and I checked out the fudge shoppe.  Cam and Meg also made an awesome purchase - a giant size Pass the Pigs game.

We decided upon the winery for lunch.  Cam and Meg picked up Noodles & Company to take along and Doug bought breadsticks for the rest of us.  It was windy today, but nice enough to enjoy a picnic lunch on the back porch of Oliver's.  Once we got back to Brett's apartment Doug changed to go jogging.  Meg had homework to do and Cal needed to study as well.  Brett, Cam and I started the new season of "A Series of Unfortunate Events."  I made it about five minutes into the episode before I fell asleep.  Brett said it was a good one, so I'll have to catch up on it later.

We had talked about watching the new "IT" movie the last time we were here and thought this would be the perfect afternoon to do so.  It was scary, but a lot better than the made for TV one from the 1980's that we watched the last time we were here.  As soon as the movie was over we were able to turn it to the Final Four to watch Michigan and Loyola play.  It was a good game to watch and the majority in the apartment were happy to see Michigan come out on top.  After the game we headed to Upland Brewery for dinner.  We were surprised that we got in right away as traditionally there has been a long wait.  Dinner was very good and we were able to watch the second game of the evening - Villanova and Kansas.  That game ended up being a blow out and we gave up in the second half once Villanova got up by more than twenty.  Cal went home after the game and we all headed to bed, tired from a fun day of activity.

Spring Break Day One

Today we started our first day of Spring Break by traveling to Terre Haute.  Meg had wanted to go to The Candles Holocaust Museum ever since we saw Eva Kor speak four years ago.  We thoroughly enjoyed our visit.  Doug and Cameron knew very little about Eva's life as a twin in Auschwitz and the torture she suffered under the "care" of Dr. Mengele.   There was also a 97 year old docent that gave a talk about his life in Germany after World War I and before World War II.  As an added bonus to the museum tour we also found a fantastic place for lunch called Fifi's Lunchbox.  The outside was sketchy, but the food was delicious.  Cam talked about trying their famous donut burger, but instead ordered the Mother Clucker.

We arrived in Bloomington around 4 p.m. catching traffic in Spencer on the way down.  Brett met us at the Union and we spent the next hour walking around campus and down Kirkwood.  We decided to eat an early dinner at Mother Bear's and were thankful for that choice as it wasn't crowded when we arrived.  Cal had a test tonight and then played basketball.  He met up with us later at Brett's where we watched Apollo 13.  Everyone was wiped out from a busy week and no one made it up past eleven with Brett going to bed the earliest at 8:40!!

Last Day Before Break

I was so excited to pull into my driveway this afternoon.  Today was the last day of school before Spring Break.  It had been a crazy one complete with dreary, cold weather.  The majority of my students had earned a strategic game day.  It was a lot of work to keep everyone in control while helping those who had missing work to catch up.  It felt fantastic to not only make it through the day, but to also make it to Spring Break.  For me it has always been a milestone of the teaching year.  The last eight weeks of the school year are busy and fly by quickly.  When we return after our ten day break Cam and Meg will only have thirty-five days left and I will have thirty-nine.  

Tonight was spent getting ready for vacation.  Meg was supposed to have a tennis match, but the weather forced a postponement.  Due to the cancellation she had time to meet up with some of her friends including Preston who was home for Easter weekend.  Cam had practice after school and then filled his time getting everything he needed ready.  The rest of his evening was spent playing Fortnight.  Doug and I even had time to go to dinner before we called it a night.  It had been a long day especially since we got home so late last night from the Morris Civic, but it was a good one.  

Think of Me

Last week was a sad one for the Wawasee community.  The longest employee of the school system, mentor and friend to all fell ill at school and collapsed.  She was airlifted to Parkview Hospital, but never responded.  In the thoughts of all early Saturday morning and surrounded by her family, she died early Saturday morning.  I was heartbroken when Paula texted me to let me know.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about Cyndi.  I had spent eleven years sitting beside her at our monthly library board meetings.  Her honest opinions were not always appreciated by all, but I thoroughly enjoyed serving with her.  After the meetings we would sit and talk catching up on our common interests - family, Purdue vs. IU, the school system, books and musicals.  She was one of the few people in Syracuse who knew my brother.  She shared memories of him with me many times which I completely enjoyed.  As my own children started high school she became my eyes and ears at the always keeping me informed on what was happening with them or with the student population in general.  Both Brett and Cal had her as an AP English teacher with Brett spending even more time with Mrs. Thornburg as one of her drama students.  When I would grow concerned about anything she would reassure me that she had had the same worries as a mother and it would work out fine.  Although she taught in the public school system for decades she was extremely supportive when I told her that we were enrolling Cameron in private school.  She was sad that she would never have Meg as a student, but was happy that Meg found a school that would challenge her academically while supporting her as a person.

When I found out that Cyndi's memorial service was this evening I considered selling my Phantom of the Opera tickets.  Another teacher had done so earlier in the week.  The more I thought about it the more I knew in my heart that she would never have wanted me to miss the performance.  I had used my teacher bonus to purchase the tickets several months ago and had talked about it ever since.  I told Paula this morning my decision and she completely agreed with me.  She even let me in on a little secret, the first song played this evening at the service was to be "Think of Me".  Listening to the opening song tonight all I could think was what a wonderful way to honor my friend by listening to Think of Me at a Broadway performance of one of her favorite operas.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Cutes!

Today we celebrated my Dad's 75th birthday.  Seventy-five sounds old, but after hanging out with Grandpa Cutes,  it just doesn't feel old.  The more he talked about his cruise last week the more that I realized that he really is just a kid at heart.  That enthusiasm for life has kept him quite a bit younger than his 75 years and has helped him relate to his grandchildren.  They thoroughly enjoy his stories and love hanging out with him.  There is always an adventure when he is involved and usually a great story to tell.

Tonight we laughed at the video of him dancing after winning the Elvis trivia contest, made him blow out trick candles on his birthday cake, and insisted that he kept the "new fangled" wireless smart blu ray player that we gave him to celebrate his big day.  As I pulled out of the driveway after the celebration Meg and Cam were already helping him put it to good use.  They were dancing along with him to Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine on You Tube.  With activity like that around to keep my Dad young, I fully expect to see him live another 75 years!

Third Quarter Reportcards

Meg and Cam started their last quarter of the school year this morning.  It was hard to believe that it had already arrived.  It has been a wonderful year so far for both.  Not only have they met new friends and enjoyed some awesome experiences, they both have thrived in the classroom.  Cam finished the third quarter with all A's once again.  He had to work harder than normal to earn that grade in Language this grading period.  His teacher had received a concussion in January and has been out ever since.  The substitutes have done a great job with the class, but it was more challenging for Cam, however, to keep everything organized with three different teachers.

Meg had one B+ and the rest A's for the third quarter.  The B+ came in Calculus which was definitely her hardest class this year.  We were incredibly proud of her report card.  Bethany has been more rigorous academically for her and she has responded incredibly well.  Going into the school year we were told by many in the academic department of Bethany that Meg may very well see her first C's this year as she adjusts to the new emphasis on classwork.  We were never worried about that.  Meg has always worked hard on her school work and this year has been no exception.  With her work ethic and rigorous academic schedule she will be more than prepared for the demands of college.

Will Spring Ever Arrive?

It was cold again today with temperatures below 40 degrees.  This has been the coldest Spring that I can remember.  Normally the week before Spring Break is one for capris and short sleeves.  It doesn't look that way now as the forecast doesn't get much better than today's.  My parents arrived back to Florida from their cruise this morning and have one more night in the sun before they return.  They will be shocked when they step off of the plane tomorrow morning.  Not only was it cold this week, but Southern Indiana also had ten inches of snow fall.  Spring weather will have to arrive sometime, however, and the closer we get to April the more likely that will be.

9th in the State

Today was the team chess tournament in Hammond, Indiana.  Normally, Cam rides the bus up and then back with Doug.  This year, he decided to ride with Doug instead.  The trip was an easy one and they were there well before the 8:30 a.m. call time.  Cam's team started off on fire wining the first round 4-0.  From there they had some challenging matches that included two draws and one loss plus another 4-0 win.  At the end of the day they had earned three points and found themselves with a top ten finish.  Their ninth place in state tied Cam's best at individual state this year.  Cam was proud of his play and his team tournament success.  Chess was a long season starting in October and finishing just this weekend.  Cam said that his stamina for it had started to wane these past few weeks.  That was totally understandable.  We were proud that he kept with it and helped lead his team to their best finish thus far.

While the guys were at chess Meg and I got some cleaning done.  She had tennis at 9 a.m. this morning, but after that she spent the majority of the afternoon putting aways her laundry, unpacking from her trip and resting.  I woke up early this morning, so I got a lot done by lunch time.  I decided to take an hour nap this afternoon which was rare for me, but much needed.  Meg and I left for Goshen around 5 p.m.  She wanted to buy a new swimsuit with her Target birthday gift cards.  She found a nice two piece that she will take to Florida.  From there we tried to get into Hacienda, but they were packed.  Instead we washed the car, got gas and headed to Panera.  I had never been there before and Meg enjoyed it on her trip.  The food was delicious.  It was great spending some time with Meg. I missed having her around this week!

Welcome Home, Meg!

Tonight Meg arrived well ahead of schedule.  We were all glad to see her and enjoyed her stories very much.  On their four day trip they were able to visit the National Underground Museum, see the movie Black Panther, tour the Greensboro Civil Rights Museum, listen to an ACLU speaker, meet with a Dreamer and enjoy the musical "Ragtime."  Meg said that it was even more fun than her trip to Washington D.C.  That was saying something.

We celebrated her return with dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Cam and his friend "Chip" joined us as well.  Briese came home with him after school today.  They had fun playing the PS4, pool and basketball against Doug.  He lives on Black Squirrel, so we were able to drop him off on the way home.  It was great having him visit as he and Cam have a lot in common.

Happy 17th Birthday Meg!

 

For the first time in her 17 years on this Earth Meg celebrated her birthday without us.  It was strange for us, but exciting for her.  Meg loves to travel and is definitely an adventurer.  Her willingness to take advantage of all that life has to offer is impressive at her age and we love that about her.  Today was a celebration of her free spirit.  She went on a trip with new classmates this week to learn about the history of the Civil Rights movement, but also gained independence along the way.  

When we found out that Meg was going to be in Raleigh our first priority was to let the Lakins' family know.  Meg has a special bond with Ann Francis and enjoys her brothers as well.  We had hoped that she would be able to meet up with them, but knew that her schedule wasn't overly flexible.  Thus, we were thrilled when we found out that Sharon and LaMarr were more than ready to pull Ann Fran, Marr and Anderson out of school to meet Meg for lunch today.  It was the best birthday present that Meg could ask for and they spoiled her just as if she was one of their own.  They bought her lunch, gave her presents (and hugs), found a dessert for her and even brought back Krispy Kremes for the entire Bethany group.  I couldn't thank them enough for their hospitality.  It was one special birthday that Meg will never forget.

 

 

Rock N Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

Today Cam joined the group of travelers for inter term when his history of rock n roll class departed for Cleveland early this morning for a day trip to the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.  Cam was thrilled to be a part of this adventure.  Several of his friends were in the class and they had plans to hang out together and tour the exhibits.  I heard from him several times during the day.  I could tell from his texts that he was having a great time.  They stopped at Panera Bread for lunch.  Cam said that they were almost left in the souvenir shop, but caught the bus just before they pulled out of the parking lot.  Once they got to the Hall, they spent the majority of their time in the lower level walking through the displays including the ones featuring this year's inductees.

On the way home they stopped for dinner at the same service plaza from the morning.  This time Cam tried Sbarro.  We met him at Bethany at 9:45 p.m. which was about 15 minutes ahead of time.  Cam talked all the way home.  He had had a great day with his friends and had learned a lot too.  We had gone to the Hall last summer, but he had forgotten about the exhibits on the influential cities of rock.  He enjoyed that area the most.  He showed us his new shirt that included all of the inductees on the back.  He was also proud of the light up ball that he bought as well.  It was awesome listening to his stories.  This was his favorite field trip by far.

And She is Off . . .

Meg left this morning for their Civil Rights tour of Ohio and North Carolina.  She was so excited to be a part of this trip.  She had friends to hang out with on the bus and Netflix to watch as well.  She  sent me a picture along the way to let me know that she was having fun.  They stopped at the National Underground Railroad Museum in Cincinnati first and then went to the movie "Black Panther."  Their plan was to stay with a host church overnight and then head out tomorrow morning for North Carolina.  

I took the morning off so that I could drive her to Bethany and drop Cam at school.  I was excited for her.  Meg has always enjoyed traveling and going with friends made it even more fun.  Just one more reason that we have been so happy with Bethany Christian.  Their emphasis on learning outside of the classroom has been just as impressive as their focus has been inside the classroom as well.  We have never regretted sending Cam and Meg to Bethany.  Watching them grow and become more self confident has been awesome.  They will be more than prepared for life outside of the Heinisch home when they are ready to spread their wings and fly.  

Inter Term

Today was the start of inter term for both Meg and Cam.  Cam began his day with "How Things Work?"  The class learned about electric circuits today.  He was able to tell me all of the parts of the circuit and was proud to say that he made his light bulb shine.  His afternoon was spent in History of Rock N Roll.  They talked about the music that influenced the rock movement and then learned about several key artists such as Elvis and Chuck Berry.  He was most interested in Jerry Lee Lewis.  The story about him marrying his thirteen year old cousin didn't really fascinate Cam, but the fact that he lit his piano on fire sure did.

Meg's Civil Rights Inter Term started today as well.  They studied the start of the Civil Rights movement and the instrumental facts regarding it.  Meg spent the evening packing and getting ready for her trip to Cincinnati and Raleigh tomorrow.  We found a sleeping pad for her to take and bought snacks for her trip as well.  It was supposed to be cold, so she only packed long sleeves and long pants.  Cold or not, Meg was really looking forward to the rest of the week.

St. Patrick's Day Celebration

Yesterday was St. Patrick's Day, but we were so busy celebrating Meg's early birthday that we didn't have time to do much for it.  We made up for it today as we all attended the Knights of Columbus St. Patrick's Day party.  There was corned beef and cabbage for lunch and green party favors for all.  We all had fun catching up with other families, and Meg was able to sell a few fish fry tickets as well.

Once we got home the boys finished packing the Civic for their return trip to Bloomington.  We were sad to see them go.  It had been a quick visit with Brett.  We will have to catch up more with him over Easter weekend when we go back down.  It was great having Cal here for an entire week.  It's rare that we get to spend that much time with him and we all enjoyed it.  He made March Madness more fun especially with all of the trash talking.  Easter is only two weeks away.  I am already looking forward to having everyone all together again.

Happy Early Birthday

Meg came home after practice.  They got out early as it was very cold out this morning.  She won her challenge match, so the frigid weather didn't really bother her.  She spent the rest of the day working on her cleaning responsibilities.  She was extremely busy this week with the end of the quarter.  She had several tests and retests to take.  She also had notecards due and essays to write.  She was happy to be done with it all.

Doug, Cam, Brett and I spent the afternoon playing Cam's new Catan game.  It was a lot of fun.  I really liked the game.  I had no chance of winning, but it was fun trying!  Before we started the game Doug and I spent some time with Brett going through his summer plans.  He was offered an internship in D.C. working for Congressman Larry Buchson and just found out on Wednesday.  We had to work through the logistics of getting him to D.C.  Thankfully, we had done this last year and knew to contact WISH for housing.  He has traveled back and forth several times from D.C. to Indiana, so we also knew what flights to check for and which airports were best.  The only uncertainties revolved around his housing in Bloomington and the possibility of interning for Freedom Works as well.  What a wonderful opportunity he has been given.  His hard work has definitely paid off.

Tonight we celebrated Meg's birthday.  It was five days early, but since everyone was home and she will be in North Carolina on her big day, we decided that tonight was the best evening to do so.  Meg picked Bella Vitale for dinner.  Everyone really enjoyed it.  Afterward we came back to our house to open gifts and eat cake.  Meg loved her Stitch necklace from me.  She was also pleased with Brett's pick for her - a Riverdale blanket and wallet.  Cam gave her a bracelet and Doug bought her a new pair of purple vans, both of which were hits with Meg.  Cal's gift was the book "Vine and Honey" which she and HM thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Meg left shortly after cake and ice cream.  One of her friends from camp was in town and Meg wanted to see her.  They had a great time catching up and posting pictures on SnapChat.  While they were hanging out the rest of us played pool and watched basketball.  The upsets continued tonight, but none were as big as light night's in which #1 Virginia was knocked out in the first round.  A number sixteen seed hadn't beaten a #1 team in thirty-four years.

A Day with the Guys

I was off this afternoon and was able to spend the majority of it with Cam and Cal.  Cal met me for lunch at home and then I picked up Cam from a 2:30 dismissal.  We spent the rest of the day watching basketball.  There were some great games with several upsets.  The biggest news of the afternoon brought the dumbest comment of the day.   We found out that Purdue's center broke his elbow, but I inadvertently told Cam that it was their coach.

Brett joined our group this evening.  He had had a fantastic week in Chicago with RUF.  Most of their time was allocated to helping paint a church, but they did get in some site seeing including a trip to the DuSable Art Museum and a ride on the El.  Today's lunch was at Lou Melnati's - a first for Brett as well. The group dropped him at the South Shore train station this afternoon so that he could catch the 4:11 to South Bend.  Doug was at the airport to pick him up and they were home by 9.  We were all glad to see him and enjoyed catching up with him.

Meg was out for the night.  Jackie's family had gotten a new hot tub and the girls wanted to try it out. She talked about coming home as she had practice to go to early in the morning.  Jackie and Macinsy had softball as well, so she decided to just stay with them.  They had a lot of fun along with a new experience was had at Steak N Shake which sent them to Burger King instead.  We missed having her at home, but were glad that she got to celebrate the end of the quarter with her friends.

March Madness

This afternoon kicked off March Madness around the country and Cal was more than happy to fulfill his commitment of watching basketball.  He texted me several times this afternoon to see when Cam and I would be home to watch with him.  We always have a Heinisch family pool and this year was no different.  Cal and Cam were ready not only with their brackets, but with their trash talking as well.  Each were sure that they had picked the correct upset and Cal was positive that he had the perfect bracket.   Looking forward to hanging out with the Heinisch guys the next few days.  Should be fun listening to them banter.

Although Meg and Brett are not big college basketball fans, they joined the bracket challenge as well.      Meg didn't have time to fill out hers until she got home from school today.  We weren't too worried about her cheating as she never watches the games anyway.  Brett picked the top seed in each game and came up with an unique strategy team in the end.  He had all of the number one seeds in the final four and then chose the two Catholic teams to make it to the final game.  From there he was knowledgable enough to know that Villanova was more of a basketball powerhouse than Xavier, so he went with them to win it all.  We will found out in a couple of weeks if his strategy works.

Tennis Season

It has been a cold start to the tennis season.  So far the girls have only been able to practice indoors.  Meg was a little shaky at first, but was starting to feel more comfortable.  She comes to Bethany tennis with a great resume playing number one last year for Wawasee and having the highest win percentage her freshmen year.  At the beginning of the week she was feeling a lot of pressure to showcase her talent early.  After we talked she was able to calm down and feel more confident about her ability.  Her coach was supportive of her play and was happy to have her on the team.  Once the matches start Meg will be more than ready to help lead her team.

This week has been stressful for Meg in general.  Not only did tennis season start, but she also had to take the SAT.  These two items combined with it being the last week of the quarter has made her week a challenging one.  She has a list of retests that she needs to take and papers that are due by Friday.  She does have a lot of fun activities planned this weekend to look forward to such as celebrating her birthday with the family and trying out Jackie's new hot tub.  She just needs to get through these next two days.

What a Day for Cam!

Cam's day started early this morning as it was his first rehearsal for bell ringers since November.  It was hard to get up, but he was happy to have it begin again.  During the school day he had the middle school science fair.    His question was "Does garlic affect the taste of food?"  He had participants smell garlic powder while eating a granola bar.  They then had to guess the flavor without looking at the granola bar.  About half could do so.  I ran over during prep time to see his project.  I thought his looked very nice. He was proud to announce when I picked him up from chess club that he had won a blue ribbon this year.

Since Cam had to be back at Bethany for a 6:15 call time for his band concert, we decided to stay in Goshen after chess club.  He had earned a coupon for Shirley's Popcorn as he had read six hours during the month of March.  We had never been there before and we both tried a bag.  Mine was chocolate almond and his was mint chocolate chip.  They were delicious.  We had time to run to Walmart for groceries before his concert as well.  I then graded papers while Cam rehearsed.  Doug and my parents met me at Bethany.  We were completely impressed with the band.  They played three challenging songs and sounded fantastic.  It had been a long day for Cam.  He was wiped out in the end, but happy with all that he had accomplished.

SAT

Meg took the SAT at Bethany today.  Because of her issues with her eyes Meg is allowed extended time to take the test.  Thus, it has to be administered by her test coordinator at Bethany.  Fortunately for Meg, that is Mr. Bueller.  She likes Jim and he made her feel comfortable while taking it.  She said that it was challenging, especially the English portion.  She was thankful for the extended time as it took her until 2:30 to finish.  It also postponed a History test for her, which she was ok with.

I drove Meg to school today and then came back to take Cam to the dentist.  He needed his teeth cleaned and wanted to talk to them about seeing an orthodontist.  He had noticed that his teeth were starting to turn on the bottom and he had also been having pain.  They agreed that his mouth was becoming too crowded which caused the teeth to move.  The pain was from his new molars coming in.  They gave us a referral to see an orthodontist in Warsaw.  We'll start there.

I took Cam back to school and then stopped back at home to see Cal and eat lunch before I headed into school for the afternoon.  I picked up Cam afterward and we hung out here for the rest of the evening.  Meg had her first tennis practice with Bethany tonight.  It was too cold to play outside, so they went to the Warsaw Racquet Club.   Doug went to the tennis meeting this evening.  He was happy to hear how pleased the coach was with Meg's tennis ability.  She knows everyone on the team, so it should be a fun season.

A Relaxing Day for All

Doug, Cam, Meg and I all attended 11 a.m. mass together.  Normally, Doug doesn't like going that late, but as last night was spring forward for Daylight Savings he didn't mind sleeping in a bit.  The rest of the afternoon was spent at home.  I had substitute plans to write while Doug worked outside.  It has been a cold March so far, but it was warm enough to do some yard work.  Meg had a friend over for awhile and HM stopped by after she and Cal walked Winston.  Cam finished his Science Fair project and read his book.

My parents stopped by in the late afternoon.  We all watched Tiger's return with a second place finish in this weekend's tourney.  That should make for an exciting Masters in April.  After the golf tournament we all watched the NCAA selection show.  IU had no chance of making it, but the guys were all interested in the other teams chosen.  Only four of the Big Ten teams made the tourney so I have no idea who I will be rooting for.

Doug made dinner for all of us.  He was glad to be able to grill out.  Mom brought up fruit for all.  That along with the potatoes and avocado salad that Doug had prepared made for a delicious dinner.  The guys played pool after dinner.  When they were finished games of Buck Euchre and Hearts broke out.  While we were playing cards Meg worked on her room and Cal ran HM home.  As soon as he got back we started "The Shining."  Cal had read the book and really wanted to watch the movie.  Mom and Dad passed on the movie, but Cam joined us.  We made it through the first half.  It was as disturbing as I had remembered.  I think Cam handled it better than I did.

Saturday - A Nice Break from the Work Week

Today was a nice break from the drudgery of Monday to Friday.  Although not overly warm, it was sunny and looked gorgeous outside.  Meg and I spent the morning at Teresa's.  She agreed to alter Meg's Prom dress for us.  We were happy with her suggestions and walked out knowing that it will fit perfectly in the end.

We spent the afternoon hanging out at home.  Meg had homework to do.  Doug worked for awhile.  I caught up on laundry.  Cal had filled his backseat with his before he came home.  Between that and Meg and Cam's weekly loads the washing machine ran the entire day.  Cam used his day to read.  He needs to finish a book before next Friday to reach his reading goal and made good progress today on it.  HM was at a track meet, so Cal went over to her house to walk Winston.  He has been making sure that he gets in 10,000 steps a day for the past month and would like to keep that up over break as well.

After HM's track meet the six of us went to dinner at Chubby Trout in Elkhart.  Doug had been there several times as that is an RV favorite.  The menu was limited for non-fish eaters, but the food we tried was very good.  Cam got to eat sushi for the first time ever and really liked it.  Everyone went their separate ways when we got home.  Cal headed to HM's and then to Nick LeCount's for the evening.  Meg finished her homework and Cam read.  Doug and I started the movie "Get Out".  It was nominated for an Oscar and had gotten rave reviews.  We didn't make it through all of it.  So far it has reminded us a lot of The Stepford Wives.  We were interested in seeing how it will end.

Cal's Home

Cal arrived home late last night as IU has Spring Break next week.  His last class ended on Thursday at 6:30, so he was thrilled to start a ten day break at home.  Last year he went with his friends to Florida, but was happy to hang out with all of us and HM this year.  Brett will be going on a mission trip to Chicago this Spring Break.  They are going to help with an after school youth program and work in a soup kitchen, among other volunteer work.  He leaves on Sunday and will come home next weekend to enjoy a few days here before he leaves.

I was glad to have Cal here to go to Bob's visitation with Mom, Dad and I.  It was sad to have to do, but important for all of us to be there.  Rena was holding up a lot better than I would have expected.  After we talked with her we did find several other people to catch up with.  Cal was the youngest person there, but yet knew so many of the visitors from either Tippy Country Club or Maxwelton.  In the end we decided that my Dad would be the perfect funeral home greeter.  He knows everyone in our area and enjoys talking with others.

Doug made dinner tonight for Cal, Doug, Cam and I.  Preston was in town, so Meg went to see "A Wrinkle in Time" with him.  They stopped at Steak and Shake afterward.  Cam, Doug and I stayed home.  Cal decided to go over to Cameron's later in the evening.  Jayce hung out with them there as well.  Doug and I rented "In the Name of the Father", a Daniel Day Lewis movie from the early 1990s.  It was very interesting.

County Council

Doug had a county council meeting tonight.  He has been on the council for eight years and will be running for another term this fall.  He is the only name on the ballot for the Republican party so we know that he will definitely win the primary.  He has enjoyed being a part of local government and has brought financial experience to the council.  There have been times that the meetings have been heated, especially when the addition of the wheel tax was discussed and eventually passed.

Since Doug was at his meeting I decided to order out for Cam, Meg and I.  We wanted to try Pizza Hut's pasta dinners.  A student in my class had sold me a Pizza Hut card for his youth groups' mission trip fundraiser.  It allowed me to buy one pasta dinner and get one free.  Therefore, we tried the chicken alfredo and Italian marinara.  They were both delicious and a nice change from their pizza.  Doug was home later than usual as they had several presentations to listen to and items to discuss.  I used the time to watch Gotham with Cameron, grade papers, write sub plans and help Meg with her essay on Jane Austen.    Thus, it was a productive night for all of us.

A March Snow Storm

The snow was coming down fast and furious this morning.  Doug said that he didn't have any problems driving in, but by the time that we had to leave for school it was another story.  I drove Meg and Cam to school and we were all glad that I did.  It was slick and hard to see in spots.  I thought that the roads were better as I got close to Milford, but as I approached the overpass, there was an accident that had completely closed state road 15.  I had to turn around and go out of my way to get around it.  I was almost ten minutes late to school.  When I called in Carol wasn't surprised as several others had already let her know that they would be late.  After Smart Start I found out that there was an another accident on state road 15 on the other end of Milford closer to Leesburg.  It had delayed students and staff coming from the south as well.  It would have been a nice day for a delay, but the snow arrived too late for them to call one.

I picked up Cam and Meg after school for tennis.  Meg had her last lesson before the start of tennis season.  Cam participated in a drop in session.  They both played well.  I ran to Walmart quickly while they were there to pick up a couple of items that we needed and couldn't find in town.  We had no more problems with the snow.  It was still on the grass, but no traces of it on the roads.  It would be nice if winter would move on out.  It just doesn't seem to want to end.

Basketball Awards

Tonight was the basketball awards night for the girls' team at Bethany.  Normally, I do not enjoy high school awards nights.  Tonight's was different, however.  The girls all seemed to really be friends.  They sat together during the presentations, laughed and had a lot of fun.  The slide show was a nice touch and every girl was given a copy of it to take home.  Bethany does not give chevrons for their lettermen jackets.  Instead those on varsity earn a basketball pin.  Meg received hers tonight.  It will be perfect on her Wawasee jacket as she had opted out of buying a Bethany one.

The best part of the night was listening to the coaches' speeches.  They were personal and filled with stories about each team member.  It was obvious that they all enjoyed coaching this group of girls.  Brent had nothing but praise for Meg and in the end presented her with the JV award.  We couldn't have been more pleased.  It was challenging to have taken two years off of basketball and then come back to it.  Meg worked hard, improved and by the end of the year was a leader on the JV team.  We were happy that she was recognized for it.  KP also had encouraging words to say about Meg.  She was glad that Meg found support and friendship on Bethany's basketball team and so were we.

A Sad Day for Golf Fans

Cam had to leave school early as he had gotten sick during ISTEP.  It seems that he is a lot better, but he just can't clear up his nose.  We don't know if it is the medicine or the nose that is making him sick to his stomach.  He did make it through the test.  They let him take a break and eat some crackers before he finished it.  He thought he still did well and was glad to be done.  They called me at 1 to pick him up.  I couldn't leave, so Doug left as soon as I called him.  I also got ahold of my parents.  They just happened to be in Goshen, so they met Doug there and took Cam home.

I went to my parents' house right after school.  Cam and I watched television with them for awhile and had just started to head out when Dad's phone rang.  We knew it was Rich and thought it was strange that Dad asked us to stay for a minute.  He put him on speaker phone and we couldn't believe what he was saying.  Bob Carlson had died suddenly that afternoon.  We were in complete disbelief.  He was part of Doug and Dad's trivia team Thursday night and they thought he looked well.

I called Doug to let him know and Dad called Cal.  I texted Brett to let him know and told Meg as soon as she got home.  Everyone was in shock.  I have known Bob and Rena since we moved here when I was in 4th grade.  They were always supportive of me and my family especially when it came to golf.  Bob loved to listen to everyone's golf stories.  He would put a positive spin on a tough round and give tips for what to try next time.  He was also a great friend to my Dad.  They shared a love of reading and would trade books throughout the winter months.  They had also traveled to Florida together over the years during the off season.  It will be hard to replace Bob at Maxwelton and for our family I know that the golf course will never be the same.

The Tax Man

I did all of our taxes this year.  We normally had an accounting firm do them, but I realized last year when I did Brett and Cal's that I would be capable.  I had done them when we were first married and never had any issues.  For awhile they were more complicated because of Doug's ownership of PVC, but that was years ago and I decided to try again.

The boys' taxes were pretty easy.  Brett filed in both Indiana and D.C. plus his federal.  He was pleased with the money that he got back.  It will pay for his mission trip to Chicago over Spring Break.  Cal also earned money back, but not as much as he had hoped for.  It will give him some spending money at least.  Our taxes were extremely disappointing.  Since Doug is in a different tax bracket than I am, my tax rate went up.  That made my small yearly salary even less as a good portion of it went to taxes.  I had had a long week at school.  This definitely made for a disappointing Sunday as I had to digest how hard my week was last week coupled with my little pay for it.

There has been so much in the news since Trump was elected President about tax reform which I would definitely now favor.  There is constant talk of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.  I have never understood that theory.  I have never thought that anyone should have to pay more taxes so that others can remain on welfare.  I do not believe that it is my responsibility to pay for others.  I do believe that we should help those less fortunate than we are with our time, volunteerism and donations, not by being forced to pay taxes.  This is not my idea of fair and equal.  What really makes me frustrated about this year's tax bill is that I could have paid cash for Brett's grad school next year for the same amount.  The government is taking from our family to give to others robbing us the opportunity to pay for our children's college.  There is no one who will ever make me believe that this is a fair system.

Prom Dress Shopping

Today Meg, Jackie and I drove to Fort Wayne.  We had two reasons for going.  The first was that Meg wanted to drive there so that when she goes with her friends she feels comfortable with driving in traffic.  She did well.  We worked on a couple of items, but overall she had a handle on it.  Our second objective was the most important to her - prom dress shopping.

We stopped at the food court first so that we could have lunch at Chic-Fil-A. In the end I think we spent more time there than we did finding a dress.  Meg's first stop of the day was JC Penney.  She found the exact dress that she wanted in no time.  It had a white top and a detached floral bottom.  She picked out a pair of silver shoes to go with it.  We decided that we would call Teresa tomorrow to have her take in the stomach and maybe hem it up a little bit.  Meg, Jackie and I were more than pleased with her purchase.

The girls spent the rest of the afternoon shopping.  We had decided to leave at 4:30 so they could get ready for the Bethany musical.  Doug, Cam and I had plans to go shopping and out to dinner also.   When we got home we showed Doug Meg's dress.  She also took a picture of it and sent it to HM.  Cam had changed his mind about going out to dinner.  He wanted to stay home and play some Fortnite.  He had spent the day with Doug playing pool and watching basketball.  Doug and I ran to Kohl's and Target.  We were able to find what we needed rather quickly and made it to Kelly Jae's for dinner.  Once we got home my parents came up to play Buck Euchre.  I was the big loser of the night, but it was a lot of fun.  Meg and Jackie enjoyed the musical.  They went to Steak and Shake for dinner afterward and arrived just as Grandma and Grandpa left.

Hopefully, the End of the Flu Season

Cam woke up this morning and really wanted to try to make it for a half day.  Doug and I agreed that he could do it, so at 10:50 a.m. I headed home to take him to Bethany.  He called me when I pulled out of the school parking lot to let me know that he had just thrown up and wouldn't be able to make it for the afternoon.  I felt terrible for him as he hasn't been able to do much these past three days and was looking forward to seeing his friends.  He decided to stay at home for awhile and then play cards with my parents for the afternoon.  He was happy when I picked him up as he had learned to play buck euchre.

Meg was out for the night.  She had plans with a friend and didn't make it back until 10:30.  She tried to go to tennis conditioning, but only one other person showed up.  While she was out and Cam was playing Fortnite, Doug and I went out to eat in town and then watched a movie we rented on Vudu.  It has been a great app for us to use.  It has allowed him to rent current movies for a lot less than going to the movie theater.  Tonight's choice was "Three Billboards Outside of Ebbing, Missouri."  It was very intense, but we liked it a lot.  Brett was even able to watch it from his blu ray player in Bloomington.  It was a quiet night, but the perfect end to a stressful week.

Another Tough Day, But Closer to the Weekend

Today was another tough one at school.  ISTEP is always rough, but this week seemed to be more challenging than normal.  That coupled with Cam's illness made it a long one.  He still felt crummy today, but definitely better than yesterday.  His fever broke, but his nose and throat were still bothering him. He spent the day at my parents.  He didn't feel like doing much, but they did get in one game of Phase 10.  Most of the time, however, he watched Spongebob.  It was rumored that tonight would be the last episode. In the end it turned out to be "fake news."  

Cam and I went home as soon as I got to Mom's.  He hadn't played Fortnite in awhile and was glad to catch up with his classmates through it.  Later in the evening he and I watched an episode of Gotham.   It was the first new episode since January.  We were glad that it was back on.  While we were watching our show Meg was at tennis.  She had a lesson last night as well.  Tonight's was harder for her as she also went to basketball after school as well.  She was tired when she got home.

Doug and my Dad spent the evening at the annual Kiwanis trivia night.  Their normal first place finish wasn't to be had tonight.  Doug enjoyed it, but said that they got their "butts kicked."  There were a lot of pop culture questions that they just didn't know.  In fact they missed 5 out of 6 questions at one point.  They did have a lot of fun, however, and I know they'll be back for more next year.