Time to Say Goodbye

Today was the last day of school and my last one as a teacher.  Doug and I had decided in April that this would be the end of my six year journey of teaching FACS and math at Milford school.   I had  enjoyed being a teacher and a mentor to my students, but the issues with my joints, Doug's new position with Champion and the large class sizes had worn me out physically.   I just wasn't able to juggle both responsibilities anymore.  We had discussed leaving earlier in the year, but I really wanted to make it to the end.  It was hard on the Heinisch family as I couldn't do as much at home with all of my energy being spent in the classroom.

Today, however, when I read a heartfelt letter that one of my students had written to me, I knew that I had made the right choice.  Not only had my sixth graders grown over the year, but I had as well.  I had pushed myself professionally more with this group than I had ever had to in the past.  In October when I was sure that I would never make it to May, I started setting small goals with them and with myself.  There were good days and bad, but as I walked out of my classroom today I realized that we had met each and every one that we set out to accomplish.  I couldn't have been more proud of my students or myself.  I will miss teaching.  I loved being a part of those "aha" moments.  I will especially miss being a mentor to those who just needed someone to listen.  I was thankful for their hugs today and I understood those who just couldn't say goodbye.  No matter how hard it was to leave the students and the friends that I had made teaching, all I could do was smile on my drive home.  I will now be able to devote full time to the role that I have loved more than anything else in this whole world - mom and wife of the Heinisch family.  

Timber

Doug and I have enjoyed all of the trees that we have been blessed with in our yard, especially in the back.  Over the years they have provided tons plenty of shade for the Heinisch children's backyard activities.  They have also become home to countless birds. squirrels and chipmunks.  Every year or so we have had to cut one down or trim a large branch.  We have even had a few that were taken out for us by heavy storms.

Every spring Doug takes inventory and this year he noticed that one of our biggest had a dead limb.   As he investigated further he saw that there was a crack in it.  In looking inside he could tell that it was hollow in part.  As this tree would have done some damage to our swing set, other trees and possibly the neighbor's fence, he decided to call a tree trimmer to get his assessment.  They both agreed that it needed to come down.  They felt it could hold on for a few weeks, but the goal was to have it gone by the end of this week.  Today was the day, and although the 8 a.m. chainsaw alarm clock was not appreciated by Meg we were extremely thankful that they came as soon as they did.  The tree had completely rotted and only had about 20% of it's trunk left.  We felt blessed to have it taken care of before it did major damage.  Now Cam can chip golfballs in the backyard all summer long and I won't have to worry.

Tennis MVP

Tonight was Meg's end of season awards celebration.  It was hosted by Mariah's grandparents and the girls appreciated having a pool to swim in after it was over.  Dinner was pizza and there were a lot of families in attendance.  The awards portion was short, but Coach Tara's words about Meg were priceless.  She praised her for choosing to make a fresh start at a challenging time in her high school career.  She was happy to announce that she had never coached a player with a better record and pointed out the number of matches this year that Meg had won for the team this season.  Both Doug and I appreciated her words and were proud of Meg for winning the MVP plaque.  It was a big change for Meg this year and she handled it well.   Having a supportive, fun loving and winning tennis team made it even better.

A Quiet Memorial Day

Meg started her day at the Milford parade with Preston.  Afterward they went to Panera Bread for lunch before hanging out with Kat and Gabby at the Fiscus' home.  It was the perfect day to spend time on the lake and they all took advantage of the hot weather.    Cal and HM hung out here for a good portion of the afternoon.  They ate lunch with us, played Cameron and I in lasso golf, and shared their favorite Impractical Jokers challenges.  Cal left around three as he wanted to make it home before the end of the NBA finals.

Cam made time to play golf with my Mom.  It was a hot one, but he didn't mind and was proud of his round.  Doug and I worked around the home and enjoyed the Heinisch children's company.  We were able to find a new hammock.  I had originally wanted a cloth one, but they were double the price.  After dinner we burned the remnants of the original while Cam tried out the new one.  It was a perfect fit.

Dearborn, Michigan

Meg had asked us several times to take a trip back to Dearborn, Michigan.  She hadn't been since her sixth grade school trip and Cam wasn't much older than five the last time we went as a family.  We had originally planned on going to Atlanta this weekend, but Doug's new job changed our plans.  Thus, we decided today would be the perfect time to head to The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.  

Everyone was up early so that we could leave by 7 a.m.  We made it to Dearborn just after the museum and village opened.  As the forecast called for 90+ degree weather we thought we would walk through Greenfield Village first in the hope of beating the afternoon heat.  It was just as I had remembered and we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the birth home of Henry Ford, the school house that he was first taught in, the milliner's shop, the Heinz home and the Wright Brother's cycle shop and boyhood home.  We learned a lot about the history of inventions of the late 1800's and early 20th century during our stop and enjoyed a ride on a Model T as well.  

After our trip down Main Street we headed to the laboratory of Thomas A. Edison and listened to "his" recollection of the first public showing of the incandescent light bulb.  From there we were able to visit several other historical spots including Noah Webster's home and the slave quarters of Andrew Jackson.  We listened to a talk given by Laura Ingalls Wilder and ate at The Taste of History which was home to Brett's infamous "random cheese" quote.  Our last stops in the village were the roundtable, the glass blowing shop, the tin shop and the pottery barn.  Doug bought us tickets to ride the steam engine and we enjoyed the trip through the woods and river of Greenfield Village.

We spent the heat of the day inside at The Henry Ford Museum.  We appreciated the air conditioning and the exhibits as well.  Doug's favorites revolved around the cars.  Cam liked the history of flight area and I enjoyed the history of the Women's suffrage movement.  We were able to see Rosa Park's bus and the chair that Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated at the Ford's Theater.  Meg obliged me with a Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile picture.  We then made a stop at the museum store for some flying gadgets and walked through the Presidential limos on our way out.  It was a long drive up and back today, but so incredibly worth it.  What a great way to kick off our summer break!

M*A*S*H

Well, Cam and Cal were both right.  Some of Cam's friends made it through the night and others were in well before dawn.  Cam was the first one in the back door.  He said that there just wasn't room enough for all five of them.  Joey followed not far behind.  A huge bug landed on his face in the middle of the night and he was done.  We had fun reminding Cam that he and Joey were the ones who planned the event and they were the first ones in - too funny!  Sam and Breece stayed out later, but were still in by dawn.  Avery was able to make it all night.  Not even the rain scared him off and   therefore making both Cal and Cameron correct.

Today Liam and Meg went to open houses for several of their senior friends at Bethany.  Cam played golf with my Dad and Cal worked at Tippy.  Doug and I took the boys to Venturi's in Goshen for dinner as Meg and Liam had plans to eat elsewhere.  They really liked the pizzas and we enjoyed their company.  Once we got home I finished the laundry.  Normally, this has been a dull activity for me, but today I enjoyed it.  There was a MASH marathon on Sundance television in honor of Memorial Day weekend.  MASH had been one of my favorite television shows as a child.  I enjoyed watching it with my Dad on Monday nights and was proud to tell Doug that I remembered every episode.  He liked the earlier episodes the best, but I was a fan of them all.  By far my favorite character was Hawkeye, but I did appreciate each character's part in making the show a success.  It will be awhile before I watch that many episodes in a weekend again, but for now it was a nice trip down memory lane on this weekend of remembrance and a great way to get multiple loads of laundry done.

Last Day of School

Today was Meg and Cam's last day of school at Bethany.  It was a great year for both and we were extremely proud of how they did.  Meg's week had been filled with finals.  She felt more comfortable this time around then she did in December.  She knew what to expect and how to study.  I told her several times how excited I was for her that she would have a finals week schedule figured out well before she started college.  Her exams were done by lunchtime today and Meg was home by two.  Anya and Shawn showed up shortly after Meg did with Grace and Alister not far behind.  They all made plans to go to the Bethany softball sectional.  We asked Meg to drive and she did a nice job making it to Lakewood Park Christian in Auburn without incident.  They stopped at Steak and Shake for dinner and were home well before it got dark out.  It was a fun way to celebrate the last day of her junior year and the start to her life as a senior.

Cam invited several of his classmates over after school.  Joey and Breece came home with him and Samuel and Avery showed up later in their evening after attending a graduation open house.  The five of them had a fantastic time playing basketball, hide and seek in the woods, and corn hole.  They also made s'mores and set up camp in our play shed in the lot.  It was fun having them all here and listening to them talk.  We had enough sleeping bags for everyone to camp out.  Doug said he'd sleep on the couch in case anyone needed him.  Cal said that there would be no way that any of them would make it through the night.  He may be right, but Cam and his friends set out to prove him wrong.

Packing Up

Several weeks ago we found out that all of our classrooms were scheduled for new carpet, paint, wallpaper and student furniture.  We had specific items that we had to accomplish before the end of the year depending on which classroom we were teaching in.  I knew when I read the instructions that we had received the same information several years ago and although we cleaned out our rooms, nothing changed in them.  This year I did not care what the plans were I knew that this list was the permission I needed to start clearing out my room.  Doug helped me in April take home furniture and big items out of my classroom.  Since that time period I have been able to work on the rest ready before school, during my prep period and in Warrior Time.  The students were sad at first when I started emptying out my room.  Knowing that other teachers were doing the same it didn't seem to them as though I was leaving.  It felt more of just getting ready for the summer work schedule.

Today Cam and Meg got out of school at 2:30.  They headed to Milford afterward.  Meg spent her time catching up with Mr. Larson.  Cam hung out with Evan, Cade and Chance in the science room until the students were dismissed.  I was able to finish boxing up everything in my room by 3:30.  Most went in the closet for the next 6th grade math teacher.  There was still plenty of games, resources and supplies, however, that I had brought in from my personal stock of teacher items.  I was able to get all of that into tubs and Cam and Chance put it all in the van for me.  My room looked bare when we turned off the lights and locked the door.  I was happy, however, as it reminded me that in one short week I will officially have completed my last year of teaching.

Mr. Woodard

On Sunday before we celebrated Cal's birthday, Meg and I took lunch to the Woodard family.  We had found out earlier in the month that the treatment Mr. Woodard had tried to treat his aggressive, rare form of bladder cancer had not worked.  He returned home from Houston to spend time with loved ones and from what he said to Paula to enjoy his "own funeral" before his time was up.  As we were originally told that he had been given six months, Meg and I thought we'd sign up to take a meal to the family in June when school had ended and we had plenty of time to prepare.  Paula let me know Monday that we should speed up our plans.  She was concerned that he wouldn't be with us past Memorial Day.

Thus, I went right to my computer and signed up to bring a meal on Sunday the 20th.  Meg had tennis commitments all week and Cam had two music concerts.  I told Meg that we may not get to visit with Mr. Woodard, but he would know that we had planned on it.  I then left it up to God.  If we were supposed to see him we would, if we weren't then it was fate.  Several teachers had already taken meals over and they were mixed on his condition.  Some felt he was fading fast.  Others felt that he was was holding strong.  All agreed that Mr. Woodard loved having visitors and would be ready for hugs when we got there.

Doug volunteered to make lasagna for the family along with garlic bread and fruit.  My Mom made  two dozen cupcakes for dessert.  As soon as Meg and I arrived his son greeted us to take the food off of our hands.  We were pleased that Mr. Woodard was sitting up in his recliner ready to greet us.  He stood and hugged both Meg and I.  While his family dug into the lasagna, we enjoyed listening to stories and sharing favorite memories.  Meg and I had the best conversations with Mr. Woodard and were so incredibly glad that he was up for our visit.  As we got ready to leave he walked us to the door and said "Don't be a stranger."  Both Meg and I knew in our hearts that this was our last visit.  We were so thankful that it was a good one.  I found out on Monday that he had gone to bed on Sunday afternoon and wasn't taking anymore visitors.  I was sad to hear, but felt fortunate that he waited for Meg to see him.  What a wonderful gift.

The Church Finance Board

A little over a year ago Doug was asked to join the financial board at our church.  Since he had  experience and the commitment was less than he had given on other boards, he decided to become a member.  Doug has enjoyed getting to know our priest better and to put his financial knowledge to use.  Our church has shrank in size over the past few years which has obviously changed collections and donations over that time period.  There have also been updates to our church that he has been involved with.  Although I do not know the particulars of their monthly decisions I am glad that he has been able to help.  He is the perfect member to have on a board.  He looks at problems objectively, is a great decision maker and values others' opinions.  Doug's continual service to our community has also set a wonderful example to our children.  From his involvement the Heinisch children understand that helping others is important for their community to thrive no matter where they live.

The Silver Anniversary

Today Doug and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary.  There was no big fanfare just a normal night at the Heinisch home helping Cam and Meg with various items, dropping the van off to get an oil change and packing lunches for school tomorrow.  We did have time to get dinner at Huntington St. and spent some quiet time on the porch sitting in our new patio chairs watching the birds enjoy their new feeders.  I gave Doug a homemade gift that highlighted the 25 reasons why I love him and he gave me a beautiful Pandora ring that he bought while shopping in Saugatuck last weekend.

I asked Doug if this was what he thought our life would be twenty-five years ago when we said, "I do."  We both laughed.  Neither one of us had any idea at the time of where life would take us, but in saying that we sure have enjoyed the ride.  Not everyday has been a smooth one, but I wouldn't trade the family that we have or the life we have built for anything.  Doug told me on Saturday that he's 25th anniversary wish would be for fifty more years together.  I couldn't agree more.

Happy 20th Birthday, Cal!

Today was a wonderful celebration of the life of Cal.  He surprised us by coming home for the weekend so we could be together for his birthday.  We spent the day catching up over a wonderful lunch that Doug prepared, opening gifts and playing a heated game of croquet in the backyard.  It was the perfect way for all of us to show Cal how much we appreciate having him in the Heinisch family. Cal has always been the liveliest of the four Heinisch children.  He is animated in speech and action. When he is present there is always a lively debate from who was there when Grandpa Heinisch stubbed his toe to who is the nerdiest of the Heinisch four.  Cal keeps all of us up to speed on current events with his continual trivia questions and we enjoy listening to his knowledge of how to save a dollar or two when shopping.  It has been wonderful to see his hard work pay off at IU these past two years and we are proud of the young man that he has become.  He talked non-stop this weekend about turning twenty-one in just twelve short months.  I am not going to wish time to speed up.  I  will instead enjoy Cal at twenty years old for now.

A Beautiful Day

Originally, it was supposed to rain most of today.  Although, it did cloud up several times, the weatherman's predictions were far from accurate.  Instead of rain, there was sun and by the end of the afternoon the temperature had reached eighty degrees.  Doug and I took advantage of the change in weather to get some yard work done.  He had bought mulch yesterday and today we shopped for flowers.  Although there will still be a lot left to do tomorrow, we got a good start on it today.

Cam took advantage of the sunshine to play a round of golf with my Dad.  After spending a good portion of the day studying, Meg went to Jackie's softball game and then out to dinner with her.  Cal was in and out most of the afternoon and evening.  He had brought a friend home from IU and they hung out with HM and several of Cal's other friends.  Doug and I headed to Fort Wayne in the late afternoon.  Monday will be our twenty-fifth anniversary and we wanted to celebrate at Chop's Wine Bar.  It was a fantastic dinner complete with bourbon, bacon, french toast alamode.  I, thoroughly, enjoyed listening to all of Doug's memories over the past 25+ years.  We have worked hard to build a wonderful life together and tonight was an awesome reminder of that.

A Night With Friends

Cam invited Joey to come home with him after school tonight.  They had a lot of fun playing basketball, walking through the woods, listening to Cam's Google Home and just hanging out together.  Meg went to Olympia after school with the junior class to celebrate the last regular week of school.  She came home around 5 and changed for her tennis get together at her coach Tara's house.  They planned to make homemade pizza and enjoy some team bounding activities.  Cal came home last night and today asked Doug if we could got to Buffalo Wild Wings with he and HM.  We enjoyed  listening about his first couple of weeks of summer school and had time to check in with Hannah-Marie about her long jump season ending hamstring injury.  She handled it very well and we quickly moved on to talking about her summer plans and thoughts on starting IU in the fall.  It was a wonderful night for all and a great way to kick off the weekend.

A Tough End to A Great Season

Tonight Meg's team faced Northwood in the sectional opener.  They hadn't played Northwood all year, but I knew from the articles I had read that they were a team that we could compete with.  Their doubles teams were weaker than their singles and Meg had been playing well at #2 singles.  Once we arrived, however, I realized that it would be a tall order.  One of the Bruins' varsity players returned to the injured list and Bethany had to replace her with a JV teammate.  Northwood also changed its singles line up, so Meg was no longer playing their number two.  Instead she faced an opponent that had spent the majority of the year at number one with a winning record.  Meg's team played their best, but in the end found themselves on the losing side of a 4-1 score.  Meg was disappointed, but realized that she had had a fantastic debut season at Bethany.  She had finished 14-1 in the regular season and had helped the girls to a 10-5 record overall.  Tonight's disappointment was the only one in which the girls lost more than three courts as all of the other losses were 2-3.  The girls had nothing to hang their heads about.  I was happy to hear that they were already planning their end of the year pizza party at their coach's house.

After Meg's match Doug, my parents and I headed to Bethany for Cam's end of the year band concert.  We were impressed with how well they sounded.  Everyone's favorite including Cam's was the "Snakes" song which included a great deal of improvisation.  As an added bonus this evening the band joined the orchestra for their closing sound.  It was the first time that we had heard them play with the strings and they sounded fantastic.  Cam already signed up to be in the band again next year and we couldn't be happier about that.  Their concerts just keep getting better and better with age.

Cannot Wait

As the end of the year inches closer I realize that I just can't wait for school to be done.  The days seem to drag on and on.  It reminds me of when I graduated from high school.  It is not that I hate it, but I am ready to move on.  I have so many projects in my head that I want to get started on, but have to wait until I have the time and energy to devote to them.  Doug said that he felt the same way as his last couple of days at Renegade neared.  I know I can make it two more weeks.  I just have to take it one day at a time.  Summer will be here before I know it.  I will definitely be ready for it!

Lots of Activity

Tonight was the choir concert for middle school at Bethany.  Cam started off with the Agape Bell Ringers.  They were a smaller group than in years past, but they sounded fantastic.  I was very proud of him for committing to this activity once again.  I know that it has been hard getting up early three days a week for the 7 a.m. call time, but what a wonderful experience he has had.  Hoping he continues next year as well.  After the bells each grade featured their choir.  All performed very well.  Cam was happy with the seventh grade portion and felt they improved greatly from the winter.  I enjoyed hearing one of my favorite songs from Wicked, "Defying Gravity."

Meg missed the concert to go to senior night for the boys' baseball team at Bethany.  Afterwards she and a group of juniors went to Buffalo Wild Wings.  Meg said that it was a lot of fun and even had time to stop for ice cream at The Chief with Liam before heading home.  It was fun listening to her talk before she went to bed.  My favorite part was when she told me what Grace said to her:  "Meg, I don't even remember Bethany before you came there."

Since Meg was busy with her friends and my Dad had a council meeting, my Mom and I were the only ones who could attend Cam's performance.  Doug had his first board meeting at Champion this evening in Miami.  I videotaped the performance for him, so that he could watch it when he returns.  I  was able to talk to him later in the evening and was happy to hear that everything had gone exceptionally well.  The hotel was luxurious and the board was welcoming.  He couldn't have asked for a better start.

End to a Fantastic Season

Tonight was Meg's last match of the regular season.  The girls played at Jimtown and it was a hot one.  Doug and I were able to both be at her match.  Meg started off strong winning the first two games, but her opponent got some great advice from her coach and everything start to turn.  Meg rallied, won some key points and served well.  Unfortunately, she couldn't close her out and ended up losing both sets 6-2, 6-2.

Meg was frustrated and disappointed.  She felt that the Jimtown player was the best that she had played this year.  Her coaches believed that the girl was beatable.  Either way Doug and I were extremely proud of her.  She played well this year, finished with a fantastic record, helped her teammates to some key wins and had fun along the way.  We couldn't ask for a better debut to her high school tennis career at Bethany.

Mother's Day

Today we decided to celebrate Mother's Day by going to tulip time in Holland, Michigan.  We had talked about attending the event since the first time we had visited Windmill Island years ago.  I had read that it would be packed and it definitely was.  We arrived around 10:30 and there was already a line to get in.  Since we had toured the Windmill not long ago, we spent our time walking through  the flower beds instead.  There were some beautiful colors, and many types of flowers that I had never seen before.  Both Doug and I thought that there would be more tulips, but other than that it was beautiful to see the springtime flowers in bloom.

After Windmill Island we ventured to downtown Holland.  Doug's favorite place to eat on our previous trips was New Holland Brewery.  We were glad that he suggested putting our name in early as the wait time was only ten minutes.  When we left the line was well out the door.  Lunch was delicious and everyone enjoyed the pepperoni pinwheels once again.  We walked up and down main street after we ate.  We were surprised at how many shops were closed.  We did find a few stores open, but decided that we were ready to head to Saugatuck.

Of all of the places that we have visited in Michigan, Saugatuck has remained my favorite.  It's located on the Kalamazoo River and is packed with quaint shops.  While shopping Doug was able to try wine at Fenn Valley Winery and Cam and Meg both found clothes at Glik's.  We also bought Cal's birthday gifts and presents for Grandma Jane for Mother's Day.  It was a lot of fun and we stopped to get dessert at Kilwin's before we left.  Doug wanted to try the Eccentric Brew in Kalamazoo for dinner.  He really liked it and we were glad that we had time to try it before making the trip home.

We stopped by Mom's on the way home.  She enjoyed her gifts.  I loved the solar cow yard decoration they gave me.  Doug, Meg and Cam also decided that I was in need of more items for the backyard as they got me a fountain and a birdhouse.  They were perfect gifts for me and I look forward to putting them to good use.  Brett and Cal couldn't be with us today, but they both sent very nice sentiments to me throughout the day.  It was a wonderful Mother's Day to say the least and I felt incredibly blessed.

A Rain Out

Cam was scheduled to play at Northridge in a middle school tennis tournament today.  He was excited to be a part of the team and was looking forward to playing.  Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate and the tournament was canceled last night.  We understood why as it stormed all morning long, but were bummed not to see him play.  I missed his match Tuesday when I was at Tippy Valley watching Meg extend her winning streak to 14-0.  Cam was understanding about me going to Meg's, but I hoped to be there today.  Meg's next match conflicts with his at Goshen Monday.  My parents said that they would be available to support him while Doug and I go to Jimtown.  The one nice part of them being four years apart will be in high school.  There will not be any conflicts when he plays tennis or golf.

We took advantage of the downtime to get some work done around the house.  Meg and Cam both were able to finish some weekly cleaning and change the guinea pigs.  I transferred all of the important saved emails on my school account to my home gmail.  I also finished grading for the week and did laundry.  It was the first time in quite awhile that I felt caught up.  Doug used his time to get the mowing done and a couple of other projects as well.

Meg and Liam hung out here for awhile this evening and then went to Steak N Shake for dinner.  She had homework to finish so he headed home around 9 p.m.  Cam played nine holes of golf before it started raining again.  He was pleased with his 45.  We heard from Brett and Cal.  They both were happy with their weekend plans.  It was a quiet Saturday and a nice break from the busy work week.

"Back in the Swamp"

Brett was out the door at 3:30 a.m. this morning.  He caught the 4 o'clock bus to the Indianapolis airport.  I had gotten up early to call him just to make sure that he was awake.  I knew that he would be, but thought it wouldn't hurt.  The bus was actually packed which surprised both he and I.  Thus, we were glad that he had ordered his ticket earlier in the week.  The bus arrived plenty early fro his 7 a.m. flight to Baltimore.  The only problem Brett ran into was finding the baggage check-in.  He quickly remedied that and after he dropped off his bags he headed to his gate.  When I talked to him at 6:15 he said that he was "elated" to be returning to Washington.

Brett texted around 8:30 a.m. to let me know that he had landed safely.  I didn't get to talk to him again until later in the afternoon.  By then he had taken the train from Baltimore to D.C., checked in at Washington Intern Student Housing (WISH), took an Uber to his new apartment, unpacked and was at Union Station doing some window shopping.  He said that it was almost surreal being back on Capitol Hill.

Later in the evening he texted me from one of Doug's favorite dinner spots - We, The Pizza.  From there he headed back to his apartment and finally met his roommate.  Brett was happy to find out that he was interning for a senator.  They should have a lot to talk about and we can't wait to hear all about his upcoming adventures.

A New Start

Doug started his new position as CFO at Champion medical devices today.  I thought about him all day and was relieved when he texted after lunch to let me know that all was well.  I had also been afraid that he would be bored.  Doug was used to having so much to do at Renegade that he would text me weekly the Veggie Tales song quoting the line that "he was shockingly busy" and would call me later.  I was glad to hear that he already had plenty to do and was able to get started right away.  As the CFO he became a member of their board of directors when he was hired.  Tonight he was already looking at spreadsheets to prepare for his first meeting with the equity firm on Tuesday in Miami .

It was interesting to hear all about his first day in his new position.  The next three weeks will be busy ones with the end of the school year for Cam and Meg, Brett's travel to D.C., Cal's summer school classes and all that I need to do to walk out of my classroom on May 31st.  Glad that Doug was able to get the ball rolling with an wonderful start to his new position.

A Quick Trip

This morning Doug and I headed to Bloomington to meet Brett.  We wanted to make sure that he had everything that he needed for his trip to DC on Friday.  It wasn't all business, however, as we first stopped at Oliver Winery.  Brett took an Uber there so that he could do some wine tasting with Doug. They tried several different ones and then purchased a few to take home.  Brett spent a lot of time talking about his recent semester.  He was proud of how hard he had worked and so were we.  He still had one grade left to come in.  He was pretty sure that he knew what it would be, but was ready for it to be finalized.

After the winery we drove to Brett's to go through the items we packed on Sunday.  Brett and I had made a list of items that he still would need and we added those to his bags.  He should be able to fit everything in his luggage with a little room to spare.  Cal had class this morning, but was able to meet us by 12:30.  He's only had two days of classes, but he liked what he was taking and was enjoying the laid back pace of Bloomington in the summer.

Brett needed one of his sports jackets that was at Cal's and was hoping to borrow a couple of ties.  We had brought down a dresser for Cal, so we all decided that our next stop would be his house.  We found the jacket and a couple of ties.  Doug and Cal took in the dresser.  Jayce arrived while we were there and agreed to join us for lunch.  Cal wanted a salad, so we decided to go to Upland's Brewery.  Normally, the wait would be an hour or more, but early afternoon on a Wednesday was the perfect time to go as we were seated right away.  Doug and I enjoyed visiting with all three boys.  We were impressed with the goals that had set and their successes so far.  Cal and Jayce will be moving to a new house in August, but seem to be well situated right now.

After lunch we dropped Jayce back at their house.  Cal, Brett, Doug and I headed to the mall.  We made several stops.  Cal tried hard to talk me into a dog, but I was definitely not ready for that commitment.  Cal went to his second class around 3 p.m.  We were able to drop him off at the Business school.  We spent another half an hour or so helping Brett before heading back home.  It wasn't a long trip, but it was wonderful to spend the day together visiting the boys.

Last Day

Today was Doug's last day at Renegade RV.  Although he had worked at Group Dekko more years than he had at Renegade, it felt strange knowing that he would no longer be there.  With month end and training a new controller Doug said that he hadn't had much time to think about leaving.  Yesterday they had a luncheon for him and he was able to say goodbye to everyone.  They were sad to see him go, but happy for his new opportunity.  Today he spent the afternoon cleaning out his office.  Tomorrow he has taken the day off to get ready for his new adventure on Thursday.  We are all excited for him and confident that he will do well.

A Short Break

Brett spent the morning reading, resting and searching the internet for political polls.  He was up early to take Cameron to school for us.  Meg had the SAT and wanted to leave at 7:20.  With late start Cam appreciated going in with Brett at 8 instead.  Cal's first stop of the day was the doctor's office.  He needed his third and final MMB vaccination.  It wasn't top on his to-do list while he was home, but he did say that it was better than finals.  After his shot he and Dad played golf at Maxwelton.  It was a close match with Grandpa Cutes winning by one in the end.

After golf they picked up Brett and Grandma for lunch at Ponderosa.  It wasn't Golden Corral, but definitely worth trying.  Everyone had fun visiting and with the boys home my parents weren't rushed to set up the voting polls for tomorrow.  Brett and Cal waited until Cam and I got home at 4 p.m. to leave.  I really appreciated that.  We doubled checked that they had everything and went over plans for Wednesday.  The boys' had gotten several of their grades back from last week and were pleased with the results.  Tomorrow Cal starts summer school and Friday Brett leaves for Washington D.C.  It may have been a short visit home, but a wonderful one for all.

Family Day

Today was a great day to hang out with the Heinisch family.  Meg came home around 9:30 from Jackie's.  Cal helped at HM's with a fence and then they spent the rest of the day here.  Brett, Doug and I arranged his items for Washington D.C. and made a list of everything else he will need to pack. We got a really good start on it.

After lunch Brett, Meg, Cam and I went with my parents to see The Rat Pack at Amish Acres.  Aunt Jan and her family were there as well.  They had an extra ticket which worked out very well since we needed one for Brett.  Meg and I sat with them and enjoyed watching Joshua "dance" along to the music.  Brett and Cam wanted to try the balcony since we hadn't gotten seats there in a very long time. My parents decided to sit there as well.  The musical was weaker than I expected, but enjoyable.  Meg and I were excited to hear that Copa Cabana and Mama Mia would be at Amish Acres this summer.

Doug made dinner for everyone tonight.  Cal, HM, Cam, Brett and I all played "Don't Have a Cow, Man."  It had been a long time since we had gotten the game out.  It was a lot of fun.  After dinner Meg and HM spent time catching up before Cal opened his birthday gift from Brett.  Everyone loved it - a Darth Vader waffle maker.  The rest of the evening was a quiet one as we were all exhausted from a fun family weekend.  What a wonderful one it was.

Home

The boys arrived late last night.  I tried to stay up until they got home, but I just couldn't do it.  Brett said he was tired as well.  He didn't bring in anything except his charger and headed straight to bed.  I was up early and was greeted with a lot of laundry.  Thankfully, I was well rested as that was the most laundry I have ever witnessed Brett bring home.  Cal kept it to all that would fit in his laundry basket.  I didn't mind washing either of theirs and with Brett packing for D.C. it worked out well.

Both boys were glad to be home and ecstatic to be done with the school year.  Each expected their grades to be higher than last semester and both were happy to take a break from studying.  Brett spent his day playing with Cam on the Wii, reading and relaxing.  Cal talked to Doug and I for awhile before HM arrived.  They spent the rest of the afternoon at her house.  She had pulled her hamstring in her meet today and needed to rest.  We were all concerned when we heard that as we were hoping for a repeat trip to the state meet in June.

Meg spent her afternoon studying and then left for a birthday party in Goshen.  From there she went to Jackie's to help her cook dinner for Beck.  Cam and my Dad couldn't get onto Maxwelton today, so they played nine at Wawasee.  They had fun together.  Brett and I went shopping at Target.  He needed several new pairs of shorts along with a couple of items for D.C.  The Chief opened this weekend, so we made a stop there on the way home as well.

Doug was able to get outside a lot today.  He mowed the front, set up the birdbath and helped me plant some wavy petunias.  He cooked hamburgers on the grilled for dinner along with spicy hotdogs and Hawaiian brats.  Everything was delicious.  After that Cam and I won a heated match of corn hole. My parents came over later in the evening to play cards with the boys.  Doug sat out so he could work and I kept plugging away at the laundry.  By the end of the night I was pretty sure that I would be able to finish it all before Brett and Cal head back to Bloomington!!

A Tense Match

Tonight Meg had a match with Westview.  It almost didn't happen as Westview had a make-up match with a conference team and was going to cancel on Bethany.  They did finally agree to play it after their one with Prairie Heights, which meant that the girls wouldn't get onto the court until at least 6 p.m.  The upside to playing so late was that Doug could come home and get me, so we could ride together.  Cam had had an open court after school.  He didn't want to go to the match.  Since we weren't going to Bloomington afterward, he did not have to.  

We left at 5:30 wondering if the match would even be played.  Westview did not have lights, so if it ran late they would have to take it up another night.  By the time we got there, however, Meg was on the court warming up.  We called and let my parents know so they could head to Topeka as well.  Meg's match started out a tense one.  The girls were of even talent and the first seven games brought long rallies and a lot of nice points.  At 3-4 with Meg serving she hit a winner to give herself the advantage in a game of multiple deuce scores.  Everyone was shocked when the Westview player called the ball out.  It was in by at least four inches and was easily seen by all of those in attendance.  No one said anything, but Meg looked at us and then at her opponent and said that she disagreed with the call.  The girl told her that she was "pretty sure" that it was in.  Meg knew at that point she would win the argument.  This had been the fourth bad call that Westview had called and fortunately it was the last.  Meg pointed out where her ball hit and the girl gave her the point.  Not one parent or fan watching disagreed with Meg. 

From that point on both of Meg's coaches watched the lines.  As the other courts matches were ending at the beginning of Meg's first set, she soon had the largest crowd of the season cheering her on.  Either the crowd or the blown call rattled Meg's opponent and Meg went on to win nine out of the next ten games moving her to 12-0 on the season.  Not only was it a great second set.  She hit the best shot of the night on the last point to end the match.  She started jumping up and down while everyone cheered from the sideline.  

Meg thanked everyone for coming and then happily headed off with her team.  Doug and I stopped for dinner at 41 Degrees North in downtown Middlebury.  It reminded us both of Hunter's in Nappanee.  It was great to relax and talk about the success that the Heinisch children have found this past month.  Between IU and Bethany they have all thrived academically and in their extracurriculars as well. It has been a lot of work for them and support from us, but well worth the time and effort.

A Change in Plans

Cal called Doug several times over the past few days.  He was unsure that it would still work to take I-Core in the summer.  He felt that he wouldn't have classes to take next Spring as he would finish his undergrad portion at Kelley in December.  The graduate classes that he would need to start with were only offered in the fall.  Thus, he decided to meet with a counselor and come up with a plan that would include dual majoring in accounting and analytics.  He would also move I-Core to the fall.

We found out at three that he would be able to do both.  Thus, Cal changed his scheduled and at the same time changed his mind about coming home this weekend.  Originally he was going to stay in Bloomington since we would all be there.  Knowing that it would be challenging for him to make the trip later in the month we thought it was good for him to come home as well.  Since Brett had originally talked about being here this weekend it worked out perfectly for both.  Brett had finished his first year of grad school today at 2 p.m. and Cal would be done with finals tomorrow night.  That would give Brett time to do some cleaning and shopping before meeting up with Cal.  The only downside of the plan was how much laundry they expected to being with them.

Cam's Turn

Last night while I was at Meg's match, Doug and my parents were watching Cam at his.  It was originally scheduled to be played at Northridge, but due to a conflict with the girls' team they moved it to Bethany.  Cam started the match at number two doubles with Briese.  They played a very competitive team and were happy to take the victory at 6-3.  Cam waited quite awhile to see if he would play in a second match.  Towards the end of the evening, he finally got the call.  He was paired with his classmate, Julia.  Cam said that the match was closer than the score 6-0, and he was glad to have gotten to play again and was proud of his two victories.

11-0

Last night Meg had a match against Triton.  They came into Bethany undefeated.  Meg knew several of their players from the Warsaw Racquet Club.  She knew they were decent players, but she felt good about her chances with their number two singles player.  Meg played very well and made short work of her opponent.  As number one singles and doubles had both lost and number two doubles won, the match came down to the number three singles players.  It originally looked as though it would be over quickly, but the Bethany player rallied to make it a close second set.  As the day was a beautiful one I decided to stay and watch for awhile. The girls rallied back and forth and in the end Meg's teammate tied the sets at one a piece sending it into a third set.  At that point I decided not to stay.  It was close to seven and I was tired from my field trip.  Meg arrived home about an hour after I did, happy to announce that the Bruins won, giving Triton their first loss.  We were impressed.

Tonight's match was entirely different than last night's.  It was at Lakeland and I arrived just ahead of the bus.  Meg came over as soon as she got off.  She looked like she felt terrible.  She said that the bus ride over made her sick.  The heat didn't help matters.  She had taken Ibuprofen before they left Bethany, but it didn't help much.  I gave her Tylenol and she went out to practice with her team.

Since the bus was late the match didn't start until well past 5 p.m.  It was extremely windy when they started and I wondered how it would affect the match.  It didn't take long to find out.  The ball was blown all over the court tonight.  Drop shots that would normally fall in hit the net.  Serves that looked good to start sailed long.  The wind seemed to change Meg's shots, but didn't affect her mental game.  Her opponent, on the other hand, struggled to stay positive.  She became extremely frustrated and it showed on her face and in her body language.  Meg easily won the first 4 games.

At some point in the fifth game, the heat and physical exhaustion of playing seven games in nine days caught up with Meg.  She struggled to see and started to show wear.  Before too long the match that looked like a blow out became an intense showdown.  Meg asked me to find her coach.  Both of them came over to talk to her and I noticed that Meg had tears in her eyes.  They said that she couldn't shaker her headache and it was making it hard for her to focus on the ball.  I ran and got her one more Ibuprofen and a Cliff Bar.  She only took the food and headed back out.  The break was what Meg needed and she finished her opponent off quickly winning the first set 6-4.  The second set saw Meg take a quick lead again.  She wavered a little, but once her teammates came by to cheer her on, Meg was able to regroup and finish with a 6-3 victory in the second.  Not only did the win give her team a 3-2 victory bumping them to an 8-3 record, it also put Meg's individual record at 11-0.  What an awesome achievement!