A Busy Day for All

Cam and I left early this morning for Meadow Valley.  His golf coach had invited him to walk along at sectionals and he wanted to be there for their 8 a.m. tee time.  He reported their scores several times throughout the day, happy to report that Bethany finished ninth out of the twelve teams in the field.  That was higher than we expected.  We were also pleased to hear that Goshen finished third qualifying them for next weeks regionals.  Our family friend, Brent Randall, was their coach and we had hoped that they would play well.

While Cam was busy, I walked, picked up Meg and packed several more items in the van.  Brett’s new apartment had room for his table and thankfully Mom had two more dining room chairs for him to use.  We also fit in two more outside patio chairs as well.  Next trip down we hope to take the dressers for the sleigh bed as well.  Tonight Meg had plans to hang out with Sarah.  Grandma let her borrow her car so she could also take Cameron out on his very first date with Bailey.  They met at JoJo’s, walked to The Chief and ended the night at the Electric Brew.  Meg and Sarah checked in on them several times which I’m sure he appreciated =}

Doug and I left at 12:30 for Bloomington.  We had talked to Brett several times.  He had arrived at Woodbridge first thing in the morning, picked up his keys, did a walk though of his new place and moved in the first load from his car.  He still had quite a bit to do when we arrived at 4:30, so I was glad that we were able to help.  In all we moved and unpacked for almost five straight hours.  The biggest challenge was moving the couch.  I was impressed that Brett and Doug  got it up the stairs, around the corner and through the small entry way.  We were excited that his new apartment was extremely clean and very spacious.  There was plenty of room for everything and a lot of storage left over.  We celebrated our successful night with dinner at Big Woods.  We were all exhausted but happy.  All that was left for tomorrow was some cleaning to do in the old place and a few items to buy at the store.  

More of the Same

Our morning and afternoon were much the same as yesterday with thank you notes, placement tests, and golf practice on the agenda.  The only difference was Cameron’s practice time at Meadow Valley changed due to the heavy rain we received last night.  He rode over with the coach, which I appreciated. By the time we got to his house, the sun was out and this morning’s storm was long gone.   I did pick him up at the golf course, so he could eat before trying open gym.  The  basketball coaches had tried several times to talk him into being a part of the high school team.  He finally decided to see what it was all about.  He liked the coaches and playres and had fun, but decided that it was more of a commitment than he wanted.

Once I dropped Cam off, I continued my trek around northern Indiana by picking up Meg to take her to Jackie’s.  We first stopped at Bethany so Doug and I could switch cars.  He wanted to pack for our trip to Brett’s tomorrow.  It was longer to Jackie’s than I remembered, but I was glad to take Meg.  They had reconnected after graduation and she was really excited to spend the night.  Normally, I would have just given Meg the van, but the sleigh bed wouldn’t fit in the Pilot, so we needed it for tomorrow.  By the time I got home, Doug had the van packed.  He was nervous about getting the head board in the back, but it was actually the box spring that was the hardest.  Thankfully, Cam was able to help him before he headed to Chubbie’s with Grandma and Grandpa for $2 hamburger night.

IU and Thank Yous

Today Meg started on her commitments for New Student Orientation at IU.  With her busy schedule in May she hadn't had time to really even look at her to-do list.  The only two items that she had completed were the requirements for her immunizations and the submission of her photo for her student id.  After lunch she decided to start with the math placement test.  It took her almost two hours.  She felt that she did pretty well on it especially since she had not taken a challenging math class in over a year.  Meg also started her thank you notes and already had her five done before dinner time.  She was happy to have gotten so much done today.  She even finished early enough to have time to paint as well.

While Meg was busy at home, Cam was enjoying his day at Meadow Valley Golf Course in Middlebury.  He was invited to practice with the high school team as they prepared for sectionals this week.  He shot forty-six, which wasn't terrible.  He was happier with his round at Maxwelton later in the evening as he finished with an eighty-one.  Glad that the weather cooperated today.

More of the Same

Our morning and afternoon were much the same as yesterday with thank you notes, placement tests, and golf practice on the agenda.  The only difference was Cameron’s practice time at Meadow Valley changed due to the heavy rain we received last night.  He rode over with the coach, which I appreciated. By the time we got to his house, the sun was out and this morning’s storm was long gone.   I did pick him up at the golf course, so he could eat before trying open gym.  The  basketball coaches had tried several times to talk him into being a part of the high school team.  He finally decided to see what it was all about.  He liked the coaches and playres and had fun, but decided that it was more of a commitment than he wanted.

Once I dropped Cam off, I continued my trek around northern Indiana by picking up Meg to take her to Jackie’s.  We first stopped at Bethany so Doug and I could switch cars.  He wanted to pack for our trip to Brett’s tomorrow.  It was longer to Jackie’s than I remembered, but I was glad to take Meg.  They had reconnected after graduation and she was really excited to spend the night.  Normally, I would have just given Meg the van, but the sleigh bed wouldn’t fit in the Pilot, so we needed it for tomorrow.  By the time I got home, Doug had the van packed.  He was nervous about getting the head board in the back, but it was actually the box spring that was the hardest.  Thankfully, Cam was able to help him before he headed to Chubbie’s with Grandma and Grandpa for $2 hamburger night.

Busy Once Again

Cam had to have a sports physical before he could participate in summer workouts at Bethany.   As he couldn't attend Bethany's physical night in April because of a conflicting golf match, we had to get him in this morning to be eligible.  It looked like for awhile that Meg would have to take his slot as she needed her immunization record updated for IU before she could attend New Student Orientation on June 10th.  As Dr. Freeze was going to be on vacation starting tomorrow, I was a little stressed trying to figure out how we were going to pull off both necessities.  Thankfully, the nurses were extremely helpful and they got Meg's forms filled out with out a doctor visit.  Thus, Cam spent his morning getting his physical completed.  By the time we walked out of the door at 12:15 with a copy of his forms in hand, I finally felt relieved.

The afternoon was spent getting ready for Cam's golf match.  Bethany was supposed to play Goshen and Bremen at Maplecrest, but due to the extensive rain showers these past few days, the match had to be moved to Black Squirrel.  My parents and I were all able to follow Cam.  He was happy with the 43 that he shot especially since he had not played as much as he wanted to recently due to the weather.  My parents drove him home so that I could attend the high school spring sports awards at Bethany.  I'm not much of an awards person, but was glad to be able to support Meg as she earned the senior sports academic certificate.  Doug missed the golf match as he had a church meeting, but was able to be at Meg's event.  Afterward we relaxed with dinner at the Frog.  With the summer crowd and a change of servers, we weren't sure that we would continue our weekly date night at this restaurant.  It seemed to be a better fit several months ago.  Either way it was nice to spend time with him reflecting on our busy month of May.

A Quiet Memorial Day

As we were up late last night, both Doug and I slept in this morning.  My Mom came up this morning to help us clean up from yesterday's open house.  We had put all of the food away before we went to bed, but that was about it.  It had been a wonderful celebration, but exhausting as well.  We appreciated my Mom helping last night and this morning.  All the three of us could talk about was how awesome it was to see the amount of support that Meg had received.  We were also impressed with all of the food that was eaten.  Doug thought that we had way too many chicken wings when we first started, but there weren't many left in the end.  All of the meatballs were gone as was the queso dip. The biggest surprise was how much cake was eaten.  We had ordered two and figured we'd have at least one left, but there were really only a few pieces to set out for lunch  today.  We were happy to hear that Meg's friends gave her positive reviews about the food as well.  

Meg opened her gifts and cards today.  She had received a lot of towels and laundry items which she was thankful to have.  We loved the ones that Mrs. Horsmon gave her as she had embroidered Meg's name on them.  She also received a blanket and school supplies which will be much appreciated this fall.  Meg did receive a lot of financial support as well, which she will use to purchase a computer and other items for her dorm.  Once she opened her gifts and cards and ate lunch, she headed over to Nick's.  They had two more open houses to go to today.  They made it to Grace's, but unfortunately, had to miss the last one due to tornado warnings.  

Cam played golf this afternoon.  Brett and Cal left after lunch.  It was a quiet day for Doug and I, but after all of the work it took to get ready for yesterday, we were more than alright with that.  The only real excitement was when we had to hide out in the basement until the storms passed this evening.  Thankfully, we had Cam and ping pong to keep us entertained.  

High School Graduate #3

Today was a wonderful celebration of Meg's school years.  With all of the rain predicted over the past two days we were thrilled when the skies cleared in time for her graduation at 3 p.m.  Bethany did a nice job honoring the seniors and incorporating faith in the hour long ceremony.  Meg appreciated the words of one of her favorite teachers, Dale, as he was chosen by the seniors to give the commencement speech.  We were all impressed with Brody's hymn selection and his direction of the choir as well as those in attendance.  The decorations were beautiful and we were pleased to learn that Meg was one of only seven in her class to graduate Summa Cum Laude.  

As soon as the seniors were released the five of us met Meg in the courtyard for pictures.  My parents, Carl, Marina, Dan, Phil and Jeannette all joined us.  Meg looked beautiful in blue and we were all extremely proud of her.  She stayed behind to take pictures with her friends while the rest of us headed back to our house to put the finishing touches on her open house.  With the threat of rain we had set up the tables in the garage.  Thankfully, Doug was able to quickly move them into our backyard while Cam set up corn hole and lasso golf.  Brett worked on the slideshow as I put the last minute touches on the decorations and got the cakes ready.  Cal went with Grandma and Grandpa to help them with the fruit and vegetables trays.  It took some work, but we were all ready when the guests started arriving at 5:30.

                               

                             
                               

We were absolutely impressed with the amount of support that Meg received at her party.  Friends and family showed up early and stayed late.  There was a receiving line that never stopped.  Doug, Meg and I did our best to spend time with all of her guests, showing them pictures, listening to stories of her childhood, and offering food.  The Bethany community was extremely supportive, coming in large groups to wish Meg well.  The Montavons and Eagans were both able to attend, which we truly appreciated as we hadn't seen either family in quite some time.  Several of our friends and family members were the first to arrive and the last to leave.  Although the party was still going strong late in the evening, Meg and Nick did finally excuse themselves to go to Rachel's.  Her open house ended at nine with a seniors bonfire to follow.  No one seemed to mind and we had plenty of company to visit with well into the night.  As Doug and I reflected on the day hours later, we were just so happy that it had all gone so incredibly well.  It had been everything that we had hoped it would be.  Transferring to Bethany was a tough decision for Meg, but today was just one more reminder of why it was the best decision for her.  

                         

Open House Galore

Last night Meg and Nick went to their first open house of the graduation season.  As it was the only one on their agenda, they decided afterward to go to see the movie Aladdin.  They both enjoyed it, especially Will Smith as the genie.  Today was completely different as Meg devoted the entire day to visiting her friends' parties as well as being a central figure at Nick's open house.   By the end of the day, they had been to eleven different open houses.  Thankfully the last one was Aaron's so she and Nick were close to home and could join us for dinner afterward.

Our day was different than Meg's as we spent the majority of it decorating, making food and getting ready for her open house tomorrow.  By the time we left for Nick's I felt really good about it all.  The house looked great, food that could be prepared ahead of time was done and the decorations were all hung.  We enjoyed the Chief ice cream at Nick's and looking at his pictures over the years.  When we got back home, Dan and Phil were waiting on us.  Cal had come home earlier, but was at HM's when they arrived.  It was fun to have them here and was a nice distraction from the stress of getting ready for graduation.  Brett, my parents, and Carl and Marina all arrived a little later and the rest of the early evening was spent playing corn hole, catching up, and eating a wonderful dinner that Doug prepared.  My Mom brought up her famous butterscotch dessert to share during the final game of the Raptors v. Bucks series.  Dan entertained those of us not interested in the ball game.  We couldn't have had a better night here in the Heinisch home.

It's a Wrap!

And just like that the Heinisch family is done with middle school and high school for all but one.  Cam was probably more sad than Meg to see the school year end.  Eighth grade was everything he wanted it to be and the thought of moving on wasn't as exciting for him as it was for Meg.  She loved her time at Bethany, but was ready for a new adventure.  The only part that was bittersweet for her was the thought of graduating without Shawn.  She talked about him many times over the past few weeks.  He had been extremely excited last year during this time period, taking pictures and giving his thoughts on the upcoming 2019 ceremony.  When Meg sent me the picture that Eric took of them during ceramics class earlier in the year, I did tear up.  As sad as Meg was about graduating without him, I knew his family had to be absolutely deviated with the thought of it all.  In thinking about that I completely loved the senior quote that Meg picked out.  It wasn't a reflection of her time in high school, but her thoughts on leaving those memories behind without her first friend at Bethany by her side.  Just one of the many reasons that today of all days I was so glad that she transferred.  If she hadn't had, she never would have know that great big smile that greeted her every morning.  His enthusiasm for life could only be matched by hers and without it the last three months of high school just weren't the same.  Cheers to her on her last day of high school!

8th Grade Recognition

It's been a busy last week of middle school for Cameron.  Monday night he had his last tennis match of the season. Bethany played Bremen.  It wasn't too challenging for Cam, but he was happy to end with a win. On Tuesday night he traveled with the golf team to Heron Creek for a practice match.  The course was challenging, but he really enjoyed it and was happy to announce that his threesome won.

As much fun as those evening events were, tonight's was his favorite as the 8th grade were recognized for their individual talents at their year end celebration.  Cam's band teacher, Aaron, talked about him highlighting Cam's academic success, leadership and love of anything IU, including his pinstripe suit.  Avery and Mara also spoke about each of the eighth graders with Cam being recognized for his intelligence and sense of humor (or lack thereof.). Mara even got him on his favorite joke - "Nevermind."  The evening concluded with the students receiving an eighth grade diploma, cake in the cafeteria and hundreds of pictures in the courtyard.  It was a lot of fun to watch Cam enjoying himself.  He said several times on the way home that he was nervous for high school, mostly because eighth grade was a blast and he wasn't sure that his freshmen year would live up to his expectations.  I understand how he feels, but I know he will have just as much fun in high school.  He's got an awesome group of friends, tennis, golf and challenging classes to look forward to with great teachers and coaches at the helm.

Eleven Hours of Cleaning

I started cleaning this morning as soon as I got back from dropping Cam and Meg off at school.   I only took a break when I had to pick Cam up and take him to New Paris for golf practice.  Thankfully, Dad was available to bring him home for me so I could keep ahead of my to-do list.  I was still going strong when Doug got home at 6 p.m.  He said he was glad to help and I excepted his offer immediately.  We finished close to 8 p.m. with both of us more than ready for a break.  It wasn't just the eleven hours of cleaning from today that did me in, but the days, weeks and months of preparing the house for Meg's graduation this coming weekend.  Although I was completely exhausted tonight, I could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

26 Years - Truly Blessed

Words could never expressed how incredibly blessed that I feel to be a part of Doug's life.  We were married twenty-six years ago today, and although not every day has been a bed of roses, life with Doug has far exceeded any of my expectations when I stood on the alter with him in 1993.  We have learned a lot over the years about each other and about what it takes to make a relationship succeed.  It's been a lot more work than either of us would have dreamed, but well worth it.  I am so incredibly thankful for his commitment to our family.  This month has been extremely stressful with life events such as graduations, recognition nights, senior dinners, board meetings, just to name a few.  It was so much easier to get through it all with Doug's help and support.  He decided a long time ago that the Heinisch family was the #1 priority in his life.  I couldn't ask for anything more.

Thirty years ago I could totally relate to the words that Freddy Mercury sang on stage:

Ooh, each morning I get up I die a little
Can barely stand on my feet
(Take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry (and cry)
Lord, what you're doing to me (yeah yeah)
I have spent all my years in believing you
But I just can't get no relief, Lord!
Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody)
Can anybody find me somebody to love?

So glad that He answered with the "Love of my Life."  

He's Official

He's official, at least in the eyes of the law as Cal turned twenty-one today.  To celebrate he started his internship at Miso Corporation this morning. Although it may not have been how he planned on celebrated the big day, he was happy with it.  His first day/orientation went well, and he was glad to finally be working at something he loved.  In the evening he, Jayce and his friend, Evan, went out to officially celebrate at one of our favorite places in Carmel, Bazbeaux's.   He texted us about it later.  We were thrilled to hear that he was able to order his "first" drink with friends.   He's been waiting for this for quite some time.  Although it has felt to us that he has been twenty-one for quite some time, it is nice to know that the life to the Heinisch family is finally legal.

And He's Off

Cal left today after his two week break from school.  He had had a good visit, but was more than ready to get started on his internship.  He has so much of his dad in him.  He continually likes to be busy and pushes himself to learn especially in the business field just like Doug.  Cal was very happy  about his living arrangements.  He will be housed in a Stay at Home Suites which will include daily breakfast.  He was also excited about the pay.  After so many years of watching Brett work as an unpaid intern it was great to know that he would be supporting himself this summer and saving quite a bit as well.  I did tear up when he left.  I was happy for him, but will definitely miss having him around.  I was thankful for the shopping trips that we took and the Game of Thrones episodes that we watched while he was here.  It made it a lot easier watching him pull out of the driveway knowing that he would be back next weekend for Meg's graduation.  I can't wait to hear all about his new adventure.  I still remember Doug's internship at Amoco in Chicago during his college days.  It was a wonderful learning experience for him.  I am positive that Cal's will be the same.

An Early Celebration

Since Cal will be starting his internship on Monday, we decided to celebrate his 21st birthday early.  Tonight Doug cooked chicken, fish and pork chops on the grill plus made salad and cheese potatoes to go with it.  Cal had asked for apple dumplings which Grandma Jane was happy to make for him along with brownies and strawberry/rhubarb pie.  It was a delicious dinner, which the guys really enjoyed after playing golf together this afternoon.

After dinner Cal opened his gifts which included anchovies, socks and money from Grandma Jane and Grandpa Cutes, dress shorts from Cam, and earbuds from Meg.  I was proud of the Tony Soprano shirt that I had found for him which matched not only the mafia leader's, but also one of Brett's.   Since we couldn't be with Cal on his 21st, Doug decided to give him some Blue Moon and Guinness to  enjoy as well as two old Sports Illustrateds featuring Tiger Woods and the Flying Illini.  He liked all of his gifts and we spent the rest of the evening playing ladder golf, badminton and pool.  We ended the evening watching the NBA playoffs and Game of Thrones, capping off a perfect night for celebrating Cal.  

Senior Recognition

Today was senior recognition for Meg and the rest of her class at Bethany.  As we had not been to an event like this at Bethany before, we weren't quite sure what to expect.  We were pleasantly surprised at how personal it was.  Each senior was recognized by a staff member with the highlights of their  high school career displayed on the big screen in the chapel.  Meg was not only mentioned in her speech, but in several others as well.  It was a wonderful reminder of how well she had adjusted to  the transfer of schools and how much of an impact she had made in her two years as part of Bethany's class of 2019.  It was sad when they spoke about KeShawn, but other than that it was a special ceremony that Mom, Dad, Doug and I were all happy to have attended.  Meg was pleased with how the recognition was handled and was proud of her achievements.  She, Nick, Kevin and Phillip celebrated with dinner at Olive Garden before heading back to Goshen to listen to more senior faith statements.  It was a special day for her and one she will long remember.

Cameron had a fantastic day with his Bethany friends as well.  He and the eighth grade class spent it together in Chicago enjoying some shopping and good food.  I received a video mid-afternoon of he and Avery trying pizza and bacon flavored chocolate outside of Dylan's candy shoppe.  It was quite funny.  When Doug picked Cam up at 8:15 p.m. he had several more stories and videos to share.  His group had spent the majority of the day walking the Magnificent Mile.  Cam not only bought the chocolate, but also spent his money on a water art piece to add to his collection.  He ate lunch at Giordano's but decided on a Stromboli sandwich instead of pizza.  Tonight before he headed downstairs to play Madden with Cal he showed us a video of the seven members in his group emerging from a revolving door.  We were very happy to see that he had had such a fun day.

The Last Serve

Tonight was Meg's last high school tennis match.  The girls had drawn Goshen in the first round of the sectionals.  Meg had beaten her opponent before and we hoped that she would again, but it just wasn't meant to be.  Meg played well; she was focused and stayed steady against a consistent player.  The match was delayed about twenty minutes due to rain, but the break did not alter Meg's game at all.  A point or two was the difference in the match and in the end Meg found herself on the wrong side of a 6-4, 6-4 loss.

Bethany finished 2-3 on the night which knocked them out of the state tourney.  Meg teared up when it was all over, not so much because she lost, but because she was officially done with high school tennis.  It was a sport that she put a lot of time and effort into and we had so much fun watching her play over the past four years.  Of all of the sports that our children have participated in, tennis by far has been my favorite.  The Heinisch children have played hard, rallied when needed and have been animated on the court.  I will miss watching Meg play and in a way I was glad that I had to leave to go to Cam's middle school band concert before she was done.  I know for sure that I would have cried when she walked off the court.  Mr. Voirol once told me that it has to end sometime and rarely does one go out on top.  It definitely ended tonight for Meg, but she fought the good fight and in our minds went out top, leaving it all on court #1.  We couldn't ask for anything more in her last high school match.

They're Home

This afternoon both Doug and Cal arrived from their weekday trips.  Doug was in Phoenix for a board meeting.  He was pleased with how it went and was glad to be back.  He had taken the red eye into Detroit and from there flew to South Bend.  He did get about five hours of sleep, so he headed first to work before home.  I could have never done that as I cannot easily sleep in those type of situations.  I was glad that it worked for him, however, and was happy to have him back in Indiana.

Cal arrived about a half an hour after Doug.  He and Jayce had spent the last two days at Purdue hanging out with Cameron Adams.  He said they had a lot of fun.  I was glad that he chose to make the trip.  There wasn't a lot going on in Syracuse for him and Meg, Cam and I were gone each night with Bethany commitments.  While Cal was gone I watched the first season of Game of Thrones.  We differ a little on the characters, but we were both devastated when our favorite was executed.  I was glad that he talked me into watching it.  It has kept me occupied while I was painting and has give us something to talk about while he's home waiting to start his internship.

A Successful Day for Cameron

Today was a wonderful day for our eighth grader.  First he was recognized as an Indiana Academic All-Star at the Kiwanis Noon meeting in Goshen complete with a luncheon at Maple Crest.  There were five students from Bethany that earned this honor.  In addition to the certificate that they received, Cam and Bailey were also asked to give a speech about their experiences in middle school.  They were the last group to go to the podium and I was completely impressed with what they had to say.  They definitely gave a perfect depiction of life in lower school.  There were well over a hundred people in attendance and I was proud of how well they kept their composure standing in front of the large group.  I was happy to have videotaped it all for Doug to see since he was still in Arizona.

Tonight my parents and I met at Bethany for Cameron's final middle school choir concert.  The eighth graders were last as always and put on a wonderful show.  The boys complained loudly about singing "This is Me" from the Greatest Showman beforehand, but they did a wonderful job with it on stage.  Afterward I took Cam to Culver's to hangout with his friends.  The Bethany tradition had always been to go to Dairy Queen after a performance, but this year more and more families met at Culver's instead.  A lot of the parents went in to be a part of the celebration, but I decided to go through the drive thru and hang out in the church parking lot.  I had work that I wanted to catch up on and it gave me a chance to watch more of Game of Thrones, my new favorite series.

And There He Goes

Doug left this afternoon for Arizona to attend his quarterly board meeting.  It was a great day to go as the weather here was rainy and cold.  He instead arrived to sun and warm temperatures.  Although we hated to see him leave, we have gotten used to it.  Last Friday was his one year anniversary at Champion and his fifth trip since that date.  Preparing for the board meetings has gotten a lot easier in these past twelve months, although the weeks leading up to them have been no less busy.

With Doug gone my parents and I had to split up in order to attend both Cam and Meg's events this evening.  Mom and I watched Meg take on a tough Jimtown opponent tonight.  She ended her regular season with a 2-6, 3-6 loss, but was happy with how she played.  Meg had hoped to meet this same girl again in sectionals, but Bethany drew Goshen in the first round Thursday night.  Therefore, unless both teams make it to the finals this will be their last meeting during Meg's tenure on the Bruins tennis team.  This season hasn't quite been what Meg had wanted with all of the cancellations and unfinished matches.  Overall, however, it has been an extremely positive experience for Meg.

While we were watching Meg's match Grandpa Cutes was walking along with Cameron.  He played extremely well tonight even chipping it in for birdie on the third hole.  He told me later that he putted and hit his irons well.  All last night he let us know that he expected to shoot a 38.  He was very close to that finishing the round with a 40.  We were all impressed.

Mother's Day

From all of the Mother's Day posts today on Facebook and Twitter I realize that our traditions on this holiday are quite different than most.  Although I saw a lot of nice pictures of families taking their mothers and grandmothers to brunch, it did not make me want to change our plans.  Years ago we would have been one of those posts, but over time we stopped our family brunch tradition, not because Doug and the Heinisch children refused to take me out, but more because what I really want most on this day was to stay home.  For me Mother's Day has become the perfect day to plant all of the flowers, mulch and get the yard ready for summer.  This is the perfect gift for me and I appreciate Doug's willingness to make my wishes come true.  By 4:00 p.m. this afternoon our flowers, mulch, yard and potted plants all looked fantastic and we had the rest of the evening to enjoy a wonderful Mother's Day dinner. 

Doug grilled steaks, chicken and fish for all of us.  He also made his cucumber/avocado salad that my Mom really likes.  She and Dad joined us and at 6:30 we all sat down to a delicious meal.  After we ate, Grandma and I opened our gifts. She liked the visor and earrings that we picked out for her and I loved my new shoes and butterfly ring.  Meg also gave me a ring tree.  I had never had one before and thought it was a wonderful idea.  The rest of the evening was spent playing pool and cards.  Meg and Nick watched movies while Cal left early to catch the new episode of the Game of Thrones.  Even though the weather was dreary today, it was still the perfect Mother's Day to me.

A Chilly Morning for Tennis

Cam, Doug and I were up early for tennis this morning.  That was a tall order as we went to bed later than normal last night because of Confirmation.  Although it wasn't my favorite weather day with 50s and wind, the chill did help wake all of us up.  Cam played three matches this morning and although he lost each one of them, he was very proud of his effort today.  He started slow, but rebounded well. We were impressed with his ability to get to the net and enjoyed watching his shot selection.  Overall, we were pleased that he was happy on his way home.  Middle school tennis has been an awesome  learning experience for Cameron.  It has been a lot of fun watching him play these past four years.

As soon as the match was over we drove Cam straight to Goshen to meet Brett.  Brett had delayed his trip back to Bloomington with the hope that Cam would be done in time to watch Detective Pikachu with him.  They made it just in time and really enjoyed watching it together.  I met them in Milford afterward so that I could pick up Cam and Brett could continue his journey home.  It was great having him here for Cam's confirmation.  He has a lot going on right now, so we really appreciated him making the time to celebrate his youngest brother.

The rest of the afternoon was busy but quiet here in the Heinisch home.  Cam rested, wrote his speech for Tuesday and played pool with Cal.  Meg went to Rachel's birthday party and then had Mariah over for the evening.  Cal was here most of the afternoon before eating dinner at Grandma Jane's and then hanging out with his friends for the evening.  Doug and I decided to go ahead and start on the planting even though the weather was pretty chilly for May.  We bought our flowers at Clayton's, mulch at Menards and got a lot done before dinner.  The timing was perfect as the rain started just as we finished.

What a Glorious Day!

This morning Brett and I went to Bethany Christian to hear Meg's faith statement.  We were extremely impressed with her.  She was calm and confident as she spoke about her personal experience of growing up Catholic in a small town of Bible beaters.  She also talked about her ideas of God, suffering and God's will.  She mentioned a quote from Brett that answered so many of her theological questions.  I was very glad that we were able to attend this special speech.  Transferring to Bethany has been a wonderful experience for her and it really showed today.

Tonight we all gathered at Sacred Heart to witness Cameron's confirmation.  It was a nice ceremony with Bishop Rhodes officiating.  Cameron chose Thomas Aquinas as his Saint name which was the perfect choice.  He was the first to embrace science and religion together and was even called the doctor of the church.  Meg was Cameron's sponsor and after her speech today it was also the perfect choice.  After the ceremony we celebrated at Buffalo Wild Wings and then traveled home to open gifts and eat dessert.  It was a wonderful way to honor Cameron's commitment to the Catholic Church.  We were extremely proud of him, and he was happy to hear that eighth graders were excused from religious education on Sunday morning.

 

Senior Night

After several delays and changed dates, Meg was finally honored at her senior night at tennis this evening.  The weather was dreary all day long and rain was predicted for the afternoon, but it held off long enough to start Bethany's match with Westview.  Meg's coach, Tara, let us know that no matter what senior night would follow this evening's contest.  For the first hour or so it actually looked as though the girls would finish the match.  Meg had lost on her court, but she was't disappointed about the loss as she played a very tough opponent.  The other two singles courts faired a little better winning in straight sets.  By 6 p.m. it looked as though Bethany would pull out the win. Both doubles teams won their first set and were up in the second when the clouds opened up and the rain poured down.  The coaches waited, but decided in the end to cancel the match.  The girls were disappointed, but there just wasn't much that could have been done about it.

Senior night was held in the cafeteria following the cancelation.  Unfortunately, Doug couldn't attend as he had county council this evening.  My parents and Cameron were there with me, however.  Tara spoke about Meg first and had wonderful things to say about her as a tennis player and person.  It was very nice to hear.  Rachel and Phillip were honored after Meg and then several girls from the tennis team spoke as well.  It was a special ceremony followed by the lasagna that Doug made and cake for dessert.  The team was still going strong as we cleaned up, celebrating, laughing and having a great time.  It was so much fun to listen to them chattering away.  Meg made it home after I did.  She was still happy with how her evening ended.  It was a fantastic senior night.

Shopping Excursion

Cal and I left this morning for our shopping excursion in South Bend.  We first had to stop at Bethany to drop off cookies for teacher appreciation week.  We made it in and out of Goshen without any issues and were at the University Park Mall by 11 a.m.  Cal wanted to stop at Barnes & Noble first so that he could buy the fourth Game of Thrones book.  He was happy to see that they had it in stock and with all of our discounts, he spent very little on it.

Cal and I talked about going to Kohl's to look for clothes for his internship that starts on the 20th.  We decided instead that since we were already at the mall that we would stop at JC Penney.  We struck gold there finding three shirts and a pair of pants in relatively no time.  The cashier was one of the friendliest women that had ever checked me out.  She not only made lively conversation, but also gave us a 20% discount on top of the sale prices.  We headed next to Hot Topic, Box Lunch and Yankee Candle.  We each found a couple of items that we wanted and then finished our shopping trip at Target.  Cal talked me into buying some spiked water which he said that a lot of friends in Bloomington like.  I thought it'd be fun to try.  With all of our shopping done, we decided on Portillo's for lunch.  Cal ordered the Italian Beef and I got my favorite - a chili, cheese hot dog.  The best part of the day wasn't the shopping or the food; it was actually spending time with Cal.  With all of the craziness in the Heinisch home these past few weeks, I haven't gotten to do as much with him.  Therefore, today was even more special.

What??

Meg called me at 3:35 to let us know that her tennis match with Westview had been cancelled.  I was completely shocked.  It had sprinkled at 2 p.m. but since that time there had been absolutely no precipitation.  The forecast was clear with even some sunshine predicted.  It was extremely disappointing to Meg as it was her senior night.  We had already made the lasagna and salad plus bought the cake.  I was frustrated that none of that was taken into consideration when the match was cancelled.  It would have been a little chilly, but overall it would have been the perfect night for a tennis match.  With this cancellation and doubt of rescheduling, the tennis team would miss two weeks of their season.

Meg made the best of the evening by going to Buffalo Wild Wings with Nick.  Doug and I took advantage of the extra time to stop by the Wawasee art show to see Gabby's art work.  The concentration for her drawings was her father's tour of duty in Afghanistan.  They were very well done and meant a lot to Paula.  Gabby even won Best of Show for one of them.  We were impressed and happy for the Fiscus family.  After the show Doug and I went to the Frog for half price pizza night.  Cal and Cam were grateful for the meat pizza that we brought back for them.  Although still frustrated with the tennis cancellation, we all did make the best of it.

A Nice Day, At Least for a Little While

The first half of today was absolutely beautiful.  Both Cal and I took advantage of it in different ways.  He headed to Wawasee Golf Course to play a round with his friends.  He left his clubs in the Civic in Bloomington, so he borrowed Doug's.  He said they held up pretty well until he had to use his Dad's sand wedge.  It was old and tough to play with causing some challenging shots.  Doug thought that maybe that was the problem with his game all along =).   After golf Cal spent some time cleaning out the truck.  It wasn't his favorite job, but the weather was nice which made it a little better.  The rest of his day was spent playing basketball at the LYC with his high school friends.  He had a lot of fun, but was completely wiped out in the end.

I had been waiting for quite some time to paint the doors in our garage.  I had wanted to do it in March when I painted the inside doors in our home, but the weather just never cooperated.  As soon as I got back from taking Cam to school, I started on my project.  It took me most of the morning and part of the afternoon, but by the time Mom and I left for Meg's match in Bremen I had finished the trim, the inside garage doors and put three coats on the screen door.  It will still need some work tomorrow, but overall I was happy with the progress that I made on such a gorgeous day.

Unfortunately, the evening did not mirror the morning and afternoon.  Meg was four games into the first set of her match at Bremen when their coach called them off the courts for rain.  Meg was completely disappointed as she felt that she had an advantage in the match.  Even more disappointing was the fact that the match could not be made up as next week was sectionals week.  Cam faired better than Meg in his tennis match this evening.  They started earlier and he was able to finish his opponent off 6-4 before the contest was called for rain.  Doug and my Dad were able to attend his event and enjoyed watching him play.  Cam called me on the way home to let me know how happy he was with his strategy tonight.  He and Mr. Miller had talked earlier in the day and went over several scenarios for tonight's match that he could call upon while playing.  He felt that their plans worked well and was very proud of his victory.

First Communion

This morning Doug and I went to Anna's First Communion.  With the craziness of the weekend I was so incredibly happy that we could celebrate this milestone with her.  Their church was a lot different then ours and I enjoyed the statues and stain glassed windows very much.  The ceremony included Evan and Bryce as well as at least six more altar servers.  The only downside to the mass was the amount of crying babies, but we all adjusted well.

After mass we went to the recreation center near Jackie's home for a luncheon.  The food was delicious and Doug and I enjoyed visiting with the Barnhart family.  As we drove home I was overwhelmed thinking about all that we had accomplished in the last three days.  This may have been the busiest Heinisch weekend ever.  It started when we left for Bloomington Thursday night.  From that point on we fixed the Silverado, found Brett an apartment, attended the IU graduate ceremony, took Brett out for a celebration dinner, viewed his hooding ceremony, ate brunch at SPEA, packed Cal up and brought him home, took pictures for Prom, attended First Communion, and watched Cam play in his tennis match.  Thankfully, Mom and Dad were able to help so that Cam and Meg had a place to stay while we were gone and to support Cam at his golf match at Bent Oak yesterday.  It was definitely a weekend to remember.  

From Bloomington to Prom

We started our morning early at the IU auditorium for Brett's hooding ceremony.  It was a wonderful event that we truly enjoyed.  Two of the students who spoke were fantastic and we appreciated listening to the words of their distinguished alumni recipient.  The hooding process was definitely an awesome celebration of the masters students hard word and we took many pictures of Brett earning this honor.  The best part was that it was steamed live on Twitter so my parents could watch it as well.  SPEA held a brunch reception afterward which was a nice way to celebrate the graduates.

After we ate Doug and I met Cal at Brett's apartment.  Brett stayed at the reception a little while longer visiting with his friends, so we said goodbye there.  He also had to return his cap and gown and pick up the Herman B. Wells book that we got him as a graduation gift.  Cal rode back to Syracuse in the Pilot with me while Doug drove the Silverado.  Our trip was an easy one.  By leaving at 11 a.m. we missed the undergrad ceremony traffic which we were very thankful to have avoided.  We were also glad that Brett's event was inside today.  It was fifty degrees and rainy.  I felt bad for those watching graduation in Memorial Stadium.  At least they did give everyone ponchos.

Cal and I made it home before 3 p.m. which gave me plenty of time to unpack and put the house back together from having the carpets cleaned on Friday.  We were surprised that Doug was only twenty minutes behind us.  Neither Cal nor I thought the Silverado would make the trip home.  Meg spent the day getting ready for Prom.  Grandma painted her nails, Amanda did her hair and Jess met her here to put on her makeup.  Meg looked absolutely beautiful by the time she got dressed.  Nick's flowers and bowtie matched her dress perfectly.  His mother, Nancy, followed him to our house so that she could take pictures as well.  It was a lot of fun and we got some great photos inside and outside the house.  When we were done here we all went to Oakwood to take pictures with Nick and Meg's friends.  It was the perfect weather day for it.  We finally said goodbye to them at 6:30 so that they could head to Coppes Commons as Prom started at 7.  I was thrilled that Doug and I made it home from Bloomington in time to get pictures and enjoy their evening.  It sure was a special day.