Another Day, Another Round of Mini Golf

My Mom and Dad took Cam and I to Goshen to meet Doug once he got off work.  We had made plans to play mini golf at Putt Putt and then eat at Evil Cheque.  It had been awhile since the three of us had had a chance to do so and we all wanted to go before school started.  Our trip to Lowe's was uneventful, but always entertaining with Grandma driving and Grandpa telling stories.  We arrived just before Doug, so we had time to debate the names of the week in Spanish.  In a strange coincidence Cam noticed that they were listed on the store's doors.

Although Putt Putt has three courses, it seems that every time we play we end up on the same one.  We don't mind, however as it's always a lot of fun.  It was a close match, but I ended up winning this time.  Cam nosed Doug out for second.  Even though we both beat him, we let Doug pay for dinner.  Cam ordered one of the biggest burgers that I had even seen.  He said that it was delicious.  Doug and I enjoyed our food as well, but the best part of the night was listening to Cameron talk about his summer and all that he had planned for the school year. 

Paige's Crossing

After tennis conditioning today Cameron and I took my parents to Paige's Crossing for a couple of rounds of miniature golf.  They had never been and we thought it'd be a good time to go with this being the last week of summer.  It wasn't crowded, but it was definitely hot.  That didn't stop our fun, however.  We started on course A.  Grandma Jane jumped out to an early lead, but a couple of fours putts put her behind.  Cameron caught on fire on the back and easily beat all of us.  Even though it was hot, we decided to play a second round.  Cameron's shot a 17 on the first nine of Course C, but his luck ran out on the tenth hole and I was finally able to catch him.

Although the mini golf was a lot of fun, the best part of the day happened while we were in between holes.  Grandpa decided to see how many times he could bounce his ball and catch it.  It didn't bounce high enough on the carpeted greens, so he tried the cement.  The next thing we knew Grandpa just missed falling head first into the pond trying to stop his ball from entering the water.  We stopped for ice cream and slushies on the way home still laughing about Grandpa's near soaking.

 

Tennis Conditioning

This morning Cameron started high school tennis conditioning.  It wasn't quite the nine miles that Cal ran on his first day of soccer conditioning seven years ago, but it was definitely tough.  They worked primarily on footwork and by the time I picked him up he was drenched in sweat.  There were only seven players that participated today and he was glad to be one of them even if it was a killer on his legs.  The only bad part of his morning was having to go with me to Walmart to get groceries.

We made it home before Meg arrived for her lunch break.  Mom picked up Penguin Point for her, so that she could work on her class.  She felt pretty good about her progress so far and had a plan for the rest of the week before she left for camp.  After she drove off, Cam rode down to Grandma and Grandpa's while I went to Amanda's to get my hair trimmed.  We then spent the rest of the afternoon playing cards with my parents.  Except for a game of Sorry which Cameron won, my Dad destroyed us all at Euchre.  Even with the loses it was a great day to spend playing games as it rained most of the afternoon and early evening.  That was ok with me as it gave us a break from watering the flowers tonight.

A Fantastic Weekend

Normally when we are in Bloomington we try to get on the road by noon.  This trip, however, we decided to spend the entire day in B-town instead.  I used the morning time to walk and Doug jogged.    Cam and Brett slept in, which they both appreciated.  We decided to go to the winery for lunch once again, only this time Cam opted for Noodles & Company instead of our traditional summer sausage, cheese, hummus and bread.  It was hotter today, so instead of playing Bocce ball, the four of us decided on a couple of rounds of Exploding Kittens.

This afternoon Brett and I went to see the play Little Women.  It was not what we expected at all.  We had seen Little Women the musical before and assumed it would be the same.  It definitely wasn't.  We would have been alright with it as just a play, but the inaccuracies and poor acting made it a complete disappointment.  We thought about leaving at intermission, but Doug and Cam were golfing, so we decided to try the second act.  It was actually worse than the first act, but at least we could say that we finished it.

Doug and Cam were waiting on us when we arrived.  It was hot on the golf course, but they were happy with how they played.  Doug said that he hit the best putt of his life, making a 60 footer for birdie on a par three.  After we listened to their golf stories, we dropped Brett at his apartment and picked up the rest of our luggage.  Our next stop was Carmel.  Cal was in Nashville on Friday when we drove down, so we were glad to be able to catch up with him today.  The area that he has been living in is just beautiful.  He took us by Miso, which was less than ten blocks from his hotel.  We then went to the arts area of Carmel.  There were shops and restaurants everywhere.  It was extremely nice, and would be a wonderful place to live.  Cal was hoping that something long term works out with Miso.  I could see why.  We ate dinner at Bazbeau's.  The pizza was delicious, and it was a lot of fun hearing about Cal's weekend in Tennessee.  He was able to see Cameron's place, visit Vanderbilt, and try out several bars in downtown Tennessee.  We dropped Cal off at his hotel on our way to back to US 31.  He said that he had several Simpsons episodes to watch.  The rest of our trip home was uneventful.  We did stop in Manchester for a pop, but otherwise made it back fairly quickly.  No one felt like unpacking, so we just enjoyed relaxing before heading to bed.  It was a wonderful weekend for all.

Saturday Fun

Brett had to work this morning and was late getting back to his apartment as he was listening to one of the residents play the piano.  We didn't mind at all and was glad that he was able to do so.  I used that time to take a walk, and Doug and Cam played tennis.  It was hot, but still enjoyable enough to be outside.  Once everyone showered and Brett got home we all went to Oliver Winery for lunch.  It was the perfect day for a picnic.  Cam and Brett even got out the bocce ball set out and played a game or two before we left.

After lunch we all went to see The Little Shop of Horrors musical.  It was part of the IU summer theater series.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but Brett and Cam had seen both movies beforehand. The topic was strange with a man eating plant as the focus, but we all really enjoyed it even though the ending was sad.  We went to TIS after the musical so that Cam and I could each get new IU gear.  From there we drove Brett to an interview at Aldi's.  It was on the south side of town, but the position would be at a new Aldi close to Brett's apartment.  It wasn't a typical interview as there were eight prospective employees at the meeting.  They were asked questions about Aldi and given information about the job.  It would be full time and more money then Brett is currently making at the Union.  The duties would be relatively the same except that he would have to learn scheduling.  He would also still be able to work part time at Bell Trace.  He'll find out Monday if he makes it to the next round of interviews.  Brett wasn't worried as he has two jobs that he currently enjoys and that support him.  He also got a text over the weekend inviting him to work on a state reps upcoming political campaign.  He was excited about that as well.

While Brett was busy, we took Cam to Kohl's.  He wanted to do some back to school shopping and we found some great clothes for him.  After we picked Brett up, we all went bowling at Cascade Lanes.  Doug started off strong, but Cameron caught on fire and destroyed us all.   It was a lot of fun. We still had some more shopping to do, so we made the mall our next stop.  We got Meg a refrigerator at Best Buy, returned the modem at Target, made purchases at Yankee Candle and Dick's, and did some window shopping.  Brett picked Upland Brewing Company for dinner.  We were glad that they could seat us right away.  Brett tried a few of their craft beer samples while Cam ate a DJ's spicy chicken sandwich.  They both enjoyed them, but only Cameron had tears in his eyes by the end.  We ended the evening playing Exploding Kittens, The Donner Party Dinner game and A Ticket to Ride back at Brett's apartment.  It was such a wonderful day.

B-Town

Cam spent his morning at the golf course with Grandpa.  They got in eighteen holes before the best ball started.  While they were out, I packed for our trip to Bloomington and waited for the Mediacom guy to fix our internet.  I was happy that I was successful on both accounts.  I wasn't really worried about getting the packing done, but I was concerned about our internet.  It had gone out on Saturday night and since then had been coming on at nine every night and turning off again just after noon.  We had tried a new modem, but that didn't help.  Thankfully, the repairman was able to figure out that the cable between the pole and the house was bad.  He replaced it and had our internet back up running better then ever within an hour.  We were all happy about that, especially Meg as she needed the internet to work on her paper during her lunch break.

Doug left work early and we were on the road by 4.  Brett had plans this evening, so Cam, Doug and I decided to play miniature golf at Putter's Park.  The reviews online said, "Have you ever gone to a really bad movie with friends and ended up having a great time?  That is this course."  They were exactly right.  It wasn't maintained at all this summer, but we had a lot of fun anyway.  After golf we stopped at Brett's apartment to drop off his television, a tv stand and a bookcase.  Once we had those situated we took Cam to Mother Bears for dinner.  Brett ended up meeting us there and we all enjoyed catching up with him.  Once we got back to his apartment, Brett headed straight to bed.  He had to work at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning.  Doug and I got the television up and running by eleven and even enjoyed an episode of Law and Order before calling it a night.

The Wabash Cannonball

A Tough Mini Golf Loss

Making Progress

Meg was home at 5 for her extended break this evening.  Doug made chicken curry for her so that she could spend her time working on her business class.  She was able to finish her webinar, shower and write a page of her paper that is due August 3rd.  She and her Doug also looked through the Top Hat information.  They were able to figure out how to access the IU library for the research and citations that she will need.  She was a little overwhelmed when she headed back to camp, but she had made a lot of progress this week and had a planned mapped out for the weekend and next week.  We were glad that she took the class.  It will help her prepare for her freshmen year, not only at Kelley, but also in time management and study skills.

While Meg was working on her class, Cameron played golf with Grandma.  They couldn't play this morning as Cam had tennis and it looked like they were out of luck this afternoon as well.  Thankfully, Gene was able to squeeze them in around 3:30 so they could get in nine before the NIPSCO league took over.  He had plans with Grandma and Grandpa to go to Chubbies afterward for $2 burger night, but it was absolutely packed.  Therefore, they ate at Cam's favorite in town spot instead - Petersons.  Once they got home and Meg left, we loaded the van for Bloomington and then played Oh Hell.  It was a nice way to end the evening.

A Busy Thirty-Six Hours

After Cameron's golf tournament yesterday, we flew home as fast as we could so that he could get ready for his afternoon with Bailee.  They had made plans to see the Lion King together and to hang out at the Electric Brew afterward.  For awhile I wasn't sure that I would be able to get him to Goshen in time.  The twosome that he was paired with were extremely slow and holes three through five were backed up at least three groups deep.  We knew that we had to leave Chestnut Hills by 1:30 for him to be there on time and thankfully, he was able to finish, turn in his scorecard and hop in the Pilot by 1:24.

Cam really enjoyed the movie.  He said that it was a lot like the animated version with songs and characters, but he liked the live action one better.  Avery's family picked him up at 7:15 from the Brew, so that he could spend the night at their house.  Avery and Cam played games and hung out for the rest of the evening.  Today they spent the afternoon at the Elkhart County Fair, riding rides, visiting Joey in the beef barn and eating Spanish candy.  He had a great time, but by the time I picked him up at 5:45, he was absolutely exhausted.  Fortunately, the rest of the night was a quiet one for him.

Unofficial End to Golf Season

This morning Cam, my parents and I took a rode trip to Chestnut Hills Golf Course for his last golf tournament of the summer.  Cam had never played at this golf course before, but my Dad and Cal had several times.  It was a completely different tournament than Maplecrest.  The course was more open, but was also a lot longer.  There were also more boys signed up to play and Cameron was paired with two of the slowest golfers that he had ever encountered.  Just like last week he started off on number nine and played it well with a par.  He struggled on the next hole, hitting his drive out of bounds leaving him with a triple bogey.  It wasn't his only triple on the back nine or out of bounds, but he did play well enough on the rest of the holes to finish with a 44.  We were happy to see that especially since he had also had another penalty stroke with a ball in the water on eighteen.

Knowing that he had already parred number nine, Cam let us know before he teed off on one that he was even par on the front and planned to stay that way.  We really thought that he was going to reach his goal as after number 3 he was one under par with an awesome birdie on the second hole.  Unfortunately, another out of bounds leading to a double bogey and a four on a par three altered his original goal, but not by much.  We were all still extremely proud of his thirty-eight which left him with a total of 82 for the round.  Cameron was happy and even more so once he realized that he had finished eighth out of the twenty-four players in the 13-15 year old age group.  It was a great finish to the last tournament of the summer.

Kelley Business School

Part of being a direct admit of the Kelley School of Business meant that Meg had to take an introductory class on business.  She started it last week and quickly found herself behind the eight ball.  It was harder than she thought it would be and she misread the directions which led to her missing several of homework assignments.  Thankfully, I caught her error and we were able to formulate a plan to help her get caught up.

After Meg's orthodontist appointment this morning we came straight home so that she could work on her class.  She spent the next several hours catching up on the work that she had overlooked.  It was hard getting it all done without much of a break, but she did get everything completed except for one minor assignment that she will complete tonight.  She also had time to shower, eat and rest for a little bit before heading back.  She made plans for the rest of the week to finish week 3 assignments and to start on her research paper.  It's not due until August 3rd, but it will take some time to complete.  I was still nervous for her, but she felt a lot better about it.  I was glad to hear that.  Thankfully, week three focuses on finance which Meg has the perfect teacher at home to help her with that.

Had a Bad Day

Sometimes the day just doesn't go the way that you want.  Today was one of those days.  It was frustrating and sad, but sometimes life is just that way.  Thankfully, the day ended better than it started with games of Oh Hell and Trumpet, Sleepy Owl pizza and the movie North by Northwest.  That gave me hope for a better tomorrow.

Cal's Weekend

Cal came home yesterday afternoon to hang out at home.  He spent a lot of his time watching the British Open and the Simpsons.  He enjoyed leftovers at both our house and Grandma's.  He worked out and also spent time with Hannah-Marie.  Besides going to the movie and dinner with her last night, this afternoon they went out in the boat and played cards with her parents.

I have had a lot of people ask me if they are still dating.  In all honesty, I do not know.  When I asked him, he said no and that they are taking a break this summer.  When we have seen them together, it has seemed liked they are still dating.  For those of us in the Heinisch family, we have decided to not worry about it.  In the end it is really just between the two of them.  It was nice to have him here whether he was here to see HM or us.  We enjoyed playing games with him this evening even though he won both Racko and Blockus.  It won't be too long before school starts again, so I will appreciate having him here whenever he comes home this summer.

Not What He Hoped For

This morning Cam, Grandma, Grandpa and I left early for his golf tourney at Maplecrest.  Cameron was optimistic about his chances.  He had been playing well these past few weeks and was hopeful for a top tier finish.  Unfortunately, it wasn't in the cards.  He didn't play poorly, but just couldn't find a fairway.  He was disappointed with his ninety, but was sure that he would rebound for his next tournament at Chestnut Hills on Tuesday.

The heat wave that was predicted finally came to fruition with temperatures this morning in the upper 80s and heat indexes well above that.  I stayed in the shade as much as possible and cut out as many steps as I could.  Even with these precautions, I was still completely exhausted by the time I reached the Pilot at the end of Cam's round.  I was thankful that I was able to get in my 10,000 steps even with my shortcuts.  I knew that I didn't want to walk much the rest of the day.

Meg was home when we arrived.  She had eaten lunch and was working on her class.  By the time I got back from running her to camp, Cal had arrived as well, home for the weekend.  He went back and forth between our house and Mom's until Doug arrived home.  He was as happy to get the CR-V back as I was to have the van in our garage.  He left soon afterward to go to Hacienda and to see the Lion King with Hannah-Marie.  While they were out, Doug and I went to Huntington Street to eat.  Cam just wanted to hang out at home.  Once we got back, Grandma and Grandpa came up to play Oh Hell.  Doug was the big winner tonight.  Cal arrived as we finished.  We were glad to hear that he and HM both enjoyed the movie very much.

Thankful for an Inaccurate Forecast

All week long we had been warned that this afternoon would start an excessive heat wave with temperatures in the 90s and a heat index near 110.  Cam and I prepared for it with a break from our normal routine.  Instead of playing tennis and then heading to the golf course, he and my Dad made tee times for 8:30 this morning.  That would allow Cam to get a practice round in before the heat warning started at 2 p.m.  Knowing that he had two tournaments coming up, he wanted to prepare for them.  Since I had to make sure that Cam was up early, I decided to take a walk, water the flowers, feed the birds, and run errands before it became too unbearable to be outside.  My Mom texted me just as I got out of the shower to let me know that Grandpa and Cam were at their house eating lunch if I wanted to join them.  I headed down before noon while the temperature was still below ninety.

As soon as lunch was over, the skies opened up and the rain came down.  It proceeded to rain for the next several hours.  We were thankful for the inaccurate weather forecast, but bummed that the lightening hit a transmitter in town blowing out the power at Grandma Jane's.  We didn't let it alter our plans, however, and spent the next hour or so playing buck euchre.  Cam and I were glad that our power was on when we got home.  Cam watched the British Open while I worked on dinner for Meg and her friends.  She had invited several counselors to come home for break with her.  They enjoyed eating together, relaxing, cleaning up, and using the wifi.  They headed back to camp around 6:30, well before Doug got home from work.  It was a quiet night here afterward.  We were all glad to hear that Grandma's power was restored.

Pokemon Go!

After tennis camp Cameron decided to re-download Pokemon Go!  He said that he hadn't thought about the game in quite some time, but several other people were playing it, sparking him to think, "Hey, why not?"  I forgot how much fun it was when Cal and Cam would walk or ride all over town catching Pokemon, evolving them and hatching eggs.  Yesterday I talked Cam into driving around to different Poke Stops.  When I told Cal what we were doing, he responded instantly with "Best game ever!"  Cam and I laughed when we thought of the time Cal taped his phone to a ceiling fan hoping to get steps in to hatch eggs.  That didn't quite turn out the way he thought it would, but left a lasting impression on the rest of us as well as the fan.

We did take breaks from the app to enjoy the day before the heat wave of tomorrow arrived.  Cam went to tennis practice and played golf with Grandpa.  I took a walk and worked outside.  Meg came home for lunch, showered and worked on her class.  She got a lot done for only having a two hour break.  After she left I waited for the plumber to arrive.  Our sump pump went out over the weekend. Thankfully, they were able to replace it easily this afternoon.

Doug arrived home early from work.  The server was down at work for maintenance, so he had finished all that he could without it.  Since we had time he, Cam and I decided to go to Oakwood for dinner.  It was a lot of fun, especially when a moth made a home in Cam's drink.  Afterward we invited my parents down for a game of Oh Hell.  It was a nice way to end a relaxing evening.

Here Comes the Rain . . .

. . . or not.  All day long I got updates on my phone letting me know when to expect the rain.   It didn't matter what time it said that the storms were to arrive this afternoon, the weather never changed - sunshine, heat and humidity were all that Cam and I felt.  It didn't alter any of our plans.  Cam still made it to tennis.  While he was there I completed all of our grocery shopping including stops at Aldi and Walmart.  I had just bought peanuts for the birds and squirrel corn at Menards when he called to tell me they were done.  He and I headed to Warsaw next to pick up his new eye glasses.  We also scored a cheap lunch with $2 Tuesdays at Ben's.

At home Cam took some time to ride his bike around the neighborhood.  I also went for a walk.  It was hot for both of us, but not enough to keep us from enjoying the afternoon.  Meg got home around 5:00 for her break.  She had had a great day at camp, but was frustrated with her business class.  The dates were not the same as what she was told at orientation.  We were all under the direct impression that it wouldn't start until July 15th.  Yet, in the email she got today, it stated that they should already be working on week 2.  At first she was in a panic about how she would finish two weeks and still work at camp.  Once she began working on the week 1 assignment, she felt a lot better about it. By the time she left she had finished the homework for the first week and had a plan for how to finish week 2 by Saturday afternoon.  She was excited about the research project and started throwing out ideas for it already.

While I was making Meg's dinner, it finally started to rain.  I ran outside to roll up her windows, and although the change in weather didn't lessen the humidity, I didn't mind.  I was just happy to finally have my plants and yard watered naturally.  Brett did not share my sentiment, however.  He said that it poured in Bloomington and then became extremely hot.  After driving home in it and going out for a meeting at SPEA, he decided to stay inside the rest of the night enjoying his air conditioning.  I couldn't blame him for that.

A Nice Day at Home

Brett was up early this morning to meet his friend Pam for breakfast.  He had helped her on her political campaign several years ago and still kept in contact with her.  Brett enjoyed catching up and listening to her thoughts on the upcoming political races.  Afterward he headed home for a phone interview with a non-profit economic development company in Indianapolis.  Brett was excited about the possibility, but couldn't get a good read from the person interviewing him about his possibility of moving on to the next step.

While he was gone, I took a walk and then drove Meg to the orthodontist.  Her appointment was a quick one, so she still had plenty of time to eat lunch and rest at home before heading back to camp.   Cam spent his afternoon at the golf course with Grandpa.  Once he got home, we talked Brett into another game of Exploding Kittens.  Cam and I both lost again.  Afterward I picked up the CR-V from Buds.  It was nice to have that all settled.  We definitely won't be recommending Liberty Mutual to anyone anytime soon.

Tonight I took Cam to tennis at Northwood.  It was a hot one, but that didn't bother Cameron.  He and Aaron played doubles together.  They won an excited three set match in a tiebreak while I was there.  Doug arrived for the second match, so I headed home.  I had had all of the heat that I could take and Brett and I wanted to watch a movie before he headed home tomorrow.  He had gone to dinner with my parents at two different places this evening.  They started at Down Under, but had only received his drink after waiting thirty minutes.  Thus, they decided instead to give The Frog a try.  That went better and they were all happy with their food and their evening together.  I beat them home by a couple of minutes.  After they left, Brett picked Dial M for Murder for our movie night.  It was one of my favorite Hitchcock movies, so I was definitely happy with his choice.  Cam and Doug arrived close to 9:30.  Cam had played another three set match, but this time he and Aaron lost.  He wasn't too disappointed, however, as he had had a lot of fun.

Homeward Bound

Brett arrived mid-afternoon hot from the tepid air conditioner in his car and the long sleeves and pants that he wore to church.  He was glad to be home and immediately ready for a haircut so that he could change out of his hot clothes.  Once we finished with his hair, he hurried and changed into shorts and a t-shirt.  Cam and I didn't let him get far before we talked him into playing Exploding Kittens.  After that we all took a beating from Doug at Ticket to Ride.  Brett and Cam then decided to take a break from game playing.  Doug made dinner for us all.  He had to be creative in cooking steaks as the propane tank ran out as soon as he started the chicken.  Our meal was still delicious and it was cool enough to eat outside.

Grandma and Grandpa came up for awhile after we ate.  They wanted to see Brett and play some Oh Hell.  We all had a great time together, although Cam said that he regretted playing as soon as the first hand was dealt.  Doug was the champion of the night in that game as well.  He decided to retire on his laurels once we finished.  He was wiped out from an active work weekend.  Brett spent the rest of the evening catching up with the XBOX 360.  Cam and I tried to redeem ourselves by finishing a game of Buck Euchre with Grandma and Grandpa.  Unfortunately, we were big losers in that as well as Grandpa made a remarkable come back to win.  Although Meg and Cal weren't here to enjoy the evening with us, we did have a very nice night nonetheless.

Business School Begins

As a Kelley Direct Admit student Meg was signed up to take a class this summer entitled How Business Works.  It was a new concept that would give her an introduction to the business world and also give her three more credits before school officially started on the 26th of August.  Meg was given the details about the class at registration and was excited to be a part of it.  The only problem was that we were all told that it wouldn't start until July 15th.  Thus, we were completely surprised when she received six emails this week with work to do before Monday.  Thankfully, Meg was able to get through it all and still have time to meet Jackie for lunch and hang out with Nick later in the evening.  She didn't rest much, but she seemed to be ok with that.  She had had a great week at camp and was excited about that.

Cameron slept until close to noon today.  He was definitely wiped out from a week of tennis camp and a party at Conner's.  He gave us more details today about the tennis that  they played and the fun he had with his teammates this past week.  He wasn't sure at first how he would feel about high school tennis, but after camp, he said that he was more than ready for the season to start.  He did get out to the golf course this afternoon with my Mom.  They only played thirteen holes before they caught the tournament teams.  They decided that the slow play and the heat was enough for them to call it quits. He wasn't disappointed as we made plans to play cards later.

Doug grilled brats and made macaroni and cheese this evening for dinner.  It was delicious.  My parents came up a little after Meg had left.  They were still here when she and Nick made it back from Walmart.  Meg showed us her purchases from camp while we played several hands of Oh Hell.  Everyone had a good time ribbing each other, especially Grandpa as he finished last in both games.  It was nice having Cam home.  I had missed playing cards while he was gone.

What a Gorgeous Day!

It was absolutely beautiful today.  I took advantage of the nice weather by taking a long walk this morning and being outside as much as possible this afternoon.  The ten day forecast was calling for a return to temperatures in the nineties and high heat indexes once again.  I was sad to learn that this was to be the last of the stretch of gorgeous weather.

I picked up Cameron from tennis camp close to 2:30.  He had had a great time, but was really tired.  They had played tennis five to six hours each day.  They did have fun as well with games of hide and seek, cards and trips to Pizza King.  I only got to visit with him for about ten minutes or so.  He had plans to go to Conner's class party and wanted to get there in time to shower before the event started.  Cam filled Doug in on his week and the great time he had had at Conner's when he picked him up at nine, but after that he was more than ready for bed.

Meg came home from break at 4:30 today.  I had picked up pizza for her and Nick.  They had a little over an hour to visit before I had to run her back to camp.  She was ready for the week to be over, but sad to see her campers leave.  Doug grilled out for he and I once I got home.  We spent the rest of the evening outside enjoying a bonfire.  Our neighbor had his sound system on ten.  I had to laugh as his play list mirrored Doug with Rolling Stones, The Who, and many more of his favorites.  Doug sure enjoyed it!

A Power Outage

Doug texted me this morning to let me know that the power at Champion had been out since 8:30 a.m.  I wasn't surprised when I saw the pictures of the storm damage in Elkhart last night.  Doug said that there was even a tornado that touched down south of Middlebury.  I was happy that we dodged the storms yesterday, but I sure wished that we would have gotten some rain.  Thankfully, the weather did cool down from all of the storms and the humidity moved out.  Even if it ends up only being for a few days, it will be nice to have some cooler days ahead.

I took advantage of the change in temperature by weeding and trimming the entire yard.  I had just finished when Doug showed up.  They had sent everyone home as Champion wasn't expected to get power back until at least 4:30 this afternoon and no one could work since the server was also down.   I was glad to see him and had a story to share.  While I was weeding the backyard I had noticed that the Tru Green worker was fertilizing our front yard.  By the time I walked around to the front he had left without bringing the spreader into our backyard.  There was a note on the door, so I checked what it said.  I laughed out loud when I read that he was sorry to miss us, but had fertilized the entire yard.  What a scam!  Doug said he had always wondered about them.  Guess he was right.  He'll follow up with Tru Green tomorrow, but I don't see us using them again.

Meg arrived shortly after Doug.  Her sinuses were still bothering her, but she looked better than yesterday.  She ate lunch and filled us in on her day.  She had a lot of fun with her cabin and had more plans for this evening with Mock Rock.  After Meg left Doug and I went to Oakwood for lunch.  It was nice to have him home for the afternoon.  We enjoyed our meal together and finished the afternoon working on a couple of projects that I still needed to get done.  I really appreciated his help.

Doug had to go to County Council tonight.  It was a long meeting for him as he had to make a proposal on raising the county wheel tax.  There was a lot of debate and his proposal was shot down for a more expensive tax hike.  Since Doug and another council person voted against it, they will now have to meet again in August to settle it.  While Doug was gone, Jen came over for the night.  She celebrated her 50th birthday this week with her family and I wanted to do something with her as well.  We decided to order Chinese and have a bonfire.  We texted Cal that we were going to finish off all of the Hamms Light that he had left this weekend.  He said he'd be impressed.  We would have been as well.  Even without the beer we had a lot of fun and we were actually both impressed that I could keep the fire going until Doug got home.

 

Heat Wave

I got up and walked first thing this morning.  Afterward I cleaned the hermit crab cage out and stayed outside with the pigs as they got their cage cleaned as well.  After 1 p.m. I tried not to go out again as it was extremely hot this afternoon with a heat index close to 100.  Being inside I did get a lot of work down around the house.  By the time Doug got home the house was back in order and there was no trace of anyone staying with us last week.

Doug and I went to Oak & Alley for dinner in Warsaw tonight.  We had better luck than Meg and Nick.  They had chosen Mad Anthony's for Meg's extended break.  After one hour they still had not received their food and decided to give up.  The nice part was that they got free Scooby snacks and drinks that way.  Doug and I did get our hamburgers in a timely manner and were able to sample a few of their beers.  I didn't feel the best this evening because of the heat, so we decided to stay inside tonight watching Law & Order.  I've been trying to get Cal and Brett to give it a try, but they think I'm lame.  They may be correct, but we enjoy it anyway.

Tuesdays Gone in the Wind

Meg came home for her noon break this afternoon a little flustered.  She got out of arts and crafts late,  her sinuses were killing her, she got stuck in a long line at Crystal Flash and then spilled an entire pop in the truck on the way home.  Once she ate, rested and took some DayQuil she felt a lot better.  She does like the noon break a lot better than the evening one.  She said that it makes the day go by quicker.  

After lunch my Mom ran me to Meijer in Goshen.  Doug got a rental car today since the CRV was being fixed this week.  Therefore, he left the Pilot at Meijer for me to pick up.  After we got the car Mom and I went to Michaels to do some shopping.  I had realized when I put away the Fourth of July decorations that our front porch was pretty bare.  I found a really cute lantern and fountain at Michaels that was on sale.  Added to that were two signs that I found at Kohl's also at a discount.  In the end I felt pretty good about my purchases.  While we were in the area Mom and I decided to stop at Aldi's.  With everyone gone this week I hadn't needed very many groceries, but I did pick Cam up another twelve pack of Suds.

Tonight Doug and I went to Oakwood to eat dinner.  It was a beautiful evening to sit outside and enjoy watching the boaters on the lake.  There was also a nice breeze, so it didn't get too hot.  While we were there we ran into the Lamles.  They had come over on the lake and finished dinner about the same time we did.  We also saw Mrs. Meek.  I hadn't seen her in quite some time, so I was happy to run into her.  We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the outdoors with a bonfire.  It was a wonderful way to end a lovely night.  

Tennis Camp

Cam left this morning for tennis camp.  He was looking forward to his week in Angola.  The plan was for them to play a lot of tennis, have fun during their down time and end each night with devotionals.  I heard from him at the end of the day.  Breece had given him two shirts from his recent vacation - one from the University of Minnesota and the other from Northwestern.  Cam was extremely appreciative of the gift.

Meg came home for her break tonight at 4:30.  She was excited about her cabin and that Gabby was a counselor in the cabin next to hers.  There were several counselors that were not coming back this week.  Meg was sad to hear that, but happy for her situation.  When she left for camp, Doug and I went to the Knights end of the year celebration and awards ceremony.  It was held at the Owl's Nest in North Webster.  We had never been there and liked the facility and the food.  The evening was a little long as there were a lot of awards to hand out and also an officers instillation ceremony.  Meg was recognized for her scholarship, however, which both Doug and I both appreciated very much.

A Quiet Day at Home

Mark left this morning and shortly afterward Doug took Meg back to camp.  Cam played golf with my Dad and Cal left for Carmel around 3 p.m.  Thus, it was a quiet day here in the Heinisch home.  Doug and I spent it getting the house back in order from the weekend, doing laundry, mowing, weeding and working.  We had had a lot of fun with everyone, but Cal had said it best when he stated, "I need a day just to recoup."

Cam came home around 4 p.m.  He and I got all of his items packed for tennis camp.  Afterward, Doug offered to take us to Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner.  We hadn't been to the one in Goshen in several months, so we took him up on it.  It was fun listening to Cam talk about the 77 that he shot today.  He actually said that it was kind of boring as he hit ten greens and got up and down four times.  We're glad that he's enjoying it.

Winding Down

Today was the quietest of the last four.  All of Cal's friends had headed to their homes except for Mark.  The remaining two made it to Hacienda for lunch, but spent the rest of the day watching television, catching up with Twitter and hanging out.  I picked up Meg at 11:30.  She was happy to be home.  It had been a long week and she still didn't feel the best.  Overall, however, she was glad with how everything went especially with her co-counselor.  Cam spent the afternoon in Goshen at Sam's.  They invited a group over to play Coup and to go swimming in Samuel's pond.

Tonight Doug cooked steaks for everyone.  Meg, Nick, Mark, Cam, Cal and my parents were all able to join us.  We had an enjoyable meal together with a lot of conversation around the table.  Meg and Nick spent the rest of the evening working on crafts.  Mark and Cal went out on the lake with HM and her parents to watch the fireworks!  The rest of played Oh Hell!  Afterward we talked my parents into trying Exploding Kittens.  It was a fun way to spend a Saturday night.

A Day on the Lake

While Cam and I ran Joey home, Cal and his friends headed over to Hannah-Marie's for an afternoon on the lake.  It was pretty quiet here after that.  Meg came home for break.  She and Doug both woke up with sore throats and sinus pain.  Their bodies ached and they just didn't fell that great.  DayQuil and Claritin helped, but not as much as they wanted it too.  They both made it through the day however.  I was impressed.

Cal came back for a little while this afternoon.  Evan had to head back to Speedway.  They dropped him off and regrouped before going back to the Lamle's for a cookout.  We took Cam to Goshen this evening for First Friday's.  It was absolutely packed in town.  He met up with his friends from Bethany and Doug and I stopped at both the Goshen Brewing Company and Hacienda.  My parents said that they would pick him up, so we headed home around 7:30 for a bonfire.  Once they got back we all played a round of Oh Hell.  Cal and his friends stopped back by home before going to the Frog.  They had had a lot of fun on the lake and it showed as each one of them was beat red.  Overall, it was a nice day after the fourth in Syracuse.

Atypical 4th of July

We were out of our typical Fourth of July routine today as we spent the holiday in Syracuse.  For the past six or seven years we have generally traveled during this time period visiting some of our favorite destinations - Bloomington, St. Louis, Washington D.C and even Vermont.  This year, however, we decided several months ago to spend the fourth at home.  One of my friends from Milford was getting married and I wanted to attend the ceremony.  Meg would be working summer camp and couldn't travel with us.  Cal had said that he wanted to invite his friends to our house for the weekend.  Thus, when Brett asked where we were going for the 4th of July festivities, I answered him with home.

Wendy and Rick's wedding was very nice albeit a little hot.  It was held outside at the Lodge and Doug and I enjoyed it very much.  Several of my friends from Milford were able to attend as well and it was fun talking with everyone.  We made it home before Cal and his friends got back.  They had eaten lunch at Chubbie's and hung out at Jeremy's on Camelot Lake for awhile this afternoon.  Meg made it home for her 4:30 to 6:30 break and enjoyed Pizza Hut for dinner.  Doug cooked brats and hamburgers for everyone else including Grandma Jane and Grandpa Cutes later in the evening.  Cam spent the day with Joey on the lake.  The boat he was on was anchored close to Grandma Jane's, so they swam there several times during the afternoon.  They then spent the evening here and enjoyed laughing at Cal and his friends.  Brett had a busy day in Bloomington.  He walked in the parade supporting a friend of his running for City Council.  He met another friend for drinks at The Tap Room and ended his evening with Sean and Jovie at the Monroe County Fair.

Today was not the our typical fourth of July and I am sure that next year we will go back to traveling for the holiday.  Overall, however, we were all happy with the plans that we had chosen.  Most importantly we were still able to celebrate Doug's 49th birthday with dinner, games and a lot of laughs.  That was all that the founding father of the Heinisch family would ask for on this day.

Lunch Plans

Today I met Mary and Paula for lunch at Oakwood.  We had made plans for our get together well before I knew that Cal would come home last night and Meg would be home for lunch.  I decided to go ahead and keep my meeting as we had a couple of things to discuss.  It was great hanging out together.  We talked a lot about high school plans, Camp Crosley, and the future.  I really enjoyed it.  After we ate, I went with them to a new gift store in town.  We picked out a personalized gift for Wendy's wedding tomorrow before I headed home.  Meg had left several hours before I got back, but Cal was home.  He had had a quiet day at home which was perfect for him as he had had a lot of problems with his sinuses yesterday.  Cam beat me home and had already changed the pigs' cage before I arrived.  He had enjoyed playing golf with Grandma Jane and was relaxing in his room.  I spent the rest of the time before Doug got home picking up the basement and getting the house ready for Cal's friends to arrive.  He had invited Mark and Evan up for the weekend and wasn't quite sure when they would arrive.  Thankfully, I got everything done before Doug got home from work and we all had an enjoyable evening at home.

A Day Out

Cameron met Bailee at Linway this afternoon to watch Toy Story 4.  The rest of us had already seen it and he liked it just as much as we did.  He agreed that the new plush character was hilarious and he also did not find the ending as sad as was advertised.  Once they finished the movie, they walked to The Chief for ice cream.  Cam went with his favorite - peanut butter.  When I picked him up at 4, he was happy with his day out.

While Cam was busy, I took advantage of the afternoon in Goshen to do some shopping.  I first went to Kohl's to buy Doug's birthday gift and even found some shorts and a new swimsuit for me.  Everything for summer was over 50% off which made shopping even more fun.  My next stop was Target where I finished buying Doug's gifts.  I then spent the last forty-five minutes grocery shopping.  Except for the lack of "Suds" at Aldi, I got everything on my list.  Just like Cam I was also happy with my day out.

Tonight was a little more stressful than the afternoon as my shelf in the closet broke, Nick lost his keys for over a half hour, and Brett needed help booking a room in Henderson, North Carolina for an upcoming wedding trip.  Thankfully, we were able to take care of everything and still have time to play a game of Ticket to Ride.  It was a nice way to end our evening.

Heat Wave

Wow, it was HOT today.  The weather has definitely changed from the rainy days of June.  No complaints here, but it did change what I did this evening.  Our morning was busy as Cameron had an eye doctor's appointment.  It went well, but by the time we ordered his new glasses it was after 11 a.m. before we got home.  I still had clothes and bedding to put away from last week's camp adventure.  Thus, I did not take a walk until 1:30.  I tried staying in the shade as much as possible, but realized once I got home that I had had too much of the heat.  I tried my best to cool off and rest, but still didn't feel too great when I picked up Meg.

Thankfully, we did not have much on our agenda tonight, so staying inside was not a problem.  Meg caught us up on her new cabin.  It was a lot more work with the six to nine year olds, but it was going well so far.  She had taken a fan to help her sleep and was enjoying arts and crafts.  Cameron played golf with my Mom this afternoon, so he enjoyed a quiet night at home as well.  Doug made dinner once he arrived and we spent the rest of the evening watching one of our favorites - Enemy of the State.  By the time I got ready for bed, I did feel a lot better.  Tomorrow I will return to my early morning walking routine.  Hopefully, the heat won't bother me then.