One Step Closer

Today Cameron made it one step closer to getting his driver's license by passing the permit test.  He had to first sign up for driver's education, which we did last week.  They had recommended that he finish the online class portion first before he took the test, but he felt pretty good about trying it today as he had already completed a third of the class and studied the driver's manual.  He only missed one question on the BMV test which had to do with motorcycles, so he felt pretty good about that.  His picture also did not look like a mugshot which was a bonus.  We celebrated by ordering Hacienda to go.  Cameron technically could have driven home from Goshen, but we thought that might be a little bit much for his first time driving.  Instead we felt that it would be better to start in the high school parking lot this weekend.  That was where the rest of the Heinisch children got there first driving experience, so it should work well for him as well.  

The First Presidential Debate

Tonight was the first presidential debate of the season and there was a lot of hype beforehand surrounding the event.  Doug and I decided not to watch it as we knew that we wouldn't come out feeling positive in the end.  Cal watched it, however, solely for the comedic possibilities of it.  

The debate started at 9 p.m. and it wasn't a few minutes past that when Cal ran upstairs to tell us that Trump had already ignored the rules of the debate.  He kept interrupting Biden and running over his allotted time.  The moderator stepped in, but it was almost impossible for him to stop Trump's antics.  At some point Biden finally said, "Would you just shut up, man?"  

For the most part the debate provided the comedy that Cal was looking for this evening.  There was one answer, however that really bothered him.  The moderator asked Trump if he would denounce white supremacy.  The president sidestepped the question, never giving a straight answer.  Doug and I weren't surprised by that.  In fact it only supported our decision not to watch the debate.  In the end both Trump and Biden made fools of themselves.  One of Cam's friend's moms said it best when she posted, "If this is our best America, then we need to reevaluate a few things."

CPA Round 1

 I got home from dropping Cameron off at Bethany this morning in time to wake Cal up and get him breakfast before he had to leave for Indianapolis.  He had the first round of the CPA this afternoon and he wanted to be early just in case there was a problem.  I worried all morning about him.  I wasn't concerned about whether he passed the test or not, but that everything went well on the drive and getting into the exam.  I could still remember Doug taking the test almost thirty years ago and I knew what a big deal it was.  

Thankfully, Cal arrived without any problems and was able to get started right away.  He had four hours to finish the exam and he said that he was about 50-50 on whether he thought he passed it or not.  He thought some parts were harder than others.  He also said that even if he didn't pass it, he would at least  have an idea of what it looked like for the next round.  Unlike Doug, Cal only had to take each section one at a time.  Thus, he could devote all of his studying to one area of accounting.  Doug had to take all four sections over a two day period.  Then if he passed two or more he would only have to take the sections he missed.  Fortunately, Doug passed the CPA the first time and didn't have to worry about it again.  I know that Cal will do well.  He has put a lot of effort into it.  The next section will not be until October 30th.  He said that it will be an easier test, so hopefully he will have passed two sections by Halloween.  

3 and 0, Let's Go!

 With the return of the NFL our Sundays have been set aside to watch football.  Cal and Cam watch every game and even purchased the Red Zone so that they never miss a touchdown on YouTube TV.  I always know when something exciting has happened as Cal will run up from the basement looking for Doug just as Cam runs down from his bedroom with the same news.  Tom Brady switching to the Buccaneers, Cam Newton signing with the Patriots and Patrick Mahomes landing the biggest contract in NFL history have all been big news, but the best part of their Sundays so far has been watching the Bears play.

For the past several years there has been a lot of debate between David and the Heinisch family on which team was better - his beloved Lions or our family favorite - the Bears.  The two teams met in the first game of the season this year with the Bears breaking David's heart when they came back from a large deficit to beat the Lions in the fourth quarter.  As happy as my guys were that the Bears won during week one, they were even more pleased when Chicago also defeated the Giants the second week of the season.

The Bears victory last week got a lot of press in the news media.  There were several polls asking who was the worst 2-0 team in the league was.  Chicago got 80% of the vote.  A side story developed, however, involving their opponent in today's matchup, the Atlanta Falcons.  Due to some poor coaching decisions by the Falcons recently Charles Barkley and Stephen A. Smith both labeled them as the "dumbest team in NFL history."  It looked today that they would finally be able to shake that title.  Atlanta took a 26-10 lead over the Bears into the fourth quarter.  As the final period got ready to start both Cal and Cameron let me know that the Bears were downright awful.  Doug didn't say as much, but had been so incredibly frustrated with the Bears play that he left to get a pop from McDonalds so that he didn't have to watch the ending. 

I was used to the disappointment that the guys had expressed being a Bears fan and turned my own television back to "Disney's Advertising Can Get Wild" on Disney's Food Blog.  Pretty soon I heard Cameron run downstairs.  He said that the Falcons had made some terrible play calls and that Chicago had a chance to come back and at least tie the game.  We quickly turned it over to the game and waited for Doug get home.  He had been listening on the radio and hurried back just in time to see the Bears score to take the lead 30-26.  The Falcons had one last play attempt, but an interception gave the ball back to Chicago and proved that both Barkley and Stephen A were right.  Everyone was happy and stunned all together.  It was fun to see their reactions and I was glad that the Bears won.  I did feel a little bit bad, however, when I realized that somewhere out there was a wife/mother of a Falcon's fan trying to console her loved one.  

A Weekend of Social Distancing

 Doug found out yesterday that he was with someone earlier in the week that was showing signs of the coronavirus.  He decided in our family's best interest that he would social distance from the rest of us and wear a mask when he couldn't be six feet away.  He was positive that he hadn't been exposed to the illness even if the person did have COVID, but he wanted to be cautious just in case.  

I was glad that Doug took the illness seriously.  We have seen so many others in our area that have chosen to ignore the CDC guidelines to stay healthy.  I was also thankful that it was a beautiful weekend as we could spend the majority of our time outside. I had recently bought an air purifier for the home which we put to good use when we were inside at all. In the end we realized that social distancing, wearing a mask and spending time outdoors didn't really change much of what we typically do on the weekends.  Doug was able to do finish yardwork, we still played Ticket to Ride (from opposites ends of the table), he wore a mask and frequently washed his hands when he prepared food, we set up the projector to watch the NBA playoffs and several movies, and had nightly bonfires.  Overall, we enjoyed the weekend as we generally do and neither one of us minded the slight change to our plans.  Wearing a mask has gotten to be routine in our family so having it on at home really wasn't that big of a deal.  

The Return of Herb

Two summers ago Meg received some devastating news.  She had to give the CR-V to Cal.  She hadn't really planned on giving it up.  She loved the car and had even affectionately named it Herb.  It had gotten her back and forth to Bethany faithfully her senior year and had made multiple shopping trips and visited many of her friends.  It carried her soccer gear, basketball clothes and tennis racquets.  It had become an important part of her life and she was sad to see it go.

Cal needed the CR-V, however, as he had an internship in Indy for the summer.  He didn't mind driving the Silverado, but it just wasn't reliable for long distance trips anymore.  Meg reluctantly took possession of the truck so that she had a way to get to Camp Crosley and back.  As a camp counselor she didn't do a lot of driving anyway, so it worked out.  While Meg was at IU her freshmen year she had access to both Cal and Brett's cars, so we didn't look for her one.  We had planned getting her something this summer.  With Doug's cut in salary due to the health care crisis we just couldn't see putting money into a new vehicle. The truck died once the stay at home order was lifted,  therefore the only thing we could do was to let Meg drive the van when she needed it.  With the pandemic in full swing and social distancing required this past summer, she really didn't go a lot of places.  Thus, we all made the best of it and hoped to be able to get her something by the time she got back home at Thanksgiving.

That all changed in the past couple of weeks.  Doug had gotten 10% of his salary back in late August and we were able to come up with a nice sized down payment on a used vehicle.  I knew that she would really like one earlier than November if possible.  With her job at Bell Trace and Yatziri living so far off of campus, it would definitely come in handy.  Doug and I had talked about reliability and safety as the main features of an used car.  I asked Meg about it and she said that she would really prefer another CR-V.  We agreed that that would be a great idea.  It took a lot of research, but we finally found  a list of six acceptable front wheel drive 2013-2015 CR-Vs within a hundred mile radius of our home.  Doug called several yesterday and finally got the deal that he wanted with an extended  warranty and it just so happened to be in South Bend.  We were used to large auto dealers, so our experience today buying from a local used car dealer was a little different but we didn't mind.  Overall, we were pleased with the car that we found and were excited to finally reunite Meg with "Herb the Second."  She took one look at the picture and said, "Perfect!"  

Sophomore Season in the Books

 Tonight was Cameron's last tennis match of the season.  All Doug and I kept talking about before it started was how we couldn't believe that Bethany was actually able to have a full season.  It started off slow with a few matches being postponed and even one cancelled, but overall the rest of the season went off without a hitch.  We were incredibly thankful that Cameron never had to quarantine or isolate due to COVID during that time period.  Getting to play tennis everyday got a little monotonous at times especially during practice, but it sure beat sitting at home.  

The Bruins played Jimtown tonight, so the drive there was an easy one.  Cam played in the #1 JV singles position, but was pitted against their #1 doubles varsity player as Jimtown had moved positions so that all seniors could play varsity together on senior night.  We weren't really surprise to hear that Cam's opponent normally played varsity as he had a fantastic first serve and was exceptional at the net.  Cam did very well against him.  Several parents and coaches remarked as much.  His was the only JV match that was close tonight as the rallies were long and the score went back and forth.  In the end Cameron lost the match at 4-6.  He was pleased when he walked off the court that he had played so well and we were happy for him.  

Cameron did end up with a winning record overall this year on both varsity and junior varsity courts.  None of that really matter to Doug and I.  We were just incredibly impressed with how much Cameron had improved over the season and grown as a person.  A large part of that was due to his hard work.  It also helped tremendously to have such a supportive group of coaches in Matt, Daniel and Andrew.  With their encouragement Cameron has already made plans for the off season and we are looking forward to more tennis to come.

                                          

Downsizing

Halloween has always been on of my favorite holidays and the five tubs holding our decorations that Doug brought up from the basement confirmed it.  It was a lot of fun getting everything out, but after six hours of cleaning and decorating I had finally come to the same opinion that Doug stated years ago - it's time to downsize our holidays.  I gave myself this year and the next with the same amount of deocations, but after that I will be asking the Heinisch children to start calling dibs on what they want.  I do plan on keeping a few favorites, but if we really plan to move after Cam graduates, the less we have to pack the better.  

Deeper Than Most

As most of Bethany's tennis matches have been away this season I have spent quite a bit of time driving Cameron across Northen Indiana.  I haven't minded at all.  It has kept him out of the buses which I believe to be a higher COVID risk activity than most at the school.  The best part, however, has been the conversations that we have had along the way.  Most of the topics have revolved around Cameron's day at school, tennis, his friends, the NBA playoffs, the NFL, COVID and Star Wars memes.  Tonight's topic, however, was a little deeper than most as we spent our hour drive home talking about religion, God and the Bible.

Since Cameron was confirmed in the Catholic church and has attended a Mennonite school, he has gotten a wide variety of religious views of the years.  Just this week he spent time memorizing Jesus' sermon on the mount for Bible class.  Talking about religion hasn't been anything new in his life, but tonight we spent most of our conversation talking about how death can change one's opinion about God and the Bible.  Cam brought it up as one of his friend's views about religion had altered considerably after the death of a family member.  Cameron told me that he understood why his friend's opinion had changed and that it didn't really matter if he agreed with him or not.  Cam just wanted to be supportive as he felt that religious interpretation was up to each individual and no one should be judged for their religious beliefs.

I couldn't have agreed with Cameron more.  Living in the middle of the Bible belt we have definitely run across individuals and entire congregations that spent their religious life tearing down others' faith.  Over the years we have gotten used to it and try to avoid those situations overall.  The part of the conversation between Cameron and I that I found more fascinating was his friend's thoughts on religion after losing a loved one. I told Cam that I could relate to that easily.  

After my brother died we moved to a new town and my parents never really found a church to belong to until I was in college.  I tried a couple of different church services with friends when I was in middle school, but never really found one that fit.  Thus, I spent quite a bit of my childhood trying to have a relationship with God without being a member of a congregation.  I explained to Cameron that I was able to maintain faith in God even without formal religious education.  I never once blamed him for my brother's death and instead spent quite a bit of time praying about it instead.  For me I came to believe that everything in life happened for a reason which correlated with God's will.  I believed that was true even when the situation brought sadness into one's life.  This realization helped me to reconcile Bunk's death and to move forward in life instead of being depressed or angry about the past.  I knew that not everyone would agree with me, but that was ok.  I had to make peace with my brother's death in a way that worked for me.  Because I believed that God was a loving and forgiving being, I felt that He would be content with my decision.  I hoped that Cam's friend would come to the same opinion in time as well.  Either way I know that God's love still shines on him and his family.

A Hole in Our Backyard

 Last summer our neighbor asked us if we'd be interested in giving up our swingset.  Doug asked Cam and I what we thought and we both said, "No!"  I thought that'd we'd keep it until we decided to move and that way if we had grandchildren, they'd have a place to play.  Cam said that he still used it especially when his friends were over for a night of ghost in the graveyard.  Thus, the swingset stayed in place.

After one of our hammock trees had to be taken out this summer, I spent some time looking at the backyard from all different angles.  It had changed quite a bit since we had moved in twenty-two years ago.  We had to have trees cut down and we had trees that had fallen down.  We had added on and we had moved the deck.  We even recently changed our bonfire pit area closer to the house.  As I took a long hard look, I realized that we really didn't use the swingset anymore.  It had become something that we cleaned with every season, but that was about it.  Cam had been out on it every couple of weeks this summer, but overall the Heinisch family had outgrown one of its prized possession.  

I told Doug that if Cameron agreed that I'd be ready to part with our backyard playground.  Doug had talked so much about moving after Cam graduated that he had thought about it as well.  He didn't want to have to move the swingset himself and he was skeptical that another family would want it.  I asked Cameron what his thought was and he agreed, the neighbor girls would enjoy it more than we would.  

Doug let our neighbor know that we were willing to part ways with the swingset.  Today he and his future son-in-law arrived to take it apart for the move.  As I watched them start I almost felt myself run out there and say, "Stop!  I changed my mind."  It was as though life was changing just a little too fast for me.  I didn't need the Heinisch children to return to their days of endless playing in the backyard, but I just wasn't ready to say goodbye to it all either.  I called Meg and she said, "Mom it was a great swingset and we had a lot of fun with it, but it's time for it to go.  It doesn't look as nice as it used to and we just don't use it anymore."  That was all the pep talk that I needed and I was able to regroup and "let it go."  It was strange when I got back from tennis tonight to see the hole it left in our backyard.  It will take some time getting used to, but a few flowers next spring in that area will definitely help.

It's a Sunshine Day!

 The sun was out in full force today and the weather started to warm up a bit.  Although today's high was only supposed to be 70 degrees, the rest of the week was forecasted to be in the mid to upper seventies.  That will be perfect for Cameron's three tennis matches as he closes out the season week.  Doug and I used the warmer weather to work in the yard for a little while in the afternoon and took a walk.  We were glad to eat outside once again and played a couple of games of Ticket to Ride on the back deck before ending the night with a bonfire. 

As this was a big sports day with the NFL back in action, the last round of the US Open in golf on and game two of the Lakers vs. Celtics game playing, Cam and Cal didn't quite take advantage of the sunshine as much as we did.  Cal had spent his weekend at Hannah-Marie's in Bloomington.  He made it back in time for the second half of the Bears game and enjoyed all that Sunday sports had to offer today.  Cam watched a lot of sports as well.  He also worked on homework and played Madden.  He did make it outside to play basketball before the sun set as well.  Overall, whether inside or out, it was a beautiful day and a wonderful way one here in the Heinisch home.

A Beautiful Day for Tennis

It didn't start out that way, but it did end up being a beautiful day for the Fremont tennis tournament.  We had packed for all types of weather and when we arrived at 8:15 this morning we wondered if we should have brought winter attire.  The temperature in the Pilot read an unseasonable 36 degrees.  Thankfully, the weather did not affect Cam's first match of the day.  Cam stayed plenty warm while playing and I was able to watch from the shelter of the car.  Doug braved the cold, but by the time the match ended he had warmed up a little.

Cam played extremely well against his Angola opponent.  He served well, moved the ball around the court and kept his errors to a minimum.  We were impressed with his 8-2 victory.  Cameron had to wait quite awhile before his second match on the day.  He spent it cheering on his teammates while I watched tennis and read The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Doug watched other matches, worked for awhile and then read some as well.  The time went by quickly and the weather warmed up enough for me to get out of the car by Cam's second match.  

Cameron's second opponent had a big serve which took some adjusting for Cam to get used to at first.  He lost several deuce games early and quickly found himself down 4-0 in the second match.  He rallied well, firgured out the DeKalb player's serve, and started hitting a big serve of his own.  Cameron brought the match back to 4-5 before losing 8-4 overall.  He was disappointed to have lost, but was extremely happy with his play.  

Doug walked down to Subway to get everyone something for lunch afterward.  It wasn't too long after we ate that Cameron was called back on the court for his third match of the day.  Since he finished 1-1 in the round robin matches, he would be playing for third place overall.  Cameron started off really well getting out to a 2-0 lead.  Something changed in the third game for him, however, and he struggled to get back in rhythm. He wasn't sure why, but he just lost focus.  I wondered if it was because of the poor attitude of the Fremont player.  I also knew from previous tournaments that it can be difficult to get pumped up for a consolation match when you felt that you could definitely be a contender for a championship.  Cam's coach, Daniel, gave him a great pep talk when the score was 6-7 and Cameron played his best game on the day to even the score.  Unfortunately, the tiebreak didn't go his way and Cameron finished the day in 4th place overall.  It wasn't quite what he wanted when the day began, but he felt pretty good about it.  In the end t was a great learning experience and gave him some specific goals to work on for next year. 

                                              

Climate Change?

 There has been a lot of focus on climate change in the news lately.  The wildfires of the west coast have gained a vast amount of attention worldwide as have Trump's interesting remarks on the topic.  After meeting with the Governor of California, the President stated to the media that he did not always believe science.  Thus, he blamed forestry for the raging inferno that had devistated the area instead of climate change or even individuals such as the woman hosting a gender reveal party who set ablaze 10,000 acres on her own with a floating candle lantern.  

Obviously, I don't know who is right or who is wrong on the topic, but I assume that scientists have put a lot of research into it and would trust their opinion.  Either way, the wildfires have certaintly changed our current weather.  The blanket of smoke emitting from them has led to below normal temperatures in our area.  Today's high was in the low sixties.  After the hot, dry summer that we had that was a shock to the system.  I finally decided to turn the heat on when the temperature in our house reached 66 degrees.  I even ran the fireplace in the living room for a little while.  The plus side of the cooler temperatures was that it was perfect bonfire weather outside and we spent the majority of our evening enjoying our fire pit.  

Blast from the Past

Yesterday Cameron bought an online computer game that he had been playing with his friends.  He got ready to download it to his Mac Book when he realized that it could only be played on Windows.  He was disappointed but since it was only $5 and he could still use it on his iPhone, so he didn't think too much about it.  I was out walking when he called to tell me.  That gave me some time to think about it and when I got home I pulled out two old laptops out of the closet and went to work on trying to resurrect them.  It took a little while but in the end Cam and I were able to get one up and running.  He was happy to be able to play his game on the computer and I was impressed with our use of technology to make it happen.

While I was getting out the computers I ran across a box full of the Heinisch children's computer games from long ago.  I pulled out game after game, Mr. Potato Head, Candy Land, Putt-Putt Travels Through Time, Pajama Sam, Tonka,and  Zombinis just to name a few of the old favorites.  I called Brett and Meg right away and told them about my find.  They gave me a list of ones to try out to see if they still worked.  I showed Cal and Cam what I had found and they enjoyed looking through the old disks and talked about playing the games over a decade ago.  It was like walking down memory lane which ultimately led to everyone's favorite computer game memory - the time when Meg was four and drew a picture on the Mr. Potato Head computer game.  When she asked me to look at it I realized that she had written "Mr.  Potato Head Sucks!" underneath it.  I was so impressed with her spelling that I didn't even reprimand her for using the "s" word.  Overall, we were all pleased with today's find and I promised the Heinisch children that I would spend some time sorting through those that still worked and those that didn't.  We decided that Brett's would be the best place to store them in the future.  Who knows, maybe soon we will have a  Disney Villains' Revenge computer family game night.

Affected By Others

Last night I sent multiple pictures to Brett and Meg from our local paper showing the lack of respect for the mask order in our county.  Members of the North Webster Chamber of Commerce and County Commissioners were photographed without masks and without social distancing.  My favorite was the Leesburg Council with two members "wearing masks" although neither even closely covered their noses.  I captioned the pictures with "I hate it hear.  No one cares."

Neither Brett nor Meg were surprised by the pictures or my comments.  I have complained about the selfishness of some in our community for longer than just the pandemic.  Doug has reminded me that this does not apply to everyone.  He is completely right.  Bethany has strictly adhered to the recommendations of the health department these past few weeks.  It is a relief to me when I drop Cam off or pick him up and see how much effort they have put into making the school a safe place to learn.  I even saw the athletic director wear a mask while riding in a golf cart around campus.  These actions have reflected in the students as the majority take the precautions seriously.  I have also been impressed with Menards' mask policy.  They came under fire in social media in May when they required masks at all of their stores.  They did not back down from their position and it is why I feel completely comfortable shopping there.  

Overall, however, this has not been the norm and has altered what we can and cannot do in our community.  Meg has lived in both Bloomington and Syracuse this past year and she realizes that the culture of care that Bloomington has fostered has made living there during a pandemic so much easier.  She doesn't have to worry about where she goes as almost everyone wears masks and it is easy to stay away from those who don't. Even St. Paul's requires a mask and has a sign up list to attend mass to keep within social gathering limits.  The majority of  businesses have followed the rules on outdoor dining and social distancing.  It is so different than our experience here.  Bars and restaurants have been crowded since they reopened in late spring.  We don't go to church  yet as it just doesn't feel that safe.  Groups have still been hosting social events without limit to numbers and no masks required.  Some days I get really angry about it, others I just don't care.  For the most part I actually enjoy the slow pace that the pandemic has brought to life in the Heinisch home.  Cam and Doug seem to agree with that.  The only thing that we all really miss is Bloomington.  Thus, once tennis is over we plan to make a visit our top priority.  

Worth the Drive

 Tonight the Bethany tennis team made the long hike to the east side of Fort Wayne to play Blackhawk Christian.  The majority of the players rode the bus, but I took Cameron as a COVID precaution.  I enjoy taking him to these matches as it gives us a lot of time to talk about his day.  He wasn't a big fan of school yesterday, but today went better and he had interesting news to share with me that will affect some of his classmates.  

We were the first ones to arrive at Kreager Park and I was happy to see that they had an actual bathroom for us to use.  Doug and the bus arrived shortly after we did and the players were soon on the court for their warm up.  Cameron played JV singles #1.  Since Blackhawk only had nine players, he had to wait for the #1 JV doubles to finish before he could play.  Doug and I spent the time reading and watching several of the matches on the court.  Cameron hung out with Ethan and watched his teammates play.  

By 6:30 Cameron was on the court ready for his match.  We knew that he was a stronger player than his opponent from watching the doubles match.  We were pleased that Cameron realized this as well and used his time on the court to work on some areas that he had hoped to improve.  We were impressed with the strength of his passing shots.  He had spent a lot of time on those this season and had improved greatly.  Cameron also worked on putting the point away instead of rallying with his opponent.  It worked well and he had some great winners during the match.  By the time Matt came over to talk to him Cameron was up 7-0 and serving for the set.  His opponent stepped up his game during the first two points of the eighth game and quickly took the lead.  Cam rallied, but ended up losing that game.  Thankfully, he held strong winning the match 8-2 giving the junior varsity a 3-0 win on the evening.  Varsity was victorious as well with a 3-2 score.  As I watched the boys sing their victory song on the bus before we headed out I couldn't help but smile.  In August we weren't even sure that they would be able to have a season.  Cameron had now played in 8 matches and had a winning record at both varsity #3 singles and JV #1 singles.  Hopefully, COVID and the weather cooperates so that the Bruins can finish the season completely.  

Living With Accountants

 Meg spent the weekend and most of the day studying for her A201 test scheduled for this evening.  She texted Doug several times with questions.  She told me that it helped, but still struggled with some of the vocab that had become common knowledge to her father.   Meg knew that both Doug and Cal had earned an A in the class, but said that she would be happy with a B.  She really liked accounting, but was ready to admit that she just wasn't as smart as they were in the subject.  Doug and I both told her that she does not have to compare herself to anyone else, just to do her best and set goals according to that.  I reminded her that from my experiences outside of the business school that a B in any of the accounting classes was definitely something to be proud of especially with some of the other prerequisites Meg had on her schedule this semester.

Later in the day Cal let me know that CFS, an accounting staffing group, had found him a part time position in South Bend that would keep him busy for the next four months.  The pay was impressive and the hours worked well with his study schedule, so he agreed to it right away.  I was happy for him.  I knew that only studying for the CPA these next three months would get pretty boring.  He had taken a practice test yesterday and said that he knew what he needed to work on before the real one.  I remembered back to  when Doug sat for the CPA and how intense that time period was in his life especially as he was finishing his last semseter at IU as well.  

I talked to Brett later on in the afternoon.  As we were the only two non-accounting majors in the Heinisch family I asked him what he thought about the subject especially since acccounting degrees paid well and Cal was able to find a job relatively easily.  He said that he was happy that his dad and siblings enjoyed math well enough to make a career out of it, but that he had never had an interest.  He strongly prefered his current position in customer care/sales.  I was happy to hear that.  It took him longer to find a job than Cal or Doug, but that didn't matter as he could provide for himself and loved what he was doing.  I, on the other hand, had a differing opinion about a career in accounting.  The one regret that I had in life was using my math skills to be a teacher instead of an accountant.  I would have much preferred that profession and it would have given me a lot of part time opportunities.  Overall, however, I don't spend much time thinking about it.  I loved being a teacher and got to spend a lot of time with my own children either at home or at school that way.  I am glad, however, that everyone else in our family so far chose another career path.  I think they will all be a lot happier that way.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

This past Thursday night the NFL season kicked off with a game between the Chiefs and the Titans.  Today the rest of professional football was back on the field after a long hiatus due to the pandemic which all but eliminated the preseason.  With all of the time off the teams that played this week did look a little rusty.  Tom Brady's debut with the Buccaneers was lackluster and there were several upsets including a surprising win by the Jaguars over the Colts.  Florida's victory was followed up by the most interesting comment of the day when Cam told me that after picture day tomorrow he was going to let his hair grow out like the Jags quarterback.  I wasn't quite ready for the long hair look of his new favorite QB, but I did tell him that I would never say a word about his hair once Cam made it to the NFL.  Doug thought that there'd be a better chance of Cam playing quarterback in the league then me keeping quiet about his hair.  (Couldn't really argue with that one!)

The most anticipated game of the week in the Heinisch family was between the Bears and the Lions.  Cal, David and Mark had been texting Doug about it since last Saturday night.  Cam kept quiet as he had become a Lions fan after hanging out with David quite a bit at last fall's tailgates.  Even though, Cam was still rooting for the Bears to win today.  It actually looked like the Lions were going to win easily this afternoon as they held a 23-6 lead into the 4th quarter.  In fact Cameron Adams and Cal turned the game off in the basement as they were very disappointed in the Bears play.  A Chicago interception and three quick touchdowns quickly turned the game around and Cal turned it back on to see the Bears with the lead with less than two minutes to go in the game.  The Bears fans in our house weren't too surprised, however, to see the Lions march right back down the field to get into scoring positioning.  The guys held their breath as an end zone pass looked to be good for the Lions.  Fortunately, the Detroit player dropped the ball as he crossed the goal line ending the game in Chicago's favor 27-23.  As Cal showed me a video of David jumping up and down in excitement during the missed pass not realizing the ball had been dropped, I thought to myself - "Wow!  There is something more disappointing than being a Bears fan - the Lions showed why today."  Although I am not much of a football fan, in the end I was happy that the Bears had won.  Overall, however, I was more excited that the NFL season had started.  For awhile today, it almost felt like the life I knew last fall.  

A Dreary Saturday

It was pretty dreary here for most of the day.  We had a few brief moments of sunshine in the mid-afternoon, but most of the day was cloudy and rainy.  I was disappointed as we couldn't have our typical Saturday evening bonfire and movie night, but we all did make the best of it.  Cam spent the morning inside at Bailee's volleyball tournament.  He enjoyed being out of the house for awhile and got to visit with some of his friends.  Later in the evening he reconnected with sevearl more of his classmates on a new online game that they have started playing.

Doug worked most of the day at home.  We did make it outside to play Ticket to Ride.  The rain didn't bother our game play as we set up a card table on the front porch when it became too wet to be on the back deck.  Instead of a movie night under the stars, we moved the big screen inside and watched El Camino.  It wasn't quite the same, but still a lot of fun.  The weather also didn't change much for Cal, Meg and Brett either.  Brett walked in the morning, worked at night and met up with Andrew later in the evening.  Cal went to Chicago with Cameron Adams for the weekend to visit friends.   We weren't sure that they were going to be able to go as the Illinois governor had talked about putting a travel ban on Indiana residents because of COVID concerns.  Thankfully, that did not happen.  Meg worked the lunch shift at Bell Trace, studied for an upcoming accounting test, and then met a friend outside for dinner.  She said the highlight of the night was listening to a neighboring apartment get busted for having a party.  Overall, the dreary weather of today didn't change too much for the Heinisch family.  Even though, I will be ready for the sunshine planned for tomorrow.  

Fun Start to the Weekend

 Cam had a tennis match at Northwood tonight and it was the closest one of the season for Bethany.  The varsity ended up on the losing side of a 3-2 score, but JV won 7-6.  Fortunately for Cameron his match at #1 JV singles wasn't the nail biter than #1 doubles was with Cam winning at 8-3.  I was proud of how well Cameron had played this evening.  His opponent was a year older and threw a fit every time he lost a point.  Cam didn't let that bother him, held his composure and took control of the match.  He struggled a little bit in the second game with his serve, double-faulting three times.  He was impressed with himself for getting that game to a deuce point even with the serving difficulties he was having.  Overall, he was pleased with his game and we were happy to hear that Matt had texted him earlier in the day to let him know how impressed he was with Cameron's work ethic.

It was Doug's turn to stay and bring Cam home tonight, so I left earlier.  I really thought that they would be close behind me, but with a three set tiebreak match on the #1 doubles court I beat them home by almost an hour and a half.  I was thankful for that as I had ordered Doug a surprise gift this week and wanted to get it set up before he arrived.  We had talked multiple times this summer about getting a portable screen for the projector.  The sheet worked well, but we thought it'd be nice to be able to move it around the yard.  That way we could watch it while on the deck or at the bonfire pit.  Amazon had a sale on them this week and I decided to give it a try.  Thus, when Cam and Doug got home with Bourbon Street pizza I had the Nuggets vs. Clippers game on the big screen outback.  Doug wasn't as suprised as I thought he would be, but he really appreciated it.  We were able to play Ticket to Ride tonight while watching the Nuggets make a great comeback and then sit by the bonfire and see the Raptors lose in game seven to the Celtics.  Between Cam's match and our time in the backyard tonight, it was a great way to start the weekend.  

Bell Trace

 Yesterday Meg went to Bell Trace for orientation.  She had interviewed with them the first week of school, but had to get a background check and COVID test cleared before she could start.  She was very excited and nervous about working at the assistant living home.  She had never had a job where she had to clock in and out before.  I wasn't worried as I knew that Brett would help her if she needed it and that his boss, Jacob, was super supportive and would be available if needed.  She made plans to start on Saturday for the lunch shift.  

After Meg hung up I thought a lot about Bell Trace and what a wonderful place it has been for Brett.  When he first applied he was looking for something part time to supplement his income at IU.  He was torn between Bell Trace and working as a cashier.  He and I talked through the pros and cons of each and he decided that he would try Bell Trace.  He has had absolutely no regrets since his first day of working there.  Bell Trace has not only provided Brett with extra income, but has also a source of support.  He has loved interacting with the residents and has become friends with his coworkers.  Meg told me that even the executive director told her how much they all love working with Brett.  His boss has been awesome to work for since day one. Jacob has been flexible working around Brett's other jobs, he was the first to commiserate with him when the IU position fell through and offered him full time work immediately, he gave him a glowing recommendation for his current position and even gave him a raise this summer.  Brett said that overall he has been so incredibly pleased to have found this position.  He can walk to work and while he is there it really feels like more like a volunteer position instead of a job.  Brett also was instrumental in getting Meg hired.  Who would have know a year and a half ago later how important this job would be to Brett's life in Bloomington?  Another example of God's plan in full bloom.  

This is my absolute favorite picture of my "CrapPa" and I.  It was the first thing that popped up on my phone this morning and when I saw it I just started crying.  I loved my grandfather and spending time with him was one of my favorite things to do from my earliest memories to the last days of his life.  His stories were always fascinating and his love and support for me knew no bounds.  I have thought about him a lot lately.  Doug has talked quite a bit these past few months about moving to Florida when Cam graduates.  I would have loved to get my grandpa's thoughts on his time in Arcadia and what his reaction was when he first moved to the sunshine state.  I also would have enjoyed telling him about the crack in our tree this past week, especially about the tools and manpower that were used to bring it down. 

The list of the questions that I would love to ask my grandfather is endless.  I would so enjoy hearing his response to the pandemic, the protests, the political divide as well as his memories of times in his life that might have rivaled our country's current situation.  I know that he would have made me feel better about dealing with the current health crisis by reminding me that the US had survived worse.  As I thought today about all that I wanted to talk to my grandpa about I realized that it really didn't matter what the topic was or the questions that I had, I just really wanted to talk to him again and wished that he was could still be here to share this life with our family.  Although I know that it was time for him to move on, I miss him terribly.  In honor of his 98th birthday today, I found this quote below.  It captures exactly how I feel as the tears that I shed today were so worth the time that I spent with him.

  

JV Singles #3, Say What??

 Tonight Bethany tennis met their toughest opponent of the year, the Westview Warriors.  Matt had told the boys that it would be a challenging match and to just go out, play well and learn from the experience.  Cam took him at his word and did just that.  He played the #1 JV singles spot tonight and from the first point we knew that it would be an intense match.  Cam's opponent hit the ball hard, rarely missed points and was good at the net.  I was extremely impressed with how well Cam handled the situation.  He served well with only one double fault on the night.  He rallied, hit several winners and returned some unbelievable shots.  He also served a fifteen minute deuce game trying to even the score at 5-5.  It wasn't quite meant to be tonight as he ended up losing the set 4-8.  When it was over we looked around and realized that his court had outlasted all of the varsity two set matches but one.  In the end only one court would win tonight and that was JV #1 doubles.

As we drove home, Cameron told me that he was really happy with how he played this evening and that his next focus would be to work on passing shots.  He then casually remarked that Westview's #2 and #3 singles were both out with COVID.  It didn't really sink in at first as to what he said, but as he repeated it I finally realized what that meant.  He wasn't actually playing Westview's #1 JV singles, but instead their #3.  Wow!  I couldn't even imagine what it would have been like if they had had a full roster.  Either way I was proud of how well he performed tonight.

Labor Day - Change in Tradition

 For the past nine years we have spent Labor Day weekend in Bloomington.  Our tradition started well before Brett even attended his first class at IU.  We have loved all that the city and university had to offer during the holiday weekend.  During our visits we had attended IU football games, Garlic Fest, Oliver Winery, the Art Fair on 4th street, IMU bowling and IU soccer games just to name a few of our favorite activities.  The Heinisch children had even learned to slide into Cascades Creek just like a true local would.  

The pandemic, however, changed our traditional Labor Day plans as almost all of our favorite events were cancelled or postponed.  That news along with Cameron's commitment to social distancing to keep him eligible for tennis and IU's spike in positive COVID cases made our decision to stay home for Labor Day weekend an easy one.  Cal had already decided to stay in Syracuse for the weekend as HM had made plans to come home.  Thus, it was only Brett and Meg in B-Town for the three day weekend.

Even though we weren't all together each of us did have a lot of fun.  Cal played golf with Grandpa, stayed a night with David and Mark in Indy, hung out with HM and took a break from studying.  Nick visited Meg and the two of them stayed at Brett's apartment for the weekend.  They saw friends and family, did some shopping and ate out.  Brett enjoyed their company on his daily walks.  He had to work all three days, but did find time to also go to breakfast with friends and have Andrew over for a beer.  Cameron went to tennis and soccer at Bethany.  He really liked our hike, mini golf adventure, jarts games in the backyard and even invited us to play Phase 10.  He also had time to catch up on his 2K tournament and Fall Guys on the PS4.

Doug and I also enjoyed a lot of time together over the weekend.  We had bonfires each night, tried some new recipes, hung out with Cameron, and watched multiple movies and ball games with the projector.  Ticket to Ride definitely was a priority on our agenda as well.  We played twenty-one games over the four days that he was home which I could claim victory in eleven of them.  Overall, it was a wonderful four day weekend.  Even though, I was a little sad tonight.  There had been so many pictures across my Facebook feed this past week highlighting our trips to Bloomington on Labor Day weekend.  I loved looking at them, but it was a hard reminder that life had changed quite a bit in just one year.  

Chain O Lakes

  

Since we couldn't go to Bloomington for Labor Day weekend, Doug and I tried to find something close to home to do that we hadn't done before.  Cam suggested hiking, so I texted my friend, Wendy, who has spent a lot of time hiking, biking and running through the parks in our area.  She highly recommended Chain O Lakes.  I had only heard of it as a camp ground.  Doug had been there once before, but didn't remember a lot about it.  Since it was only 35 minutes away we thought that we would give it a try.

Doug, Cam and I left around 11 a.m. this morning to try our new hiking venue.  We had enjoyed the trails in Brown County on previous trips to southern Indiana and hoped it would be something comparable.  It was raining when we left, but cleared as we pulled into the park entrance.  The trail that Wendy suggested to try first was crowded, so we headed to another area and found relatively no one there.  None of us were sure what we would find as we headed into the woods, but were almost immediately pleased with what awaited us on trail one.  There was a path through a highly wooded area that was easy to follow.  We were impressed with the size of the trees and beauty of the flowers.  Cam took many pictures so that he could look up the names of each on the Seek app that he had downloaded for Biology.  We also saw multiple species of birds and Cam even found a toad camouflaged in the brush area.  He said that his favorite part of the paths were along the lakes as they had the best views.  I liked those as well, but was most fascinated with all of the downed, uprooted or leaning trees, especially after our recent experience with a cracked tree in our own backyard.  All in all we spent two hours at Chain O Lakes State Park covering four miles on our hike and exploring three separate paths.  We all decided that we would like to return to try a different path in the near future.

While we were hiking we did experience some rain.  Fortunately it didn't dampen the mood or ruin the trip, especially since the trees blocked most of it.  We were worried, however, that it would change our next planned adventure of the afternoon, Paige's Crossing Mini-Golf, but thankfully the sun came out just as we arrived to Columbia City.  We played two rounds before leaving to pick up lunch in Warsaw at Mad Anthony's.  Doug won the first one as I felt apart on the last four holes and Cam held on to win the second round.  We made it home around 4 p.m. and enjoyed a late lunch/early dinner pf jambalaya pizza and various unwraps.  Although it wasn't the trails of Brown County or Mother Bear's pizza, Doug, Cam and I all still had a lot of fun today.  

Timber

 Yesterday, Doug was working with his chainsaw in the back lot when he noticed a large split in one of the trees holding up our hammock.  He was extremely concerned as it looked as though the tree had rotted on the inside.  He assumed that the intense storm that we had several weeks ago contributed to the damage.  As the tree was one of the biggest ones on our property and looked as if it would take out the deck if it fell, he wanted to contact someone about it right away.  Thankfully, I had just found the 2018 receipt from Hoosier Tree Service when they took down another large tree for us.  Doug called right away and they came out last night to evaluate the situation.

The owner of the company gave Doug a price estimate and said that he would be able to come out Monday morning to take care of the tree.  He agreed that it needed to be taken down, but felt that it could wait until then.  As there wasn't much in the forecast as far as storms were concerned we were comfortable with his plans.  This morning, however, we noticed that the weather prediction had changed with high winds and a thunder storm now possible for the weekend.  I was concerned, but knew that we couldn't really do much about it.  I had planned on having Cam change the room that he was sleeping in for the next couple of days and prayed that the tree made it that long.  Fortunately, Hoosier Tree Service saw the forecast as well and moved the tree up on the priority level to this afternoon.

The "lumberjacks" showed up after lunch with a 75 spider lift, a large mulch truck and a small vehicle to pick up logs.  It was an extremely impressive set-up.  Cameron chose to watch all of it from his bedroom window directly across from the action. Doug and I instead chose a safe spot across the yard and watched as one worker controlled the lift and moved up the tree cutting off branches along the way.  We were told that it was to relieve weight on the trunk.  He was able to stretch the lift up high enough to take the top out with a chainsaw.   On the way down the tree was cut in sections with large logs falling straight down to the ground.  It was fun to watch, but a little scary for those of us afraid of heights. As I walked around front to see how the chipper worked, I noticed that our neighbor boys had set up chairs on the high part of their yard to watch everything happening in our yard.  It reminded me of Brett and Cal when they were quite a bit younger as they would have greatly enjoyed the large trucks as well.  In the end it took about an hour for the tree to come down and the clean up to follow.  Doug kept the large logs to use for future bonfires.  

When it was all said and done, both Doug and I were completely relieved to have the tree removed.  It changed our hammock area slightly and left a hole in the backyard, but with the high winds today neither of us had to worry about it coming down on its own.  It definitely would have ruined our Ticket to Ride marathon games on the back deck.  

A Nice Start to a Four Day Weekend

 Doug decided to take today off so that he could have a four day weekend.  Since we haven't been able to take any trips since February due to travel restrictions, he's been using his vacation days for long weekends this summer.  I have appreciated that a lot as I don't really do much outside of our home and since Meg left it has been a lot quieter around here.

Doug started his day off by waking Cam up for e-learning Biology and then going on a 3+ mile "slow jog".  He normally uses the elliptical to exercise as jogging has been tough on his knees, but he enjoyed today's workout.  His afternoon was spent working on the chainsaw, weeding, talking to Cal about basketball, taking Cam to tennis and playing several games of Ticket to Ride with me.  

Doug decided on tater tot casserole for dinner which has become Cam's favorite meal of 2020.  Afterward we set up the projector to watch the Bucks vs. Heat game outside.  That quickly changed as neither Cam nor Doug enjoyed watching Milwaukee blow a large lead in the end to go down 0-3 in the series.  Thus, we finished the evening with a bonfire and a viewing of North By Northwest on the big screen which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was the perfect way to quick off Doug's four day weekend.  

The Upside of a Pandemic

Before the stay at home order was issued in March the Heinisch family had spent quite a bit of time on the go.  Thus, it was a big change for us to be home for six straight weeks at the start of the pandemic.  When the order was lifted at the beginning of May we realized that we had grown accustomed to being at home and didn't really change our routine much.  With all of the COVID outbreaks occurring after Memorial Day weekend we decided to make social distancing the norm for those living in our home.  Thus, we have limited social gatherings to small outdoor groups and have found many more ways to enjoy life at the Heinisch home instead of away from it.   The outside projector, bonfire pit, endless games of Ticket to Ride, the NBA playoffs, driveway basketball, feeding the birds, craft projects and daily walks have been just a few activities that we have relied on to keep us entertained during the current healthcare crisis.  It will be strange when life goes back to the way it was before the spring of 2020.  Until then I will appreciate the fun the we have been having enjoying the simple life.  

End of a Summer Staple

 Today was Cal's last day as a bag boy for Tippecanoe Country Club.  This was the third summer that he had worked in that position and overall it had been a positive experience for him.  He met a lot of great people both members and employees, he had stayed busy during the summer months, he had done very well in tips and even played a few rounds of golf over the years.  He had even gained insight into how country clubs were run at least from the pro shop point of view.  Cal had thought about working until October, but the schedule just didn't allow him time to study for the CPA.  He had also started a payroll accounting class to fulfill the Illinois state board requirements to become a CPA on Monday and he would need time to work on that as well.  Although he had really enjoyed his time at Tippy, Cal was ready to move on to the next chapter in his life.  

The Highs and Lows of High School Sports

 Last night Cam played #1 JV singles against Elkhart.  It was the first time that Bethany had played against them since they had combined Elkhart Memorial and Elkhart Central making them one of the largest high schools in Northern Indiana.  Although Cam's opponent was several inches taller than he was, Cam was able to control the match very well.  The player from Elkhart hit the ball hard, served well and made the match competitive, but in the end Cam was able to out score his opponent 6-3.  Cam was proud of the win as he was only one of two junior varsity courts to come out on top tonight.  

While we were waiting for Cam to take the court we were treated to some extremely competitive varsity matches as well.  Bethany's #2 player looked completely over matched in the first set, but came back to win the second.  The third set was a close one and although Bethany lost, it was a lot of fun to watch.  The number one doubles team also played a very close match taking it to a third set as well.  The number three singles was closer than the score revealed and had some great rallies to keep us entertained.  All in all it was a fun evening for tennis at Bethany on Monday night even though the Bruins lost 2-3.

We had hoped that tonight's match would equal last night's, but unfortunately the weather just didn't cooperate.  On the way to Prairie Heights it had started to rain, but as we reached the high school it seemed to have cleared.  As soon as Cam took the court for his #1 JV singles match, however, the clouds opened back up to a downpour.  Even though it looked to be a quick shower, there was no way to dry the courts in time to play.  Thus, the two teams agreed to postpone until the end of September and we drove the one hour trip back home a little down in the mouth.  To make matters worse Cam had broken the strings on his beloved orange racket.  Thankfully, I had picked up Moe's curbside delivery for dinner tonight for the guys, so all was not a complete loss.