Hate to See It End

For the past few months I have absolutely hated seeing the weekends come to an end.  This weekend was even more challenging since it was a three day holiday.  I had had a lot of fun with Cameron, Meg and Doug this weekend and was sad to see it end.  I hadn't felt this way about Sunday nights since I was  teaching.  It was worse then as I absolutely hated going back to school.  

I'm not sure if this Sunday night feeling of dread started again because Doug began traveling to Winco or because of all of the projects that we have going on in our home.  There are definitely days that I feel like all I do is clean and organize.  That's why I enjoy the weekends so much.  It's a break from all that we need to get done in order to downsize.  

When I felt this way while I was teaching, we would spend Sunday nights going out to dinner.  It was a great way to relax before the work week started.  I don't really want to go out to dinner again, but I have been trying to find a different way to enjoy Sunday nights without dreading the rest of the week.  That includes eating out on the back porch, having a bonfire, watching a movie, taking a walk or playing a game.  It has helped, but I'm not quite all the way there yet.  I'll just keep working on it and look forward to all that we already have planned this summer.  

Sleigh Bed

When Doug and I moved into our first home, Carl and Jeanette gave us an old bedroom set that had been in the family for years.  It consisted of a sleigh bed, dresser and wash stand.  It was a unique set, but not overly practical as our family grew.  It was shorter than a normal bed and took up a lot of space.  Once we added on to our home, we decided to swap it out for Grandma Jane's bunk beds.  The sleigh bed made it back to our house several years later when the bunk beds moved to the basement.  When Brett moved into his first apartment after grad school we asked him if he would like it.  He eagerly accepted our offer as it was bigger than the twin bed that he had been using and he liked the idea of having a family antique in his apartment.

Yesterday morning Brett called to let me know that the slats had come undone under his bed.  It wasn't the first time that that had happened as Doug had helped him fix it not too long ago.  Thankfully, Sean was wearing steel toed shoes and was able to "hammer" it back in place with a swift kick or two.  The only damage done was to Norman's feelings as he didn't like being separated from his father when they worked on the bed.  Brett admitted last night that the sleigh bed may be on its last legs.  He had definitely gotten quite a bit of use out of the hundred+ year old piece of furniture, but thought it might be time to start pricing something more practical.  We agreed completely.  No one wants to sleep on an uneven bed even if it was free.  

She's Got a Ticket to Ride

 It was a cold and dreary start to the Memorial Day weekend as the temperature never reached above 50 degrees yesterday and we received well over an inch of rain.  It was still cool this morning, but started to warm up in the afternoon.  Rain or shine none of us let the weather affect our plans.  Cal went to Indianapolis to hang out with his friends and enjoy the Indy 500 weekend race activities.  He texted us several times to let us know that he was enjoying himself.  Cameron spent last night at Samuel's with Richard and Avery joining them.  They traveled with Sam's family to Fort Wayne this morning to watch him compete in a triathlon.  Samuel placed well finishing 1st in his age group and 8th overall. They celebrated with lunch at the Hoppy Gnome. Brett kept busy after work inviting Sean and Norman over for breadsticks and a movie.  Meg and Nick went to Papa Vino's yesterday.  It was their first time eating inside a restaurant since they both had been vaccinated.  Today, Meg went with her friends to Jackie and Naomi's open houses and had a bonfire afterward at our home with Rachael, Phillip, Nick, Alex and Angel.  

While everyone was busy, Doug and I enjoyed a Ticket to Ride tournament.  We started last night and by the time we resumed this afternoon I was up 4-2.  I knew my lead wouldn't last and soon Doug had tied me at 4 games a piece.  We took a break for dinner.  I was really nervous playing the last two games, England and Pennsylvania, as Doug usually beat me at those.  We played England first and it was really intense.  Because of the toll payments, I couldn't really tell who was in the lead.  In the end we finished in a complete tie.  I could only remember one other time that that had happened.  Since I thought that I would lose England, I was glad to at least still have a chance to win with Pennsylvania.  I wasn't very confident about it, however, as Doug won that game a lot.  Thankfully, the game wasn't as close as it had been in the past and soon I was claiming victory giving me the overall championship.  Even if I hadn't had won, I had a lot of fun playing.  It was the perfect activity for the cool start to Memorial Day weekend. 

Goodbye to Sophomore Year

Today was the end of the school year for Cameron and he was more than ready to say goodbye to sophomore year.   Covid had changed his daily schedule at school and virtual learning had dominated a good portion of his time.  It didn't help that they had to stop in person learning last March, so it seemed as though his tenth grade year was fifteen months long instead of nine.  This morning before he drove off, he and I agreed that it felt like the longest school year ever and we were both glad to see it come to an end.  He was so happy that he didn't even complain when I asked to take a last day of school picture.

Even though school during the pandemic at times was a drag, we were extremely impressed that Bethany was able to keep the students engaged during the school year as much as the Covid restriction would allow.  Cameron was still able to play on the tennis and golf teams.  We got to attend an in person band concert. There was still an interterm and some short field trips.  He excelled academically, finishing the year with A's in every class.  He learned to maintain relationships virtually and got vaccinated as soon as possible in order to hang out with his friend group.  He passed his driver's test and gained quite a bit of freedom in return.  Overall, the year may have felt longer than normal for Cameron, but at least it was a fruitful one in the end.  The added bonus was that he did all of that while staying healthy and keeping our family safe.

A Belated Celebration

Since Plante Moran gave their employees the Friday before Memorial Day weekend off as a paid holiday, Cal decided to take Wednesday and Thursday as vacation days also, giving him an almost week long mini-vacation.  He was pretty excited about it and the plans that he had made.  He and Jayce were going to spend the holiday in Indianapolis with their friends from Speedway to enjoy all of the Indy 500 activities.  Yesterday, Hannah-Marie came up to see him.  They went to Little Italy where he tried Peroni beer for the first time and then went to dinner at a new restaurant called Cluck It featuring different chicken dishes.

I had asked Cal last week if he thought that he might stop by home during his time off, but at the time he wasn't sure that he'd be able to see us.  Thus, I was pleasantly surprised when Cal called this morning to tell me that he was in South Bend on his way to Syracuse.  He and Hannah-Marie wanted to spend the day on the lake and he was hoping to see all of us tonight before he headed back to Chicago.  I was glad that we would all be home tonight so that we could finally celebrate Cal's 23rd birthday with the added accomplishment of passing the CPA.

Cal stopped by to see me for a couple of hours before he went to the lake.  I had fun catching up with him on the Koepka/DeChambeau PGA feud and the HBO mini-series, Mare at Easttown.  Meg, Doug and Cam all arrived by the time he got back and we had a nice dinner together complete with Cameron's Brazilian cheese bread.  Cal appreciated all of the presents that he received including the money hidden in his new Simpsons socks from Grandma and Grandpa and the suitcase plus travel bag from Meg and I.  He also opened a bag of his favorites, Deep Eddy Lemonade, cashews and pistachios, in honor of passing the CPA.  Doug had sent him his Russell Westbrook shirt last week so that he had it for the playoffs and Cameron showed him the Justin Fields Bears shirt that he ordered him that wasn't available until July.  It was definitely a fun night of celebrating Cal and we hated to see him leave.  

A Busy Week of Activities

 Cameron has gotten home close to 10 p.m. almost every night this week and it doesn't look like his schedule will slow down anytime soon.  On Tuesday he had a golf match against Lakeland.  He was hitting the ball well going into it and had decided that he wanted to try only having Doug come to watch.  He thought that might help his mental game.  I was glad that he chose to try something new as he hadn't been playing his best during matches and I know that it was frustrating to him.  His plan worked well as he finished the night with a 41.  He had only one bad hole, number five, with two balls out of bounds.  He was proud of the fact that he rebounded well even after taking the maximum double par on that hole.  He ended the evening by attending Aaron's senior night and then hanging out with Sam, Richard and Avery at Sam's house afterward.

Tonight, he, Richard and Sam went to Buffalo Wild Wings in Goshen.  They had a lot of fun together, enjoyed their food and spent an hour afterward just talking in Cam's car.  Thursday night, Cameron plans to be home, so he had me pick up the ingredients for Brazilian cheese bread.  They had made it in Spanish class this week and wanted all of us to try it too.  

On Friday night Cameron is planning on spending the night at Sam's so that he can go to his triathlon in Fort Wayne with Sam's family.  When he gets home Saturday he is heading straight to Theo's open house.  Then on Sunday he will play a practice round for sectionals at Meadowvalley.  We are glad that Cam's taking advantage of all of the social activities offered him.  If it's anything like this week, he should have a fun summer.    

One Fantastic Text

 Cal texted both Doug and I this morning to let us know that he passed the final portion of the CPA.  I don't know if Cal could tell from our replies, but we were both thrilled for him.  He had worked hard and it had paid off.  We couldn't have been prouder.  Cal would still have to take an ethics exam to get his certificate, but that would be nothing compared to what he had just accomplished.  Passing the test this early into his career not only alleviated a lot of stress for him, but also earned him a nice bonus from Plante Moran.

Doug and I spent quite a bit of time this evening reminiscing about how Doug found out that he passed the CPA twenty-nine years ago.  He was on a fishing trip in Canada with his Dad and brothers.  There was limited phone access in the remote area that they were staying.  He finally got a chance to call his mom mid-week to see if he had received the results.  She was more than happy to read him his passing scores.  Just like with Cal's news, I had never doubted that Doug wouldn't pass.   I was a firsthand witness to the amount of time they both had spent studying.  It was stressful then; it was stressful now.  Incredibly relieved that neither have to go through that again.  

Adulting

 I had heard the word "adulting" used before, but never really knew what it meant.  In fact I thought it was a made up slang for those who didn't want to act like a grown up.  I found out today that I was wrong.  The definition for adulting was actually 'the practice of behaving in a way characteristic of a responsible adult, especially the accomplishment of mundane but necessary tasks.'  Unfortunately for Meg, she got a heavy dose of adulting this past week.

On Friday morning Meg left for IU in plenty of time to make it to her dinner shift at Bell Trace.   She called me when she got to Carmel.  She had pulled over to get something to eat and while in line at Culver's she began to feel a migraine starting.  By the time her order arrived she was completely dizzy and afraid that she wouldn't be able to drive.  Thankfully, she knew that there was a Target near by and decided that she'd take Ibuprofen and walk around the store for a little bit to see if it would subside.  It took about an hour, but the cooler temperature, medication, water and a wet wash cloth all helped Meg to get back in her car and on her way.  I was so glad that she made it to Bloomington without incident and was impressed that she was able to still work her shift.

Saturday started off better for Meg.  In between her lunch and dinner shifts she had time to run to Kroger to get groceries.  She walked out of the store, however, and noticed a flat tire.  She texted me a picture and asked what she should do.  It was definitely flat, but fortunately we knew an auto repair shop right next to the Kroger parking lot that she could drop the car off to be fixed.  She had just enough time to Uber back to Brett's apartment, make baked spaghetti and head to Bell Trace again.  Her real world experiences didn't end there as when she got home later that evening, she and Brett realized that the refrigerator was not working and all of her groceries had gone bad including her favorite meal.  

On Monday Meg called to let me know that parking on campus this summer was not free and it was $4.75 just to study at the Union for a few hours.  I did some research for her and soon she was on her way to  Parking Operations to pick up a summer parking permit.  Afterward she stopped at Comcast to get a modem and router so that we could set up her internet when she moved in her new apartment in June.  She called me when she got back to Brett's to let me know that between the car, working at Bell Trace, the refrigerator incident, setting up the electricity and studying for classes she finally felt like an adult.  It was nice knowing that she felt that she could handle all of the responsibilities coming her way.  Hopefully, not every week as an adult will be quite so hectic.  

One For the Ages

 This was a prime weekend for the sports watching fans in the Heinisch family.  There were NBA play-in  games Friday night and play off games Saturday and Sunday.  Albert Pujols had hit his first home run after being picked up by the Dodgers and the PGA golf tournament was on the air.   At any given time there was a sporting event on our television to enjoy.  With so much to watch, it was difficult sometimes deciding which game or tournament to follow.  By Sunday afternoon, however, it became clear that the PGA Championship was going to dominate our television.  

Cal had texted us on Friday morning to let us know that Phil Mickelson was leading the second Major golf tournament of the year.  My immediate response was "I'm not getting sucked in."  I had spent too many golf tournaments watching the "feel good story leader" blow it on Sunday.  There was no way that I was going to let that happen this time.  Phil was fifty years old and hadn't won a major championship in eight years.  None of thought that he really had any chance of winning, no matter how big of a lead he had going into the last day.  

Phil continued to play well on Friday and Saturday and sure enough had a one stroke lead to start the final round.  He was playing with Brooks Koepka and Doug had said all along that he thought that Koepka would win.  After the first hole on Sunday, we assumed that Doug was correct.  Phil bogeyed it while Brooks birdied the par four.  I texted Cal right away to let him know that I was glad that Mickelson was putting us out of our misery early in the day.  

After Phil's rough start, Doug and I decided to take a walk.  It was a hot afternoon, so we were thankful for the breeze and shade.  Neither of us thought that it would be much of a match when we got back and therefore were pleasantly surprised to see that Phil had actually made a rally and was back in the lead.  After eleven holes it looked as though he would actually run away with it.  With Phil's history of blowing leads, we knew that it wouldn't be quite that easy.  He bogeyed two holes in a hole and Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen both made a run at the leader pulling within two.  The last hole was nerve wracking especially once the spectators surrounded the final pairing.  For awhile I wasn't sure if Koepka or Mickelson would made it through the mob scene around the 18th green.  They did, however, and in the end both two putted giving Phil the championship as the oldest player to ever win a Major.  There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

A Brand New Smile

Meg arrived home the weekend after finishing her sophomore year hoping to relax a little bit and re-energize before starting summer school.  She wasn't quite ready to tackle I-Core, but knew that if she finished it before the fall she would be well ahead of her classmates in the business school.  Classes started off challenging, but by the time she left yesterday she had a plan for how best to tackle the workload.

Her time at home wasn't all work.  She spent last weekend with Nick at his brother's place in Detroit.  She also got to visit her grandparents,  hang out with Sarah, take walks with me and start Stranger Things with Cameron.  The most important part of being home these past two weeks, however, was getting her braces off.  She had grown accustomed to having braces and wasn't too sure about having two retainers in her mouth for the next nine months.  The more she got used to them the better she felt about the new appliances  

Doug and I were happy for her to be done with the hardest part of orthodonture work.  Her teeth looked awesome and the tooth that we once feared would be a long term issue, had been completely corrected.  We were also glad to hear today that Meg was finely feeling good about it all too, especially when she reported that the retainers had already helped to completely close the gaps in between her bottom teeth from her previous oral surgery.  It had been a lot of fun having her at home these past two weeks.  I am already looking forward to seeing her again next weekend as she returns for all of the Memorial Day festivities.  

"In My Life, I've Loved You More"

Today Doug and I celebrated our 28th anniversary.  Although expensive gifts and weekend get-a-ways long left our anniversary festivities, we did have a wonderful day together.  We decided a month ago not to get anything for each other and instead put the money towards the flowers in our yard.  Even though we planted them last weekend, we still each ended up with a gift today.  Doug purchased a beautiful bouquet for me from our preferred florist in Bristol and I found his favorite Ghirardelli's for him.  We also enjoyed the salads he made for dinner with watermelon for dessert.  Doug and I spent a good portion of the evening outside taking a long walk, playing Ticket to Ride and having a bonfire.  Cam joined us once he got home from the golf course which we greatly appreciated.  We ended the night watching the Warriors lose to the Grizzlies in the last NBA play-in game.  It was the perfect way to celebrate our life together.  

I don't normally say too much on FaceBook about our anniversary, but today I felt the urge to post a few of our weeding pictures.  We received a lot of likes and the well wishes under each one of the photos were very nice to read.  The picture that received the most attention, however, was the one outside of the church.  I don't know if the photographer took one like that for all of the weddings he did, but I always appreciated ours.  It was a great reminder of all of the love and support that we received as we started our life together.  Doug and I had long realized that the wedding day was the easiest part of being married.  It takes a lot of hard work to make a marriage a success and I am proud of the family that we have created.  

Happy Birthday Cal!

When I think back to how much Cal's life has changed since his 22nd birthday in May of 2020, it almost seems unbelievable.  On that date he was quarantining at HM's apartment waiting for his COVID test to come back so that he could head home for the summer.  He had also just found out that his position with Plante Moran would be delayed due to the pandemic with a start date of January 2021 instead of September 2020.  

Cal had always been the resilient one and I was very proud of how well he handled all of the changes thrown at him late last spring.  He never complained about anything and instead came up with an alternate plan for his first year out of college.  He was a bag boy at Tippy Country Club for the summer, then worked as a temp for an accounting agency all while studying for the CPA.  He passed three of the four tests before he started at Plante Moran and just took the final one in tax last weekend.

Cal also never complained about our Covid household rules.  He was happy to have the bedroom in the basement as his apartment and take over Cam's bathroom as his own.  When the number of positive cases in our area skyrocketed last November, he was in complete agreement with us about wearing masks around each other until the numbers dropped.  In January he found out that he had tested positive for the virus and quarantined alone at Grandma and Grandpa's so that the rest of us could keep Covid free.  He even made two trips home this spring to get vaccinated in order to help our family stay healthy.  

I have missed Cal a lot since he moved out, but am extremely thrilled that his life in Chicago has blossomed.  He loves his job and has a great apartment with Jayce right in the middle of Wrigleyville.  I will be excited to see where the next year takes him.  I dont' know if it was be as interesting as this past one, but can't wait to hear his stories.  Even though we couldn't be with him today, we thought of him often, showered him with texts and made plans for seeing him soon.  My Facebook post said it best today - "So incredibly proud to be the Mom of this fun loving 23 year old!  Working in Chicago, living the dream, loved more than words can say!  I enjoy all the energy and spontaneity he brings to the Heinisch family! Happy Birthday Cal!"

Bird Watching

Cameron's biology class went bird watching today as part of their aves unit.  Biology has been kind of drag this year, so I wasn't sure how he would like this field trip.  I was happy to hear that he found it fascinating and was interested in going on more trips like it.  As an avid fan of bird watching I was more than ready to schedule some trips with him as was Doug. One of the spots that we talked about traveling to once school let out was Peoria, Illinois.  Uncle Maury donated his farmland to the Illinois wildlife society so that it could become a bird sanctuary.  It would be incredibly awesome to go bird watching on a former family farm, especially one that was so extremely important to the Brucker/Holmes family.  

Until the end of the school year we talked about staying closer to home visiting key bird watching spots like the WACF trail and Chain of Lakes.   Tonight in our yard alone, Cameron was able to spot blue jays, orioles, robins and cardinals without much effort.  I know that he will be able to find many more as feeding the birds at our home has been a favorite activity of mine since I resigned from teaching.  Currently, the birds have access to two different types of suet feed, peanuts, songbird seed, finch seed, oranges, grape jelly and field corn.  I was thankful to find that Cameron shared an interest in something that Doug and I have enjoyed very much over the past few years.  Can't wait to see what additional information Cameron adds to our bird loving home.  

"Heinisch Resigns From County Council"

Today Doug resigned his position as member of the Kosciusko County Council.  I had written a blog about it as I was proud of his dedication to service and wanted to share that.  Brett had the same idea as he wanted to write a letter to the editor about his dad as well.  Doug really wanted to remain low key about his resignation, so I decided that I would just post the article that was printed in the Warsaw Times Union to commemorate the day and Brett saved his letter for another time.  To those of us in the Heinisch family, Doug will always be the hardest working, most dedicated person that we have ever known.  It's ok if we don't share that with everyone.

A Trip to the Doctor

A year ago I had talked to Dr. Cook about a small bump on my skin that was concerning to me.  He looked at it and said that it wasn't anything to worry about unless it got bigger or started to hurt.  I was happy to hear that and didn't think much about it until last week when it became extremely painful to touch.  Since he was the one that I had talked to about it, I thought that I should call his office first.  They wanted to see me as soon as possible, so today I spent the morning at Dr. Cook's office. 

I had the weekend to research the possibilities of what could be causing the problem.  By Saturday, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was actually Squamous Cell Carcinoma.  I realized that there was only a 0.6% chance that that would be the diagnosis,  but no matter how many times I read that it was probably an infected hair follicle, I was convinced that it was skin cancer.  On Sunday, I finally calmed down.  It didn't really matter what it was, I needed to have it looked at and then deal with the results.

Dr. Cook was reassured me right away that it was actually an infected follicle and took care of the problem immediately.  He prescribed me a round of strong antibiotics and sent me on my way.  I was relieved to have the issue resolved and called Doug to give him the news.  I stopped at Walmart on the way home to pick up a few items.  While I was there I saw a woman wearing a scarf on her head and a shirt that said "Cancer Sucks."  I thought a lot about her after I left.  She was right, cancer did suck.  We learned that through Jeanette's battle with ovarian cancer.  I remembered how it was back then and could only imagine how the woman in the store felt with her chemo treatments, loss of hair and concern about the future.  I knew after that brief moment in the store, that there was no way that I would complain about the side effects of the antibiotic that I was going to have to take for the next week.  It was unfair to those with real health issues.

A Busy Weekend For All

While Doug and I spent the majority of Saturday planting flowers and Sunday catching up on other projects, the Heinisch children were making the best of the beautiful weekend with non-stop activities. Brett was invited to go to the lantern festival in Indianapolis with Sean, Jovie and Norman.  He was thankful that one of his co-workers agreed to take his shift at Storage Express on Saturday so that he could go with his friends to enjoy this wonderful celebration of life.  He had been invited to go with them two years ago, but weather cancelled the festival and then last year it was postponed once again due to the pandemic.   He sent us a picture well after dark with all of the lanterns lighting up the sky.  It looked beautiful.

The first half of Cal's weekend took him to Iowa for the tax portion of the CPA.  It was his second attempt and although it would be several weeks before he found out how he scored, he did feel better about it than he did the first time he took it.  He then spent the rest of the weekend celebrating with his friends from Chicago many of whom also went to IU with him.  Meg and Nick left late Friday afternoon to visit his brother, Trent, in the Detroit area.  It was their first time leaving the state of Indiana since March of 2020 and they thoroughly enjoyed their time in Michigan.  They spent time at the farmer's market that resembled the one in Bloomington only adding in some food to try and even alcoholic drinks for the over 21 crowd.  Lunch was at a renovated shipping center where each shipping pod offered a different type of food including one of Meg's favorites - Indian cuisine.  It was fun listening to all that they found to do in Detroit.

Cameron stayed in Northern Indiana all weekend, but still found plenty to do.  Besides his Friday night band concert with a stop at Culver's, he attended the Bethany softball game on Saturday with Austin,  played two rounds of golf with his grandparents including a season low 79, took a long walk with Meg and finally cleaned out the van.  He was disappointed that his friends had to cancel plans on Sunday night to finish homework, but still found time to catch up with them on the phone.  Although he swore that he would never play "Oh Hell" again after the bad luck with cards that he had on Saturday night, I know that he enjoyed it all the same.  

The best part of the weekend for me was knowing that all of the Heinisch children were enjoying so many of the social activities that weren't available to them last year.   Twelve months ago no one was really sure what the summer of 2020 would bring.  Now everyone in the Heinisch family is really looking forward to the upcoming summer and this weekend was a nice preview of that.  

A Wonderful Day to Plant Flowers

It was cloudy today, but the temperatures stayed in the upper 60s making it the perfect day to plant flowers and mulch.  We bought our favorites last night from Clayton's - impatients, wavy petunias, geraniums and a hibiscus for the front porch.  Doug was up early to get a jump start on the project. By the time I joined him, he already had completed the front area.  I helped by filling all of the planters while he finished the backyard.  After we used all of the flowers that we had bought at Clayton's last night, we realized that we were still two planters short.  We stopped at the grocery store before heading back to North Webster when we realized that New Market had exactly what we needed - a beautiful purple hanging basket for the hummingbirds and another one that we could take apart and use in our watering can.  The price was perfect and it saved us a trip back to Clayton's.  With our new purchases we were able to finish the yard work well before dinner.  I was impressed with how well everything looked and appreciated how hard Doug worked today to get it all done.  

Getting the Band Back Together

For the first time in seventeen months we were able to watch the Bethany band in person this evening.  We appreciated all of the zoom and video programs that they had had during the pandemic, but it was definitely better to see them live.  Covid restrictions were still in place as the performance was held in the gym with chairs set up in pods so that each student could invite six individuals to watch them play.  Masks were worn by everyone and the gym was emptied after each group finished to allow for social distancing.  

Cameron didn't play until after the orchestra and choir, so it was well after 7:30 before he started.  By chance we were seated in the perfect area to see Cameron play throughout the performance.  I really appreciated that, but overall was happy just to hear them play.  The band started with the Theme song to the Mandalorian and finished with a medley of Beatles tunes including two of my favorites, Here Comes the Sun and In My Life.  Everything sounded fantastic.  After we caught up with Cameron before he headed to Culver's with Sam, all I kept thinking about was how wonderful it was to be back at Bethany supporting our favorite oboe player.  

A Week of Golf

 Doug reported in this afternoon that his two days of golf at Streamsong Resort in Bowling Green, Florida went very well.  Much like most Florida courses there was quite a bit of long grass and very few trees, but the amount of sand traps made up for that.  The excess bunkers left a lot of sand elsewhere on the course as well.  Thus, he felt great about the 107 he shot yesterday and the 108 today.  He also was treated to some wonderful food including lobster mac and cheese for dinner.  I was happy that he was able to take this trip.  He not only enjoyed the activities, but also the company.  I know that Doug works very hard and it was nice for him to relax and get to know the rest of the management at Winco and DW better.

While Doug was busy with his week of golf, Grandma, Grandpa and I were enjoying Cameron's golf match against Trinity Christian at Black Squirrel.  Cameron had shot a career round 34 at Maxwelton last night and was looking forward to putting his new grip to use in a match.  The teed off on the back nine tonight which was different than their previous matches.  It was definitely harder than the front, but the boys did very well.  Cameron shot a 44 which he was happy about, especially since he was even par for six of the nine holes.  The best part of the night for him, however, was watching the rest of his team break 200.  Even though their 199 was bested by 2 by Trinity, it was exciting for them to realize how much they had improved.  One of Cameron's teammates had just started playing golf this year and was able to break 60 today.  That was a major accomplishment and it was fun to listen to Cameron's golf stories afterward.   

Weight Watchers Revisited

When I saw Dr. Freeze in April I talked to her about my inability to lose weight even though I watched what I ate and exercised an hour+ everyday.  When I had mentioned it last year, she had encouraged me to put in 150 minutes of cardio exercise a week and take Furosemide for swelling.  It made a little bit of difference, but not as much as I would have expected for as hard as I was working at it.  She decided to do blood work to see if I was insulant resistant as that could be the cause of my inability to lose weight.  The tests results came back right away and I was labeled as insulant resistant by 0.1%.  My choices were to take medication which had some severe intestinal issues or lose twenty pounds.  As I talked to the nurse I realized that I really didn't have a choice.  I hated the thought of the side effects of the medication and had had success with Weight Watchers in the past, so I chose the weight loss plan.  

Although I tried to talk myself out of it, I started my joined Weight Watchers yesterday.  As I measured out my two tablespoons of Zesty Italian salad dressing for lunch, Meg said that the plan was perfect for me.  I knew that she was right as I like to be organized and WW let me track everything I ate.  I was also able to sync my FitBit to the WW app which will keep track of my activity level and gave me Fit Points.  I was definitely hungry the last two days, but happy to see that it was already working.  My goal was to lose 27 pounds.  I hope to be able to accomplish that this summer.  I'm still not excited about going back on Weight Watchers, but I know that it will be worth it in the end.  

Fully Vaccinated Part Six

Cal left early this morning for his 8:20 a.m. vaccination appointment.  I know that he wasn't excited about getting a shot, but he knew it was important for life in the Heinisch home to fully return to normal.  I was excited to know that all six of us were finally fully vaccinated and was extremely proud of our family for taking this step.  It had been a long year of worrying about the unknown virus and I was glad to get a break from that.  I realized that we may all need a booster shot in the fall, but for now we could breathe a sigh of relief.  Fortunately, besides a sore arm, Cal felt pretty good afterward, just a little tired.  He spent the rest of the day working from home and studying for his upcoming CPA exam.  He left for Chicago at 5:30.  I was sad to see him go, but knew that he was ready to get back to his own life. 

The rest of us had a busy day as well.  Meg worked on I-Core almost the entire day.  She and I found time to watch some fun James Corden Broadway Crosswalk Musicals, take a walk and start a plan for her move to Fountain Park in June, but otherwise she spent her time doing homework.  I met Cam at Dr. Freeze's office this morning so that they could check his vision for his sports physical.  That went well and we were able to schedule his meningitis shots for late June before we left.  He appreciated the Subway lunch I brought him since he missed some of his free period today.  Afterward I was finally able to get the Pilot washed and then stop at Menards to load up on bird feed.  It took me over a half hour to fill all of the feeders once I got home, but I know that the bluejays appreciated it.  Brett called to check in after his time volunteering at the Bloomington food bank.  It was a lot of heavy lifting, but he felt very good about helping out.  Doug left for Indianapolis late in the morning.  He was invited to spend the next two days at a golf resort near Tampa with the management of Champion and members of DW.  He was excited about the opportunity and nervous about his golf game.  The last time he played with Cam, he hurt his arm and didn't want a repeat of that.  His flight got delayed out of Indy, so he spent three hours in the airport waiting to board.  He didn't mind as he got a lot done for work and was still in Florida before 10 p.m.  I was happy to see that he made it.  It was definitely a fruitful day for all in the Heinisch family.  

Non-Stop Action

Today was a busy one in the Heinisch home.  Everyone had plenty on their agenda and by the end of the day I was absolutely exhausted.  Doug woke Cal up when he left for work, so he could workout before he logged on to his day at Plante Moran.  Cam spent his time before school looking for a pair of jeans, before realizing that all of his pants were actually in the van.  He had been using it as a changing area before practice and hadn't brought in his laundry.  Fortunately, he found a pair that would work for today.  Meg was up early for her orthodontist appointment.  I rode along with her so that we could go to the grocery store afterward.  We were both thrilled to learn that she was on schedule to have her braces removed next week.  Our time at Walmart was shorter than I would have thought as we hadn't bought groceries in several days.  

The afternoon was spent unloading groceries, catching up on laundry, and picking up the house.  Doug had made plenty of food for dinner last night, which saved us all time when making lunch today.  During his lunch break Cal found time to also take a short walk.  It was a cool day so I was glad that he was able to put his new M & M Disney Spring lounge pants that we found him on our recent trip to Florida to good use.  Meg left right after lunch to go to Amanda's.  She hadn't had a professional haircut in a year and a half and took advantage of it by cutting off several inches.  She also got her ears pierced for the second time.  I was happy for her as she had been talking about it for quite some time.  She was then able to get a good start on her homework before leaving for Nick's for dinner.

Cameron had a match against Wawasee at Tippecanoe Country Club tonight.  He was excited about it and I was glad that Doug was able to see this one as well.  In the end Cameron was disappointed with his play tonight feeling that it was well below his personal best.  Doug and he talked about a few holes that were a struggle for him.  I was just happy that he still shot a 45 even with two triple bogies.  The course played short tonight, but the greens were tough making the score good enough for second individually.  The rest of Bethany played well which was awesome to see.  

Doug picked up Subway and Pizza Hut on the way home to help alleviate our busy schedule.  Cal had asked for a haircut, so as soon as I was done eating dinner, I started on that.  I was nervous to cut his hair as he had had it professionally done recently and I didn't want to mess it up.  I was glad that it still looked nice when we finished.  Doug also wanted a haircut before he left for his trip tomorrow.  His was definitely easier to cut.  He had told me that he had notice a lot more gray hair recently.  As I cut it I realized that he was correct, but fortunately with his short hairstyle, none of the gray showed when I was done.  I remembered Jeanette telling me that she didn't start coloring her hair until she was 52 further showing how much Doug favors his mom's side of the family.  The rest of our evening was spent watching Scream with Cal and trying his lemon vodka.  He had never seen the movie and enjoyed it just as much as we did.  The vodka was delicious as well, but most importantly we were glad to spend time with Cal.  It was the perfect way to end a hectic day for all of us.  

Mother's Day Blizzard of 2021

Doug and I spent the morning getting the house ready for Cal and Meg's visit.  Meg was coming home for two weeks.  She would still be attending summer school online, but being home would allow her to make her next two orthodontist appointments.  Cal was returning from Bloomington as well as he had spent the past few days visiting HM before she left for Florida for a week of classes through IU.  Cal planned to stay with us until Tuesday when he had his second Covid vaccine scheduled.  

While we were waiting for them to arrive Cam, Doug and I played several games of cards including Runs & Sets and SkipBo.  I had possibly the worst score ever in the first game, but did well in the second.  I appreciated Cam paying games with us.  I know that he would have rather played golf, but the snow and the cold closed the courses in our area.  This spring had definitely been a cold one, but none of us expected snow showers today.  The latest that I had ever remembered it snowing in May before today was on May 6, 1989.  It was the day after I arrived home from my sophomore year at IU.  It was a little ironic that Meg was facing the same unpredictable weather pattern after finishing her second year at IU as well.  

Once Cal and Meg arrived I opened my Mother's Day gifts.  Brett had sent his gift home with me from when I was in Bloomington on Friday.  I was happy to see two of my favorite candles - one from Mickey's Philharmagic and the other from the Norway ride in EPCOT.  Cal got me a new flavor of vodka to try - lemonade.  It looked delicious and we made plans to try it tomorrow night.  Doug, Meg and Cam picked out a record player for me.  I was thrilled when I opened it as I had been wanting one ever since I found my childhood record collection.  I don't know if they all enjoyed Chirpy, Chirpy, Cheep as much as I did, but it definitely brought back a ton of memories.

We invited Grandma Jane and Grandpa Cutes up for the evening.  Doug made hamburgers, pasta salad, cucumber salad and corn casserole for dinner.  Grandma brought cheesecake and fruit for dessert.  After dinner we played Cam's trivia game.  It was a lot of fun.  We followed it with Oh Hell!  I ended up the big loser and for the first time in awhile took home the Vicky bird.  Even with the loses in cards today and the "snowstorm", I still had a wonderful Mother's Day.

A Tough Back Nine

Cameron was back at Bent Oak today, this time for an eighteen hole tournament.  The weather was a little warmer than Thursday but still cool for May.  Thankfully, it was a shotgun start at 1 p.m. so we missed the frost of the morning.  

Cameron started on hole number 1 and hit his drives well on the front nine.  He said that he struggled more with his irons this time, but overall was happy with his play.  He didn't score as well as he did on Thursday but still finished with a 43.  He had hoped for lower, but still had a chance to shoot the 85 that we talked about last night.  The difference in difficulty at Bent Oak between the front nine and the back nine was incredible.  Cameron played the first and second holes very well, but after those two the amount of hazards, tight fairways, out of bounds and fast greens became extremely challenging.  In the end he finished with an 89.  Two out of bounds cost him him his goal of 85. Once he realized that he felt very good about today, especially since one of the balls was only out by two inches.  It also helped that he had a gallery following him this afternoon as Bailee and Annika walked the last nine holes with us.  Cam really enjoyed the two golfers in his group which made the day even more fun.  

The Long and Winding Road

When Doug and I made plans to go to Florida together, one item that we had to make allowances for was the fact that I would have to pick him up at the airport when he returned.  We didn't want to have two cars at the airport for over a week and Doug really wanted to avoid Midway Airport if possible.  Fortunately, we were able to get him a flight into Indianapolis today, so I didn't have to drive back into Chicago on a Friday afternoon.  Although our plan started off well, today ended up being a very long traffic day for me.

When I realized that Meg was moving out of her dorm apartment on the same day that I'd be picking up Doug in Indy, I decided that I would leave early in the morning and stop in Bloomington to help her organize her belongings at Brett's apartment.  I would also get a chance to see Brett as we hadn't been to B-Town since the beginning of April.  In the end my decision led to nine hours in the car.  Had I known that, I probably would have just driven to Indy and skipped the Bloomington trip.

My day started off late as Cameron had forgotten his lunch and then his key had gotten stuck in the ignition when he stopped at Casey's for a Friday morning snack.  We sorted all of that out and I was on the road by 7:45, only 15 minutes later than I planned.  The GPS still had me arriving in Bloomington by 11:15 a.m. so I just changed my plan to see Brett at his apartment and instead catch him at Storage Express before he headed into work.  All seemed to be going well until I got to Carmel.  I realized at that time that my expected time of arrival kept getting later and later.  I called Brett once I got to Martinsville to let him know that there was no way that I could arrive before 11:45 a.m. well after his start time at work.  He decided that it would be ok if I stopped by his parking lot for a quick hug and to give him his small gifts from Disney World.  I was glad to see him even if only for a few seconds and he was happy with his Duck Tales socks and Oswald pin.  

I then made my way to Brett's apartment to help Meg.  She was still working Bell Trace's lunch shift, but I was able to get a lot done before she finished.  She and Nick had gotten everything out of her apartment last night and had put away her clothes and several other items as well.  I unpacked and organized the rest of her bags and boxes in Brett's living room while Nick cleaned out and moved her fridge, fans and a few other items as well.  By the time she arrived, we had made a good dent in the pile.  We ordered lunch at McAllister's and a pizza at Mother Bear's for Cam and Doug's dinner.  I appreciated Nick picking it all up for us, so I could continue helping Meg and give her the Disney utensils I had picked up at the Boardwalk store in Orlando.  She loved them and by the time Nick got back, we had everything organized, so that all that she had to was put the rest of it in tubs and place the tubs into Brett's two storage areas.  

I ate lunch with Nick and Meg and left by 2:45.  I couldn't believe how quickly my time in Bloomington had flown by.  Besides the pizza, I had also ordered Doug and Cam breadsticks from Pizza Express.  I stopped there before leaving town and was on the road by 2:55.  I was glad to see that my GPS said that I would arrive at the airport in an hour and ten minutes.  Doug's flight had been delayed, so I would have plenty of time to get to the airport before he arrived and even get in some steps as I was only at 3500 on the day.  The closer I got to Martinsville, the more my phone kept rerouting me through the town.  I was extremely disappointed to see the time to Indy increase rapidly.  In Martinsville, traffic came to a complete standstill and I finally decided to get off of the suggested path and drive through the downtown area.  I don't know if it saved me time, but at least I felt like I was moving forward.  By the time I reached 67, I had spent over an hour in the car and was only halfway to the airport.  

Traffic was still heavy the rest of the trip, but there weren't anymore long traffic delays.  I did have to drive around one accident and through the town of Mooresville, but thankfully I was able to reach the airport just as Doug's plane landed.  The parking garage was packed, but I did manage to find a spot and meet him right as he walked out of the terminal.  I was excited to be reunited with him and ready to get back home.  Unfortunately, Southwest had a different idea and we had to wait an extra half hour for his luggage due to lightening strikes in the area.  After an already long day of traveling, I was frustrated, but still happy to see Doug and thankful that I would have time to get in 5000 more steps before we left the airport.  

I enjoyed visiting with Doug on the way home and was glad that rush hour traffic had cleared out by the time we had left.  He appreciated that I had saved him half of my McAllister sandwich as he hadn't eaten much today.  That allowed us to drive without stopping.  I called Cameron on the way home to let him know that we'd be later than I originally planned, but had pizza and breadsticks for him in the cooler for his dinner.  Our trip from there went well until we reached Wabash.  We got stuck in a fifteen minute traffic jam on state road 13 while cars lined up to get into the drive-in theater.  I couldn't believe it.

Thankfully, we made it past the movie traffic and were finally home by 8:45.  Cameron was happy to see us and to enjoy his favorite Mother Bear's pizza, Paulie's Pine Nuts.  I was so incredibly glad to be out of the Pilot.  I had spent nine hours of my day in it and was more than ready to be done traveling for awhile.  After dinner Doug broke out the Ticket to Ride games and we played multiple rounds while I walked around the house finishing out the last of my 10,000 steps.  

Low Medalist

I missed Friday night's competition between the Bethany golf team and Elkhart Christian.  The match had been scheduled after Doug and I made plans to go to Florida and Cameron said that he would be ok with me missing it.  He called as soon as it was over and I enjoyed listening to him talk about his round.  He shot a 43 at Black Squirrel finishing in second place individually.  It was definitely better than his previous score against Goshen, but Cameron felt that he could do better.  

Tonight Cameron got his chance to prove that.  The match up was the same with Bethany once again pitted against ECA, but the venue was different as the boys played at Bent Oak in Elkhart.  It was cold and windy, but that didn't seem to bother Cameron at all.  As he stated later, "I played the best of the season tonight."  I agreed and besides his drive on hole number three, he hit the ball well.   This highlight of the night was a birdie on number 5 and Cameron just missed a putt on the last hole for 39.   His 40, however, was an awesome score and good enough for him to finish medalist on the night.  His playing partner, Austin, also scored well breaking 50.  Bethany endued up losing by 6 to the eagles, but it overall it was a fun night to be a golf mom.  

Dental Cleaning - Woo Hoo!

My last visit to the dentist was just before the lock down in our area began in March of 2020.  I really wanted my teeth cleaned, but had been putting it off because of the fear of contracting Covid.  All of the Heinisch children had gone in December without any issues, but every time I would think about making an appointment a wave of new positive cases would hit our area.  According to the CDC, the risk of going to the dentist was always on the medium to high level, so I decided that my teeth could wait.

I was concerned that my visit today would be a long one due to my time away from the dental chair. Thankfully, that was not the case and I had a really great check up.  I had gotten a Water Pik for Christmas and I believe that it had made a big difference.  I enjoyed catching up with the hygienist, the office manager and Dr. Mayden.  I had been going to the same dentist since I was in college, so I  know the staff very well.  Although my face was swollen by the end of the night due to the minimal interaction with latex, I was happy to finally have my teeth cleaned by a professional.  Not only did they look and feel better, I also celebrated it as one more step toward the return to our pre-pandemic life.  

Homeward Bound

Doug and I were up at 4:30 a.m. this morning in order for him to take me to the Orlando Airport for my 8:50 a.m. flight.  I was glad that we left early as the traffic was already heavy and the signs into the terminal were confusing.  Once Doug dropped me off, it was a little challenging for me to get both of my suitcases and my backpacks into the check-in area, but I made it through there and security in plenty of time for my flight.  The airplane was supposed to be completely filled, so I was incredibly glad that there was an open seat next to me when the doors closed and our flight began.  I was also pleased to be able to watch "News of the Day" through the Southwest app once we took off.  I had wanted to rent the Tom Hanks western when it first came out, but no one else was interested.  I really enjoyed it and it was a great way to take my mind off of the heavy turbulence that we encountered.  

Even though they were both non-stop flights, the one on the way home took quite a bit longer than the one going to Orlando.  I then had some problems finding the correct bus after the luggage arrived.  Fortunately, the bus driver was extremely nice and dropped me off at my car since it was raining.  My GPS routed me a different way home than the one that Doug usually took.  He called while I was trying to navigate the area around the airport and had me take his way.  It was a little longer, but it was a safer and easier trip for me.  

I forgot how incredibly hectic traffic was in Chicago, but after an hour or so I was at the rest stop on the Indiana toll road.  I had decided to skip lunch so I could get back quicker.  I was glad that I did as traffic on the toll road was backed up for quite a few miles.  Once I got through the Valparaiso area the roads opened up and I was able to make it home before 4 p.m.  It was cold and rainy on the drive, but the weather was a little better in Syracuse.  I was glad to hear that Cam still had practice as I know that he wanted to play golf today.  I had just enough time to unpack the Pilot before he pulled in to the driveway.  I was very happy to see him.  We spent the rest of the night catching up.  He really liked his new M & M shirt, golf balls and deck of cards.  We enjoyed pizza for dinner and watched a few episodes of Seinfeld.  

Getting to Know Ocala

We arrived in Ocala last night around 5 p.m.  It only took an hour and fifteen minutes to get there from Animal Kingdom.  Doug's been staying in Springhill Suites and I really liked the hotel.  It was newer and cleaner than the Holiday Inn that we stayed at in Disney Springs and there wasn't a twelve story drop right outside of our door.  Once we unpacked Doug wanted to take me on a tour of Ocala.  The first stop was Winco.  I loved the rural area surrounding it.  We then checked out the housing options near his work as well as the new World Equestrian Center, Shalom Park and a few of the 55+ living communities in Ocala.  We drove through the shopping areas, looked at different apartment complexes and checked out the downtown square before deciding on dinner at the Crazy Cucumber.  Doug had told me that Ocala reminded him a lot of Mishawaka.  From what we toured today, I could totally agree with that statement.

After I dropped Doug off at work this morning, I was able to spend more time exploring Ocala.  I had done a lot of research about the area on the internet these past few months.  From recreation to housing , I had seen it all on my computer.  It felt unreal to actually explore these sites today in person.  My first stop was Shalom Park.  I wanted to get in some steps and it was the perfect place to do that. The park was donated to Ocala as a place to find peace.  It was a very serine spot to walk through and I spent 45 minutes enjoying it.  Ocala has been known as the horse capital of the United States, so I wanted to check out the World Equestrian Center after my morning walk.  It was within five minutes of Doug's work and I could stop on my way before meeting him for lunch.  It was massive and impressive.  There were shopping centers, restaurants and a beautiful arena.  It was nice to be able to meet Doug midday.  He chose McAllister's Deli for lunch and I was glad to see that they had outdoor seating.  It was a wonderful, shady spot to eat and catch up on all that I had visited in the morning.  Doug hadn't had a lot of time to explore while in Ocala as he had been so incredibly busy with work.  Thus, he appreciated hearing about my adventures.  

 

After lunch, Doug went back to work and I headed to Silver Springs State Park.  My Mom had told me that I had been then when I was quite a bit younger to ride the glass bottom boats.  They were still in service, but I chose just to walk through the park today.  I stayed mainly on the paved paths for my adventure.  I could handle the signs warning about "gators" and snakes, but once I saw "Do Not Feed the Wild Monkeys" I decided to alter my route.  It was wonderful all the same and I was impressed with how clear the river was.  I could see all of the way to the bottom easily.  I also enjoyed the history of the area that was posted throughout the path.  On the way back to Winco, I stopped at two different 55+ living communities within four miles of Doug's office.  They were both gated and along a golf course.  Ocala Preserve, however, was fifteen years newer and had a restaurant on property.  I took Doug back to see it and he was equally impressed.  It definitely gave us a lot to talk about on the way to dinner tonight.

 

Doug first tried to get a table at Harry's Seafood, Bar & Grille, but there was a thirty-five minute wait with no guarantee of outdoor seating.  We then tried Brick City Southern Kitchen & Whiskey Bar.  They had plenty of seating and a variety of menu items for us to try.  It was also situated on the downtown Ocala square which we really enjoyed.  The drive in and out of the downtown area was a little sketchy and reminded us of South Bend, but the area that we visited was nice and it was a great way to end my day exploring Ocala.

One Last Stop

When our family last went to Disney World in January of 2020, our trip was cut short due to flight cancellations and weather delays in the midwest.  Although it didn't affect my flight with Brett, Cal and Meg, Doug and Cam had a very difficult time getting home.  Thus, their time and mine at Animal Kingdom was cut short on our last day to help them find a flight home.  Fortunately, we were able to do that, but it meant missing our favorite Animal Kingdom show "It's Tough to Be a Bug."  Doug promised that we'd be back to see it again, but with the pandemic I was never quite sure about that.

Although it did't look like it first thing this morning when the rental care presented with a flat tire, we were finally able to reach our goal of singing along with Flik to "We're Pollinators."  While in Animal Kingdom we rode the Na'vi River Journey and Kilimanjaro Safari as well.  The day wasn't all about rides and A Bug's Life as we were also able to walk visit the animals along Gorilla Falls and Maharani Trek.  I even talked Doug into going to the Feathered Friends in Flight show.  We enjoyed lunch at Harambe Market and did a little shopping before ending our last day at Disney World.  What a wonderful time we had on our first vacation since March of 2020.  The mask wearing, social distancing rules, the crowds or even the heat didn't affect the fun that we were able to enjoy.  The only thing missing was the four Heinisch children.  

Hot, Hot, Hot!!

Our day started much as it had yesterday with a mid morning trip to EPCOT by Uber.  Our first ride was once again Test Track, but this time we headed to Soarin' afterward in order to miss the forty minute line we stood in yesterday for our favorite ride.  Once we finished with the ride portion of our day, Doug and I started to explore some of the top ranked outdoor kitchens of the Flower & Garden Festival by the Disney Food Blog.  We were surprised by how many there were that we hadn't tried yesterday.  The food blog voted Sunshine Griddle as the Best of the Fest and we couldn't agree more.  Doug really liked the shrimp and grits.  I thought they were delicious as well, but the best food choice by far was the fried cinnamon roll bites especially the cream cheese filling.  We also finally found the highly rated Farmer's Feast booth inside the Festival Favorites building.  We tried several dishes that were delicious there as well as the famous Hibiscus Lemonade Cocktail which we both enjoyed.  

We then spent the rest of the afternoon looking though the shops and trying a few more of the food booths throughout EPCOT.  The weather was quite a bit hotter than yesterday and by 4 p.m. we were both ready to catch the bus back to Disney Springs.  There were quite a few people shopping and eating there, so we didn't stay very long.  We did manage to make it to the food truck area, the M & M store and Ghirardelli's where I finally got my caramel and hot fudge sundae.  The virtual queue was twenty-five minutes long, but well worth the wait.  We were both exhausted by the time we walked back to the hotel, but were happy with how wonderful our day had been.  I thought a lot about the past year and how helpful the Disney Food Blog had been to pass time during the pandemic and to take my mind off of Covid.   I felt incredibly blessed today that we were actually able to do some of the things that I saw in their weekly videos.