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!"