Catching Up With Cameron

 Doug and I were up early this morning so that I could catch my 6:45 a.m. flight.  The Orlando airport was absolutely packed, but my flight to Indy went well.  The Civic started without any issues.  I was a little worried about that as it had been sitting out in the cold for almost a week.  There was very little traffic and the roads were clear.  Thus, I made it home well before Cameron arrived from school.  I was really glad to see him.  He had a lot to catch me up on from his busy weekend.  

Cameron first told me about his participation in ISMAA with the other woodwinds on Saturday.  They played very well, earning a gold medal.  I was impressed as I knew from other years that it was hard to achieve.  As proud as he was of his gold status, Cameron was even more excited about the picture that he and Sam took with the Elkhart Memorial "deer" after their performance.  Cameron also filled me in on his time with his friends this weekend.  They got together at our house to listen to his new Juice World vinyl and play his new game, Chameleon.  Everyone enjoyed both.  He told me that while he was shopping for his vinyl, he found one that he thought that I would like and bought it for me.  I was thrilled to see a vintage Jim Croce album to add to our collection.  We listened to it right away and were glad to hear that "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" sounded as good as always.  

We did take a break from catching up after dinner, so that Cameron could do his homework.  He played pool for awhile afterward and then joined me for the latest episode of Amazing Race.  We ended the night talking about clothing while I ironed a shirt for him for tomorrow.  It was really nice spending time with Cameron tonight.  It made the early morning wake up call worth it.  

Pizza & Doug

While I have been in Ocala this weekend, Doug and I have tried a few different restaurants from the ones that we had gone to before.  I finally got to eat lunch at Tijuana Flats, one of Doug's favorites.  We also tried a sports bar called Beef O'Brady's, ate a familiar name, Bonefish Grill, and ordered wings from "It's Just Wings."  All were delicious, but I noticed that the rest of the places that we tried the past few days had one theme in common - all had pizza on the menu.  Thus, we ate three different pizzas this weekend including Doug's go to place for a quick dinner - Marco's.  The other two restaurants carried wood fired pizzas.  The first from Piesano's was spicy, sausage pizza.  It was extremely hot, even Doug was blowing his nose after one piece, but it was delicious.  The other was from Milano's.  It was definitely a little less flavorful, but still very good.  All in all it was fun trying so many new restaurants this weekend and enjoying a few of Doug's staples when he works in Ocala.  I know that he could eat pizza everyday and never grow tired of it, so I'm glad he's found so many of them to try.  Ultimately, the one that he's most excited to eat at is Mellow Mushroom, but that won't open until at least October.  That will give him plenty of time to try even more new pizza places before then.  

No More Talk About the Weather

Cameron told me that he is tired of hearing about the weather.  It seems to him that it is all anyone can talk about right now.  He said that he didn't want to know how cold it was or how much snow that we would receive.  He also said that he definitely didn't want to hear about the weather in Florida.  It didn't matter to him if it was 40 degrees there or 70.  He really just didn't care as it had nothing to do with him.  

I promised him that I would not talk about the weather unless it related to him, like an upcoming storm or ice on the roads.  I did tell him, however, that his comments about Florida weather did crack me up, especially after being there during a cold spell.  For Doug and I, temperatures in the forties today felt like a nice day in March after a long, cold winter.  It wasn't quite the same for those that live in the southern state, however, as most were bundled up in winter coats while we just wore sweatshirts.  I told Cameron that I wouldn't talk about the "hard freeze" warning in Ocala, but I did share this meme with him.  It made both of us laugh.

Just a Virus

 Meg was happy to report yesterday that she didn't have a sinus infection and that all of her issues this week were related to a virus.  The health center at IU had prescribed her Mucinex D twice a day and told her to take Benadryl at night to help as well.  She was very happy with the diagnosis as she was concerned that she had something extremely contagious like strep throat.  I was just glad to hear that the medications that they gave her were already working.  She slept better last night and sounded a little more like herself this afternoon when I talked to her.  Meg said that the nurse felt that this stemmed from all of the allergens in the air in Bloomington.  The town has definitely caused problems for her siblings, so I wasn't surprised to hear that.  Meg, herself, had been sick off and on last semester and started back with the same symptoms as soon as she returned to campus.  Hopefully, this will be the end of it or at least she will know what to do if this occurs again in the future.  Incredibly thankful to finally have some answers for her.

Road Trip

Doug had scheduled himself to work in Ocala for the next few weeks as he had a new employee to greet and software training to attend.  To break up the time that he was gone, we made plans for me to visit him several times during his stay.  Cameron was invited to travel along as well, but had multiple school events that he wanted to attend and we knew it would be hard to work around his schedule.  Thus, we came up with dates that I needed to be here with Cameron and ones that worked to be in Florida with Doug.  I also had to plan around Meg's weekend at home in February and Brett's birthday celebration.  Cal was busy for most of February and didn't know his remote schedule, so he thought it was best for us to make our plans and he would work around them.

The first trip down to Florida was scheduled for this week.  Doug planned to drive it leaving on Tuesday afternoon with me flying to Orlando the following day.  Several things changed our decision, but most importantly was the weather.  With the deep freeze coming, we knew that it was very likely that my flight would be delayed or cancelled on Wednesday.  Thus, we decided that it was best for me to cancel my flight and drive with him.

It had been almost a decade since we had drive the trip and it went pretty well.  The only serious traffic that we ran into was in Indianapolis and north of Nashville.  Traveling through the mountains wasn't as scary as I remembered and thankfully, we made it through Atlanta before we stopped at 1 a.m.  That made our trip on Wednesday an easy one.  Besides our overnight stay, we only stopped two other times during the sixteen hour trip.  I was more than happy to stretch my legs when we arrived in Ocala, but overall it was an easy trip.  

The Deep Freeze

All week long our phones have blown up with text messages from WSBT, warning us of extremely cold temperatures with windchills well below zero degrees all predicted for today.  Thus, we weren't quite surprised when Cameron had a two hour delay already when we went to bed last night.  This morning we realized, however, that Bethany was one of only a few schools that didn't cancel.  We talked to Cameron and decided that it was safest for him to stay home instead.  Fortunately, he was able to attend class via Zoom.  He said that it was pretty easy to keep up as the classes were only 25 minutes long today.

Meg and Brett had cold weather as well, but not quite the dangerous windchills that the northern part of the state did today.  Meg still made it to class, but rode the bus instead of walking.  Brett had the day off, but was able to go swimming without too much change to his walking route.  Cal, unfortunately, had it the worst today as he had the coldest temperatures and still had to go in to work.  I tried not to laugh at his text this morning, but I did find it funny.  I remembered those days when we lived in the suburbs of Chicago.  It was definitely some of the coldest ones in our lives.  Glad that he bought a new peacoat to wear to the bank today and even happier that his car started despite the weather.  Hopefully, this all passes through Indiana and Illinois quickly.

Survivor & Amazing Race

I have been spending a lot of time at home this winter cleaning and organizing.  It is a great way to pass the day, but there are times that the drudgery of the tasks get the better of me, especially on days that are too cold or snowy to take a walk outside.  To help pass the time I have been watching Amazing Race and Survivor.  It has definitely made the days more interesting and has kept my thoughts occupied.  I'm not big on the social part of the game, but the challenges have been a lot of fun to watch.  In Amazing Race the focus has been more on activities and scavenger hunts.  Survivor has been more about athleticism and puzzle solving.  I always pick a person or team to cheer for, but never have much luck predicting the winner.  More times than not it's the person or team that I really can't stand that wins, but I enjoy it just the same.

What amazes me most about the two shows is that they have been on television for over twenty years.  There have been changes during the different seasons of Survivor.  I have liked some of them and found frustration with others.  The ones for season 41 this year have been really ingenious.  Amazing Race has stuck to the same format for all of its 33 seasons.  Thus, I like it a little bit better.  I remember years ago listening to Survivor's host, Jeff Probst, talk about his interview to be the host for the show.  He said that it came down to two people, him and Phil Keoghan (Amazing Race's host.)  Obviously, the producers knew what they were doing as both have had extreme success with their respective shows.  

The best part for me watching this winter has been the memories the shows has brought back.  All of the Heinisch children, at one time or another, watched the two series with me.  It was fun sharing my enthusiasm for the shows with them.  There's a 53 year old mother on Survivor right now that just like me has been watching the show since it started and introduced it to her children as well.  It's been impressive to see her compete.  I realize that I wouldn't be able to do that.  As Meg has told me several times, I probably won't make it past day one as I would have an allergic reaction to something right away and have to go home.  I know that she is right.  Being on Survivor or Amazing Race would be challenging for anyone.  I'll just keep enjoying it from my living room as long as they continue to have seasons.  

Snow & Covid Testing - Welcome to Winter

Early Sunday morning we received our first significant snow of the new year with close to five inches falling overnight.  Doug was up shoveling first thing this morning with plans to go to CVS once it opened.  Cameron's friends had all tested positive after their birthday gathering last Monday night.  Cameron was not showing any symptoms, but wanted to know his Covid status before he went to the girls' basketball sectional watch party this afternoon.  Doug and I also needed to know if he was positive for Covid, because I wouldn't be able to fly this week if I had been exposed.  Thankfully, Doug was able to get down our road and find a rapid test before lunchtime.  Cameron soon tested negative and quickly texted all of his friends to let them know that he "had USA flowing through his blood." 

Today was more of the same, only this time it was me out shoveling and Meg taking the Covid test.  Friends of hers from Bible study had tested positive and/or had been sick at their meeting last week.  Meg also woke up sick with head cold symptoms this morning complete with a bad sore throat.  She was relieved to see that her test result was the same as Cameron, although she didn't announce it quite the same.  While Meg was busy getting tested, I spent my afternoon shoveling as we got another two to three inches of snow today.  Fortunately, it did not impact our day.  Cameron and Doug were still able to make it to school and work, and I even got in a short shopping trip to Walmart this morning.  Hopefully, today ends both the snowfall and our Covid test runs.  I have a feeling, however, that there will be more to come this winter season.  

Teacher Woes

I have never regretted my decision to quit teaching four years ago.  It has made our family life so much better and my health has improved greatly.  I was reminded recently of just how fortunate I am to have the luxury of ending my career before official retirement age.  Several weeks ago it was announced that the Indiana state legislator had a bill before the house that would require all teachers to post every lesson for the year on their school website along with all of the materials that they will be using by June 30th.  If a parent did not like what was being taught, then they would have to right to demand that the teacher provide an alternate lesson for their child.  This had to be the dumbest bill that I had ever read.  As if teachers didn't have enough to do, but now they would have the state micromanaging their teaching.  Plus, it would take away all flexibility in the classroom.  Imagine if a student became extremely interested in the Holocaust after learning about World War II and the teacher had to say, "Sorry, we can't talk about that as it is not on the agenda that I had to post six months earlier."  

I noticed that most of my friends that were my age and still teaching didn't post much on social media about the bill.  From hanging out with them I knew that it was because they were used to the stupidity that comes out of the state house in regards to education.  They have resigned to teaching in today's world trying to do what's best for students while working inside the school system or the state's parameters.  It's rare that I hear them complain.  Instead they mostly talk about what positives that they have been working on in their classroom.  That wasn't the same for my teacher friends that are younger than me, however.  Several of them posted non-stop on social media about the bill and other frustrations with the education system.  I agreed with every one of their posts until they said that they wouldn't going to quit no matter what happened.  It sounded altruistic, but I just couldn't support that statement.  

Teachers have been undervalued by society for years and that will not change.  Complaining on Facebook won't make a difference.  There are so many open positions right now in other careers that it just doesn't make sense to stay in a profession that is not only undervalued, but also underpaid.  The time away from family is enough to encourage someone to quit, let alone the disrespect now being paid by the legislators.  I wish that I could be more encouraging, but I don't think that anything will improve in the teaching world until there is a mass exodus of teachers.  I know that it will hurt our children in the short run, but hopefully in the long run it will make the biggest impact and help improve the education system.  That would be the best thing to come out of this ridiculous bill. 

A Great Sports Week

The highlight of our sports week was IU beating Purdue, but there were definitely other events recently that were exciting as well.  Two others that stood out involved two sports figures that neither Cal nor I have ever liked.  Cameron and Doug have been a little less critical of them, but even Meg and Brett have stated that these two athletes were ones that they'd be ok rooting against.  The first news revolved around Novak Djokovic, my least favorite athlete of all time.  He was slated to play in the Australian Open this week.  The  professional tennis committee was willing to overlook his unvaccinated status and let him  play in the Grand Slam event, but the Australian government was not.  As an outspoken anti-vaxxer, they were afraid that if Novak played in the tournament that it would give a voice to the anti-vaccine movement.  They also stated that they thought that young fans of his would be more likely to follow his example if he was allowed to play.  Thus, instead of seeking his record breaking twenty-first Grand Slam victory, Djokovic instead was deported.  None of us were sad to hear that as it gave the Heinisch favorite, Rafael Nadal, a chance to beat the record instead.  

Today's Packers vs. 49ers game was another highlight of this jam packed sports week.  After all of the hype surrounding Aaron Rodgers this season and the non-stop talk about him on the sports talk shows, his #1 seeded Packers lost in their first playoff game of the season.  An anti-vaxxer, who actually lied about his vaccine status, was openly critical of others.  He blamed everyone, but himself, for all adversities that he met this year.  Before the game, he stated that he hoped that the special teams didn't lose this game for them.  Yet, he never threw a touchdown pass in the 13-10 loss.  As soon as the game ended, our family group chat blew up with messages of enthusiasm for the 49ers and relief of being done with Rodgers for another year.  Cameron said at the end of the game, that it was rare that all of his teams did well in the same week.  He even thought about buying a lottery ticket to see if his luck held out.  No one may have hit it big financially this week, but it sure felt like it in the sports world.

Happy 17th Birthday, Cameron!

Today was all about Cameron and his 17th birthday.  The celebrating actually started last night when he got home from the girls' basketball game.  I had already decorated the house and Doug had his gift ready for him when he arrived.  Cameron had told us earlier in the week that if by chance he was getting a Joe Burrow Bengals jersey for his birthday, he wouldn't mind getting it early so he could wear it to school on Friday as they had a big game against the Titans on Saturday.  We were all prepared for that when IU changed our plans.  Cameron called on his way home from Bethany to say that if IU won, he wanted to wear as much IU gear as possible on Friday.  Thus, all of the decorations stayed up and the Bengals quarterback jersey waited for today.  Doug told me that if all it took for IU to beat Purdue was for us to buy a Burrow jersey, he would have bought one four years ago.

This morning Cameron started his day completely decked out in IU gear.  He was happy to show off his Hoosier pride to all of his classmates that doubted IU's ability to beat Purdue.  He said that his day at school went very well after that.  He received a lot of Happy Birthday greetings and messages via social media.  His Bible even teacher reminded him that he only had one more year to commit a crime as a minor.  

Cameron stopped at Casey's on his way home to pick up a birthday snack - sour cream & onion chips with a Pepsi to drink.  Once he arrived, we listened to Kid Cudi and watched the IU game.  It was just as good as last night and a lot less stressful since we knew that IU had already won.  Doug finished the game with us once he arrived home and afterward we ordered Chinese for dinner - Cameron's choice.  

Grandma and Grandpa came up for the next part of Cameron's birthday celebration, opening gifts and eating cake and ice cream.  Cameron was thrilled with his presents - a Joe Burrow jersey, red Van high tops, ripped jeans, candy, money, Amazon gift certificate, a gaming chair and a vintage Billy Joel vinyl.  He tried on his clothes right away, set up his chair and listened to his new album.  All fit well.  We spent the rest of the evening enjoying Cameron's cake and playing "Oh Hell!"  It was the perfect way to celebrate Cameron's 17th birthday.

This is Our State

Tonight was the first Indiana vs. Purdue mens basketball game of the season.  Doug and I made plans to watch the game even though Cameron wouldn't be home.  He had to keep stats for the girls game this evening.  It was senior night, so we knew that he'd be late.  Cameron said that he'd watch it on his phone or catch it once he got home.  Since the IU game was in Bloomington and we had been playing pretty well recently, we were all hopeful that the Hoosiers would win.  None of us were 100% percent confident about a victory, however.  Purdue had beaten us in every game we played against them in the last five years and were currently ranked #4 in the country.  Grandpa Cutes had told us that the Boilermakers were only a three point favorite, but Doug thought that they' win by triple that.  

The game started out much the way we thought it would with Purdue taking an early lead.  Even more concerning than the score was the foul trouble that Trace Jackson-Davis found himself in after only five minutes of play.  With him on the bench, we figured that it would be pretty challenging for us to be competitive.  Thankfully, Doug and I were both wrong.  Rob Phinisee played the game of his life during the first half scoring seventeen points by the break.  We were thrilled that the Hoosiers had a nine point lead going into the locker room.

Purdue closed the gap early in the second half and Doug and I braced ourselves for their comeback win.  IU hung tough, however, and even with Jackson-Davis on the bench, we stayed with them until the very end.  Down by two with 18 seconds left, Phinisee stepped up again, taking a quick three point shot to give us the lead.  Purdue couldn't convert on their next possession, fouled us on our next trip up the court and missed a last second shot to tie when the buzzer sounded.  For the first time in a long time, the Hoosier students stormed the court. 

It was so much fun to watch Rob Phinisee hoisted onto his teammates shoulders and Mike Woodson cheering as he exited the court.  The best part for him me, however, was watching the game with Doug and rewatching it with Cameron.  It had been a long time since we had something to cheer about with IU basketball.  We had endured four years of mediocrity with Archie Miller.  It was so nice to feel good about IU basketball again.  Purdue may have stated that "This is Our State" in their school commercial during the game, but at the end, we all knew who really owned basketball in the state of Indiana.  

A "Weekend" Visitor

 Brett arrived home late Monday night to spend his "weekend" with us.  We all enjoyed having him here and it gave him a chance to celebrate Cameron's birthday with him.  At first Cameron wasn't sure that he was happy about the gift that Brett gave him, but once he realized that the Ticket to Ride Germany box was only the gift holder, he could truly smile.  The look on his face beforehand was priceless.  Cameron was doing his best to pretend not to be disappointed by the "regift."  Thankfully, Brett had found a new game for him instead and the four of us had fun playing the "Chameleon."  It was a lot like the Donner Party minus the cannibalism.   

While Brett was home, he and I were able to find a nice poster frame for his wall with Hacienda takeout for lunch on Tuesday.  We also spent some time sorting through all of the video games and video game systems at our home.  We came up with a plan for each one and Brett scored big buying some of Cameron and Meg's highly valued Pokemon games for half price.  Brett enjoyed Doug's chicken curry for dinner and spent the afternoon with Grandma and Grandpa on Wednesday watching Green Acres.  While there he learned how to make bacon in the air fryer and even won a game of Racko.  All in all it was a fun visit and we were sad to see him go.  Thankfully, he'll be back on the 21sth of February, so we can celebrate his birthday then.  

Starting to See Some Progress

Today I shipped four Legos that we sold on EBAY to different parts of the country.  Brett and Cameron were glad to have a little bit more money in their bank accounts and I was happy to have a little less in our house to worry about when we downsize.  My neat and organized home hasn't quite been the same since we started the "cleaning out the house" project.  There have been Lego tubs in the living room, photo albums pulled off of shelves, boxes of items for a summer garage sale in the basement and bags packed of items that we would like to keep in the exercise room.  It was nice today, however, to realize that we were making some headway.  There were actually some empty shelves in the toy storage room and we definitely had less furniture in our dining room.  

Overall, I am glad that Doug suggested that we start the downsizing project this past fall.  It has been overwhelming at times and I have shed a few tears when I have thought about all that we have left to do.  It does feel nice, however, to know that all of the hard work now will make it a lot easier when we do decide to sell the Heinisch home.  

Martin Luther King Jr

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr day, Bethany and other area schools had today off from class.  I noticed that even Wawasee took the day off which had changed from my teaching days.  Four years ago we held school, but were expected to teach about Dr. King in our lessons on that day.  It was a little challenging for me to do in my math class, but I did find a way to incorporate his life into the subject.  

In looking at the two different ideas of how to commemorate the day with either a day off or a day to teach about the Civil Rights leader, I have decided that I actually liked the way that Wawasee used to honor Martin Luther King, Jr's memory the best.  No, not all of the teachers followed our curriculum director's advice of honoring his legacy in our daily lesson plans, but at least those of us who were following the suggestion were able to bring his importance to the Civil Rights Movement to a new generation.  Racial inequality had been all over the news media this past year and a half.  It would have been the perfect time to pause and remember where it started.  Even if the focus wasn't on racial equality, it could have been about change, following a dream or coming together as a nation - all topics that Dr. King devoted his life to and are still relevant today.

Several sports teams tried to do that today as both Big Ten basketball and the NFL, celebrated Martin Luther King Jr's life while still holding their respective games.  I appreciated their gesture as it at least brought the idea behind the day off to the forefront.  For those like Cameron, who spent his free day in the typical teenage manner - sleeping in, playing tennis, going to lunch with friends, and attending a birthday party - the t-shirt wearing coaches on the IU and Nebraska teams were noticed.  Their simple message of "Dream" was perfect for the day and a nice reminder that we all can make this world a better place.  

Dead Poet's Society

Last week I spent some time listening to The Rewatchables podcasts on Spotify.  I first decided to hear Bill Simmons thoughts on Saturday Night Fever.  I had only seen the movie once and definitely didn't have it on my "rewatchable" list.  I found it absolutely depressing.  Cal had just watched the movie, however, so I thought I'd at least see what the podcast had to say.  They liked the film a lot more than I did, but pointed out a few flaws with the movie including the intense themes.  That's when I realized why I never liked it, way too emotional for me.  Even John Travolta couldn't make me watch it again.

After the Saturday Night Fever Rewatchable ended, a new one started.  I hadn't planned on listening to anymore, but once I heard the topic, I had to keep going.  Dead Poet's Society was not on my rewatchable list either, but I definitely liked it a lot better than Saturday Night Fever.  It was very sad, but not intense which I really appreciated.  The fact that Robin Williams was in the movie only made it better.

When Doug got home Friday night, I mentioned the two movies to him.  He had never seen the first one and much like me, he had not seen the second film since it came out in 1989.  He agreed with my thoughts on Dead Poet's Society being extremely said, but said he would watch it again.  He had no desire to watch the Travolta flick.  Since I knew that football would be on our television the rest of the weekend, I suggested watching the film Friday night and I was glad that Doug agreed.

Dead Poet's Society was set in a boarding school in 1959.  The plot revolved around a group of boys from affluent families with high expectations for  each of them.  Robin Williams played a new, but soon beloved teacher who encouraged the boys to think for themselves.  William's students soon found out that he had been president of the Dead Poet's Society when he attended the same prep school and they decided to begin a chapter of the secret society themselves.  The friendship of the boys was as fun to watch now as it was in 1989.  Parents as villains seemed appropriate for the 1980s movie.  Robin Williams was extremely likable as always.  I found his performance even more endearing now than I did back then, especially knowing how his real life came to an end.  It was still so incredibly sad, so I definitely won't be putting it on my rewatchable list.  I might, however, watch it again in less than 32 years the next time.  

Basketball Statistician

When Cameron came to me in October to see what I thought about him being a statistician for the girls basketball team, I was completely surprised.  I had never even considered that he would be interested in that position.  Austin must have thought differently, however as he had asked him earlier in the fall to work with him this basketball season.  I mentioned it to Doug and he thought it was a great idea as it would keep Cameron busy during the long winter months.  I was glad to hear that as Doug had never been a big fan of the Heinisch children being managers of a team.  He had always said that he wanted them to participate instead.  We had never discussed being a statistician, but that seemed a better fit than manager.  Cameron wouldn't have to be at the practices which we all liked, he would learn a new skill, and he'd get to hang out with Austin and his friends on the team.  I was all in once I heard that everyone thought it was a good idea and that he'd be able to mis a game or two if needed.  

Fast forward three months and Cameron has definitely enjoyed his new role.  Being a part of the team has been more fun than he imagined and hanging out with his friends has been even better.  Meg told me yesterday that his entire SnapChat story was about getting locked out of school before they left for Blackhawk Christian with his coffee still inside.  As I relayed the story to Doug, we both remarked at how happy we were that Cameron decided to be a part of the girls' basketball team this year.  It has kept him busy and involved.  After last winter's long days of being shut in the house with online school, that has been a welcome relief.  

Saving the Earth, One Laptop at a Time

There have been a lot of benefits of cleaning out the house.  The Lego sets have done well on Ebay.  We've found several items that the Heinisch children could put to good use and we have enjoyed the memories that sorting through everything has brought.  One big benefit has been finding items that we forgot we had and enjoying them now.  Tonight we were able to use the fajita maker that had been tucked away in the buffet.  Doug and I didn't quite remember how we got it, but once we found it, we knew that we had to use it for dinner this evening.

Last week, I was cleaning out the closet in the mud room when I ran across one of our old laptops.  We hadn't used it since last spring when Cameron downloaded a game on it.  As I got it out to decide what I was going to do with it, I  remembered that my dad had thought about getting one.  His computer had stopped working and he needed to have one for his role as president of the town council.  I called him right away to see if he wanted me to try and set it up for him.  He was definitely interested, so I began looking at what I needed to do to make it functional for him.  I first checked to see if it would connect to the internet.  I was pleased to see that it had no problem connecting, and then started the tedious process of uninstalling any programs on it that were unneeded.  Once I got AVG off of it and a few programs from my teaching days, it began to run a lot faster.  After cleaning up the programs on the laptop, I turned to the pictures and videos that I had stored on it.  It took awhile to save everything to a few flash drives, but this week I finally got everything transferred.

I took the laptop over to my dad's a few days ago.  We signed the laptop into his wifi and got him set up with a Microsoft account.  I was pleased that it ran quickly and soon he was on Google checking his emails.  I showed him how to use Google docs and then we checked to make sure it would work with his printer.  The only downside was the battery life.  It was shorter than I would have liked, but he didn't mind.  He would be able to charge it by his chair.  Hopefully, this will work for him this year.  If so, it will save him some money.  He asked me if I wanted anything for it, but I didn't.  I just was happy that he could use it and that we found a place for one more item in our home.

Can't Believe Everything You Read

Last night Brett sent me this Twitter post.  Although I do agree that views on women's looks relative to age have changed over the years, the post seemed a little off to me.  I thought that the Golden Girls was popular on television in the 1980s.  Since Betty White just died at 99, I really didn't think that she could be in her early 50s when the series started.  I decided to do a little bit of research on the show and quickly found out that Betty White was 63 when the series started completely discrediting this post.  I texted Brett to let him know and he said "figures."

It has been amazing to me how life has changed in the past few years due to misinformation on social media.  The above Twitter post is an example of that, but is more funny than anything else.  What hasn't been comical recently is the amount of false posts about Covid 19 and the vaccination.  Recently, someone at the gym told my dad that he didn't get vaccinated because of the high death rates of those receiving the shot.  He pointed out the "fact" that Bob Saget and Betty White both recently died after getting their boosters.  There's no proof of that. In fact, Betty White's agent came out immediately discrediting that misinformation, saying that Betty had had a stroke six days before her death and died from complications due to that.  It had nothing to do with the Covid vaccine, but the group that really wants to believe that will and those making false posts about it can't really be stopped.  

Misinformation didn't begin with the pandemic and it won't end with it either.  Just yesterday, Lisa Bonet and Jason Momoa announced that they had split.  Instantly, Twitter users starting blaming Johnny Depp's ex-wife, Amanda Heard, because she had once been in a movie with Momoa.  It didn't make any sense, but I'm sure that a lot of readers believed it right away.  "It's on the internet, so it has to be true" almost seems like a motto of our country right now.  Unfortunately with Covid 19, it's hurting those who choose to believe the nonsense they read.  Is is sad that our hospitals are full of unvaccinated individuals who have contracted the virus because they read that the shot was bad for you.  Just like the Golden Girls age post, there will always be people who twist and turn information to gain either notoriety or to feel relevant.  A little bit of fact checking would end this social media phenomenon, but I don't think that will ever become a fad.

An Interesting News Day

 It's rare that I read the local news paper, especially since none of the Heinisch children attend the Wawasee school system.  Once in awhile I would look at it for sports news, but since they dropped that section this winter, I just don't take the time to peruse the online publication anymore.  For some reason, last night I decided to check the headlines.  I think that I was mostly looking to see if any of the local schools had changed to online learning due to Covid concerns.  I didn't find any information about that, but I did find other school news that was interesting.  

Several months ago I had heard that someone had proposed to the Wawasee school board to change the name of "Warrior" Field to Michael Field in honor of a local military veteran that had lost his life in World War II.  He had died a hero and had earned the medal of honor.  At the time I thought it was a nice gesture, but didn't think that it made a lot of sense as this individual died well before Wawasee had consolidated.  Since he graduated from Milford High School, I thought that it would be nicer to have something in Milford name after him.

Last night I read an article that members from the nearby American Legion had returned to the school board with a petition for the name change.  I was a little surprised that this was still a subject as I thought the board had decided against changing the name of Warrior Field.  As I read further into the article I understood why this group was still pushing forward.  A nephew to the war hero was someone that we all knew well from our days at Milford.  He was an odd person to say the least and there were two things that he was most passionate about - the Wawasee school system and his family.  Thus, it didn't surprise me that he was heavily involved in this petition.  What did surprise me, however, was how incredibly mean the comments below the article were.  

I read a couple of those comments to Doug which I thought were over the top, but didn't think anything more about it until tonight when I checked the online news source for any update on the subject.  They didn't have anything new about the football field name change, but there was another article that caught my eye.  Someone was suing the town of Syracuse for damages due to a sewer issue.  Upon reading more about it, I realized that the public works had sent someone Meg's age out to handle the problem.  I couldn't believe that as I had to think that there was someone else more experienced to take care of the situation.  As surprising as that was, what really shocked me was the lack of comments about that situation.  Only twelve people replied and no one was really negative about the town on the issue.  In contrast, the article from last night about Warrior Field had increased from 40 comments to over a hundred.  Almost all of them were negative calling out the community for being "woke", stating that we're all Warriors and do not need to change the name of the field, and that the soldier already has a memorial in Milford and didn't need anymore recognition.  So many were unkind that I hoped that those who had started the petition didn't read them.  Once I closed my laptop I decided that I didn't really need all of the negativity either, so I guess that I will just go back to skipping the local news source for awhile.  

A Nice Reminder

Cameron texted me as soon as he got to school to ask me if I could find his English binder and Great Gatsby book.  It was no problem locating them, the bigger issue was that I would have to run them to school for him.  I really did not want to go as I had a day planned at home with multiple projects in the works.  It wasn't the trip to Bethany that I minded, but I knew that since I would already be in Goshen it would made the most sense to go grocery shopping.  That was the part that I dreaded.  Not only did I really hate going to the store lately due to the supply issues, but I also had the Civic and I really did not like load it with groceries.  It was much easier in the Pilot.

Thankfully, Cameron did not need his book and binder until 12:30, so I had time to get dressed and make a grocery list well before I had to leave.  I arrived at Bethany still annoyed about grocery shopping when I ran into Hank Willems, Cameron's principal.  He stopped me to chat for awhile about what a wonderful person Cameron was and to ask about Meg.  He also gave me his thoughts on the last two years, running a school during a pandemic and how well the Bethany community had supported their ongoing efforts to keep students healthy and in school.  He truly felt that Covid was here to stay much like the flu and that Bethany would be able to handle it.  After our conversation, he took Cameron's books and said that he would deliver them personally to him with the reminder "that he really owed me!"

As I walked away from Bethany I couldn't help but smile.  I was no longer annoyed about having to run to Goshen, but instead thankful for the nice reminder of what a wonderful community Bethany really was.  Cameron and Meg had really been blessed by attending school there.  As soon as I got in the car I got a text from Cameron that read, "Thanks for the books!  Hank already gave them to me."  

Legoland

When most people here the term Legoland, they think of the amusement parks in Florida and California.  I believe the term, however, refers to the Heinisch basement.  For the past 20+ years our basement has been the home to a multitude of Lego sets.  Some gained a beloved spot on a display shelf.  Others were played with daily until the pieces fell apart easily or became intertwined with others.  A few sets were even dismantled to build a castle for a school project or two.  No matter how they were used, since we moved in here almost twenty-four years ago, the basement has always been filled with legos.

As I've started the downsizing process with the hopes of being done in May of 2023, I have had a nagging thought in the back of my mind, "What are we going to do with all of those Legos?"  We organized them all into tubs years ago, but even then we wouldn't have room for seven tubs of Lego sets and ten tubs of Lego pieces when we move to a smaller home.  We'd talked about the possibility of getting a storage unit when we moved to a new house for some of our items, but Legos weren't on that list.  Thus, I didn't really know what to do with the Legos as none of the Heinisch children had room for them either.

Last week I approached Doug with an idea.  Instead of working on puzzles at night when we watched television this winter, what if we worked on organizing and possibly rebuilding some of the Lego sets.  I had noticed as had Grandma Jane that old Lego sets were selling very well on Ebay.  We could try to sell the ones that none of us wanted and give the Heinisch children some spending money as well.  Doug thought it was a great idea and we started pulling out the tubs this past weekend.  

At first it was a little overwhelming, but once Doug, Brett and Cameron got involved it became a little easier to organize.  Doug was able to verify several sets that had all or almost all of the pieces. Brett and Cameron did want to keep a few of their sets including the Millennium Falcon and the Batcave, but overall most sets were getting prepared to be sold.  The hardest part was finding all of the mini-figures and their accessories. By Sunday night we had the first one on Ebay and already had an offer on it.  We decided to decline as it had just been listed and today were thankful that we did.  At the end of the day, Brett's General Grievous Lego set had 8 bids and was well above the listing price of $19.99 at $38.  It will be interesting to see what sells and what doesn't, but overall I am just thrilled that we finally came up with a plan of action for the Heinisch family Legoland.  

Another Week, Another Vacation

After a stressful start to their second vacation in as many weeks, Meg and Nick had a wonderful time on his first trip to Walt Disney World.  She had called me the night before they left to let me know that their 6 a.m. flight on Tuesday had been cancelled.  Even though they had met the same situation on their way back from Phoenix, they weren't quite sure what to do.  Meg had been sound asleep and was a little too out of it to make changes to their schedule and Nick had never done it before.  I was still up and after a little bit of time on the computer, we were able to get them on the next flight out at 8:30 a.m.  Unfortunately, they had to change planes in Atlanta with only a short wait to make the next flight.  All went well, however, and they were more than glad to land in Orlando and catch the Mears Connect to Pop Century.  

The rest of their week was smooth sailing for them.  Meg introduced Nick not only to Disney World, but also to vacationing with the Heinisch family.  They were up before sunrise to catch rope drop at each of the parks throughout the week and squeezed in one more ride as the fireworks started each night.  Several days they even got in over 30,000 steps.  All of the exercise gave them the perfect excuse to tray a wide variety of foods that AJ recommended on Disney's Food Blog.  They liked so many things, but I think Meg most appreciated finding a new Disney favorite - Dole Whip.  The weather was perfect for the smoothie treat with temperatures in the 70s and sunshine everyday.  

Meg said taking Nick on first trip reminded her of when she and Cameron were younger.  His enthusiasm was contagious as he stopped in all of the countries in EPCOT and loved every ride that they tried.  Meg tried to get him to rank his favorites, but he said that he couldn't as they were all just too much fun.  I don't know if Nick appreciated Figment or Cosmic Rays as much as Meg did, but they enjoyed staying at a resort with a skyliner for transportation and Meg felt by the end of the trip that she was a pro at the new Genie + feature in the My Disney Experience app.  They were both sad to leave, but thankful for a successful first trip on their own and happy to have a few new souvenirs to bring home while staying under their budget.  I had a lot of fun hearing about their adventures during the week and was glad that they made it home safely and stress free early this morning.  

Air Fryer Believers

This summer Meg purchased an air fryer for Doug for his 51st birthday.  She had heard really good things about the cooking appliance and thought that Doug might want to use it as it was a healthier way to cook.  He was thankful to have received it, but didn't really get it out until the fall.  Cal had told Doug that he and Jayce used theirs all of the time and highly recommended it.  After Cal's comments and the knowing that Meg had bought it for him, Doug finally decided to try it.  At first he wasn't quite sure if he would like using it, but once he did, he starting cooking with it almost nightly.  It was perfect for grilled chicken or fish which was extremely helpful on my weight watchers plan.  

Hearing how much Cal and Doug liked their air fryers and knowing that Nick used his for almost all of his cooking, Meg decided to use some of her Kohls cash in October to get one as well.  She was instantly pleased as she could cook healthier and study more while she was making dinner.  With all of the good reviews from our family, I decided to purchase air fryers for Brett and Grandma Jane for Christmas.  Brett's had some time to make a few meals with it and liked it.  Grandma and Grandpa, however, have used it almost daily making everything from pork chops to french fries.  The best part has been that my dad has been able to use it, so my mom can have a break from cooking.

Cameron had been the only air fryer neigh sayer in the family.  He had voiced multiple times that we were all just a bunch of followers.  Maybe not following the crowd, but definitely following each other.  Cameron claimed that that happens all of the time in the Heinisch home.  "Mom gets a record player . . . then Meg gets a record player."  "Dad starts as an auditor. . . Cal first job is an auditor."  Cal and Meg have CR-Vs . . . Brett gets a CR-V." and so on and so on.  Cameron said that he doesn't want to follow what everyone else in the family does.  He wants to be original, just like attending Bethany, getting his ears pierced, being a Lions' fan, etc.  

Cameron's air fryer opinion changed this past week, however.  Since Doug was going to be in Florida and I was responsible for dinners, I encouraged Cameron to pick out some foods that we could easily air fry.  He wasn't quite sure what he wanted at first, but once he took a look around the frozen food section he found shrimp spring rolls, mozzarella sticks, and mini corn dogs.  After those were a cooking success, I decided to step it up and try pork chops in the air fryer.  Cameron said that they were the best ones that he had had in quite some time.  I was glad to hear that and also that he had finally joined the rest of the air fryer fan club in the Heinisch family.  

A Welcome Site

Doug's flight last night got delayed by over an hour.  Therefore, it didn't get into Indy until close to midnight.  Even thought it meant for a late night, he decided to drive home as he wasn't tired and was ready to sleep in his own bed.  I stayed up as late as I could make it, but finally passed out at 1:45 a.m. when Doug got to state road 13.  I was impressed that he went to work this morning at 8:30, but not overly surprised.  When I talked to him at lunch, he was feeling pretty good, just not adjusted to the frigid cold yet.  I was definitely happy when he called at 3:45 this afternoon to say that he was on his way home from Champion.  I knew that he'd probably have to work some this weekend, but I didn't care.  I was just ready to spend the evening with him.  

Cameron was busy tonight getting a haircut and then hanging out with Richard at the boys basketball game.  Since he wasn't going to be home, Doug and I decided to play Ticket to Ride and order pizza form Sleepy Owl.  Before we could start the game, however, I needed his help clearing off the kitchen counter and table.  I had spent the time while he was in Florida cleaning out the kitchen cabinets and I needed Doug to decide what he wanted to get rid of and what he wanted to keep.  It took a little while, but soon we had the table cleared and a game of Ticket to Ride started.

We heard from the three oldest Heinisch children tonight.  Brett called after work.  It had been a tough day, but he was looking forward to hanging out with Sean and Norman.  Sean had never seen Caddy Shack and Brett couldn't wait to watch it with him.  Cal texted multiple times.  He had had a good first week of busy season and was glad that he had tomorrow off.  He was also thrilled that the Bulls had a 2.5 game lead in the East.  Meg and Nick had really enjoyed their day at Animal Kingdom and their night at Magic Kingdom.  She was sad that they were leaving tomorrow, but ready for some time to rest.  Cameron arrived home at 10:30 and had a chance to catch up with Doug before he headed to bed.  We were both glad to see him and liked his new haircut.  All in all, it was a great night and I greatly appreciated  having Doug home.   

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

We had been enjoying mild weather this winter, but all of that changed yesterday.  The temperature read 24 degrees when I was out shopping, but the windchill brought it down to 3 degrees.  I don't know if it was the wind or the fact that I wasn't quite used to winter weather yet, but either way I was absolutely freezing yesterday.  It didn't help that Doug was enjoying temperatures in the 70s this week in Ocala.  I definitely did a lot of complaining when he called last night, especially since the forecast for the next two days in Northern Indiana were highs in the low teens.

The cold weather and our eventual plans to move to Florida made me think a lot about our choice to live in the midwest thirty years ago.  All of the Heinisch children had talked recently about moving to the sunshine state in the next few years, and I wondered why Doug and I never thought about that when he was looking for a job.  My assumption was that we wanted to live closer to our families, but I don't remember ever talking about that.  Even when we moved out of Illinois, we never thought about going anywhere other than Indiana.  Once our children started kindergarten, Doug didn't want them to have to change schools.  Thus, we were here for the long haul.  

I don't second guess that decision, but I sure do wonder why winter weather was never a part of the decision on where to live.  When I was out shoveling this week, all I kept thinking about was how stupid it is to live in the north.  We aren't snow activity people, so we pretty much just stay inside during the winter and endure it the best we can.  Running to the grocery in the cold or snow, stinks.  Worrying about the car starting is annoying and having to drive on ice is awful.  I wish I could go back and tell my younger self how much I would not enjoy the winter weather when I got older, but that's obviously not going to happen now.  Therefore, I will just look forward to one day moving to where the winters are always mild and the snow is non-existent.  In all honesty if we had moved south in 1993, I would never be able to appreciate how good it will feel to say goodbye to winter forever.  

Rizzo a.k.a "The Big Fat"

Over the past year and a half there have been several times that we thought that Rizzo was on his last leg.  One time in the summer of 2020, he was outside eating grass when all of a sudden he looked up at Meg and Cameron and then seemed to pass out on his side.   He woke up fine, but since then there have been other instances where he laid in his cage without moving.  He was good at it as we actually thought that he was dead then too.  During this year's Christmas break I was 100% positive that he wouldn't make it to New Year's.  Rizzo was extremely lethargic, had fluid coming from his eyes and his body kept twitching.  He would eat, but only very little.  I wasn't the only one who noticed how sick he was, and all of us prepared for the worst.  

Just as in the past, however, Rizzo rebounded and was actually back to his old self just before New Year's Eve.  That is until today when I noticed that he didn't look quite right.  His fat lump that he had had on his side for years seemed to have doubled in size.  His fur in that area didn't look right either.  I did some researching online, but didn't find any answers on what to do.  Thus, I decided to wait for Cameron to get home and check him out more thoroughly.

Cameron called on the way home to talk about his new stock purchases.  After he updated me on his losses, I asked him what he thought about Rizzo.  He said that he wasn't sure that there was anything anyone could do, but he'd take a look.  Once he saw how big the lump was and that part of the skin had split open, he thought that maybe we should call the vet.  Fortunately, the veterinarian that Cameron had been observing these past few months was free to see Rizzo, so we drove over right away.

Cameron went back with Diane and she did some cell testing.  She said that the lump really was a fat deposit.  They were common in guinea pigs and many times appeared on their heads.  Cameron was thankful that Rizzo's was on his side.  He was also glad to hear that the cells tested negative for cancer.  Diane gave Rizzo some eye drops for conjunctivitis and vitamin e oil for the skin tearing.  She was concerned about how fast the lump grew, but said that Rizzo had been fighting hard to live, so we should just keep him comfortable in the end stages of his life.  That we can do.  

The Wire

The older three Heinisch children are always giving me televisions series or movies to watch that they have enjoyed.  I appreciate their tips as I've spent a lot of time lately cleaning out our home.  Brett had told me several years ago that having a series or movie to watch makes a mundane job a lot more fun.  I totally agree with him and have enjoyed watching their recommendations.  Cal has given me the most, by far, but Brett and Meg have also chimed in with their opinions as well.  Stranger Things, The Sopranos, WandaVision, The Mandalorian, Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad and even Glee have all made my watch list.  I've enjoyed each and everyone one of them with only the current Netflix series, "You", being on the "can't continue to watch list."  The main character was just too creepy for me.

In October, Cal suggested a series that he had watched recently, but was made in the early 2000.  He thought that I might like it if I could overlook the swearing and racial slurs.  I started it right away and was instantly hooked.  It was a drama based on a Baltimore police department that had a wire tap on a drug lord.  It was hard at first to keep all of the characters straight, but overall after a few episodes I had names with faces.  There were definitely some sad parts as the series also included teenagers who worked as soldiers on the drug crew.  Not all of them made it out of the series alive including a beloved character played by a very young Michael B. Jordan.  

The most challenging part for me to watch was when a police officer decided to quit the force and become a math teacher in an inner city middle school.  The defiance, the lies, the frustration with a broken system, the insane emphasis on testing, a box cutter fight and even a student coming to school after finding a parent dead were all too familiar situations from my teaching days.  Thankfully, after the first few episodes of season four, it became a little easier to watch as the police officer/teacher started to adjust to his new role.  

As I had taken a break from watching The Wire during the holidays, I just finished all five seasons last night.  It was well written and definitely worth watching.  I was sad with how some of the characters lives ended up, but grateful that my favorite character, Bubbs, made it through all five seasons starting as a drug addict and ending as a welcomed member of his sister's family.  Overall, I was glad that Cal suggested it and can't wait for the next recommendation from the Heinisch children.  

Peanut Butter, Jelly & Mayonnaise????

 One of the highlights of this year's football bowl games was watching the Duke's Mayo Bowl.  Last year's bowl fun, but it was missing key component.  At the end of the game, Gatorade was poured on the winning coach.  Cameron and I, along with the rest of the nation, were completely disappointed.  We were sure that the cooler would be filled with mayonnaise.  

Someone associated with EPSN and the bowl game must have read all of the Twitter feeds complaining about the lack of mayo at the celebration last year and decided to rectify it this year.  All week long the media hype on the four and a half gallons of Duke's Mayo that would be dumped on the winning coach was enormous.  Cameron and I definitely tuned in to the game.  Neither of us cared if South Carolina or North Carolina won, we just wanted to see the mayonnaise dump.  It was as much fun as we expected it to be and as added bonus Duke's Mayo donated $10,000 to charity in the coach's name.

As entertaining as it was watching the end of the game, I enjoyed the announcers even more.  At different points of the game, they would break away from the game to try different foods dipped in Duke's mayo.  Oreos and donuts were two of their favorites.  I couldn't imagine mayonnaise on either of those two.  One of the food items did catch Cameron's eye - an Uncrustable peanut butter and jelly sandwich with mayo as a topping.  Once he saw that, he instantly decided that he would make the new sandwich his lunch choice on Monday when Bethany returned to school.  All weekend long, he posted on SnapChat about it.  He had a lot of friends and family members question his thought process, but he decided to go through with it anyway.  Last night we bought the sandwiches and mayonnaise and today Cameron packed them in his lunchbox.  Once he arrived home, he was proud to report that he had completed the challenge.  Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep the sandwich down afterward.  I have to say that I wasn't surprised by that at all.  

A Wonderful Visit in the Sunshine State

Doug left yesterday for Florida.  Winco had inventory this coming week and he needed to be there for that.  Originally, Cameron and I talked about going with him as there were several bowl games that we would have liked to see close to Ocala.  We decided against it once we realized that there weren't very many teams playing in those games that we would like to see in person.  

As an added benefit to Cameron and I sitting out this trip, Doug had plenty of room in the Pilot to take down the buffet and a barrister bookcase to Brett.  Brett was looking forward to adding the furniture to his apartment and also spending the afternoon with his dad.  I was impressed that Doug got both pieces in the Pilot.  It was a tight fit in the back, but he got everything safely to Bloomington.  He and Brett carried the furniture upstairs and rearranged some existing pieces as well.  The only challenging part for them was getting the buffet back in Brett's bedroom as he wanted to use it as a dresser.  Doug and Brett had originally planned on going to Oliver Winery today, but it was closed for the holiday.  They were both thankful that Big Woods Brewery was open and enjoyed a meal together before Doug left for his flight in Indy.

Doug stayed in Winter Haven last night and was up early this morning to visit with his dad.  He was very glad to see him.  He did call during their visit, so that I could help him set up Carl's phone with FaceTime, but mostly they spent the time catching up.  Carl was thankful to have made it through the surgery and to be done with pain medication.  He was still very weak, but could get up and move around on his own.  Doug left for Ocala when Carl headed to lunch.  

I didn't get to talk to Doug until later in the evening.  I was busy today helping Meg get ready to leave for Bloomington.  Afterward Cameron and I watched IU lose a close game to Penn State and then went to Walmart for a few groceries.  I was glad that he drove as it gave him a chance to practice on the roads since some of them still had ice on them from Saturday's snow.  I did get to chat with Doug before he went to bed.  He had a relaxing afternoon working out with Team Body Project and watching the Buccaneers game and IU basketball.  He ordered Marcos pizza for a late lunch and worked for a little while.  I was very thankful when I got off of the phone.  I know that Carl's surgery had weighed heavily on Doug's mind lately and seeing him helped alleviate his worries.  It had also been a very stressful two weeks at work, so I was glad that Doug was able to relax a little bit today.  I will miss him, but have plenty to keep me busy while he's gone.  

A Wonderful Vacation & A Long Trip Home

Meg arrived this morning around 11 a.m.  She was excited to tell me all about her trip, but ready for bed as well.  They had driven through the night from Memphis to Midway, picked up Nick's car and then drove home.  She did get some sleep, but not enough to keep her up all day.  Once she showered, unpacked, showed me her souvenirs, and ate lunch, she was more than ready for bed.  I woke her up after a couple of hours to play Island Board Game with Cameron and I on the Wii, but as soon as we finished, she went back to bed again.  

The next time Meg awoke, she showed me all of the pictures from her trip.  She had a lot of fun at the train museum, butterfly conservatory, and mystery shack.  She enjoyed several hikes and was most proud of her first one making it to the top of the second tallest peak in the area.  She said that she became obsessed with cacti while in Arizona and was thankful to have gotten to know Nick's family a little better.  She also loved the fact that she got to visit Scottsdale, Arizona as it was Grandma Heinisch's home away from home.  She was a little disappointed that they didn't make it to the Grand Canyon due to the weather, but overall it was a wonderful trip.