The Honda Odyssey

Several weeks ago I noticed that the van sounded a little loud when Cameron started it in the morning.  The noise that I heard was best described as a ticking sound.  As we had had some extremely low temperatures during that time period, I hoped that it was the cold weather causing the noise.  When Cameron and Meg got home from shopping in Fort Wayne last Sunday, they both told me that they thought that something was wrong with the van.  The noise had increased and Cameron described it as a machine gun under his hood.

We took the van to Monteith on Tuesday.  They listened to it and looked at what they could before calling Doug with the bad news - complete motor replacement with an estimated cost of $4000 to $5000.  We were all disappointed to hear that.  We have really enjoyed the van and weren't ready to say goodbye to it.  We also didn't think that it was worth the money to fix it.  Once Doug let me know what Monteith had said, we made plans to let Cameron drive the Civic for the next few weeks while we decided what to do.  I began online searching for a used vehicle for Cameron.  In only a few minutes I realized that the news I had been hearing was correct, used car prices were out of control.  I found the exact same CR-V that Brett bought in October of 2020 for $7000 more than he paid for it then.  Same year, same mileage - I couldn't believe it.

I shared my thoughts with Doug and we decided that maybe fixing the van wasn't the worst idea.  Monteith suggested their Warsaw service department.  Doug wasn't crazy about that idea, so I reached out to my friends to see if they had a mechanic locally that they trusted.  Wendy responded immediately with a name in New Paris, but said that they were a month out in their appointment book.  Cherie texted that they loved Jake's Automotive in Milford.  She found them reasonably priced and trustworthy.  Betsy also had a name for us, but it was in Warsaw.  I gave all of the information to Doug and he decided to try Jake's.  He was please to hear that they could look at the van sometime in the next week.  Brett and I dropped it off last Tuesday afternoon and I crossed my fingers that it would be better news than we had received earlier that day.  

Jake's called on Thursday to give us their thoughts on the van.  They definitely did not think that it was a complete engine failure.  Instead they believed that it was the water pump/timing belt causing the noise and estimated that it would be $750 to fix it.  Jake's also said that it would be finished by Tuesday.  I was still a little nervous, but happy that we had a plan.  They called today (a day early) to let me know that it was finished.  Grandma and Grandpa drove me over this morning.  Jake's explained exactly what was making the noise, confirmed that it was only $750, said that it was a great van, and told me to thank Mrs. Sweatland for the referral.  What a relief!

Last of the Tax Returns

I have enjoyed being our family's "tax accountant" over the past few years.  I have not only learned a lot, but have also saved everyone money as well.  The process this year had been pretty easy with both Brett and Meg have receiving their state and federal returns already.  Doug was still waiting for his Indiana return to hit his bank account, but got a whopping $85 from the federal government already.  

There were other years that filing taxes had been painful or frustrating.  Tax returns for 2021 did not fall in either category . . . until tonight.  Cal had been extremely busy with work and hadn't had time to round up his forms yet.  Last night he was able to get me what I needed including his W-2 and 1099-B.  Figuring out what he needed to file for his Cryptocurrency was a little more challenging, but we found it eventually.  With all of the correct forms ready, I was able to easily figure his federal return.  He wouldn't be getting a lot back, but at least he didn't have to pay.  When I started the state return, however, I became a little bit overwhelmed.  Cal lived in Indiana for two months during 2021, but worked in Illinois the entire year.  He would have to file tax returns in both states as they were not reciprocal to one another.  In order to do so we would have to figure out exactly how much Cal made in the months of January and February and if Plante Moran took out taxes during that time period or not.  I tried to look through the information that he had already gathered, but there was no way to find the correct numbers without getting copies of his pay stubs for those two months.  Thus, we decided to table his tax return until tomorrow.  Thankfully, we started early and still have plenty of time to find everything we need.  

A Quiet Saturday in the Heinisch Home

Cameron didn't have much on his agenda today besides working on homework.  It was nice having him home for the day.  He not only got a lot accomplished on his English essay, but also went jogging and searched for a recipe to make for lunch tomorrow.  The three of us even went to 5 p.m. mass together which we all really appreciated.  It had been several weeks since Cameron was able to attend church.  He said that it felt weird at first, but enjoyed the homily and was glad that he made time to go with us.  We all like Father Andrew a lot, but realize that the size of our church has really dwindled over the past few years.  Last week there were 57 parishioners at mass and this week only 56.  The size hasn't changed our enthusiasm for the church, and during the pandemic it has actually made it safer to attend.  

Tonight, Cameron agreed to play Oh Hell.  We had all played on Tuesday while Brett and Cal were home, but otherwise we hadn't played in awhile.  Cameron may have regretted his decision to participate in one of our favorite games after it was over.  He was definitely the big loser on the night.  Thankfully, he said that he had a lot of fun and we followed up the game with a few rounds of 31.  We spent the rest of the evening watching A Few Good Men as Cameron had never seen it before.  It was a relaxing way to end a nice day together.

Girls Night

Last month Paula, Mary, Wendy, and Betsy all got together at Cherie's to eat pizza and play games.  As it was scheduled on the same night as Cameron's birthday, I missed the event.  As soon as it was over, they texted me to see when I would be available.  I gave them tonight as a possibility and everyone agreed to meet at my house this evening.

I sent out a text reminder early this week and didn't hear from everyone.  I still planned on hosting a girls night, however, as I was sure that they would be here.  I spent the majority of the day cleaning.  I appreciated Doug's help getting the food ready after he finished working for the day.  It had snowed last night and I hadn't planned on time for shoveling.  With his help, I was able to get everything done and shower before my friends arrived at 6 p.m.  

In the end everyone was able to make it and it was very nice to see them.  I hadn't gotten together with the entire group in quite some time and really enjoyed catching up on their lives.  A lot had changed in the teaching world for them both locally and at the state level.  Paula had switched to teaching English at the high school and Cherie moved to the Wawasee Middle school science department.  Mary was still a corporation coach, but was based out of WMS instead of Milford.  Wendy was still at Milford, but was in a special education role instead.  Only Betsy remained in the same position as when I left.  I was glad that they had all enjoyed their new roles, but was frustrated for them concerning a current bill in the statehouse.  It would greatly increase their workload unnecessarily.  Hopefully, it doesn't pass the Indiana senate.

Teaching wasn't the only topic of the night as we also talked about our children and what each one was up to currently.  It was nice to hear that they were all doing well.  Mary, Cherie and Wendy all have upcoming weddings for their children to plan.  We talked about getting together again to look for Mother of the Bride dresses.  Overall, it was a really fun night that flew by way too fast.  Can't wait to see everyone again in April.  

World War III???

News broke today that Russia had invaded Ukraine in an attempt to claim the country as their own.  I wasn't completely shocked by this as stories about a possible invasion had been flooding the media over the past few weeks.  Even so, I really did not think that it would occur  and it has scared me a little bit.  Mostly I feel afraid of the unknown as I don't really know what this mean.  Will Russia continue to invade other countries in Europe?  Will Russian become allies with China?  If so, will China begin to invade other countries as well?  Will the US military become involved in helping the Ukrainian people?  Will this become another Afghanistan or worse yet, Vietnam?  Will gas prices rise even higher due to the fighting?  Would this have happened if a Republican was still in office?

I have spent quite a bit of time talking to the Heinisch children about the possibility of Putin leading an invasion on Ukraine this past week.  All had different ideas and concerns.  Cameron was the least worried.  They had talked about it in US History class and we had prayed about it at mass, but overall it didn't really affect his day to day life.  As a student in a pacifist school, he had learned long ago to pray for peace and not take sides during wartime.  Meg only said that it was all over Tik Tok that this would start World War III.  She didn't really feel that was a possibility and felt that it was no more concerning than worrying about global warming.  Cal was the most concerned about the possibility of the invasion leading to a war.  He definitely didn't want to be drafted and talked about what he would do if it escalated to that point.  Brett was the most positive about the situation and reassured Cal right away that the chance of him being drafted would be slim.  He felt that Ukraine would be able to hold their own and in the end only the small section of the country that already identified as Russian would be taken over.  He felt that it was more likely that Putin would be overthrown instead as many Russians were against the invasions.

I really don't know how to feel about the situation.  I am definitely worried, but most of all I just feel helpless.  Thus, I was thankful when Brett started posting daily prayers on FaceBook for the people of Ukraine.  Just reading through the prayer several times made me feel better.  

Thanksgiving Week Part 2

Over the past five days Meg, Cal and Brett all came home for a visit.  Although it wasn't a holiday, we definitely felt thankful for time with them.  Meg arrived first coming in on Saturday and staying until Monday.  We played games, went to mass, ate dinner together and helped her catch up on a few items on her to-do list.  She made it to her last orthodontist visit and her six month check up at the dentist.  She also spent time with Grandma and Grandpa and visited Nick's house for one last time.  

Cal was the next one to come home, arriving late Sunday night and staying until this evening.  He had to work during the day, but it was nice to have him pop up from the basement for lunch or a coffee break while he was on the clock.  We also got to play Racko with him, watch the IU basketball game and finish the Boba Fett series with him.  He was here to celebrate Brett's birthday and got to see Grandma and Grandpa several times as well.

Brett made the trip up from Bloomington Monday night after work and hung out with us until late this afternoon.  Besides celebrating his birthday, he took full advantage of his time at home bringing eight loads of laundry with him, getting a haircut, catching up on video games, playing board games and cards with all of us and visiting Grandma and Grandpa several times.  Doug and I felt extremely blessed to have all four of our children under one roof for so many days.  What an awesome February treat and a wonderful way to beat the winter blues.  

Happy Belated Birthday Brett

Brett arrived late last night well after the rest of us went to bed.  His trip was pretty uneventful until he got to Milford.  He was talking to Grandma and Grandpa when he told them that he saw a vehicle along side the road with its lights on.  Grandpa knew instantly what that meant and soon Brett did too - a police officer pulled him over going 74 in a 55 speed limit zone.  Fortunately, Brett got off with a warning and was only delayed by ten minutes or so.

After some much needed sleep, Brett enjoyed his time at home today.  He tested a few video games for me and played a few of his own as well.  He picked up Subway for he and Cal, took a walk with me and then drove me to Milford to drop off the van at a mechanics.  He shared his opinions on several newsworthy topics, including the impending Russian invasion of Ukraine and Joe Biden's presidential ratings.  Once Doug and Cameron arrived home we played Ticket to Ride India.  Cal finished working around 7:00 which was perfect timing for stuffed crust pizza from Pizza Hut.

Tonight we finally had a chance to celebrate Brett's 27th birthday in person.  We had all texted and talked to him on February 13th, but only Meg had been able to give him a gift and spend some time with him.  Brett decided to open his gifts as soon Grandma and Grandpa arrived.  He was thrilled with the "new" nameplate that Cal gave him as well as the candy including his favorite flavor of Twizzlers - Watermelon.  Cameron's gift was next complete with the perfect Coca-Cola Hawaiian shirt.  Doug picked out a new Hampshire puzzle for Brett with the highlights of the state that he lived in several years ago.  Grandma and Grandpa supplied him with several containers of popcorn with vegetable oil all wonderful compliments to the popcorn popper that I bought for him.  Brett had told us over Christmas break that he really wanted one for movie night with his friends.  The one I found will be excellent for that.

After gifts, we all enjoyed Grandma Jane's Texas cake with Neapolitan ice cream.  We were impressed that Brett was able to blow out all of the candles in one big breath.  Brett picked Oh Hell for everyone to play.  Cal had never joined us for the card game before, but caught on pretty quickly.  It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend the rest of the evening together.  

Brace Free

Three years ago yesterday Meg was in the oral surgeon's office having four wisdom teeth and four baby teeth removed.  It was a painful process, but was important in her first steps of getting braces.  Before Meg's junior year, we had never even considered Meg needing braces.  Her teeth were straight and her baby teeth fit in well for her missing permanent teeth.  All of that changed when she turned sixteen as her teeth shifted.  That's when her front incisor began to protrude and the orthodontist was fearful that it would become fractured if bumped.

Thus, Meg began her braces journey in February of 2019.  There were times that it was frustrating and times when it was bearable.  Meg followed all of Dr. Dellinger's instructions, but still had delays in her treatment. The first was caused by an infection that developed after her oral surgery, the second was when her rubber bands overcorrected her bite and last one stemmed from the pandemic.  She told me multiple times that she just wanted to be done by the time she graduated from college.  Today she got her wish.  Not only was she done with braces, but she no longer had to wear her retainer during the daytime.  Meg was excited and I was relieved.  We were both nervous that another delay would happen this morning at her appointment, but fortunately that was not the case.  Of course she tried to make Nick believe otherwise, but even he didn't believe that she would have to endure more orthodonture work.  All of us were extremely happy about that.

Another Day, Another Child Home

Meg and Cameron spent the afternoon in Fort Wayne today shopping and going to lunch.  I know that they had a good time as I got a text from Cameron that said, "I just bought the ugliest sweatpants!"  They were home well before dinner time.  I enjoyed looking at all of their purchases with them.  Afterward Meg and I took a walk and Cameron worked on homework.  Tonight, we invited Grandma, Grandpa and Nick over for cards and games.  It was a lot of fun and we found out that Nick was horrible at keeping a secret in Chameleon.  

While Cameron and Meg were in Fort Wayne, I received a text from Cal that he planned on coming home this evening after he dropped Riley off at O'Hare.  He had been visiting Cal and Jayce this weekend from Denver.  I was very glad to hear that we would have another Heinisch child at home this week.  We hadn't seen Meg or Cal since the beginning of January and we were more than happy to host them for a few days.  Cal would still have to work remotely, but we'd get to have meals with him and spend time with him at night.  We love having our adult children visit as we really enjoy spending time with them.  Thankfully, they seem to enjoy being home as well.  

She's Home

Meg arrived early this afternoon happy to be home for a few days.  She had an orthodontist and a dentist appointment scheduled for Monday, but most of all was glad for a break from school.  She spent the afternoon catching up with Cameron, Doug and I.  Meg also went to 5 p.m. mass with us.  It was nice to go to church.  With Doug traveling, we hadn't been in awhile.  I also appreciated that it was a light crowd and we pretty much had the pew to ourselves.  

Meg left right after church for Nick's.  His parents had sold their home in Goshen with plans to move to the farm.  Meg was a little sad that it would be her last time in his house, but was glad that they had no problem selling it.  Once Meg got home she made us "Dirty Shirley Temples", which was Grenadine mixed with Cherry Vodka and Sprite Zero.  They were a little too sweet for me, but fun to try.  Cameron stuck with the normal Shirley Temple.  It was fun having Meg home and we're looking forward to spending more time with her over the next two days.

"Senior" Night

The snow stopped late last night.  Because of the amount that we received and the layer of ice underneath it, most schools still closed for today.  Bethany was one of those, but unlike yesterday, they did have an    e-learning school day.  Cameron didn't mind as it wasn't too stressful.  Each class was only thirty minutes long.  He finished with all of his work well before 3:30, so we had time to finish our Euchre match from yesterday with Grandma and Grandpa.

Doug stayed home from work this morning and was on the phone until he left at 10:30 for a doctor's appointment in Goshen.  He said that the roads were clear enough for Cameron to go to the boys' basketball game at Bethany tonight.  Cameron was happy to hear that as he had been looking forward to going to the game all week.  He even had the perfect outfit picked out for "senior" night and made plans with Jordan to buy silver hairspray before the game started to complete the look.  I enjoyed taking pictures of Cameron before he left, but most of all I was just happy that he was still able to attend senior night.  He's been stuck at home due to weather enough this February.  

Winter Storm Part 2

When we decided that I would drive back to Indiana with Doug this week, I started looking at the weather forecast.  My mom had told me that another winter storm was predicted to hit Syracuse on Wednesday night or Thursday morning.  Doug and I realized that it was important that we make it home Wednesday afternoon to ensure that we miss driving through hazardous conditions.  We also didn't want Cameron to be stuck at home for a few days without one of us there.

Fortunately, we did make it home before the ice/snow developed.  Unfortunately, the storm was as bad as predicted.  It started this afternoon with sleet and ice and ended with six inches of snow.  Cameron did not have school today at all and had a two hour delay scheduled for Friday by the time we went to bed tonight.  

I was definitely depressed to see more snow.  I had just completely cleared the driveway of the last pile yesterday.  Thankfully, Doug was available to help me shovel the driveway tonight, so there wouldn't be as much to do tomorrow morning.  The storm was fast moving and we have 40's predicted for next week, so hopefully this will be the end of it.  I definitely am done with winter weather and crossing my fingers for an early spring.  We do have several trips planned to Florida in March and April, so even if this winter lingers, we will get a break from it soon.  I can't wait for that.

Back Home Again in Indiana

Doug and I left Florida yesterday afternoon once he finished working for the day.  Our hope was to make it past Nashville before we stopped.  All went as planned and we appreciated getting through Atlanta and Nashville without much traffic.  The only nerve wracking part was when a tire fell off of a truck from the other side of the median and hit a pickup truck in front of us.  The truck then slid into the side of a semi and flipped over in a ditch.  Thankfully, the tire bounced off of the road before it could do more damage and everyone involved seemed to be ok.  

Today's trip was definitely uneventful compared to yesterday's.  We left our hotel in Nashville by 8 a.m. Indiana time and were at the Indy airport by noon.  Doug drove the Civic the rest of the trip.  I used the alone time in the car to catch up with Meg, Grandma Jane and Brett.  Doug used his time to take work calls.  We both made it home well before Cameron.  He had decided to hang out with Jordan and Richard after school.  That gave me time to get the last of the snow off of his side of the driveway before he arrived.

Doug and I were both pretty tired this evening, so we were thankful for a quiet evening at home.  We played pool with Cameron, each of us winning a game.  We also played Ticket to Ride and watched Red River to end the evening.  It was definitely nice to be back home again in Indiana.  

Cameron's Busy Week

The most challenging part of visiting Doug in Florida for me has been leaving Cameron at home.  I know that he doesn't need me like he used to and that he really isn't home that much, but I really hate missing that hour a day or so that I get to catch up with him nightly.  It has only been five days since I was home, but it definitely feels longer.  Even though I have talked and texted him multiple times since I left, I will be glad to see him tomorrow and hear about all that he has been doing live and in person.

I know from our conversations that he has definitely been busy.  On Friday night, he and his friends went to the boys basketball game at Fairfield.  Saturday, Cameron had the Valentine's dance which kept him busy almost all afternoon and evening as he not only attended the event, but had to set up for it as well.  He spent the night at Avery's afterward and then on Sunday helped host a Super Bowl watch party at Samuel's home.  The only bad part for him that evening was seeing the Bengals lose.  Because of the late night, he stayed in Goshen again that night as well.  On Monday night he celebrated Valentine's Day with Grandma and Grandpa at the new Mexican restaurant and tonight he went to Culver's with his friends.  I believe that there may have been more involved than just dinner this evening that may or may not have involved a girl, but I decided not to ask and instead focused on IU's loss to Wisconsin this evening when I texted him.  

I am really glad that he has had fun with his friends.  His Instagram posts have been fun to see.  Even though I know that he will stay busy once we arrive back home, it will be really nice to see him.  

Valentine's Day

Today was a low key Valentine's Day for Doug and I.  We really hadn't made much out of the holidays in years, but we still enjoyed it just the same.  Doug gave me a box of chocolates with a very nice card.  I gave him a few items that he needed as well as his favorite Ghirardelli chocolates and the movie Rio Bravo.  Since we had eaten out every day since I arrived in Florida on Friday, we decided to stay in for dinner and finish off all of the delicious leftovers.  We also finished watching The Quiet Man from Saturday night.  I had actually made it all of the way through, but Doug fell asleep.  It was the perfect movie for the holiday.  We did start Rio Bravo, but will have to finish it another time as we were both too tired to stay up late.

Brett and Cal also had a low key Valentine's Day.  Brett worked and then enjoyed dinner at home.  He had a book that he wanted to finish and made a good dent in it.  Cal texted that he was going to work out and then finish some work for Plante Moran.  The dating world has been rough on both of them lately. Hopefully, they were glad to have a night off from that.  Cameron had fun at school today.  He bought a rose from SGA for one of the students from Paraguay.  He also got a box of chocolates for himself.  He put them in his locker and acted like they were from a secret admirer.  He did finally come clean, but only after he had everyone going for awhile guessing who the girl was. 

Meg had the biggest Valentine's celebration as she and Nick spent Saturday and Sunday in Chicago.  They stayed at the Palmer House and really like it.  It was just as beautiful as I told her it would be.  The only bad part was the paper thin walls which I remembered from Doug and my stay there years ago.  They also ate dinner at Maggiano's and went ice skating in Daly Park.  It was cold, but they had a great time.  Tonight she invited her friend, Maddie, over to watch "Hope Floats".  It was the perfect movie for "Galentine's."  

27 Trips Around the Sun

Today was Brett's 27th birthday.  He spent it in a typical Sunday fashion - mass in the early morning hours, a day at work, dinner at home and writing a few chapters in his new book.  It was definitely low key, but he had had an extremely busy weekend and was glad for the quiet day.  He enjoyed reflecting on his past year and all of the positives in his life.  He received numerous texts and messages on social media.  I talked to him several times during the day and he was extremely happy that he was able to say that he had officially taken his 27th trip around the sun.  

Brett did find it funny that the Super Bowl was the big event on his birthday.  He hadn't watched that particular sporting event since the Patriots beat his favored Panthers many years ago.  It was nice to celebrate Brett today virtually.  It was a great reminder of just how much he has accomplished in his young life.  He's not only found success at his place of employment, but has also acquired a great group of friends that have been extremely supportive of him.  My favorite part of being Brett's mom has always been his positive attitude and commitment to faith.  I was reminded of that today with the return of his positive post and desire to go to mass on his birthday.  Brett will be home soon so that we can celebrate in person.  I have really been looking forward to that.  

Running of the Bulls, Ocala Style

Doug and I made plans to go to Disney Springs today to celebrate an early Valentine's Day.  I had read yesterday, however, that there was a cowboy festival in downtown Ocala this morning complete with a "running of the bulls" through the downtown square.  After learning about that I decided that we had to check it out before we left town for the day.  

Doug and I were both up early this morning so we had no problem finding a spot along the "parade" route today.  Neither of us knew what to expect, but both of us were surprised to see a crowd had already formed well before we arrived. Everyone was very excited about the event and many, including myself, had cameras ready to take videos and pictures of the bulls' trip through town.  

In the end it wasn't quite what I expected as I assumed that it would be hundreds of cows.  I guess that wouldn't have made sense with all of the young children standing along the sidewalks.  The "bull parade" may have been smaller than we expected, but the festival itself was a lot bigger.  There were food trucks, craft booths, a wild west show, a petting zoo and even a mechanical bull to ride.  We didn't stay long, but realized that it would be a lot of fun for small children.  We were also extremely impressed with the size of the crowds.  

After checking out the cowboy festival, Doug and I drove to Disney Springs next.  Traffic was heavy, but the crowds at Disney Springs were lighter than on our trips in the past.  We were able to stop at several stores, eat lunch at Splitsville, grab a margarita and get cookies from Gideon's bakehouse.  I was excited about the M&M dispenser that Doug got me for Valentine's Day.  I was also glad that we found a fun birthday gift for Brett.  Doug was most pleased with the Beverly Mule Drink that he tried at the Coke Store.  It was definitely a fun day in Orlando made even better by the beautiful weather and spending time together

Sarasota

When Doug and I realized that he would be working in Florida for almost three weeks this winter, we decided to book a weekend there for Cameron and I as well.  We thought that it would be the perfect break to the cold, snowy winter in Indiana.  When I went to make the flight reservations, however, Cameron decided that he would sit this trip out.  The weekend that we had planned to be in the Sunshine State, he was already scheduled with plenty of activities.  Tonight there was a boys' basketball game, tomorrow night was the Valentine's Day dance and Sunday he had plans to watch the Super Bowl at Samuel's with his friends.  

Since Cameron wasn't going to join me on this mini-vacation, I changed my usual Friday night flight into Tampa for one landing in Sarasota.  It was a little further for Doug to drive, but it got in eight hours earlier.  Doug was more than happy to take an afternoon off work to pick me up.  I had been to Sarasota many times before when Granny and PawPaw lived in Arcadia, but Doug had only visited it once.  Thus, we were looking forward to having some time to check out the sights in Sarasota.

I arrived at the Sarasota/Bradenton International Airport at 1:30.  It was definitely smaller than most that we flew in and out of for our trips to Florida which I really appreciated.  I got my luggage easily from baggage claim and quickly changed into cooler clothes.  The weather forecast had predicted temperatures in the low 70s today, but it had already passed that by the time I landed.  Doug arrived shortly afterward and we connected fairly easily.  

Before I left this morning I had searched through the Trip Advisor app for its recommendations on what to do in Sarasota.  The #1 recommendation was The Ringling Museum.  We had already visited the circus museum on our previous trip, so we decided to pass on it this time.  There were also a lot of positive reviews for different beaches in the area, but neither Doug nor I were interested in those.  I found an area called St. Armond's Circle filled with shops and restaurant online and we decided to try it.  

The circle was only fifteen minutes from the airport and we enjoyed it very much.  We stopped at Daiquiri Deck for lunch.  It was a great spot with plenty of outdoor seating and delicious crab nachos.  We walked around the circle afterward checking out the shops.  We found a hot sauce store called Pepper Palace.  We bought Cameron a bottle of wing sauce to try.  He had been making his own and we knew that he would enjoy it.  

We only stayed a couple of hours in Sarasota, but it was fun to visit.  I would definitely go back, but probably wait until after they finished the construction leading into Lido Key.  It was hectic getting in and out of the city because of it.  Otherwise, it was a fun afternoon with plenty of sunshine and great company.  

The Winter Olympics

The Winter Olympics began on Friday February 4th with the opening ceremony.  I was excited when I realized that I would have something fun to watch while Doug was busy with work.  We had added Peacock Premium to our streaming line up, so I knew that I would be able to watch as much of the Olympics as we wanted.  To get in the mood I even listened to “The Miracle” Rewatchable about the 1980 gold medal winning US hockey team.  

All of my preOlympic excitement preparation just didn’t seem to work.  Ever since the sporting events began I have tried very hard to watch the Olympics this winter, but I just can’t get into it.  I really don’t know why.  I like speed skating and bobsledding, but watching them has actually been kind of boring.  Maybe it’s because I really don’t know any of the athletes or maybe it’s because no one else in our family has been that interested in the Olympics either. It could also be because Apple News sends out updates throughout the day, so typically I know who has won before the event has been televised.   I was happy to read that Nathan Chen won gold in the men’s figure skating championship.  I remembered that he had underperformed four years ago, but even that didn’t get me to turn the channel to NBC. 

Instead of the Olympics, I have actually been enjoying the gameshow network.  Cameron and I have turned on “America Says” and “The Family Feud” each night before bedtime.  We’ve tried to guess answers to questions like “What makes a good bath great?”  (Rubber Ducky) and have laughed at the contestants answers to “What makes Colonel Sanders sexy?”  (His Horse??). I guess for now, I’ll stop feeling guilty about ignoring The Winter Olympics.  There’s no rule that says that I have to watch.  It just feels strange.   

Slipping on the Ice was the Icing on the Cake

Over the past two days I have spent quite a bit of time in the afternoon trying to get the rest of the snow off of our driveway.  When Cameron and I shoveled during the winter storm, we decided that we would only clear the drive directly behind the garage.  No one would need the side area to park or to play basketball any time soon, so we didn't waste time on that.  Instead we piled even more snow on top of that side of the driveway trying to keep the main area clear.  Since it had warmed up into the mid 30s the past two days, I decided that I would try to get some of the snow off of the basketball court.  Meg, Cal and Brett both had plans to come home soon, so I wanted them to have somewhere to park.  It was a lot of work, but I did manage to clear about 2/3 of it.

Both days while I was out working, Meg called.  Thankfully, I was able to put in my Airpods and talk to her while still shoveling.  Yesterday we talked about her birthday gift for Brett, her upcoming Valentine's Day plans with Nick and the "I Love Snoopy" Show.  Today's topics weren't quite as light hearted.  When Meg first called, she was really upset.  She had had a rough morning with school and to top it off she slipped on the ice while trying to catch the bus.  Unfortunately, it was a hard fall resulting in a lot of pain.  I felt bad for her and realized that there wasn't much that I could say to make her day better, except "I'm sorry."  She told me later that she did cry for a little while and then decided to stop feeling sorry for herself.  I was glad to hear that she was feeling a little better, but I didn't blame her for being down.  Sometimes days just don't go your way.  Usually it takes a good night's sleep for me to get over that feeling, but thankfully Meg had to work tonight and being with the residents of Bell Trace returned a smile to her face.  

Sometimes the Punishment Hurts Others More than the Recipient

Tonight was the IU mens basketball game that we were all excited to watch.  IU was matched against Northwestern in Evanston.  A win would pretty much give the Hoosiers a lock into the NCAA tournament in March.  A loss would definitely hurt as the next two weeks IU was pitted against top ranked Big Ten teams.  None of us were really worried about the game.  Northwestern was having a down year and IU was playing well even with their recent loss to Illinois.  All of that changed, however, when we turned on the television tonight.  Scrolling underneath the announcers in the studio was the statement - "IU suspends five players for tonight's Northwestern game due to violation of team policies."  Included in those five players were two starters and almost 50% of our scoring.  Needless to say, we were extremely worried after that.

IU only had six available players for tonight and the references to the movie Hoosiers started immediately.  Just like in the movie, Coach Woodson had a hard decision to make and he stuck by his decision.  At first it looked as though we would be able to weather the storm as we were leading at halftime.  Fatigue took over and a scoring drought ensued in the second half.  The eligible players fought as hard as they could, playing almost every minute of the game, but in the end it wasn't enough.  We lost 51-59.  

The entire time I was watching the game, I kept thinking about Cal.  He had called last night to let me know that Plante Moran was taking all of the IU alumni at their firm to the game tonight.  He was really looking forward to it.  He texted me last night to say that he still had a lot of fun, but "wow, did IU stink."  He was frustrated that the five players were suspended for smoking weed in their hotel room the night before.  It was legal in Illinois and he didn't think that they should have been punished.  He felt that this would end our chances of making it to the NCAA tournament.

I agreed with Cal on the tournament but not the suspension.  I felt that Woodson really had no choice.  It didn't matter that marijuana was legal in Illinois.  The boys broke the rules and they knew that.  They put themselves above the team and that was the disappointing part.  The five forced the rest of their team to deal with the consequences of their behavior.  I totally supported the decision of IU's new head coach even though it was hard to watch.  In the end Cal said that he agreed with my thoughts.  He texted back, "I think I’m just mad I had to watch Anthony Leal play 35 minutes!"  I could totally agree with that one. 

Interesting Weather Decisions

The Kosciusko County Commissioners decision to not put our county in the red for travel conditions last Thursday caused a lot of negative posts and comments on social media.  Residents of the county wanted a travel emergency called, but the Commissioners kept it in yellow even after we received a foot of snow.  Their argument was that they didn't want to force people off of the roads if they wanted to be out in the storm and they didn't want to close businesses.  The backlash only grew after after they closed the county government offices due to weather conditions.  Our county's response to heavy snow has always been slow, so I wasn't really surprised by their lack of concern for travel alerts.  In all honesty I didn't really pay too much attention to it as I wasn't really going anywhere.   

Last night I realized that several schools in our area had called two hour delays.  I was surprised by that until I read several posts by friends of mine that were teachers.  They had been out and the roads were still awful.  They stated that the county decided to give the snowplow drivers the day off on Sunday.  The weather that day was warm enough to start melting the snow, so the roads were packed with slush.  It would have been nice to have the plows running to get the snow off of the roads when it was warm enough to move it.  The county must not have agreed.  We actually hadn't seen a plow on our street since Friday morning.  

Cameron had told us several times that this wasn't the case in Elkhart County.  Their roads were completely clear.  In fact he took a picture of County Road 29 on the way home Saturday to show Grandma Jane.  It was snowflake free and easily drivable.  Today, I was able to witness the difference between the two counties responses myself as I had to run to Goshen to drop something off at Bethany and then drive to Warsaw to pick up something at Kohl's.  The roads in and out of Syracuse were terrible.  Once I got to the county line on CR 29, it was completely clear.  In Syracuse, I could barely make it over the railroad track due to the ice and snow build up, but in Goshen it was not an issue.  I definitely wasn't surprised by the difference, but I was disappointed in our county's response.  There was no excuse to have today's poor road conditions since the storm ended four days ago.  I realized, however, that the county would not care what my opinion was.  We've lived here for almost 24 years and it's no different than the first winter that our first winter in Syracuse.  It won't change even if we live here another twenty-four.

Winter Break Extended

Friday February 4th was always scheduled to be winter break for Bethany students.  Cameron didn't have any specific plans for the day or weekend.  He originally thought that he would be spending it at the school watching the girls basketball team play in the sectional semi-finals and championship games on Friday and Saturday nights.  When the girls lost Tuesday night and the winter storm started shortly afterward, I was worried that it would be a boring winter break for him.  I was also concerned that I would get anxious spending so much time in the house over the extended winter break, especially with Doug busy working in Florida.

In the end I had nothing to worry about.  Movies, IU basketball and playing cards with Grandma and Grandpa kept us entertained while Cameron was at home.  When he was with his friends sledding, going out to dinner, enjoying Samuel's hot tub and watching Spiderman at the movie theater, I kept busy working on Legos, finishing a few more sets to list on Ebay.  I even had time to binge watch the first half of season four of Ozark on Netflix.  I had originally planned on watching an episode a day, but it was so incredibly good that I watched it all by Saturday night at midnight.  Overall, this winter break was a lot more fun and definitely more memorable than years past.  With that said, I am already hoping for a calmer one weather wise next year.  

A Great Visit

One of the best parts about Doug working in Florida this winter has been his availability to visit his dad.  When he saw him last month, Carl was in the rehab facility in Winter Haven after having heart bypass surgery in December.  Today, they were able to get together at Carl and Marina's home in Lake Placid.  Doug was very happy to have been able to make the trip down from Ocala.  Carl was feeling a lot better.  His bout with pneumonia was over and he was able to get up and move on his own, just a little slower than before.  Carl made chili for their lunch and was proud to talk about the fourteen minute walk that he had taken the day before their visit.  Doug was glad to see that his dad had started the gardening puzzle that we had gotten him for Christmas and also enjoyed their golf cart ride.  They made plans to get together in March in Ocala when Meg and I could be there as well.  

Doug called on his way back to Ocala.  He sounded happy and I was glad that not only had he gotten to see his dad, but that he had gotten a break from work as well.  It has been a stressful winter for Doug and he has put in a lot of hours.  He said that he was going to stop at brewery that he had tried before in Winter Haven, and then go to another one in downtown Ocala.  Between today and his James Bond movie fest with pizza from Piesano's last night, I know that he was enjoying himself.  That was really nice to hear.  

Shoveling Out!

Cameron and I were finally able to get out of the house today.  I made it to CVS and the post office without any issues.  Our road hadn't been plowed since yesterday morning, but it was still passable.  The intersections in town still had quite a bit of snow in the middle of them and the railroad track by the softball diamond was almost impossible to drive over.  Other than that, it wasn't too bad considering that we had received fourteen inches of snow over the past two days.

Cameron left at 11:30 to go to Oxbow Park with his friends today.  They enjoyed sledding and then spent the rest of the afternoon at Samuel's.  Buffalo Wild Wings was packed when they arrived for dinner.  It sounded like everyone in Goshen was ready to get out of their homes as well.  Because of the wait for a table, Cameron arrived home later than normal.  I was glad to see him and to listen to him talk about his day.  Mostly, I was happy that he actually got to do something that didn't involve shoveling or e-learning.  

Brett and Meg experienced the woes of living in Southern Indiana during a winter storm.  The town pretty much shut down for twenty-four hours.  Brett made it to work yesterday, but had a difficult time getting home due to unplowed roads and a snow covered parking lot at Woodbridge.  He wasn't sure that he would be able to make it this morning, but thankfully, the plows had been out first thing.  The shovel in his trunk was a big help as well.  Meg tried to make it to work yesterday.  It took her twenty minutes to get the ice off of her windshield.  Unfortunately, even with a clear car she couldn't make it to her dinner shift.  The snow in her parking lot was just too deep.  Today was a lot better and she made it to work without incidence.  The only bad part was that Chick-Fil-A was closed when she tried to get lunch there afterward.  In fact the only place she could find open was Chipotle.  

Cal didn't complain about the eleven inches that they received.  He worked from home Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  He had plans to stay in Wrigleyville the rest of the weekend, so the storm didn't change too much for him.  He was more concerned about his new debit card, so I was glad that I was finally able to get it mailed to him.  Hopefully, this will be the last big storm of the winter.  It is not supposed to warm up anytime soon, so I know that we will have snow for quite awhile.  At least there shouldn't be much more to add to the totals.  

Snow Days Continue

The winter storm caused Cameron to have another e-learning day.  He wasn't excited about it, but was glad for the break from school.  Classes weren't too challenging today and Cameron was able to finish most of his homework before 3 p.m.  While he was busy with classes I spent most of the morning shoveling.  I couldn't believe how much more snow had fallen overnight.  It felt as though I took another four inches off of the driveway again.  

Once I was done, I thought about running to the post office to mail Cal's package.  The snow started back up again, and I decided that it wasn't worth it.  Our road wasn't completely clear yet and I knew that it would be better tomorrow.  I asked Cameron if he would help me get another round of snow off of the drive after dinner tonight.  He had no problem helping and decided afterward that he would enjoy the fourteen inches in our backyard with a "round of golf."  I had a lot of fun taking his pictures.  I also appreciated his reminder that spring really was only six weeks away.  

Groundhog's Day Predictions

Today was a weatherman's delight.  Not only was a winter storm warning in full effect in our area, but it was also Groundhog's day.  Unfortunately, both had bad news to report.  First the winter storm that was to start overnight, began right on time.  The heavy snow fell all day long just as predicted.  I shoveled five inches of snow off of our driveway by 3 p.m. this afternoon.  Cameron joined me after dinner to clear two more inches.  We could have gone out again at 9 p.m. for another round, but by then I was too exhausted to even think about lifting another shovel.  

The groundhog also had disappointing news to report as well.  He saw his shadow this morning predicting  six more weeks of winter.  I was really sad to hear that, especially after today's winter blast.  Cameron and I decided that the best way to celebrate the holiday was to watch the movie "Groundhog's Day" tonight.  We had watched "Snow Day" earlier in the day, which was always a Heinisch staple on a day off from school.  Both movies were just as much fun as I remembered and a great way to help ease the winter blues.

The Calm (or Not) Before the Storm

For the last few days all we have heard about is the upcoming storm that is supposed to hit early tomorrow morning.  I wasn't happy about the weather prediction, but was glad that I made it home yesterday well ahead of the storm.  I also felt fortunate that the rain wouldn't turn to ice until after the girls' sectional game ended tonight.  That would give Cameron plenty of time to drive home before the roads became slick.

With the talk of 14 inches of snow over a two day period, I decided to devote today to getting everything done outside of the house that I could as I realized that I probably wouldn't leave the house again until Friday.  I started the morning by packaging up the four Legos and two video games that we sold on Ebay yesterday.  It took a lot longer than I thought, but by 11:30 a.m. Grandma Jane and I were able to drop them off at the post office on our way to Walmart.  The grocery store was crowded for a Tuesday morning, but there was still plenty of food on the shelves.  

After lunch I decided to refill all of the bird feeders.  I had heard that the birds wouldn't be able to easily find food during the storm, so I thought I'd help out.  Once they were well stocked, I took a short walk.  It was so nice this afternoon.  It was hard to believe that everything would change tomorrow.  The rest of my afternoon was spent going to the dentist to have my broken tooth x-rayed and picking up my Happy Hollister books at my parents.  

Cameron didn't get home until well after 9 p.m. tonight.  He was pretty bummed that Bethany had lost in the first round as he had really enjoyed being part of the team this year.  He already knew that he had an e-learning day tomorrow, so he stayed up later than normal playing pool and talking to Sam on the phone.  While he was busy, I got out the Valentine's Day decorations and finally unpacked the rest of the groceries.  It was definitely a productive day in the Heinisch home and we were officially ready for the storm.