When Life Gives You Lemons . . . Make Tootsie Rolls??

I got up this morning and checked my emails.  I must have been a little bit out of it as I signed into Brett's account instead.  At first I thought I was reading Doug's emails, but soon realized that I was wrong.  As I got ready to click off, this line caught my eye - "Walmart Space Request Declined."  That quickly snapped me out of my grogginess.  I knew that Brett had been working with Walmart to get permission for the Knights of Columbus to host a Tootsie Roll drive next Saturday at their store in Bloomington.  I thought that he had told me that the request had already been approved, so I was absolutely shocked by the email.  

I called Brett immediately.  He logged on instantly and confirmed what I had read.  He was able to get into the Walmart account that he had created several months ago.  It stated that his request was approved on April 10th and this morning at 6 a.m. it was changed to "opted out."  Brett was extremely frustrated as he knew that he had not opted out.  He had also spent quite a bit of time lining up fellow Knights to work the event.  It had been challenging to get ahold of Walmart in the first place, so he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do next.

In the end, Brett decided to go to mass at 10:30 a.m. and then drive out to Walmart afterward to see if there had been a mistake.  He was obviously upset, but by the time mass was over, he felt a lot better.  He had run into the person that he was co-chairing the event with next weekend.  After explaining the situation, Jon told him that this was why they did not host the event at Kroger or Target.  The local stores were in favor of the Tootsie Roll fundraiser, but the corporation would not allow it.  Walmart had been their last choice, and until this year had always set up these events with the store managers, not the Walmart corporation.  

Jon and Brett felt that the best plan of action was to still host the Tootsie Roll drive, but only at the three local Catholic churches.  They had plenty of workers to collect money at those masses.  They would then plan a different date and place for a large scale drive later in the summer.  Brett said that he would drive out to Walmart to see if there had been an error.  Neither were surprised when that led to nothing as the store hadn't even been contacted by the Walmart corporation to inform them anything about the event. 

By the end of the day, Brett had contacted all of the other Knights to let them know about the change.  Everyone was extremely supportive and one member even talked about boycotting Walmart going forward.  Although the morning had started out extremely frustrating, in the end Brett felt very good about the situation.  He had been supported by those in his group and had not let it ruin his day.  That was the best outcome that he could hope for when he first read that email this morning.   

PROM

Today was the sixth and final Heinisch prom.  Cameron was very excited about the night, especially since his golf coach had let him borrow his Tesla for the event.  Cameron spent the morning at Alina's tennis match, but made it home in time to clean out the car before putting on his tux.  Last year, Cameron and his friends all wore matching white tuxes.  This year, Cameron and Alina picked out one that matched her dress perfectly.  They looked absolutely beautiful together.

Grandma and Grandpa came up before Cameron left so that we could take family pictures.  We finished just as the rain started to pour.  Cameron met the guys at Samuel's before picking up Alina at her house.  They had a large group for pictures and we really enjoyed being a part of it.  They had planned on going to Bonneyville Mill Park in Bristol, but the rain cancelled that idea.  Instead they chose Sauder Hall on Goshen College's campus which made for a lovely backdrop for their photo shoot.

Once everyone had taken as many pictures as they wanted, the high schoolers started for the Goshen Airport.  Their prom was to be in one of the hangars there.  We saw pictures of the venue later and it looked like the perfect spot for a dance.  The hangar door was open and the high schoolers could be either inside or out.  There was plenty of room to dance even with the tables set up for dinner.  

While the seniors were all enjoying Prom, we went with several parents to Goshen Brewing Company.  It was a nice place to relax, talk and share a meal.   The parents of Cameron's friends are all very nice and we had a lot of fun with them.  Doug and I spent the rest of the night at home reflecting on our own proms as well as those of the Heinisch children.  It was a little bittersweet to start the senior send off activities with Cameron, but he is more than ready to be done with high school.  We do not blame him for that.  

Missing a Heinisch Support System

Today I was cleaning out the glass bookcase that we inherited from Doug's Grandma, Dorothy, over 30 years ago.  We appreciated using it all of these years, but knew that we were not going to take it to Florida with us.  It was a nice antique from the turn of the century, but it would need some help aesthetically and would have to have the back nailed back in place to be of much more use to us.  I decided that I was ready for something new.  

Along with the recipe books, I found a lot of memories on those shelves.  My Grandma Guard's iron cast toy stove, a painting that Meg made for Mother's Day three years ago, and a honey bear candle that was a gift from Brett were just to name a few.  Behind a print of Jeanette's that I had kept when Carl cleaned out the house on Rich Road, there were two letters that my mother-in-law had written me.  I didn't remember putting them there, so I was eager to read what they said.  

As soon as I saw my name on the page, the years melted away.  It was like Jeanette was in the room with me.  I could hear her voice as I read her words.  She wrote about Meg's birthday, the pictures that Cameron had drawn for her, and her health.  She said that she wanted to make sure that we had flowers for our spring planting and must have included a check for us to buy something beautiful for the yard.  She told us how much she enjoyed our remodeling project and how much she appreciated hearing from us.  

I put down her letters and spent the next half hour letting the tears flow.  Jeanette was one of our biggest cheerleaders.  She was always positive and supported her children and grandchildren in all that they did.  She loved listening to us and was always happy for us.  I wanted to call her today and fill her in on the past eight years.  She would have loved hearing about the Heinisch children and all that they had accomplished since 2014.  I could almost hear her saying how excited she was for their new adventures and how proud she was of the wonderful adults that they had become.  

I knew when Jeanette died that it would be a loss in the Heinisch family that would be almost impossible to fill.  This has never been more apparent than in the past three months.  As we currently navigate a challenging situation in Doug's family, we miss her presence now more than ever.  This afternoon, I cried as I read her favored print over and over before I packed it away for our move.  The world was definitely a beautiful place with Jeanette in it and her time on this Earth was way too short.  

Throwback Thursday

 The last twenty four hours feel like they have been a throwback to Cameron's middle school days.  Yesterday, he finally agreed that we could recycle all of the Ice Cube gum containers that he had been saving since the days of Archie Miller's coaching tenure at IU.  We had downsized them last year and only kept one of each flavor.  That greatly reduced his collection, but as he didn't plan on taking them to college and Archie had been fired years ago, it seemed like a great time to say goodbye to the Ice Cube gum collection.

Our second blast from the past was at Dr. Aron Dellinger's Orthodontist office.  Cameron had dropped his retainer and a part of the plastic broke off.  He could still wear it, but we thought that we should have it checked.  My teeth shifted after I got my braces off and I didn't want his to do the same.  They were able to get him in bright and early this morning and in two weeks he will have a new upper retainer.  Everyone was just as nice as always, but it was strange to be back in the office.  We had spent a lot of time there, but had really forgotten about the place.  

Lastly, we spent this evening at McCormick Creek Golf Course.  Cameron hadn't played there competitively in quite some time.  Instantly I was brought back to all of the youth golf tournaments that I had attended with the boys over the years.  Doug and I both had a lot of fun walking with Cameron tonight.  He started off with a par and a birdie, then hit a slow patch.  He ended with a very respectable 41 hitting some fantastics shots.  He also chipped and putted well.  He was happy with the round and Eldon would have been proud of me as I watched every one of his putts tonight.  Overall, it was a great way to end our Throwback Thursday.

A Chance of a Lifetime

Meg found out several weeks ago that her History of Blues professor was going to host one of the Beach Boys producers, Alan Boyd, in for a Q & A in his History of the Beach Boys class.  She asked Andy right away if she could attend that class and he readily agreed.  It made sense that she would be there since she had already taken the class and knew more about the band than the majority enrolled at present.  She also had been auditing this class for several weeks beforehand.  Meg called me as soon as it was over to let me know how excited she was about hearing from the producer live and in person.  She even asked him a question about his production style.  

Tonight was even more special as Andy asked Meg if she wanted to attend a night with Alan Boyd at the recording studio at his home.  The rest of his class would be there as well, so Meg made plans with Mallory right away to be at the special session.  She was extremely excited and nervous as well, especially since the power had gone out near his home during the afternoon.  Thankfully, it was restored in time for the event and Meg got to hear original masters from the Beach Boys first recording sessions.  She also learned about what was happening in the lives of the Beach Boys at the time of these recordings.  Meg absolutely loved it and couldn't wait to thank her professor at tomorrow's class.  What a wonderful way to end her experience with the music history classes at IU.  

Celebration Day

Doug left work at 4 p.m. this afternoon.  I had tried yesterday to spot paint the holes left by removing the shelf above my bed.  Even though it was the same can that we used when we first painted the bedroom, the color did not match.  The wall must have faded and it looked terrible yesterday when I got done.  Doug had a project to work on at Champion today, but said that if he was done early, he would help me paint the two bedroom walls that really needed it after yesterday's fiasco.

I started on the walls just as he called to say that he was on his way.  I thought I'd be able to do it all by myself, but I just couldn't cover the walls as well as he could.  Thus, I really appreciated his help.   I focused on the edging while he did the main portions of the two walls.  It covered well and an hour after he arrived home, the bedroom looked fantastic.  

Once we cleaned up, our focus turned toward dinner.  Doug decided to make chicken tacos and headed to the grocery store for a few items.  I was walking in the basement, talking to Meg when he returned.  He called downstairs to let me know that he had bought Jack Daniels as today was officially "Celebration Day."  I wondered if that was a holiday that I had never hear of, but Doug said that he had made it up as we were celebrating tonight.  I thought that we were celebrating because we had finished the bedroom.  Meg could hear him from the phone and just started laughing.  She knew that Doug was actually celebrating the fact that he had just found out this afternoon that the yearly audit at his work had officially been completed without any reviews of the financials.  I guess in the accounting world that is really big news.  All I kept thinking was, "Wow, I really did marry a nerd!"  Either way, I was glad that he was happy and that his children understood why.  I also did enjoy a night of "Oh Hell" and relaxation on Doug's unofficial "Celebration Day."

Snow on Match Day

Bethany was scheduled to play Oak Farm Montessori at Cobblestone Golf Course this afternoon.   Cobblestone was a gorgeous course to play.  It was well maintained, challenging, and beautifully landscaped.  Oak Farm was a also new team and a possible win for the Bruins.  Thus, we were all excited for the match.  Early in the morning, however, it looked like it wouldn't happen.  The weather was cold enough to bring snow and we were afraid that Oak Farm would have to cancel.  Thankfully, the sun came out in the afternoon and the weather warmed up, so at 4 p.m. today we all headed to Kendallville.

Cameron started off on the second hole.  It was a long walk out to the tee, but Cobblestone had paved cart paths which made it a lot easier on my ankles.  It was apparent after the first couple of shots that Bethany would probably be the victor tonight, so our focus changed instead to hoping that Cameron would play well.  A saved bogey out of someone's yard gave us a little bit of pause, but Cameron held his composure, hit the ball well, made some nice putts and led the team with a 41.  We were freezing by the end as the temperature pretty much matched his score, but we were also extremely happy for Cameron and the Bruins as they pulled to 2-2 on the season.

For Doug, this match was a walk down memory lane as he had played in many golf outings at Cobblestone when he worked for Group Dekko years ago.  He knew Erica Dekko, the owner, talked to her husband after the match learning that he now ran the golf course.  Her son wasn't quite the golfer that Cameron was, but it was neat seeing how Oak Farm had taken off as Doug remembered when the Dekko family first started the school.  Overall, it was a wonderful night on the golf course and we were happy that the new team thought to call Bethany to schedule a match.  We all enjoyed it immensely.  

What a Crummy Weekend

We had an absolutely awful weather weekend.  We actually saw some snow and sleet.  It was a sharp contrast to Wednesday when I was outside in shorts and a t-shirt power washing the driveway.  Doug and I had a list of outdoor projects that we wanted to accomplish, but in the end he was only able to mow the yard.  We did get in a few short walks, but that was it for us outside this weekend.  Instead we focused our work effort on projects inside of the home, cleaning light sconces, washing doors and reorganizing the laundry room.  It wasn't fun, but needed done at some point.  

I was impressed that Cameron played golf both days.  He even talked a few of his teammates into playing with him on Saturday.  We got to see him in action at The Chief on Saturday night as we stopped by for ice cream.  I was impressed with how many customers were in line as I froze waiting for my sugar free chocolate.  Doug said that it was worth it as he really liked the lemon and raspberry that he ordered.  I was surprised when Cameron told us how well he had done in tips that night with such cold temperatures.  Unfortunately, that didn't carry over to Sunday as even the delicious ice cream didn't bring people out in the low temperatures mixed with rain.  Hopefully, the weather turns this week, but looking at the forecast, it doesn't seem to be coming anytime soon.    

Little 500

Meg was up bright and early for breakfast club this morning.  It was a great way to start race day as afterward she and her friends headed over to Bill Armstrong stadium for the men's portion of Little 500.  She had already made the most of the week by going out with friends, hosting her Bible Study for a Breaking Away movie night and attending the women's Little 500 race yesterday.   She was super excited when she called this afternoon.  Cutters had won on a last second push just like the famed movie.  She said that she screamed just as loud today as she did on Wednesday when the fictional team crossed the finish line.  

I enjoyed listening to Meg talk about all of the fun that she had had this week.  I loved Little 500 and had great memories of the week at IU myself.  I could definitely sympathize with her about the week being over and having to focus on multiple projects due on Monday and Tuesday.  The Sunday after Little 500 was always a let down, especially with a ton of homework to complete.  Even with that hanging over her head, I was glad that she had had a great week and loved the picture of Meg in her new Little 500 jersey.  It was a wonderful way to end her time in Bloomington.  

One Tough Week

Brett has had one of the worst weeks of his life.  A misunderstanding has led to a lot of pain on his side.  I am proud of how well that he has handled the situation.  Instead of feeling sorry for himself, he has met the issue head on and worked extremely hard to resolve it.  Doug and I both have helped him as much as possible as have several of his friends.  I try really hard not to feel bad for him as that won't do much to make the situation better.  I've been focusing on being as positive as possible and to do as much research as I can on his problem.  

Today, both Brett and I were feeling a lot better.  We were glad that we had survived the week.  Brett had a great attitude through it all and told me several times that it was really nice to know that when he needed his friends and family that they were there to support him.  I was glad that he could see a silver lining in all of this mess and I could finally smile when I thought about his week.  Brett has always had an ability to look at life in the most positive way possible.  What a great trait to have, especially during this time period in his life.  

CRV Success

Cal arrived home late last night with three loads of laundry in tow.  He planned on spending today at home so that we could get the paperwork in order for him to take the title for the CRV.  I was glad to have him here as it is very quiet in the house during the day.  Cal worked at the dining room table for most of the day and filled me in on what was going on in his life as he kept tabs on the staff reporting to him via computer messages.  

While he was busy with work, I was not only able to get all of his laundry done and help him with the title, but also finally got the white numbers cleaned off of the back of the CRV from when it was towed six months ago.  Cal had read that WD-40 or nail polish would take it off.  I had no luck with either.  Grandma suggested Goo Gone and after three attempts, it finally wiped off.  The only issue that we had with the car was getting the screws off of the old license plate.  Grandma took it to Monteith for help and thankfully, they were able to get them off immediately.

Cal headed home after work today as he had plans to go out tomorrow night.  I texted him several times during Cameron's golf match to let him know how it was going.  He had hoped to walk along, but couldn't get off of work in time.  It was probably a good thing as Cameron didn't have his best round and Bethany lost to both Goshen and Elkhart tonight.  By the time Cal made it back to Chicago, Cameron had rebounded from his round and enjoyed dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with Alina and his friends.  I was a little sad when Doug and I arrived home to an empty house until I figured out that Cal had eaten all of the pizza that Doug thought would be left for dinner.  That brought a smile to my face instantly.  I just love my adult children.

The Chief

 When Cameron started talking about getting a summer job several months, he went through a list of possibilities with me.  All sounded good to me, but the one that he and I were both interested in him applying to was "The Chief."  It was an ice cream stand in Goshen that had a been a family favorite for years.  My Dad had been bringing home pints of ice cream from there for as long as I could remember.  Cameron had worked a catered event for them last fall with Avery, so he knew that he'd be able to handle scooping ice cream for the summer.  Samuel's Aunt was the owner, so he also knew that he would be able to contact her to see if she was hiring.  Once he heard that she was, he instantly applied.  

The Chief opened this week and Cameron got his first taste of life in the working world.  His training was a little shorter than normal since he already had experience.  It was a cold evening, so he thought that they would be slower than usual, but being the first weekend must have made everyone brave the cold.  His first night went well and he was very happy with the amount of tips that he received.  He even had some special customers as Grandma and Grandpa stopped by for orange pineapple and lemon raspberry.  Cameron was all smiles when he walked in the door with a pint of mint chocolate chip to share.  What a great first day and hopefully, a wonderful memory of his first job.  

The Purge

It's a rare night that Cameron is home and available to do something with Doug and I.  Tonight was one of those evenings.  As he didn't have much homework, I suggested that we all watch a movie together.  Cameron's favorites have always been horror movies or thrillers, but I had wanted him to watch Last of the Mohicans with us before he left for college.  He wasn't ready for one of my favorites, but did agree to The Purge.  It was an intense thriller that came out in 2013.  We had never seen it, but Cal had been talking about it lately, so we thought that we would try it.  Needless to say, none of us were disappointed.

The movie starred Ethan Hawke and had a very interesting plot.  Once a year all Americans were allowed to "purge" themselves of their inner anger by running the streets and committing any crime that they wanted to including murder.  According to the movie, the idea had helped drop the crime rate in the United States to almost nothing.  Ethan Hawke's character had made a fortune selling security systems to his neighbors that supported the purge, but didn't want to participate.  He even had the most secure system installed in his own home.  All seemed to be going well until his children made other plans for the night leaving them all vulnerable and scaring Doug, Cameron and I for the next hour and a half.  

The three of us were completely surprised by the ending.  It was so intense that it took me awhile to calm down afterward.  It reminded me a lot of a Jordan Peele movie, like Get Out, as it really made us think about societal issues.  Overall, we were really glad that we watched the film tonight.  There's nothing better than finding out that a movie that you have never seen actually lives up to the hype.  

Cal's Wedding Weekend

We heard from Cal multiple times over the weekend.  He was staying in Batesville for a wedding of a friend of his from IU.  There were quite a bit of Hoosiers there with him as well as a few from Wawasee.  We enjoyed all of the pictures that he sent including the one where he photo bombed a group of girls by accident.  He told us later that he had had an awesome time.  He also appreciated the wedding mass and was thinking that he would like to find a Catholic church in Chicago.  I was happy to hear that and sent him a podcast from Father Mike that I really liked.  Overall, it was an awesome weekend for Cal and we can't wait to hear about his next adventure.  

A Wonderful Visit

After spending yesterday at IWU with Rachel and Alex, Nick and Meg headed to Jimtown for the night.  Meg hadn't visited with Kyle and Nancy since Christmas and enjoyed having dinner with them and playing games.  Today, they arrived shortly after noon to spend the day with us.  Cameron had invited Alina as well and everyone enjoyed Doug's Buffalo chicken dip, antipasto sandwiches and bruschetta for lunch.  

As soon as lunch was over, we played a new game that Meg and Nick brought called "Taco, Puck, Maple, Syrup, Canoe" for us to try.  It reminded me of an extended version of Slap Jack and we all had a lot of fun playing it.  We then brought out Chameleon where no one but me would ever accuse Alina of being the chameleon even though she was multiple times.  Nick and I were definitely interrogated the most.  

Alina had to leave for choir at 2:30, so Meg and Nick decided to go to Grandma and Grandpa's for a surprise visit.  I had never mentioned that they were coming home just in case their plans changed.  Grandma and Grandpa loved seeing the pair as much as we did.  Grandpa was proud to show off the Milford shirt that Meg got him for his birthday.  Meg said that she felt that she was the only one that could appreciated his love for his hometown.  

Before Cameron left for the night, Meg, Nick and I all beat him in Swap Meet.  I can't remember the last time that happened.  Doug opted out of game playing so that he could make macaroni and cheese for dinner.  I talked to Meg and Nick about their upcoming trip to Florida, saw all of their shopping purchases from last night and looked at pictures of furniture that Meg wanted to buy when she moves to Chicago.  Overall, we absolutely loved having them visit this afternoon and can't wait to see Meg at her graduation in two weeks.

 

The Caston Invite & Fine Arts Festival

It was a beautiful day which we enjoyed to the fullest.  We started out early this morning for Pond View Golf Course for the Caston Invite.  I was a little nervous that the weatherman had missed his mark as it was in the low 60s and rainy on the drive to Star City.  Thankfully, that cleared relatively quickly and by   9 a.m. we were all headed to the 15th tee to watch Cameron and the Bethany Bruins compete in the 18 hole invitational.  We were a little nervous at first as Cameron struggled on the first four holes.  I think that he was worried as well as once he got to two green, he told Jacob Sayler that he was giving up golf for good.  

Fortunately, the rest of the round was completely different from the start.  Cameron parred number two, birdie the next and soon found himself competing for a top five spot in the tournament highlighted by a long birdie putt on nine green that gave him a 38 on the front.  A missed drive on the eleventh hole led to a double bogey, but four pars in a row to finish the round put Cameron at 82 and the leader in the clubhouse until the last group finished.  In the end, Cameron finished fourth out of fifty golfers putting a huge smile on his face.  He was also proud of his teammates as they shot a season low of 373, good enough for third place in the ten team tournament.  It was a lot of fun for all.

Doug, my parents and I thoroughly enjoyed watching Cameron play golf today.  The 80 degree weather made it even better which was at least thirty-five degrees warmer than the past two years.  Tonight we were all together again to watch the jazz band play in Bethany's first ever Fine Arts Festival.  The music was very good and the laid back atmosphere made it even better.  The band played for over a half hour and we were pleased that Cameron had a solo during the performance.  Overall, it was a wonderful way to end a gorgeous and action packed day.