Barbenheimer

This past week was a big one for movies.  The Barbie movie and Oppenheimer both opened on July 21st and the hype before the release of the two films had been huge.  Reviews were great for both and they each starred famous actors that were getting a lot of praise for their performances from critics and general audiences.  

Cal went to the see the two movies the first weekend that they opened, joining in the Barbenheimer craze (seeing both movies back to back at the same theater.).  He loved each of them, but was glad that he saw Oppenheimer first as the making of the first atomic bomb was a little bit deeper than Barbie's female empowerment theme filled with a lot of humor.  He highly recommended that we see them.

Cameron and his friends talked about a Barbenheimer movie night, but several of them were scared off by Oppenheimer's three hour run time.  Instead they all went to the Barbie movie together.  Cameron even dressed the part, putting on his best "Ken" outfit.  He thought the movie was fantastic.  Alina did too, seeing it three times in a week.

Paula, Gabrielle, Meg and I decided that a girls' night at the Barbie movie was an awesome way to spend Meg's last evening in Syracuse.  Meg and I found the perfect outfits for the night, complete with Meg's Barbie t-shirt and a lot of pink involved.  I really didn't know what to expect, but from start to finish, I absolutely loved the film.  The theme definitely revolved around female empowerment, but it was also incredibly funny.  It was so neat to see all of the Barbies that I played with as a child in the film as well as the ones that Meg had in her collection.   We all laughed out loud when we saw the Barbie with the "pooping" dog on the big screen.  Meg had one of those too.  Meg and I also each had had a Barbie dream house, a Barbie van and too many outfits to count.  It was so much fun to see how they incorporated those into the movie as well.

The film wasn't just about Barbies, however.  It showed what the world would look like if women were in power instead of men, and it really made us think.  We had heard a lot of criticism before the movie by conservatives stating that it devalued stay at home moms or made men look idiotic, but I didn't see that at all.  Although I would have changed the ending, the four of us all agreed that it was one of the best movies that we had seen in years.  It was definitely my favorite girls' night of the summer.

King's Island

One of the added bonuses of Meg and Nick dating has been the relationship that Nick has developed with her brothers.  Nick has especially spent a lot of time with Brett this past year as he was in Bloomington a lot after he graduated in December.  They have enjoyed video game nights and hanging out with Brett's friends.  

This week, Brett and Nick made plans to go to King's Island together.  They both enjoy amusement parks, so it was the perfect activity for them to do together.  Nick hadn't been able to travel a lot since he started his new job in Illinois, so he was especially happy for the time away from work.  

I was glad to hear that they had planned this adventure together.  King's Island had been one of my favorite amusement parks growing up and I know that the Heinisch family enjoyed it as well.  Whether the park was Nickelodeon themed or filled with Peanuts characters, we loved it all - the Scooby Doo Ghost Catcher, the Kite Eating Tree, Swiper's Sweepers, the Pirate Boat were just a few of the rides that were on repeat in our family.  I can't wait to hear all about their trip this summer.

Putt Putt & Papa Vino's

Last night felt like a throwback to when Cameron and Meg were younger as we drove to Mishawaka to play Putt Putt and then went to Papa Vino's for dinner.  It had been several years since the four of us had made that trip together, and we all thoroughly enjoyed it.  We even made time to do a little bit of shopping as well.  It was the perfect way to celebrate Meg completing her first try at the CPA and to say goodbye to her as she gets ready to move to Chicago next week.  

The night was so much fun.  I loved listening to Cameron and Meg talk about all of the great trips that we had taken together over the years.  It made me happy to know that they had truly enjoyed growing up in our family.  Our time together will soon be limited, but I know that we will always make the most of it, just like we did yesterday.

The CPA

Meg was relieved to finally take her first round of the CPA this morning.  She had decided several weeks ago that she wouldn't worry about passing it this time, but would look at this first exam as a good learning experience.  Meg felt that she always did better on the second test in a class than the first one as she knew what to expect.  Thus, she studied for the test this summer, but didn't go overboard learning the material.  

I wasn't surprised when Meg called afterward to tell me that she knew that she didn't pass the test.  She wasn't disappointed.  She was just glad that it was over with for the next few months.  I knew from my experience in listening to Cal that if she was positive that she didn't pass it, than it was a really good chance that she didn't.  Therefore, I didn't spend a lot of time trying to convince her that she did better on it than she thought that she did.  Instead we talked about her plans for the next text and what she learned from this one.  I also told her not to compare herself with Cal who passed three of the first four on the first try or to her Dad who passed them all together on one try.  There are plenty of people who never pass the CPA.  It is not a contest, just a goal to strive for while she's working at Plante Moran.  

Cinnamon Vodka

Doug decided this summer to start downsizing our liquor cabinet.  Instead of his traditional drink of choice, raspberry vodka with Diet Coke, he started using up the Tequila, rum and whiskey that we had stored above the refrigerator.  None had very much in them and soon he was down to just a few random bottles left.  Once I looked at them, I realized why he hadn't made any drinks with what was left. We normally used cinnamon and peppermint vodka in hot chocolate during the winter months.  

Knowing that we couldn't really take bottles of half drank alcohol with us to Florida, I decided to turn to the internet for some recipes that Doug might like.  The peppermint vodka was the easiest as it recommended mixing it with Dr. Pepper.  Doug ran to the store and bought some Diet Dr. Pepper and we both enjoyed trying the new recipe.  

The Cinnamon Vodka was a little bit harder.  Almost all of the recipes that I found used the alcohol to make hot apple spiced cinnamon drinks.  Neither of us were in the mood for the fall drinks.  Thankfully, I finally found one that would work.  It was listed as a Halloween mixer, but it worked perfectly for the summer (minus the spiders.). I found all of the ingredients at the grocery store and we each enjoyed a drink or two tonight while relaxing on the front porch.  Not only did my research help us downsize the liquor cabinet, we had a lot of fun trying something new as well.

The Elkhart County Fair

Nick was home for a few days this week.  As this was also Elkhart County Fair, Meg and Nick decided to spend an afternoon the famed event.  They visited Nick's favorite animals - the cows, tried food at the Dairy Barn and rode a few rides including the scariest to me, the Ferris Wheel.  They both had a lot of fun, but said that it was probably their last trip.  The activities weren't quite as great as they remembered and it was a lot more expensive than they thought it would be.  They were happy that they went, however.

Cameron, Alina and their friends also spent a day at the fair this week.  They were met with a torrential downpour once they arrived, but thankfully, the storm passed through quickly and they soon had their wristbands on ready to tackle all of the rides at this year's Midway.  They enjoyed the food, won prizes at the games and got a great deal on an extra large, refillable Root Beer to share.  Although Cameron wasn't ready to say that it was his last trip to the fair, he did acknowledge that it wasn't quite what he thought it was when he was younger.  

Overall, I was glad that Meg and Cameron decided to spend a day at one of their favorite childhood places.  It brought back a lot of memories for me as fair week was my absolute favorite part of summer when I was growing up.  Brett must have felt the same way as he texted Doug, Grandma, Grandpa and I about how much he enjoyed going to the fair when he was a child.  He had spent several days at the Monroe County Fair working in the local Republican Party booth this year, and had enjoyed it very much.  I was definitely thankful to hear all of their stories.  It was a great way for me to say goodbye to the county fair.

A Wedding Robe

When I first started cleaning out our home two years ago, I realized that I still had a few items stored at my Mom's that I would need to figure out what to do with before we left Indiana.  I sorted through a lot of them in the fall of 2021 and then again this past winter.  I organized all of the items that our family wanted to keep in the closet in Meg's bedroom at my Mom's.  Those included the Heinisch children's favorite toys, family pictures and even some things from my childhood.

Two of our family's heirlooms that I wasn't quite sure what to do with was mine and Jeanette's wedding dresses.  It was nice that I still had them, but the boxes that they were housed in were huge.  I decided to ask Meg what she thought about them.  She wanted to keep both, at least until she got married, but after that, she wasn't sure what she wanted to do with them.

I asked several of my friends what they did with their dresses.  Several had sold theirs and some still had theirs boxed up like mine.  Mary and Cherie, however, had used their own dresses in their daughters weddings.  The girls' didn't wear them, but had pieces of them incorporated into their big day.  Mary's idea was a nice one.  She took part of her dress and made a wrap for her daughters' bouquets.  Meg and I definitely liked that idea, but the one that we really liked was from Cherie.  She had her wedding dress made into a robe that Kayla could wear on the morning of her ceremony while she was getting ready for her big day.  That seemed like such a nice way to repurpose a beloved, but useless article of clothing.

Cherie gave me her seamstress' phone number and soon the young woman was on her way to our home to meet with Meg and I.  She wanted to get our ideas, see the dresses and get Meg's measurements.  Meg and I took the dresses out of their preserved boxes before she arrived.  We realized right away that we wouldn't be using Jeanette's dress.  Although Meg loved the style of it, the dress had a stiff backing on it and had yellowed quite a bit.  The seamstress told us that it would be very hard to take apart and that the appliques would not work for a robe.  Meg was ok with that as she really only wanted to use my dress.  The seamstress thought that mine would work perfectly and headed home with all of the information that she needed.

It only took a week or so for Meg's robe to be completed.  It fit perfectly and looked absolutely wonderful.  Meg not only planned on using it on her wedding day, but also during her "Say Yes to the Dress" event in November.  I took the leftover scraps of my dress and put them in a bridal bag with Jeanette's dress.  We planned to keep the dresses at my Mom's until we decided what to do with them next.  They definitely took up a lot less space in the bag than they did in the two boxes.  The best part for me besides seeing Meg's new robe was that I was able to show her my wedding hat.  I had absolutely loved wearing it on my wedding day and couldn't wait to find a place to hang it on my bedroom wall in Florida.   

The Summer of George

At some point while Meg was taking her History of the Beatles class she sent me this picture and said, "Cameron looks like George Harrison!"  Normally, I do not think that anyone looks like anyone else.  This time, however, I could actually see it.  I noticed when I mentioned her comment to others my age, they could see it as well.  In fact, Alina's father told Cameron right away that he looked like George Harrison.  It wasn't just his haircut and clothing style, but his facial structure as well that resembled the famed Beatle.

At first Cameron really didn't enjoy being compared to George Harrison.  It wasn't about how the singer looked, but more about the fact that he felt that Meg always told him that he looked like someone else.  She wasn't the only one, and he was tired of it.  After awhile, however, he softened to the idea.  In the end he actually said that he could see the resemblance and didn't get too mad when we brought it up.  I was even able to joke with him about what he was thinking when he wrote "My Sweet Lord" or how he felt when the band broke up.  

Either way, it did make listening to George Harrison and the Beatles' music more fun this summer.  Meg's friend, Mallory, had also been enjoying his music so much that she named this, "The Summer of George."  That was something that Meg could back right away.  

Dear Abby - A Different Prospective

I saw this letter on FaceBook earlier this week and thought that it was interesting.  Normally, I don't read these, but it really caught my eye, especially as we get ready to move away from my hometown.  In my opinion, the author of the letter states her opinion well, but its presentation is one-sided.  The children and grandchildren’s feelings or concerns are not represented which is what gave me the most to think about after I read it.  Packing up to leave our home for the past twenty-five years has made me realize that relationships are really built on foundation, not obligation.  The letter never addresses the foundation of the familial bounds for this “wise woman”and her family.  It only states what the children and grandchildren should do to maintain the relationship going forward.  There could be a valid reason that the author's family does not have a relationship with the wise woman, but because the letter is one-sided we cannot see that.

After reading the Dear Abby letter, I thought a lot about Jeanette.  Before she died, she gave me a different kind of letter for each of my children.  She told me that it was my choice on when to give the letters to them.  She said that they were her memories of what she did with our children, not a goodbye letter.  I put them in our lockbox in 2014 and finally decided that the day after Cameron’s graduation open house would be the perfect day to give them to Brett, Cal, Meg and Cameron.  I did not read any of them, but heard back from my children that they were wonderful to read, filled with stories of her time with them, lists of their positive attributes and encouragement for them.  

Thinking about Jeanette's letters and the wonderful relationship that I had with my mother’s parents, I decided that it was time to let my four adult children continue their relationships with their grandparents as they saw fit.  I explained to them that after we moved, it would be up to them to keep in contact with their grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, etc.  They all agreed that they should begin to make their own plans and not have me as the middleman. It was a wonderful conversation between the six of us and we all felt very good about it.  At this point whatever relationship they chose to have with their extened family is completely up to them individually.

Life in the Heinisch Home will soon change drastically for me as my role as stay at home mom will come to an end.  I have absolutely loved being Brett, Cal, Meg and Cameron’s mother, but it’s time for all of us to move on to our next phase of life.  I know that I will still enjoy being their support system, just not their day to day caretaker.  

One More Trip on His Own

Doug arrived yesterday afternoon, happy to be home.  He decide to leave Ocala yesterday at 2:30 and stop along the way.  It worked out well for him as he was able to make it to Kentucky before stopping for the night.  That made his trip home this morning only six hours.  He was set up and working by 1:30 in the afternoon.

I was really glad to have Doug home as this week seemed long without him.  Although Meg and Cameron weren't quite excited enough to make him a "Welcome Home" poster like Meg did many years ago, they really did miss having him around as well.  Soon life will change for the four of us.  Doug only has one more trip to make by himself before we officially move.  I will really miss having Meg and Cameron at home, but one nice benefit will be that I can travel with Doug instead of waving goodbye to him as he pulls out of the driveway.  

I Hate Losing Power!

I absolutely hate losing power.  Lately, it seems like every time it storms, the electricity goes out.  It never used to be that way.  In fact I can remember dozens of times that my parents lost power and we didn't.  It has definitely been the reverse these past few years.  It isn't the lights or even the electricity that upsets me.  It's the fact that we have no water when the power is out as the pump needs electricity to run. 

The other part that I really struggle to deal with is the fact that I have no idea when the power is going to be restored.  In Florida we've lost power twice.  Both times, we received a text stating what the problem is and when it will be fixed.  If it was like that in Indiana, I probably would be able to handle it a lot better.  

Last night's power outage came after a relatively minor rainstorm.  I don't even remember any wind.  We couldn't get ahold of anyone at REMC to see when it would be restored.  I was trying to get ready for Paula's party and needed to curl my hair.  Cameron had made plans to go to Goshen and needed to get the van out of the garage.  I was pretty upset for awhile and almost cancelled my plans.  I knew that I would struggle to enjoy my evening if Cameron was stuck at home.  

Thankfully, Meg was able to get me to my mom's so that I could finish getting ready.  Our neighbor Kyle let Cameron know that a pole was down in Woodland Acres, so he was able to get a timeline on when he could leave for Goshen.  In the end, everyone had a good time and the power did not ruin anything.  Hopefully, this will be the last outage before we move.

A Goodbye Party

When Paula asked me what dates worked to get together with everyone this summer, I gave her this week.  With Doug gone, Cameron busy and Meg studying for the CPA, I knew it would be the perfect time.  I also wouldn't be stressed about packing as I would still have a month or so left before things really got hectic.  

What I didn't realize was that it was a going away party.  I guess that I had never thought about leaving my friends.  I knew that I'd be back to visit, but they were right, I really was "going away."  It was such a fun night that I didn't even get too sad.  Paula made a wonderful dinner for everyone.  I tried a new drink that she recommended and loved as well as the homemade fruit pizza for dessert.  Debbi even made the long trip up from southern Indiana to see me off, and I didn't even object to Cherie's group hug.

While I was busy with my "girlfriends", Meg was out with Kaitlin and Gabrielle.  They decided on dinner at GBCo, but were back for dessert with all of us.  Everyone enjoyed catching up with them and they stayed to see the gifts that Paula, Mary, Cherie, Betsy, Wendy and Debbi got me.  I absolutely loved the monogrammed charcuterie board and Lake Wawasee wine stopper.  I knew that I would think of them every time we I used them in Florida.  My hope was that they would visit soon and they could use them with us.  

It was so nice to see everyone and I especially enjoyed visiting with Paula and Mary once everyone headed home.  I know that I will see them again before I leave and almost every time that I am back in Syracuse.  It will be strange, however, knowing that they are not just down the road anymore.  With that in mind, I loved Paula's sentiment in the card that she picked out for me.  I felt the exact same way.

Final Project?

There have been times over these past two years that I have felt completely overwhelmed with the amount of projects that I have had to do to get the house ready to sell.  I realize that I could have done less or have hired some of the projects out, but that would have cost us money.  I figured that if I had the time that I might as well try to do it myself first.

Thus, when all of the lights went out in the pole in our front yard, my heart sank.  I had absolutely no desire in fixing it, but I knew that it would cost us several hundred dollars to get someone to come out and replace it.  I started researching solar lights and other ideas on how to fix it.  I asked my Dad what he thought and he agreed to look at it with me as he had replaced multiple poles at his house.

We started by first taking out the light bulbs and trying to take off the top.  It wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought it would be.  I was just about to get really bummed when I saw a flicker of light in one of the bulbs.  Somehow moving the top around had changed the position of the solar sensor and turned on one of the lights.  I realized that the light bulb was slightly different than the other two, so I changed those two bulbs as well.  

I wasn’t sure what would happen when the sun set tonight, but thankfully right at dusk all three lights popped on.  I texted a picture to Doug right away.  We were both glad that a project that I thought would be overwhelming turned into something relatively minor.  Fingers crossed that there are no more issues until we move.

International Cuisine

For the winter interterm at Bethany, Cameron took International Cuisine.  He really liked the class and couldn’t wait to try some of the recipes at home.  It took awhile for Renae to compile all of them into a book, but before he graduated she gave him a copy of each recipe that they made.  

Cameron was very excited to try a the recipes, especially the ones that he didn’t make in class, but had only sampled.  Since Cameron didn’t have to work today, he decided that it was the perfect time to make two of the dishes - won tons and crab rangoon.  We went to Walmart together and were glad to find all of the items on our list.  

It took Cameron about an hour to prepare the meal, but it was well worth the wait.  Everything was delicious and I suggested that he make them again when Doug got back from Florida.  Cameron told me a few parts that he would change, but overall I thought they were fantastic.  Meg tried the won tons and enjoyed those very much.  Overall, it was a wonderful dinner and reminded me of why we loved the Bethany experience. 

The Civic Finds a New Home

When Brett first started talking about buying a new car three years ago, I figured that he would trade in the Civic to help pay for his new one.  Once Doug found out that Brett would only get $500 for it, he asked me what I thought about just keeping it.  We had paid $9000 for the car and Doug felt that it was worth a lot more than we were being offered for it.  We would also need a third vehicle once Cameron started driving and this would allow us to have one without adding any cost to our family.  

I was hesitant at first.  The Civic was a lot smaller than the van and I was little nervous about Cameron driving it daily to Goshen.  I also wasn't sure how I felt about keeping a car that did not have air conditioning.  The car ran well, and Doug said that he would have no problem driving it to Elkhart once Cameron took over the van.  I agreed to that, thinking that it may not even last until the spring of 2021 when we would need the third vehicle.

In the end, I was very glad that Doug suggested that we keep the Civic.  I actually drove it more than Doug ever did.  It was the perfect car to use around town and came in very handy when the Pilot or Van had to be serviced.  I especially appreciated it when Doug was in Florida.  We did put some money into it, but only for normal things - brake pads, tires, oil changes, etc - but overall the Civic ran very well and lasted way beyond my expectations.

This summer Doug and I talked a lot about what to do with the Civic.  Cameron would have the van at IU.  The Pilot had a transmission light that continued to come on, but two mechanics over the past year and a half had told us that it was only a malfunctioning light.  We agreed as it continued to run well.  Thus, we planned to take it to Florida.  We realized that we probably wouldn't use the Civic a lot in Ocala.  It would definitely be hard to drive without air conditioning.  Doug usually came home for lunch so I could have the Pilot for the afternoon if needed it or I could take him to work and use it for the day.  We decided that the best option was to sell the Civic.  Not only would we make a little bit of money off of it, but we'd also save on insurance and registrations.

As I started thinking about a price for the vehicle, I was surprised at how much the Civic was valued at currently.  Used car prices had skyrocketing since Brett bought his CR-V in the fall of 2020.  Supply shortages had made manufacturing of new cars nearly impossible which had in turn made used cars more valuable.  With that information we came up with a price for the Civic and decided that we would put it up for sale at my Mom's garage sale in August.

Two weeks ago, Cherie texted me and said that she heard that we had a car for sale.  I'm not sure how she knew that as I didn't remember telling anyone, but sent her the specs and price for it.  It wasn't for their family, but a few days later, I got another text from her asking if it was still for sale as one of our teacher friends was in need of a car for her teen driver.  I sent their family all of the information and soon they were in our driveway ready for a test drive.  

I thought that the family was looking for a car for their fifteen year old, but instead it was for their daughter who was going to be a senior.  I was very excited to hear that as she had been one of my favorite students.  She had been working at Tippy Country Club and needed a car to get back and forth to work and to school.  She really liked the Civic and took it on a couple of test drives.  Once her grandfather approved it, she was more than ready to take over the title.  She didn't quite have the amount saved that we had originally intended to ask for the vehicle, but that was ok with me.  I was happy to give her a good deal and tonight she drove the Civic home, complete with younger siblings in tow.  As she pulled out the driveway, I couldn't help but smile.  I had kept very little from my Milford teaching days.  I appreciated all of my students, but knew that I couldn't keep their letters and gifts forever.  The one that I had kept all of these years was a letter from her.  It talked about how much she did not like school, but loved my class.  Our games of KaHoot and the time that we spent in class together made her sixth grade year one of her favorites.  I was so glad that we got to connect one more time before I moved and had gotten one last hug.  

Last Weekend Home

Cal arrived this weekend with the intent to stay a few days, work and spend some time at home.  He not only got a lot done, but happened to run into Hannah Marie while he was working out at Eastlake and went out to lunch with her at Oakwood.  He said that it was nice to see her as it felt like he could finally say goodbye to the relationship.  Their lives were headed in different directions with her wanting to live in Miami after finishing grad school and Cal remaining at Plante Moran with the intent on becoming a partner.  I was glad that he was able to find some closure with not only saying goodbye to her, but to Syracuse as well.  

Cal and I work well together.  I leave him alone while he is working, thinking of all that I want to tell him when he takes a quick coffee break.  Once he walks through the door of the basement, I bombard him with everything I had on my mind while he was busy - favorite movie, sports antidote, or the current podcast that I'm listening to on Spotify.   As long as there is coffee brewing and a container of cottage cheese in the refrigerator, Cal seems more than content to listen to all that I have to say and fill me on what he's doing as well.  

I have been more than ready to move to Florida, but one thing that I will really miss is Cal's last minute visits home.  It won't be as easy for him to pop in for a weekend when we leave.  That makes me sad to think about, but I also realize that his time visiting home will start to wane, especially since he has a girlfriend in Chicago and all of his friends are there.  For now I will just enjoy having him here and plan for his trip to Florida over Thanksgiving.  That will stop the tears from flowing when he leaves later this week.

College Shopping

Since both Meg and Cameron did not have plans tonight, they decided to go shopping in Fort Wayne.  When Meg told me, I asked if I could tag along.  After I said it, I wished that I hadn't.  I didn't want to hone in on their plans.  I just didn't want to spend Saturday evening at home alone.  Doug was heading to Bloomington for the night so that his trip to Florida was shorter on Sunday.  I had spent many Saturday nights alone since he started traveling to Ocala over two years ago and I really didn't want to do it again.  Thankfully, Meg and Cameron were excited to have me go with them and in the end we all had a great time.

Meg needed to buy some things for her apartment in Chicago and Cameron wanted to start on his college shopping list.  I didn't really need much of anything, but was happy to be part of the group.  I was also able to be a valuable asset to their trip as I had a lot of coupons and reward money for them to use.  We stopped at Kohl's, DSW, Target, JC Penney, Glenbrook Mall and Home Goods.  Cameron and Meg both found quite a few items on their list and were happy that with all of my "deal" shopping they didn't have to pay full price for anything.

Dinner was at Portillo's.  It had ben quite awhile since I had eaten there and I was very happy with my chili cheese dog.  It was an awesome way to end a wonderful night and I was very glad that Meg and Cameron agreed to let me tag along.  

Our Most Valuables

As soon as Doug and I bought the house in Florida we started moving some of our possessions South.  At first, most of what we sent were items that we needed to furnish a second home.  Chairs, tables, beds, television, and kitchen utensils were just a few things deemed necessary to run a household.  Each trip brought more and more until we had enough for Doug to enjoy Florida and for the rest of us to visit.  

Doug's trip this weekend, however, was different.  With the moving truck coming in just over a month, we changed our approach.  We moved from practical items to those that we would never send on a truck.  That included photographs, the Heinisch children's memory tubs, our favorite drinking glasses, the family collection of vinyls and so much more.  We decided that we would prioritize those items for Doug's last two driving trips, since no amount of moving insurance would replace that which meant so much to us.  

Tonight, Doug and I packed the first round of "priceless" items for his trip to Ocala this weekend.  We decided to split everything up so that if something was lost, there would still be something back at home that would help ease the pain of the loss.  Thus, we only sent one of each of Cameron, Meg and Cal's memory tubs.  We also only sent the tub of photos that were pre-2000 as my mom had duplicates of most of those pictures.  My vinyl collection will be going on this trip, but not Cameron's.  He would still be home to enjoy his for a few more weeks.  

I was very impressed with all that we fit into the Pilot tonight.  I will be happy when Doug arrives in Florida and I hear that all is safe.  Before we finished packing, I took a picture of one of my favorite family portraits of all time.  I figured that if anything happened to it, that someone would be able to reprint one for us.  Overall, I am nervous, but happy that we are getting closer to making Ocala our home.  

AJ Croce

Tonight, Meg, Cameron and I met her friend Mallory in Wabash for what we thought would be an evening of Jim Croce music sung by his son.  Meg had found out that he was singing at the Honeywell Center several months ago and couldn't wait to see him.  The three of us have several Jim Croce albums and love listening to his songs.  We have debated all summer about which songs were the saddest and which ones were our favorites.  Meg had even introduced us to one this summer that I didn't know that well - Box #10.  Just like so many of his others songs, we liked it right away.

Tonight's performance was incredibly different than I imagined that it would be.  I really thought that we would listen to AJ Croce sing his Dad's songs and talk about his limited memories of him.  It wasn't like that at all.  AJ Croce did sing many of Jim's songs, but he also sang those of Same Cooke and Ray Charles He told stories of his long history of playing in blues bands along with memories of his famous father.  AJ Croce also had written several of his own songs as well.  He had a different musical style than his dad, but we still enjoyed him very much.  Halfway through the performance, I regretted not inviting Doug to join us.  He would have loved listening to the Blues.

Although Meg said that I would probably cry through the entire performance tonight, I only teared up at the end.  The last song that he sang came with a video of AJ and Jim together.  As soon as the words to "Time in a Bottle" began, tears started rolling down my face.  I decided not to fight it and cried through the whole song.  I tried to explain to Meg and Cameron later that it wasn't the song that made me sad or that the fact that Jim Croce had died when his son was just a toddler, but it was because that time period had passed by so quickly.  For a brief moment tonight I was back in my brother's bedroom listening to "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" on 45 amazed that someone could say "damn" on a record.  Life really is juts a blink of an eye and I was reminded of that tonight.  As sad as that made me feel during Time in a Bottle, the rest of the concert made me incredibly proud.  Tonight sharing my brother and my love of Jim Croce with my own children was a true moment of life coming full circle.  What a wonderful feeling.  

Look Alikes

Meg sent me this picture from Grandma Jane's with the text "I know where you got your looks."  It wasn't the first time that I had heard from members of my family about how much I look like Granny.  It was, however, the first time that I had been told that I looked like Grandma Guard.  I definitely could see the resemblance between Ruby and Lucille.  If fact, I didn't even believe Meg at first that it was Grandma Guard as I was sure that it was my Grandma.  I texted Aunt Jan just to verify and she agreed with my mom that it was Ruby.  After further inspection, I could not only see my Grandma in that pictures, but I could see my face there as well.  

My mom and dad always told me that they didn't think that I looked like my Grandma, but I always thought I did, especially in pictures of her younger years.  I wondered if my parents said that because they thought that I would be offended by saying that I looked like my grandma, but I never minded hearing that at all.  In fact, I was proud of it.  I loved my grandma.  She was an important part of my life.  I didn't mind carrying on her legacy by reminding others of her.  If they saw her when they saw me, then her memory would always live on in their eyes.  

The other reason that I never minded being told that was because I felt that I had never really resembled either of my parents.  I was such a good mix of the both that neither of their features stood out, so it was nice to know that I did look like someone in my family.  No matter what the reason, it was fun to get this old photo from Meg today and to realize that one day, my own grandchildren would be looking at pictures of me in my youth deciding which of the Heinisch children looked like me.

Bonfires in the Backyard

One of the things that I will miss most when we move to Florida is the bonfires that we have had in our backyard.  At first they were always in the bonfire pit by the lot.  Sometimes they revolved around things that we had to burn - leaves, old furniture, clothing that the Heinisch children hated and were glad to get rid of were just a few of the items that were burned in that bonfire pit over the years.  We also used it when we had family gatherings or when we hosted our children's friends or school groups.

In 2020, we decided to move the bonfires a little closer to our house.  It made it easier to separate our home from the neighbors and gave us a little more privacy.  From that summer on, Doug would set up a bonfire almost every weekend night from May through October.  We even had bonfires going in December and January on unseasonably warm nights.  

Today as we burned some pieces of wood that we found while cleaning out the houses, I thought about how much those bonfires had meant to us over the years.  I know that Doug will miss them even more than I will as he enjoyed getting them ready for a relaxing night at home or for family gathering.  Thankfully, my dad was able to give us a propane powered fire pit for Ocala.  Although it won't be quite the same, it will definitely be enjoyed for many years to come.  

Brett's Weekend Home

Brett wasn't able to join the rest of us for Doug's birthday on the 4th of July because of his commitments to the Republican Party at the Monroe County Fair.  We missed him, but were excited to hear about his week at the fair.  It definitely brought back a lot of good memories for him of the times that he visited the Elkhart County Fair growing up in Syracuse.  

Since Brett couldn't be here last week, he decided to make a trip up to see us this weekend.  With his busy schedule, we really appreciated his effort to make it home one last time before we sold the house in August.  We enjoyed playing Ticket to Ride, going to GBCo for dinner and just hanging out.  We caught up on all that had been going on in his life and even had time to take some nice photos of him at our home that he planned to use on Catholic Match and on his campaign literature.  It was a great visit and we look forward to seeing him in August in Bloomington.  

House Appraisal News

When we accepted the buyers offer in May, it was contingent upon their ability to secure financing.  Even though they had been approved for the loan, they still had to have an inspection and the house had to appraise at the purchase price.  The inspection occurred in May and our home passed with flying colors.  We were very happy to hear that, but were frustrated with the length of time that it took to schedule the appraisal.  According to our seller's agreement, they had to have financing secured by June 26th which meant that the appraisal had to be done several days before that date.  

As June 26th grew closer, the realtor asked for a three week contingency.  That got Doug and my attention immediately.  If the deal fell through, it would mean that we wouldn't be able to relist our house until almost August.  Thus, we would have completely given up the entire prime selling season.  Once we heard from the realtor, Doug decided to get involved.  He said that he would be willing to give them an extra week, but that was all.  If it was longer than a week, he wanted the realtor to take percentages off of their commission for the delay.

Doug must have gotten everyone's attention as the next day we heard from the inspector that they would be doing the appraisal on June 29th.  The good news was that we would have the house ready as we would be in Florida that week.  The bad news was that Cameron wouldn't be able to stay there on the day that he flew back from Ocala.  Thankfully, Grandma had a bedroom ready for him and by noon on the 29th he was able to get back into our home.  

This week we got a text from our realtor saying that the house appraised at full value.  What a relief!  We could now start packing for real and not have to worry about another walk though, inspection or appraisal.  I couldn't have been happier and made sure to thank my Dad right away for all of the help he gave me this past winter getting the house "show ready."  

All Caught on Tape

While I was cleaning out my closet for the move, I came across all of our old video tapes.  It had been quite some time since I had watched them and decided that before I took them all to Ocala that I would go through each one.  Some were movies that we had taped long ago and others were of the Heinisch family ones from years past.  Most of them, however, were ones that Doug and I had taped of our own family.  Needless to say, those were the best.

Meg spent quite a bit of time watching the tapes with me.  She loved the ones of her dance recitals.  We were both amazed at how good we thought that the girls danced versus the reality.  It reminded us of the last scene in The Music Man where all of the parents thought that their children were fantastic musicians where in reality they were not quite that good.  Meg also loved the videos of her interacting with Cal.  Her favorite was when she got mad at Cal for "cording" her at soccer.  

Cameron thought watching the old videos of us was actually sad,  I had to agree as I thought about us moving away form their childhood home and Cameron going off to college.  He did enjoy the fact that everyone's personality shown through from an early age.  Cal agreed that Brett was Brett from day one.  We also all realized that I had video taped way too many music programs over the years.  

During this process, I was also very glad to share Doug's old movies with his children.  I know that Doug and his friends had a lot of fun making westerns, James Bond films and videotaping the DeKalb area.  The scenes with Phil and Dan definitely caught the attention of the Heinisch children.  Overall, it was a nice walk down memory lane this past week.  I'm looking forward to getting all of the videos on flash drives so that they can be enjoyed for many years to come.  

Heading Back to Chicago

We absolutely loved having Cal visit this week.  I know for him it wasn't quite as exciting as when he and his friends stayed in our basement on the 4th, went out on the lake for the holiday and visited The Frog multiple times.  I think he had fun anyway, celebrating Doug's birthday, watching movies and eating home cooked dinners.  He also got to catch up with Grandma and Grandpa, work during the day for Plante Moran and exercise daily.  

As he left today I thought about Cal's journey after IU.  He strongly considered taking a job in Indy to be closer to Bloomington.  Plante Moran was the better option, however, and I am really proud of him for realizing that and branching outside of his comfort zone in moving to Chicago.  Cal has created a life there that he enjoys and has found a lot of success at his job.  I'm glad that it has worked out so well for him and look forward to visiting him and Meg there in the years to come.  

Jaws

 The more that we listen to The Rewatchables podcasts, the more I think about what movies really are "rewatchable" in the Heinisch home.  Shawshank Redemption, Halloween, Last of the Mohicans, and the Harry Potter series are just a few that have been on repeat on our television over the past few years.  The one, however, that always catches mine and Doug's attention is Jaws.  I bet that I have seen the movie over fifty times, but I still fall for every jump scare and close my eyes at the extremely intense scenes.  I am not as scared of sharks as I was when I first saw Jaws at the age of six, but I definitely put it at the top of the list of the best thrillers of all time.

The 4th of July weekend is in my mind the best time to rewatch Jaws from start to finish.  The past three summers we have watched it on the big screen in our backyard.  This year, however, the weather did not cooperate.  I was glad that we missed watching it over the weekend as it was the first thing that Cal asked to do when he arrived home on the 4th of July.  His love of Jaws is as high as Doug and mine, so we had no problem planning our evening around a movie night.  Once again the movie did not disappoint and we all talked about our favorite scenes throughout.  I still closed my eyes at the scariest scenes and took a bathroom break during Quint's demise.  Even though we weren't able to get out the big screen this time, it was still the perfect summer activity and I was glad that we got a chance to watch it together once again.  

Impressive Fortitude

As I had time to reflect about Doug's birthday celebration yesterday, I thought not so much about the day but instead the past two years.  Doug has had two very challenging years with economy struggles affecting his company, traveling back and forth to Florida frequently, taking on a heavier work load, and a negative experience with his dad that has not been resolved.  All of these along with owning two homes and helping Cameron through a tragic experience has made life extremely challenging.  Although the positives - Meg's graduation from college and subsequent engagement as well as Cameron's high school graduation - have been wonderful, scheduling time for those celebrations have added to a very busy time period in his life as well.  I guess it really shouldn't be much of a surprise that on top of all of this that he developed a tremor in his right arm .

Through it all, Doug's attitude has remained positive.  His optimism is ongoing and his fortitude is impressive.  That has really helped me as we have worked our way through these past two years.  He's never given up on anything and I've not heard him complain one time about anything.  I know that he gets his positive attitude from his mother.  Jeanette would be incredibly proud of how he has handled these past two years.  I definitely know that I am.  

Born on the 4th of July

With a birthday on the 4th of July it seems that we have always had something exciting to do with or for Doug.  Some years we traveled and others we celebrated at home.  I noticed that the last three years have been quieter than in the past, but that doesn't mean that we have enjoyed Doug's birthday any less.  

This year was no exception as Cal, Meg and Cameron were all able to join us to celebrate Doug's 53rd.  We played cards, ate some delicious meals that Doug made for both brunch and dinner, and enjoyed dessert from Grandma.  As it was Doug's last birthday on Sunset Drive, it was only fitting that we spent the majority of it in the backyard that he has so loved these past twenty-five years.  I'm glad that we got to celebrate just as he wanted.