Halloween Record

A year ago today, Phil moved to Ocala.  Doug made sure to be in Florida when he arrived, so that Phil would have a place to stay before the moving trucks arrived.  From that day on, all I heard from the two of them was how packed the streets were on Halloween night in our neighborhood.  According to Doug he went through the two bags of candy that I had sent down for trick or treaters within ten minutes.

Ever since last Halloween, I had been anticipating tonight.  I believed everything they said as the homes in our neighborhood were all decked out for the holidays.  Even the Majestic Oaks Facebook page told everyone to get ready for a neighborhood full of trick or treaters.  They stated that last year there were over 800 costumed children walking through our neighborhood.  I bagged up over 500 pieces of candy for the night, hoping that I had enough.

Doug arrived home early in anticipation of a lot of traffic in our neighborhood.  We moved the rocking chairs out to the end of the drive and prepared for the masses.  I invited Phil to join us, but he had no interest.  Last years crowd scared him off.  The first forty-five minutes were pretty slow.  We had only given out a large bag of Skittles and a bag of Tootsie Pops.  I was a little bit disappointed.  I had believed the hype and thought that I had been set up to be disappointed.  Just when I began to give up hope, a mass of Trick or Treaters rounded the corner.  By the time we went inside at 8 p.m. to watch Dancing with the Starts, we had given out 513 pieces of candy and there were still children coming down our street.  Even though we turned off our lights to enjoy the dancing series, we still got two more trick or treaters before the evening ended making our final total of 515 more than doubling our highest amount on Sunset Drive and setting a new Heinisch Trick or Treat record. 

Finishing the Lanai

Last week while the landscaping was being put in, we got bad news.  The air conditioner that had been acting up since August had died.  If it had been under warranty we would have had it fixed, but putting $1500 into a nine year old air conditioning system just didn't make sense.  Thus, we had to have the entire system replace.  The good news was that the musty smell coming from the system would be gone completely.  The bad news was that it was expensive.  Thankfully, I set aside extra money from the sell of our home in August for anything that popped up unexpectedly.

Today wasn't all bad.  While Sun Kool was working on the AC, I finished setting up the lanai.  We had waited until after it was painted to do any decorating.  Since we couldn't really hang anything on the cement walls, we bought a mobile television stand and a large shelf to display our IU photos and memorabilia.  I was impressed with the tv stand as it actually held up our fifteen year old heavy television from the pool table room in Syracuse.  Once we got it together, we moved the television to the corner so that Doug could watch it from his chair.  He would now be able to view several games at once or keep AMC running continually in the lanai.  As much as I loved the addition of the television stand, the shelf was my favorite.  It took awhile to put together, but it fit perfect in the corner space and displayed everything very well.  The lanai was now a wonderful homage to our basement and the perfect man cave for Doug.  

Bethany Soccer & Ping Pong

Our new ping pong table arrived yesterday afternoon and I was very excited about it.  We were sad to leave our pool table behind in Syracuse when we moved.  We knew that we couldn't really get one here as we would have to permanently give up our garage.  A ping pong table that had wheels and could be folded in half, however, would work perfectly.  I found one at Dick's online and everyone agreed that it would perfect for our newly painted garage.

My excitement soon waned, however.  In all of the furniture that we have put together, the table was by far the hardest.  It was heavy and had to be lifted onto the legs once the base was put together.  Doug spent about five hours on it yesterday.  I tried to help, but we eventually had to call Phil over to assist him as the table was just too heavy for me to lift.  We finally finished today and thankfully, we did not have to spend as much time on it.  Our table building experience from yesterday really helped.  Tonight we were able to put it too good use with Phil being the big winner on the evening.

Building the ping pong table yesterday wasn't all bad.  I had set up a television in the garage and we were able to tune into the IHSAA boys' soccer finals.  Bethany had made it to the championship game and we enjoyed watching it very much.  Cameron had driven to Indy to see it in person with several of his IU friends.  The game was the most exciting one that I had ever seen.  Bethany dominated the game, but couldn't score.  Forest Park put one in the net early in the second half and the Bruins didn't have an answer.  Finally, with 2:30 minutes left Bethany tied the game sending it to overtime.  The score remained 1-1 after two extra periods forcing the decision to come to penalty kicks.  Bethany had dominated in penalties this year and yesterday was no different.  Jacoby stopped the Rangers first two goals and Bethany scored four.  I was jumping up and down by the end.  It was so much fun to see a lot of the same guys that Cameron played middle school soccer with hoist the championship trophy.  He voiced the exact same opinion when he called later in the day, still excited from the win.  It was their first state championship and for us personally it made the ping pong frustrations a lot easier to handle.

Halloweekend

Doug and I had never really done anything special for Halloweekend.  We always enjoyed listening to all of the fun that the Heinisch children had that weekend, but didn't have much of an interest in finding something special to do ourselves.  That changed this year when I saw all of the events that were scheduled here in Ocala.  I didn't know if Doug or Phil would be interested in any of them, but decided to suggest a few just to see.  I was glad to hear that they each had one in mind that they wanted to try.

This afternoon we picked Phil up close to 4 p.m. for Hocus Pawcus at the World Equestrian Center.  It was the first time that the WEC had hosted a dog costume contest and from what we could tell, it was a big hit.  As Phil was the one who wanted to try it, I thought that maybe I could talk him into bringing Molly.  He had absolutely no interest as he was afraid of how she would handle all of the other dogs.  Phil also didn't think that she would enjoy wearing a costume.  Even though Molly wasn't there, Phil and I still had a lot of fun looking at all of the dogs (and sometimes owners) dressed for the occasion.  There were so many good ones.  We all agreed that the best was the "Day of the Dead," but my favorite was the Woopie Cushion, Cal's yearly costume for as long as I could remember.

Doug wasn't as thrilled about the dog costume contest as Phil or I were, but he was very excited about the next event - a Halloween party at Infinite Ale.  They had Halloween themed beers, live music and their own costume contest.  I had so much fun sitting at our outside table watching "Gilligan, Mary Ann, Slash, Captain Hook, Tinker Bell and Beetlejuice walk in while the guys sampled the beers.  

We weren't the only ones in the Heinisch family celebrating Halloweekend this year.  Cal sent me a picture of he and Maggie on their way to a party.  They made a very cute Shaggy and Velma.  Meg and Nick were also dressed for the occasion.  Yzma and Kronk were the perfect pair for Carson's Halloween party.  I loved everyone's pictures and sent out our own from the WEC.  Until recently, I had never really thought about celebrating Halloweekend before, but in the end I was very glad that we did.   

Beer Making

When Phil moved to Ocala, Doug got to try several of his homemade beers.  Doug was very impressed with them and began to ask him about the process.  Phil talked about the kits, fermentation, the bottling process and carbonation.  It was very interesting to listen to and Doug started talking about trying it himself.  

Once Phil heard that Doug was thinking about trying it, he bought him a beer making kit and tonight they put it into action.  I had fun watching them work while hanging out in our backyard.  While they were serious about the process and intent on making a good batch of beer, I watched Mollie enjoy the walking path from the lanai to the back patio that Doug had made for me.  I also got to watch my new solar butterfly light up as the blue skies turned to night.  I was happy that the guys were enjoying their beer making evening.  They knew that if they timed it right, the beer would be ready when the boys arrived for Thanksgiving.  All three of them were interested in trying it and Cal already had a name for their brewing company- "Steinisch!"  

Landscaping Part 1

 When we first moved here, we didn't really think much about the landscaping around the house.  It was alright, just nothing special.  The longer we lived here, the more I realized that I just didn't like it.  The pine needles that were used for mulch were ok to look at, but were a bug's paradise.  I also noticed that the bushes on the side of the house were overgrown while several in the back were dying.  Doug and I decided that the best course of action was to take everything out this summer except for the palm tree and Crepe Myrtle.  Just getting rid of all of that helped, but we knew that we needed to do more.

We didn't have to do a lot of research to decide what we wanted.  We just looked around our neighborhood at other homes' landscaping.  There were some that were like ours that we just ripped out.  There were others that had bushes and plants with mulch that were well maintained.  Our favorite homes, however, had rock instead of mulch and very few plants in the ground.  Instead they put potted plants in their rock and fun lawn ornaments such as ceramic gnomes and mushrooms.  

Once we decided that we wanted to use rock in the landscaping around our home, the next decision was whether we would put it in ourselves or hire a landscaper.  Before I started researching online, Doug thought that we should ask our next door neighbors.  They had the color rock that we wanted and their landscaping looked very nice.  He told Doug the name of the company which Doug called in September to get a quote for putting in the rock both ways.  

We met with the landscaper and walked through our yard several weeks ago.  After talking with him we realized that it was a no brainer.  They could do so much more than we could on our own for not much more cost.  They agreed to start the process this week letting the painter finish first before they did their work.  The process started today as they put down the black weed guard, installed the black metal edging in the backyard and filled in the rock around the palm tree, side and back.  Even though we would have to wait for the cement curbing around the front window, it already looked so much better.  I was extremely happy that we decided to hire a profession.  

Insurance Woes

I spent two weeks in August searching for the best auto insurance rates that I could find in Florida.  Before we moved, I did not realize how expensive all types of insurance were in the Sunshine State.  I hated paying triple what we did in Indiana, but knowing that Doug would not have to pay state income tax anymore helped.  At the time I was excited that I found a price that we could live with that covered both vehicles plus Cameron, Doug and I.  Imagine my surprise when I opened up our Auto Owner's bill this week and it was $2700 more a year than they had originally quoted me.  

I printed off everything from our insurance agent and the new bill.  I gave all of the paperwork to Doug as he said that he would help if there were any issues.  This was last Friday.  We found out yesterday that there had been an error and the quote that we had received didn't include Cameron.  Even though we had signed the policy with a specific price on it and were told that Cameron was covered, Auto Owners changed it and our agent never informed us.  Had I not looked carefully, we would have been paying an extra $200 a month for car insurance.

Today, I spent a good portion of the afternoon on the phone with State Farm.  I had originally contacted them for a quote in August.  The price was competitive with the bogus one from Auto Owners.  We didn't pick them, however, as State Farm had more hoops to jump through - Cameron had to take an online class and we would have to install a drive safe beacon in our vehicles.  It seemed like a hassle at the time, but now knowing that we would save almost $3000, we all agreed that it was worth it.  I signed the paperwork today, Cameron download the steer clear app to get started, and Doug cancelled our Auto Owner's policy.  Hopefully, it will be quite some time before we have to worry about switching car insurances again.

  

Siblings Get Together

My mom sent me a picture this week of her with her siblings.  She and Jan had invited Vicky to go out to lunch with them.  Once Parce found out that it was on his day off, he and Gena made plans to join them as well.  They chose Albion as the halfway point for the four of them and as an added bonus, they ate at my cousin Ann's new restaurant.  

My mom called afterward and said that she really enjoyed catching up with everyone.  Parce absolutely shocked everyone when he told them that they had sold their home in Fort Wayne and bought one in Greensburg.  It made sense as it would be closer to Gena's daughter and granddaughter.  It was just surprising as no one even knew that they were looking to move.  I guess that just means that they will have to have another get together again before they leave.  

Lizard Catcher

One thing that I haven't gotten used to about living in Florida is the lizards.  They are everywhere.  When I walk out of front door, there is always at least one scurrying to the palm tree or walking along the sidewalk.  They make me jump, but do not scare me like the chipmunks did in Indiana.  

While living here, I have come to realize that the lizards aren't just going to be outside nuisances.  I definitely have found several inside our home in the past few months, especially on the lanai and back patio door.  We have gotten pretty good at shooing them back outside.  The consequence if we don't is finding them dead later since they cannot live without water.

After trapping one in the coat closet recently with a dust pan, broom and Meg's old butterfly net, I decided that I needed to buy something that was a little more heavy duty.  I looked at Walmart on my next shopping trip and found the perfect solution - a tadpole net.  I've already tried it out and it works perfectly.  I do not know if I will ever get used to the small reptiles, but at least the lizard catching solution is solved. 

A Full Weekend in Florida

Even though we didn't travel to the Midwest, we did have a full weekend in Florida.  On Friday night Doug and I we went to "Oddities Market" in downtown Ocala.  It was filled with a lot of Halloween merchandise including jewelry, clothing and candles.  There was definitely some "odd" booths and interesting people at the market, but overall we enjoyed it.  I found a pair of candy corn earrings that Doug bought for me.  They matched my Jack O' Lantern shirt perfectly.  After the market, we had dinner at the Bank Street Patio Bar, which was very nice.

                                                 

Saturday was one of finishing projects around the house.  We had to transplant all of the landscaping that we wanted to keep, including the pineapples, aloe and succulents.  With a newly painted lanai, we decided that the fan in the Florida room need updated as well.  Thankfully, we had leftover gray exterior paint which covered the blades very well.  Doug also mowed and flagged the sprinklers so that the landscapers knew where they were.

                                                       

Sunday took us to the Kanapaha Botanical Garden in Gainesville.  I saw online that they were having a plant sale with free admission for all.  We arrived right after mass and were surprised by how packed it already was.  We walked through the flower vendors' tents, toured the gardens and ended our time at Kanapaha by buying a lemon tree.  I had always wanted one.  Doug absolutely loved the gardens and planned to go again soon.

While we were in Gainesville, we checked out Swamp Head Brewery.  It was off the beaten track, but once we found it, we absolutely loved it.  Doug tried several beers and I soaked up the atmosphere.  Lunch was at Relic, our favorite burger place in Gainesville.  The last stop of the day was The Tom Petty Festival.  It was a little underwhelming and the bands were not even playing Tom Petty music.  I was glad that we tried it, however.  He's definitely my favorite singer and I love living so close to his hometown.

Fall Fun in Illinois

Our family had always enjoyed going to Fashion Farm every year to look at the painted pumpkins and walk through the various mazes.  When we visited the family favorite last year, we decided that it would be our last.  Meg didn't completely want the tradition to die, so she started looking at different fall events and pumpkin patches in the Chicago area that she and Nick could enjoy.

First they found a local corn maze that wasn't challenging, but still was a lot of fun.  Meg even got to wear her new Halloweentown sweatshirt to it, making the maze even better.  Next, they went to a nighttime event that showcased artisan jack o' lanterns that glowed in the night.  Meg could not believe how detailed all of the pumpkins were.  Lastly, they spent the evening decorating their own pumpkins with Carson at her apartment in Naperville.  Meg loved hers with ghosts holding hands and couldn't stop making fun of Nick's rendition of the Joker.  Even if his didn't win first place in their pumpkin carving contest, I loved that they found ways to keep the fall fun alive and appreciated all of the pictures that they shared.  

A Change in Plans

Doug and I had planned on going to Indiana this weekend for IU's homecoming game against Rutgers.  We were going to fly to Chicago early Thursday morning and drive to Syracuse so that Doug could work at Champion.  We would then drive to Bloomington for homecoming weekend to host a tailgate and attend the football game.  On Sunday, we would head back to Chicago for lunch with Cal and Meg,  I would stay with Meg while Doug would go back to Elkhart to work until we flew out on Tuesday night.  

As we got closer to taking our trip, I started to realize that this was probably a little too much for Doug to undertake.  He had been swamped with work in Ocala and had been busy helping me with projects around the house.  The exterior painting had been more involved than we had planned, taking up a lot of our time.  I just couldn't see asking him to make the trip, especially when both Cameron and Brett were busy Friday night.  Once I suggested cancelling the trip, Doug definitely was onboard for staying in Florida.

I talked to Brett, Cal, Meg and Cameron about changing our plans and they all agreed.  It would be a lot of traveling for us.  We would then turn around and come back two weeks later for the Wisconsin game on November 4th.   I was glad that they supported plans to stay home.  I would miss all of them, but knew that it was the best decision for us both physically and mentally.

Engagement Photos

Meg and Nick traveled to Bloomington this week to have their engagement photos taken.  Meg was excited about it, but also nervous.  They had picked a photographer that was reasonably priced, but that they didn't know personally.  Meg was also worried about her outfits.  She had ordered several dresses, but couldn't find one that she really liked.  Thankfully, after a lot of shopping and time in the dressing room, she finally found the perfect one.  Doug and I really liked it.

Meg called me the night before she left to talk about her causal outfit.  She had bought Nick a brand new sweater for the picture, but was going to use something from her own wardrobe.  She FaceTimed me to see what I thought.  We went through several different shirts and sweaters before we found one that would match perfectly with Nick's sweater.  She said that she would have to pick up an undershirt for it, but otherwise, she was set.

I heard from Meg after they completed the photo shoot.  She was only able to preview a few of the pictures, but was absolutely thrilled with them.  She loved the poses, the place where they took the pictures and the photographer.  I was very happy to hear that.  I wasn't overly pleased with my formal engagement picture.  It was ok, just not the greatest.  I was relieved to know that Meg felt the complete opposite.  I was also glad that she had gotten to see Brett and Cameron while she was in Bloomington as well as Mallory who took her to a History of Rock N Roll class where her professor, Andy, even recognized her.  He's expecting a wedding invitation too.

BTCCW

When we learned that we would be moving to Ocala, one of our first objectives was to find a church.  We tried Queen of Peace several times as it was the Catholic church closest to us.  The church was beautiful and the masses were very traditional, but it just didn't seem to fit our personality.  We were searching for a church had that had a younger parish with a way to get involved.  

Knowing that Queen of Peace wasn't for us, I started doing some research online and quickly realized that Blessed Trinity might be a better fit for Doug and I.  It was closer to downtown, which made for a longer drive, but it had a lot of what we were looking for in a new church.  We tried several masses and really liked it.  Meg went when she was here and thought it was perfect for us as well.  Once we moved, we started attended the 8:45 a.m. mass regularly.  

At the end of August, I picked up the bulletin after mass.  It was quite thick with a lot of information.  While reading, I noticed that Blessed Trinity had a women's Catholic group.  September was the first meeting for the year, so I thought that I would try it.  I was very nervous when I went, but Brett reminded me that in those situations people are usually very nice.  

Thankfully, Brett was 100% correct. Not only was everyone nice, but the group was exactly what I was looking for when we moved.  It was filled with faith, service and positive attitudes.  The group was extremely involved in the church and shortly after I joined, I was asked to be part of a mission committee to help with the Dominican Friars that were arriving in January.  As I attended my second Blessed Trinity Council for Catholic Women meeting tonight, I thought about how blessed Doug and I really were.  God heard me calling for a new church and led us to the perfect one.  

Finally, The Painting is Done!

 I have found the exterior painting process of our house to be extremely frustrating.  Our painter has done an awesome job.  Last week, he finished all of the exterior.  This week he focused his time on the garage and lanai.  While he was here, he also helped fix several other items that needed repaired.  He caulked the garage, nailed the garage door trim, replaced the exterior doors weather stripping and even updated the lights in our kitchen.  

In saying all of that, I was definitely more than ready to be done with the process.  I had to be here while he was working and felt like I had to be more involved than I planned to be.  I also thought that the painting would take a lot less time.  I definitely loved the outcome especially the garage, but wasn't ready to take on such a big project anytime soon.