Christmas Decorating

This is by far the latest that I have ever finished putting up the Christmas decorations. In years past, Doug and I would have gotten all of the decorations up on the Friday after Thanksgiving or at least by the Sunday afterward. Because of our weekend in Disney World with Maggie’s family and my trip to Orlando for Doug’s doctor appointment, my decorating timeline was drastically changed. Thankfully, I did get everything finished this weekend and the good news was that I wouldn’t be tempted to take it all down on the 26th. That was important since we were actually having our family Christmas after the 25th.

There were two holiday perks of moving to Florida that I had never thought of until we got here. The first was that we were able to downsize all of our holiday decorations before we left Indiana. Going from eleven tubs of Christmas to six made a huge difference in decorating time. The second perk of living in Florida during the holidays was that we could work on the outside decorations anytime we want. Even when it was colder than normal down here, we were still putting up the lights in 60° weather.

This year we did replace some of the longtime decorations from our Indiana days. We finally got a new cookie jar, replacing the one we had for at least 15 years. We added a few vinyl clings to the windows and also changed out the blue lights on the front porch to red. Not only were the lights brighter, but they gave the candy cane effect that I was wanting. The best added decoration for this year was the beautiful flowers that Doug brought home for me on Friday.  It was a wonderful surprise and looked perfect as a centerpiece on our kitchen table.  Now that I am officially done, I can enjoy my holiday decorations while wrapping gifts, writing Christmas cards, listening to Christmas vinyls and watching holiday movies.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.  

Rose Bowl Bound

Last night, Doug and I watched the greatest IU football game ever.  In fact, it was so good that Meg actually stopped sewing in the fourth quarter to join us in front of the television. With a 13-10 IU victory over Ohio State, I doubt those that weren't watching could believe that from start to finish, the Big Ten Conference championship game was absolutely thrilling with two hard fought defenses going up against the top two quarterback picks for the Heisman. The game kept us on the edge of our seats and by the time that it was over, we were completely spent.

Although, I knew that we had a chance to win, I didn't fully realize how good the Hoosiers really were until this game. Last week, we watched Ohio State's top running back manhandle Michigan's defense.  That was not the case this weekend as the Hoosier's defense played outstanding stopping him on every run.  Our offense did struggle against the Buckeye's top ranked defense but made several unbelievable plays that put IU on top including Mendoza rebounding on the first drive of the game from one of the hardest hits all season and several phenomenal catches by both of our wide receivers.  Even losing a key player to injury at the beginning of the game didn't stop IU.  The Buckeyes did miss an easy field goal towards the end of the fourth quarter to tie the game, but the Hoosiers had missed one early as well making our victory even more impressive and finally stopping the "IU doesn't deserve to be there" talk.  

As much as we were enjoying the game watching it at home, Cameron was having even more fun in the front of the student section cheering the Hoosiers on in person.  He had to hand out rally towels for four hours outside the stadium to earn the seat, but it was well worth it. We saw glimpses of him on television among the sold-out stadium and heard from him several times including a phone call after the win in which he could barely speak. 

Today, the CFP committee made it official and ranked the Indiana Hoosiers as the number one seed in the tournament with IU's first game to be played at the Rose Bowl.  We had always talked about going to Pasadena but decided that we would wait for their second game at the Peach Bowl.  The logistics and cost were more than we could navigate on short notice over the holidays and with the Hoosiers legitimate chance of winning the title, we wanted to make sure that we had the time saved for trips to the semi-finals and finals. Even in writing this down, it still doesn't seem real.  Thankfully, this morning when we woke up, we found out that we weren't actually dreaming.  Last night, I wasn't sure that that was the case.  

Grandma Heinisch

Today would have been Jeanette's 81st birthday.  It is so hard to believe that the last time we celebrated with her was twelve years ago.  She was such an important part of lives and a great support to our family.  Because of that, I am not surprised that we miss her more and more each year.  

This week, I found a project that she created with Cal. It made me smile as soon as I saw it as I remember them working on it during the holiday season sixteen years just as if it was yesterday.  It was so nice to have this walk down memory lane, this week especially.  She may not have been in our children's lives long, but she definitely made a huge impression.  For that I will forever be grateful.  It has helped to mold them into the adults that they are today, and I know she would be extremely proud of them.

Favorite Spotify Day of the Year

Every year Spotify comes out with Spotify Wrapped which is a list of the members top songs, albums, podcasts, genres of music and more. It is by far my favorite listening day of the year.  Today’s 2025 Spotify Wrapped was by far the best that I could remember for me.  It was the first time that I felt the songs and artists reflected my music as in years past, Doug, Meg or Cameron used my Spotify more than I did either when we were traveling in the car or at home listening on the Google Home Mini.  

Although, I enjoyed finding out what we had listened to together previously, this year I could actually see what I had playing on my Spotify account. After looking at my list, I wasn’t surprised to find Bob Dylan, George Harrison and Tom Petty dominate most categories and was thankful for my top 100 songs of the year so that I could spend the day listening to my favorites.  This year there were two new categories that made Spotify Wrapped even more fun.  The first was “my listening age” which ended up being 79 years old.  It seemed a little bit high, but I couldn’t argue with it as my top singers were all over the age of 75.  The second new category was the “music club” that I belonged to this year.  It accurately defined me even down to its mention of house plants.

Overall, I had a lot of fun reading through my Spotify Wrapped this year, but the best part was hearing from all of the other members of our family with their top songs, artists, albums, etc.  Doug had the oldest listening age at 81, while Karen was the youngest at 36.  I was a little surprised to see Meg match my age because of all of the girlie pop that she listens to, but her love of older music must have dominated her list instead. I had only heard of one song on Brett’s list, but that was not surprising at all as most of the music he plays is from video games.  Spotify is definitely our family’s favorite streaming app, and today it more than proved why.

Good News

Doug and I met with a different type of neurologist this afternoon and felt really good about the appointment.  She started by asking a lot of questions about Doug's health history and the onset of his tremor.  We explained Doug's symptoms to her and talked about the stress that he was under at work and with a family member during the apex of the tremors.  The doctor took notes on the medications that Doug had tried, looked at his bloodwork and was extremely thorough in her physical examination of Doug's arm and movement.  

By the end of the appointment, I started to relax.  I have hated meeting with the neurologists about Doug's tremor.  They always seem to talk down to us, disregard anything that we have said and pushed medications that didn't help.  This was the first time that someone other than our family doctor listened to us, and although she couldn't specifically tell us why Doug was having tremors, she did say that his tremor was atypical and to her did not seem to be Parkinson's related.  That was great news, but the best part was knowing that she had a plan to help Doug without pushing harsh medication or intense treatment without more testing.  I was very glad to hear that.  

Let it Snow, Let it Snow . . .

While we were enjoying Thanksgiving weekend in Florida, the Midwest was being hit with a terrible snowstorm.  The first of our family to be impacted by the weather was Brett and Karen.  They had made plans to go to Grandma and Grandpa's to celebrate the holiday on Saturday and Sunday but had to cancel because of the snow.  My parents weren't disappointed as they could see how bad it was outside and wanted Brett and Karen to be safe.  The good part was that it gave Karen and Brett a relaxing weekend at home to catch up on housework after her parents visit and to rest.  The other good news was that Grandma and Grandpa had plenty of food in the house in anticipation of their visit and wouldn't need to leave until the weather was better.

Besides the cold at the Purdue game, the weather did not affect Cameron too much.  He had to time his drive from Fishers to Bloomington in between the snow falls, but overall, the snow was not as deep as it was in the northern part of the state.  Because the snow mostly fell on Saturday in the Chicago area, Cal and Maggie's flight was not affected on Sunday.  Cal did have to work from home on Monday, however, because there was at least six inches of snow on his car that morning.  Thankfully, he was able to get it cleared off and was back in the office today.  

Although I loved the picture that Brett and Karen sent, listening to everyone's issues with the storm this weekend made me appreciate living in Florida so much more.  It does get cold here and we do get more rain, but I would take our weather disturbances over theirs any day.  Even the hurricanes aren't as bad as I worried they would be when we moved, especially this year when had none. Overall, it has been a nice perk of relocating to Ocala.

On to the Big Ten Championship Game

While we were at Disney World this weekend, Cameron was with Cora's family at the IU vs Purdue football game in West LaFayette.  The Hoosiers needed to win the game to finish with an undefeated season and to earn a berth in the Big Ten championship game.  I was nervous about the game, but knew that there really wasn't a reason to be.  We had beaten the Boilermakers 66-0 last year and they hadn't improved much this year.  Thankfully, there was nothing to worry about as IU left the field with a 56-3 victory.  

I heard from Cameron at the end of the game and was very impressed that he, Cora and her parents stayed until the very end.  It wasn't the blowout that made me think that they would leave early or the fact that the starters were pulled late in the third quarter.  It was actually the weather that I thought would drive them out of the stadium in the fourth quarter.  It was the coldest game ever played at Ross-Ade Stadium.  Fortunately, they were dressed for it and the celebration on the field at the end of the game as the Hoosiers made football history was well worth a few hours in the cold.  

Saying Goodbye to a Wonderful Week

Since Cal and Maggie were busy until 1 p.m. today, Doug and I took advantage of our proximity to Magic Kingdom to spend the morning there.  We had a lot of fun looking at all of the Christmas decorations, riding Peter Pan and Pirates of the Caribbean, eating lunch for the first time at Columbia House and doing a little bit of shopping before heading out.  While we were there, Meg and Nick had a first-time experience as well.  They got stuck on Dinosaur and had to evacuate.  Meg took some great video of the thrill ride with the lights on while walking to the exit.  

Cal and Maggie were at the Boardwalk pool when we arrived.  I wasn't sure that we would be able to get in to see them as the resorts had gotten extremely strict with visitors because of the holiday season.  Thankfully, it was no problem, and we enjoyed an afternoon in the sun by the pool.  The water was freezing, but that didn't stop them from trying out the slide and even Doug and I took a turn in the pool.  Between Disney and the Keys, I believe that I have been swimming more times this year than I have in the past ten.  

Meg and Nick joined us after they made it out of Dinosaur.  They told us all about their experience while the four of them got lunch from the corn dog cart.  I still couldn't believe it as we had never had to evacuate a ride in all of the times that we have visited Disney.  The good part was that besides the video, they also got a lightening lane for one of my favorites - Na'vi River Ride.  

The six of us stayed at the Boardwalk until after 4 p.m.  It reminded me of all of the reasons why this was our family's favorite resort.  I grabbed a holiday hot chocolate drink from their lobby before we left for Meg's and dinner at Gastro Pub.  Cal and Maggie had never eaten there.  They loved the food and the atmosphere as much as we did and I was glad that we were able to spend more time with them before their 9:00 p.m. flight. I was definitely sad when I dropped them off at the airport but didn't cry.  I was incredibly thankful for a wonder week with family and ready for some much needed rest before everyone came down for Christmas.  

Monorail, Monorail, Monorail

When Doug and I checked out of Port Orleans Riverside this morning, I was a little bit bummed. I loved that resort and thought maybe I made a mistake by changing to the Contemporary for tonight. Once we pulled into the deluxe resort, I was more than happy that we decided to switch. Not only was it the perfect spot for a tour of the monorail resorts this afternoon, but it was also beautifully decorated for the holidays. Our room was even ready which surprised both of us as it wasn’t even noon yet. I forgot how much I loved the Contemporary lobby, their restaurants and the Incredibles theme.

Since we weren’t meeting anyone until closer to 3 o’clock this afternoon, Doug and I used the extra time to relax. We had pushed ourselves pretty hard this week and it was nice just to take a breather. We found a quiet little spot at our resort to have a light lunch and watch the Ohio State vs Michigan football game.

After a relaxing lunch, Doug and I were definitely ready for a night out when Cal called to say that they would meet us outside of Magic Kingdom. That was the perfect spot for us as we could walk over from our resort. The Doyles wanted to go to Fort wilderness Lodge first to see their Christmas tree and gingerbread house. We had never been in the actual lodge since we had only stayed in the cabin area years ago with our own family. It was awesome. It reminded us a lot of great Wolf Lodge and the decorations were gorgeous. Mr. Doyle wanted to wait until the lounge open before we caught the boat back to the Contemporary. At first, I wasn’t sure it was worth a half hour wait, but once we tried the drinks and food there and felt the atmosphere, I realize that I was wrong. It was a lot of fun.

While we were all catching the boat to the Contemporary, Meg and Nick were arriving from their own hotel. Jack caught up with us there as well, and Nancy suggested that we try the DVC lounge at the top of the resort. Since we were not Disney vacation club members, we had never been there. It was by far one of our favorite spots of the weekend. It was decorated in a villains' theme and had a large alcove room for the nine of us. We tried small plates of pretzels and flatbread, which were excellent. Before we headed to the monorail for our next stop, we went out on the rooftop to see the Christmas lights at Magic Kingdom. They were beautiful.

For some reason, I mentioned that every time I took the monorail I got stuck, so of course we all got stuck. I didn’t mind because that gave me a chance to tell Doug how funny it was that someone on the escalator was singing the monorail song from The Simpsons. Meg always tells me every time we ride the monorail that we should sing “Monorail, Monorail, Monorail” from her favorite episode. To hear someone else do the same thing.

The monorail did finally start up again and our next stop was the Polynesian. They had just opened an outdoor bar where we could get food and drinks while watching the fireworks from Magic Kingdom. It was absolutely my favorite spot of the night. We had an awesome view, fantastic food, and so much fun talking about our favorite Disney moments. This definitely would be one of them. Once the fireworks were over, we made a quick stop at the Gand Floridian. It was nicely decorated too, but we didn't stay long as we were all tired and ready to head back to our hotels. 

Once Cal left with the Doyle family, Meg, Nick, Doug and I took the monorail back to the Contemporary. We grabbed a snack from the food court and hung out in the lounge there for an hour or so before they took an Uber back to their hotel. I was absolutely exhausted, but so incredibly happy that our day on the monorail had gone so well.

Sing Me a Song, You're the Piano Man

Both Doug and I were excited to be included in today's vacation plans for Maggie's family.  We hadn't seen them since last Thanksgiving and were looking forward to catching up and hanging out at Disney for the weekend.  Since it was their family's vacation time, we told them to choose the plans and include us in as much or as little as they wanted.  In the end, it worked out fantastically and we all had a great day together.

First on the agenda was finding a place to eat lunch and watch the Bears game.  I suggested Splitsville as they had televisions everywhere in their bowling alley themed restaurant.  The restaurant gave us a private room, and we spent several hours there enjoying our meal, watching the game and listening about their time in Disney with their great nieces and nephews earlier in the week.   It was a lot of fun and as an added bonus, the Bears won a close game.  

After dinner, the seven of us spent some time in Disney Springs shopping before heading to Port Orleans French Quarter for dessert.  Maggie's family had never had their beignets before and enjoyed them just as much as she did the first time we took her.  We ended the evening at Port Orleans Riverside piano bar, another first for the Doyle family.  We arrived early for the show, but the bar was already packed.  We had an awesome waiter who alerted us to a table up front that had an elderly couple getting ready to leave.

Although it was the perfect place to watch Piano Bob's show, I knew that because we were so close to the stage that there was a chance that we would be invited to participate in it.  When he came around to ask where we were from and to find out if anyone was celebrating anything, Tom told him about his and Nancy's 35th anniversary.  Piano Bob wrote that down and then asked Jack for his name.  I spent the next ten minutes telling Jack to be prepared because now that the Disney piano man knew his name, he would probably be called up on stage.  At first, I thought I was correct as Piano Bob announced Nancy and Tom's anniversary and then had Jack come up and participate in one of the songs.  From there the show just kept getting better and better and we all loved it.  

Unfortunately for me, all of my talk about Jack being a part of the show backfired when Piano Bob called me up on stage to be the rotating pear tree during the Twelve Days of Christmas.  At that point, I was very glad that I had had a Diet Coke and vodka beforehand, or I don't think that I would have been able to do it.  Thankfully, the rest of the Doyle family and Doug were asked to participate as well and the guys made great Lords of Leaping.  Maggie got some awesome video of everyone and a couple in the back even called out my name after the show was over to let me know what a great job I did.  I didn't mind as we had a fantastic day and I knew that we would remember our night with Piano Bob forever.  

Thanksgiving in Orlando

Cameron and I took Cal to Orlando yesterday so that he could meet Maggie and her family at the Boardwalk.  They had plans to go to dinner tonight at the Yacht Club and then to Magic Kingdom for Thanksgiving Day tomorrow. Before we dropped him off, the three of us met Meg for lunch at Polite Pig in Disney Springs.  It was packed, but we found a table without any issue and enjoyed a fantastic meal together.  

After lunch, Meg headed back into the crowds to do some shopping while Cal, Cameron and I went to Fantasia mini-golf to play the fairways course.  Cameron and I played it this summer with Cora and had a lot of fun.  Cal hadn't played it in years and since it was only the three of us, he really wanted to try it again.  The course was crowded, but we got on after only a short wait.  The couple in front of us was definitely not the typical fairways players, but once we got used to their interesting style of play, we had a great time.  I did not score as well as I did this summer, so both boys easily beat me.  That really didn't matter to me as my favorite part was watching their close match with Cal getting the better of Cameron by one shot due to a missed short putt on the last hole.  In the end, none of us cared who won.  We were just really happy to have spent the afternoon together.

Doug beat Cameron and I back to Ocala tonight as he got off of work at 1 p.m.  He went jogging and enjoyed some quiet time before we arrived home.  Cameron picked Cheddar's for dinner and board games for our evening entertainment rounding out an extremely busy but fun Thanksgiving eve.  

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane

Today, Grandma Jane turned 82, and although none of us could be there with her to celebrate, we all did our best to make her day special with calls, gifts and social media posts.  I had given her a photo album of Brett's wedding when I was out there two weeks ago.  It made her cry because it reminded her that she was unable to attend the ceremony, but she was very happy to have it anyway and loved all of the pictures.  She also loved the bag that Meg had sewn for her as well.  My dad got her the biggest gift of the year when he bought her the 75-inch television this month.

Out of all of the gifts, calls and posts, I believe that her favorite part of the day was when Grayson poked his head around the hallway corner to wish her a "Happy Birthday" in person.  He, Molly and Jaxson had the day off from school and Aunt Vicky had brought them over to hang out with their favorite great-aunt.  I was really glad to hear that they had visited.  This has been a tough six months for my mom, and a birthday surprise was just what she needed.  As happy as we were all to talk to her today and hear about her visitors, the best part was knowing that Grandma Jane had made it to birthday number 82.  Last June, none of us were sure that was possible.