A Bonus Day

When I invited Brett down to celebrate his 30th birthday this month, we went through all of the dates that worked for the three of us and chose this weekend.  As our main activity was going to the Epcot Festival of the Arts, I quickly booked a hotel for us for Sunday night and then Brett picked out his flight schedule to coincided with the plans.  When I went to purchase Brett's Disney tickets, I realized that because of a special that they were running, it was actually cheaper to buy a three-day park pass instead of a two.  Because of the non-Disney plans that we had already made, I thought that we would only use the two days but was alright with that since it was still more economical to have the three-day ticket even if we didn't use it all.  After talking to Brett and Doug, we realized that Brett and I would have time to use it if we planned a short day for lunch at Magic Kingdom.  He was more than ready to do that, and I was looking forward to hanging out at one of our favorite places for a few hours. 

Doug offered to pick Brett up for me last night, since I had a CCW meeting and he would be close to the airport.  I appreciated that and assumed that they would drive back, order pizza and I would meet them here.  It dawned on the both of us this week that it might make more sense for them to stay in Orlando, so Doug would have a short drive to work, and Brett would be close to Magic Kingdom in the morning.  I wasn't sure when I would be able to meet them but decided to book a hotel and figure that out later.  To my surprise, there was a Spark by Hilton halfway in between S.I. Goldman and Disney that was only a $108.  I booked it right away and we were all amazed by how nice it was for the cost.

Doug left this morning for work before we were ready to go to Magic Kingdom.  He enjoyed the relatively short drive, and we appreciated being able to almost make rope drop this morning.  Due to our plans tonight, Brett and I knew that we only had five hours at the park and decided to just enjoy anything and everything that we could get done.  Peter Pan had a relatively short wait compared to normal, so we went straight there after watching the Dapper Dans drive by singing to all of the guests.  Both of us had fun in the interactive queue and loved the ride as always.  From there, we headed to the new Country Bear Jamboree since Brett had not seen it yet.  Pirates of the Caribbean was next on the agenda before ordering lunch at Pinocchio Haus where we were able to grab a highly sought after table overlooking the Small World ride. Before our time was up, we were also able to catch Haunted Mansion and The Little Mermaid rides ending a fantastic day at Magic Kingdom.

Our trip home was an easy one with only one accident slowing us down.  Meg called to check in with us and Brett and I were able to finish his RSVP list for the wedding while catching up on political news.  We pulled into the driveway a few minutes before Doug ready for our night out in Ocala with dinner at Crazy Cucumber and a game of Catan with Uncle Phil.

Letting the Good Out Way the Bad

Some days bad things happen that are pretty hard to overlook.  Today was one of those, and I worked very hard not to let the bad overshadow all of the good that happened.  One person tried to ruin the happiness that I was feeling by bullying her way into my life.  For the first time in a long time, I didn't let that happen.  Instead, I focused on everything that was positive going on in my life.  It helped that both Robbi and Meg were available to listen to how I felt including why I was tired of the negativity that one person was causing.  I also knew that I had the backing of someone that believed that I was doing the best that I could for the group that I had come to really enjoy.  So instead of being upset or crying, I focused on all the wonderful things that I had going on today.  

First, I was absolutely ecstatic that the new stove I ordered last week was delivered this morning.  Even the delivery guys were impressed that we still had the original stove that was installed in our home twenty-one years ago.  The new one looked awesome in our home and reminded me that soon we would have an updated kitchen for a lot less than either Doug or I thought it would cost.  Second, I was able to complete everything on my list today before I left for my meeting at the church.  I cleaned the bathrooms, went grocery shopping, got gas, stopped at the bank and packed for tomorrow.  I even had time to pick up a few refills for my Yankee Candle plug-ins at the mall.  

Tonight, my meeting went very well even though I thought one person treated me poorly.  I had worked very hard this week to remedy a tough situation and felt that that wasn't appreciated by all.  Thankfully, I didn't let that bother me and really enjoyed the fellowship that I found tonight and the positive comments that I received from many in the group.  The best part of all of the day, however, happened after my meeting.  I met Doug and Brett in Orlando to start Brett's 30th birthday celebration.  Doug had picked him up at the airport and they had enjoyed dinner at Rock N Brews before I got there.  I appreciated the soft pretzel that they brought me and had a lot of fun with the two of them before turning in for the evening. 

Overall, I was incredibly proud of myself tonight for not letting the negativity of today ruin all of the good that happened.  It was challenging to do so, but I was so glad that I did.  It made all of the difference and helped me to enjoy this evening very much.  

Cabrini

Brett pre-ordered me the movie "Cabrini" for Mother's Day last spring.  I was excited to see it as I hadn't been able to catch it when it was in movie theaters.  It took a while to come in, but last fall he was finally able to give me the physical copy of the movie.  Because I had been watching the series, Chicago Fire, I decided to wait until I finished that to start Cabrini.  Last week, I looked at the place I had stored the film on my television stand and realized that it was missing.  I looked through the house, not believing that I had misplaced it as that was very unusual for me.  I had almost given up when it dawned on me that I might have put it away with the Christmas movies when I took down the holiday decorations.  I decided today that the only way to find out was to pull the tubs out of Doug's closet and look for it. After moving one Christmas Hippo, a Santa pig and five heavy tubs, I finally found it in the last one in the back corner.  I was incredibly happy and started the movie right away.

The reason that I really wanted to watch Cabrini wasn't just because Brett gave it to me.  I knew that one of the worst parts of Chicago when Doug lived there in the early 1990s was called Cabrini Green. It was notorious for gang violence, drugs and run-down tenements.  I had never forgotten the story of how Doug had gotten lost there one night on a way to a pick-up basketball game and a Good Samaritan found him and directed him to the church where he was meeting his group.  Although that entire area had now been renovated, I hoped by watching the movie, I would understand why an infamous part of the Windy City's history was named after a canonized nun.

I thought that it would take me several days to finish the movie, but once I started it, I couldn't stop watching.  The film begins in Italy with Mother Cabrini wanting to start an empire of orphanages in China.  The pope refused her request multiple times until he finally agreed to meet with her and listen to what she wanted to do in person.  After hearing her pleas, he consented to support her mission with one stipulation - she starts in New York with the Italian immigrants.  

The film moved fast from that point on and the plight of the people that she was chosen to help was depicted very well on the screen.  There were a lot of intense moments and several heart touching ones as well.  I learned a lot about the strength of character that Mother Cabrini had even though she struggled with poor health throughout her life.  Overall, it was a fantastic movie that I believe that everyone would enjoy.

Cignetti Talks

Tonight, Cameron had tickets to see Coach Cignetti talk at the IU Auditorium.  Instead of a speech, it was set up as a question-and-answer session with the students.  Cameron was really looking forward to it and I know from his reaction afterward, he really enjoyed it.  I wasn't surprised as he had been an IU football fan for as long as I could remember and thought that Cignetti was one of the best if not the best coach in college football.  Cameron especially enjoyed the coach's confidence and his plan for the program's future.  

While Cameron was talking about his night, I instantly thought back to the days when Coach Knight did this while I was at IU.  Knight was bigger than life when I was a student.  The talks made a huge impression on me, and I remembered them vividly as basketball was such an important part of my IU experience. I was glad that Cameron got to feel the same excitement that I did over thirty years ago.  He also told me that no other IU coach had done a student talk since that time period.  Thus, I was extremely happy that Cameron got to be a part of something special even if it was a different sport.  

Jeopardy Tournament of Champions

Last summer when I stayed at my parents for three weeks, my dad, Cameron and I watched a lot of episodes Jeopardy.  I had been playing Jeopardy against my dad since I was in high school, so I loved it that Cal and Cameron had carried on the tradition.  This summer there were some very memorable champions, one from West Lafayette who won a lot of money, another one who was also a veteran of Survivor and a third who was extremely charismatic and a little bit eccentric.  We all really enjoyed it.

When I saw that the Tournament of Champions was on while my dad was staying with us this winter, I suggested that we watch it.  I was even more excited about it when I saw that all three of our favorites from the summer were semi-finalists this year.  My dad and I didn't get to watch every episode before he left, but I was able to finally finish it up today.  I was sad to see that all three of my favorites would not be in the final Jeopardy rounds when Drew lost his semifinal round but was glad that I would still be able to cheer for Adrienna and Isaac.  It took six exciting rounds to crown a champion, and even though it wasn't one of the two that I was cheering for, I did have a lot of fun watching the tournament.  The best part was that on the very last day, they showed the exhibition match between Drew, Adrienna and Isaac.  It was only for practice, but I thought it was the best game of the season.  I probably will take a break from Jeopardy for a while since I have no one to play against, but it sure was fun watching it this past year.

SNL 50th Anniversary

Doug and I enjoyed our hotel stay last night.  It was at a Hilton in Port St. Lucie.  There was a PGA course surrounding it and a lot of golfers at the hotel as well.  We were able to get a drink at the bar before heading to the room.  On our way home this morning, we had fun catching up with all of our children.  Each one shared their Valentine's celebrations with us.  Brett spent yesterday in New Albany with Karen where they not only celebrated Valentine's Day but his birthday as well.  Cal took Maggie to an Italian restaurant, and I was pretty sure that he was only joking that they had side salads and tap water since he was paying.  Nick had to fly on Friday, so he and Meg celebrated yesterday with a delicious homemade dinner and a strawberry cake that Meg said was fantastic.  Since Cameron and Cora were attending the IU game on Friday night, they shared a Valentine's Day lunch together.  She had never been to Dat's, so he decided that would be the perfect place to go and they both liked their meals very much.  Cora also liked her homemade smoothie, and they had a lot of fun making a cheesecake together.  Doug and I not only had time to talk to everyone before we made it back home, we also were able to stop at Portillo's in Orlando for lunch.  I hadn't been in quite some time and was very glad that Doug had suggested it.

Tonight, Doug and I set aside time to watch the SNL 50th anniversary show.  There had been a lot of hype surrounding the program especially on talk radio and we couldn't wait to see it.  Although I enjoyed it, it wasn't quite what I thought that it would be.  There were a lot of old cast members in attendance, but the skits were mostly based on new material and weren't that funny to me.  I did really like the Black Jeopardy sketch and the 50th anniversary tribute song by Adam Sandler, but a lot of the other parts just weren't that great or were way too long in my opinion.  Even so, Doug and I were both glad that we had watched it.  It was a nice walk down memory lane as we both remembered all of the years that we spent our Saturday nights watching our favorite comics.  It was also a great way to end an awesome Valentine's weekend.

Palm Beach

Several months ago, my Aunt Jan texted me to let me know that she would be staying in Palm Beach this weekend and that Jackie and Jeannette's families would be visiting her there.  As I knew that it wouldn't really work to take my parents to see Aunt Jan earlier in the month while they were in Ft. Lauderdale, I thought this would be the perfect time for Doug and I to take a road trip.  We would not only be able to visit my family, but we would also get to see a part of Florida that we had never visited.  Even though it was only a little over three hours from our home, we decided to make a mini-vacation and stay overnight while we were traveling.

For a little while this morning, I started to regret that I had suggested the trip.  There was an accident on the turnpike that added a half hour to our trip and the traffic close to Palm Beach added another one.  Because of the delay, our lunch plans quickly changed to finding a place to grab a sandwich somewhere along the way.  Even that got stressful as there was nowhere easy to stop and the only toll plaza along the way was completely packed with not one parking space open.  

Thankfully, once we arrived in Palm Beach, the trip got a lot better.  We found a KFC with a drive thru for a late lunch and we got to the Henry Flagler Museum with enough time to tour the mansion.  We absolutely loved it.  We learned a lot about Flagler and his role in developing tourism from St. Augustine through Key West and enjoyed looking at the extravagance of the gilded age.  The older that I have gotten, the more I can see the waste of that time period, but it definitely was a beautiful home, and I was glad that his granddaughter had preserved that time in history.

Doug and I met Aunt Jan at her hotel after our tour.  She had just checked-in, and Uncle Lee was laying down.  It sounded like he may have picked up a bug while at their last stop.  We were sorry to hear that but had fun visiting with her while waiting for Jackie and Jeannette's families to arrive.  It was so nice to see everyone.  They were happy to be done traveling and everyone was looking forward to a week on the beach.  We hung out with the Barnhart family for the next four hours, eating dinner and catching up.  We were excited to hear about Evan's thoughts on going to IU next fall, and I was glad to have given Anna her Valentine's Day gift in person.  I always have fun with Joshua and Benjamin.  They were definitely ready to eat dinner, look for lizards and hop in the pool.  Overall, it was a wonderful time in Palm Beach, and I was extremely thankful that we were able to visit my family.  I don't know how much I will be in Syracuse this summer with Cameron going to Greece, Meg moving to Orlando and Brett's wedding, so it meant a lot to me that they were able to keep some time open on their vacation to visit with us.  

Valentine's Day

Today was one of the most low-key Valentines that we have had in our 30+ years together. That didn’t mean that it wasn’t a great one, however. Doug had to work, but once we got home, we both enjoyed the night very much. We met at MVB Appliance to pick out a new stove and microwave so that we could move forward with our kitchen project. Afterward, we debated about going to dinner but decided that we didn’t want to fight the crowds and went home to enjoy Doug’s homemade fire-roasted, turkey sausage spaghetti sauce with linguine. Dessert was Valentine's cookies from Crumbl, Doug's favorite bakery in Ocala.

While Doug was making dinner, my sofa table arrived, and I started putting it together right away. It fit perfectly in our home and made the living room look complete.  Our entertainment for the evening was The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly soundtrack on vinyl that I gave to Doug for Valentines, followed by a very close IU versus UCLA basketball game. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers lost once again, but we didn’t let that ruin the night. We had learned over the last 30 years that Valentine’s Day wasn’t about being extra extravagant but instead about enjoying each other’s company. That was exactly what we did this evening.

Brett's Birthday

Brett turned thirty today which seemed almost impossible to me.  I just couldn't imagine that we were old enough to have a child who was thirty.  When I thought back to the day that he was born, it felt almost like I was watching a movie of the event. Doug's memory was a lot more vivid.  He had to meet one of his peers before we left for the hospital to pass on the work files.  He talked about the railroad tracks that we had to drive over and the pain that it caused me.  He still thought that it was funny that our doctor wanted Brett to take a little bit longer so that he could finish watching Jeopardy.  I could remember everything that Doug talked about from that day, but it just seemed surreal.  Either way we both enjoyed sharing our reminisces with Brett when he got off of work and looking at all of the pictures that I posted on Facebook in honor of his milestone birthday.  

As fun as it was wishing Brett a Happy Birthday and talking about the day that he was born, what I enjoyed most on his thirtieth birthday was knowing how much our family values each other.  Each one of Brett's siblings had reached out to him to wish him a wonderful day, make plans to get together or talk about their recent visit with him.  They had all done the same on Cameron's birthday in January and would again in March for Meg's and in May for Cal's.  With Meg's marriage to Nick, Brett's upcoming one to Karen and Cal's long-term relationship with Maggie blossoming, it was nice to know that soon we would have a lot more birthdays on the calendar to celebrate.  There are always times like today when I miss being a mom of young children, but having adult children has been so much more rewarding than I could have ever dreamed.  Brett turning thirty makes me feel really old, but it doesn't take away the fun I have had being a mom then or now.  

Are New Kitchen Counters a Possibility?

Over the weekend, Doug and I went through all of our finances.  We had been able to save more over the past few years than we originally thought we would and wanted to make the best choices of what we could with that money.  One item that we both agreed upon was paying off Meg's loan.  We had hoped that Biden's loan forgiveness would pass, but it didn't, and we knew that the new administration was against any type of education breaks.  Another important budget item for us was to add to my IRA and Doug's 401K.  The topic of retiring had been discussed by us a lot lately, and although it wasn't on the near horizon we wanted to make sure that we kept on top of our savings.  

Once we got through the majority of the items on our list, I brought up updates to the house.  Last fall, I had come up with several projects that needed addressed around the house.  I got a quote for one of them specifically and researched the cost of the others.  I realized after looking at the list that I really didn't want to spend the money.  I decided instead to do some of the projects on my own, like the cabinet and sink in the garage.  It turned out so well and I saved so much money that I thought that I would wait and see if my dad could help me with the items that needed fixed or updated in my bathroom.  I was very impressed with how that turned out and the money that it saved us as well.  

With all of the savings and repairs that I finished on my own or with help, I decided to bring up the one household project that I couldn't do in our house, replacing the kitchen countertops.  Doug definitely agreed that although they were functional, they were outdated.  Thus, we came up with a budget for the project and I made plans to call a local countertop store in Ocala that had very good reviews.  Within a few hours, they had sent me pictures of granite that would match my kitchen and told me how to come up with measurements so that they could give me a quote.  Imagine my surprise when the cost was half of what I thought it would be.  With that information I could also replace the twenty-one-year-old stove and microwave.  When I added it to what I spent on the bathroom and garage project, I was at half of what I originally thought that I would have to spend last fall.  That was definitely good news, and we agreed to move forward.  I was thrilled and happy to know that I would soon be done with household projects.

Wedding Dress Blues Solved

Last week, my mom and I spent a lot of time looking for a dress that she could wear to Brett's wedding this summer.  I thought we found the perfect one at JC Penney, but neither of us found it to be too flattering once she tried it on.  Belk's didn't have anything either which really surprised.  My mom decided to take a break and look once she returned to Indiana.

While we were shopping, Meg ordered a bridesmaid dress to try on at home for herself.  She sent pictures and we both absolutely loved it.  With everyone looking, I started to panic.  I had already ordered a dress from Amazon that I thought would be perfect.  It fit, but it just didn't look that great, and I would have felt extremely self-conscious in it.  I decided to go back to where I originally found the one for Meg's wedding and order from there.  It would be more expensive, but they had a home try on option that would allow me to order several dresses and then pick out the best one for me.  Meg and I found a couple for me to try.

My dresses arrived today, and I was super nervous about trying them on.  Finding a dress for my children's wedding is the hardest part for me.  I know that we will be taking pictures that will hang on my wall for quite some time, and I want to look good in them.  It's not about vanity but more that I don't want to stick out with one that is too tight or one that is extremely low cut.  Thankfully, both dresses fit tonight, and I thought one of them was perfect for me.  Meg, my mom and Doug all agreed.  I would still need to order it in a different color as the pink one available for try on almost looked white, but that was an easy remedy.  The best part was that the stress that I was feeling about getting a dress for Brett's wedding was over.  Now I could move on to a lot more fun projects for his and Karen's big day.

Let the Search Begin

Over the weekend, we heard news that Mike Woodson would be retiring from coaching at the end of this basketball season.  None of us were shocked.  IU's season had been a challenging one for all involved.  There were a lot of close games, but not a lot of victories.  We also lost several games that were decided within the first few minutes of tipoff.  There were even a few loses to teams that we should have beaten easily.  Overall, it was just a disappointing season, especially with the hype surrounding the team last November.  

Even though I truly wanted Mike Woodson to succeed and I loved watching this team, I was ready for something else.  I do not know if a new coach will help, but it is worth trying at this point.  Cameron was a Woodson hold out for a long time, but after being at the game where the team and coach were booed off the court, even he supported the change.  Neither Doug nor I have any idea who would make a good replacement coach.  Cal still longs for the days of Tom Crean.  Cameron has jumped on the Brad Stevens bandwagon.  My Dad has talked about Bruce Pearl.  From what I have read, I do not think that it will be any of these three.  Either way, it has made for some fun conversation and a lot of speculation.  

Generational Gap

Every generation has a different idea of what looks fashionable.  When I was little, bell bottoms and halter tops were popular.  Hair was long, especially on men and most males sported facial hair as well.  In the 1980s, big hair was all the rage, and everyone rolled up their jeans to show off their Vans.  Because I realized long ago that fashion was for the young, I never really got too caught up in how my children dressed or what they thought was popular.  Thus, when Cameron called to tell me that he was thinking of painting his nails, I wasn't surprised at all.  My only response was to wait until he did not have an interview coming up as it may not be Kelley school appropriate, but otherwise it sounded good to me.

I know that not every parent would feel the same way that I do, but I always figured that unless it was a permanent change to one's body, there was no reason to get all jazzed up about fashion.  Cameron has definitely pushed the envelope with his appearance more than any of his siblings, but that was to be expected.  He was the youngest and had attended a fairly liberal school.  Long hair, earrings and now painted nails didn't surprise me.  Fashion had become a lot more gender neutral than even ten years ago when Brett was in college.  Males do not have as much problem showing their feminine side and Cal had already pointed out that both Caleb Williams and Miles Rice had painted their nails as well.  Meg did have one suggestion - paint them a neutral, dark color such as black, brown, navy, etc.  

This weekend, Cameron sent me a picture of his new olive-green nails.  Cora had painted them for him, and they did look very nice.  She had already given him tips on how to keep them from getting chipped and I reminded him that they would take some care to keep them looking nice.  I realize that not everyone will think that his new fashion statement looks great, especially those in the older generation, but overall, I like Cameron expressing himself in a way that makes him feel good and does not cause harm to anyone.  That is what is most important.  

Festival of the Arts

When Brett and I met with Men's Wearhouse in January, they strongly suggested that we have all of the men in Brett and Karen's wedding get fitted within the month as the suit that Brett picked out was extremely popular.  Everyone did a great job of it, and we all loved Jovie's picture of Norman getting ready to be the "ringbearer of the year."  As the deadline grew closer this weekend, however, I realized that Doug, Cal and Andrew still needed fitted.  Cal had told me that he was going on Sunday and Brett had heard from Andrew that he had plans to get fitted soon as well. 

Knowing that we had a free weekend, I decided that I would set aside time for Doug to go to Men's Wearhouse today.  The only other decision that we had to make was which store to choose.  The two closest ones were in Gainesville and the Orlando area. We talked at first about going to Gainesville, but we had been there a lot lately and instead planned to go to the one in Winter Garden.  As an added bonus, we would be able to get lunch at the Epcot Festival of the Arts as well.

There were a few hiccups in our plans.  It was an hour wait at Men's Wearhouse and the traffic into Epcot was crazy.  Thankfully, we survived both and had a great time as well.  Doug got fitted and the food at the festival was delicious. We also enjoyed the art booths a lot.  The crowds were heavy and the lines were a little long, but overall, it was a great day.  We enjoyed the sunshine, and I was even able to pick up the newest passholder magnet.  I was exhausted when we got home, but thankful for a wonderful day that we both enjoyed very much.  

On Our Own

For the first time since January 20, Doug and I were alone tonight. We both love visiting our family and hosting them, but it was nice just to relax in a quiet house all by ourselves. We ordered Doug’s favorite pizza from Marco’s, sat on the back porch with the Tiki‘s lit, got out the ticket to ride board, and watched several episodes of Modern Family.

We did hear from all of our children tonight, which was very nice. We were glad that they were enjoying their evening as well. Living in Florida is a lot different than I ever thought it would be. We have a lot more visitors and we travel more, but overall, we absolutely love it here in Ocala and are thankful for nights like these to share in between the hustle and bustle of our busy life.

Safely Back to Indiana

I was really glad that we stayed in Tampa last night as I woke up at 1:30 a.m. and couldn't fall back to sleep.  I was surprised as I had fallen asleep well before 9:30, but for whatever reason, I couldn't sleep more than four hours.  Thankfully, I did not have a long drive to the airport and was able to get my parents to Tampa International well before their 7:10 a.m. flight time.  In the end it worked out very well that we were early as I had never checked a bag at Tampa.  We found the Southwest counter fairly quickly and checked in their bags easily.  While we were there, I asked if I could get an all-gate pass to go with my parents to the terminal.  I had never tried before and was extremely pleased that they would allow it.  I knew that would make my parents trip through the terminal a lot easier.

I was surprised to see short lines at security as Orlando is usually packed first thing in the morning.  Fortunately, that was not the case today, and we found their gate without any issues.  My parents grabbed drinks once we arrived at our seats and enjoyed the muffins they brought.  I was happy to see that the plane was already there, so all we had to do was relax and wait for their A boarding passes to be called.  Once my parents scanned in, I headed back to the hotel.  I grabbed a bagel for breakfast and went straight to the room.  I was exhausted and ready for a nap.  

I was up and ready to go home well before check-out time at 11 a.m.  I called my parents once I got onto I-75 to see how they fared in the Indianapolis airport.  They had no issues finding the baggage claim, getting their luggage, and catching the shuttle to economy parking.  We had found a spot right next to the shelter two weeks ago, so I knew that they would find their car without any issue.  I was a little bit worried about the ice storm that hit Northern Indiana last night, so I was glad to hear that they did not have any issues on the way home.  

It had been a great two weeks with my parents here in Florida.  My dad was able to play a lot of golf and my mom and I had fun shopping.  Although I didn't win any games of Oh Hell, it was great to play one of our favorite card games. We tried a few local restaurants while they were here and enjoyed Doug's homecoming as well.  I especially appreciate all of the help around the house while they were here.  My mom and I replanted multiple outdoor pots and went grocery shopping multiple times.  My dad helped me replace all of the outdoor outlet covers, fix the doorbell (ok, it only needed batteries, but I still appreciated it), replaced my sink drain, repaired a leaky faucet, showed me how to replace an old faucet handle and encouraged me to try Lime Away on my water-stained bathroom countertop.  For less than $50, my bathroom looked fantastic for which I was extremely thankful.  Overall, it was a great vacation for them and a nice visit for us.

Tampa

Today was my parents last full day in Florida and we made the most of it.  My dad and I played Jeopardy, then the three of us caught up on Chicago Fire and Chicago PD finishing two of the best episodes that I had seen in quite some time.  We then finished the last of the projects on my to-do list before heading south.

Since my parents' flight was extremely early tomorrow morning, we decided to get a hotel in Tampa.  Everything near the airport was over $400, so I chose a Spark by Hilton twenty minutes away that saved us $300. It ended up being very nice and close to several restaurants for dinner.  Before we checked in to the hotel, I took my parents to the beach that we found when we dropped Cameron off at the airport in November.  Traffic was heavy, but I was glad that we made the trip.  The beach was beautiful as always and driving there gave me the opportunity to see our path in the morning while it was still light.  

After enjoying the sunshine, sand and view of the bay, we headed to the hotel to check-in.  The staff was extremely friendly and our room was very clean.  I had seen that there was a Ford's Garage nearby and suggested it for dinner.  We stopped at the darkest 7-11 that I had ever seen beforehand, but we had a full tank for the drive tomorrow before we ate.  Ford's Garage was louder than normal, but my parents enjoyed the food and the atmosphere.  I was glad as it was one of our family's favorites.  None of us stayed up late, as we had to get up at 4 a.m. this morning, but we did have time to enjoy some television in the room before falling asleep.

Nerd Status

Cameron decided to sign up for bowling this semester.  It was a one credit class that he would take at the IMU bowling alley where he would learn tips to become a better bowler and how to keep score on his own.  He was excited to take it as he had always enjoyed bowling.  I remembered that Doug had really liked taking Health, Physical Education and Recreation classes at IU like bass fishing and volleyball, so I knew that Cameron would enjoy his HYPR class as well.  

The bowling class turned into Cameron joining an intramural bowling league with one of his roommates and several of the guys from SAB.  He knew that he might be the weakest one on his team but was really excited about it anyway.  Cora was also in a bowling league, so they went to Classic Lanes and practiced a few times before it started.  Cameron's goal was to break a hundred each time he bowled in the league and have fun as well.

After his most recent match, a video of him bowling a strike showed up on our camera reel.  It was fun to watch and nice to see Cameron having a great time with his friends.  Meg sent me a message shortly after I saw the video to let me know what a nerd Cameron was for his newfound interest in bowling.  She then gave him a hard time about "celebrating like he won the Super Bowl" just because he bowled a strike.  He instantly disagreed and an all-day debate continued between the two of them on whether Cameron was a nerd or not for being on a bowling league.

I heard Meg's story for most of the day, but Cameron did call to give his side.  He felt that he wasn't a nerd for being on an intramural bowling team and that the video was actually really cool.  I stopped him after a few minutes and broke the bad news to him.  For the first time in a long time, I actually agreed with Meg.  There was no way that Cameron could argue that being on a bowling team wasn't nerdy.  In fact, it may have solidified his nerd status in the Heinisch family.  It didn't mean that I wasn't impressed with the video, but that it was pretty hard to argue against Meg's point after seeing it.  He let me know that he was "disappointed" as a boy's mom was always supposed to support him in everything he does.  I disagreed again and explained that I would always support him, but there was no way that I could say that he was not a nerd while he is taking a bowling class and was part of a bowling league.  He finally reluctantly agreed with me.

A Strange Diet

For whatever reason, I have always been able to gain weight a lot easier than my peers.  Thus, I have been watching my weight since I was in seventh grade, and have spent a lifetime of limiting snacks, staying away from fried foods and cutting my portions.  Last spring, my new family physician suggested trying a Mediterranean diet instead, naturally limiting the amount of sugar that I ate.  I was amazed at how easy it was to follow and how quickly I lost thirty pounds.  It also helped to greatly reduced my familial high cholesterol which had grown to a dangerous level.

The Mediterranean diet not only benefitted me from a health standpoint, but it also helped me pinpoint a problem that I had been having for the last fifteen years with intestinal issues.  With the new way of eating, I had reduced my intake of dairy products and noticed a difference right away.  I then started taking note of other foods that were causing issues.  The next one to go was lettuce.  My body just couldn't handle it.  Egg intolerance was a recent one that I added to the list.  Lastly, over the weekend, I decided that corn would now be avoided at all costs.  I know this leaves me with some odd choices to eat at times, especially when we go out to dinner as cheese is an add on in almost every dish.  I will also miss taco salads, corn casserole and my daily lunch of egg whites and tuna.  I will keep eating "weird" however, as it sure beats the consequences.  

Although Doug really enjoys the Mediterranean diet, I told him that I didn't expect him to follow it as closely as I had too recently.  He should definitely continue eating the foods that he loves, but I did have one request. I hoped to limit M & Ms in our home and some of my other favorite candies.  Even though I knew they weren't good for me, I realized that I wouldn't be able to resist them.  He had no problem with that, and I appreciate him changing his lifestyle for my strange diet.

A Wonderful Weekend for All

I heard from all of our children this weekend and was glad to learn that each of them had enjoyed the past two days.  Brett went to Karen's where they attended mass and worked on wedding plans including some wine tasting at several local wineries.  Cal hung out at Maggie's enjoying his newfound drink, tea with honey.  He hadn't gotten used to the taste, but it did help with his ear pain.  They also went to out to dinner with Maggie's parents for restaurant week which they both really liked.

Meg invited Gabrielle up for the weekend.  They tried press-on nails, went to dinner and baked.  Meg really enjoyed catching up with her longtime friend.  Cameron spent quite a bit of time with SAB this weekend, including coaching an intramural basketball game at Assembly Hall and attending the IU women's basketball game, several tennis matches and wrestling as well.  

Besides spending time with Doug, the best part of my weekends is always hearing about the adventures of my children.  It is incredibly nice to know that all of them are happy and have friends or significant others in their lives that make their weekends entertaining.  I look forward to hearing about what they have planned next.