One Year Anniversary

It absolutely amazes me that as of today, Doug has officially been at SI Goldman for one year.  I know that it was tough at first, not knowing anyone, commuting an hour and a half, and learning an entire new accounting system, but am incredibly pleased that he made the switch.  These last few months have been the happiest that I have seen Doug at work in over four years.  He has learned a lot, and we have come up with a plan that has helped with his commute as well.  Doug even has his own fan club at the Taco Bell drive thru near his workplace as the women there have his bean burrito with no onions and diablo sauce ready for him as soon as he pulls up to the order kiosk.  

It was incredibly nice to see Doug smile today when I asked him about his one-year anniversary.  His boss not only acknowledged the date but wished him many more years at SI Goldman as well. Doug also shared with me that he had no memories of working at Champion either.  I was incredibly happy to hear both.  Change is hard.  This career switch was definitely worth it.

Flights Booked

Several months ago, Cal called me to see if I was going to sign up for a Southwest credit card. If he referred me, he would earn 20,000 points which would pay for his flights at Thanksgiving. I had already been looking into it as Southwest had changed their policies and only cardholders would receive a free checked bag in the future.  They were also increasing the points that cardholders earned and had a 100,000-point promotion for new customers.  Cal checked with the credit card company and once he was assured that we would both receive our points if I signed up, I filled out the application.  I was approved quickly and began using my card as soon as possible.  

To earn the points, I had to spend $4,000 on the card.  That sounded like a lot but in the end wasn't too difficult as I stopped using any other method of payment including other credit cards, cash or checks.  I even put away my Disney Visa at Disney World during the two-month process that it took me to reach the required limit.  I was happy to see on my statement last week that I had surpassed the threshold.  It took several days for the points to appear on my Southwest account, but once they did, I got to work on booking our upcoming flights.  I first used the points for our trip to California in April.  We had talked about it for quite some time, so I was very happy to finally have it reserved.  Next, I booked Doug and my flights to Indy in January for Cameron's birthday.  I even had enough points left over to book Cameron's return flight to Indiana after Christmas break. I texted Cal when I was finished to thank him for pushing me to get the Southwest card as it officially saved us over $1,000. That was by far the biggest reward I had ever earned for signing up for a new credit card.

Moving On Up

IU played Iowa at Kinnick Stadium yesterday afternoon.  Doug and I were both nervous about the game.  Even though we had blown out Illinois, we knew that this would be a tough game.  Cameron told us that "Iowa City was where ranked teams went to die."  We believed him as playing on the road in the Big Ten was always tough, and Iowa was one of the hardest places to get a win. There was also a lot of talk this week in sports newsrooms that our win against the Illini wasn't as impressive as we thought that it was because many believed that Illinois was overrated.  We were still hopeful for an IU victory, but afraid at the same time.

Yesterday's game started off great as IU had an interception that turned into a touchdown.  I thought for a moment that maybe it would be another easy Hoosier victory like last week.  Iowa had other ideas, however, and soon were on top 10-7.  Thankfully, IU kicked a long field goal at the end of the first half to tie the game going into the locker room.  The third quarter was extremely tense as neither teamed scored and Iowa controlled the ball.  I was really worried at the beginning of the fourth quarter when Iowa went up by three.  Our offense was struggling against their defense and I wasn't sure that we would be able to score again.  

Thankfully, the Hoosiers were able to tie the game and for a while it looked as though they would be the victor as they caught another interception that we believed would turn into an easy touchdown. Unfortunately, IU's quarterback threw his first interception of the day giving the Hawkeyes prime field goal position.  By that time, I had turned my attention to the wine fridge as I was trying to hurry up the defrosting process.  I could hear the game but was way too nervous to watch.  I was actually pacing in my bedroom during the three-point kick when I heard Doug yell, "He missed it."  I couldn't believe it and ran straight to the tv to see the replay.  From there things only got better for the Hoosiers.  Our veteran wide receiver made two amazing plays back-to-back ending with a run to the endzone.  IU won the game and as a reward moved up to #8 in the rankings.  The Hoosier football fans in our family were ecstatic, and I hoped that the game would quiet the critics, at least for a little while.

Oktoberfest

For the last two years, Doug, Phil and I went to Oktoberfest at the World Equestrian Center.  We absolutely loved it.  The atmosphere, food and beer were fantastic as was the stein holding contest, but the best part was the musical group, The Swinging Bavarians.  They played traditional polka music, danced and interacted with the crowd constantly.  The three of us loved the event and made plans to go to again this year.  Phil even invited Nick and Meg to join us.  

Because of our fondness for the event, I was saddened to find out that it wasn't on the WEC's calendar this year.  Once I found that out, I started looking for other places in the area that were hosting an Oktoberfest.  I was thrilled to see that Swamphead Brewery was having one but wasn't sure that we would be able to attend since it was on a Friday and Doug usually wasn't home in time for us to go.  Fortunately, he was able to change his work schedule and last night we were able to attend their festivities.  It wasn't quite the same as the WEC and the band didn't live up to the legacy, but it was still a lot of fun.  There were Oktoberfest beers, food trucks with German dishes on the menu, and a lot of entertaining games.  My favorite moment of the night was when Doug and Meg participated in the sausage toss.  They didn't win but weren't the first ones out either.  It definitely added to the enjoyment of the evening.

Today's Oktoberfest at Infinite Aleworks wasn't quite the same as the band was a DJ playing regular music instead and the steins were filled with water during their contest, but it did still have good German food and beer for everyone.  The best part for me was that while we were downtown, we also got to go to the Ocala Market, The Peacock Cottage and Broke N' Records.  It was great way to spend a Saturday morning.  

White and Nerdy

When we went to see Ringo Starr in June, an upcoming concert caught my eye.  Weird Al Yankovich was coming to The BayCare Sound in September.   Weird Al had been a favorite of mine since the late 1970s when he first appeared on Doctor Demento's radio show.  I introduced him to my own children in the mid 2010s, and we have been listening to him ever since.  At the time each member of our family had their own favorite song of his that made the playlist rotation, and I remember one trip to Florida where Weird Al was all we listened to on the ride down.  To say that he was a family favorite was an understatement, and I really wanted to see him live.

Since the concert was on a Thursday, Doug wasn't able to go with me.  I asked Meg if she was interested, but she had to check Nick's schedule.  She had also started interviewing for jobs and wasn't sure if she would be working by the date of the concert.  The person that I really wanted to take was Brett.  I thought that he would really appreciate the concert as he was the first one of our children to own a Weird Al cd.

I am happy to say that I did make it to the concert tonight.  Nick was flying this week, and Meg had a free evening to join me.  I don't think that either one of us knew what to expect, but it was definitely a different concert than I imagined.  There were more people at the concert than at Ringo's and the crowd was a lot younger.  Both concerts were great, but Weird Al gave a way better performance than I ever dreamed.  From the moment he first appeared singing "I'm Tacky" to the encore, he was so much fun.  He sang dozens of our favorite songs including Ebay, White and Nerdy, Amish Paradise and Canadian Idiot.  He changed costumes and even wore a fat suit during the Michael Jackson spoof hit, "Fat."  There were even funny videos of him to watch during these changeovers.  As much as I loved all of his songs, my favorite moment of the night was when he told the crowd that this was the last concert of the tour and that he would take a request.  He ended up asking his guitarist for a song, and the musician instantly started playing George Harrison's "What is Life" with Weird Al joining him on vocals.  It was fantastic and I embarrassed Meg when I screamed the loudest that I had all night at the song.  Overall, it was the best concert that I had seen in years, and I am incredibly glad that Meg and I were able to go.

CCW Begins

Although I had resigned as treasurer of CCW, I was glad that the group was set to start back up this month.  I would miss several of the general meetings but was happy to still be a part of something where I had found fellowship when I moved to Ocala.  The women had already hosted a bake sale the weekend that I was in Indiana.  I was sad to miss it, but glad to have contributed a few bundt cakes.  

At the end of the first meeting, my excitement about returning to the group waned a little bit.  I was called out in front of everyone for not keeping an accurate account balance.  Nothing could have been further from the truth as I reconciled the account with the church bookkeeper before I left office.  I also had documented every expenditure and kept every receipt given to me.  When the statement was first said, I thought about demanding to know why I was being chastised for something I didn't do or storming out of the meeting.  

In the end, however, I was glad that I stayed and said nothing.  I knew my ledger was accurate and that I had nothing to hide.  I also realized that I really didn't care what someone else said. Instead of being angry, I chose to be happy that I had made a good group of friends that supported me and that was what truly mattered.  I look forward to tomorrow when "Lunch Bunch" meets where I will be surrounded by women that have been a positive influence on my faith life.  

Beautiful Bouquet

Doug worked from home all day yesterday so that he could go to various doctor's appointments.  He started with the dentist in the morning for his semi-annual cleaning.  We have a new dentist who encouraged Doug to do a lot of expensive dental work to fill the gap in his front teeth. Doug figured that he had lived with it for over thirty years, he didn't need to change it now.  

The next stop was Dr. Aich, our family doctor, whom we have grown fond of, not quite Dr. Mulry, but still a lot closer than any other physician that we have ever had.  Doug's labs were very good, and we were also glad to hear that his vitamin B12 had finally returned to a normal level.  It was nice to know the bi-weekly shots were working.  Dr. Aich focused mostly on Doug's tremor.  The medicine that the neurologist had prescribed hadn't made any difference.  The good news was that it was a lot less likely to be Parkinson's.  The bad news was that there still wasn't a clear treatment plan.  She supported us trying Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville next.  

The last appointment of the day was the dermatologist.  Doug said that was his least favorite doctor to visit especially after his melanoma diagnosis.  Thankfully, there were no suspicious spots today.  Although it was a lot of running around for Doug today, I really enjoyed having him in Ocala.  We not only got to spend a lot of time together, but he also brought me a beautiful bouquet of flowers after one his appointments.  I was absolutely surprised and appreciated them very much.  Flowers are by far my favorite gift.

Facebook Marketplace

Although I had heard about Facebook Marketplace, I had no experience with it until this past month.  It was kind of surprising that I never used the online selling service since I had been a fan of Ebay for over a decade.  I think it was the thought of meeting people in person to drop off items and pick up money that scared me.  My dad was the complete opposite of me.  He actually preferred Marketplace as he didn't have to mess with shipping in using it. There also weren't any fees when an item sold.

Now that I better understand Marketplace, I can see why my dad prefers it.  He put Brett's air conditioner from college on his page in July and sold it within an hour.  That would have never happened with Ebay.  I would have had to wait until a garage sale or donated the air conditioner because of its size.  Since he also had luck with my Raggedy Ann lamp, I decided to give it a try.  I listed the items that I had sorted through at my parents recently on my own Marketplace and waited to hear if anyone was interested.

After a couple of weeks, I do still like the Facebook page but have gotten frustrated at times.  On Ebay a person just looks at the item and bids if they are interested.  I would get some questions, but overall, it was pretty straight forward.  With Marketplace I have gotten more questions than I ever would have thought and more people asking me to make concessions on my listings.  I have also been ghosted dozens of times as individuals have offered to buy an item and not follow through with the purchase.  At first, I held those items believing that the person would keep their word.  I have quickly changed and now only hold something if that person pays me online.  I hadn't planned on shipping anything but did end up sending one of Brett's games to Michigan with the buyer paying the extra cost.

Overall, it has been a positive experience. Besides the game and air conditioner, I have also sold a large set of Brett and Karen's wedding decorations bringing our family total to well over $100.  The only part that I feel bad about is having my parents being the one to meet with the buyer.  My mom said that they don't mind and that my dad actually enjoys talking to new people.  I was also able to sell her Halloween decorations by doing it this way and hopefully, we will be able to sell even more items this fall.

Roger

Our family had received some terrible news today.  Roger, our neighbor in Syracuse of over twenty-five years, had died.  We weren't shocked as we knew that he had had a massive stroke, but it was still very sad.  The six of us knew Roger very well.  He had been giving our children rides on "John", his riding mower, since we first moved to Sunset Drive.  He always had a smile on his face and a fun story to tell. 

 

I became a lot closer to Roger after I retired from teaching.  He stopped me regularly on my daily walks to offer me candy or ask how "sis" was doing.  Meg considered him a second grandpa, and I could see why.  "Sis" loved checking in with him when she was home from school and even went out with us for his 88th birthday two summers ago. Cameron got to know Roger a lot better those last few years as well as Roger was always stopping by to check on us when Doug was traveling, even coming over on John to help rake leaves.  

I tried to visit Roger and Darlene whenever I was in Syracuse.  On my last visit, I stayed longer than normal listening to them talk about the bus trip that they had taken to Nashville and the one that they had planned to Branson. They showed me pictures of Darlene on stage with one of her favorite country singers and told me to encourage my parents to travel with them again as they had all gone to Memphis on the same bus several years ago. I also got to see photos of the children that they had "adopted" as grandchildren since their own children had all passed away.  Roger and Darlene let me know that they were more than ready for us to move back as they missed our family very much. As I pulled out of the driveway something told me that it would be my last visit with Roger.  I am sad that my thought became a reality but am incredibly thankful for a wonderful visit that I will cherish for many years to come.

IU vs. Illinois

Today had been marked on IU football fans calendars since the college schedules were released early this summer.  IU was to host Illinois in what sports media was stating would be the first big playoff determiner of the season.  The hype around the game had been so big that Memorial Stadium had been sold out since July and parking passes were gone by August 1st.  It was all that the IU football fans in our family had been talking about this week especially since sports reporters had been calling the Hoosiers out for lack of strength in schedule as our first three opponents had been walkovers. 

Because of the hype, the game was scheduled at 7:30.  We were glad that IU football was a key talking point today, but it was extremely hard to wait for it to start.  When the Notre Dame vs Purdue game was delayed due to lightening, we became worried that we wouldn't even get to see the Hoosiers play as NBC would not switch from their top money maker of the day to IU football.  Thankfully, the game started on Peacock which in the end was even better as for the first five minutes all that was shown was Memorial Stadium packed with fans waving white towels with campus in the background. It was absolutely amazing to see.

The game was close in the beginning with the Hoosiers leading 14-7 after the first quarter, but something changed shortly after the break and IU turned it up a notch.  Our football team went into the half with a 35-10 lead and never looked back winning 63-10.  It was the biggest win over a top ten team ever and stopped all of the negativity surrounding our strength of schedule.  Doug summed it up best when he told me shortly after the game ended that he could rewind it and watch it all over again.  Both Cal and Cameron called to celebrate with us. Cal had watched with his IU friends in Chicago while Cameron had a front row seat in the stadium.  Both were absolutely ecstatic.  It was definitely a top five IU football moment that none of us would forget anytime soon.   

Appreciate Your Time Before It's Too Late

 

This showed up on my social media feed recently and it actually made me smile. I doubt that was the reaction that the author expected when they posted it, but I was just so happy to see that there were others that felt exactly as I did.  Our family had endured this situation for the past ten years and I thought that we were alone in this sentiment.  

After thinking about it, my smiled faded.  The post started to make me feel sad as I realized that it wouldn't make a difference.  The grandparents that fit into this category wouldn't see the post and even if they did, it wouldn't change their behavior either because they didn't care or they were too busy blaming their children or grandchildren for the failed relationship.  I don't know about the author, but I had long ago given up on trying to mend the situation and instead focused on the grandparents who did care.  It made life a lot easier.  As the Bible verse Galatians 6:7 states "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." That is the perfect answer to any grandparent who completely disregards their grandchildren by choice.  

Raggedy Annabelle?

When I was at my parents in July, I cleaned out one of their upstairs closets where I had stored many of my childhood possessions before we moved to Florida.  These were items that I couldn't decide whether I wanted to continue to store or finally pass them on to someone else.  After looking through everything, I made some tough decisions.  One of the sets that I finally decided to give up was my Raggedy Ann and Andy collection.  I kept the rag doll Raggedy Ann that my grandma made for me long ago, but everything else went on as a set on my dad's Facebook Marketplace.  

Over the past six weeks, several people have contacted my dad about the set.  No one wanted all of the collection, instead they asked him if he could ship either the big doll or the lamp.  My dad had no interest in trying to ship anything, so I told him to wait until I got up there, and I would look into it.  Before I arrived, a local buyer asked if they could pick up the entire set the week I was in Indiana.  I was excited about that, but unfortunately, the buyer ghosted my dad.  I had had enough of the false promises, so when the next buyer asked us if we could ship the set, we said no.  My plan was to take it all off Marketplace and try another time.  

The buyer was persistent, however, and eventually, I agreed to ship the big doll to her in Ohio for a set price.  It took some work to get it all ready to go before I left my parents as we had to find a box that the doll could ship in and I had to create a Cash App account so that the buyer could pay me, but in the end, it was worth it and I was very glad to make the sell.  Raggedy Ann had been in my family for almost fifty years, and I wanted her to go to a home that would enjoy her just as much as I did.  There was no need for me to worry about that anymore.  This week the buyer shared a picture of her new "Raggedy Annabelle."  She planned on using my doll in her Halloween decorations as the creepy doll in a glass case that was first showcased in the movie, "The Conjuring" before starring in her own horror series, "Annabelle".  I loved the picture and was glad that my beloved doll had moved on to a home that truly appreciated her.  My children also thought it was the perfect answer of what to do with the doll as they had found her creepy long before the movie became a Halloween staple.  Now if we could just figure out what to do with Charlie McCarthy.

200,000 Again

Our Honda Pilot hit a milestone this month when the odometer turned 200,000 miles.  Doug and I were both excited to be in the car when it happened.  It wasn't our first Honda to hit that mark, but it definitely was the fastest.  It was also the first car that Doug and I truly shared.  Before the Pilot, we each had our own vehicle that we predominately drove - me a van, Doug the second car that got better mileage for his commute to work.  Once we gave Cameron the Odyssey and Brett gave us back the Civic, we agreed that we would share.  Thus, whichever one of us needed the Pilot would take that and whomever was staying close to home would get the Civic. 

The Pilot was also the vehicle that made the most trips to and from Florida as Doug drove down to Ocala almost half of the times that he traveled for work.  It was a great way to move our most valuable possessions once we bought a house and was an easy way for me to tag along on extended trips.  For almost a year, the Pilot was the only car we had in Florida as we sold the Civic before we left Indiana.  I wouldn't say that it was my favorite car ever as that title remains with the 2012 Honda Odyssey that is still up and running after hitting the 235,000-mile mark.  The Pilot, however, has definitely moved into second place, and I hope to keep it around to best the Odyssey's mileage record in a year or so.

IU Parking Ticket #4

Cameron texted me to let me know that he had gotten a parking ticket.  He had parked in the correct numbered lot at the stadium, but in small print the sign had read, “No overnight parking.”  I was upset when I read the text, not because he got a ticket, but because I had never heard of a space at the stadium that could only be used during the day.  I hadn’t even worried about that when he ordered the parking pass.  My only concern was that he moved it for basketball and football game days as I knew it would be towed if he didn’t.

Cameron was concerned, however.  He had never gotten a ticket before and offered to pay for it.  That made me laugh.  Obviously, he didn’t realize that this wasn’t my first rodeo with the parking office at IU.  Brett had gotten a ticket for having his parking pass turned the wrong direction in his car even though it was visible.  By the time he realized it, he had gotten a second one for the exact same infraction, even though it was obvious that he hadn’t even been to his car to see it yet.  Meg had received a ticket for parking incorrectly inside a valid spot, not over the white line, just crooked.  Cal never even told me after his first parking ticket.  He just paid them or argued with the campus parking office. 

Cameron felt a lot better after hearing all of their stories.  He felt even better when he found out that the ticket had been dismissed.  It may have been because of the eight hundred word appeal that he had written or the fact that he had a job on campus or because this was his first offense.  No matter the reason, I am sure that this won’t be our last time dealing with the campus parking office, but at least it was a positive one in the end.

Bible Study

I was sad to miss the start of Bible study last week when I was in Indiana, but was happy to be back today.  The weekly meetings had been a big part of my spiritual life last year and I couldn’t wait to learn even more this year.  I was also looking forward to seeing the women that I had gotten to know last year, and to hear about our Bible study leader’s pilgrimage this summer.

This year we will be studying Isaiah from the Old Testament.  As happy as I am to be back, I am a little bit nervous about the topic.  Isaiah’s prophecies are dark and full of fire and brimstone in the beginning.  I do not like talking about deep topics with others, so I am not sure how the study would go.  Thankfully, today went well and I was glad to be back studying with such a lively, fun group again.  I know that I will miss days this year due to travel, but am really looking forward to the ones that I can attend.

Sinus Infection Blues

While Doug and I were in Bloomington, Meg spent a miserable weekend in Orlando.  She had begun to feel sick last week and nothing she did helped including NyQuil, Mucinex, an ice pack and Vicks.  Meg was so sick that she couldn’t even drive.  Since Nick was gone this weekend as well, I told her that I would take her to the doctor as soon as I got back.  

Thankfully, Meg was able to get an appointment this morning.  It took a lot longer than I thought it would as they had to run a few tests to rule out Covid and the Flu, but it was worth it as they were able to diagnosis her with a sinus infection.  She wasn’t surprised as she had had several severe ones in the past and knew how she felt then.  They called in a prescription and Meg and I left to get lunch.

The rest of the afternoon was a quiet one at the apartment.  Meg rested and caught up on a few things when she felt up to it.  I ran several errands for her and picked up her prescription as well.  I stayed in Baldwin Park until Doug arrived so that we could all go to dinner before I headed back to Ocala.  It was nice to be home as I hadn’t been home in a week, and I looked forward to a relaxing week.  

The Runcible Spoon

 Doug and I left Columbus before Brett and Karen went to mass. Cameron had invited us to the hockey match at noon and we hoped to get breakfast with him and Cora before he had to work. We arrived shortly after 10 this  morning and the two of them picked The Runciple Spoon.  I was excited as I had never eaten there and it was a favorite of my friend Jim’s as well as Cal and Brett’s.  The restaurant was packed, but we were able to find a table inside.  The food was delicious and I absolutely loved the atmosphere. 

After breakfast, we dropped Cora and Cameron off at his van.  Cameron had to pick up pizza for the red line at the field hockey match.  Doug and I spent the next half hour driving around campus, checking out some of our favorite places from our college days.  The field hockey match was a lot of fun, but we decided to leave after the third quarter. We had enjoyed watching Cameron lead the student section, but IU was up big and we were hot sitting in the sun.  We said goodbye to him at the game as we would have to leave Bloomington before it was over.  We had just enough time to get a Diet Coke and Sink the Biz fries at Nick’s before we headed to Indy.  

Our flight was delayed when we arrived, but we were happy to see it go back to its original boarding time before we got on the plane.  The fight was an easy one and actually landed early.  Unfortunately, there was a health emergency on the plane that kept us in our seats for the next 45 minutes. It was very tense and I was extremely impressed with how well the steward handled the situation.  We were told that the person was going to be ok and was already on his way to the hospital when we disembarked.  I was very glad to hear that.  It was definitely a scary way to end such a wonderful week, but it didn’t take away from all the fun that I had had visiting our family.

Brett & Karen

Brett and Karen invited Cal, Doug and I to breakfast this morning at a local cafe that they had heard a lot of great things about.  We were excited to try it.  Since there were so many of us, we were given a room almost all to ourselves and had a wonderful morning.   We were all pleased with our meals, but the best part was the lively conversation around the table.  Cal said goodbye after breakfast.  I was sad to see him leave but appreciated spending so much time with him over the last thirty-six hours.

Once Cal left, Brett, Karen and I ran a few errands before going back to their apartment.  The complex had just resurfaced the parking lot and thankfully, they were done with the area around Brett's place. Doug and I were extremely impressed with all of the progress that Brett and Karen had made unpacking and organizing since we had last visited.  They had used some of their wedding money to purchase a stand-alone organ.  Brett hadn't had time to put it together yet but had the perfect place for it.  I was excited to see it when it was finished.

Cameron invited the four of us to meet he and Cora this afternoon in Bloomington.  He had to work the men's soccer game at 6 p.m. so we left in the mid-afternoon to catch up with them beforehand.  The six of us took a walk together.  Everyone was still very excited about the IU game from last night and talked a lot about that.  Karen picked Upland for an early dinner which worked out perfectly since it was only a block away from Cameron's apartment.  It was a great meal, and we enjoyed the time together.  We talked a lot about music and what would make the perfect third quarter song for the Hoosiers.  Florida had "Won't Back Down" by Tom Petty and Wisconsin had "Jump Around."  Everyone agreed that IU needed something, but what that song was hadn't been solved yet.  I liked "Small Town" by Mellencamp, but Cameron wanted something more modern.  We were all interested to see what the athletic department picked.

After Cora and Cameron left, the four of us talked about going to the soccer game.  Karen had never been to one and was very interested.  She also wanted to watch Notre Dame football tonight.  We left the decision up to her as we were happy doing either one.  In the end, she decided to go home and watch the game which gave Brett, Doug and I the perfect excuse to play Germany Ticket to Ride - a wonderful evening for all.

Friday Night Lights

Today was absolutely fantastic.  Once we checked out of the Union, Doug, Cal and I met Cameron on Kirkwood to check out several of the varsity shops.  The weather was beautiful, and we all had a lot of fun shopping.  Brett was in Bloomington for a doctor's appointment and was able to go to lunch with the guys at Buffalouie's.  They chose a table outside so that I could join them with the acai that I had gotten from Everbowl.  

After lunch, Cameron took an Uber over to the stadium as he was working the football game for his internship.  Brett left for his appointment while the three of us went to Oliver Winery.  Cal and Doug took advantage of our wine club membership's free monthly wine tasting.  They both really enjoyed the wine, and Cal took a bottle home to share with Maggie.  We then made a stop at Upland's Brewery as Cal had not been there in a long time.  It was lot of fun, and I enjoyed being everyone's chauffeur.   

Next, we headed to the stadium next as we wanted to be at the game early.  We knew that it wouldn't be crowded but hoped that we would be able to take advantage of the handicap parking by the stadium.  We made it in without any issues and were extremely impressed with the area.  It was walkable for me and even had a few places to tailgate if we had wanted.  As soon as we got out of the car, we noticed that the IU cheerleaders and Red Steppers were outside Assembly Hall with the IU Marching Hundred.  I thought that it was just a pep rally until Doug pointed out all of the fans lined up waiting to welcome the team to Memorial Stadium.  I had never seen this before, but Doug had taken Cameron many times when he was in high school.  We all decided to stay and watch.  Cameron even joined us for a little while as he was stationed nearby.  Overall, it was a lot more impressive than I thought that it would be with the team even high fiving fans as they walked through the line.  

Once the players went into the stadium, we headed to B-Town Blvd.  Cameron had scored us tickets for a free meal, and we wanted to listen to the band as well.  We decided to go into the game over a half hour early so that we could find our seats and see the new mascot in action.  We also knew that Cameron would be on the field holding the Indiana state flag and hoped to catch a glimpse of him as well.  In the end, the game was so much fun. The Hoosier Bison was awesome.  He led the team onto the field by motorcycle.  We not only saw Cameron holding the Indiana flag, but at several other times as well.  The game was an absolute blow out with IU beating Indiana State 73-0.  None of us could believe how awesome the day was and talked about nothing else on the way to Brett and Karen's.