New Year's Eve

For only the second time since we had children, Doug and I spent our New Year's Eve home and alone.  It didn't start out that way as Nick and Meg had planned on coming out for the night. Unfortunately, his flight tomorrow was changed to 6 a.m. making it impossible for them to join us for the evening and get back to Orlando in time for his morning trip.  Thankfully, we did all still have a very enjoyable evening.  Doug and I watched the Twilight Zone and the college football playoffs while playing Ticket to Ride, and Meg and Nick caught the finale of Stranger Things as it premiered. 

The four of us weren't the only ones in our family having fun.  Cameron went to the Rose Bowl fest in Pasadena this afternoon and out to dinner with Cora's family at night to celebrate the holiday.  Cal and Maggie also spent the evening out enjoying a wonderful dinner together after watching the movie, Marty Supreme.  Brett and Karen had a great evening as well attending the Ray family's annual karaoke party.  I enjoyed hearing from all of them and was very happy that each one was able to celebrate in such a fun manner and end 2025 on a high note.

Lottery Bingo

I woke up early this morning and checked to see if anyone was up. I was happy to see that Cal had just started the movie Piranha and sat down to watch it with him.  I had not seen it since it originally came out in the late 1970s. Cal had read that Stephen Spielberg said that it was the best of all of the Jaws copycat movies, and we could see why.  Even the "evil" resort owner who refused to believe that there were man-eating fish in the river was an exact copy of the mayor from Jaws. Although it wasn't quite the thriller that the killer shark movie was, we both enjoyed it very much.

Once it was over and everyone was packed for their return trips to the Midwest, we headed to 7-11.  I needed gas and Cal wanted to turn in his $3 winning lottery ticket.  He used it to buy another one and had fun playing "Lottery Bingo" on the way to Orlando.  Traffic was light and we had plenty of time to pick up Nick and make it to Rock N Brews before Karen and Brett needed to be at the airport.  The service at the restaurant made Mellow Mushroom look fast last night, but none of us really minded.  It gave the guys time to debate politics while I watched some of my favorite music videos from the 1970s and 1980s.  

The three of us dropped Karen and Brett at the Orlando Airport two hours before their flight.  Karen texted that TSA was a nightmare, but they made it to their terminal well before their boarding time.  On our way back to Nick's, both he and Cal picked up more Lottery Bingo tickets.  None of the cards were winners, but they had fun playing them just the same.  Cal turned on football while we waited for Meg and Doug to arrive.  Doug offered to take Cal to the airport so that I could head back home before it got too late.  I visited with Meg for a little while before taking off.  I was definitely tired from the activity over the past four days but made it to Ocala with no problem.  I spent the rest of the evening in my chair, resting and reflecting on what a wonderful time I had had with all of my children.  Doug and I truly are blessed.  

Games, Movies and More

Meg and Nick had to leave last night so that she could work this morning at the church.  Mondays are their busy day with collection deposits and payroll, so it will be hard for her to miss that day of the week.  Doug took today off so that he could spend it with the rest of us still in Ocala and as an added bonus he was able to make his dermatologist appointment this morning easily.  Unfortunately, they had to biopsy another suspicious spot on his head near the last melanoma, but he wasn't too worried about it and enjoyed the rest of the day with our family.

Our day was filled with more game time, including Sequence and Racko, two of our favorites.  There was also time for ping pong with Cal being the winner on the day.  The weather allowed for several long walks and time outside before the rain arrived late in the afternoon.  The boys chose Mellow Mushroom for dinner and although our server was extremely slow, we all enjoyed our food and the conversation around the table as well. Grandpa Joe's and the Christmas lights on the square were our last stops of the night which were both a lot of fun.

Doug and Cameron headed to Orlando after downtown Ocala as Cameron had an early flight to LA tomorrow.  The rest of us came back home and rented the new movie Nuremberg.  I had really wanted to see it since Russell Crowe was getting rave reviews for his performance as Hermann Goring, the right-hand man to Adolf Hitler during World War II.  The movie was even better than any of us thought that it would be and we were all very glad that we decided to watch it.  

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time

Although our family celebrated a little later than normal this year, we all had a wonderful time.  Much as in years past, we started our day by opening gifts, stockings first. Doug and I decided that Christmas money would be our main present to everyone, but there was a fun gift under the tree from Santa this year for everyone to open as well.  I appreciated that our children put a lot of thought into their gifts coming up with some fantastic finds for their siblings and for Doug and I.  I was also extremely glad that everyone loved the recipe book that I made for them from Grandma Heinisch's collection.  

For the second year in a row, Doug tried something new for Christmas dinner making chicken, salmon, corn casserole and rice pilaf.  Everything was fantastic and I was very thankful for a dairy friendly meal that we could all enjoy.  After clean-up, Cameron brought out Donner Party so that we could play a few rounds of a "family friendly game of frontier cannibalism" before Uncle Phil headed home.  It wasn't the only game that we played today as Haunted Mansion and Northern Lights were also on the agenda. As much as we loved all of those, the highlight game of the day was Cameron's new outdoor golf game providing a lot of entertainment for all.  The evening was spent with everyone trying out their new gifts, listening to vinyls and watching the Bears play San Francisco.  Even a Chicago loss couldn't ruin the wonderful family day that we had all enjoyed together.  

 

Christmas Time is Here Again

Doug, Cameron and I picked up Cal last night at the Orlando airport.  His flight was delayed, but thankfully he made it and we were back in Ocala by midnight.  This morning, Meg and Nick arrived by noon, and Karen and Brett were back from Tallahassee by 1 p.m. I was incredibly thankful that everyone made it safely.  As soon as everyone had unpacked their presents, we piled into the Pilot and headed to Gainesville for the afternoon.  Neither Karen nor Nick had ever been there and all of us were excited about the trip on such a beautiful day.

Our first stop in Gainesville was Relish for lunch.  The burgers were delicious, and it was the perfect meal before heading to Swamp Head.  The weather was ideal for all eight of us to sit outside on the back porch at the brewery and try multiple types of beers.  Most of the ones on the menu were seasonal for the Christmas holiday with some festive flavors like Spiced Cinnamon Hot Cocoa and Ho, Ho, Ho.  I didn't try more than a sip of any but did really enjoy the Egg Nog flavored one.  The Sour Patch Kids and Warheads held true to their name but were still a lot of fun to taste as well.  The rest of our evening was spent in Ocala where Doug made appetizers for dinner and we played games and listened to Christmas vinyls the rest of the night.  The night ended with Hair Spray the musical, not the typical holiday movie, but a lot of fun nonetheless making for a wonderful first day of our family Christmas celebration.

Telemed Success

Cameron has been sick with congestion and cough since he arrived in Florida on Tuesday.  I wasn't surprised since Cora had been ill this past weekend.  Over the next few days, he tried several over the counter and home remedies, but nothing seemed to help.  By today, Cameron not only felt worse, but he had become extremely frustrated as he believed that he had developed another sinus infection.  I feared that he was right as he sounded a lot like he did in November when he had his last one.  Both he and I were at a complete lost on what to do and talked about it for most of the trip to Meg's tonight.  I didn't want him to fly to the Rose Bowl the way he felt today, and he just wanted to feel better.

Thankfully, Doug came up with the perfect suggestion.  He reminded me that we could try telehealth through the insurance at his work.  Several employees that he knew had used it with great success, so I started the process of getting Cameron connected to a doctor through our network.  It took a little bit of time and several phone calls, but by the time we stopped at Portillos for dinner, Cameron had already talked to a doctor and had a prescription on its way to CVS in Ocala.  It wouldn't be available until tomorrow morning but just knowing that there was a solution to Cameron's sinus issue made him and I feel better.  After that, we could both relax and enjoy game night at Meg and Nick's.  

Christmas Time is Here Again

I cannot remember another time in the last 27 years that there were only three of us at home for Christmas Day. It was very strange, but at the same time very relaxing. We let Cameron pick what we did for the day which included watching the entire Disney Christmas parade, subscribing to Netflix to watch several NFL football games, playing a multitude of games, having spaghetti for dinner, and finishing the night with The Grinch and White Christmas.

I did take time out from our “busy” holiday schedule to wish each of my other children and my parents a very merry Christmas by phone. I was extremely happy to hear that they were having a wonderful, relaxing day as well. I also texted several of my friends and other family members to wish them holiday cheer as well. I even squeezed in a little bit of time to give Doug a haircut and read some more of my Beatles book. Overall, it was a wonderful Christmas and a great way to relax before we all celebrate together this weekend.

Merry Christmas Eve

Today was the quietest Christmas Eve that I could ever remember.  Cameron was the only one home and I appreciated him being here as otherwise it would have been just Doug and I.  In saying that I am very glad that Meg and Nick enjoyed their day of cooking together, that Maggie and Cal spent the holiday with the Doyle family and that Brett and Karen made it to her parents well before mid-night mass.  And just because it was quiet here, it didn't mean that the three of us had a boring day.

Cameron and I spent the morning working on the gift bags from Grandma and Grandpa.  I was pretty proud of what we picked out for everyone from my parents.  They weren't the best gifts that they will ever get, but they are the best Grandma and Grandpa gifts that we could get for them.  Doug got off work early enough to meet us for lunch at The Great Greek.  We even had enough time to play a few games of Qwixx before heading to 5 p.m. mass which was very nice and probably the shortest Christmas Eve mass that we had ever attended. 

Doug made nachos for dinner, one of Cameron's favorite dishes.  They were spicier than I had remembered, but delicious none the same.  While he was cooking, Cameron and I finished wrapping gifts while watching one of his favorite Christmas movies - Rocky IV.  Once that was over, we turned on "It's a Wonderful Life" and followed it up with Alistair Sim's version of "A Christmas Carol."  I was exhausted when I went to bed, but incredibly thankful for a wonderful Christmas Eve.

It's The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

The Christmas holiday season officially began for our family when Brett, Karen and Cameron walked off the plane at Orlando International Airport at 1 p.m. today. I was there to greet them and from then on, we had an awesome day.  First, I took the three of them to Disney Springs where we had lunch at Chicken Guy and then found success shopping as Cameron bought the last two gifts on his list while Brett and Karen purchased a few Christmas items to add to their holiday decorations.  We ended our afternoon picking up Gideon cookies before heading to Baldwin Park to meet Doug and Meg.

After a tour of Meg's apartment, seeing all of her holiday decorations and watching the new Rumba clean the floors, the six of us went to Gator Dockside for dinner.  The Christmas lights along the way were absolutely gorgeous and added to our festive mood.  Our meals were delicious, and we had a lot of fun talking about our day in Disney Springs, Meg's work accomplishment and everyone's plans for the next few days.  It was a wonderful way to start our family's holiday break.  

Sometimes It’s Good to be Exhausted

 I went to bed tonight completely exhausted with every muscle in my body aching. I had been on my feet all day long cleaning and running errands and couldn’t wait to lie down and rest. Cleaning by far is the hardest activity for me to do, and I was incredibly thankful to be done. 

Although I spent most of the day doing some of my least favorite activities, that didn’t mean that it was a bad day. In fact, there were plenty of wonderful things that happened. Doug was invited to a holiday dinner with the management team and thoroughly enjoyed it. My dad got some great news regarding his health.  Brett and Karen finished packing and were ready to leave tomorrow for their trip to Florida.  Cal got to watch his beloved Hoosier basketball team destroy another opponent.  Meg figured out a problem at work and Cameron set up a vintage hi-fi system for Cora’s parents.

Even though all of these were wonderful, my favorite part of today was going to our church for the annual communal penance. I met with Father Bill for the first time and felt so much better after his blessing that I actually teared up. It has been a tough year, but things are on the upswing. Sharing that with God was by far the best part of my day.

The Calm Before the Storm

It was nice to have a free weekend to get everything done and to rest before the holiday celebrations began. I definitely do not have the energy that I had ten years ago, so getting ready for Christmas absolutely exhausts me.  I do not mind at all as I love having our family visit us, but I have had to adjust how I prepare myself for them to arrive.  No matter the changes, I am really looking forward to everyone being here as we haven't all been together since Brett's wedding in June.

This weekend did have some excitement to it.  We watched the Bears win in dramatic fashion almost certainly securing their spot in the playoffs.  Unfortunately, the opposite occurred with the Lions, but the game did have an exciting ending as well.  Doug and I also played multiple games of Ticket to Ride, ordered Marco's for dinner and took a walk through Sholom Park where we saw a heron fish for its evening meal.  We went to mass, and I worked the gift shop afterward.  The best part of the weekend was just spending time together whether on the back patio with the tiki torches lit or driving through our neighborhood checking out the Christmas decorations.  It may have not been everyone's favorite way to spend a weekend, but it was perfect for us, and I enjoyed it immensely.

That's A Lot of Groceries

I woke up today feeling very anxious but didn't know why.  Around 4 p.m. it finally dawned on me what was causing it.  Cameron had changed his winter break plans once he decided to go the Rose Bowl and would now be in Florida for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  Originally, it was going to only be Doug and I, so we hadn't done made any meal plans for those days.  With Cameron here, we needed to come up with a menu and would need to grocery shop early as Publix and Walmart both would be closed for the holidays.

Thankfully, Doug was able to help me not only come up with ideas for those two days, but for the following weekend when everyone would be here as well.  It took several hours and multiple stores, but by the time we sat down to dinner tonight, we had not only planned for the holiday meals but had bought the majority of the groceries as well.  It was expensive which reminded me of the days when everyone lived at home, but fortunately I had budgeted for it.  We would still have to go to the store next Friday for some added items, but overall, we were done with meal planning and could check that off of our holiday to-do list.  

Finally, Some Good News

Doug was home from work today so that we could go to his neurologist in Gainesville.  He is definitely one of my least favorite doctors and I thought about skipping this appointment, but in the end, I was very glad that I went.  It was by far the best visit that we had ever had at this clinic, and I felt like we got a lot of answers that we had not received in the past.

First, the neurologist finally agreed with us that Doug's only symptom of Parkinson's was a tremor.  That meant that the debilitating concerns associated with the disorder would not prevent him from working or enjoying life for many years to come.  That was a direct contrast from what we were told in 2023 when it was suggested that we get our finances in order as their prediction was that Doug would have to stop working within the following three years.  That news had weighed on the both of us greatly. The second good news was that the doctor finally agreed with us that the stress from Doug's diagnosis and his situation at work had greatly affected his tremor.  He didn't believe that trying medication for that would make a difference but said he "stood corrected" after seeing Doug today.

The only "bad" news that we really heard today was that the medication that they gave him to stop the tremors had not worked.  We had already figured that out and listened to his next suggestions.  The first was a long shot medication for the flu that worked on some individuals with tremors.  The second was deep brain simulation which involved surgery.  None of us were ready to try that, so instead we took home a prescription for the flu medication to start after the holidays.

Overall, it was the best visit that we had ever had to the neurological clinic.  Doug and I celebrated with lunch at Texas Roadhouse with the gift card he was given at work.  The food was great, and the conversation revolved around how relieved we were to finally feel heard.  None of us know what the future holds, but that doesn't matter today.  Tomorrow will take care of itself.

It's Ok to Me That You Grew Up

This morning a picture showed up on my Facebook memories that instantly made me smile.  It was of Cameron and I in his first-grade classroom working on a Gingerbread house.  It reminded me of how much he enjoyed that classroom and what a difference switching him to Milford Elementary had made in his life.  It also made me think of the friendship that Cal had with his teacher's son and how much Meg loved being at Milford with her friends.  It was a wonderful memory through and through.

As much fun as it was walking down memory lane, the picture also reminded me that I would never want to relive that time period.  It was just like the brown hair that I sported in the picture.  I loved it then, but like my blonde hair even better now.  That was exactly how I felt about my children growing up.  It was a lot of fun when they were little, but truth be told, it's even better now.  Raising children, especially four of them was hard.  I wouldn't change any of it and have so many fond memories of our life then, but I also have wonderful memories of our life today with four adult children and their significant others.  The stress of day-to-day life from years ago is gone and now when we are all together, it is just about having fun together and enjoying their company.  Life didn't end when they grew up, a new one just began and I for one love it.

Survivor Finale

Tonight was the night that Meg and I had been waiting for since early October.  The Survivor finale was to air a three-hour episode crowning this season's winner followed by the after party on Fiji Island.  I had watched all previous forty-eight seasons and couldn't remember another time that I had liked the five finalists less.  One was extremely annoying, another was repulsive, a third hung on to the coattails of her group while the fourth was one of the worst players that I had ever seen, and I wasn't sure why she was still in the game.  The fifth player was the one that we thought was the clearcut winner from early in the season and probably the only one worthy to win, but she was such a typical "mean" girl, it was hard to root for her.

There were definitely some twists tonight that made the finale a lot more interesting than we thought it would be especially when it got to the final four's immunity challenge.  There was also one big disappointment this evening that had nothing to do with Survivor.  President Trump interrupted the show to give an address about how well he was doing as a president.  It was horrible timing especially since no one in our family agreed with him as inflation was still a huge issue and his remarks about the murder of Rob Reiner were disgusting.  Thankfully, he was not on the screen long and CBS continued Survivor right where it left off.

The final immunity challenge was a complete shock as the player who seemed to be the weakest in an alliance of three won.  She then picked her two allies to make fire leaving one out of the final three competing for the million-dollar prize.  The questions from the jurors to the women vying to be sole survivor were very interesting, and although we had predicted the winner weeks ago, the voting was still close enough to keep us on the edge of our seats.  The best part was finding out that two of the top four players from this season would be participating in Survivor 50 joining twenty-two other past Survivor players.  Meg and I are already looking forward to it.  

 

Wicked for Good

After spending most of last week in the house getting over a virus and finishing my Christmas to-do list, it was very nice to get out the past two days.  Yesterday, I went to see the movie Wicked for Good.  It was the second movie in a two-part series with the first movie coming out last year at this time.  I liked this movie a lot, but nowhere near as much as the first one.  It was that way when I saw the musical as well.  The first act was great; the second act was slow in the middle but had a phenomenal ending.  Even so, I was very glad to see it and enjoyed spending the afternoon outside of the house.

Tonight, I went shopping at Target for Christmas stockings and then went to the CCW Christmas party.  I was a little nervous about the party as the president said something very negative about me in front of the group at the last meeting I attended.  Thankfully, that did not happen tonight, and I had a fantastic time.  There were fajitas for dinner, a character dramatization of Mary, and a gift exchange.  I sat with my friends, chatted with many members of the group and overall, had a wonderful night.  

A Time for Reflection

Yesterday afternoon, I went to a funeral for the husband of a friend of mine.  Although, I didn't know him at all, I sure felt like I did when I left mass. From everything that was spoken about him I deduced that he was an avid Notre Dame fan, enjoyed running, was a devoted family man, was active in the Lions and prioritized the Church.  His family was obviously very sad, and I was glad that there was a dinner at the King of Kings building afterward where they could be comforted by family and friends.

Because Doug was still home recovering from kidney stones, I left right after mass.  The funeral, however, stayed with me all day.  It wasn't the sadness of it or even the thought of death, but instead the fact that a funeral is a reflection of what is most important to someone during their lifetime.  Thus, funerals are beautiful when a person has had a fulfilling life with a large number of loved ones around at the end, especially when they have a strong faith in God.  The pictures, the songs, the eulogies have so much meaning during those funerals and in the end feel more bittersweet than sad.

The reverse, though, can be almost unbearable.  No one wants to sit through a funeral of someone who spent most of their life thinking only of themselves.  The pictures are few, the remarks are short, and the homily can be impersonal.  The sadness felt by those in attendance isn't for the loss of life as much as it is for a wasted life.  Unfortunately, it is more common than anyone cares to admit, as highlighted by the Beatles song "Eleanor Rigby."

The good part about all of this is that anyone can change their life at any moment.  God promises this throughout scripture and almost all families could be reconciled through kindness, generosity and support.  Even demonstrating one of those virtues goes a long way in repairing differences.  Thankfully, most people that I know need never to worry about regrets.  That was the best part about yesterday's funeral, remembering that living a life filled with kindness and joy is always worth it.

"We Crushed I-Core"

Cameron called on his way back to Bloomington from Syracuse this afternoon.  He had spent the weekend visiting Grandma and Grandpa, playing cards and watching sports with them.  I was very happy that he was able to take the time to travel north.  This had been the hardest semester at IU for him and his phone calls lately had been filled with frustration.  Thus, it was nice to hear him sound relaxed and positive about his upcoming week.  He still had to proctor a final for statistics and work in IU's athletic marking department, but last Thursday when he turned in his case study with his group, he was officially done with the semester.  I don't know if the obligatory t-shirt and photo were worth the price of completing the course, but the payoff it will bring down the road will be worth it.

I knew from years past going back to Doug's "A-Core" days that this would be a tough semester for Cameron.  Cal and Meg had "crushed" it as well, but not without a lot of work.  Adding in an internship, directorship in SAB and a job only made Cameron's life more stressful.  I was worried about him pulling it off especially in November, the height of football season coupled with finals.  He did it, however, and I was glad that he was done.  I didn't mind listening to him complain about how tough it was but knew that he could not continue to carry that big of a load long term.  Now our phone calls could go back to talk of the basketball team, weekend plans with friends and his time with Cora. Just like with the rest of our family, I couldn't be prouder of him for finishing strong.  I am also extremely thankful that Cameron is the last of our immediate family to survive the "weed out" semester in the business school. 

Heismendoza

Doug and I spent the afternoon at the movie theater.  We had talked about going to a new Daniel Radcliffe musical based on the life of composer Franklin Shepard.  Doug wasn't as excited about it as I was, so we kept looking through the films and found that there was a special playing this weekend only commemorating the 100th birthday of Dick Van Dyke.  Both Doug and I loved the Dick Van Dyke show and his portrayal of Bert on Mary Poppins, so we bought tickets for that instead.  There were only a handful of moviegoers in the theater with us, but we really enjoyed the documentary/celebration of his milestone birthday.  It not only showcased his famed television show and the Disney musical, but Dick Van Dyke's hometown of Danville, Illinois as well.  Both Doug and Cal had visited it multiple times as auditors and knew the city well. 

After the movie was over, Doug and I hurried home as we wanted to watch the Heisman trophy presentation.  IU's quarterback, Fernando Mendoza, was the odds-on favorite and we hoped that the Hoosiers would finally have a Heisman winner.   While we listened to the announcer's interview the four finalists and give their credentials, Doug worked on tonight's meal.  He had decided to try our Christmas dinner early to make sure that the salmon, chicken and rice pilaf recipes that he had downloaded were as delicious as they sounded.  In the end, both were a success.  The meal was absolutely wonderful, and Mendoza gave one of the best Heisman winner speeches in the ceremony's history.  Doug and I were thrilled.

That's What You Get for Being a Mom

After spending Wednesday night and part of Thursday morning with Doug in the hospital for kidney stones, I went to bed early last night as I was absolutely exhausted. Around midnight, Cameron called as he had just gotten the information from Cora about booking a flight to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. It took me a few minutes to become fully conscious but once I did, I was able to help getting Cameron a flight from Orlando to Los Angeles on the afternoon of December 30th, and a return flight for January 2nd. It worked with Cora's parents schedule and with ours as well. I was happy for Cameron, and thankful to go back to bed relatively quickly. This morning, I mentioned something to Cameron about my lack of sleep the past few nights and his reply was, “That’s what you get for being a mom!” I couldn't argue with that and laughed about his comment all day.

Thankfully, I did catch up on sleep last night and woke up to find out that Doug had passed his kidney stone. He was no longer in pain, and we were both relieved that it had happened relatively quickly. Because it was late in the morning and his company had a Christmas party this afternoon, Doug decided to work from home again. It was nice to have him here on such a beautiful day and as soon as he was done at 2 this afternoon, we were able to spend the rest of the day together. We went to Gainesville so that I could finish my Christmas shopping stopping at Relish and Swamp Head as well. Once we got back to Ocala, we drove around looking at Christmas lights, picked up dessert at Publix and watched White Christmas and Miracle on 34th Street. It was definitely my favorite day of the week.

Kidney Stones Are For . . . .

Last night, Doug woke me up at 2 a.m. I didn't realize the time and thought that he needed something before he left for work at 5:30. Unfortunately, that was not the case and instead, he needed help with a stabbing pain that he was having in his right side just above his hip.  He was positive that it was appendicitis and from the pain that he was in, I believed him.  I offered to drive him to the hospital but decided that calling 911 would be better.  Doug agreed wholeheartedly and soon I had a 911 operator on the phone.

The man who answered the phone was nice and asked a lot of questions, some of which scared me such as "Has he had an aortic tear in the past?"  Even though my response was no, he sent the paramedics to check on Doug.  It felt like forever before they got here, but it was probably only ten minutes.  They talked to Doug for a few minutes, took his vitals and got a list of his medications from me then decided that a trip to the nearest hospital was the best course of action.  

Doug and I spent over three hours at the hospital where they took a CT scan of his side, gave him fluids, and then pumped him full of morphine and ibuprofen once they were positive that it was a kidney stone.  After thinking about Doug's history that made the most sense to us as well as Doug had had one fifteen years ago.  The pain wasn't quite as intense back then and he actually passed it on his drive from work to the doctor's office.  

Once the doctor confirmed the diagnosis with the CT results, they gave us the option of staying at the hospital until it passed or going home with a lot of different medications.  Doug picked the latter and spent today resting, working on his computer and watching television.  The pain was definitely better by the afternoon, but the stone still hadn't passed.  From what I read, we were hoping that it would in the next few days meaning that Doug would probably stay home again tomorrow.  

All in all, our first emergency in Ocala went about as well as we could have hoped for last night. We now knew where the closest hospital was in an emergency and how long it would take for an ambulance to get to our home. It also gave me the perfect chance to remind Doug that "Kidney stones are for pussies" as quoted by Walter Matthau in Grumpy Old Men.  

Handmade Gifts are the Best

Since Nick was gone for the week for work, Meg decided to come out this past weekend to work on sewing projects.  She wanted to make everyone something for Christmas.  I was really impressed with what she completed while she was here.  It took a lot of time and there were definitely some frustrations with the sewing part of the projects, but overall, Meg did a wonderful job, and I was glad that she finished Cora's gift in time for me to send it with the present that I had gotten her for Christmas.  Meg also handmade her own Christmas cards this year which were absolutely adorable.  

This week, I thought a lot about Meg's projects.  Although, I didn't like to sew quite as much as Meg, I did really like working on my own projects.  Whether by computer, ink or by craft, creating something by hand always felt good.  It was what I was missing lately; having time to myself to work on a project that I wanted to do instead of doing something for someone else.  I loved helping my family, but over the past six months, that has been all that I have done.  I decided that today was the day to start and I picked up a project that I had been wanting to work on for several months.  It felt great to begin on it, and I was already looking forward to the end result.  

Life can be overwhelming. I was glad that I finally remembered to stop and take some time for myself.  That was exactly what I needed and was thankful for the gentle reminder from Meg.

What is This?

I woke up a few days ago with a terrible sore throat.  I wasn't completely surprised as Doug, Maggie and Cal had all come home from Disney with the same symptom.  It had been over three years since I had been sick and figured that I would be over it in a couple of days.  That wasn't the case, however, and by this morning, I realized that I couldn't go to Bible study.  It wasn't just because I didn't feel well, but most of those in attendance were over seventy years old with many in their upper eighties.  If I felt this terrible at my age, I definitely didn't want to give it to someone decades older than me.

I was bummed to miss Bible study but made the best of it.  Yesterday, I watched Father Mike's mass online as it was a Holy Day of Obligation, and today I finished my Bible study workbook for the newest lesson on Isaiah.  I hadn't taken anything for my illness as most medications hurt my stomach, but I did consider using my inhaler this afternoon because my asthma was really bothering me.  Instead, I decided to just rest and drink a lot of liquids.  

Although, I felt a little bit better by this evening, I realized that I was probably in for the long haul.  I guess if I was going to get sick, the timing couldn't be more perfect.  Besides Bible study, I didn't have much on my agenda outside of getting ready for Christmas.  I should have plenty of time for that now that I have committed to just staying at home.  

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.