Verbal Dyslexia

There have been many times over the past few years that Cameron, Cal or Doug have told me that I am Bill Simmons, their favorite podcaster.  I can see that as we are close to the same age and have a lot of the same interest in specific movies.  He also saw Jaws in the theater when it first came out along with several other films that were not age appropriate.  He survived as did I, so I figured it just made us tougher.

The one undeniable similarity that I cannot deny is the amount of times that we both misspeak in everyday conversation.  Wrong word, wrong name, wrong meaning, it doesn’t matter, he mispronounces them all. One day when a younger co-host corrected him on the pronunciation of a name, he told them that he had verbal dyslexia so he would probably never get it right.  They asked him if it was a real thing.  He laughed and said he didn’t know, but if it was, he definitely had it.

I also laughed when he said it as that would explain a lot about me as well.  I had been mispronouncing words for as long as I could remember speaking.  When I taught, my students got so used to it that I overheard one of them tell a new kid, “It’s Mrs. Heinisch, just go with it” when I called him the wrong name for several days.  I appreciated that sentiment.  My own children have adopted a version of that over the years as well.  Several of them have said that they “speak Mom” so I don’t have to explain every time I say the wrong thing.  Even my Google Home Mini has adapted to my mispronunciations over the years.  

For some reason I decided today to lookup if verbal dyslexia was a real diagnosis.  This was the definition that showed up on my phone.  I don’t know if it was real or not, but it did explain my issues with speech perfectly, especially the last statement.  I do think a lot faster than I speak and it does trip me up all of the time.  I don’t know if there is a cure for verbal dyslexia, but I wouldn’t care if there was.  Just like with Bill Simmons, those who know me best just “go with it” and for that I am very thankful.

Hinge Health

Over a year ago, I started doing physical therapy on an app that our insurance recommended.  At the time I was struggling with a lot of pain in my neck, shoulder and back.  I also had a hard time walking long distances without pain in my legs and feet.  I was skeptical if the app would help, but figured that it couldn’t hurt and I had nothing to lose since my insurance paid for it.  After asking me multiple questions, Hinge provided me with a list of exercises to do that would help.  Once I completed five weekly sessions four weeks in ago, they also sent me an Enso machine that provided direct relief to the nerve pain in my neck, back and shoulder.

Today, I received the message that I had completed the education portion of Hinge and could now exercise on my own.  I was very proud of that and even more so of all of the work that I had done this past year to decrease my pain and to move more.  Doug had noticed a huge difference in how long I could walk and how well I could keep up with him.  I still had pain in my neck and shoulders when I slept, and my feet and legs would still ache at times after waking or standing for a while, but overall I was doing a lot better.  I do not plan to stop working on my health, but it was nice to know that I had reaped the reward of my hard work.  

The Jury is Still Out

I went to the dentist at 2 p.m. yesterday for a small filling.  While I was there, I told the assistant that the tooth that needed a crown had really been hurting ever since my cleaning last week.  She thought that it might be aggravated from last week’s visit, but once I talked to the dentist, I decided that I couldn’t wait much longer to get the work done.  After the dentist numbed my mouth for the filling, the assistant and I started looking at future dates for the crown.  

Soon after my mouth became numb, the assistant came back and said that there was actually an opening today if I wanted to start the process for the crown.  I decided not to delay it any longer and made the appointment.  In the end, I spent three hours in the dentist’s chair yesterday.  I was sore when I walked out, but glad that I made the choice.  The area around the temporary crown was still hurting today, but that was to be expected.  I hope that the permanent crown solves the issues, but at least I know that I did my best to save the tooth.  That’s all I can do for now.  

Father Bill

A year ago Blessed Trinity added a new priest to the church.  His name was Father Bill and he had an interesting backstory.  He had not only become a priest later in life, but had also been married and had a child twenty years ago.  I had no judgement on that.  I was glad that he found his calling and pursued it even though he originally thought his life was leading him elsewhere.  I just never know what type of priest someone is until I have gotten to know them a little bit better, heard their homilies and watched how they interacted with parishioners.  Within a few weeks, I knew that he was going to be a priest that I would really relate to and was so happy that the diocese assigned him to our church.

Father Bill’s homily yesterday reminded me of why I have really come to enjoy him as our home priest as he not only talked about fatherhood and the role of a father in a child’s life, but also about fear.  He told us that fear was an important part of life, but not if it took over your life.  He quoted scripture and reminded us that there was no reason to let fear take over as we had Jesus and the Bible to comfort us in times of distress.  With so many unknowns in our life right now, it was exactly what I needed to hear and I appreciated his homily very much.  Thankfully, it won’t be the last homily that we hear from him and for that I am really grateful.  

Father’s Day

With the overwhelming news that we had received earlier in the week and Doug’s change in medication, I wasn’t really sure what Father’s Day would look like this year.  Meg had told me that Gabrielle took an early flight so that we could celebrate with Doug if we wanted to, which I was very glad to hear.  Doug told Meg and I to plan what we did, so Meg suggested going to Disney Springs.  Once we found out that we could go to Beak and Barrel in Magic Kingdom we changed our minds and made a reservation there. Meg said that they did not have much more than appetizers, so we planned dinner at the park as well and I picked The Plaza Restaurant.  We had never been and it looked like a great menu for us.

Before Doug and I went to mass this morning, he opened his gifts from Cal and I.  Cal had sent him a book on Larry Bird that had gotten great reviews and I gave him a vintage classical music vinyl with plenty of snacks to last him through the week.  Brett had given him a bottle of bourbon earlier in the summer which he opened last night and Cameron had given him his gift early as well, a Peach Bowl Championship football hat.  Mass was very touching this morning focusing on fathers and their roles in a child’s life.  We left for Orlando as soon as it was over.

Meg had a gift for Doug to open when we arrived.  She had given him a water bottle with an infuser to put cucumbers, lemons or other fruits in it to flavor his water.  I loved it as Doug had increased the amount of water that he had drank lately and enjoyed natural flavors in it.  We headed to Magic Kingdom next thinking that we would walk around before going to dinner.  

We were surprised to see that the monorail was filled with more people leaving the park than arriving.  I was glad as that would make our afternoon a lot more fun.  Our first stop was the popcorn stand outside of Cinderella’s Castle.  I was thrilled that they still had Sam the Eagle patriot popcorn buckets and bought one right away.   We then walked down Main Street looking at the merchandise before heading to The Plaza.  It was smaller than we realized, but very nice and we all enjoyed our meals.  It was also wonderful to be out of the heat for a while.  After dinner, we walked to the Jungle Cruise, but the line was too long for us.  We enjoyed Pirates of the Caribbean instead.  We had just enough time to ride The Haunted Mansion before heading to the Beak and Barrel. We absolutely loved the pirate themed bar.  Our bartender was excellent and the decorations were perfect.  There was even a singing parrot behind the bar who led the waiters in a round of “Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate’s Life for Me.”  Our waiter was the loudest and most entertaining.  We were there long enough to have a snack and try a couple of drinks. It was the perfect end to a wonderful Father’s Day!

World Cup

The 2026 World Cup started this past week and soccer has been on our television ever since Monday night.  I am not surprised as Doug, Cal, Cameron, and Nick have been talking about nothing else since June began. With the games being played in the US it will be a lot easier for everyone to watch them and there’s been a lot more hype about them in the media. 

To make it fun for everyone, we started a family pool, which really helped the enthusiasm for the group stage even with the casual fans in our family. The pool is more complicated than our traditional ones as we wanted to make it fair for everyone. Cal decided we should each get four teams from the beginning, and Nick suggested that we have a point system which wasn’t weighted as heavily as in our March Madness pool. The way we set this one up, someone’s team could win the World Cup, but they could still lose our pool if another person had two teams in the final four. I wasn’t sure how to make the selections fair at first, but after listening to the BigPicture podcast, I learned how to choose names with Scrabble tiles. My parents are not in the pool so I let my dad pick the tiles and even videotaped him so everyone knew it was fair. Lastly, I bought a two sided bracket to hang on our wall to keep track of it all.

The game so far have been extremely exciting. I chose Portugal and instantly regretted it when they tied a much lesser team. Even so, it has been a lot of fun and besides the US, I am heavily rooting for England, especially since Nick adamantly told Meg not to pick them in the first round and they have looked really good so far.  Hopefully Meg comes out on top as she has never won the Heinisch family pool. No matter who wins, it is going to be a lot of fun keeping track of it all and keeping in touch with everyone with the standings.

Together Again

Gabrielle flew down today to spend the weekend with Meg.  She had just ended a challenging relationship and was ready for a break from the situation.  Meg was thrilled to host her and made plans for a fun three days together.  I was happy for both of them as I was sure that this weekend was just what they both needed. 

Tonight, Paula and I received this picture from the girls.  They were enjoying Cosmos while watching Love Island.  Meg texted later to let me know that she had taken her hair down for the picture and couldn’t stop laughing at how it looked.  I didn’t care about anyone’s hair, I was just glad to see how much fun they were having.  Instant flashbacks to other pictures that the girls had taken over the years came to mind.  I am so thankful for Meg and my friendship with Paula and Gabrielle.  There was a lot of testosterone in our home while Meg was growing up.  It was nice to have a place to go or friends to hang out with that were all girls all of the time.  

Bad News from the Dentist

I had my annual check up today and unfortunately, got bad news from the dentist. The tooth that was hurting, would need a crown. I guess I wasn’t surprised, but we didn’t get dental insurance to pay for a crown this year. Even if we had, it wouldn’t have saved us much money.  I don’t think that the cost bothered me as much of the fact that I am so tired of all the issues I have with my teeth.

While I was there, the dentist also told me that the tooth above it would need a crown at some point in the near future because the two fillings in it did not match. To say that I was disappointed was an understatement. I take really good care of my teeth, but they break and chip easily. I wish it wasn’t the case, but some type of genetics must be involved as my mom and dad have both had issues with their own teeth. Hopefully, my children do not inherit this trait as it has made for a lot of mouth pain and a lot of expensive visits to the dentist. I guess for now I’ll just be happy that there weren’t more issues.

Survivor Wednesday

When Survivor season 50 ended, Doug asked me what we were going to do on Wednesday nights. It had become our ritual to just take the entire evening and make a fun night of watching Survivor. I hadn’t really thought about it, but he was right. I would really miss our Wednesday night, mid-week Survivor watch party.

Doug solved the problem for us when he suggested that we watch old episodes of Survivor on Wednesdays and asked me to pick the season. I called Cal right away to see what he thought. He and Maggie had been watching old Survivor seasons all spring and had talked about the different seasons multiple times. He gave me the list of his favorites through season eight and instantly I knew which one to start with - Survivor season six, boys versus girls. It was an all-time classic, and I did not remember very much about it except for one of my favorite survivor players, Rob C was on it.

From the moment we started it tonight, we were hooked. We watched three episodes and already couldn’t wait for next Wednesday to see what happened next. The show was filmed in the Amazon Rainforest and the tribes were split into boys versus girls from the very beginning. The contestants did not know this and it made for some very interesting comments and rivalries. I do not remember who wins, but Doug has already pegged Rob C as one of his favorite Survivor players of all time. I hope that I can handle all the innuendo’s, sexually explicit comments, and pettiness that has become a huge part of the season.

It wasn’t just the comments that were different about early Survivor.  Players actually had to survive in the midst of some pretty challenging conditions. I miss that part of the game.  Building a shelter, starting a fire, and finding food is no longer the mainstay of the series. Now it’s more about arguing, conniving and showing your vulnerable self. It must be appealing to the majority of our audiences, but Doug and I definitely like watching the contestants trying to survive on their own better. Cal even said after watching these, he doesn’t know if he could ever watch new age Survivor again. I can totally see why.

Letting the Reality Set In

I did really well yesterday at Mayo Clinic and felt pretty good about everything last night, but today I really struggled with Doug’s diagnosis.  Although, it doesn’t change anything about our life right now it does alter the plans that we had made for the future.  It makes everything very unpredictable as we don’t know how Doug will respond to the medication and what treatments will or will not work.  Chronic stress makes his situation a lot worse, so I am trying not to worry him about anything.  It would really help us if his dad let him have part of his inheritance now so that we could get our finances in order in case any changes to Doug’s health unexpectedly.

Thankfully, I had made plans to meet Robin and Robbi for lunch today.  They asked about Doug’s visit to Mayo Clinic but didn’t dwell on it.  They were both very positive and agreed to put us on their prayer list, but mostly we talked about CCW, the books we were reading and our summer plans which I really appreciated. Once I got home, I texted Jim which really helped as well.  He is definitely on the page that Doug should have access to his inheritance early so that he can retire or at least pay off our mortgage.  By the time Doug got home from work, I felt a lot better.  I don’t know what will happen, but it is very nice to know that we have the support of friends, our children and my family.  

Mayo Clinic

Doug and I left this morning for Jacksonville.  After a year of trying, he had finally gotten an appointment at Mayo Clinic.  I rode along for moral support and to take down any information that we were given.  I was nervous, but Doug felt very good about it as he said that this was just the next step in his health journey.  The campus for the clinic was large and I was thankful for the signs that directed us to the correct building.  It was very beautiful with white buildings, open spaces and cypress trees everywhere.  

We didn’t have to wait long to get in to see Dr. Dewey.  He was very nice and extremely knowledgeable.  He spent an hour and a half going over all the information that we had to give him, performing a physical test on Doug and answering any of our questions.  The diagnosis he came up with didn’t surprise us - Early Onset, Tremor Dominant Parkinson.  It was scary to think about Doug having a neurological degenerative disorder, but the doctor gave us hope.  Although there wasn’t a cure, there were medications for us to try and other procedures that could calm the tremors.  Dr. Dewey said that of all of the types of Parkinson’s, this was the best one to have.  As I looked at Lou Gehrig’s picture hanging on the wall, I realized that we were lucky.  There were a lot of worse diagnosis that we could receive.  I will have to remember that as I digest today’s news.  

Nick's New Job

At the end of April, Nick called to say that he had interviewed with a different company and they had made him an offer.  We were very excited to hear that as he had been thinking about switching jobs since his schedule of traveling to California every other week was long, and the pay was lower than market rate at his current position.  He asked Doug if he would look through the contract to see if it seemed reasonable and once Doug confirmed that it was a nice offer, Nick accepted the position.

Nick left this past week to start training with his new company.  His new position was also with a private carrier, but the company was a lot bigger than his other one.  The pay was better, but the best part was that it was based out of Ohio which would drastically cut down on his travel time.  He asked me to go over the insurance benefits with him, and I was impressed with how good they were.  I like Doug's benefits package at SI Goldman a lot and this was even better.  Nick's new position would change his schedule as he would now be two weeks on and two weeks off.  I was worried about that, but he and Meg liked it a lot better than eight days on and 6 days off from his last job.  One thing that we were all happy about.  Nick received this offer before Spirit Airlines shut down flooding the market with pilots looking for jobs.  Overall, it was a very positive move for him.

Toy Story 5

It was so nice just to have a weekend at home especially after being gone for the last three in the Midwest. Doug and I caught up on some work around the house and then went for a walk at Sholom Park. This afternoon, Doug and I went to see Toy Story 5. I thought the movie was fantastic. It reminded me a lot of Toy Story 2 which was Meg‘s favorite movie growing up. It also brought back a flood of memories of taking my children to the movies. Somehow eating popcorn for lunch made the experience even better.

The rest of our day was pretty relaxing. Doug worked on a large Star Wars Lego set and I helped him look for missing pieces. We had dinner at home and enjoyed sitting outside tonight with the tikis' lit. Thankfully, while we were gone, the rain had finally come, and the burn order was lifted.  It was the perfect way to celebrate the start of summer in the Sunshine Sate.

SI Goldman and Gainesville

When Doug first applied for his current position with SI Goldman, I was the one who found the listing for him on Indeed.  He had been searching for a few months without much luck, and I decided one day to help if I could.  I knew nothing about the business world or looking for a job online, but thankfully my cousin Jeannette was able to get me started.  My very first search led me to a controller position in Gainesville.  It was a little further than we had talked about him driving, but the job sounded perfect for him.  I saved the listing for him, and he applied later that day.  

Within a very short time from applying, Doug heard from the recruiter about the position.  His first question to Doug was why he would want to take a lesser role than he currently had as a CFO.  If I would have been answering it, I would have said, "We don't care what it is, just get him out of Champion."  Thankfully, Doug had a professional response ready, and he spent the next half hour talking to the recruiter about the position.  I was excited to hear all about it when Doug got off the phone, until he said that it was in Longwood.  That was an hour and a half from our home and I really didn't want to move.  Doug planned to go through the interview and see if they would let him work in Gainesville instead.

Fast forward a year and a half later to today and Doug finally got to see why it never made sense for him to work for SI Goldman in Gainesville.  Before his appointment with the neurologist at the University of Florida, he spent several hours working in their office.  He appreciated the tour and was glad to have visited the space, but the office only had a staff of three and there was no one in accounting there. If he would have worked in SI Goldman's office in Gainesville, he might as well have been working from home as he would have still had to contact his staff remotely.  

Even though the position wasn't in Gainesville as Doug and I originally thought, we are still happy that he found SI Goldman.  The job has been a nice mix of learning something new and less stress.  Doug likes his co-workers and has really come to appreciate the role.  I wish that his dad would have come through on his promise when he took the job to pay for Doug to stay in Longwood through the week as necessary, but having Meg nearby has really helped.  He has not only appreciated staying closer to work, but it has given him time with Meg that he has really enjoyed. 

The Pink Panther

When Cameron first started working at Owens Corning, he told us about the company's long-standing history of having The Pink Panther as their mascot.  I hadn't thought about that when he took the internship, but once he said it, I remembered all of the advertisements showing The Pink Panther with rolls of fiberglass insulation.  I found it amazing that Owens Corning had even trademarked the color pink because of their tie to the famed character.

Today, Cameron sent the above picture of his new headcover.   He had found it in the company store and knew that it would fit perfectly beside Yoda in his bag. The Pink Panther cartoons were a childhood staple in my home. Later the Peter Sellers' Pink Panther movies became a big hit as well.  I was glad to see that Cameron found the character as much fun as I did. I don't think that he is quite ready to volunteer to be the mascot at company events yet, but who knows maybe one day he will.  At least for now he can represent Owens Corning on the golf course.  I am pretty sure that he prefers it that way.  

Intern Case Study Competition

Cameron had his intern case study competition today and sent out a text message to our group with this picture.  I was super excited to see it as I knew that it was a really big deal to the supply chain interns.  Cameron called me after work to give me all of the details about the competition.  I found out that they were first presented with a specific problem that had occurred at Owens Corning recently and then asked to come up with a solution for it.  Cameron was paired randomly paired with one of his friends which he appreciated greatly.  They worked all morning studying the issue, coming up with a plan of action and writing a proposal that they presented to their managers and several other higher-ups.  Cameron's group was concerned that they would run out of time before they finished the project but thankfully pulled it together before time ran out.  Their group was announced the winners this afternoon and Cameron was thrilled with the results.  Although winning was a nice reward, the biggest positive was learning to work under pressure with a group to solve a real-world problem. Although Cameron will not be able to take the trophy with him when he leaves Owens Corning, he will be able to take that skill with him when he leaves his internship for sure.

Paris or Boston

I don't know why I have always loved this painting from Impressionist Gustave Caillebotte entitled Paris Street; A Rainy Day, but I have.  I have never been to Paris and I hate the rain, but something about the couple walking arm-in-arm with all of the umbrella carrying street-goers in the background caught my eye years ago at the Chicago Art Institute and there has been a print of it hanging in my home next to two of my favorite Rembrandts ever since.

Thus, when I saw this in the Toledo Museum of Art several weeks ago, I just had to have it. The print of Rainy Day, Boston by Childe Hassam is a lot smaller than the one I own from Caillebotte, but it looks so nice sitting the bottom frame with it.  Two different Impressionists capturing a corner building on a rainy day on the streets of a big city well over a hundred years ago is beautiful to me. Glad to have these in my home to remind me that rainy days can be just as beautiful as the sunny ones.  

Unpacking

Doug helped me unload the Pilot yesterday. We couldn’t believe all that I had fit in the vehicle to bring back from my parents. My Grandpa‘s World War II chest, hat, and sword made it safely to Florida as did Cameron‘s beloved G.I. Joe’s and a small tub full of my memory items from my childhood. I even fit in a few things that I thought we could sell on eBay from Brett’s collectibles. It was definitely a full load coming back.

Today, I started sorting through everything that we had put in the piano room. I unpacked my luggage first then started on the laundry.  Afterward, I placed items in rooms that would be their new home. The more I sorted and unpacked, the more I became overwhelmed with all that I had to do. Thankfully, I have a lot of time this summer to take care of everything. It will definitely be a big project, organizing has become a specialty of mine.  My goal to be done by the time Cameron arrives in August. I think I can do that.

Visiting with Meg

After arriving home so late last night, I overslept and didn’t make it to church. I felt bad as I love going, but I just could not get out of bed. Since I didn’t go, Doug decided to stay home too and work on a few things around the house. By noon, we were ready for our trip to Orlando.

Doug and I were both excited to see Meg and to bring her the American girl dolls that she had stored at Grandma Jane's. I was happy that they survived the trip and glad that we were able to give her the toy chest she asked for on her fourth birthday as well. I loved her plan to paint it to match the pink desk in the second bedroom.

For lunch, the three of us went to Miller’s Ale House. Meg and I both got the salmon. I didn’t eat much yesterday on the drive down, so I was thrilled with such a delicious meal. Doug headed out before I did. He was tired and wanted to get home and rest before his busy week at work. I took Meg back to her apartment and visited for a little bit before heading home. It was a really nice to visit with her after being gone for two weeks.

The Drive

I wish that I could say that today was perfect and that I was so excited when we pulled into the driveway at 12:30 a.m., but I can't.  It started great.  Last night, I drove to Brett and Karen's and we had a great time hanging out.  Brett even made turkey paninis for dinner which were really good.  This morning, Doug's flight to Indy arrived early and we were on our way by 9:30 this morning with the hope of making it to Ocala tonight.  Traffic was light and the rain held off for quite some time.  I was happy to be back in the sunshine when we hit Tennessee and thankful for the warmer temperatures.

Everything fell apart around 7:30 this evening when Doug and I got into a huge argument.  As the night continued, I realized that it wasn't the mustard on the car seat that Doug tried to clean up with Propel water that was the issue.  It was the fact that I had asked him to put a paper towel down before he ate his sandwich that upset me.  It was like it was the final straw of a very stressful year and I just couldn't take it anymore.  I felt terrible that I got as mad as I did as it is very rare that I argue with Doug.  It doesn't help his tremor, and it never makes me feel good about the situation.  It is definitely something that I will have to talk to my therapist about.  It has been over a year since I have been that angry.  Hopefully, she can help me figure it out.  Until then, all I can do is accept Doug's apology for the mustard and reiterate to him how sorry I was for getting upset.  Sleep tonight and rest tomorrow should help both of us.  

Garage Sale Success

I couldn't believe the total when I counted the money this evening and went through all of the tallies in our garage sale notebook.  All in all, we made $536.  I thought that was fantastic since we really did not have any big-ticket items in the sale this time.  Each of my children made enough for their entry fees into our family world cup pool and most made extra to put toward their monthly phone bill.  My parents were the biggest revenue makers pulling in over $300 for the two days.  I really appreciated the $100 tip that they gave me to help with gas money on the way home.

An added bonus to having the garage sale was that I got to hang out with Aunt Jan this afternoon.  I always enjoy talking to her and hadn't seen her since I arrived two weeks ago.  One of my friends from high school, Dawn, stopped by as well.  It was also nice to catch up with her.  I even visited with Gisela, the children's librarian who our family knew well. 

The best part about having the garage sale was getting rid of the boxes that had been piled up in my parents' garage since the spring of 2025.  By delaying the sale one year, it gave my mom time to clean out her own home. I was impressed by all that she downsized. I definitely am not interested in having a garage sale in Syracuse again, so it was very nice to end with a good one.  

A Great First Day

I was up well before 7 AM this morning to start putting things out in the driveway for the garage sale. It was a lot of work, and for a while I thought it was all going to be for nothing. We opened the doors officially at 9 AM but for the first hour and a half it was very slow. My dad questioned my decision not to put an ad in the paper, but with the money we had already spent on a garage sale permit and garage sale signs, I really didn’t want to spend it. By 10 AM I was thought we would be lucky to make $100 today.

Thankfully, around 10:30 this morning, people started flooding into our garage sale and did not stop. I couldn’t believe all of the small items that we sold today. It was so nice to see things fly out the door and I was proud of my mom for getting rid of a few memory items of my brothers that she wasn’t willing to let go off till this year. The couple who bought his Cub Scout uniform were thrilled with the vintage piece. The shop owner who bought Charlie McCarthy couldn’t wait to set him up in his store. It also gave my mom a chance to tell them about my brother, which was priceless to me. As much as people thought it would be hard for me to let go of some of those items, I was actually glad. This gave someone else’s family a chance to appreciate them and for me to finally be done with the ventriloquist dummy that used to scare me and probably still does.

Overall, the sale went way better today than I ever would have guessed a few days ago.  My original estimate of making $200 total for the week has already been superseded on the first day. As of right now, I don’t think we are going to be able to open Saturday because of the weather, but after today I have a really good feeling that we won't really need to. One more day tomorrow and I’m officially done with cleaning out my parents' garage.

Good News from the Doctor

I took my parents to Fort Wayne today so that my dad could see his orthopedic oncologist. I had not been to Parkview Hospital in a very long time and was extremely impressed with the size of it, the newness of it, and the entire facility in general. We waited just a short time to see the doctor, and I could not believe our professional he was.

While we were in the office, Dr. Johnson explained to my dad that as of right now he was cancer free. They saw nothing on his recent CAT scan. His lungs would be checked every 3 to 4 months because there was a 30% chance that the sarcoma could appear there. He told dad to look for any changes in his arm because there was also a 10% chance of reoccurrence in the original tumor area. The doctor was very pleased with how well the surgery went and was positive that my dad had clear margins. He then encouraged my dad to do physical therapy at home and was very pleased with his range of motion already.

Once the doctor finished with my dad‘s exam, he asked if we had any questions. I was ready with a few. I asked about the genetic risk of myself or my children developing a sarcoma especially since Doug already had the BRCA1 gene. He strongly encouraged them to do genetic testing between the age of 25 and 30 for Meg and 30 to 35 for the boys, and for me to meet with a cancer doctor to go over my risk.  Dr. Johnson also explained that while we were at an increased risk, given my dad’s age, and the fact that most sarcomas appear randomly, he told us not to panic. More than likely, this was an isolated incident in my family. I thanked him for the information and planned on talking to my children about it later. On the way home we stopped at Hacienda in Warsaw to celebrate my dad's good news. I did enjoy my taco salad, but most of all it was nice to relax and not have to worry so much about my dad’s health. 

One More Visit

Cameron and I made plans to meet for dinner tonight in Ohio halfway between Syracuse and Toledo. I looked up a few restaurants for us to try, but in the end, we decided just to wing it. I got to the first restaurant that we talked about forty-five minutes before he did as he had to work later than he planned. I didn’t mind and offered to keep driving toward him. I couldn’t really find a restaurant while driving and the internet was really spotty, so instead I decided just to keep driving until I got to a town near him and thought we would find a restaurant together. I couldn’t believe how much northern Ohio reminded me of Northeast Indiana. I definitely could have been driving through LaGrange or any of those small Indiana towns, but instead I was in Ohio.

I finally found a place in Fayette, Ohio called One More Bar and Grill. They got really good reviews. The outside looked pretty sketchy, but Cameron and I decided to give it a try. It ended up being a dive bar, kind of like Huntington’s in Syracuse was before they remodeled. When we first walked in I never would have thought that it would end up being the perfect spot for our 2 1/2-hour dinner. I was sad to see that they didn’t really have salads tonight as Thursday was taco salad night but enjoyed my meal of chicken tenders just the same. Cameron tried their coleslaw burger and said it was really good. I never really eat onion rings but decided this was the perfect time to try them again.

Cameron and I spent the next several hours talking and it was so nice just to listen to him talk about his life right now. Cameron had had a very challenging junior year complete with filling underappreciated and over committed. Thankfully, he was starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel and that college is not forever and every day is not perfect. Making his own money and living independently over the last two weeks has made all the difference. He still wasn’t sure what he thought about the Owens Courtney development program but was very thankful for the experience that they were giving him. He also really liked his roommates, which I was very glad to hear since they lived in such close quarters. By the end of our time together, Cameron had moved on from talking about life and instead told me all about a new series that he was watching on Prime called The Boys. He said it wasn’t for me but did tell me all about the superhero influenced series and what he enjoyed about it. I was sad when I pulled away from the bar. I knew that I wouldn’t see Cameron for over a month. I would really miss him in Florida this summer but was just so pleased that he was happy in Toledo.

More Work to Do

I made it back safely to Syracuse around the same time that Doug landed in Florida. Brett and Karen had just crossed the Indiana border when I called them to check in. It was after midnight before they got home, exhausted, but still happy about their weekend. We all agreed that we needed a day to rest to recover, but of course that wasn’t going to happen.

While Brett, Karen, and Doug all went back to work today, I spent the day in my parents' garage getting ready for the garage sale. It was hard work and took a lot of time. My dad was really struggling with the fact that I wanted to price everything to go and not to make top dollar, but I knew from our last sale four years ago that with a garage sale this big and no large ticket items, selling volume will make us a lot more money than over pricing everything just to take it back in when the sale is over. I hope that my strategy works, but Doug reminded me the biggest goal was for me to get all of my items back to Ocala and to help my parents downsize their possessions. That goal I should obtain by the end of the week.

Saying Goodbye to Wisconsin

Doug and I had breakfast at the hotel this morning with Brett and Karen before we left Green Bay.  Nathan's first mass was at 2 p.m. this afternoon, but Doug decided that we would have to skip it as it would be cutting it too close for him to catch his flight out of Chicago.  In the end, I was very glad that he made that decision as Brett said that the mass was over two hours long and that would have made Doug miss his flight completely. Brett did say that they thought the mass was beautiful as it felt like a continuation of yesterday's ceremony complete with a large number of priests in the audience.  They also had time in between breakfast and mass to take a tour of Lambeau Field which they both found fascinating.  

Although all four of us agreed that it took a lot of traveling to get to Green Bay this weekend, we were each happy that we were able to share this memorial occasion together.  I really appreciated Doug telling me that he was glad that I really pushed for him to attend.  When I first mentioned it to him, he was lukewarm to the idea because of all of the traveling that we would have to do.  After everything was over, he couldn't have been happier.  He enjoyed the ordination, reception and seeing his extended family, but most of all, Doug was glad to have shared it with Brett, Karen and I.  That was very nice to hear. 

An Inspiring Ceremony

Today, Brett, Karen, Doug and I got to attend the ordination of Nathan Budde into the priesthood. None of us had ever been to an ordination before and were amazed at what a wonderful ceremony it was.  There were over seventy priests in attendance to celebrate the event as well as the Bishop for the Green Bay Diocese.  I could never put into words how beautiful it was to witness someone give their life fully to God.  It was so inspiring to see the support that Nathan received today and to hear about his journey in the seminary.  I did tear up several times when I saw Jenny crying.  I understood what it was like to watch a child get married but could never imagine the commitment that she was witnessing one of her own undertake. If I could still see Nathan as that cute, inquisitive little five-year-old at Brett's confirmation mass, just think what she saw.  Overall, it was a wonderful morning and all four of us were glad to have been a small part of it.

Once the ordination was over, Doug picked Title Town Brewing Company for lunch.  It had changed quite a bit since we were last there twenty years ago and we really loved the new look.  We ate brats on the roof top while Doug and Brett tried several of their microbrews.  We had the perfect view of the city of Green Bay and took some wonderful pictures while we were there.  The only negative was that Karen ended up with a sunburn.  I never even thought about that happening since the weather was on the cool side.

Tonight, the four of us went to the reception celebrating Nathan.  It reminded me a lot of a wedding celebration.  There was a dinner, open bar, and a guest book for us to sign.  Although there wasn't any dancing, there was a slide show and tables set up with memorabilia of Nathan's path to Christ.  There were a few speeches as well.  Doug got to see his Aunt Barb and cousin Rob who he hadn't visited with in over twenty years.  We had wonderful conversations at our table with friends of the Petrie family and caught up with each of Nathan's four siblings before we headed out.  Everything about today was wonderful.  I was so glad that we were invited and even happier that Brett, Karen, Doug and I got to share this day together.

An Afternoon Together

Doug and I had originally planned on going to the Chicago Art Institute today but ended up having an even better time in the Windy City. Cal told us last night that he was only going to work until noon and would have the entire afternoon off. We were really excited to hear that as we would prefer hanging out with one of our children over a museum any day. This morning while Cal was working, Doug and I walked through the Lincoln Park Zoo, picking up breakfast at their café and visiting the animals. Doug’s favorite part was getting to see the wolves in action. One of them had buried a sea gull and was digging it up for a snack when we walked up to the fence. It was the first time that we had ever seen a wolf that close and were amazed at the strength of the animal.

Cal was ready for lunch when we returned and the three of us spent the next four hours walking in Old Town, stopping for lunch at an Irish pub and having drinks at several of Cal‘s favorite bars. We talked about so many things, his work, living in Chicago, his thoughts on the future and memories from the past. I had so much fun and didn’t want the afternoon to end. Although I was sad when we finally pulled out of his apartment complex, I was very happy for the quality time that we got with one of our children today. I know that Cal would like it if we lived in the Midwest, and him popping in for an afternoon visit was the one thing that I knew I would miss most when we left Syracuse. I do believe that our family has made the best of it, living so many miles away, and I am glad to be an important part of our children's life. I am also already looking forward to our next visit to Chicago in July.

Heading to Chicago

Today was a lot of fun.  First Aunt Vicky stopped by to bring tables for the garage sale.  She had Molly, Jaxson and Greyson with her.  They helped me get a few things done and did a little shopping as well.  I tried to give them whatever they wanted, but Aunt Vicky insisted on paying, so we got the four of them some great items and made enough money to purchase yard signs for the sale.  

Once Doug was done working, he and I headed to Chicago for the night.  Traffic was better than I thought it would be and we made it in plenty of time for dinner.  Once Maggie arrived home from work, we walked to one of the oldest celebrity restaurants in Chicago.  Although the wait time was way too long for us, we had fun looking at all of the pictures of the famous guests that they had hosted over the years.  

Our next stop was Marge's, which was the longest continually running bar in the city.  We got the last open table and really enjoyed our meal.  The four of us talked a lot about the Survivor finale and the old episodes that Cal and Maggie were watching now.  It was amazing to me how different the weather felt just a few blocks away from the lake.  There was no wind, so it was a beautiful night for a walk.

After dinner, we went back to Cal and Maggie's apartment.  She had to get up at 4 a.m. so we said goodnight to her early and stayed up watching basketball with Cal.  He and I had a wonderful conversation after Doug fell asleep about life, family and so much more.  I was very thankful for his openness and enjoyed the evening very much.  

Making the Best of It

Doug and I did not get to go to Michigan like we planned due to a phone call from Doug's doctor and too much to do in the garage.  We were both disappointed in skipping our favorite places to visit in Holland and Saugatuck but made the best of the change in plans. We worked on the garage quite a bit which really helped me feel a lot better about getting everything done by next Thursday.  It wasn't all manual labor, however, as we also went to Oakwood for lunch on the patio and drinks at Goshen Brewing Company in the late afternoon followed by dinner at Hacienda.  The evening was spent playing cards and watching Jeopardy.  As an added bonus, I could finish up sorting clothes for the garage sale at the same time.  Overall, the day ended up being a lot of fun and productive as well, but most of all, I was just really happy to spend it with Doug.

Garage Sale Sorting Begins

 Doug worked from my parents today, so I really appreciated him helping me set up some tables last night for the garage sale.  There was so much more in the garage than I realized and I definitely felt overwhelmed.  I was glad to see that Brett had gotten rid of a lot from his apartment in Bloomington, but it was going to take me awhile to sort through it all.  I also could not believe how much my mom had decided to part with from her holiday collection and kitchen.  We had way more Christmas than I had dreamed possible.  It will take me the entire two weeks to get everything ready, so I was glad to get a good start today.

It wasn't all work as we did order Pizza Hut, play Oh Hell and watch Jeopardy with my dad.  That made all of the work today worth it.  I know that it will get done, just a little overwhelmed thinking about it. Until then, I will just enjoy the time I have with Doug and my parents and look forward to seeing the boys all soon.

Celebrating Cal's Birthday

Last night Doug and I stayed at my parents so that we could get up early and meet Cal and Maggie in South Bend.  We arrived before they did which gave us some time to stop at Target to purchase a few things that my mom needed and to return an order from Amazon.  While we were at Kohl's, Doug found some great deals on shorts which was an added bonus to our shopping trip.

Cal and Maggie met us at Putt-Putt for a friendly game of miniature golf.  There were a lot of families there celebrating Memorial Day together.  I laughed as I realized that we were just as excited arriving with our twenty-eight-year-old son as many were with their seven-year-olds.  The match was very close between Cal and I, but he pulled away at the end to win.  In the end, it didn't matter as the four of us enjoyed it very much.

Cal picked Evil Czech for lunch which was perfect as it was in the same parking lot as Putt-Putt.  It had always been one of our family's favorite restaurants and we enjoyed our meal very much.  Cal opened his birthday gifts from Doug, Cameron and I, appreciating the two new vinyls and vintage Cubs shirt.  While we were together, they told us all about their weekend in Michigan celebrating Maggie's dad's 60th birthday.  It sounded like a blast complete with a game of Amazing Race.  Cal and Maggie invited us to stay with them Thursday night on our way to Wisconsin which we really appreciated.  Saying goodbye wasn't as sad knowing that we would see the both of them very soon.   

The Art Museum and More

I got up several times last night and watched the grounds crew work to get the Mudhens field ready for their next game.  I thought a lot about all of the times that I had watched Mash with my dad and had heard Klinger talk about his beloved hometown baseball team.  I was a little in awe of the fact that I was sleeping in a room just feet from the stadium.  What a fun way to commemorate my favorite television show growing up. 

Doug and I checked out of the hotel by ten this morning so that we could pick Cameron up for today's adventure.  Our first stop was the Toledo Art Museum.  I couldn't believe how big it was.  Not all of the exhibits were open due to remodeling, but we really enjoyed those that were.  We learned a lot about the art on display and about the family that started the museum almost one hundred years ago.  It was very impressive.  

The guys wanted to find a brewery for lunch.  It took some investigating, but we finally settled on Inside the Five in a suburb of Toledo named Perrysburg.  The city of Toledo reminded us of a larger version of South Bend - industrial, several neglected neighborhoods and a renovated downtown.  Perrysburg was the exact opposite of that with lots of quaint houses, a downtown with antique shops and new apartment complexes.  It even had a disc golf course nearby.  It looked exactly like where Doug and I would have wanted to live if he had gotten a job in the Toledo area after college.  The three of us had fun exploring the town while waiting for our table at Inside the Five.  

Lunch was very good and we really enjoyed listening to Cameron talk about his thoughts on Toledo, the internship, and his senior year at IU.  It was hard to believe that next fall he would begin his final year in Bloomington.  So much has changed since we dropped him off three years ago, but it all seemed to happen very quickly. What an exciting time in his life.  I can't wait to see what he wants to do next.