A New Look

This year's cold weather was extremely hard on my outdoor plants.  Thankfully, most of them survived, even though they looked pretty ragged at first.  Unfortunately, the two bromeliads on our front porch did not.  I was actually surprised by that as I had planted them when we first bought the house replacing the ugly ferns that the previous owner had in them, and they had lived through several hard freezes since then.  There must have been something different about this year's weather that ended up taking them out.

Doug and I decided to wait until we were sure that winter was over in Florida before we tried anything else.  The planters were made out of cement, and we knew that we wouldn't be able to move them once we purchased new plants.  We had looked at Lowe's two weeks ago and loved several that we saw but today settled on two Petra Crotons.  It was a colorful tropical plant that loved direct sunlight.  We had plenty of that in our front landscaping and knew that they would be perfect for the planters.  While we were there, we also saw a beautiful daisy and picked that up as well.  Everything looked wonderful when we were done and matched our St. Patrick's Day decorations as well.  I was more than thrilled with it all and in the end was glad that old man winter decided that we needed a new look.

One Heck of a Rain Storm

Normally, I complain loudly when it rains while I am outside, but today, I put on my raincoat and Teva sandals and smiled.  We have been under a severe drought and no burn order for at least the past month. I have never lived in a state that had to worry about wildfires before, but the one a few weeks ago in Ocala National Forest did make me very nervous even if it was twenty miles away from our home. I knew that the rain showers this afternoon would probably not be enough, but I was still very thankful to have them.  I was sure that my plants and yard were appreciating them as well.  In the end, our rain gauge read 6 inches for today's storm.  That was the most that we had ever received in a twelve-hour period.  I am sure that I was only imagining it, but it seemed to me that everything was a lot greener when the rain ended.  

Traitors

Since I was such a big fan of Survivor, Maggie suggested that I watch Traitors.  I was hesitant at first as Survivor and Amazing Race have been the only two reality television shows that I have really liked unless Dancing with the Stars counts.  I tried watching Deal or No Deal Island during its first season as I knew some of the contestants from other shows, but it just wasn't for me.  I actually felt that it was staged and didn't even make it to the finale.  

After Cal told me that he had started season four of Traitors with Maggie and really liked it, I decided to give it a try.  From the moment I turned it on, I was hooked.  There was more drama than I usually enjoyed, but I still had a lot of fun watching it.  There were several contestants that I knew from other avenues.  Lisa Rinna was one of the traitors. I had been watching her on television since I was in middle school and she was on my favorite soap opera, "Days of Our Lives."  There were also a few contestants from Survivor, a pro from Dancing with the Stars, and two figure skaters, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir that I just loved.  I wasn't rooting for the guy who was the ultimate "traitor", but Cal and Maggie had picked him from the beginning, so I was happy with the outcome.  Overall, it was a great show, and I was really glad that Cal and Maggie encouraged me to watch it.  Next week, I plan to binge watch season three where I can once again cheer on my favorite reality television star ever, Boston Rob. 

Survivor 50

Tonight, Survivor 50 began and to prepare I watched all of the highlight episodes that CBS aired to get ready for it.  I also binge watched Heroes vs. Villains which was probably my favorite season of all time even though Boston Rob was voted out early in the show.  Although he wasn't going to be on this anniversary season, I was still excited that some of my new favorites like Charlie and Kamilla were among the contestants as well.

Meg and Doug were looking forward to Survivor 50 as well, so we decided to watch it at Meg's tonight. The show started off with an introduction to all of the players.  Meg claimed that Coach was one of her all-time favorites.  Once the competitions began, however, she soon realized that she remembered incorrectly and found him just as unlikeable as I did.  This episode was three hours long, but it flew by with several challenges, a lot of annoying players and a few long-time fan favorites making it through the first night.  Unfortunately, it ended on a down note as a recent winner had to be medically evacuated due to a torn Achilles in the reward challenge.  Even with that, we all really enjoyed the show and already can't wait for next week's episode.  

The Jokes Never Stop

Although getting up and out the door early in the morning is not one of my favorite things to do, I never use it as an excuse to skip Bible study.  I absolutely love going to the Tuesday morning meeting and enjoy everything that is discussed even if it is not on topic.  There is also always someone with a funny story or a joke to tell that revolve around faith, religion or the church.  

This week's story was not a joke, but instead a true-life story about the Catholic Church that I had never heard.  It involved the castrati and made everyone feel a little uncomfortable. A castrato is a male singer who underwent castration before puberty in order to retain a singing voice equivalent to that of a soprano, mezzo-soprano or contralto.  The practice was started during St. Augustine's time as he had forbidden females from participating in the mass including the choir.  The practice was banned in the late 1700s to 1800s, but secretly still continued until the early 1900s. These men became very famous as opera singers since they could sing the female lead roles in a time when only males were allowed to be on stage.  The person who shared this information at class even had a recording on his phone from the last know castrato who died in 1923.  Even though the singer had a beautiful voice, I was glad that it finally ended in the early 20th century.

Although no one in our group made any jokes about such a serious topic, one of them did send a meme to the group later that I found funny.  I didn't have an answer to it but felt that it was thought provoking.  I decided that I would share it with my family instead of our class discussion.  I think they appreicated that.

The Grand Floridian

Doug and I completed our Disney resort bucket list this weekend by staying at the Grand Floridian.  At first, we weren't sure that it would happen due to a mishap this morning, but we were able to work through that and had a wonderful day.  We checked in at 11 a.m. and then met Meg and Nick at Epcot for lunch at the Festival of the Arts.  It was nice to try the food booths that we missed several weeks ago, and the cold weather kept the crowds lower than normal.

After Epcot, the four of us went back to the Grand Floridian to enjoy the resort's amenities.  Meg and I loved the decor and the Mary Poppins theme in our room.  Doug suggested that we try the bar at the hotel.  The Enchanted Rose at the Grand Floridian was nice, but the theming lacked the Beauty and the Beast feel that it advertised.  The drinks and appetizers were good, but a little pricey for us, so we decided to walk to the Polynesian for dinner.  They had an outside bar on the water that we loved when we tried it in November with the Doyles.  It was once again a hit with the four of us.  We each ordered a small meal and enjoyed the atmosphere very much.  The rest of the night was spent at the Grand Floridian where we could see the fireworks from our balcony.  

Overall, Doug and I really enjoyed our stay at the famed deluxe resort and were very happy to check "Staying at all of the Disney World resorts" off of our bucket list.  In saying that, however, The Boardwalk Inn will always be our favorite.  The proximity to Epcot, the theme, and the activity on the Boardwalk make it a true resort vacation.  Thankfully, today, we got a bounce back offer from Disney that allowed us to book a room there for Mother's Day weekend at the club level.  That will be a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday.

A Quick Visit

When I talked to my dad on Thursday, I realized that he was sicker than I originally thought.  He was diagnosed with pneumonia, but it wasn't responding to treatment like they hoped it would.  His oxygen levels were extremely low and his need for oxygen was very high.  After finding that out and knowing that my mom would be alone all weekend, I called Brett to see if he and Karen would be able to visit Syracuse on Saturday and Sunday.  Thankfully, they were able to rearrange their plans and travel north for a few days.  

While in Syracuse, Brett and Karen were not only able to keep my mom company by playing cards and watching Super Market Sweep, but also run to the store for her, take her to see my dad, bring him a change of clothes, take out the garbage and clean the upstairs bathroom.  I appreciated it more than they will ever know.  Hopefully, the visit raised my parents' spirits too.  

Our Poor Trees

This was one of the coldest winters on record in Northern Florida and our trees show it.  We brought in the lemon, lime and banana tree into the garage for multiple days during the heavy frost, but not all of them made it.  The banana tree was completely brown from the stress by the time we could take them out this weekend and the citrus trees had a lot of damage.  We are hoping that those two are salvageable now that it is starting to warm up.  The leaves are coming back at the base and the branches in some spots are turning green again which we take as a good sign.

Unfortunately, our pygmy date palm took a really hard hit when the temperatures were below thirty degrees for several nights recently.  We had never seen it look that severely damaged in the four years that we have owned the home.  We did some research on what to do to try and save it, and there was some good news.  The inside of the palm is still green which means that it could survive the cold stress.  Doug trimmed it as suggested and we will now just have to wait and see.  It is by far my favorite part of our landscaping, and I am hoping to see it return to main focus of our front yard soon.

Mrs. March

The last time that I talked to Jim, he recommended a book to me called, "Mrs. March."  At first, I thought it was a historical fiction piece about the matriarch of Little Women.  I was surprised when I found out that it was a thriller about a woman who believes that her husband murdered someone.  As I love reading mystery and suspense, I decided to give it a try.

The good news was that it was an easy read and definitely had mystery and suspense.  The bad news was that the main character was absolutely paranoid and most of the book was reading about her theories on her husband killing a young woman or how everyone was out to get her.  Neither of which were true.  There was a big twist at the end which made reading it worthwhile, but overall, I found Agatha March so unsettling that the book actually gave me nightmares.  I ended up giving it to a friend of mine to read to see what she thought and then started on the biography "Hemingway's Boat."  Cal had given it to me a while ago and I knew that it would be the perfect way to get the disturbing Mrs. March out of my head.  

Paula and Gabrielle

Another day, another trip to Orlando, but this time it was to visit Gabrielle and Paula.  They were in Florida for Alex's wedding and honeymoon and had a few hours to meet with Meg and I this afternoon before flying back to Indiana.  It was incredibly nice to see them.  We met at Meg's so that she could show them her apartment and then went for a late lunch at Gastro Pub.

The weather was wonderful, so we sat outside and talked the entire time.  Paula had a lot of photos and videos to share from their trip.  The wedding was beautiful and looked like so much fun.  I was very happy for Alex.  The honeymoon was a family trip with everyone going to Disney World for a few days.  From looking at all of pictures, I could see why Paula and Gabrielle were exhausted.  While we were together, the girls caught up on everything going on in their own lives while Paula and I talked about my dad's sudden illness and everything she knew about some interesting news from Syracuse.  

The afternoon was so much fun, and the two hours flew by.  After they left, I was sad for a little while.  Hanging out with Paula was the one thing that I missed most from living in Indiana.  Every time I see her, I get a little pang of homesickness for her back patio.  Thankfully, we have still been able to see each other frequently since I moved and talk often.  It has made the transition a lot easier.  

The Barnhart Family

The Barnhart family was spending this week in Orlando and Meg, Doug and I went to visit them yesterday.  Of all of the weeks for them to be in Florida, this one was perfect for us.  We had time to spend with them.  There was also a lot going on with my parents and it was nice to have family support.  Plus, it almost felt like we were on vacation while we hung out at the resort pool and went to dinner as a large group.

It's hard sometimes not having any adult siblings of my own.  Jackie and Jeannette are the closest that I have to that relationship on my side of the family.  We have shared memories, support one another and cheer on each other's children even from a thousand miles away.  I am glad that we have been able to maintain a relationship with them and my Aunt Jan after we moved.  It takes more effort now, but it so worth it.

All Before 8 a.m.

This morning while I was getting ready for Bible study, my phone alarmed me that my dad had called 911.  It took me a minute to process what was going on, but once I did, I called my dad to see what was wrong.  I wasn't sure if he needed the ambulance for his rattled breathing that I heard yesterday or that my mom had had another fall or even worse a stroke.  My dad answered the phone right away and affirmed that it was him who needed EMS.  He was extremely short of breath and couldn't walk at all.  My mom helped him get dressed and they were waiting for the medical team to arrive.  

While I was talking to him, Cameron called.  I didn't switch over so I could stay on the phone with my dad but realized that he had had messaged to call him right away.  I wasn't surprised that he had called as he had an early morning dental cleaning, but I wasn't expecting the urgency of his text. I waited until my dad said the ambulance was in the driveway and called Cameron back.  His dentist said that he had seven micro cavities that needed filled immediately.  Cameron was more than upset about the news and worried about the $1200 that it would cost after insurance paid their portion.  I told him that we would figure it out and that I was very sorry but needed to call my mom to make sure that she was ok while my dad was gone.

The rest of the day was a blur.  I did make it to Bible study, and I appreciated Brett answering my frantic phone call on the way.  He had some great advice for Cameron as he had had the same situation happen to him several years ago at another dentist.  He also agreed to go up and stay with Grandma over the weekend if Grandpa was still in the hospital.  I didn't retain much from class today, but it was nice to be around people and listen to their thoughts on the current chapters of Isaiah that we were reading instead of spending the morning worrying.

By late afternoon, I found out that my dad had pneumonia.  The hospital was moving him to a bed in ICU.  I was scared, but thankful that they were taking his illness seriously.  My Aunt Vicky happened to be going to my mom's today to check on them and thankfully, planned to spend the night.  That alleviated the worry about what my mom would do without my dad.  Cameron called in the evening and had calmed down quite a bit.  He realized that his news about the teeth wasn't the end of the world and he would survive no matter what he decided about the procedure.  Today, definitely wasn't the day I had planned, but thankfully everyone survived.  I am hoping that tomorrow is a little bit less dramatic.

Task

 I know that Doug has really enjoyed watching the Olympics, but I have found them a little boring.  Thus, during the day I decided that I needed to find something else to watch.  Cal had suggested Task, a new series on HBO Max, so I thought I would start with that.  From the moment I episode one began I was absolutely hooked.  It had exactly what I liked in a series - characters that I could relate to, suspense, villains that I wanted to be taken care of, and a small town not unlike those in Northern Indiana or Central Florida. 

Although several of the heroes didn't make it out alive, I still thoroughly loved the show.  The best part was that I recognized one of the main characters as a supporting actor in the third season of Ozark.  I can't wait for Doug and I to get to his part so I can compare him to the role that I just watched.  Either way, the show kept me entertained and even gave me something to listen to on Spotify this week as there was a podcast based on it as well.  I couldn't ask for more than that.  

Sunday Blues

Sunday mornings have become the toughest part of the week for me.  I don't know why it is, but most Sundays I wake up feeling blue.  I haven't really figured about exactly why I feel that way, but I think it is because the weekends are so much fun and I know they end on Sunday.  That seems so stupid to me, but my therapist says that it is completely normal.  

I had this same feeling when I used to teach at Milford.  My therapist then told me to go out to dinner or do something fun on Sunday nights with my family instead of spending it dreading the next day.  That did help a lot.  We have tried that here, but it doesn't help as much.  I truly believe it is because I know that Doug will be gone a few days during the week and I really don't love that.  At first, I didn't mind, but it has gotten harder for me.  That seems crazy to me as I am busier now than when he first started his job in Longwood and use the nights he's gone to catch up on my to-do list or favorite television shows.  I will definitely have to work on this as Doug loves his new job and it does allow us to pay the bills and enjoy life in Florida.

The second reason that I believe that I hate Sundays is because that is the day that I have to give Doug his Vitamin B12 shot.  I absolutely hate that.  I have learned better how to fill the syringe, but I still feel as though I am hurting him every time I do it.  There have only been two times that Doug has said it hurt, but that doesn't matter.  I still hate doing it.  Unfortunately, I don't see that changing anytime soon.  The shots have helped raise his levels, so I guess that I will just have to stay positive about that.  Thankfully, going to mass on Sunday morning does help my overall mood.  I will just have to keep trying to focus on the good things going on in our lives on Sunday instead of feeling down about what the week ahead has in store for me.  

Valentine's Day Fun

When Doug and I booked a room at the Grand Floridan for February 22nd, we both agreed that we would celebrate our 36th Valentine's Day there.  Of course, when this weekend rolled around, I completely changed the rules.  Thankfully, Doug was prepared with a gift and a free day to do whatever I wanted.  

We started today by opening our gifts for each other.  I had found the perfect red IU baseball cap for Doug which he really appreciated, especially since he had been wearing a hat all week.  He gave me Echo on vinyl by Tom Petty.  I absolutely loved it and it brought back some great memories as we had listened to that album on repeat while sitting on our front porch on Sunset Drive during the last two years we lived in Syracuse.

After gift giving, Doug and I headed to Gainesville to spend the afternoon at Kanapaha.  It was beautiful with the flowers just starting to bloom and everything healing from this winter's heavy frost.  I was surprised by how many young couples were there enjoying the holiday as well.  Swamp Head was our next stop.  They were having a cookies and brew tasting by pairing a beer with a cookie from a local bakery.  It was absolutely delicious.  The rest of the evening was spent at home where we ordered The Great Greek, watched Ozark and cut into the chocolate bundt cake that I made yesterday for the occasion.  It was the perfect way to end a wonderful Valentine's Day.

Happy Birthday Brett

I had two take aways from Brett turning thirty-one today.  First, I could not believe that Doug and I had a child that old.  It still seems like only yesterday all of the Heinisch children were at home with us when in reality, Brett hadn't lived at home in almost a decade. Secondly, I could not believe all of the changes that had happened since Brett's last birthday.  He had been promoted, moved to Columbus, and had gotten married.  Just one of those happening in a year would be a big step but having all three occur was mind blowing.  

Instead of being sad about Brett's age or overwhelmed by all of the changes, I spent today reflecting on how much I had enjoyed being Brett's mom.  Sure, there were some tough times.  There always are, but overall, I have had so much fun watching Brett grow, change, love, increase his faith and find positivity in everyday life.  It has been awesome to be a part of his journey, and I can't wait to see where next the year takes him.