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.

Toledo

Doug and I left yesterday once he got off work to start our Midwest summer vacation. We didn’t quite get as far as we had hoped as there was a lot of traffic and rain south of Atlanta. We did make it to Tennessee, however, and this afternoon pulled into the University of Toledo parking lot around 4 PM. We were very happy to see Cameron, and he definitely seemed happy to see the both of us as well. The three of us spent the rest of the afternoon and evening catching up on the past few months, buying a few supplies for Cameron‘s apartment, meeting his roommate, touring his dorm and checking out downtown Toledo.  I was impressed by how well Cameron had adjusted to internship life in such a short time and by how many people he already knew. 

Cameron picked the Maumee River Brewing Company for dinner, which was walkable from our hotel. On the way, we passed by Owens Corning.  I loved that it was situation right in the middle of all of the downtown action.  The food and the drinks at the brewery were fantastic. Klinger's beloved Toledo Mudhens were playing just across the street from our hotel and our room had the perfect view of the game. We watched a few innings from our hotel and then walked around the stadium to check out the action. There were also a few microbreweries for us to try, and we ended our evening in the hotel bar with a snack before Cameron headed back to his apartment. I couldn’t believe all that there was to do in downtown Toledo and sharing that with Cameron made it even more special. We have one more day to explore in the Glass City and I can’t wait to see what we find.

Hemingway's Boat

This week I finished the biography Hemingway’s Boat. This was officially, my 18th biography that I had read about the author. Because of this I wasn't surprised to see that there were several biographies referenced that I had already read, including ones by his oldest sister and youngest brother. Those excerpts made all of the new information that I gained from this particular biography even more interesting.

Hemingway's Boat focused mainly on his relationship with the Pilar, the famed yacht that he bought while living in Key West. I loved learning about the history of his beloved boat and the countless trips he took on it during the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. He not only went fishing on it but used it as a research vessel for the science museum in New York, hosted parties on it with a multitude of celebrities, moved it with him to Cuba when he divorced from his second wife and even used it to help the US government look for Nazi submarine ships during World War II.

Like all Hemingway biographies there was a dark undertone to it. Besides the Pilar, this boat also featured everything else that he loved and lost from 1934 to 1961 including his own suicide. The last twenty-five percent of the book focused mostly on his son Gigi, who became a woman named Gloria later in life. That part was a lot harder to read as Gigi's life was an even more sad and tragic story than Hemingway's. I was glad, however, to have read the biography.  It reminded me of why I found Hemingway‘s life so incredibly fascinating. I don’t know if this will be my last biography on Hemingway, but I will take a break for a while. Either way, I am super proud of myself for finishing this long, detailed book and was glad that my family at least pretended to be interested in it when I talked non-stop about it.

Celebrating Number 33

Today Doug and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary. There wasn’t any fan fair or big presents, but I did have dessert for us and we each gave her each other a beautiful handwritten card. It seemed very fitting for where we are in life right now.

The last five years have by far been some of the most challenging times in our marriage due to no fault of our own. Doug’s health issues, the stress that Champion put him under and his dad’s refusal to fulfill the promises that were made to us so many years ago have made life really hard. Throw in a few other specific incidents that happened to the rest of our family, and I’m surprised that we made it through. But the good news is we did persevere. I wasn’t surprised because we always have. We didn’t need to celebrate our anniversary tonight because every day is a celebration of life. We’ve made it a long way together and God willing we will make it even further.

I hope the next year brings an easier path for both of us, but if it doesn’t, I know that we’ll get through it together. That’s the best part about being married to Doug, his perseverance, strength and optimism make life so much easier. I couldn’t imagine being married to anyone else.

Happy Birthday Cal

Cal turned 28 today and I appreciated his early morning phone call so that I could wish him Happy Birthday first thing.  He was walking back to his apartment from the BMV as he had finally made an appointment to get an Illinois' driver's license.  He was supposed to get one within thirty days of moving to the windy city, but Cal just couldn't bring himself to do it.  His heart was still in Indiana and part of him would always be a Hoosier.  

As Cal talked about how horrible the picture on his license looked, I laughed to myself.  I didn't think it was funny that he hated his photo.  I laughed because I knew that his statement, "I will never show it to anyone" just wasn't true.  Cal had the confidence to show people a "terrible" picture of himself and laugh at it with them.  Deep down he really didn't care.  That was the part that I don't know if everyone understood about him.  He didn't spend a lot of time in deep thought.  He enjoyed the moment too much.  The part of Cal that I knew was obvious to everyone was that he was the most loyal person that most people would ever meet.  When you were part of his inner circle, you were there for life.  I wasn't surprised that he met friends that were just as loyal as he starting with Jacye in seventh grade leading up to his current group of friends, mostly from IU.  It has been fun to watch and to be a small part of it through phone calls and conversations.

So much of Cal's personality reminds me of my own, but I believe that the best part of him came from Doug.  Not just the loyalty, but the hard work ethic as well.  I have enjoyed hearing about his success at work and am proud that he has embraced life in Chicago to the fullest.  I was thankful for the phone call today and am looking forward to celebrating Cal this coming weekend in person.  Until then I will appreciate browsing through all the pictures I have saved from his childhood.  As much as I loved being a mom then, I think that I enjoy being a mom of adult children even more now.

Installation

Tonight, I went to my third CCW meeting of the year.  I had planned on going to more even though I had resigned as treasurer last summer, but the first one in September left a bad taste in my mouth.  The president accused me of being incompetent and screwing up the accounts.  According to her they were so bad that it would take a lot of work to fix it all.  I was taken off guard when she said it so I didn't confront her, but it wouldn't have mattered.  It wasn't the first time that she had lied or bad mouthed someone to the group.  I decided that I just wouldn't have much to do with CCW for the rest of the year.  I didn't have the time or energy to put into a group being led by someone who had treated me poorly and I do not regret that decision. I did attend one more meeting in March.  I was surprised to see that the treasurer's report started with the exact account balance that I have given them in August. Even with that validation of my competence, I still had no desire to be a part of the group until there was a new leader.

Thankfully, tonight there was an installation of officers and Robbi would be taking over as president.  I was happy for her and knew that she would work hard to make the group a positive experience for all members.  It was nice to sit with friends and know that I was valued.  That is what I believe most people want from a philanthropic group.

Owens Corning

Yesterday, Cameron packed up his Pilot and drove to Toledo.  He was excited about his summer internship with Owens Corning, but very nervous as well.  He hadn't moved anywhere where he knew absolutely no one or anything about the town that he would be living in for the next twelve weeks.  Even when he went to IU three and a half years ago, he was extremely familiar with Bloomington and Brett lived only a mile away from campus.  I was very glad to hear that he really liked the three roommates that he was paired with and that their apartment was nice.  The only problem he had was that he expected a twin bed and didn't bring full size sheets.  He could remedy that easily with a stop at Walmart later in the week.

Cameron called this evening to let us know that his internship had started off well.  There was a lot of getting to know everyone and the company that gave him an internship. I am sure that today foreshadowed the rest of his summer as it will be filled with a lot of learning since Cameron is new to working in the field of supply chain.  I believe that is what he is looking forward to the most as well as the extra spending money.  Although I will miss having him in Florida this summer, it is nice to know that Cameron will be getting a break from Bloomington for a few months and will get a taste of what life could look like after college. I can't wait to hear all about his first week when we visit Toledo next weekend.  

One More Added to the Beer Making Crew

Last night, while Meg and I were at the Jason Mraz concert, Phil showed Nick how to make beer.  Nick really enjoyed the lesson, Doug had a great time watching, and I was glad that the three of them were able to hang out together.  Nick was impressed by the operation and by Phil's knowledge of the beer making process.  He said that Phil talked the entire time that they were together, which is a rarity.  I don't think that Nick will be here to bottle the beer as he has to attend training in Ohio, but at least he got a taste of it, and we will save a few bottles for him to try when he returns. 

By moving to Florida, Nick gave up the quick trips to see his own family in the Midwest.  I don't know if he minds living over a thousand miles away from them as each family has their own dynamics to work through, but I am glad that we can step in at times and fill the void.  I would never want to take over being his parents, but I am very happy that we get along so well with our one and only son-in-law.  It makes everyone's lives a lot easier and brings a new perspective to the Heinisch family.

Jason Mraz

Several months ago, I noticed that Jason Mraz was going to be playing in Orlando and Clearwater this weekend. I said something to Meg and she seemed interested in going with me, but we didn’t spend a lot of time talking about it at the time. As the date grew closer, we both realize that Orlando wouldn’t work. The venue was closer to Meg’s apartment, but the tickets were a lot more expensive and it was on a Sunday night, which would mess up Meg‘s Monday morning work schedule. Thus, we focused on Clearwater instead. I wasn’t sure if it would work as it was a Saturday night and the venue was about an hour 45 from our house, but with Meg’s encouraging I went ahead and bought two tickets for us for tonight performance.

In the end, I was so glad that Meg kept encouraging me to go. I had really liked Jason Mraz‘s music ever since he was on Dancing with the Stars two years ago. My kids make fun of me for saying that his music is peppy when it’s really just a bunch of love songs, but I think it’s his personality that makes the music so much fun and that really came through at tonight's show. It started off a little strange as he had an opening act filled with folk music. Neither Meg nor I were sure why that was about until she read that the performer was the one who gave Jason Mraz his big break. We did enjoy the music and were thankful for a small intermission before the main show to change seats as there was an entire row open closer towards the stage and away from the crowds of people that we were sitting with. It made the show so much more enjoyable and gave us a minute to relax before the night really started.

Jason Mraz played for almost 2 hours showcasing every one of his songs that I knew by heart and even a few that I had never listened to before this evening. He had a new album out full of gospel music that he made for his grandma 20 years ago. He played a few of those as well.  They were very fun songs, and they fit his set list very well. Meg and I sang along to the ones we knew and clapped along to the rest. He made the crowd laugh, he made me cry, and I had such a good time that I was sad when the night ended. I couldn't believe that someone who I had never really heard of two years ago was now one of my favorite performers and that I got to see him on stage in person.  

The drive home was a little precarious because of a torrential rainstorm, but we safely made it before midnight. We were shocked to see Doug still awake, but it gave me a great opportunity to show him all of the video and pictures that I had taken tonight. It was the perfect way to end such a wonderful evening with Meg. One that I will not forget for a very long time.

A Different Kind of Summer

Yesterday, I went to lunch with Robbi and Robin at Chicken Salad Chick.  It has become one of our favorite places to meet and I really enjoy our luncheons.  It gives everyone a time to catch up, ask questions or find out what is going on with CCW.  This week there was a lot to discuss about the women's Catholic group as Robbi was voted in as president at the last general meeting.  Robin and I both have positions on her board and I was very glad to help Robbi get started on the agenda for her first board meeting in June.

There is another reason that I am very glad to be a part of CCW's leadership this year.  For the first time in thirty-one years, I will not have anyone home with me during the summer months.  It didn't really dawn on me how much I really looked forward to summer and having at least one child at home on break until we got back from California.  I cried then and could cry now thinking about it.  Thus, I am glad that I will have friends here to meet for lunch and involvement in a group.  I also thought about attending daily mass more, reading a few books on my list, and planning our next could of trips.  There are several indoor projects that I could work on as well.  The boys text or call often and Meg is close by as well, which I appreciate very much.

Most importantly, I realize that Cameron really needs a job this summer.  Therefore, I will make the best of my situation alone so that he can grow as a person (and make some much needed money.)  Being supportive is one thing that I can offer my adult children, and I am always happy to do that.  

Remote Work

The biggest adjustment for me to Doug's current job is that they frown upon working from home.  I hated the number of hours that Doug put in at Champion, but it was nice that he could decide when he would work remotely.  That allowed us to travel and to go to appointments easily as he would just work around our schedule.  One of the biggest draws to our current home was that it had a built-in desk space near the living room for Doug.  

Thankfully, Doug was able to get approval to work remotely two days during the last week of May.  That will allow him to travel with me to the Midwest to see the boys.  He will also be available at night to help with any projects that we need to do at my parents' home that week.  I really appreciate him asking as it makes our life a lot easier.  I hope that something will change and he will be able to work from home more often, but for now, I am just glad for the days that he did get approval.  

Off to Michigan

Cameron and Cora spent the past three days in Michigan traveling to various cities throughout the state.  I enjoyed listening to them talk about their trip on their way back to Fishers this afternoon.  While the two of them were there they were able to eat at several of our favorite restaurants including New Holland Brewing Company and Founders Brewery.  They also went wine tasting in Traverse City and hiked an impossible dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes.  I thought that it was awesome that Cora ordered a drink named The Hemingway while I was reading about the famed author’s boyhood summers in the same area.  While in Michigan, they even visited the Grand Rapids high school that Cora’s mom graduated from in the 1990s.  Overall, their trip sounded like the perfect end to a challenging semester and I was very happy to hear that they had a lot of fun and felt that they could officially put their junior year behind them.  

Jerry West and the ABA

During the past few years, I have come to realize that I really don’t care that much about watching the NBA.  Maybe, I never really did, but I definitely followed it more years ago, especially when Cal lived at home. Doug still watches it during the playoff season, but even the that doesn’t interest me.  It is probably because the season is long, there are too many games and I don’t know very many players anymore.  I still listen when Cal, Doug or Cameron tell me about a big game or series, but that’s about all of my involvement anymore.

Because of my lack of interest, I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed two documentaries that we watched recently.  The first was on the American Basketball Association.  I was old enough to remember that there was an ABA league that rivaled the NBA and many of its players, but I couldn’t say if I watched them play in the ABA or NBA as the leagues merged in 1976 when I was only eight.  It was very interesting, however, especially on how the league was run, how it dissolved and what happened to the players and coaches after it ended.

The second documentary was about Jerry West.  I definitely knew very little about him except that his silhouette was used for the NBA logo and that he was involved with the Lakers.  His life story inside and outside of basketball was very fascinating and I liked it just as much as the one on the ABA.  

Basketball was a huge part of my life when I was younger.  It was fun to remember why. Although I do  not revere the sport as much as I did when I was in college, I definitely enjoyed the walk down memory lane.  Even so, I probably still won’t watch the playoffs much.  I’ll let Doug, Cal or Cameron keep me up-to-date and hope that the boys’ bets hit.  

Special Gifts

I never expect gifts on Mother's Day, but I do appreciate how awesome my children are at giving them.  This year was no exception.  The bouquet of tulips from Cal arrived last Wednesday and brightened our kitchen right away.  Meg surprised me with a wonderful homemade present.  She had taken an applique from my wedding dress and made it into a jewelry tray for my dresser.  It was extremely thoughtful and something that I will be able to use daily.  Brett's gift arrived today and I made sure to have it cued up on the record player when Doug got home from work as we had both noticed the latest Peanuts vinyl at the Charles Schultz Museum and really enjoyed listening to it last night.  Cameron purchased my gift while vacationing in Traverse City this week.  I can't wait to open it when I see him Memorial Day weekend.  As much as I have absolutely loved all of the Mother's Day gifts over the years, the best part about the holiday is and always will be being called Mom by the Heinisch four.  That is one gift that I will never grow tired of hearing. 

Mother's Day at the Boardwalk

Doug and I decided to celebrate Mother’s Day by staying at the Boardwalk Inn on their club level. The Boardwalk had become like a second home to us since we had been there so many times over the years with our children. We couldn't believe that we had not been there since our last entire family vacation at Disney World in 2020.  Planning the trip brought back a lot of awesome memories for both Doug and I. Staying there would also be an easy way for Meg to celebrate Mother's Day with us as she wouldn’t have to travel out to Ocala by herself.

Doug and I decided to arrive early this morning so we could enjoy breakfast in the club lounge. Dad got his usual salmon, cream cheese and bagel while I had a fabulous meal with eggs and fruit. We walked over to Epcot after breakfast and did something that we rarely do, went on multiple rides. Soarin' as always was our favorite, but Doug really appreciated Spaceship Earth this time as he was ready for a nap after such a big meal. We had just enough time to grab a drink from England before heading back to the Boardwalk to meet Meg.

Lunch at the club level was really just snacks, so once we rested and enjoyed a few things, we went out to the boardwalk for Meg to get a big pretzel. We then took the boat over to Hollywood Studios. Doug was sure that this would be the time that he beat us at Toy Story Mania, but as always, Meg and I destroyed him. It was really hot walking back and we were glad to take a break and rest in the room before going to dinner. The food tonight was fantastic, and Meg really appreciated that they had her favorite chicken tenders. The drinks at the Boardwalk weren’t quite as good as they were at Animal Kingdom Lodge, but we enjoyed them just the same. The desserts were delicious and we enjoyed hearing the fireworks from our balcony. Overall, it was a wonderful Mother’s Day, and I was really glad that we got to spend it together with Meg at the Boardwalk Inn.

Florida Pint Day

Last week, I saw a post from Hiatus Brewing Company stating that they would be closing indefinitely due to an operations issue.  I was absolutely shocked when I read it and immediately called Doug at work to let him know.  I decided that I wasn't going to be the one to tell Phil and instead let Doug break the news to him as the brewery had become their favorite place to meet for a drink and to catch up on their week.  It was not only convenient being just a little over a mile from our home, but it also had the best craft beer that I had ever tasted.  I didn't always meet the brothers there but had been there enough that the bartender didn't even ask me what I wanted anymore.  To say that we were all disappointed was an understatement.

Thankfully, the brewery didn't stay closed for long and within a few days was back up and running again.  We never found out what the issue was but were glad to see that they had already scheduled an event for "Florida Pint Day" complete with a collector's glass.  I wasn't able to go but Doug and Phil put it on their calendar for last night, and I was very happy to add the new glass to our collection.  Now we had a manatee for me from last year and an alligator for Doug this year.  It was a nice way to end the week and to celebrate Hiatus' "reopening." 

An End to Cameron's Junior Year

Cameron's junior year officially ended this past Monday at 9 p.m. with his last final.  He was very glad to be done early but would have preferred not to have all three of his finals on the same day.  This year had definitely been the most challenging of the three.  Between a tough semester of iCore in the fall, the commitments of being a director of SAB, the time involved as an unpaid intern for the IU athletic marketing department and his position as a TA, Cameron was completely burned out.  He needed a break and I was glad to hear that he was taking time off these next few weeks before his internship started at Owens Corning.

To start Cameron went to see Grandma and Grandpa in Syracuse for a few days.  He was able to take them to Chubbies, play Buck Euchre and finally get a haircut.  In Bloomington, Cameron hung out with Cora and also spent a day on Lake Monroe saying goodbye to his senior friends in SAB. This weekend he had plans to celebrate Cora's brothers' graduation and pack for their trip to Traverse City.  He had been planning it since this winter and was very excited about that.  I was glad to hear that he was already feeling a lot more relaxed after his few days off from school.  I know it will take some time, but soon he will completely be rejuvenized and ready to tackle his new position in Toledo.

Harry Potter on Vacation

Doug spent quite a bit of his television viewing time during Covid watching and rewatching the Harry Potter movies.  Meg and Cameron would find him asleep many times in his chair with one of the eight movies playing in the background.  It definitely became a joke in the family as it did seem that Doug had watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at least a hundred times by the end of the pandemic.

While Doug and I were in California, a Harry Potter marathon seemed to be on every night of our trip.  Doug would turn on one of the wizarding movies just before he fell asleep and there would be another one on when we woke up.  I must have texted our family group chat to let them know because both Cal and Cameron sent texts from their respective vacations recently with these pictures asking Doug if he had ever seen these movies and thought he might be interested.  I got a kick out of that and was glad that Doug could laugh at it too.  

Plant Help

Lately, I have been using Google Gemini whenever I have a question for AI.  So far it has been really helpful and as an added bonus, it lets me ask unlimited questions and doesn't cost me anything.  This week, I put it to the task on the health of my indoor plants.  I was amazed at how helpful it really was.

First, Google Gemini gave me suggestions for raising healthy indoor plants overall. I was glad to hear that I was doing a good job at that. It then identified each plant individually and gave me tips on what to do for them based on the pictures that I provided.  With Google Gemini's help, I learned that my plants were almost all tropical and loved humidity, keeping them together would provide that.  Next, I found out which ones preferred indirect light by the window and which ones preferred to be a little farther away from the glass.  I also found out which ones needed pruned and which were extremely healthy.  Google Gemini even let me know that I was wrong in believing that I had a Christmas cactus.  Instead, I had a Thanksgiving one and it provided tips on how to get it to bloom next November as well.  

My indoor plants have replaced the Guinea pigs in becoming the "pet" of the house.  Thankfully, just like our beloved pigs, they do not need a lot of care, just water and attention every now and then. The best part is that there is no cage to clean and it isn't quite as sad when they die.

Money Tree

Zebra Plant

Thanksgiving Cactus

Calathea Dottie - Prayer Plant

African Violet

Snake Plant

Angel Wing Begonia

Kalanchoe