What a Gorgeous Day in Bloomington

We started our morning at the Bloomington Farmer's Market.  It was a sunny morning, just a little chilly.  We walked throw the art and crafts section before picking up scones for breakfast.  There were a lot of pumpkins and gourds to buy, but we decided to wait until later in the month to get ours.  From the farmer's market we walked up to the courthouse square to see the glass pumpkins.  We had gone last year and they were beautiful.  This year we chose just to look at them from afar.  The line to get up the courthouse steps was over a block long.  We weren't up for that as we knew we weren't going to buy any.  We found out last year that they were outside of our budget with the smallest ones priced at $50 a piece.

Since we had some extra time before the IU vs. Michigan game we stopped at the game store across from the courthouse.  Cam and Meg played chess and then Cam purchased a new version of Scattegories for us to try.  We also ran into the kitchen store.  Doug had dropped our pasta spoon and we needed a new one.  As a bonus we found a purple one to match our kitchen.  Doug drove us back to Brett's.  He and Cam walked to the game from there.  Doug texted me later to say that it took them fifteen minutes to get through the metal detectors and into their seats.  The game was a sellout and it showed everywhere around campus as all of Bloomington was packed.  Fortunately, they did get to see kickoff.

While they were at the game Meg, Brett and I hung out together.  Brett needed a haircut, so he walked there first.  We drove down and met him at T.I.S.  From there we went to Noodles & Company for lunch.  I wanted to run into Greetings to look around and we were amazed with how many people were on Kirkwood especially at the bars.  Our next stop was Target.  Brett needed a few items for his apartment and Meg and I always enjoy going to The College Mall.  We didn't purchase a lot, but I did find a few fall candles at Yankee Candle and Brett and Meg each found shirts that they liked.  Brett decided to wear his the rest of the day - a smiling face of Penny Wise the clown from IT.

Parce texted us when we got back to Brett's to let us know that they were still tailgating.  Cal had called me earlier to tell me that he was going to head there as well.  Doug and Cam never made it out of the game at halftime as security was too hard to get in and out of in ten minutes.  Brett, Meg and I decided that we would join the tailgate, however, and started walking to the stadium around 3 p.m.  We noticed while we were walking that a lot of fans were leaving the game.  Michigan was up 20-10 and they must have decided to give up.  By the time we got to Chokey's spot, IU had scored making it 20-17.  We visited with everyone for awhile and listened to the game.  With just seconds left IU made it to field goal range.  The kick was good and Cal decided to head in and watch the overtime.  We listened to the rest of the game at the tailgate.  Michigan scored right away and IU made it to the 2 yard line.  Unfortunately, they couldn't convert on a touchdown pass and lost in overtime.  We waited around for Cal, Doug and Cam to come out of the game.  They were disappointed, but happy to have the opportunity to go.

Cal and Doug took off shortly after the game ended.  They walked to Pizza Express to get all of us breadsticks.  Meg, Brett, Cam and I stayed awhile longer, visiting with Parce and Chokey.  The walk back was a tough one especially with the steep hill on 17th street.  Brett and Cam walked ahead talking about Kingdom Hearts and Batman.  Meg stayed with me which I appreciated as I walk quite a bit slower than everyone else right now.  She talked about school and her friends.  Doug and Cal beat us back to Brett's apartment.  We enjoyed the breadsticks as we hadn't eaten a lot throughout the day.

Once we rested we headed back to the College Mall.  Cam desperately needed new shoes.  His toe was coming out the side of his current pair.  It took him awhile to pick out a pair, but he did end up with a nice pair of red Nike Hyper Dunks.  We stopped at Barnes & Noble and Doug bought the new Dan Brown book.  Cal asked us to drop him off at his house.  He was tired and ready to lie down.  We picked up Parce and the guys all went bowling.  Meg and I went along, but I wasn't able to bowl because of my leg.  The guys all bowled well and Parce took bragging rights beating Brett by two pins in the final frame. We ate dinner at Opie Taylor's.  The food took awhile but we all enjoyed the conversation.  Parce walked home from the restaurant while Doug drove Brett, Meg and I back to Brett's apartment.  Meg spent time talking with her friends and Brett and I watched Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.  Doug and Cam caught the end of the Cubs game with Parce.  Unfortunately, the Dodgers got the better of them in game 1.

On to Bloomington

Good news all around today.  The Cubs won 9-8 last night.  The game lasted longer than any other 9 inning playoff game in history finishing close to 2:30 in the morning.  My therapy sessions went well.  The swelling in my ankle was down 3 centimeters since I started therapy.  All of my students finished their tests today with many making significant improvement.  Best of all, we headed to Bloomington at 4:15 this afternoon.

Traffic was heavy on 37 and we had to stop once, but we were still able to make it to Brett's apartment by 8:30.  It was a beautiful night, so we walked to Mother Bear's.  I hadn't walked since August.  My leg did hurt, but it was nice to get some exercise.  There was a long line outside of the restaurant when we arrived, but we were seated within thirty minutes.  We used our time waiting to catch up with Brett.  We talked a lot about what he had been up to and also The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as we had just watched the Disney version on the way to Bloomington.  The food was delicious and the service was a lot quicker than we had expected.  The walk back to Brett's went well.  My leg was sore, but I was happy that I didn't hold anyone back too much.  Doug and Cam helped us blow up Meg's mattress and then headed to Parce's.  I was impressed that Doug made it up as long as he did.  He had stayed up until 1:30 a.m last night watching the Cubs and then got up at 5:30 a.m. to play basketball.  Meg, Brett and I watched the Harry Potter marathon on Freeform until we finally decided it was time for bed.

One of Those Days

From start to finish today was just not the best day.  I know that it was because I had a lot to do and there just didn't feel like there was enough time in the day to accomplish everything.  I had work to do for school and then also needed to pack for Bloomington.  Meg had a paper that needed proof read and Doug had county council.  By the end of the night I was absolutely exhausted and in tears.  The bright spot of the day did occur once I sat down.  It looked like the Cubs were going to be eliminated, but a crazy fifth inning had them overcome a 4-1 deficit and take the lead 5-4.  I don't know if they can win the World Series again, but it would be nice to see them win their division.

Camp Friends

Meg and Cam were both dismissed at 2:30 again today.  It was so wonderful to know that Meg could just bring Cam home and that we wouldn't have to worry about picking him up early or making sure he had a ride.  We didn't encourage Meg to transfer to Bethany so that Cam would have a way to and from school or practice, but it has definitely been a benefit.

I got home around 3:40 and Cam was already there working on his math homework.  Math comes naturally to Cameron.  Because of that I was worried that he wouldn't be challenged this year.  From talking to his teacher and listening to Cam I do think that math class has been going well for him.  He has been digging deeper into the material and has also been working with some of his classmates to help them understand the standards better.  Educationally, I like that he isn't being pushed ahead and is instead gaining a greater depth of knowledge in a subject he enjoys.  That will definitely benefit him later in life.

Meg had a paper to work on tonight, but before she started on it she went to meet one of her camp friends for ice cream.  Kat's grandparents have a place on Wawasee and she decided to hang out here for Fall Break.  Meg had a great time visiting, sharing camp stories and catching up on all that has been going on since camp ended in July.  I love that Meg has been able to keep in contact with so many of her Camp Crosley friends.  House party has become a favorite hangout of theirs and they've been a great support to her over the years.  

Parent Teacher Conferences

Tonight was parent teacher conferences at Bethany.  Because of that Cam and Meg got out at 2:30 today.  Meg used her time to go to piano lessons.  She hadn't been in quite awhile and was thankful to see Mrs. Meek.  Cameron stayed until four for chess club and she picked him up on her way home.

Doug and I both were able to go to their conferences this evening.  We were scheduled to meet with their teachers from 6:30 to 8:20.  It was a lot of time and a lot of talking, but we were both so incredibly pleased with their first quarter.  The teachers' all had wonderful statements to make about Cameron and Meg.  Many of them knew both.  They praised their work effort, their intelligence and their ability to make friends.  Bethany has become a second home to Cameron and Meg.  They have found friendships and have taken advantage of all that the school has to offer both academically and in extra curricular activities.   We couldn't be more proud of them.

A Great Season

Tonight ended a great season for the Bethany girls soccer team.  They held Westview scoreless in the session tonight, but couldn't overcome the two goals that the Warriors scored Saturday night before the rainout.  The game was the most intense one of the year as both teams became very physical on the field.  The referee did little to stop the pushing and shoving, but one of our players did eventually earn a yellow card for unsportsmanlike behavior.

Meg walked off the field with her head held high.  She had not been part of a winning soccer season since her days with LYC and it felt good to win eleven games this year.  Her playing time was less than the last two seasons, but her skills shone brightly every time she touched the ball.  We were ever impressed with her ability to pass and find the open teammate.  She missed having her Dad as a coach, but was thankful for the friendships that she made.  Soccer made her transition to Bethany so much easier and we couldn't be more proud of her.

Birthday Thoughts

Today was my brother's 54th birthday.  As I am going to be 49 in November it should not sound that old, but it just does.  I was eight when Bunk died and for me he is still the big brother that I knew.  I never think of him as an adult.  Meg asked me today how I thought it would be if Bunk was still alive.  I honestly have not given that much consideration over the years.  I told her that I couldn't even guess how it would be.  I know that it would be nice to have someone to talk about shared memories with.  Our stories I am sure would revolve around all of the time we spent with our grandparents.  We would also share stories about the different animals we had as pets and who they liked best.  My best friend and his best friends were brothers, so I know that the Stump boys would figure into our conversations.

Out of all of the things that I miss most about Bunk since he has been gone, it is definitely these conversations.  Although I can share the memories with Doug and the Heinisch children there isn't someone to corroborate or dispute what I have to say.  I listen to my four talk all the time about growing up together.  I would love to be able to do that especially today when we could celebrate his life.