Think of Me

Last week was a sad one for the Wawasee community.  The longest employee of the school system, mentor and friend to all fell ill at school and collapsed.  She was airlifted to Parkview Hospital, but never responded.  In the thoughts of all early Saturday morning and surrounded by her family, she died early Saturday morning.  I was heartbroken when Paula texted me to let me know.

I spent the rest of the day thinking about Cyndi.  I had spent eleven years sitting beside her at our monthly library board meetings.  Her honest opinions were not always appreciated by all, but I thoroughly enjoyed serving with her.  After the meetings we would sit and talk catching up on our common interests - family, Purdue vs. IU, the school system, books and musicals.  She was one of the few people in Syracuse who knew my brother.  She shared memories of him with me many times which I completely enjoyed.  As my own children started high school she became my eyes and ears at the always keeping me informed on what was happening with them or with the student population in general.  Both Brett and Cal had her as an AP English teacher with Brett spending even more time with Mrs. Thornburg as one of her drama students.  When I would grow concerned about anything she would reassure me that she had had the same worries as a mother and it would work out fine.  Although she taught in the public school system for decades she was extremely supportive when I told her that we were enrolling Cameron in private school.  She was sad that she would never have Meg as a student, but was happy that Meg found a school that would challenge her academically while supporting her as a person.

When I found out that Cyndi's memorial service was this evening I considered selling my Phantom of the Opera tickets.  Another teacher had done so earlier in the week.  The more I thought about it the more I knew in my heart that she would never have wanted me to miss the performance.  I had used my teacher bonus to purchase the tickets several months ago and had talked about it ever since.  I told Paula this morning my decision and she completely agreed with me.  She even let me in on a little secret, the first song played this evening at the service was to be "Think of Me".  Listening to the opening song tonight all I could think was what a wonderful way to honor my friend by listening to Think of Me at a Broadway performance of one of her favorite operas.

Happy Birthday Grandpa Cutes!

Today we celebrated my Dad's 75th birthday.  Seventy-five sounds old, but after hanging out with Grandpa Cutes,  it just doesn't feel old.  The more he talked about his cruise last week the more that I realized that he really is just a kid at heart.  That enthusiasm for life has kept him quite a bit younger than his 75 years and has helped him relate to his grandchildren.  They thoroughly enjoy his stories and love hanging out with him.  There is always an adventure when he is involved and usually a great story to tell.

Tonight we laughed at the video of him dancing after winning the Elvis trivia contest, made him blow out trick candles on his birthday cake, and insisted that he kept the "new fangled" wireless smart blu ray player that we gave him to celebrate his big day.  As I pulled out of the driveway after the celebration Meg and Cam were already helping him put it to good use.  They were dancing along with him to Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine on You Tube.  With activity like that around to keep my Dad young, I fully expect to see him live another 75 years!

Third Quarter Reportcards

Meg and Cam started their last quarter of the school year this morning.  It was hard to believe that it had already arrived.  It has been a wonderful year so far for both.  Not only have they met new friends and enjoyed some awesome experiences, they both have thrived in the classroom.  Cam finished the third quarter with all A's once again.  He had to work harder than normal to earn that grade in Language this grading period.  His teacher had received a concussion in January and has been out ever since.  The substitutes have done a great job with the class, but it was more challenging for Cam, however, to keep everything organized with three different teachers.

Meg had one B+ and the rest A's for the third quarter.  The B+ came in Calculus which was definitely her hardest class this year.  We were incredibly proud of her report card.  Bethany has been more rigorous academically for her and she has responded incredibly well.  Going into the school year we were told by many in the academic department of Bethany that Meg may very well see her first C's this year as she adjusts to the new emphasis on classwork.  We were never worried about that.  Meg has always worked hard on her school work and this year has been no exception.  With her work ethic and rigorous academic schedule she will be more than prepared for the demands of college.

Will Spring Ever Arrive?

It was cold again today with temperatures below 40 degrees.  This has been the coldest Spring that I can remember.  Normally the week before Spring Break is one for capris and short sleeves.  It doesn't look that way now as the forecast doesn't get much better than today's.  My parents arrived back to Florida from their cruise this morning and have one more night in the sun before they return.  They will be shocked when they step off of the plane tomorrow morning.  Not only was it cold this week, but Southern Indiana also had ten inches of snow fall.  Spring weather will have to arrive sometime, however, and the closer we get to April the more likely that will be.

9th in the State

Today was the team chess tournament in Hammond, Indiana.  Normally, Cam rides the bus up and then back with Doug.  This year, he decided to ride with Doug instead.  The trip was an easy one and they were there well before the 8:30 a.m. call time.  Cam's team started off on fire wining the first round 4-0.  From there they had some challenging matches that included two draws and one loss plus another 4-0 win.  At the end of the day they had earned three points and found themselves with a top ten finish.  Their ninth place in state tied Cam's best at individual state this year.  Cam was proud of his play and his team tournament success.  Chess was a long season starting in October and finishing just this weekend.  Cam said that his stamina for it had started to wane these past few weeks.  That was totally understandable.  We were proud that he kept with it and helped lead his team to their best finish thus far.

While the guys were at chess Meg and I got some cleaning done.  She had tennis at 9 a.m. this morning, but after that she spent the majority of the afternoon putting aways her laundry, unpacking from her trip and resting.  I woke up early this morning, so I got a lot done by lunch time.  I decided to take an hour nap this afternoon which was rare for me, but much needed.  Meg and I left for Goshen around 5 p.m.  She wanted to buy a new swimsuit with her Target birthday gift cards.  She found a nice two piece that she will take to Florida.  From there we tried to get into Hacienda, but they were packed.  Instead we washed the car, got gas and headed to Panera.  I had never been there before and Meg enjoyed it on her trip.  The food was delicious.  It was great spending some time with Meg. I missed having her around this week!

Welcome Home, Meg!

Tonight Meg arrived well ahead of schedule.  We were all glad to see her and enjoyed her stories very much.  On their four day trip they were able to visit the National Underground Museum, see the movie Black Panther, tour the Greensboro Civil Rights Museum, listen to an ACLU speaker, meet with a Dreamer and enjoy the musical "Ragtime."  Meg said that it was even more fun than her trip to Washington D.C.  That was saying something.

We celebrated her return with dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  Cam and his friend "Chip" joined us as well.  Briese came home with him after school today.  They had fun playing the PS4, pool and basketball against Doug.  He lives on Black Squirrel, so we were able to drop him off on the way home.  It was great having him visit as he and Cam have a lot in common.

Happy 17th Birthday Meg!

 

For the first time in her 17 years on this Earth Meg celebrated her birthday without us.  It was strange for us, but exciting for her.  Meg loves to travel and is definitely an adventurer.  Her willingness to take advantage of all that life has to offer is impressive at her age and we love that about her.  Today was a celebration of her free spirit.  She went on a trip with new classmates this week to learn about the history of the Civil Rights movement, but also gained independence along the way.  

When we found out that Meg was going to be in Raleigh our first priority was to let the Lakins' family know.  Meg has a special bond with Ann Francis and enjoys her brothers as well.  We had hoped that she would be able to meet up with them, but knew that her schedule wasn't overly flexible.  Thus, we were thrilled when we found out that Sharon and LaMarr were more than ready to pull Ann Fran, Marr and Anderson out of school to meet Meg for lunch today.  It was the best birthday present that Meg could ask for and they spoiled her just as if she was one of their own.  They bought her lunch, gave her presents (and hugs), found a dessert for her and even brought back Krispy Kremes for the entire Bethany group.  I couldn't thank them enough for their hospitality.  It was one special birthday that Meg will never forget.