PROM 2018

Today was a long one for the Heinisch family in Syracuse.  It started for Doug at 4:30 a.m. when he got up for an inventory.  I was up next to pick up Cam at his lock-in.  It was as much fun as he had expected with only the talent show being deleted from his list of activities due to an insufficient number of participants.  He was actually relieved when he heard that.  Cam stopped at home for a short period of time to eat and shower before going to part 2 of The Theology of the Body class for religious education.  I felt bad dropping him off as he only had four hours of sleep, but the class was required and it would allow him to miss Meg getting ready for PROM and cleaning the pigs.

I headed back to Bethany after I dropped Cam off.  Meg had a match against Goshen.  Doug finished his inventory early, so he was able to join me.  It was a cold, windy morning, but Meg played extremely well.  She finished her opponent off well before 11:30 a.m.  KP came to watch her and Mariah play which Meg really appreciated.  We did too as she was an enthusiastic spectator.  Meg's tennis coach let her leave early to get ready for Prom, which made our afternoon a lot easier.

Lunch went well as did painting Meg's toenails.  We got ready to do her hair and I panicked.  Meg has a lot of hair and I had a hard time curling it.  We talked about a lot of different options, but Meg felt most comfortable running out to Izzy's to have the girls try curling it.  She was happy with the results and was back by the time Jess arrived at 3 p.m. to do her make-up.  Jess did a fantastic job with her.  She let Meg pick the colors and the amount of color she wanted.  Once she got done, Jess offered to curl her hair again.  She added in some twists and bobby pins as well and once Meg put on her Prom dress we all thought that she looked beautiful.  We were thankful to Jess and she said that she was glad to do it.

Meg had enough time to get on her jewelry and shoes before Liam and his family arrived.  He brought her a beautiful corsage that matcher her dress perfectly.  Meg learned how to put on a boutonniere and we were all then ready for pictures.  We took several at the fireplace, outside on the deck and in the lot.  The pictures looked great.  Liam's parents left after that and we followed Meg and Liam to Izzy's for group pictures.  There were four girls and three guys from the junior class at Izzy's to take pictures.  The girls looked wonderful.  I had a lot of fun taking the photos.  It was great to see Meg interact with everyone.  She has met a fantastic group of friends this year and it was one more time that I was so very thankful that she transferred to Bethany.

Doug and I left the group around 6 p.m.  They were all ready to be done with pictures and anxious for their limo to arrive.  We dropped Liam's car off for him at Bethany.  He and Meg would pick it up after Prom.  Doug made reservations at Kelly Jae's for the two of us.  I was finally able to relax.  I was so nervous about everything going well today that I was extremely anxious.  Dinner was delicious as always and as an added bonus we got to see HM get out of her limo with her friends as they had reservations at Kelly Jae's as well.  Thankfully, we couldn't embarrass her as we were in the bar seating area.  She did look very beautiful as well.

When we got home Cam was playing Fortnite.  Dad had picked him up from his church class.  He said that it went well, just long.  He fell asleep at our house for an hour, but was feeling better after that.  Doug made cookies for us which we enjoyed before heading to bed early.  It had been a long day, but a wonderful one as well.

Middle School Lock In

Tonight was the middle school lock in for Cameron.  He had been looking forward to it all year as it has always been a night of fun complete with ping pong tournaments, a dance and much more.  He didn't leave school until close to five.  They had open courts after school and Cam had fun playing against his friends.  We stopped to buy snacks for the night on the way home.  The boys were in charge of that this year.   Once we got back he had just enough time to pack what he wanted to take, play some Fortnite and eat dinner before Doug got home from Meg's match.

Doug rode with us to take Cam to Bethany.  It was fun listening to him talk about his plans for the night.  After we dropped him off Doug and I went to dinner in downtown Goshen at Constant Springs.  We hadn't been there in quite some time and it was better than I remembered.  Doug filled me in on Meg's match tonight at South Bend Clay.  Since I had to get Cam ready he went alone.  Jeannette, Mike and Joshua were able to meet him there and watch Meg play as well.  She was super excited when she heard that they would be there.  Meg won easily.  Doug said that her opponent couldn't move at all. She had some nice shots and could hit the ball hard, but Meg was able to beat her with drop shots.  When I talked to her later, she said that she was happy with the win and glad to visit with the Pancoasts.  She celebrated by going with a friends to get ice cream afterward.

It's Official

Today my position came across our corporation email asking for those interested to apply.  I was surprised to see it so quickly, as I thought the school board had to approve it first.  I was glad that I had already told my students.  I have several that have teachers for parents, and I was worried that they would find out from someone else besides me.  My students were surprised.  We had just made videos for incoming 6th grade parent night that introduced me as the math teacher.  They had a lot of questions and many were sad that I was leaving.  I reminded them that I wouldn't have been their teacher next year anyhow and as I had lots of friends still teaching at school I would visit form time to time.  That seemed to help.

After the email, I felt bad that I hadn't been able to tell everyone that I wanted to about my resignation, especially Mr Voirol.  I have enjoyed having a room next to his.  He always had a story to share, most which ended in laughter.  I regretted that I had told the team that we have to work with.  They just stared at me.  No one asked me questions or said much or anything.  It was awkward and uncomfortable.  I guess that explains our meetings over these past two years.  

The Days Are Getting Longer

What a tough day it was today.  All of the progress that we have made this year in the classroom felt for nothing today.  It was one challenge after another.  This wasn't the first time that I had felt this way this year, but I sure hoped it was the last.  I will have to start taking it one day at a time, one class as a time.  Otherwise I will struggle to make it to the end.  Twenty-six days - that's all that I have left. Knowing that I already made it 154 will help me get through.  Several teachers have talked about "finishing strong".  I have to be honest, my goal is to finish one step ahead of my students.

Pizza Duty

Tonight we were in charge of the meal for the tennis girls.  The Leiningers split the duty with us.  Valerie and I decided that the best plan of action was for us to order pizza and bring the dessert, and for her to provide a salad, chips and all of the paper products.  It worked well.  Mom made cupcakes for the team and Doug ordered Papa Johns.  Since it was for a school function, Papa John's gave Doug a fantastic deal and even delivered the pizzas for us.

The match was against Mishawaka Marian - a tougher opponent than they had last week.  Meg's girl was a hard hitter.  Meg, however, wore her down with her consistency returning everything the girl hit at her.  By the time Doug had to leave for his church meeting at 6, Meg had won her first set 6-2 and was on her way to win the second as well.  Meg was proud of how she played and thankful for the pizza.  At the beginning of the season Meg wasn't sure how she felt about playing number two singles, but now that she has multiple wins and no losses under her belt, she has enjoyed it.

Letter of Resignation

Once Doug was offered his new position we decided that it was time for me to resign.  We had talked about it all year.  We were ninety percent sure that I would not be returning for the next school year, but wanted to take time to come to an absolute decision.  I met with Cindy in March to let her know that I definitely would not be available to teach full time next year.  She and I discussed several potential part time positions, but in the end Doug and I thought that the best decision that we could make for my health and for our family was for me to resign completely.

I was relieved once I wrote the letter.  It was a big decision and one that I did not take lightly.  I know in my heart that it was the right decision.  This year had been a challenging one.  With large class sizes to go along with all of the everyday teacher workload, I had been coming home exhausted every day.  This year it had been hard to get much done around the house and on days that we had a Heinisch child commitment after school I was completely wiped out.  I am excited for our family.  With Doug's change in jobs and my ability to stay home, it should be a great year!

Fantastic News

About two months ago Doug decided that it was time to look for a new position.  He enjoyed working at Renegade and got along with well with his boss and those he worked with, but felt his chance to advance was uncertain.  He wasn't looking for a change when the company was bought a year ago, but several items had arisen that gave him good reason to test the waters in the job market.  Within a week of making this decision he heard from two different recruiters both looking for a CFO in our area.  He was more than interested.

Over the past six weeks Doug had interviewed with both companies multiple times.  The company that he was most interested in proved to be the one with the most interest in him as well.  He met with recruiters, partners of the equity firm and twice with the CEO.  On Friday morning he had his final meeting and was offered a fantastic position with a medical manufacturer as a CFO.  Not only would it be a promotion from his current position it would also mean an increase in his salary with opportunities for growth that would greatly benefit our entire family.  When he called to tell me, he was elated.  He said that it was his "dream position."  I was thrilled for him.  I cannot imagine a harder working employee than Doug.  I know that he will thrive in his new environment.