Wednesday, November 14, 2018

A Night Off

There were no basketball games for Meg and Cam tonight which was nice with a full schedule this week.  Meg didn't even have practice which she appreciated as that gave her time to go to dinner with her friends.  She has been having a lot more migraines than she has had in years, so the break will hopefully help with that as well.  Cam did have practice and they both had piano this afternoon, but overall it was an easy evening for both.

Doug and I went out to dinner once he got home.  We made it back for the IU vs. Marquette game.  They hype was big for that game and for the Michigan/Villanova rematch from last year's championship game.  Neither game lived up to the hype with Michigan destroying Villanova and IU winning easily.  Doug, Cal and Cam were all happy with that and remained hopeful for a successful season for the Hoosiers.  Cal said he planned on going to quite a few games this year and Doug and Cam were already looking for tickets to see a game over Christmas break.

Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Home Again

Doug spent the past two days in Toronto at a board meeting.  He had several presentations to give and had worked very hard this past month to get ready for it.  He was pleased with how they went and was also thankful for the great food that they had at the dinner and lunches.  He let me know that several members of their group were happy to see that they had Fresca to drink.  He knew that I would share that opinion.

The only part of the trip that was frustrating for him was his return flight.  It was delayed almost an hour from the airport in Canada.  Then he had to wait fifteen minutes for his bag as other luggage was stuck in front of it.  While waiting he just missed the shuttle to pick up the Pilot and had to wait another twenty minutes.  In the end it took him an extra two hours to get home.  Although annoyed by the delay, he was happy in the end with his trip and glad that the important parts went well.

Once Doug got his car he drove straight to Cameron's basketball game at Lakeland.  As the B game ran late, he only missed the first half.  It was a tough game to watch as the Lakers ended up winning by thirty-six, but Cameron played a lot and even had a three point shot hit the rim and fall out.  Once the game was over we all headed to Albion for Meg's game against Central Noble.  As her game started at six and we wouldn't be there before eight, I was hoping that maybe we'd only have to watch half of the game.  Central Noble were state champions last year and had two college bound players returning to their lineup, so we new it would be a tough game.  Unfortunately, the JV game also ran late with Bethany winning in overtime.  I was glad for the girls, but not sure that I could sit in the bleachers for another hour or more.  I did survive, however, and was glad to see Meg play in the fourth quarter.  It was another rough game, but Meg did well even in a thirty-seven point loss.

Monday, November 12, 2018

A Fun Night After a Busy Day

I got up at 4:15 a.m. this morning to call Doug.  He was afraid of oversleeping and missing his 6:30 a.m. flight.  He was up and ready for my phone call, which I knew he would be, but was glad to help out.  Once Cam and Meg woke up I found out that our water heater was out.  Thankfully, it was only the pilot light.  I called the plumber, but Dad was able to relight it before they arrived.  While I was waiting for the hot water to be resolved I was able to get in my steps.  It actually was pretty nice this morning which made my walk a lot more enjoyable.

I spent the afternoon with Meg at our new family doctor.  Dr. Freeze was able to resolve several health issues for her.  She also recommended follow up which hopefully will also help Meg.  The worst part of the visit for Meg was getting her Hepatitis A and flu shots.  Once I dropped her back off at school I returned home to finish laundry and start on a photo project.  I then headed back to Bethany for Cam's game against Bremen.  We weren't sure what to expect as Bremen was rumored to have three boys six feet tall.  Thankfully, none of the gossip was true and Bethany easily handled the Lions winning by fourteen.

Tonight was also Bethany's Hacienda fundraiser.  Thus, after the game Cameron and my parents headed there.  As it was after 7:30 when we arrived there was zero wait time which we appreciated.  Meg and Jackie were just leaving as we were seated.  They had arrived earlier for a team dinner.  The four of us had a great time highlighted by a Hacienda sombrero and the birthday song to celebrate my 50th.  Cam instantly put the hat on and headed over to Joey's table.  It was a great way to end a very busy day.


Sunday, November 11, 2018

A Day of Rest

With a late night last evening we all decided to take it easy today.  I slept in which was nice.  Meg got up early to see Kaitlin off and then headed back to bed.  Doug even took a short nap after going to mass and taking Cam to religion.  The rest of the day was filled with putting dishes away, raking leaves, taking a walk, watching IU soccer win it's thirteenth Big Ten conference tourney and getting Doug ready for his board meeting in Toronto.  Meg had time to visit Grandma Jane and get her homework done.  Doug took Cam on in pool and then the three of us played Qwixx.  Cam and I ended the evening playing Euchre with my parents.  It definitely was a relaxing day after a busy Saturday.

Saturday, November 10, 2018

An Early Birthday Party

Doug decided a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to throw me a 50th birthday party.  I wasn't sure at first that we'd be able to pull it off with all of the basketball games and an early Thanksgiving holiday.  Thankfully, we had tonight off and Doug was able to host an awesome 50th birthday party.  Our guest list was short and we were thrilled that so many of those invited could come.  The Browers brought Evan over to hang out with Cam which he appreciated.  Meg and Kaitlin decided to avoid the whole affair and got to dinner and a movie.  She enjoyed that as well.

My Mom helped us make food for tonight complete with a Texas cake.  Everything was delicious.  We hadn't hosted an adult party in almost a decade, so it was fun to make brandy slush, crab dip, and queso.  Doug tried a dessert cream cheese ball as well.  It took a couple of tries, but in the end it was wonderful.

Besides the Brower's, Jen, Paula, Sara, the Sweatlands, Rachel Horsmon, the Lamles, my parents, and  Wendy Busse all joined us for the evening.  It was such a nice to group to catch up with as I haven't really seen any of them very much since I quit teaching.  The conversation flowed all night and everyone enjoyed my new "birthday" glasses from Robyn.  A couple of groups left before ten as they had early morning wakeup calls, but many stayed well past eleven with Jen being the last to walk out the door at 11:20.  Just as Doug and I started cleaning up the kitchen we heard a knock on the door.  It was Jody.  She had to work late and was hoping that we would still be up.  We were glad that she stopped by.  It gave us a chance to hear all that she had been up to this past year, and it made cleaning up a whole lot more fun.


Friday, November 9, 2018

The First Snow

The first sign of winter came this morning with a light snowfall.  It looked pretty on our grass, but I wasn't quite ready for it.  Thankfully, the roads were dry, so Meg had no problem getting to school.  The snow continued off and on all day, but didn't alter our plans except for the time I walked.  It was definitely cold when I headed out at 10:30 with windchills in the mid-twenties, but it was dry.  I was happy to get my steps in before it snowed again.  With all of the cleaning I did today and the exercise time it was actually pretty easy to get my 10,000 in before I left for Meg's game.

Since Cam and Meg had games at different schools we had to divide our support tonight.  Doug and I went to Meg's game at Elkhart Christian Academy.  My parents went to Cam's at Bethany against ECA.  It was the first game that Meg was eligible to play in, and she did get in at the end.  It made for a long evening on the bleachers for us, but she said that she had fun with the team.  Cameron's team did not do as well this evening as everyone thought they would, but Joey was out with a broken finger which changed the dynamics of the game.

We met my parents back at Bethany at the end of his game.  They drove our van home, so that Doug, Meg, Cam and I could go out to dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings.  It had been awhile since we had done that.  The evening started off a little rough, but ended well.  Everyone was thankful for the chance to sleep in tomorrow.

Thursday, November 8, 2018

Cheer, Cheer for Old Milford High

Tonight Cameron's basketball team played at Milford.  I was excited for the game as it gave me a chance to see some of my former students.  I also thought that this would be the year that Bethany would finally triumph over Cameron's former classmates.  The first part on my agenda was easy to accomplish.  As soon as I walked in the gym a huge crowd of my 6th graders came running over to give me a hug.  It was nice to see them and to catch up a little.  I checked in with several of my Warrior Time students and was pleased that they were doing so well this year.

My second wish for the evening did not come to fruition, however.  I knew that the Bruins B team would not beat the 7th graders from Milford.  They were out manned from the beginning.  Having their point guard on the bench made it challenging for those on the court to beat the press.  My hopes for the A team were quickly dashed as well.  Bethany started off slow and the Milford 8th grade were on fire offensively.  Within two minutes Cam's team was down 8-0.  They did tie it up in the second quarter, but just never overcame the opening draught losing 43-33.  Cameron did have a lot of fun playing against his old Milford friends and did very well defensively.

The best part of the night for me happened as we were walking out of the door.  One of the 7th graders that I had taught for two years came up to me as I headed to my car and said, "So will you come back now?"  I gave him a hug and asked him what he meant.  He said that he and his teammates had talked.  They were sure that if they beat Bethany I would come back and teach at Milford again.  He wanted to know if it worked.   It made me tear up a little and I did promise to come back for a visit.