What a Fun Day!

This afternoon Cam and I headed down to my parents.  Since none of the local courses had opened yet, Cam and my Dad had been playing backyard golf these past few days.  The competitiveness of their games had increased to the point that Grandpa had even dug holes for each cup.  While they had been playing their games I had taken advantage of the sunshine with a walk.  Today was no different and I started toward Oakwood as I heard a golf ball ricochet off of the recycling can.  

I called Doug as I walked to check in on his afternoon.  He had taken a break from working to check out several areas of Ocala.  One place was extremely interesting as it reminded Doug of Jefferson Pointe in Fort Wayne.  While I was listening to Doug's day a car slowly pulled up beside me.  I was used to that on my walks by the high school as our neighbor, Roger, stopped me almost everyday while I was out getting some exercise "to see if I wanted some candy."  I was pleasantly surprised this time to see that it was actually Paula.  She and Mary were meeting at Oakwood to take a walk and asked me to join them.  I wasn't able to travel as far as they had planned because I had to get back to Cameron, but I did spend close to a half hour walking and talking with them.  It was so wonderful to catch up on all that they had been doing.  I hadn't talked to either one since January.  As I split off from them we promised to get together soon.  It was incredibly nice to think that we would be able to have small gatherings again.  

I was later then usual getting back to Cam.  He and Grandpa had already finished their game when I arrived with Cam wining in a four hole playoff.  Cam said that he didn't mind waiting as they talked about golf and basketball.  As we drove home I couldn't help but smile.  This was one of the most normal days that we had had in quite some time.  What a nice feeling.

A Year and A Half Later

Today Doug was finally able to visit his Dad.  He had thought going to DeKalb several times over the summer and early last fall before Carl and Marina left for Florida, but the spread of COVID was just too great to risk it.  With Ocala's close proximity to Lake Placid and the cases of COVID on the decline, Doug was able to spend the majority of the day catching up with his Dad at their home in Florida.  It was the end of September 2019 when Cam, Doug and I last saw Carl and Marina.  We had had dinner with them and Dan at Giordano's in the suburbs of Chicago after a day at Science & Industry.  Although Doug had talked to his Dad weekly since that time period, it was a lot more special to be together in person.  Carl drove him around his complex showing him where my parents stayed along with other sites including the friendly family of sand cranes.  They visited with Aunt Marg and Uncle Jim as well and enjoyed lunch at a local Mexican restaurant that Carl had eaten at several times with my parents while they were staying in Lake Placid.  It was fun to hear Doug talk about all of the same places that my Mom and Dad told me about not too long ago.  Carl, Marina, Marg and Jim told Doug that they enjoyed having my parents living so close and hoped that they would return next year.  Doug even got to look at the infamous spreadsheets before he left assuring Cal and Meg that they were still being put to good use.  

As an added bonus to his day trip Doug was also able to stop by Disney Springs on his way back to Ocala.  It was a lot different than he remembered with more parking garages, stores and restaurants.  He took a few pictures to send back to all of us.  Meg and I were definitely a little jealous.  He checked out a few of the beers before he left impressed with the transition from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs.  Overall, it was the perfect day for Doug and I was incredibly happy for him.  

One Down, One To Go

Today was the day that I had been waiting for this entire year.  I got my first COVID-19 vaccination and couldn't be happier.  My appointment was at the Noble County Library in Albion.  I wasn't sure what to expect especially as there was someone directing traffic when I first arrived.  It was definitely more crowded then I thought it would be, but overall it was easy to social distance except at the registration area.  Between that and the volunteers with masks below their noses, I was thankful for the plastic bearer and the quick process.  

As excited as I was about getting my shot, I was still definitely nervous.  The media had focused a lot on the rare cases of those that had extreme reactions to the immunization.  With all of the allergic reactions that I had had over the years, I was a little bit afraid of being in the minuscule amount that had problems.  Thankfully, I had an epipen.  The nurse who gave me the vaccination was also concerned since I was allergic to bee stings.  He told me to wait thirty minutes before I left instead of fifteen to make sure that I did not have any adverse reactions.  Even the gentleman who showed me where to sit while I waited went over the symptoms that would be most concerning.  I knew from what I read that reactions almost always occurred within two minutes.  Therefore, my anxiety went way down after that time period.  Before I left the  library, they scheduled me for my second vaccination on April 5th.  

I had texted Cal, Cam, Doug, Brett and my Mom while I was waiting to let them know that it went well.  Meg was driving to West Lafayette while I was at the library so I called her on my drive home.  She was just as happy as I was that we had made it to this point.  Once I got home, Cam and I kept talking about how ironic it was that we had just talked earlier in the week about me getting closer to being vaccinated and now I already had my first shot.  I wasn't able to call Doug on my drive home, but touched base with him after work.  Not only was I ecstatic to tell him about my vaccination, I was also thrilled to let him know that he had an appointment to get the Johnson & Johnson one and done shot on March 12th.  

The light at the end of the tunnel is definitely close.  I am incredibly proud of our entire family for taking the steps to keep Doug and I safe during this pandemic.  Five more weeks and our life will return to some semblance of normalcy.  I can't wait.

We Bare Bears

 Meg had been asking me all week to watch an episode of Drake and Josh.  She had been binge watching the show on Hulu and found it to be just as hilarious as she remembered from her younger days.  Tonight Cam and I turned on Theater Thugs and enjoyed it.  We could see where Drake and Josh reminded her of Brett and Cal with Megan being Meg the younger sister.

Afterward we decided to turn on We Bare Bears.  We had watched an episode or two when Meg was home and wanted to try a few more.  We started with the jean jacket episode and then moved on to "The Rooms."  I had forgotten how much I had really liked the show.  I remembered Cameron's obsession with Pandas in 5th grade after watching it the show with Kaleb.  Meg had labeled Cam as Pan Pan with her as Grizz and Cal as Ice Bear.  Back then Brett said that he identified with Pan Pan more than any other, but conceded that Cameron was perfect for the role of a gentle, yet somewhat cowardly and insecure brother.  

As we watched tonight I realized that times had changed in the Heinisch Home.  Meg was still Grizz the bubbly, hyperactive, loud, and talkative one, but Brett could now take on the role of Pan Pan.  Cam had moved on to Ice Bear, the quiet, slightly intense brother.  That left Cal as the crazy Bigfoot character that visited once in awhile and ate everyone's food.  Life seems to be changing for all of us, even in a cartoon world.  

Exciting News

 Today the state of Indiana opened up COVID-19 vaccines for Hoosiers aged 50 and up.  As soon as I found out I got on the "our shot" website and secured a vaccine for Friday.  I couldn't believe it.  As I was sitting in the Bethany parking lot when the news broke, I only had time to get my spot reserved.  Once I got home I signed Doug up for the Friday after he returns from Florida.  

As soon as I was done I called Meg and texted Brett and Cal.  This was the first step back to normalcy and we were all excited that it was beginning.  I didn't get to talk to Doug until the evening as he was working when I made his appointment.  He couldn't believe it either.  When Indiana moved the age to 55 we thought that it would be at least two weeks and possibly the end of March before we'd get our vaccinations.  Yesterday Cameron had just asked me my thoughts on how soon I'd be able to get my shot.  I was thrilled today to give him an answer today after school.

Tonight I looked back at my blog posts from March and April of 2020.  I remembered how scary that time period was.  None of us thought that the year would unfold the way it did.  It was nice to finally see a light at the end of the tunnel.

Our Life Changes Today

Today Doug started a new chapter at work as Champion bought another dialysis chair company in Ocala, Florida.  He will now be the CFO of both companies and will travel back and forth between the two for the foreseeable future.  He left last night for a ten day trip and had a great first day.  He and Champion's president were introduced to their new employees and toured the facilities.  Doug was also able to get a little bit of time in on learning their financial software and data collection.  He was tired when he called to check in yesterday as he had a late night flight into Orlando and an early morning meeting at Winco, but overall was extremely happy.  They had been working on the sale since last fall and he was excited to get started.

I was ecstatic for Doug.  This would be a new challenge for him professionally and I knew that he wanted that after this past year.  In the short term it will take some adjusting for our family as he will most likely  be in Florida monthly.  Cam and I were prepared for that and spent yesterday looking over meals that we could try cooking and television shows that we could watch in Doug's absence.  In the long term this company will provide an avenue for Doug and I to hopefully have a place in Florida one day.  We had talked a lot during the pandemic about life after Cameron's graduation.  We both wanted some place warmer than Northern Indiana to live in for part of the year and Ocala would definitely provide that.  The Heinisch children were just as excited as I was about the possibility of winters in Florida.  Brett and Meg started sharing ideas they had for what they would do when they would visit.  Cam joined in once he realized that he would now be able to go to University of Florida and Florida State football games or maybe even an IU bowl game in the future.  Cal had always wanted to live in Florida, so he had no problems with Doug traveling back and forth.  

It's amazing how God's plan for us was the same as one that we have chosen for ourselves.  I wonder if He was preparing us for it all along with our recent interest in the Sunshine state or if He was listening to our late night conversations at the bonfire pit.  Either way, today was a life changer.  Can't wait to see where this path leads us.

One Step Closer

 Cameron moved one step closer to getting his driver's license today by passing the driving portion of the test.  Even getting home twenty minutes late due to a train in Goshen didn't dampen his mood.  He was extremely happy with his accomplishment and I was proud of him for how hard he had worked these past few months to improve his driving skills.  He still has to wait until April 21st to head to the BMV, but it was nice to finish the toughest portion of the process early.  

Cameron's driving experience was drastically different than Brett, Cal and Meg.  Since Bethany had eliminated their driver's education program this year, we decided to enroll Cam in Premier Driving School in Goshen.  Almost all of his friends used the same service and it had the added benefit of picking Cameron up at our home.  He also had the luxury of only spending an hour and fifteen minutes in the car as he was the sole driver for the majority of the six times that he drove.  Cal, Meg, and Brett spent eighteen hours behind the wheel just to get their required six hours of driving.  Cal had to drive at 6:30 a.m. during the summer.  Cam's earliest time was 8 a.m.  The testing process was a lot easier for Cameron as well.  He could complete it with his instructor instead of testing at the BMV.   It wasn't quite as intense as the Wawasee program, but Cam and I made up for that with countless hours in the van before he even started driving with Ed, a fellow Hoosier supporter.

It was sad to Meg and I thatCameron never got to experience driver's education with Cayle Woodard,  but overall I was glad that we chose Premier .  It fit into Cam's schedule well.  He still has two hours of night driving to complete before the 21st, but that should be easy to do.  I've enjoyed my time as passenger with Cameron.  We've had a lot of great conversations and thanks to our daily drives to Bethany and back, I also feel a lot more confident with him behind the wheel.  Cameron's more than ready for some additional freedom.  I remember that feeling and am happy that he's almost there.