A Surprise Visitor

 Cal called me this afternoon to check in on our weekend.  He had spent his helping Cameron Adams and his girlfriend move out of her apartment in Chicago to a house in Crown Pointe.  It wasn't all work as they made time for a going away party last night.  Cal decided after the move that he would head home for the night.  I was happy to hear that.  Even though he had only moved out three weeks ago, it felt a lot longer than that.  

Cal arrived at dinner time and we enjoyed catching up with him.  He had had a tough week with Hannah Marie's illness and an increased workload at Plante Moran.  He was definitely ready to watch the end of the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Sunday Selection show.  Once we found out that both Illinois and Michigan were given #1 seeds in the tournament Cal headed to Grandma and Grandpa's.  Neither he nor I had told them that he was coming home and they were definitely surprised to see him.  They had talked to him quite a bit these past few months, but hadn't seen him in person since December.  Cal came home afterward with a new Toucan golf shirt that they bought him in Florida, his Easter gift and a box of Oreo candy canes to try.  He enjoyed his visit and gifts as well as a much needed relaxing night at home.

The End of Indoor Tennis

 Today was the last day for Cameron's indoor tennis season and he finished it with a tournament at Eastlake Athletic Club.  He played well, but lost a grueling tiebreak in the first set of his first match which led to a quick end to the second set as well.  Cameron wasn't too disappointed when he got home for a break before his second match of the night.  He and Doug arrived early to the second round.  Fortunately, the court was open so the match was under way well before the 8 p.m. start time.  

Doug didn't stay too long as it was crowded in the viewing area.  Instead he used the time to work as Champion's office was only three miles away.  Cam's second opponent was tougher than his first one.  Cameron won several games, but lost in two sets in the consolation round.  Even though Cam didn't find the success in this tournament as he had in others this winter, we were all glad that he played.  In November we weren't even sure that Cam would be able to play at all because of the pandemic.  Weekly lessons, three Bethany matches and three tournaments later provided him an avenue to work during the off season to improve his tennis skills and it definitely showed.  

One and Done

Doug was in Florida when the state of Indiana opened up vaccinations for those aged 50 and up.  As soon as I scheduled my appointment I scoured through vaccination sights looking to get something set up for Doug.  It was more challenging to get him scheduled because the second shot had to be either before he left for his next work trip or right afterward.  I tried my best and somehow got him signed up for two different times on Friday March 12th.  One of the immunizations was with Moderna and another one with Pfizer.  We thought that as the date drew closer we would decided whether the first one that needed to be given four weeks apart or the second that was due at the end of three weeks made more sense.

Shortly after I got my vaccination, I noticed that the Goshen Walmart was offering the newly approved Johnson & Johnson shot.  The efficacy rate was lower than the other two, but it had a huge advantage for Doug.  It was a one and done immunization.  I called "211" to cancel his other appointments and to schedule the new one right away.  Thankfully, they had a 10:20 a.m. time open for the 12th, so all we had to do now was wait for the date to arrive.

This morning Doug worked from home so he could go to Walmart's pharmacy before heading into the office.  He arrived early and was surprised at how few people were in line ahead or behind him.  The vaccination process was easy and by 10:15 he was in an assigned chair waiting the fifteen minutes required before leaving.  He had no issues with the shot except that it hurt more than usual.  He called on his way to work to thank me for setting it up for him.  I was so happy that it went well.  He was still surprised at the fact that there was only one other person that received their vaccination during that entire time he was there.  I wasn't as shocked as the news had said that only 37% of Hoosiers in the 50 to 59 age bracket had either been immunized or had signed up for the shot.  Hopefully, more will do so, but for the time being we were just both glad that he was done.  It would take four weeks for immunity to build up with the Johnson & Johnson shot, which would mean that he would not have to worry on his next trip to Ocala.  Later in the evening we heard that Michigan would be lowering its vaccination age group to 16 and up on April 5th.  We knew that meant that soon Indiana would do so as well.  It has been a long year, but one more month and things should return to normal in the Heinisch home.

He's Home

After ten days in Florida Doug returned late last night.  He had planned on getting back today, but since he had finished what he needed to get done, he was able to move his flight up a day.  The trip back was easy except for the last five minutes which was full of turbulence.  Doug said that everyone cheered when he landed.

I was ready to cheer once Doug got home.  This was the longest that he had been gone for work since 1997 when he worked for Crowe Chizek and was stranded in Nebraska for two weeks.  Although I was really dreading the time apart, overall it went well.  Cam and I adjusted pretty well.  It was definitely quiet in our house at night and a couple of evenings felt fairly long, but we kept busy which really helped.  I was impressed with our eating habits as we cooked as healthy as Doug does when he's home and only ordered out for three meals.  

Doug's time in Ocala was productive from a work stand point.  There will be a lot to do in the upcoming months, but he did get a good jump on several projects.  Unlike us he did have to order out a lot as that was most convenient for him.  Subway was the staple, but he did get to try Popeye's and a couple of pizza places as well.  While he was gone he found time to tour Ocala and get to know it a little better and to visit his Dad which was a wonderful benefit to his time away from home.  The best news while he was away was the opening of vaccinations and knowing that when he got back that I would already have my first shot and he would be in line to get his.  That will make his next trip a lot safer.  I am not looking forward to April 5th when he leaves again, but for now I am extremely thankful to have him home for the next three weeks.

An End to Our Wednesday Tradition

 One of the best parts about the pandemic was the change in Cameron's school schedule.  From the beginning of the school year Bethany had decided to only have on campus learning for four days a week - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  Wednesday were left open for asynchronous learning.  Assignments were given, but could be completed at the students own pace at home.  Teachers were available virtually from 1-3 to anyone who needed help.  Since Cameron was always on top of his homework and rarely had any questions, Wednesdays in general had become free days for he and I.  We would fill them with tennis lessons, ordering lunch at Moe's or Panda Express, board games, and other leisurely activities.  It was a nice midweek break for both of us.

Today, however, was the last of our Wednesdays at home.  Bethany had decided to return to five day a week in person learning.  I was sad when I first read the email, but was also glad as I realized that it was one more step toward normalcy.  Today, Cam and I spent our morning much as we had for the past four months with Cameron's tennis lesson and my weekly shopping trip to Martin's and Menards.  Cameron picked his favorite Moe's Southwest Grill to order lunch. This afternoon was the perfect send off to our last free Wednesday as the weather was more than warm enough for Cameron to play golf with Grandpa Cutes at Wawasee Golf Club and for me to take a one hour walk along the lake on Eli Lilly road while he was busy.  

Life definitely has its bittersweet moments and today was one of them for me.  I have loved all of the extra time with Cameron, but I know that he is more than ready to have his pre-pandemic life back.  Thankfully, we are getting a lot closer to that.  

The Death of Stalin

 Brett rented The Death of Stalin last night and really wanted me to watch it.  I was a little hesitant as the last movie he recommended was The Lighthouse and it was just awful.  I didn't have a lot going on and was a little bit tired from all of the activity this past week, so I thought I'd at least give it a try.  

Brett said that it was a historical comedy, so I expected Mel Brooks.  Thankfully, the movie was nothing like it.  There was some humor, but never over the top.  Brett and Doug know a lot more about Russian history than I do, so I was more interested in that than anything else.  The film definitely filled me in on all that happened to bring Nikita Khrushchev to power and end the tyranny of Stalin's rule without a lot of violence.  I appreciated that.  Before I started watching the movie, Brett had raved about Steve Buscemi portrayal of Khrushchev and I couldn't have agreed with him more.  I called Brett today to ask him about the historical gaps that the movie didn't cover.  He was able to catch me up pretty quickly.  We also reviewed his top 100 movie list that Doug and Cal had been encouraging him to make.  At the end of the conversation I let him know how much I enjoyed The Death of Stalin.  He had finally made up for The Lighthouse recommendation to me.  Doug still wasn't quite sure about that.  

Golf Season Unofficially Begins

Today was absolutely gorgeous for the first week of March.  The temperature climbed to the mid 60s and the sun was out the entire day.  I took a long walk before I picked up Cameron and it was so nice not to have to be bundled up.  It was windy, but that didn't change how wonderful it felt outside.

Once I got home from my walk I called Wawasee Golf Club and found out that they were open this afternoon.  I texted Cam while he was at school to see if he wanted to play once he got out.  He was more than ready to get back on the course, so we went straight there from Bethany.  While he was playing Cam's coach texted the parents to let them know that the golf team would be picking up sticks at Black Squirrel tomorrow after school.  By the time I picked Cameron back up he had already texted his coach to let him know that he was available.

Cam filled me in on his unofficial first practice of the year while we were driving to Grandma's to pick up sugar cookies.  He gave Grandpa the highs and lows of his round once we arrived.  Grandpa had played at Heron Creek this afternoon so he had some of his own stories to share as well.  I know that the weather won't stay this nice for the rest of spring, but it sure was beautiful today.  I was glad that Cam and I both made time to enjoy it.