Heading Back to Chicago

We absolutely loved having Cal visit this week.  I know for him it wasn't quite as exciting as when he and his friends stayed in our basement on the 4th, went out on the lake for the holiday and visited The Frog multiple times.  I think he had fun anyway, celebrating Doug's birthday, watching movies and eating home cooked dinners.  He also got to catch up with Grandma and Grandpa, work during the day for Plante Moran and exercise daily.  

As he left today I thought about Cal's journey after IU.  He strongly considered taking a job in Indy to be closer to Bloomington.  Plante Moran was the better option, however, and I am really proud of him for realizing that and branching outside of his comfort zone in moving to Chicago.  Cal has created a life there that he enjoys and has found a lot of success at his job.  I'm glad that it has worked out so well for him and look forward to visiting him and Meg there in the years to come.  

Jaws

 The more that we listen to The Rewatchables podcasts, the more I think about what movies really are "rewatchable" in the Heinisch home.  Shawshank Redemption, Halloween, Last of the Mohicans, and the Harry Potter series are just a few that have been on repeat on our television over the past few years.  The one, however, that always catches mine and Doug's attention is Jaws.  I bet that I have seen the movie over fifty times, but I still fall for every jump scare and close my eyes at the extremely intense scenes.  I am not as scared of sharks as I was when I first saw Jaws at the age of six, but I definitely put it at the top of the list of the best thrillers of all time.

The 4th of July weekend is in my mind the best time to rewatch Jaws from start to finish.  The past three summers we have watched it on the big screen in our backyard.  This year, however, the weather did not cooperate.  I was glad that we missed watching it over the weekend as it was the first thing that Cal asked to do when he arrived home on the 4th of July.  His love of Jaws is as high as Doug and mine, so we had no problem planning our evening around a movie night.  Once again the movie did not disappoint and we all talked about our favorite scenes throughout.  I still closed my eyes at the scariest scenes and took a bathroom break during Quint's demise.  Even though we weren't able to get out the big screen this time, it was still the perfect summer activity and I was glad that we got a chance to watch it together once again.  

Impressive Fortitude

As I had time to reflect about Doug's birthday celebration yesterday, I thought not so much about the day but instead the past two years.  Doug has had two very challenging years with economy struggles affecting his company, traveling back and forth to Florida frequently, taking on a heavier work load, and a negative experience with his dad that has not been resolved.  All of these along with owning two homes and helping Cameron through a tragic experience has made life extremely challenging.  Although the positives - Meg's graduation from college and subsequent engagement as well as Cameron's high school graduation - have been wonderful, scheduling time for those celebrations have added to a very busy time period in his life as well.  I guess it really shouldn't be much of a surprise that on top of all of this that he developed a tremor in his right arm .

Through it all, Doug's attitude has remained positive.  His optimism is ongoing and his fortitude is impressive.  That has really helped me as we have worked our way through these past two years.  He's never given up on anything and I've not heard him complain one time about anything.  I know that he gets his positive attitude from his mother.  Jeanette would be incredibly proud of how he has handled these past two years.  I definitely know that I am.  

Born on the 4th of July

With a birthday on the 4th of July it seems that we have always had something exciting to do with or for Doug.  Some years we traveled and others we celebrated at home.  I noticed that the last three years have been quieter than in the past, but that doesn't mean that we have enjoyed Doug's birthday any less.  

This year was no exception as Cal, Meg and Cameron were all able to join us to celebrate Doug's 53rd.  We played cards, ate some delicious meals that Doug made for both brunch and dinner, and enjoyed dessert from Grandma.  As it was Doug's last birthday on Sunset Drive, it was only fitting that we spent the majority of it in the backyard that he has so loved these past twenty-five years.  I'm glad that we got to celebrate just as he wanted.

Lake Life

I moved to Syracuse with my parents when I was ten years old.  Even though we didn't live on the lake, I did enjoy swimming in it at Hoy's Beach and taking bike rides along the water.  By the time we moved to my parents' current home on Harkless Drive in 1982, my swimming days were over.  In fact I have only swam once in my parents channel.  That was in 1988 when the Midwest had a heat wave that lasted for weeks with record high temperatures.  

I did enjoy the lake in other ways through my sophomore year in high school.  I had friends that would invite me our on boat rides.  It was a lot of fun and gave us a lot of freedom as none of us were old enough to drive.  Once we did get our driver's licenses, however, I noticed that my time on the lake diminished and in all honesty I only spent a handful of times on the water during my adult life after that.

My children followed the same pattern.  They loved swimming and fishing at their grandparents until they were in high school.  Meg and Cameron had floats shaped like all different items including a flamingo and a popsicle.  Brett and Cal used the lake more for social activities, hanging out with Big Brandon and Little Brandon in the sandpile near their homes.  Cal was the only one who carried on the lake life into high school and college.  It made sense as Hannah Marie loved the water and all activities on it - paddle boarding, slalom skiing, and time on the jet ski.  We even spent the day with the Lamles out on the lake one summer ending with a boat ride to dinner at Oakwood.  I could totally see why the loved living on the lake, but it just wasn't for us.  It may seem strange to grow up in a town that houses the largest lake in Indiana and not live on the water, but it definitely worked for our family.

Fireworks

Our family has never much been interested in watching fireworks shows.  I am not 100% sure why this is the case, but I noticed that no one ever mentions watching the firework shows over the 4th.  It can't be because they are lame as the ones on Syracuse Lake and Lake Wawasee are usually fantastic complete with synchronized music from one of the local radio stations.  Even when we visit Walt DisneyWorld, none of the Heinisch children are make it a priority to watch the firework show.  The only exception to that is when the display is brand new or a return of a beloved show.  

There was a time when fireworks were a priority over the 4th, but that was years ago.  I used to make sure that I caught the show every year, usually outside of motel before we moved to Harkless Drive.  My cousin Krystal would stay with us for the weekend, and we had fun setting off our own fireworks while watching the town's.  In the Heinisch family we also set off our own and on some years we would try to watch those over Syracuse Lake.  Not all of the family was interested, but usually Meg, Cameron, Brett and I would drive up to the Pamida parking lot to watch them.  We gave up on those when the trees grew tall enough to block the fireworks.  

Sometimes I wonder if we weren't that interest in fireworks because we usually out of town on the 4th vacationing as a family.  For several years we watched St. Louis' display under the arch.  They were absolutely gorgeous and I knew when we first watched them, that we could never top those.  I also thought that maybe we gave up on fireworks when we used that time at the end of the night at Disney World to catch all of our favorite rides.  Everyone else had their eyes on the skies while we headed to Seven Dwarf Mine Ride.  No matter the reason, fireworks have never been a priority for our family.  This year was no exception as none of us made plans to watch them over Syracuse Lake or at any other celebration.  Who knows, maybe that will change, but for now, I won't worry about looking for local ones for our family when we move.

One Swollen Ankle

I noticed that my ankle had swollen during the ride home yesterday.  By the time I got out of the car, I could barely walk.  I wasn't surprised as it had hurt quite a bit after our trip to Epcot on Monday and never really felt much better.  Last night, however, it was at its worst and reminded me of when I had to go to physical therapy six years ago for the same issue.  Today's pain went from my left ankle, up my calf, through my thigh and to my hip.

I decided that the best thing that I could do today was stay off it as much as I could, ice the areas that hurt the worst and take my medication for swelling.  All of that did help a little bit, but I realized by the end of the day that this is going to take some time resolve.  I was bummed by that as we have a lot going on these next seven weeks and an injured ankle is really going to slow me down. Standing hurts the worst, but I can't clean and pack lying down or sitting.  I guess I will take a break from my daily walking routine and just try to make it through the best that I can.