Making Good Choices

Doug told me when we were first married that making good choices can sometimes be hard, but in the end they can make life a lot easier.  As we have gotten older, I have seen his thoughts come to fruition.  Over the years, we have worked very hard to overcome adversity, be self sufficient and persevere in tough situations.  The best part is that we have passed these traits onto our children.  It has been wonderful to see them put these skills to work in their own lives and make good choices themselves.  

This sentiment hasn't always been share by others.  I remember several times making decisions that we felt were good ones, but were highly criticized by others.  We were often told that we were being snobby by not attending weddings where we were uncomfortable with the choices made by the bride and groom.  We weren't judging them. We just wanted our children to understand that marriage was a life commitment not to be taken lightly.  We are glad that they all followed that advice.  None of them have rushed to get married and we respect them highly for that.  

Lately, I have been extremely frustrated, however.  Even though we have spent our life making good choices, recently it has felt that we haven't really benefitted from that.  In fact, I can honestly say that the last two and a half years have been some of the most challenging ones of our lives.  It makes me fear for the future, but Doug reminds me daily that there has been a lot of positives in our life that out way the negative.  I know that he is 100% correct.  It's just hard to see that sometimes, especially when it feels like we have been slammed with a lot of adversities these past few years.  The nice part is that I know that we are a hard working family that always figures out what we need to do to succeed and that no one supports one another more than our family.  There's nothing more positive than that.  

Pure Michigan

Cameron and I talked about going to Chicago this week to see Cal and Meg.  As they both still had to work and we weren't sure how it easy it would be to get in and of the city,  we decided that we would go up to Michigan for the day instead.  I was super excited as I hadn't been to Michigan since last summer.  I also didn't do much of anything yesterday and was ready to get out of the house for a little while.  

We left this morning around 9:30 with New Holland Brewing Company our first stop.  We both wanted pepperoni pinwheels for lunch.  We chose an order of those along with their soft pretzel appetizer.  They were just as delicious as we remembered.  After lunch, we walked through the shops along Holland's main street.  Neither of us bought anything, but we had a lot of fun window shopping.  We then stopped at a record store on our way to Saugatuck.  They had a lot of vinyls to look through but decided to hold off buying anything.

Saugatuck was so much fun.  Cameron and I walked up and down the streets checking out a lot of their different shops.  Cameron purchased a Great Lakes hooded t-shirt.  I found the perfect yellow Saugatuck crewneck at one of the friendliest clothing shops.  Cameron's favorite stop was at the local tea store.  There were so many different teas to chose from and the women who owned the place was incredibly helpful.  Just like our experience in other shops today, she was extremely talkative and very nice.  We ended our time in Saugatuck at Kilwin's.  We tried samples of fudge and ice cream, before we bought some candy for Grandma and Grandpa and ice cream cones for ourselves.  It was the perfect way to end an awesome day in Michigan.   

College Girl, Missing

When Meg, Doug and I were at Oakbrook Mall on Memorial Day, we stopped in at Barnes and Noble.  I told everyone that I wasn't even going to look for a book as I had several that I wanted to read before I got a new one.  Paula had even recommended one that I had on my Amazon list that I refused to purchase until I read my current book.  

All of that changed when Doug stopped me while Meg was going to check out.  He had picked up a book with a picture of Sample Gates on it.  The title was "College Girl Missing, The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight."  I knew instantly who the story would be about, Lauren Spierer, a girl that had gone missing never to be seen again.  She was an IU sophomore and we were in Bloomington shortly after she disappeared on June 3rd, 2011.  All of us remembered the fliers around town and the police search that summer.  There had been a lot of theories over the years, several that were plausible, but the case had never been solved.  The author of the book I was holding was a reporter that had covered the case from the beginning and had become friends of her family.  I knew that I had to read the book.  

I waited until I got home that Tuesday night before I started reading.  From the very first page, I was hooked.  There was a lot that I already knew and a lot that I didn't.  The author exposed the drug culture at IU and the rich East Coast coeds that attend IU.  He also highlighted the danger that lurked around the party life at IU and other nearby colleges.  As an IU alumni and frequent visitor to Bloomington, I was completely fascinated by the book and read it as fast as I could, finishing it in less than forty-eight hours.  The book didn't scare me as a mom while I was reading it, but at the end of it I decided that I wouldn't research the topic anything further and that I would take a break from true crime for awhile.  Even so, I am glad that I read it and hope that the family finds closure one day soon.

Balancing Work Life

Brett had received some interesting news at work this morning that made him start thinking about what he would like to do as a career in the future.  It also made him think more about where he wanted to live.  It was a fun conversation to have with him.  I could understand why he would not want to live in Bloomington for all of his adult life.  I could also relate to wanting to try something new as I always think change is good.  The best part is that Brett has planned well and has money set aside for the future.  Thus, he doesn't have to worry too much about an unexpected or planned life change.

Cal and Meg had both talked about Plante Moran and the work life there while we were in Chicago.  They had some of the same opinions and some differences.  That made sense to me as they work in different departments and are at different levels in the company.  I talk to Meg more about her job than Cal, but I do understand from both public accounting can be extremely challenging at times.  The hours can be long and the competition among peers can be tough.  I remember that well from Doug's experience.  It wasn't my favorite job of his, but the pay was good and the benefits were really nice.

Lately, the one that I worry about most with work life balance is actually Doug.  He has been working an unthinkable amount of hours and I wish for him that it would slow down.  I realize that there is a lot to do and he is a key component of the company's success.  I just wish he could take some time off and not have to bring so much home.  The hours remind me of his days in public accounting.  The one nice part is that his job is flexible and he can work remotely if needed.  That has been very nice and will be extremely helpful as we prepare for Meg's wedding in July.  

Furniture Painting

Several weeks ago, my mom told me that she found a dresser for Cameron's apartment in Bloomington.  I hadn't seen it, but knew that he would need one so I liked the idea of it.  Last week I got a good look at it.  Although it was sturdy and would hold a lot, I realized that it would need a paint job if he was going to take it with him to college.  Dirty white wasn't the most appealing.  

I had never painted furniture before, so I started watching a lot of different videos about it on YouTube.  I got some really good ideas, but several of them would be more money than I would want to spend on an old dresser.  While my parents and I were at Menards on Saturday picking out tile and paint for their new bathroom, I went ahead and picked up supplies for the dresser.  It was a little more than I intended to spend, but then I would have extra for another project later.  

I started painting the dresser Saturday afternoon at 4 and by 9:15 I had two coats on it.  While it was drying, I spray painted the handles that Grandpa had found at a garage sale.  The original ones were way too dated.  Yesterday, I put the third coat on the dresser and today I reattached the handles and put the drawers back.  I sent pictures to Jackie as she had given me tips on painting furniture, my Aunt Jan who was there when Grandma bought it, Doug who is always super supportive and Meg who talked to me for quite awhile when I was painting. They all thought it looked great!  Alina agreed with everyone else's opinion when she came to swim tonight with Cameron, and thankfully he loved it as well.  I knew that was the most important as he would be the one using it.  I am not ready to paint other furniture anytime soon, but am proud of what I have done so far.  

Cal and Maggie Visit Syracuse

Cal made plans with me lat weekend to visit Syracuse today.  I was excited that he would be able to make a trip to Indiana and glad that Maggie would be able to visit Cal's hometown and meet Grandma and Grandpa as well.  I was also happy that Cameron could hang out with us today.  He had talked about going to Cedar Point with Alina today, but they were able to go yesterday instead. Cameron had been talking about taking her to the amusement park for her birthday for a long time, so I was thrilled that it finally worked out in their schedules. It had been an awesome trip for both.  I enjoyed listening to him talk about all of the rides that they went on and the food that they had tried while he drove home late last night.

Cal and Maggie arrived today just before noon.  On the way, Cal drove her by a few of his childhood spots including the high school and our old house.  Once they arrived, Maggie met Grandma and Grandpa while Cal opened his birthday gifts from them and Cameron before we headed to lunch at Oakwood.  It was a little cool on the patio, but the atmosphere was perfect for our meal.  The six of us talked and shared stories with each other and filled Maggie in on life in Syracuse.  It was a lot of fun.

After lunch, Cameron took us on a driving tour through town, around the lake and by the golf course while Cal pointed out more of his favorite places.  When we got back to Grandma's, we all played Oh Hell.  It was new to Maggie, but she did a lot better at that then when we showed her how to play Racko back in April.  Cal ended up the big winner, but everyone did have a good time.  Cal, Maggie and I then took a walk around Oakwood.  It was nice to spend some time with them and watch Cal try out Grandpa's new "bird laser."  They left for Hacienda shortly after we returned.  Maggie wanted some of their ranch as Meg had raved about it when they were at the Cheesecake Factory last night.  Maggie was also hoping to see an Amish person as she had not lived near any in Orland Park.  I was definitely sad to see them go as their visit seemed so short, but overall I was just incredibly happy that we got to spend such a fun afternoon with them.  

Walk Down Memory Lane

Yesterday afternoon, I headed to Meadowvalley Golf Course to catch up with Cameron and Tristan.  They were there to watch the Bethany boys golf team compete in sectionals.  They picked me up at the clubhouse and dropped me off on hole number seven so that I could see the team play the last three holes.  It brought back so many fun memories of Cameron's golf seasons at Bethany.  I also got to visit with Noah's mom, Cameron's golf coaches and even Cameron's tennis coach who had a son playing on the team.  It was extremely nice to find out how everyone's year had been.  Cameron had really enjoyed being an assistant coach this spring and I had fun watching the last few holes with him.  Although none of the boys advanced to regionals, I was glad that they were all still able to celebrate at the usual end of the season party at Jon's lake house.

Last night while was Cameron was enjoying the golf party, I texted Paula to see what she was up to that evening.  She had finished her last day of school at Wawasee and I wondered if she wanted company.  She was enjoying her back patio and invited me over right away.  It was such a lovely evening and I so enjoyed hearing about her plans for the summer, her last day of school and her ideas for the future.  We also talked about topics of the past and experiences that we both had in common.  It was a wondefrul night.

Today, I enjoyed another walk down memory lane.  While I was at Paula's last night, she told me that Debbie was in town and that our old group of Milford teachers were meeting at the Frog for lunch this afternoon.  Paula suggested that I show up and surprise them all.  I wasn't sure at first if I should, but I was so glad that I did.  It was just like the years had melted away.  The last time we all taught together was in 2017, but it seemed like only yesterday.  We talked about our current lives, our teaching days and our summer plans.  It was so much fun and a lot easier to say goodbye this time as we should all be back together soon as Mary is planning Paula's retirement party on a day in July when I will be in Indiana again.