My Cherry Vodka Reward

 Well, today I finally got my reward for bringing back all of the Carl Heinisch family memories.  Phil brought over a bottle of Cherry Vodka for my hard work.  I am not sure that it was a fair trade off knowing that we had to transport fifty pounds of items back on the plane.  The two suitcases full also left no room for the Nigerian artwork that Doug wanted and actually had some value.  I was also disappointed to hear that Phil just left the box in his car instead of storing the items properly.  I decided not to get mad and just enjoy my reward tonight celebrating the last time that I ever sort through any of the extended Heinisch family's memories.

Wednesday Night Television

When Doug and I was growing up, Thursday was our favorite TV night.  The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Friends and Law & Order were just a few staples featured.  As the popularity of those shows waned, keeping Thursday night open became less of a priority.  Since that time period, there really hasn't been an evening dedicated to watching television for Doug and I.  We both have had shows that we enjoyed as did our children, but none that had to be watched in real time.  Instead, we could tape them or add them to our digital iCloud to watch later.  

All of that changed over the past two years.  The first night that we started to keep open was Tuesdays, but that was just for Dancing with the Stars.  We both enjoyed watching that together, but it was only for a few months.  Once it was over, we talked about trying to continue our Tuesday night ritual by watching past season of DWTS.  Neither one of us were extremely excited about that.  We then tried Modern family, but it was only a half hour comedy and after a couple of episodes we would be ready to watch something else.  

In the end, Doug and I finally found shows that we both liked, looked forward to and could continue our "TV night" ritual with albeit on Wednesday instead of Thursday.  Now, we have both have a lot of fun watching Survivor and Amazing Race together, and as an added bonus, it has given us something to talk about later in the week as well.  Doug hasn't quite caught on to my enthusiasm for Chicago Fire or Chicago PD which air on Wednesday night as well, but that's ok.  I can always watch them on my own later.  

A Change of Moving Plans

Nick called yesterday with a dilemma.  He had been on furlough awaiting an opening for a class that would allow him to be certified to fly another plane.  He had been told that the class would start in May just after he and Meg moved to Florida.  That worked perfectly in their timeline, and he was excited to get back to flying full time.  Unfortunately, the class that he thought he would be taking wasn't available, and the one that was offered in June only had room on the waitlist.  For a while it looked like he was going to have to wait until July.  That meant that Nick would be on half pay for two more months and there was a possibility that the company would not wait until then for him to return meaning that he would have to find another job.

Thankfully, there was a solution. Nick could sign up for a class that would start April 28th, but then he wouldn't be available to help move.  He wondered what Doug and I thought.  After some discussion, we called him back to let him know that we believed that he should sign up for the class and that we would help Meg move down.  Once that was decided, Doug and I started talking about which one of us would make the trip.  We knew that it would be easier for Doug to travel and help physically with the move.  The problem was that he didn't have a lot of vacation days left before October 1st and his appointment to remove his stitches was already scheduled for the day that he would be gone.  Taking all of that into account, we decided that it was best for me to fly up and help, even though it would be physically harder for me.  The most important thing was for Meg to make it to Florida safely.  Therefore, I booked my flight last night and cancelled all plans that I had for next week.  It will be a challenge, but me being a part of the traveling party will be better than having no one else riding with Meg.

The Grandma Statues

When Dan cleaned out his dad's basement, we found the "Three Little Boys" statue that Jeanette had had on display since I first met Doug.  Although I never liked it and none of the boys seemed to want it, I agreed to keep it because I also had three boys.  I thought that I would put the statue that Jeanette carved years ago for me of a mother and daughter with it.  I wasn't overly excited about it as I always found the boys a little creepy looking, but I knew that they had meant a lot to Jeanette and would keep them for that reason.

As I was sorting through the seven boxes that Dan gave Meg for our family and Phil, I decided that I actually did not want to keep the three boys.  We had already committed to displaying the Nigerian artwork and I had a lot of Jeanette's items already, I didn't want any more, especially something that I didn't really like.  I asked Meg and Doug what they thought and neither had a desire for our family to have the boys.

After that conversation, I started researching the boys online.  I found out that the artist who created them was from Chicago and that he had made other statues as well.  None were the same as Jeanette's and all were valued around $45.  I decided that it made the most sense to sell them but decided to ask Grandma Jane what she thought first.  She took one look at the boys and instantly fell in love with them.  She said that they didn't look like Brett, Cal and Meg, but reminded her of them.  I asked her if she would like them as they would look very nice in her home.  She was hesitant at first since there wasn't a sister.  I suggested getting her one for Mother's Day to match the boys and started looking on Ebay right away.  We found one the perfect one.  The little girl even had her arms crossed which made me laugh as I distinctly remembered a few incidents when Meg gave that look to her brothers.

I bought the little sister for Grandma Jane, and it arrived this week.  I loved the photo that my mom sent out of her four "grandchildren."  I still didn't find them overly cute, but the thought that she could now enjoy something that Jeanette cherished made it extra special.  I sent a picture to Dan, Kim and Phil right away and they were also glad to see that the boys had found a new home with a sister to join them. 

My Travel Timeline

I was extremely tired last night when we arrived home.  Thus, I was very happy to sleep in my own bed.  I had a lot to unpack and laundry to do today but decided that I would take it slow getting everything done.  As I worked around the house today, I thought a lot about my schedule in the Midwest.  After writing it all down, I could see why I had so much fun and also why I was absolutely exhausted.   

Travel Timeline

                Friday - Fly to Indy - Hang out with Brett and Cameron.  Work on wedding plans.

                Saturday - Travel with Meg to New Albany for Karen's shower.

                Sunday - Visit Paula and Gabrielle with Meg and Nick.  Travel to Chicago. Work on                                             packing.

                Monday - Help pack.  Pick up rental car.  Dinner with Cal and Meg.

                Tuesday - Drive to Syracuse. Lunch at Chubbie's.

                Wednesday - Clean out closets. Dinner with Mary and Ken.

                Thursday - Visit Parce and Aunt Gena in Greensburg.  Drive to Bloomington to pick

                                        up Brett.  Pick up Doug at Indy airport.

                Friday - Help Brett clean furniture out of his apartment.  Oliver Winery with Brett. 

                                    Meet Cora's parents with Cameron at Mother Bears.

                Saturday - Drive to Chicago.  Drop off rental car.  Tour Cal and Maggie's apartment.

                                    Lunch at RJ Grunt's.  Walk through Lincoln Park Zoo.  Dinner at Meg's.

                                    Nick's Confirmation.  Piano bar at the drake.

                Sunday - Breakfast at Cafe on Oak with Cal.  Fly to Orlando.  Drive home.

                

       

                

                

The Drake

Last night after Nick's communion, Doug and I found a piano bar at the Drake that we really enjoyed.  We were able to get a few snacks and drinks while listening to the piano man sing Frank Sinatra.  It was very nice.  This morning, we had an even more enjoyable experience at the historic hotel.  Cal met us for breakfast.  He loved the view from our room and the eggs benedict from Cafe on the Oak.  We had a wonderful time together and talked a lot about the comparisons of the Pfister hotel in Milwaukee that we all stayed at during Thanksgiving break to the one today.  While they were both over a hundred years old, the Pfister had a reputation for being the most haunted hotel in the United States and The Drake was most well-known for its famous visitors over the years including Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe.  Even the breakfast dish that Cal had this morning was named for them.  

After breakfast, Cal offered to take us back to his apartment for a little while, but we realized that it would be easier on him if he took us to the airport a little bit earlier than our flight demanded.  Maggie had been with her family to celebrate Easter, and we knew that they had plans this afternoon together.  The airport wasn't very busy except for a few volleyball and cheer teams waiting for flights to Orlando.  The time waiting went buy quickly and soon we were on our flight home.  I was sad to leave all of the Heinisch children in the Midwest, but after ten days of traveling, I was looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight and getting back to my quieter routine.  Soon Meg would be moving to Florida, and I wanted to be well rested for that.  

Confirmation

Doug and I had a fantastic day in Chicago.  We first went to Cal and Maggie's new apartment and absolutely loved it.  They live on the 43rd floor in a building overlooking Lincoln Park.  We could see Lake Michigan, the baseball fields and the Chicago History Museum.  It was roomy, organized and very nice. After our tour, we walked to RJ Grunts for lunch and then on to the zoo to see the lions.  They were all out which was very rare.  It was an awesome way to spend our afternoon with some great company.

Our next stop was The Drake where we had a reservation for the evening.  It was located on the Magnificent Mile and there was a lot of history with the hotel.  Queen Elizabeth had even taken tea in their cafe.  Once Doug and I enjoyed the view, rested and got ready for Nick's confirmation, we left for Meg's apartment.  She had planned a nice get together for everyone to celebrate Nick.  The food was wonderful, and I was completely impressed with how organized their place was as I knew they were still packing for their move.  Nancy and Kyle were already there, and Cal and Maggie joined us soon after our arrival.

Confirmation tonight was long, but very nice.  Nick and Meg's church was beautiful.  The ceremony was a little bit disorganized from what we were originally told, but wonderful just the same.  I had not been to a Saturday night mass on Easter weekend in almost thirty years and was thankful for the reminder of how important becoming Catholic was to my life.  I don't know if I completely understood that when I was confirmed in 1994, but I definitely did today and was proud to sponsor Nick as he became a member of the Church.