Happy 21st Birthday Cameron

I flew out this morning for a few days in Indiana.  My plane arrived on time and there was a van waiting for me when I got to the Indianapolis Airport.  My first priority was to take a suitcase full of items to Brett and Karen's that they had left at our place over the holidays as they did not have room for them.  I was glad to help, and we all agreed that next time they would have to bring an extra suitcase in anticipation of the gifts that they would receive.  I didn't get to see Brett as he was at work but spent some time with Karen before leaving for Bloomington.

My main goal in arriving today was taking Cameron out for a late lunch/early dinner for his 21st birthday and buying him his first legal beer in the United States.  He was done with class early, so we were able to catch up before picking Cora up and heading to Buffalouie's.  This was the first time in quite a while that I had walked into the restaurant without their being a long line to order food.  We sat upstairs and talked a lot about Cameron turning 21 and their time at the National Championship game.  Cora and Cameron were two of the few that returned yesterday as a lot of their friends had to wait until Wednesday to fly out.  I had a great time with the two of them and was very glad that I was able to spend the afternoon with Cameron on his momentous birthday.

After dinner, I dropped everyone off at their apartments and started my drive to Syracuse.  The temperature remained in the 40s and the roads were clear, so it was a very easy drive.  I also listened to a Netflix series called His and Hers that Meg recommended.  It was a small-town thriller and kept my attention the entire three-hour drive.  This morning at 5 a.m. I wasn't sure that I would be able to make it to Syracuse tonight but arrived around 9 p.m. glad to be able to sleep in tomorrow.  

One More Piece of the Puzzle Answered

It was a hectic morning getting out the door as I had to finish packing and also wait for our security company to arrive to fix our monitoring system.  It had gone out yesterday morning, and I really wanted it to be fixed before I left for the rest of the week.  Thankfully, they were able to repair the system and replace all of the batteries in the smoke alarms before I left for Orlando.

Cameron's train was a few minutes late, but I didn't mind.  It gave me time to look at all of the reels from last night's victory.  I still couldn't believe that IU won the football national championship.  Watching all of the Hoosier fans walk out of the Brightline terminal helped it to sink in a little bit more.  Cameron was definitely tired from his whirlwind trip to Miami, but extremely happy.  He had brought Doug and I a program from the game which we really appreciated.  He also showed me all of the other souvenirs that he was taking home.  I loved listening to his stories from yesterday.  He had definitely enjoyed the experience of a lifetime.  We had just enough time to eat lunch from Panda Express before he headed to TSA.  I waited with him and talked some more during his half hour wait.  Between the football travelers and vacationers from President's Day weekend, it was definitely a packed airport.  Thankfully, Cameron made it through without any issue and was well on his way to Indianapolis by 4:45 this afternoon.  

After Cameron left, I was able to sit in on a virtual appointment that Doug had with his neuropsychiatrist late this afternoon.  She went through all of the testing that he had done (700 questions) and talked about the pictures that Doug had to provide a detailed story for. I think that was the part that Doug found most interesting.  The good news was that the questions and pictures pegged Doug's personality 100% and let us know that he sees life as a man and woman coming together to solve a problem.  That didn't surprise me at all as that is the way we have always lived our life.  The doctor's report also told us that Doug's tremor was not psychosomatic.  Neither one of us were surprised to hear that either.  At this point neither Doug nor I believe that we will ever know what officially caused the tremor, but at least today's visit did help us answer one more piece of the puzzle.

The National Championship Game - Unbelieveable

If you would have told me that IU football would win a National Championship, I would have never believed it.  Even after we finished 10-2 and made it to the CFP last year, I wasn't sure that we would ever make it back.  At the beginning of this season, I would have just been happy to make it to a bowl game.  Tonight, however, the Hoosier football team that Doug and I had followed for the last forty years made the impossible happen beating Miami in one of the hardest fought games of the season finishing perfect at 16-0 and this year's National Champions.  Even as I watched the confetti fall and the trophy presentation happen, I still couldn't believe it.

While Cameron was sitting in the front row of Hard Rock Stadium, Doug and I were seated in our living room glued to our television.  Neither one of us were bummed to miss the game in person as we were both too nervous to watch it anywhere else.  We weren't the only ones watching the game on the edge of our seats as Meg, Cal, Maggie and Karen were all home as well.  Nick had to fly to Miami but arrived in time to catch the game from his hotel bar.  Only Brett opted out of watching from start to finish as he practiced piano for a good portion of the game secretly hoping that Coach Cignetti could pull off the improbable victory.

Although I hoped that the game would be as easy as the previous two with IU taking control early and winning by a large margin, in my heart, I knew that would not be the case.  Miami had several players on their defensive line that were first round NFL draft prospects, and they were playing at home.  In the end, I was correct as the game was challenging from start to finish.  Even when we took more than a one score lead, Miami would answer with a nice play on offense keeping the game close throughout.  Thankfully, an unbelievable touchdown run from Mendoza, a blocked punt that led to a touchdown and a perfectly timed interception in the last minute of the game put IU on top making this a season that none of the IU faithful and maybe even the rest of the college football world will ever forget.  

Da Bears

We spent the morning and afternoon with Cameron before he caught the train to Miami.  He was excited about the trip and I was extremely glad that he was able to go albeit a little nervous since none of us had spent much time in South Florida.  The nice part was that Aunt Jan was staying close to where his hotel was and I knew that she could help if anything went wrong.  Cameron was also meeting twelve other SAB members tonight which made me feel even better.

Before the three of us left for the train station, Cameron had time to exercise and do some homework while Doug and I ran to the store to get him some snacks for the trip. We also met Meg at Rock N Brews by the airport for lunch before leaving for the Brightline.  Neither Doug nor I had ever been to the station before and were extremely impressed with it.  It was easy to find and security was a lot quicker than the airport.  We headed home once Cameron made it to his gate.

Doug and I spent this evening watching the Bears game.  They had won their first playoff game in fifteen years last weekend and we were hoping for another victory tonight.  Cal called before he left with Maggie and his friends to a local restaurant for a watch party.  He was nervous and excited.  The entire town of Chicago was lit up orange and blue all week in anticipation of tonight.  Both Doug and Cal were hopeful that the Bears would win but nervous as the Rams with Stanford at Quarterback were very good.  It was a close game throughout and went into overtime on an outstanding play by Caleb Williams.  Unfortunately, a slow run by the tight end led to an interception ending the Bears storybook season.  The best part was that there was now hope for future seasons as the Bears were young and their quarterback had lived up to the hype surrounding his selection in the draft.  

He's Back

When Cameron decided that he wanted to go the National Championship in Miami on Monday, he and I had to get creative in how to get him there.  Cora was traveling with her friends and had plans to stay in Miami.  Cameron and his group talked about driving, but once they realized that it was a day and a half drive, they changed their minds.  They did agree on an Airbnb in Fort Lauderdale near the airport so that they could fly-in there instead of Miami as it was just as close to the game and the costs were more reasonable. Cameron opted out of purchasing the $1000+ round trip flight to South Florida, as he and I found a much less expensive route.  The good news was that his flights were free.  The bad news was that it would take him a little bit longer to get there.  The best part was that we would get to spend twenty-four hours with him on his way down.

Cameron arrived in Tampa tonight and we were there to greet him.  On the drive home the three of us talked about his first week of class, the game and plans for his 21st birthday on Wednesday.  Cameron chose Beef O'Brady's for dinner, and we had an awesome time.  The bar was filled with Bills fans, and we had a lot of fun watching the game with them even though Buffalo lost a heartbreaker.  We made it home in time to start the 49ers game which ended up being a blowout and instead rewatched the first half of the Peach Bowl capping off a fantastic evening with Cameron back in Florida.  

The Rip

When Doug and I got Netflix in December so he could watch the NFL on Christmas and I could watch Stranger Things on New Year’s Eve, we saw an advertisement for a new Matt Damon and Ben Affleck movie to air in January.  As Matt Damon is definitely Doug’s favorite current film star, we marked today’s date for the film’s premiere.  Cal was a little afraid that it wouldn’t be worth watching since it was coming out after the first of the year and was direct to streaming, but thankfully that was not the case.  Doug and I started it right after dinner and absolutely loved it.

Neither one of us knew anything about the movie, but soon found out that it was a crime thriller set in Miami based on a true story.  It was action packed from the beginning with a lot of twists throughout.  Doug doesn’t feel the same about Affleck as he does Damon but has changed his mind in recent years and we could both agreed that each were fantastic in the film.  We were also both surprised by the ending and could definitely highly recommend the movie to our children.

There have been a lot of remarks from Hollywood recently strongly encouraging films to stop coming out on streaming services first and return the premieres to the movie theaters.  I definitely believe that nothing in our home compares to seeing a film on the big screen.  In saying that, however, the cost of tickets and concessions have kept many people from attending.  I currently spend as much on one month of Netflix streaming services as I would for only one of us to go the theaters.  That coupled with the constant talking of many in the theater and the fact that I cannot pause the movie and come back to it has made watching movies at home a lot easier, cheaper and more convenient.  From what we saw at Best Buy last week, I am also no longer positive that the big screen is a lot better than current televisions.  For now, we will continue to watch movies through both avenues and be thankful for nights like tonight with a good movie, great actors and an enjoyable evening for both of us.

God's Blessings

Instead of focusing on the negative, I have really been working on being more positive.  It has helped and lately I have been able to see God's blessings in several instances that I might have missed in the past.  Today was one of the those and I was extremely thankful for several things that happened that may have really previously really bothered me.  

First, I had noticed that there was something on the side of the door on my car when we returned from Atlanta over the weekend.  I didn't think much of it until I took the Pilot to the carwash on Monday and it didn't come out.  I was extremely afraid that whatever it was had stripped the paint off of the door.  Since it was very noticeable, I decided to ask our Honda service department what they thought.  Instead of telling me that I was being obsessive or that I had ruined the car, they told me to bring it back and they would have their body detailer look at it on Thursday.  Today, they not only got the chemical off of my door but rewashed the Pilot as well.  The car looked fantastic and I was extremely impressed with the whole process.

Next, "lunch bunch" was held at Crazy Cucumber today and it went very well.  I was one of the few women who had eaten at the restaurant, and I was pleased to hear that others had enjoyed it as well.  I also had fun listening to all of the conversations and got some fantastic advice about a few issues that I had concerns about recently.  The lunch was also a great reminder of how nice the group was even if there were a small few in the organization that were unpleasant to be around.

Lastly, I found out that Cameron would not only be getting a ticket for the front row at the National Championship game on Monday, but that he wouldn't have to pay for it as a company had stepped up to comp all of the tickets for the student section.  Between that, the points we used for Cameron's flights and his sharing an Airbnb with friends, his trip to Miami would be a lot less expensive than we thought meaning that he would now have more money for fun items like concessions and souvenirs.  What a wonderful way to end my day of counting God's blessings.