Washington D.C.

The weather was cool and rainy today, but that didn't damper our moods.  Everyone was thrilled to see Brett.  He left eight weeks ago and we have missed hanging out with him.  We had a great time catching up with him at "We, the Pizza" a favorite lunch stop of his.  The food was great and the conversation even better.  Brett talked a lot about the events he has been able to attend or help at since he has been in D.C.  He has acclimated himself to the area well and after we ate we started on a tour of the nation's capital.

Our first stop was the National Mall and the Smithsonian Castle and American History museum.  Our favorite exhibits were Dorothy's ruby red slippers, 1969 Bert and Ernie puppets and the Presidents hall complete with Taft's car and Cleveland's overcoat.  Meg and I split off from the boys to go to the Natural History Museum while they went to Air & Space.  Meg and I took pictures of the Hope Diamond to show everyone.  After the museums we walked to the U.S. Capitol and then by the fountain that Brett passes by everyday on the way to work.  Both were impressive, and we couldn't believe how short of a walk Brett had to his office.  I asked him if he had gotten over how awesome it has been for him to have this experience, but so far the awe has not worn off.  Seeing him here just kept reminding me of what a fantastic position he found.

We decided to tour the monuments tonight.  We weren't sure we were going to be able to, but the rain held off for quite awhile, so we thought we'd give it a shot.  On our walk we stopped at the FDR memorial, Martin Luther King Jr's,  the Lincoln Memorial, the Vietnam Wall and the World War II memorial.  All were impressive, but my favorite this trip was the MLK one.  His was the newest and I hadn't seen it in person until now.  The night air was cool, but the rain held off until we were almost finished, so it wasn't too bad.  Brett picked Nando's for dinner which was close to his home.  Everyone loved the chicken and it was nice to sit down and relax for awhile.

Last Day of School Before Break

Today was Meg and my last day of school before break.  It was definitely a busy one, but easy to get through.  My students had tests to finish, presentations to give and surface area packets to grade.  I also chose this day to be observed by my principal.  I didn't want to have to do it after break as we will be swamped with JA interviews and getting ready for our visit to BizTown as soon as we return. Midterms are April 12th as well and I wanted to save time for students to retest if they needed to before grades are due.  All went well with my observation, finishing tests and helping a handful of students finish up their math projects.  Betsy and I even had time to place students with interviewers and create a spreadsheet for that during team time.

Meg was also able to finish up several lose ends at school.  She completed her Pre-Calculus test, took a midterm in Spanish and placed pictures on the tennis page for yearbook.  She texted me multiple times during the day letting me know that she was more than ready to be on vacation.  My favorite text was "We're learning about Pedro the 1st in history and I have the 3 Caballeros song stuck in my head"  She was definitely ready for the Gran Fiesta in EPCOT.    Her next several texts were interested.  She had stepped on a piece of lead in Miss Justice's room and she and Aaron spent quite a bit of time trying to get it out.  In the end they felt successful and were able to stop worrying about Meg losing a foot.  

Cameron didn't have to wait for Spring Break.  He was officially done yesterday.  He and Mom had planned on playing golf, but the weather did not cooperate, so instead he hung out with Grandpa taking him for money every game he could.  Doug left work early as he accomplished a lot yesterday and was at a good stopping place.  He was able to pick Meg up from practice.  There was supposed to be a match, but the weather ended the idea of that early in the day.  

The weeks between Christmas break and Spring Break are always long.  About a month ago I wasn't sure that I could make it.  Glad to say that I survived and can now enjoy a relaxing trip to D.C. to see Brett and then on to Disney - the Happiest Place on Earth.   

Packing & More Packing

I spent some time packing for our Spring Break trip yesterday and was able to finish up tonight.  This trip was a little harder to pack for as we are really going on two separate vacations - one to D.C. and one to Disney World.  We decided the easiest way to do it was to pack a suitcase with clothes for Meg, Cam/Doug and I for Florida and then do the same for D.C.  The weather will be different in the two areas with D.C. in the 60s and Orlando in the upper 80s making the bags drastically different - one with long sleeve shirts and pants, the other with shorts and t-shirts.  The only bag that the two trips will have in common is the toiletries bag.  That should keep us organized and make for a smooth trip to the airport on Monday morning.

As the Heinisch children have gotten older we have been able to travel more.  They are great about packing their clothes and planning their travel bag for the van or airplane.  We used to have to have a movie for every hour that we were driving.  They have become more content with just having their phones or iPads, so only taking a couple now makes for more room in the front.  The toiletry bag used to be one of the hardest for me to pack.  I decided a few years ago to buy a nice bag from 31 and have it supplied with almost everything we would need for a trip - shampoo, tooth brushes, medications, razors, etc.  That has made a world of difference.  Now I can grab that and just add in a couple of essentials that I do not have duplicates of - glasses, a curling iron, etc.

Packing is definitely not one of my favorite activities, but I have gotten better at it over the years.  The best part is knowing that we will soon be on the road to an adventure.  This is one that I have been looking forward to for months.

Appointment Day

I took today off from school as I had several appointments.  In between them I was also able to buy some new shoes to help support my feet, stop by Cam's science fair and to do a little packing for the week ahead.  My favorite part of the day was the science fair.  I did not know when I set up the appointments that the projects would be displayed today, but I was thrilled when I found out.  Cam worked all week on his results- tap water vs. purified water and it was great to see his board with all of the others.  A lot of the students focused on food and taste testing, but there were others as well - sports, cooking and behaviors.  I was impressed with so many of them.  It reminded me of the inquiry based learning projects my students worked on in FACS the past four years.  Cam was proud of the red ribbon he earned and already had plans for his project next year.

Happy Birthday Backroads!

                         

Today was the 74th birthday of my Dad or "Backroads" as Cal and his friends have affectionately nicknamed him due to his ability to take backroads everywhere and get lost at least a 1/3 of the time.  In thinking about it he actually has had many nicknames over the years - Muss, Motts, Muffer - but the one that has stuck the longest has been Grandpa Cutes.  Since my Mom always called my Dad "Cutes", Brett thought that was his name and when he was eighteen months old the moniker "Grandpa Cutes" was born.  I honestly never thought it would last as long as it has.  I figured when Brett got to school age he would drop it and we would move on to Grandpa Musser or even the less formal Grandpa Bill.  

By the time Brett entered kindergarten, however, Cal was a toddler and at that point the name Grandpa Cutes had no chance of leaving.  The boys knew my Dad as no other and until Cal and Jayce started calling him "Backroads" I never heard any of the Heinisch children call him anything else.  As strange as the name may seem to others, the name just seems to fit my Dad.  

We celebrated his birthday yesterday since Cal was home.  Meg and Cam gave him his family favorites - sour cherries and circus peanuts.  Cal's gift was outside the norm - a Milford basketball jersey complete with name and number.  My Dad had one from years before, but somehow it came up missing several years ago.  We still aren't sure if Cal loaned it to Stephen and it was never returned or if the washer ate it.  Either way we were pleased to be able to replace it.  My Dad's proud of his alma matter and we were glad to help him "be true to his school."   

As Doug stated later in the evening, "You're Dad is the youngest 74 year old I know."  Whether it is his good health or his ability to relate to the Heinisch children, my Dad is young for his age.  We appreciate that about him as well as his love and support for our family.  Without him life would definitely be boring - who else would change the wrong flat tire or use Diet Pepsi for divot repair.  He's told me many times over the years "Life is a story"-  he's definitely provided us with many.  

What's Mine is Yours . . .

Cal headed back to Bloomington this evening.  He didn't bring much home and didn't take a lot back - except for one prized item - his 1970s box fan that was bought at a garage sale for a $1.  It was a great purchase as nothing cools a room off quicker than that fan.  As he left he asked if it was ok for him to take it.  He said that his at school was working fine, but a friend needed one and since no one was using it, he thought he'd help him out.

Of course, Doug and I said sure.  We learned a long time ago that possession has no boundaries with Cal.  If a friend was in need he was usually the first one to offer help even if it meant giving away something of his.  He definitely fit the quote "shirt off his back" very well, and we are proud of him for adopting this philosophy.

There have been times that Cal's need to help his friends came at the expense of his siblings' personal property or Doug's.  Usually, Cal was able to recover the "gift" when I explain the significance of the item.  I can only remember a couple of things that left the Heinisch home never to return.  His siblings have gotten used to looking through his room or asking him if they have seen a "misplaced" charger, game or article of clothing.  Meg's even been know to raid Cal's closet on dress up days to outfit her friends as she knows that he doesn't mind lending a hand to a good cause even if it is just a floral shirt for Hawaiian day.

Even though Brett, Cam and Meg enjoying giving to others, they haven't totally adopted his communal style or his frugality.  He was the Heinisch child who spent the least, was always looking for a bargain, earned his own money and didn't seem to want for much.  He was conscientious about money and a big shopping day for him was a trip to Goodwill.  Parce asked me not too long ago if I thought his philanthropic behavior would change once he had a job and was living on his own.  I really don't think it will.  Cal's a giver - part of that is personality and part of that has been learned.  Doug and I have been volunteering and helping out in this community for as long as I can remember.  Cal just chose a different way to give back.

It's Great to Be a Parent

Today was a busy parent day, but a wonderful one.  First, Doug left early in the morning for Cam's team state chess tournament in Hammond, IN.  His team qualified a month ago and Cam was excited to be going for the second year in a row.  Doug spent the day listening to him talk about his rounds and watch him play pick up games with his friends.  Cam played as the number one seed on his team against some very challenging opponents.  He was proud to call me on his way home to say that he finished with 3.5 out of 5 point on the day.  He felt that he could have even earned 4.5 points, but one round cost him that distinction.  To celebrate he and Doug stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner on the way home.

Cal was home this weekend arriving early in the morning.  He decided to leave at 3:00 a.m. from Bloomington and was here in bed by 6 or so.  I wouldn't have recommended him driving through the night, but he said it went well and there definitely was very little traffic.  After he slept he went to see HM and then had an interview with Tippy Country Club.  Jayce had recommended him as a bag boy and he was proud to let us know that he had been hired.  He will be a lot happier working there than at a factory this summer, so I was pleased that he was able to secure this position so early in the Spring.

Meg celebrated her birthday with Aaron and Preston today.  I took them first to Ultra Zone to play a game of laser tag.  From there we went to Jefferson Point Mall to eat dinner at the food court.  Meg chose Chick-Fil-A and the boys had Panda Express.  They spent the rest of the evening going from store to store making several purchases along the way.  It was fun listening to them laugh and I am glad that they were able to spend the day celebrating Meg's 16th birthday.  After shopping everyone came back here to hang out until 11 p.m. or so.

Doug and I didn't see much of each other today, but that was alright with us.  All too soon the Heinisch children won't need us anymore and our days will be quieter.  Until then we will cherish every weekend like this one.