A Four Day Break

Today was the last day of school for the week at Bethany.  The teachers had a Mennonite conference that they needed to attend which made for a nice winter break for the students.  Cam had invited his friend, Avery, over for the evening and they were ready to head to our house as soon as I arrived.  They spent the evening playing games on the PS4, talking to their friends and shooting each other with Nerf guns in the basement.

Meg and Jackie had a fun evening as well.  She came home with Meg after they first stopped at Culver's.  They hung out here until 6:15 or so and then decided to go back to Bethany to watch tonight's games.  They had fun hanging out with some other Bethany students.  The games had predictable outcomes, but were still fun to watch.  She stopped at Grandma's on the way home to visit them and to check on the pigs.  It was nice start for a four day weekend.

A Sad Ending to a Wonderful Season

Tonight was the first round of sectionals for the Bethany girls basketball team.  They were feeling very optimistic as the tournament was being played on their home court.  Plus they had drawn a team they had already beaten twice this year.  Doug, my parents and I were happy to have the sectional at Bethany, but were extremely nervous about the second part.  We were all aware that beating the same team three times in one season was rare.  Lakeland Christian Academy had played them tough in both games and we knew it would be a challenge.

The game started off in Bethany's favor as they held LCA scoreless for the first quarter.  They still had a lead going into the locker room, but it was a lot closer than anyone in the Bruins crowd wanted it to be.  The third quarter was a rough one as LCA played aggressively without many calls from the referees.  As the last quarter began we were hopeful, but worried.  It had been a great season for the girls and we really wanted it to continue.

The fourth quarter was a repeat of the third and with two minutes to go the girls found themselves down by 8.  Something must have kicked in at that moment, because the girls went on a run that almost won them the game.  A layup that rolled in and out was the difference between a Bethany victory and a tied game at the end of regulation.  Either way everyone was excited as the two teams ran out on the court for a tip off to start the four minute overtime and a chance to live another day.  Unfortunately, for Bethany it was not meant to be and their wonderful season came to an abrupt end.

As I drove Meg home after the game she had time to reflect on the season.  Over these past few months she had gained experience not only in basketball, but in life.  It will take some time for the sting of the loss to go away, but when it does the girls will have memories to look back on that will last a lifetime.

Start to the Week

Mondays are tough no matter the circumstance, but after enjoying a wonderful weekend with our family it was even harder to get started on the work week.  School went fine for everyone.  We were all just tired.  Meg was still fighting a head cold, but seemed to be better than Saturday.  Cam had tennis after school which went very well.  The group was larger and more skilled which made for better competition.  Meg had practice after school which she also felt went well.  Doug worked late as he it was quarter end.  Overall, the day was fine once we all got over the shock of the end of an enjoyable two days.

A Beautiful Day in Bloomington

It was the perfect morning to sleep in and/or take it easy which was what most of the Heinisch family did.  Doug was the exception as always as he was up early to jog 4 miles and then off to Kroger to buy food for lunch.  It was a gorgeous day especially after all of the rain yesterday and we made the most of it.  We decided to run to Barnes & Noble first as we didn't stop there last night.  I found the book "The Importance of Being Earnest."  I was excited about that as I loved the movie and it will make for a great summer read.  Doug also found a book that he wanted regarding the dust bowl during the Great Depression.  We talked Cam into purchasing Frankenstein.  Brett and I had read it years before and thought he would like it since he was a fan of The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.   He also found a chess strategy book to help prepare him for team regionals in February.

We drove two separate cars to the winery so that we could head home after lunch.  It was exceptionally warm for January and we enjoyed a picnic in the sunshine.  We also celebrated Brett's birthday while we were there.  He absolutely loved the gifts we bought him especially the Snorlax shirt that Meg found on Amazon.  He hadn't asked for it, so it was a complete surprise.  Cal was happy to see that one of the gifts was the 2017 version of IT.  We plan to watch it together when we return at the end of February.  It was a lovely afternoon and we were sad to see it end, but we needed to get back home, Brett had homework and Cal had tickets to the IU vs. Purdue game.  We are already looking forward to our next trip down.

Cracking the Top Ten

Today was the individual Indiana state chess tournament.  Cam and Doug were up early on their way before the rest of us woke up.  Cam was seeded 12th in the 8th grade and under varsity championship division.  To begin the day his rating was near 1050.  His first draw of the day was rated over 1600.  He knew it would be a tough match, but he was confident in his playing.  Cam did end up losing, but made it over an hour before he did so.  The next match was the same length, but had a different outcome with Cam coming out victorious.  There was quite a bit of time between matches today.  Thankfully, both Kayden and Evan were also a part of the tournament so Cameron had someone to hang out with most of the day.  Doug took his work computer and a book, so he was occupied as well.  The most disappointing match of the day for Cam was his third one.  He felt that he had a lead and should have won, but in the end lost.  His fourth match was the longest of the day for him at one hour and forty minutes.  Cam needed a victory to finish in the top ten and to reach his goal of two wins.  He worked hard in the match and stayed focused.  It paid off as he earned the 9th place trophy and congratulations from all of us.

While Cam and Doug were at the chess tournament, the rest of us spent the day in Bloomington.  Cal, Brett and I went to The Siam House for lunch.  Cal had been there before and loved it.  It was delicious.  Meg spent time resting today and doing homework.  She had a horrible head cold and was emotionally drained from the funeral yesterday.  She did join us for a shopping trip to Kohl's, the College Mall, Kroger and TIS.  It was a lot of fun.  Brett got groceries.  Meg found new Prince tennis shoes.  Cal bought a sports coat and I made my normal stop at Yankee Candle.

Originally, I thought Doug and Cam would be back close to 7:30.  Instead they returned at 9.  We used the extra time after shopping to hang out at Brett's.  While Meg was resting, Cal suggested that we watch "IT."  He hadn't seen the original version and had just finished the book.  Brett, Cal and I had a lot of fun with the movie.  Once Doug and Cam got back we headed to Opie Taylor's for dinner.  Parce had just gotten to Bloomington from work, so he decided to walk up and join us.  We all had a great time catching up with him.  It was the perfect way to celebrate Cam's success and unwind from a busy couple of days.

Hard to Imagine

Today was the funeral for Kathy Yeager.  Cam, Meg, Doug and I were all able to adjust our schedules to be in DeKalb for it.  We were so glad that we did.  It had been a tough month for Dan's family and we all wanted to show our support.  The funeral was nice with a lot of wonderful words spoken about Kim's mom.  All Meg and I kept saying was "Can't imagine having to go through this again."  Watching Jeanette lose her three year battle with cancer was extremely hard.  Having to turn around and do it again with another Grandma would have been just awful.

We went to the graveside service after the funeral.  Kathy will be laid to rest near Jeanette and Drew.  I was glad to see that.  I told Kim earlier in the day that all I could think about at the church was Jeanette waiting at the gates of Heaven, holding Drew's hand, welcoming Kathy home.  I know everyone's vision of Heaven is different, but that image fit well with mine.  After the graveside service we walked to Jeanette's headstone.  The Heinisch children have missed her more and more as the years have past.  It was nice to think of her today as well.

We met the Yeager family at Fanatico's for lunch.  Several of the Faivre cousins were there.  It was nice to catch up with them.  Dan said that many of his cousins were able to attend the viewing last night as well as Uncle Ray.  We were so glad to hear that he had support as we couldn't get there before the end of the viewing.  We spent quite a bit of time talking with Dan.  It has been a long month for them with Kathy's cancer fight and Kim's brother, John, becoming extremely ill.  We stayed for over an hour, catching up and making plans for a return trip.

It was a sad day, but an important one for us to be a part of.  I hadn't cried that much in quite awhile.  As we drove on to Bloomington later that evening I had a lot of time to reflect.  We had spent a great deal of time with the Yeager family over the years.  Kathy and Jeanette had loved their grandchildren immensely.  It was sad to think that Morgan, Cole and Addie would not have that relationship going forward.

End of a Season

Tonight was the last JV basketball game for Meg.  She got to start and be the captain for the night.  I was impressed with how well she played considering how terrible she felt.  When I drove her to school this morning she sounded awful although she said that she felt better than she sounded.  Tonight was a tough one for the team in general.  Whitko had a talented junior varsity team and they came out on fire from the field.  The girls hung in there, however, losing in a respectful manner.

It was also senior night this evening.  Unfortunately, we were not able to stay for the varsity portion of the night.  In order to make it to DeKalb for the funeral tomorrow we had to leave immediately after Meg's game.  She did get to share the senior pregame meal with her teammates and made a poster for the girls.  It has been a wonderful experience for Meg to be part of the basketball team at Bethany.  They have been supportive of her and have worked to improve her skills as well as her confidence.  Those were two reasons that she left the program at Wawasee before her Freshmen year.  We are proud of her for taking on this challenge.  It has been fun to watch her play.