Time to Say Goodbye

Today was the last day of school and my last one as a teacher.  Doug and I had decided in April that this would be the end of my six year journey of teaching FACS and math at Milford school.   I had  enjoyed being a teacher and a mentor to my students, but the issues with my joints, Doug's new position with Champion and the large class sizes had worn me out physically.   I just wasn't able to juggle both responsibilities anymore.  We had discussed leaving earlier in the year, but I really wanted to make it to the end.  It was hard on the Heinisch family as I couldn't do as much at home with all of my energy being spent in the classroom.

Today, however, when I read a heartfelt letter that one of my students had written to me, I knew that I had made the right choice.  Not only had my sixth graders grown over the year, but I had as well.  I had pushed myself professionally more with this group than I had ever had to in the past.  In October when I was sure that I would never make it to May, I started setting small goals with them and with myself.  There were good days and bad, but as I walked out of my classroom today I realized that we had met each and every one that we set out to accomplish.  I couldn't have been more proud of my students or myself.  I will miss teaching.  I loved being a part of those "aha" moments.  I will especially miss being a mentor to those who just needed someone to listen.  I was thankful for their hugs today and I understood those who just couldn't say goodbye.  No matter how hard it was to leave the students and the friends that I had made teaching, all I could do was smile on my drive home.  I will now be able to devote full time to the role that I have loved more than anything else in this whole world - mom and wife of the Heinisch family.  

Timber

Doug and I have enjoyed all of the trees that we have been blessed with in our yard, especially in the back.  Over the years they have provided tons plenty of shade for the Heinisch children's backyard activities.  They have also become home to countless birds. squirrels and chipmunks.  Every year or so we have had to cut one down or trim a large branch.  We have even had a few that were taken out for us by heavy storms.

Every spring Doug takes inventory and this year he noticed that one of our biggest had a dead limb.   As he investigated further he saw that there was a crack in it.  In looking inside he could tell that it was hollow in part.  As this tree would have done some damage to our swing set, other trees and possibly the neighbor's fence, he decided to call a tree trimmer to get his assessment.  They both agreed that it needed to come down.  They felt it could hold on for a few weeks, but the goal was to have it gone by the end of this week.  Today was the day, and although the 8 a.m. chainsaw alarm clock was not appreciated by Meg we were extremely thankful that they came as soon as they did.  The tree had completely rotted and only had about 20% of it's trunk left.  We felt blessed to have it taken care of before it did major damage.  Now Cam can chip golfballs in the backyard all summer long and I won't have to worry.

Tennis MVP

Tonight was Meg's end of season awards celebration.  It was hosted by Mariah's grandparents and the girls appreciated having a pool to swim in after it was over.  Dinner was pizza and there were a lot of families in attendance.  The awards portion was short, but Coach Tara's words about Meg were priceless.  She praised her for choosing to make a fresh start at a challenging time in her high school career.  She was happy to announce that she had never coached a player with a better record and pointed out the number of matches this year that Meg had won for the team this season.  Both Doug and I appreciated her words and were proud of Meg for winning the MVP plaque.  It was a big change for Meg this year and she handled it well.   Having a supportive, fun loving and winning tennis team made it even better.

A Quiet Memorial Day

Meg started her day at the Milford parade with Preston.  Afterward they went to Panera Bread for lunch before hanging out with Kat and Gabby at the Fiscus' home.  It was the perfect day to spend time on the lake and they all took advantage of the hot weather.    Cal and HM hung out here for a good portion of the afternoon.  They ate lunch with us, played Cameron and I in lasso golf, and shared their favorite Impractical Jokers challenges.  Cal left around three as he wanted to make it home before the end of the NBA finals.

Cam made time to play golf with my Mom.  It was a hot one, but he didn't mind and was proud of his round.  Doug and I worked around the home and enjoyed the Heinisch children's company.  We were able to find a new hammock.  I had originally wanted a cloth one, but they were double the price.  After dinner we burned the remnants of the original while Cam tried out the new one.  It was a perfect fit.

Dearborn, Michigan

Meg had asked us several times to take a trip back to Dearborn, Michigan.  She hadn't been since her sixth grade school trip and Cam wasn't much older than five the last time we went as a family.  We had originally planned on going to Atlanta this weekend, but Doug's new job changed our plans.  Thus, we decided today would be the perfect time to head to The Henry Ford Museum and Greenfield Village.  

Everyone was up early so that we could leave by 7 a.m.  We made it to Dearborn just after the museum and village opened.  As the forecast called for 90+ degree weather we thought we would walk through Greenfield Village first in the hope of beating the afternoon heat.  It was just as I had remembered and we thoroughly enjoyed walking through the birth home of Henry Ford, the school house that he was first taught in, the milliner's shop, the Heinz home and the Wright Brother's cycle shop and boyhood home.  We learned a lot about the history of inventions of the late 1800's and early 20th century during our stop and enjoyed a ride on a Model T as well.  

After our trip down Main Street we headed to the laboratory of Thomas A. Edison and listened to "his" recollection of the first public showing of the incandescent light bulb.  From there we were able to visit several other historical spots including Noah Webster's home and the slave quarters of Andrew Jackson.  We listened to a talk given by Laura Ingalls Wilder and ate at The Taste of History which was home to Brett's infamous "random cheese" quote.  Our last stops in the village were the roundtable, the glass blowing shop, the tin shop and the pottery barn.  Doug bought us tickets to ride the steam engine and we enjoyed the trip through the woods and river of Greenfield Village.

We spent the heat of the day inside at The Henry Ford Museum.  We appreciated the air conditioning and the exhibits as well.  Doug's favorites revolved around the cars.  Cam liked the history of flight area and I enjoyed the history of the Women's suffrage movement.  We were able to see Rosa Park's bus and the chair that Lincoln was sitting in when he was assassinated at the Ford's Theater.  Meg obliged me with a Oscar Mayer Weiner mobile picture.  We then made a stop at the museum store for some flying gadgets and walked through the Presidential limos on our way out.  It was a long drive up and back today, but so incredibly worth it.  What a great way to kick off our summer break!

M*A*S*H

Well, Cam and Cal were both right.  Some of Cam's friends made it through the night and others were in well before dawn.  Cam was the first one in the back door.  He said that there just wasn't room enough for all five of them.  Joey followed not far behind.  A huge bug landed on his face in the middle of the night and he was done.  We had fun reminding Cam that he and Joey were the ones who planned the event and they were the first ones in - too funny!  Sam and Breece stayed out later, but were still in by dawn.  Avery was able to make it all night.  Not even the rain scared him off and   therefore making both Cal and Cameron correct.

Today Liam and Meg went to open houses for several of their senior friends at Bethany.  Cam played golf with my Dad and Cal worked at Tippy.  Doug and I took the boys to Venturi's in Goshen for dinner as Meg and Liam had plans to eat elsewhere.  They really liked the pizzas and we enjoyed their company.  Once we got home I finished the laundry.  Normally, this has been a dull activity for me, but today I enjoyed it.  There was a MASH marathon on Sundance television in honor of Memorial Day weekend.  MASH had been one of my favorite television shows as a child.  I enjoyed watching it with my Dad on Monday nights and was proud to tell Doug that I remembered every episode.  He liked the earlier episodes the best, but I was a fan of them all.  By far my favorite character was Hawkeye, but I did appreciate each character's part in making the show a success.  It will be awhile before I watch that many episodes in a weekend again, but for now it was a nice trip down memory lane on this weekend of remembrance and a great way to get multiple loads of laundry done.

Last Day of School

Today was Meg and Cam's last day of school at Bethany.  It was a great year for both and we were extremely proud of how they did.  Meg's week had been filled with finals.  She felt more comfortable this time around then she did in December.  She knew what to expect and how to study.  I told her several times how excited I was for her that she would have a finals week schedule figured out well before she started college.  Her exams were done by lunchtime today and Meg was home by two.  Anya and Shawn showed up shortly after Meg did with Grace and Alister not far behind.  They all made plans to go to the Bethany softball sectional.  We asked Meg to drive and she did a nice job making it to Lakewood Park Christian in Auburn without incident.  They stopped at Steak and Shake for dinner and were home well before it got dark out.  It was a fun way to celebrate the last day of her junior year and the start to her life as a senior.

Cam invited several of his classmates over after school.  Joey and Breece came home with him and Samuel and Avery showed up later in their evening after attending a graduation open house.  The five of them had a fantastic time playing basketball, hide and seek in the woods, and corn hole.  They also made s'mores and set up camp in our play shed in the lot.  It was fun having them all here and listening to them talk.  We had enough sleeping bags for everyone to camp out.  Doug said he'd sleep on the couch in case anyone needed him.  Cal said that there would be no way that any of them would make it through the night.  He may be right, but Cam and his friends set out to prove him wrong.