Finally

Meg left for camp this morning.  She seemed happy about her new assignment - Pathfinders.  The girls will be aged 7 to 9 year olds.  Some parts will be more challenging, but others easier.  I was glad that she was excited about it and not dreading her week at camp.  There won't be as many campers this week since it's the fourth of July.  Because of this several of the counselors were taking a week off.  As Meg just started, she wasn't interested in that offer.

Doug and I had a quiet afternoon today as Cam left to go golfing with my Dad.  We filled our time by exercising, doing laundry, finishing yard work and grocery shopping.  We got done just as Cam arrived.   He had called me after the front nine to let me know that he had shot 37 and beat Grandpa by one.  He was very excited then, but even more so once he finished eighteen.  He had finally broken 80, crushing it actually, shooting a 39 on the back for a 76.  That score was also enough to beat Grandpa by one as well.  We were all happy for him.  He had wanted this for quite some time and he was thrilled.  He did say that he was nervous, especially on eleven when he hit his second shot in the water.  He got up and down to save bogey, however, and from there on out, he liked his chances.

Doug, Cam and I spent the rest of the evening in Mishawaka.  Cam and Doug both needed new shoes - Cam for tennis and Doug for work.  It took a little while, but they both found what they needed.  Putt-Putt was next on our agenda.  Cam wanted to use his skills form today's round on the course, but I was on fire, beating both he and Doug by five and six respectively.  We celebrated Cam's achievements today with dinner at Evil Cheque Brewing Company.  Cam really liked his burger and we were glad to spend the evening with him.  We had missed him last week and it was great to catch up.

A Week at Camp

I picked Cam up from his week at Camp Crosley this morning.  Except for the long line to check out, everything went very well.  He enjoyed his cabin, liked his counselors and loved the activities he chose.  Frisbee might have been his favorite, but the old stand-by, archery, and a new activity, riflery, were a lot of fun as well.  As much as he enjoyed his week, he did say that he was ready to be home.  He was tired and wanted to shower.  This was the first time in several years that I had to spray Lysol on the majority of his items.  He had told me several times that his cabin smelled and I definitely believed him after doing his laundry.

Meg also came home today, albeit a couple of hours later.  She felt a lot better about being a counselor than she did at the beginning of the week.  She enjoyed her cabin and her counselors.  She spent the rest of the afternoon resting, showering and unpacking.  I got her laundry done, so it should be easy for her to get everything ready tomorrow.  She and Nick went to Lucchese's tonight for dinner and then hung out at his house for awhile.  She enjoyed her evening away from camp.

Cal left this afternoon to return to Carmel.  He, Kyle and Cameron Adams played golf with my Dad this morning.  They all had a lot of fun.  They had invited Cam to play, but he wanted to rest.  He did get out to the golf course later with my Mom.  Doug made dinner here and then we all played Oh Hell afterward.  My Mom had already beaten them at several other games before they arrived.  Cam tried to gang up on her, but she still found a way to tie for first.  It was a fun way to end a Saturday night.

Hanging Out with Cal

Cal arrived around 3:15 this afternoon.  He had an appointment at Bud's Body Shop to get an estimate on the damage from his accident at the beginning of June.  Someone had hit him in a round about near work.  Thankfully, Bud's was flexible as Cal was late due to traffic in Carmel.  They were able to get it back to us by 5 p.m.  After we picked up the CR-V, Doug, Cal and I went to Oakwood for dinner.  We beat the rush, which was nice.  I got the chicken club again and Doug and Cal tried the portobello mushroom grilled cheese.  Cal also tried two different beers.  His new license came this week, so he finally got a chance to use it.

We all headed back to our house after dinner.  Kyle, Cameron and David Yankowsky stopped by to see Cal.  We enjoyed visiting with them.  Cameron will start a new job in Tennessee on July 8th.  He was excited about that.  The guys stayed here until close to 11 p.m. talking about high school, college and life in the future. It won't be long before all of them are done and starting careers of their own.  Doug offered to take them to the Frog as they planned to hang out there for the rest of the evening.  They were appreciative of the ride.  Cal promised to call him or Grandma Jane when they were ready to come home.  I was happy to have spent a fun evening with them all.

A Get Together

Last week Wendy Busse texted all of us to see if we were available to get together for a girls day.  She will be getting married next week and wanted a break from the stress of planning the event.  Paula, Mary, Betsy and I were all ready for a get together and decided on a lunch at Paula's today.  It was a lot of fun catching up with everyone.  With all that we have had going on these past few months, I haven't really done much with friends.  I caught up on all of the happenings at Milford school.  There will definitely be a lot of changes.  We also talked a lot about our families and summer activities.  Gabby was working at camp with Meg, and Paula could relate to some of my observations.  Wendy filled everyone in on the wedding.  There were a few issues that had developed that she was concerned about, but overall she was happy with all that they had planned for her big day.  The food that everyone brought was delicious.  I had taken a hummus plate and avocado salad.  There was enough left for Doug's lunch tomorrow.

I got home around 6:30.  Meg, Nick and my parents were here.  It was Meg's extended break.  She and Nick had gone to dinner and were going to hang out here until 8.  Mom said that she'd run Meg back to camp.  It sounded like her last couple of days had gone a lot better.  Doug had asked me to try the new brewery in Nappanee with him this evening.  It looked very nice and the food was good.  The beers that we tasted weren't bad, but the hour+ wait left a poor impression especially with all of the empty tables.  We were glad to try it, however, and hope that they figure out their slow kitchen situation.

Wednesday

Today was another quiet one at home.  I was able to take a walk, clean the kitchen and pick Meg up for her lunch break.  She's still having some challenges adjusting to all of the newness of being a camp counselor, but she's making huge strides.  She really likes her co-counselor and the girls in her cabin. They are ten and eleven years old and enjoy making friendship bracelets with Meg.  The only downside has been that several of the girls are homesick and tend to cry during breaks.  Otherwise, it has been getting better each day.

Tonight Doug and I tried a new place for dinner that he had wanted to go to for quite some time - HopLore in Leesburg.  It was a brewery built in an old farm mill.  I was glad that we tried it since Doug really wanted to, but neither of us were thrilled with it.  The beer selection was weak and the menu was limited.  We did enjoy the pretzel appetizers, but decided to call it after one drink and head into Warsaw for the rest of the night.  Our next stop was Kohl's.  All of their women's shirts on sale and I needed a couple of new ones.  I found several that both Doug and I really liked.  We ended our night out at Hacienda.  It was a beautiful evening to sit on the porch.  I enjoyed Doug's company and have been incredibly thankful for the time we have had together this week.

Terrific Tuesday

My day was fairly quiet at home.  I walked first thing in the morning to beat the heat.  I then spent a couple of hours picking up and dusting the upstairs bedrooms.  Normally I put a lot of time and effort into cleaning while Cam and Meg are at camp, but this summer I decided to take it easy.  I haven't been feeling well lately and our house is still pretty clean and organized from Meg's open house.  Therefore, instead of spending all afternoon working around the house, I ran some errands, read and worked on the computer.  By the time I picked Meg up from her break at 4:30, I was rested from the morning activity.  She filled me in on her cabin and co-counselor as we drove home.  She also said that she saw Cameron.  He said that he liked his cabin and was having a great time.  Nick pulled up as soon as we arrived.  Meg ate lasagna and caught up with him until it was time for her to head back at 6.

Once Meg headed out, I went to dinner with Jen at Oakwood.  It was a lot of fun catching up with her.  The food was delicious as well, once they remembered to put the chicken in my chicken club.  While we were at dinner, Doug went to his church finance meeting and exercised.  By the time we got back to our house, he had a bonfire going in the backyard.  We didn't get to enjoy it long as it started to rain shortly after we sat down.  The three of us moved inside and spent the rest of the night talking and laughing.  I was glad that Jen had time to visit.  I didn't get to talk to her as much as I wanted at Meg's open house.

Decision Justified

I have noticed lately that there have been a lot of posts from teachers that have decided to resign their positions.  With the constant news about teacher shortages, it doesn't surprise me.  I cannot disagree with their reasonings, but usually don't put much time into reading these long passages.  Lack of pay, unsupportive administrators, worthless training sessions, added workload, oversized classes, ineffective one-to-one strategies, and disinterested parents all sound familiar to me.  I don't like to be reminded of the downfalls of public education.  We lived it as a family and are thrilled to be done with that portion of our lives.

One post, however, recently caught my attention as it added the real reason that I quit teaching.  The author realized it before I did, but after six years of constant teaching commitments it dawned on me that I wasn't able to change the world with my students.  I had tried and I had made important connections as a mentor, but overall I just didn't feel as though much had changed at school by me giving up hours and hours of my free time to be a "highly effective" teacher.  The true contribution that I could make in life was supporting the four children in the Heinisch family.  Being there for them, supporting their interests, helping them navigate life's challenges and encouraging them through the tough times was my contribution to making the world a better place.  This was what I focused on this past year and what I will continue to spend my time and energy on going forward.  It may have taken me some time to figure this out, but watching Brett graduate with his MPA, sending Cal off to his first internship, helping Meg through an emotionally challenging year, all while being the stay at home Mom to Cameron that I had never been was definitely one of the best decisions that Doug and I have ever made.