Friendsgiving

This morning Brett was up early and out the door by 8 a.m.   He was scheduled to work at the Union at 2 and wanted to be home in time to unpack and relax a little bit before he went in this afternoon.  Much to his delight when he arrived at the IMU they said that they were closing at 2 p.m and he could take the afternoon off.  They did debate about having him work at the gift shop, but in the end they did not need him and he had the rest of the day to himself.  Needless to say, Brett was extremely excited.  He had not been very interested in working today as the Union was usually dead on Saturday nights and the fact that it was still Thanksgiving break, meant that it would be an even slower evening than usual.  Instead, he went shopping, did some writing and played a few video games.  Since he had to start his new job at 6:30 a.m. tomorrow morning he was extremely thankful for the down time.

Meg made plans today to host a Friendsgiving for lunch.  Several of her friends did not come home for Thanksgiving break, so the group was smaller than usual.  She didn't mind as she enjoyed those that were able to attend - Nick, Rachel, Alex, Kevin and Evan were all in attendance, each bringing a dish to share.  Meg wanted to make chicken pot pie, but Doug talked her into "turkey" pot pie as we still had quite a bit left from Thursday's meal.  She said that it was delicious.  They visited, ate and caught up on the Freshmen year in college all afternoon.  We were glad that it worked out for them to meet.

Cal talked about going to the IU vs. Purdue game in West Lafayette. Doug and Cam had thought about attending it as well.  In the end both groups changed their minds due to the weather forecast - thirties and rain.  As they watched the game on television they were pleased with their decision as the weathermen were 100% correct.  The afternoon was spent watching the game in the warmth of our home instead.  IU jumped out to an early lead and it looked as if they were in command of the game until the fourth quarter when Purdue tied the game on a couple of botched IU runs.  It was an intense double overtime for all of us watching, but thankfully the Hoosiers held on and won their eighth game of the season making #9windiana a strong possibility.

Cal stayed until 7 p.m. leaving shortly after the LSU game.  He stopped at Purdue for the night.  Most of his friends were already there and he needed to pick up Jayce for their return trip to Bloomington tomorrow.  Jayce's car was totaled this fall and Cal didn't mind being his chauffeur.  It gave him a chance to hang out with everyone.

With Cal and Brett gone and Meg on a date with Nick, it was a quiet evening at home.  We brought all of the Christmas upstairs.  I worked on a little bit of it, but in the end we decided to play cards instead.  I was glad for that.  I love having the Christmas decorations up, but setting up in one day can be overwhelming.

Black Friday Changes

For the first time since I could remember we did not go shopping as a family on Thanksgiving night.  I did not miss the crowds or the drive to South Bend.  Cal and Meg kept me abreast of what they bought, however.  That way I felt like I was still a part of it, but without the hassle.  They were happy with their purchases and I was glad to hear that.

This morning Meg took Jackie to Glenbrook.  She wanted to find a dress for Bethany's semi-formal.  While they were gone, Cal, Brett, Cam and I watched all three Garfield holiday specials. We enjoyed each of them, although we disagreed on which one was the best.  As usual Doug declined our invite to join our watch party.  

Typically, we have spent the Friday after Thanksgiving getting out the Christmas tubs and setting up the tree.  We decided to wait this year as we had invited the Lamles over for lasagna tonight.  They had wanted to go to an Italian restaurant in Fort Wayne, but we knew that would be challenging for us to schedule this week.  We'll definitely try that with them another time.  Doug's meal was delicious and we all enjoyed the dirt pudding that Hannah-Marie made.  Right after dinner everyone headed straight to the pool table.  Mike and Cameron finished the night at 5-0.  They were proud of their record.  The rest of the night was spent playing Disney Scene It and Euchre where Meg finally dethroned Brett as the trivia champion and Cam and Mike continued their winning streak at cards.  All four Heinisch children told us tonight that they had a a lot of fun tonight.  I was happy to hear that as we did too.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had decided earlier in the month to hold our Thanksgiving dinner during the late afternoon today. Brett wasn't sure of his schedule at work and both Nick and Hannah-Marie's families planned to eat at 1 p.m.  Therefore we chose 4 p.m. for our family feast and were extremely thankful that everyone could join us.  

In the end I actually preferred the late dinner.  It gave Doug plenty of time to prepare the meal and watch the Bears game.  We even got in a game of Catan before everyone arrived.  It was by far the most relaxing Thanksgiving afternoon that I could remember.  Last year Doug wanted to try lasagna for our main dish, but returned to turkey this year.  We all liked the lasagna, but thanks to Bell Trace Brett brought home a twenty-one pound bird for us to enjoy.  That along with mashed potatoes, noodles, green bean casserole, homemade bread, apple pie, and apple dumplings made for a wonderful meal.  I didn't even complain about the oyster dressing and was impressed that both Cal and HM tried Doug's favorite dish.  I in turn surprised everyone when I tried a piece of turkey.  I hadn't had the Thanksgiving staple in over twenty years.  It was definitely better than I remembered.

After dinner everyone except for Meg, Grandma and I played pool.  We used the time to clean the kitchen.  Cal and HM were the first ones to leave as they had plans to go "Black Friday" shopping with Robyn and Mike.  The rest of us then had time to play Disney Scene It before Meg and Nick headed to Glenbrook as well.  Oh Hell was next on the agenda and then a three way match of Ticket to Ride between Doug, Brett and I.  A fortunate block of the path from Portland to Seattle and we finally found a way to beat Doug.  It was a fun way to end a wonderful day!

A Day Off for All

Doug took today off joining the rest of us already on Thanksgiving break.  Cal and Brett started their day off with flu shots.  Both found it interesting that it took more time to fill out the paperwork than it did to get the shot.  They were home by lunch time and Doug fixed paninis for all that were interested.  Meg also got a flu shot today, but added in a visit to the doctor for her cold sores.  Either the stress of midterms or the weather at IU had aggravated them this fall and she's had more than normal.  The doctor was able to give her medication that should help.  Grandma and Grandpa went to lunch with her afterward.

Cal spent his afternoon working and hanging out with HM.  He had broken his phone last night, so that put a minor glitch in his day.  Thankfully, we still had Meg's old one and I was able to set it up for him by the time he left.  Brett, Cam, Doug and I played Catan this afternoon.  Meg spent her time after lunch at Nick's and the evening with Sara.  I had done some early Black Friday shopping this morning, so after our game we went to Target to pick up my deals.  We ate dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings and then came home to play cards and set up our new purchases.  Cal was asleep on the couch, but was glad to hear that we now had a coffee maker in the Heinisch home.  We ended the evening with a game of Ticket to Ride.  Not sure why we keep playing as Doug has been routinely destroying us all.  Tonight was no different, but it was a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane

Tonight we were all home to celebrate Grandma Jane's birthday.  She had already gotten her main gift from Grandpa - a new sectional couch.  Cal tried it out for them last night and completely approved.  We ordered pizza for dinner and had cheesecake for dessert.  Each of the Heinisch children gave her a small token of their affection:  an  IU ornament from Brett, a weighted blanket from Cal, an IU scarf from Meg and a new bird feeder from Cam.  My Dad had also purchased a robotic vacuum for her as well.  Needless to say, Grandma Jane was extremely pleased with all of her gifts.  After dessert several games of pool were played as well as a round of Oh Hell.  It was a wonderful way to show our appreciation for all that my Mom does for our family and I was very happy that each of the Heinisch children were able to attend the celebration.

Three Heinisch Children Are Home

Cal arrived around 4:30 this afternoon for Thanksgiving break happy to be home.  He had to work at Miso today so he spent the night at his friend Evan's in Speedway yesterday.  That way he only had a short drive to Carmel this morning.  Jayce's car was totaled recently so he rode along with Cal and hung out at their friends until he was done working.  Cal had enough time to bring in a load of laundry and grab the buffalo chicken dip out of the fridge before heading to Hannah Marie's for the night.  He did make a point to stop by Grandma and Grandpa's this evening before returning home.  He absolutely loved their new couch thoroughly enjoying the cushioned ottoman.  Tonight he and Cam played pool and alternated between watching the Ravens game and IU basketball.  There was an ongoing argument about the $10 that Cal owed Cameron.  He promised to pay tomorrow, but we'll have to see which one gives in first.

Meg enjoyed her day at home.  She and Nick went to lunch at Maria's before he drove back to Purdue for a night time flight.  While he was gone Meg hung out with Jackie and Sarah.  They worked on essays and other homework at Starbucks before going to Culver's.  Meg ran into two of her former classmates - Jonah and Angel.  She really enjoyed catching up with them.  She dropped Jackie off at her house before coming back to Syracuse.  Nick stopped by late in the evening.  They hung out and watched movies in the pool table room for awhile.  We were all sound asleep when he arrived.  They have definitely adopted college hours which we have grown accustomed to over the years.

The Yard has Never Looked Better

Since we came home last night Doug had all day to rake leaves.  I know that it wasn't his favorite activity, but I appreciated it very much.  There weren't a lot of leaves, since our neighbors picked up a large batch of them in early November.  The ones we had, however, were spread throughout the yard and it was definitely a time consuming project.  When Doug and I left for dinner tonight he said that our yard had never looked better during this time of the year.  I couldn't have agreed more.

While Doug was busy with leaves, I unpacked everything from our trip to Bloomington.  We had a lot of wet items, but that didn't compare to how many I had left in Brett's Civic.  I got Meg's laundry done as well and still had time to meet her and Jackie at Bethany to watch Pride and Prejudice.  It was entertaining, just a little long.  The play cut out a lot of the plot, but kept the wordy dialogue.  I enjoyed that, but it was confusing to the girls, so I was glad that I was there to interrupt the speeches.

Cameron kept himself busy today with homework and watching football.  He was successful with both as he finished what he was working on and both the Bears and Patriots won.  We asked him if he wanted to go to dinner tonight, but he wanted to stay home.  He was ready for cards when we got back, so we called my parents up for a game of Oh Hell.  Cam absolutely destroyed us and my Dad took the Angry Bird back to his house.  It was a relaxing way to finish an exhausting day.