Doug arrived late last night more than thrilled to be home. He had spent the week in Dallas at a sales meeting. It was very beneficial to him to be there and he also enjoyed the hockey game that they attended while there, but after three days of greeting people, giving speeches and sitting in on meetings he was anxious to get back home. For awhile this afternoon he wasn't sure that we would see him at all tonight. His plane was delayed due to problems with the seals on the landing gear. Passengers were first informed that the pilot would not fly until they got a new plane. Doug started looking for other options when it was announced that upon further investigation it wasn't that bad and that they would just be delayed a half hour. I would have been extremely nervous after that information, but it didn't bother Doug. He was just glad to be on his way to Indiana.
It was close to midnight when Doug arrived, but he was still up and ready for basketball at 6 a.m. this morning. He took Cameron to school for me afterward which I really appreciated. Doug worked until 4:30 this afternoon and then took me to Kelley Jae's while Cam was handing out pizza for SGA at the basketball game. I really enjoyed spending time with Doug. He travels a lot, but not usually as long as he did this week. He had a lot to share about his time in Dallas. I definitely would love to go back and see the sites. He was within three miles of Dealey Plaza and almost that close to George W. Bush's presidential library.
We picked Cameron up at 8:45. The boys had won which made his second consequetive night of basketball even more fun. My parents stopped by once we got home. They had seen the movie 1917. Although they liked it, they enjoyed "Just Mercy" from Tuesday night a little bit more. The five of us spent the rest of the evening playing Oh Hell. It was a fun way to end a long week.
Friday, January 31, 2020
Thursday, January 30, 2020
Throwback Thursday
Cameron was invited to play in the pep band at tonight's girls' basketball game. Grandma, Grandpa and I were excited to see him participate. It had been seven years since we had attended a ball game just to watch the band. They weren't quite the group that Brett played with in high school, but then again they didn't have as much time to practice. We were still pleased with how they sounded and I greatly enjoyed their version of the Batman theme song. Most importantly, Cam had a lot of fun tonight and appreciated the pizza that Aaron provided for them beforehand.
Tonight was also the first time that I had been in the Bethany gym to watch a basketball game since Meg played in her senior night a year ago. That was a memorable day for her as she had gotten her braces in the morning and then had to play at night. As we walked by the Bethany students I noticed the senior boys with numbers painted on their chests, ready to cheer on their classmates. Instantly my mind flashed back to a year ago. I realized that it was the last time I had heard "Mama Heidi" from the crowd or watched Shawn cheer for Meg and make faces at her when she was stuck on the bench. I started to tear up immediately. Meg hadn't felt much support from her coach that season, so she really appreciated Shawn's antics at the games, especially that day. He had texted her a dozen times while she was at the orthodontist hoping to get the first glimpse of her new smiled. He was also a loud part of the cheer block that night. He even waited for her afterward so that I could take a picture of the two of them. That day was a memory that she cherished after he died and one that made me cry tonight. Thankfully, I got it together quickly and then spent the rest of the night enjoying just being a band Mom.
Tonight was also the first time that I had been in the Bethany gym to watch a basketball game since Meg played in her senior night a year ago. That was a memorable day for her as she had gotten her braces in the morning and then had to play at night. As we walked by the Bethany students I noticed the senior boys with numbers painted on their chests, ready to cheer on their classmates. Instantly my mind flashed back to a year ago. I realized that it was the last time I had heard "Mama Heidi" from the crowd or watched Shawn cheer for Meg and make faces at her when she was stuck on the bench. I started to tear up immediately. Meg hadn't felt much support from her coach that season, so she really appreciated Shawn's antics at the games, especially that day. He had texted her a dozen times while she was at the orthodontist hoping to get the first glimpse of her new smiled. He was also a loud part of the cheer block that night. He even waited for her afterward so that I could take a picture of the two of them. That day was a memory that she cherished after he died and one that made me cry tonight. Thankfully, I got it together quickly and then spent the rest of the night enjoying just being a band Mom.
Wednesday, January 29, 2020
IUopoly
I knew it would be a long week with Doug in Dallas, so I made it my goal to keep Cam and I busy, especially at night. Yesterday was easy as he was busy with Snow Club and I found a movie for my parents and I to watch. Tomorrow night Cameron was invited to play in the pep band at the girls basketball game, so that evening was taken care of as well. Thus, we only had to worry about plans for tonight.
Part of the evening plans were easy as IU played Penn State at 8:30 tonight. Cam filled in the rest of our time when he suggested playing IUopoly after our weekend in Bloomington. My parents weren't busy this evening, so they agreed to join us. My Mom brought pot roast and mashed potatoes for dinner and the games began shortly after we ate. I hadn't played Monopoly in years, but enjoyed it quite a bit, especially as we hurried to buy our favorite stops in Bloomington - Mother Bear's, Village Deli, Memorial Stadium, just to name a few. Fortunately for me I was able to secure Bryan Hall and Indianan Memorial Union, IUopoly's version of Park Place and Boardwalk, right away. A few diplomas later and it was pretty tough for anyone to beat me. Even though I eventually took possession of everyone else's assets, we all still had a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, IU basketball wasn't quite as fun as the board game. The first half was rough, but at least the Hoosiers stayed close to Penn State and tied the game at halftime. The second half was just awful filled with 3 of 29 shooting from the guards and foul trouble for our defense. Cameron finally turned it off with five minutes to go as he found it too boring to watch. IU went on to lose by 15 and the Archie haters were once again all over Twitter. Hopefully, they rebound with a victory over Ohio State on Saturday. Either way, we did stay busy tonight.
Part of the evening plans were easy as IU played Penn State at 8:30 tonight. Cam filled in the rest of our time when he suggested playing IUopoly after our weekend in Bloomington. My parents weren't busy this evening, so they agreed to join us. My Mom brought pot roast and mashed potatoes for dinner and the games began shortly after we ate. I hadn't played Monopoly in years, but enjoyed it quite a bit, especially as we hurried to buy our favorite stops in Bloomington - Mother Bear's, Village Deli, Memorial Stadium, just to name a few. Fortunately for me I was able to secure Bryan Hall and Indianan Memorial Union, IUopoly's version of Park Place and Boardwalk, right away. A few diplomas later and it was pretty tough for anyone to beat me. Even though I eventually took possession of everyone else's assets, we all still had a lot of fun.
Unfortunately, IU basketball wasn't quite as fun as the board game. The first half was rough, but at least the Hoosiers stayed close to Penn State and tied the game at halftime. The second half was just awful filled with 3 of 29 shooting from the guards and foul trouble for our defense. Cameron finally turned it off with five minutes to go as he found it too boring to watch. IU went on to lose by 15 and the Archie haters were once again all over Twitter. Hopefully, they rebound with a victory over Ohio State on Saturday. Either way, we did stay busy tonight.
Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Just Mercy
Since Doug was busy with work and Cameron had Snow Club, I decided that I would go to a movie tonight. My parents weren't busy this evening either so they decided to go with me. There were several movies that I was interested in seeing, but the timing that worked the best for us was Just Mercy. Brett had also strongly encouraged me to see it as it had gotten great reviews and had a 99% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The movie revolved around a Harvard lawyer that started a not-for -profit group to provide legal counsel for the underprivileged in Alabama. Michael B. Jordan played the lawyer and Jamie Foxx was the man on death row who was charged with a murder. As the story unfolded it was apparent that Fox had been framed by a racist sheriff and sentenced by a biased judge, but that wasn't easy for Jordan to prove. The movie also highlighted the difficulties of the death penalty and the percentage of wrongful convictions that have been overturned throughout the last three decades.
Mom, Dad and I all really liked the movie. I definitely shed some tears throughout the two hours we were in the theater. We walked out of the theater glad that we had decided to see it and thankful that it ended just as Cam was returning to Goshen. We pulled into Bethany just as he got off of the bus. We were all happy to hear that he had had a great time at Swiss Valley. He even tried some jumps tonight and only fell twice. Overall, it was a fun night for all.
The movie revolved around a Harvard lawyer that started a not-for -profit group to provide legal counsel for the underprivileged in Alabama. Michael B. Jordan played the lawyer and Jamie Foxx was the man on death row who was charged with a murder. As the story unfolded it was apparent that Fox had been framed by a racist sheriff and sentenced by a biased judge, but that wasn't easy for Jordan to prove. The movie also highlighted the difficulties of the death penalty and the percentage of wrongful convictions that have been overturned throughout the last three decades.
Mom, Dad and I all really liked the movie. I definitely shed some tears throughout the two hours we were in the theater. We walked out of the theater glad that we had decided to see it and thankful that it ended just as Cam was returning to Goshen. We pulled into Bethany just as he got off of the bus. We were all happy to hear that he had had a great time at Swiss Valley. He even tried some jumps tonight and only fell twice. Overall, it was a fun night for all.
Monday, January 27, 2020
Sad News for the Basketball World
While I was waiting to pick up Cameron and Doug after the game yesterday, I received a text from Cal telling me that Kobe Bryant had died. I had to read it several times before it sunk in completely. I quickly searched my phone for the news and found out immediately that it was a helicopter crash that claimed his life. I couldn't believe it.
Kobe Bryant had never been on of my favorite professional athletes. He seemed arrogant to me and I never quite forgot the rape allegations fifteen years ago against him. In recent years, however, my opinion of him had changed. He had retired three years ago and since that time had written several children's books, produced an Oscar winning short film and had become a strong advocate of female sports. In every talk show interview that I watched last year, his close relationship with his wife and daughters was continually highlighted. Retirement seemed to suit him well which made the news of his death even more sad.
Cal, on the other hand, had been a Bryant fan since he first started to follow the NBA in early elementary school. He bought a Kobe biography when he was in third grade and read it cover to cover. His generation had grown up watching Kobe, impressed with his skill at basketball. Cal remarked that the timing was almost unreal as he had just witnessed Lebron pass Kobe on the all time scoring list last night.
As the evening wore on and more information was released, it was announced that Kobe was flying to his daughter's travel basketball game when the crash occurred. She was killed with him as well as two of her teammates, their family members and a coach. The sadness of it all was almost overwhelming. As with most tragedies it seemed completely unfair and definitely hard to comprehend. By the time I went to bed tonight I realized that most importantly it was a good reminder for all of us that life can change in a moment and a tough basketball loss yesterday didn't seem all that big of a deal anymore.
Kobe Bryant had never been on of my favorite professional athletes. He seemed arrogant to me and I never quite forgot the rape allegations fifteen years ago against him. In recent years, however, my opinion of him had changed. He had retired three years ago and since that time had written several children's books, produced an Oscar winning short film and had become a strong advocate of female sports. In every talk show interview that I watched last year, his close relationship with his wife and daughters was continually highlighted. Retirement seemed to suit him well which made the news of his death even more sad.
Cal, on the other hand, had been a Bryant fan since he first started to follow the NBA in early elementary school. He bought a Kobe biography when he was in third grade and read it cover to cover. His generation had grown up watching Kobe, impressed with his skill at basketball. Cal remarked that the timing was almost unreal as he had just witnessed Lebron pass Kobe on the all time scoring list last night.
As the evening wore on and more information was released, it was announced that Kobe was flying to his daughter's travel basketball game when the crash occurred. She was killed with him as well as two of her teammates, their family members and a coach. The sadness of it all was almost overwhelming. As with most tragedies it seemed completely unfair and definitely hard to comprehend. By the time I went to bed tonight I realized that most importantly it was a good reminder for all of us that life can change in a moment and a tough basketball loss yesterday didn't seem all that big of a deal anymore.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Game Day
Cameron's big birthday gift this year was tickets to today's IU vs. Maryland game. He hadn't seen a game in Assembly Hall in almost ten years and was excited for the chance. I was a little hesitant about today's game. Although IU had beaten a tough Michigan State on Thursday, Maryland had destroyed them earlier in the year. I was afraid that today would be a repeat of that disappointing loss and that Cameron would be witness to it all.
Cameron was a lot more optimistic about IU's chances when I dropped them off at the stadium. Assembly Hall had changed quite a bit since we had attended a game many years ago. Not only did it have a new name, the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but it also had new interactive exhibits to try before the game. Doug's favorites were the ones devoted to the IU players in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, especially since Calbert Cheaney was recently inducted.
While Cam and Doug were at the basketball game, Meg and I spent our time shopping. She needed a few things from Kroger and I wanted to stop at Yankee Candle. We also had time to grab her lunch at Chipotle and put away her supplies at her dorm room. It was nice to spend some time with her and catch up on all that she had been doing since this semester started. So far she likes her schedule this semester a lot better than last fall, even though she has one more class to attend.
I kept checking the score on my phone as Meg and I were together. The game started slow for the Hoosiers and they were down by nine at the half. Cameron was still positive that IU would make a comeback. He was spot on and soon the fans in attendance were cheering on a seven point lead. I was thrilled to see what I began to believe would be a Hoosier victory. In the end, however, it wasn't meant to be and a five point lead with a minute to go quickly slipped away. Doug said that they were witness to some angry fans shouting at the refs at the end of the game and 17,000 long faces when Trace Jackson-Davis missed a last second shot. No matter the outcome, the outspoken fans or the missed shot, nothing could take away the fun that he and Cameron had had today.
Cameron was a lot more optimistic about IU's chances when I dropped them off at the stadium. Assembly Hall had changed quite a bit since we had attended a game many years ago. Not only did it have a new name, the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, but it also had new interactive exhibits to try before the game. Doug's favorites were the ones devoted to the IU players in the College Basketball Hall of Fame, especially since Calbert Cheaney was recently inducted.
While Cam and Doug were at the basketball game, Meg and I spent our time shopping. She needed a few things from Kroger and I wanted to stop at Yankee Candle. We also had time to grab her lunch at Chipotle and put away her supplies at her dorm room. It was nice to spend some time with her and catch up on all that she had been doing since this semester started. So far she likes her schedule this semester a lot better than last fall, even though she has one more class to attend.
I kept checking the score on my phone as Meg and I were together. The game started slow for the Hoosiers and they were down by nine at the half. Cameron was still positive that IU would make a comeback. He was spot on and soon the fans in attendance were cheering on a seven point lead. I was thrilled to see what I began to believe would be a Hoosier victory. In the end, however, it wasn't meant to be and a five point lead with a minute to go quickly slipped away. Doug said that they were witness to some angry fans shouting at the refs at the end of the game and 17,000 long faces when Trace Jackson-Davis missed a last second shot. No matter the outcome, the outspoken fans or the missed shot, nothing could take away the fun that he and Cameron had had today.
Saturday, January 25, 2020
A Great Day with All of the Heinisch Children
Brett didn't have to work until noon today so we got to spend the morning with him. Fortunately, he was feeling a lot better. He gave Cam the game Unstable Unicorns for his birthday, which we had a lot of fun learning to play. We even had time for a round of Ticket to Ride Germany before he had to leave. With only the three of us available for lunch we let Cam chose the restaurant. He decided to try Yogi's as we hadn't been there since it opened. It was busy, but we were able to get a table. We enjoyed trying it and even brought a cheeseburger back for Meg. She almost lost her coke, however, as Cam didn't realize that the to-go cup that the waitress brought at the end of the meal was hers. Thankfully, we were able to get another before we left.
Meg joined our group after she ate and the four of us spent the afternoon shopping at the various IU varsity shops and walking down Kirkwood. Cameron wanted to go bowling and we decided to give the Union a try as it had been years since we had visited their alleys. Thankfully, they had a lane open among all of the construction in the building. We did not set any bowling records, but we had a lot of fun, and Cam was the big winner on the day.
Cam and Meg wanted to take a break after bowling, so she went back to her dorm and Cam hung out at Brett's to watch basketball. Cal texted to see what we were up to so Doug and I invited him to go to Mother Bear's with us. He brought along Mark and Jayce. We were glad to catch up with everyone. They had a lot of suggestions of shows that we should watch and teams that we should
like.
Cam was ready for dinner when we got back. Meg and her friend, Yatsiri, joined us at Mother Bear's. Meg was able to give Cam his birthday gift, an IU lunchbox. He was proud of all of the IU items that he received for his fifteenth birthday as well as the new Memorial Stadium poster that he bought today along with an IU hoodie. We had a nice meal and really enjoyed meeting Meg's friend. They met at Hoosier Awakening in November and have been hanging out together ever since that time. They walked back to Read together afterward to study and the three of us picked up breadsticks and drove back to Brett's. Doug and I had had a wonderful day spending time with all four of the Heinisch children. We have really appreciated their willingness to hang out with us this year.
Meg joined our group after she ate and the four of us spent the afternoon shopping at the various IU varsity shops and walking down Kirkwood. Cameron wanted to go bowling and we decided to give the Union a try as it had been years since we had visited their alleys. Thankfully, they had a lane open among all of the construction in the building. We did not set any bowling records, but we had a lot of fun, and Cam was the big winner on the day.
Cam and Meg wanted to take a break after bowling, so she went back to her dorm and Cam hung out at Brett's to watch basketball. Cal texted to see what we were up to so Doug and I invited him to go to Mother Bear's with us. He brought along Mark and Jayce. We were glad to catch up with everyone. They had a lot of suggestions of shows that we should watch and teams that we should
like.
Cam was ready for dinner when we got back. Meg and her friend, Yatsiri, joined us at Mother Bear's. Meg was able to give Cam his birthday gift, an IU lunchbox. He was proud of all of the IU items that he received for his fifteenth birthday as well as the new Memorial Stadium poster that he bought today along with an IU hoodie. We had a nice meal and really enjoyed meeting Meg's friend. They met at Hoosier Awakening in November and have been hanging out together ever since that time. They walked back to Read together afterward to study and the three of us picked up breadsticks and drove back to Brett's. Doug and I had had a wonderful day spending time with all four of the Heinisch children. We have really appreciated their willingness to hang out with us this year.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)