Big Stage and Bright Lights, Try to Relax before the Show

We enjoyed a great week, here at the Scheu abode. We got to see all three kids, which is always good for the soul. Matt had another…interesting…week, teaching Special Ed in Zionsville and spending time with Ms. Taylor. Abby had a fast week at Franklin College, studying hard and spending time with her Pi Phi sisters as well as Garrett and his Lambda Chi brothers. Luke had a busy week, playing in two football games, including one at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis! Ann and I continued to make small steps of progress in our battles to get healthier – Ann with her knees and I with my weight. With the short week, I only managed eleven yards, falling short of my weekly goal but still lost a few pounds. This weekend was a really special time for our family, as we were able to get together and spend it watching Luke on the big stage – it was a once in a lifetime experience for the kids and they took full advantage of it. We’ve noticed that it is staying dark later in the morning as we prep for work and school as well as getting dark sooner at night. It was cool to see so many butterflies, crickets and other little creatures that start to come out this time of year while I was out walking. The deafening sound of the cicadas has faded, football is in full swing with high school, college and professional levels now filling our weeks. The weather is starting to get cooler and now that Labor Day has passed us, we can finally start to put the summer in our rear-view mirror and get to my favorite season of the year… Hello again and welcome to the latest edition of the Scheu Family Blog.

We enjoyed sleeping in on Monday morning, which was Labor Day. It was also the anniversary of Mom’s death in 2012 – I can’t believe she’s been gone seven years already. Luke & Gray slept till noon then went for lunch and when he came back, Luke was instead with Oakley & Hannah. They hung out in the den for a while, watching TV and then went to football practice. Meanwhile, we eventually got around to our normal Sunday routine of weekly household chores and flopping on the couch to wind down our weekend. While Ann napped, I watched classic Star Trek and the NASCAR race recorded last night in Darlington. Our X1 DVR did a good job of realizing that the race was delayed due to rain for several hours and kept recording for about 8 hours! How cool is that? The Southern 500 at the “Track Too Tough to Tame??? was a good race, but I really loved all the throwback paint schemes most of all! Ann made Mexican Street corn as well as a new dish she called jalapeno bacon chicken casserole for dinner that was delicious. She has become such a good cook! Matt & Taylor came down to Franklin College campus to meet up with Abby & Garrett and pick-up some stuff we forgot to give Matt at Darby’s wedding this past weekend. Low and behold, we got a picture a little bit later with Gma & Gigi, who had joined in the fun and took them all out for breakfast at Ann’s restaurant, just off campus. Ann & I were so jealous! Luke came home after practice, got cleaned-up and did his homework before heading on to bed, tuckered out from the long weekend. Ann & I binge-watched more of S20 Law & Order SVU until we went to bed. Here are pictures from Luke’s junior varsity football game vs. Shelbyville.

Tuesday brought a warm start to our week as we headed back to work and school after the long, Labor Day weekend. It was a crazy day for me as my team and I dealt with a security issue for the first couple hours but we kept our heads and were able to de-escalate the situation and get help to those folks that showed up at our front door today. I was so impressed with the work of my team that I insisted I take them out for lunch. So, we ended up at Chicago’s Pizza. I had to cut it short and step outside so I could take a conference call about our Win10 upgrade project I have going on next month. We came back and I worked on weeding through my emails, phone calls and paperwork that had built up over the last four days. Annie had a fast day as well. Why is it that whenever you take off Monday that it makes the rest of the week feel like a week of Mondays? Matt returned to work and had a long day in Zionsville. He called Gma on his way home as he tries to do every day. I’m proud and a little jealous…I wish I had done more of that when I had the chance… Abby had a good day, returning to classes with Garrett at FC. Luke had a good day of school and then went with Gma to get his Jimmy Johns before his football game that night. He was again asked to play with the JV squad as they faced off against North Decatur. I got out of work a little later than I had planned due to working on a fax line that got ripped out of the wall in a therapist’s office by an irate child and only had time to put in about two and a half miles of walking on a surprisingly hot afternoon, up near 90. Ann & I left Columbus a smidge early to come home and let out the dogs, get changed and grab our gear as we headed out to Shriver Field to watch Luke and the young Pirates that evening. Lucas got the start at middle linebacker on defense (I was pleased with this decision) and he picked it back up nicely – in fact he was outstanding on defense. He’s been working at outside linebacker for the last couple months now. He responded by leading the team in tackles again with 15! He had a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and 2 QB hurries/knockdowns and a batted ball (really should’ve been an interception!). His tackle for loss was on a 4th down play, backed-up inside their own 10 and the fumble he caused earlier in the game came on the goal line! Offensively, he started at sniffer back (tight end) and laid several bone-crushing blocks and even ran the ball once from the halfback position, gaining only about two yards. He was also on the kickoff return team as an upback and on the kickoff team as the kicker. He kicked 4 times (37, 32, 40 and 39). He was injured late in the 4th quarter, cramping up on his right calf with a nasty charley horse. He was fine, but it he was kept out the rest of the game after receiving medical attention and limping off the field. We sat with the Wests and were surprised when Bryan and Irene came over after her soccer game. It was great to sit and talk football with him again! I didn’t realize how much I missed that interaction… The Chargers kept the game somewhat competitive and showed some fight. In the end, we were better coached and the players executed the game plan better, winning 24-12. Their record is now 2-1 on the year. Luke got some attention from the trainer after the game and was one of the last ones out of the locker room. We ran past Arby’s drive thru and then stopped at the store for some water, Powerade and bananas for our cramping ball player and came on home to cool down and relax after a long, busy day. Luke ate, showered and pretty much went on to bed. He played hard tonight and was you could tell he was sore. Ann & I watched the season finales of Dance Moms and Hard Knocks before calling it a night ourselves… Here are pictures from Luke’s varsity football game vs. Triton Central last week.

Wednesday was a nice day, weather-wise, but a hectic workday for me. I think I only left the penthouse one time for a meeting in the late morning and that was it. We accomplished several things today but got out of work a little later than I wanted and ended up a little shy of three miles that afternoon. I picked up Ann and we nearly ran out of gas – but it was planned, although admittedly I cut it a little closer than I would’ve liked! The gauge said 13 miles until empty…Ann quickly called me out, saying she had more balls as she has taken Black Betty as low as 4 miles to empty! We had saved up our rewards at the pump and had about a $2.50 discount per gallon to use…except when I went to use it, it was gone! Turns out, Matt used it this past weekend…grrrrrrr… I had stressed all the way home for nothing. Ann got picked up by Lynn when we got home and they went out to Dinah’s house where they met up with Shawna and the other scrapbooking group for a girls’ night out with lots of food and spirits. Luke had school and football practice. I checked in with him in the early afternoon and he said he was still sore but able to move around a little better. He was sweaty and achy by the time he got home that night. He got cleaned-up, ate and pretty much went to bed again. I fell asleep on the couch watching a Metallica concert on AXS TV. Ann woke the dogs and I up when she got home and we watched a couple more episodes of season two of Stranger Things…well Ann napped and iced her knees while I edited pictures and watched the big screen. It’s getting really good! Here are pictures from Phyllis & Dick’s 65th anniversary party last weekend.

Thursday had a noticeably cooler start to the day and stayed in the 70s. Thankfully, it was a fast day for Ann & I. Justin, Vic & I had lunch for the first time at McAllister’s Deli that was enjoyable. We were very impressed with their customer service, which was second to none…and I loved their tea station! We agreed that we will definitely go back again soon. I walked a 5K after work on a beautiful afternoon. Our cake maker and family friend Mary had open-heart, double bypass surgery today but was doing well by the time we got home that evening. Matt had a rough day where he had to physically escort a student a few times, send one to the hospital for hurting themselves and deal with a third one that had shit himself. He was looking forward to watching the Bears football game that night with a cold beverage. Luke had another rough morning. He has not done well at all this week. He dragged his sorry ass the entire morning and again forgot to do stuff he was responsible for doing. He says his leg is still really sore. I got to talking with Ann during our commute and I think I know where he tweaked that muscle – it was during the game when he dove for a tackle at the goal line. He said he had a fast day at school then went to football practice that afternoon. Ann made cheesy Fireworks popcorn for dinner and we watched some Stranger Things until the Bears game came on…thank God for football! Here are pictures from Darby & Taylor’s wedding last weekend.

Friday was an absolutely gorgeous day, started in the 50s – Ann actually turned on her heat on the way in to work! Luke had a good day at school then went on to football practice and then to team dinner. He came home to shower and then went out with Blane to Oakley’s house. Justin, Vic & I went out for a quick Keto lunch at China Buffet before Ann & I left early for the weekend when Ann’s office closed, early that afternoon. We went to Walmart to get supplies and then Annie cooked two huge pans of baked spaghetti as well as a 3rd pan of regular spaghetti because Luke is so picky! While Ann cooked for the football team, I mowed the yard and then loaded up Betty White and transferred all the pasta goodies from home and then carried them into the cafeteria. While Ann stayed and helped serve the boys at the high school, I came home to load up Betty White and mow at Mom & Sandy’s house. I went in and talked briefly with the girls afterward. Matt was on the phone, making his daily call to Gma so I didn’t want to interrupt and had to get back anyhow to get stuff put away and go get Annie at the high school. However, when I got home, she called saying she was going to come home with Kristie so I hopped in the shower and took some ibuprofen before flopping on the couch and binge-watching more SVU season 20 before season 21 premieres in a few weeks. Luke went out with Blane to Oak’s house then ended up over at Dray’s place. He came home and watched scout tape and went over his scout book before calling it a night. Mom & Sandy asked me to come over to the station and carry in a couple boxes, which I was happy to do. While we were visiting, I told them about all the baked spaghetti leftovers Ann brought home and they said they’d come over and take some off our hands. So, they came over with Pickles and visited for about an hour or so before heading home for the night. After Ann fell asleep in her chair and went to bed, I watched Ancient Aliens and the AXS TV Fights until late. Here are the latest additions to my Hot Wheels collection.

I got up early on Saturday when I noticed that Luke was still asleep in his room. I got him up so he could go to breakfast with his teammates before his big game. As it turned out, they were a couple minutes late to school and risked being benched for the biggest game of their lives! That morning, I wrote out bills while Ann slept in. Once she got up, we got ready, packed-up and headed over to Mom & Sandy’s house where we met up with them to take the Hot Rod Lincoln up to Lucas Oil Stadium. Abby & Garrett drove up from Franklin in Tonya. Matt & Taylor were supposed to drive up together as well, but she got sick last night and was still in bad shape that morning, so Matt came solo. Bryan made it up and sat with us along with the Wests, Nobbes and several other of our parent friends. Luke and the varsity Pirates were facing Connersville on the neutral field, up on the big stage where the NFL’s Colts play their home games. Luke did play, but not as much as we hoped. He started on the kickoff return, punt return and the PAT/FG special teams. He played only a handful of plays on defense at Will (an outside linebacker) and even fewer at sniffer back (tight end) on the offense. He had some very nice blocks, including three pancakes. However, he also had two penalties for blocking in the back. ? Thankfully, the team overcame both penalties and we can chalk them up as learning experiences. But I guess that’s one way to get your name called!? As for the game itself, the Spartans came out and moved the ball well on the opening drive of the game but stalled-out in the RedZone and turned the ball over on downs. It was easily their best drive of the game. Our defense would stiffen and eventually get a shutout. They couldn’t stop our offense and we may have scored on every drive made by the first-team offense; I believe. The game was never close and by the third quarter, they had invoked the mercy rule of a running clock until the end of the game and we won in dominant fashion, 42-0. Their record is now 2-1. Afterward, we met up with Luke and congratulated he and Oak on their big win and got a couple quick pictures before they had to head into the locker room with the team. He showered and watched the next game before the team headed back to the ‘Burg. Meanwhile, the rest of the family left Indy and headed to Greenwood for a big meal and a couple cold ones at Shallo’s. I was happy to enjoy a couple Six Foot Strawberry Blondes by Quaf On. We had a great time and ate like kings and queens. We had fun talking and laughing, but eventually we had to say our good-byes. We took the long way home and drove past Matt’s apartment so the girls could see where he lives, which was only a couple minutes away from the restaurant. Once we got home, we got into our comfy clothes and napped with the dogs while Luke went out with Oakley and ended up spending the night with him. We watched some more SVU that night until Ann went to bed. Once she went down, I watched the rest of S2 Stranger Things and look forward to starting S3 next week. Here are random pictures from our recent adventures.

We enjoyed sleeping in on a quiet Sunday morning. I watched my classic Star Trek episode and the USA women’s soccer game (I got tired of waiting for Abby). We slowly got started on our weekly household chores and grabbed some brunch. I watched the Indy 250 (Xfinity series race), which ran yesterday at the Brickyard while we were up there in Indy yesterday. But it was, of course, Sunday…and no ordinary Sunday…it was opening weekend for the NFL, which meant the return of RedZone! The Brickyard 400 was held today as well. With it competing with the start of the NFL, I had to DVR it and will have to watch it later. Of note, this will be the final time the NASCAR race will be held in September as it will move to the July 4 weekend – starting next year. Who knows how long that will last? But I will be happy to not have it held during the dog days of summer in the heat and humidity at the Brickyard. I think it might be pretty cool to go watch a race on the 4th of July weekend, if we took that Monday off! I went out picked up Luke from Oak’s house. He came back and did laundry, got some spaghetti to eat and then went to bed. While Ann & Luke napped, I turned off the RedZone and flipped back and forth between the Colts and Cowboys games. Dallas looked great and won easily. It did not come as easily to Indy, who battled all game and tied the game, late in the 4th quarter…only to lose it on the opening drive of OT. I have to tell you that watching football on this big screen is pretty freaking awesome… We wound down the night watching Sunday Night Football, hoping the Patriots would lose. It was a relaxing way to wind down the weekend and rest up before we start it all over again in the morning… We have lots of social media pictures to share this week.

Next up is our Waybac section, which continues to feature Photo Album #18. We lead off this week at the Sand Pebble for the Week 19 Welcome Party in Treasure Island and then up in LaPorte for Megan’s baptism – back-to-back events that occurred in May 2002; then we have a newspaper ad that ran in the Columbus Republic in December 2003 for Ann’s work; next we head out to the city park to see Abby and her pre-school classmates on their last day of school in June 2004; then we move on to our house for Luke’s first birthday party; and finally we see one of our picture folders from our trip to Walt Disney World in June 2004.

Finally; we have our video segment. This week, we have three new home movies to share as well as several from around the internet.

And that does it for this week’s episode of the Scheu Family Blog. Thanks for keeping up with us this time out and we’ll catch up with you again next time. Until then, have a good one. We missed ya this week, Momma.
Later, Scheu