It was an amazing week here at the Scheu abode. We enjoyed a long holiday weekend. The weather cooperated nicely with us. The kids all stayed busy with their respective sports. And we got to enjoy quality time with our family and friends. It was just a good week to be alive…
We were slow to get moving on Monday morning after last weekend but we managed to all get back to work and school – we weren’t sure Matt was going to make it but he sucked it up. It was a hot, humid day that brought rain all day long – perfect for a Monday! It finally cleared out in the evening and brought with it some cooler weather. Abby convinced me to walk with her out in the neighborhood. Luke joined us on his bike but quickly took off and went zooming around on his own. Meanwhile, Ann was stuck at home making a wonderful dinner – it was taco night – a favorite around here. Later the girls went to Dixon for one last jazz practice before the big revue.
Tuesday was much cooler. The humidity that bogged us down yesterday was gone. We turned off the air and opened up the house; it was nice. Luke had baseball practice while I mowed and trimmed in the front yard. Ann & Bu went to a Pirateers meeting at the high school and then went to Amy’s house for scrapbooking. Matt was pooped from working at Bryan’s new business venture – Ellis Tents. We are so thankful that he hooked Matt up again this summer. Still, he managed to go out for a while with his buddies but came home early and went to bed. Abby received her Dixon Dance pictures for both her tap and jazz classes. In addition, we received an invite for Seth’s wedding and lovely Leila’s graduation (Tammy & Brett’s daughter).
We had the Pacifica back in the shop on Wednesday to get the air fixed again. Luke had baseball practice out at the old Gecom diamond. It is much nicer that when Bu had softball practice out there a few years ago (I actually had to mow the infield one day!). Abby had Pirateers and Ann cooked for us on the grill while I hopped on the treadmill. Matt had the boys over to hang out and play euchre. And it was sad to see that yet another of my favorite late night comedians retired. This time it was David Letterman’s last Late Show.
Luke & I mowed and trimmed the backyard on Thursday. Ann and Abby went to the funeral home before heading to Dixon for the final tap class of the year. It was another gorgeous day. Luke swears he didn’t even work up a sweat. In fact, it was in the 40s when we started the day. You know what they say is true – if you don’t like the Indiana weather, just wait a couple days and it will change.
Friday was a long day. I had planned to take off early and maybe call it a half day but it was one thing after another as we prepped the facility for the long weekend. Abby went with Stickbug to the JV baseball game. I picked her up in the truck and we ran a couple errands together. She likes driving the truck so we may end up letting her drive it instead of the van when she gets her license. Of course she really wants to hold out to drive the Crossfire! Matt ended up getting the whole weekend off and so when he got done working, he headed straight up to Mount Vernon to spend the night with his old friend, Brayton. Luke had Oakley over to play for a while and then we ended up pitching out in the back lot…until he about broke my hand and we actually had to stop short. He has such a strong arm when he throws the ball correctly. We have lots of new social media pictures to share this week: a few of Abby and Matt’s license photo; Lindsay’s bday; Barn & Steph; more Lynz; a couple of Cathy and then Aunt Judy; Barn and fam; Gracie; Jake & Brodie; Nate & Steph; Emily had a bday too; Kathy & son; Phyllis & Dick; Brandon & Arika; Courtney & Cassie got engaged during Week 19; Bethany is also recently engaged; Indy 500 sights, including the Hot Wheels float from the 500 parade and the new HW attraction at the Indy Children’s Museum – gotta get up there this summer!!; Jeff got to drive the pace car during the race; Grace Potter is opening for the Stones a few times; Rush is also out on tour; Calvin & Hobbes panels and another birthday girl – Haley and her family.
The girls were up early on Saturday for dress rehearsals at the high school. Luke and I got up and ran some errands around town. After lunch, Matt & I went to the country club for the annual Greensburg Wrestling golf scramble. Matt had put together a fun team but we ended up being just a twosome after the others pulled out. Neither of us is very good but we had a great time and enjoyed a quiet afternoon together. It was my first time playing this course and it was very nice. I wish I had played it before the tornado hit it. We hadn’t been golfing together in over a decade – he was just a little squirt when Chad & I went golfing on the course that is no longer even out there by I74. When I got out my clubs, I was surprised to see I was missing a couple. Matt was the last to use them, but it had been over a year ago. He finally confessed that he had left my clubs in a friend’s vehicle and they had been broken. So we went out and got a few new clubs – it is amazing how much the technology has changed in 50 years (yes we still play with the classic set of clubs from Dad B gave me!). We ended up shooting an 86 and did NOT get last – we weren’t even the last off the course! We did get a birdie and a couple pars in the last few holes, so we decided we need more practice this summer! Even though we were really tired afterwards, we only had time to run home and change clothes, re-deodorize and run back out to catch up with Ann, Luke, and Mom & Sandy for Abby’s annual Dixon Dance Revue. Bu had four routines this year and did amazing. We really thought this could be her year to win the coveted Ms. Personality award but she was again a runner-up (there were only 3 this year). We were still very proud of her and afterwards we all went out to Wings & Rings for a late dinner. We got home late and it didn’t take long for us to fall asleep that night.
Sunday was Race Day! I always love getting up early and turning on the news to watch all the coverage of the fans showing up and all the pomp and circumstance of this great event know as the Indy 500. I find it fascinating to watch all the people fill up this magical place. It was the 99th running of the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing.??? Scott Dixon had the poll this year but there was a lot of buzz about how good the field was this year and no clear-cut favorite. Another underlying theme all week was about all the wrecks this year and the cars flipping over due to the new aero packages. We didn’t receive any party invites this year, so we went over to Memaw & Gigi’s house that had the live race broadcast. It’s crazy to know that there is still a blackout in this area (since the 50’s) – one of two things that need to change about this day…the other being the ban on alcohol carryout sales. Jamie, Dee & Grace joined us for Gigi’s Gourmet at lunch – what a spread (my favorite was Sandy’s sausage balls – yum!). It was a really good race that went back and forth with JPM winning in an exciting finish. I think it was Luke’s first time to see the whole race live. We almost always listen to it on the radio and then watch it on tape delay later that night or the next day. We came home and napped and cooled down in the A/C (it was beautiful day in the 80s today) for a few hours before heading over to the Messer’s for a little get-together where we enjoyed friendship, music, spirits and a stick around the fire pit until late in the night when Abby drove us home.
Next up is our Waybac section which continues to feature more of my childhood scrapbook that Mom kept for me. We are really running low on material from this box and will be heading in to Dad’s Closet to dig out the photo albums that Ann made of our young family before we hit the digital age – so we’re talking about ’95 to ’02 or thereabouts. We lead off this week in 1978 for a page out of my Oakland Elementary yearbook; then to May ’79 for my baseball team out in Cali – First City Bank in the Rosemead Youth Association – we were awful but I made the all-star team and led the league in home runs…not bad for my first year of organized ball; next we have the original listing of the Rockwood home in LP that Mom & Dad bought from Helen & Ed in ’81; a Boston Jr High wresting news article in early ’83; a BJHS yearbook page about our undefeated freshman football team in ’83; a LPHS wrestling article – in November ’84; more football articles from our senior year in the fall of ’86; an excerpt from our school newspaper or the fall sports banquet maybe (?) in fall of ’86; a playoff roster for football in late ’86; my acceptance letter in to the Purdue Engineering school in the summer of ’87; a page from the El Pe yearbook about wrestling in early ’87; Lindsay & Haley in ’93 & ’94; and an article in the Greensburg newspaper about Gigi being the best local sports reporter at the turn of the century.
For the Shit that Luke Says, we go back to a few weeks ago. I made some sort of ornery, racy comment regarding my lovely wife and Luke says, “You know I can hear you guys through the wall…??? :0) Then today when we were cleaning up around the house, he had gone outside to play for a little while. He was supposedly getting his bow and arrow set and bb guns but he was using a gun that didn’t work. When I asked what he was doing; he said, “I’m using my imagination, Dad!???
Finally, we have our video segment which has two new family movies and several others from around the internet.
And that does it for this week’s edition of the Scheu Family Blog. Thanks as always 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 miss ya, Mom.
Later, Scheu