We continued to move the needle more towards normal this week as stores began re-opening, dining rooms opened to fifty-percent capacities and we all got to spend a limited amount of time with friends and family in person as everyone began slowly getting back out into the world. Matt continued facilitating e-learning to his special ed kids from his apartment in Greenwood. We were thrilled when he surprised us with a visit this weekend. Abby had a big week. She wrapped up her regular classes and will begin Finals Week on Monday. She has a shot at straight A’s if she can nail her tests next week! We were finally allowed to move her out of her dorm this week. She got to spend a little time with friends & Gary and was excited to start working finally. Luke only has one week left of school and also has a shot at straight A’s if things go well next week! He continued working and enjoyed running around with friends. He had a little car trouble but took it upon himself to fix it. Ann & I enjoyed getting back out there as well, going out to eat and spending time a little time with friends as well as Mom & Sandy. We continued working but taking a mandatory day off again this week. I managed to lose a few pounds even though I fell short of my exercise goal by a mile, logging about fourteen miles – including a new best pace. My legs and feet are feeling really good right now and the weather has been great. We didn’t spend much time on the patio but did continue our quarantine game of Around the World in the liquor cabinet, exploring new recipes and enjoying the art of mixology. I was a little depressed this week and I think it showed a few times as I was a little snappy to folks a couple times. This should’ve been our Week 19 celebration with Mom & Dad. Not only did I miss her, but there was no actual Week 19 this year due to the Sand Pebble remaining closed for the COVID-19 pandemic. I did talk to Dad & Lynn this week though and was thrilled to hear them say they were planning to come visit later this year and hope to catch one of Luke’s football games! That, at least, gives me something to look forward to… Hello again and welcome to the latest installment of the Scheu Family Blog.
I grudgingly got up and went into work on a chilly Monday morning. Ann had the day off and enjoyed sleeping in until mid-morning. She took it easy, napping and reading all day. Abby did e-learning all day for college as she enters her final week of regular classes. Luke enjoyed the day off, sleeping in late and playing PS4 before working at Arby’s until close. I had a long day at work. I was wishing I had the day off as well. I totally forgot about going in early for our annual Omelet Day to kickoff National Hospital Week. Justin and Vic covered for me, making a ton of eggs for the first hour until I could get in there to help. I really owe them one. Wouldn’t you know it; the first one I make…I dump half of it on the damn stove! After that, I settled down and did fine but that sure ticked me off. Afterward, I ate my own work of art and got a few things done around the office. Then I joined Justin to grill out burgers, dogs & brats on our gas grill out back. Afterward, I did some video surveillance rounds and walked a couple miles on a cold afternoon in the 40s. That wind cut right through me and I couldn’t wait to get home; I was so tired all day. The girls were at the store when I got home. I tried to pick up some Drambuie to make Rusty Nails for our scotch drink after dinner, but none of the stores in town carried it. I’ll try to look for it in Columbus and see if I have better luck. Instead, we mixed up a batch of Dirty Shirleys. Abs & I watched the new Rick & Morty before she finished her homework and went out with Megan. Ann & I watched American Idol and a few episodes of Ozark until Luke got home and we called it a night… Here are random photos from our recent adventures.
We had another cool start to the day on Tuesday. Ann returned to Columbus with me after a long weekend off. We both had fast days. Mine was again stupid crazy with all the other stuff going and then more stuff popped up that put me even further behind this week. I walked nearly 6K on a nice afternoon. Abby had classes then went to go stay the night with Gary. Luke enjoyed the day off from work. He had school then when we got home, he showered and got a haircut and he looks great. He had Kam over for dinner then stayed the night at his house. That left Ann & I with a quite night of Fireworks popcorn and binge-watching the rest of season 2 of Ozark. We took advantage of the kids being gone by turning in early in hopes of enjoying a good nights’ sleep…
Molly had me up early on Wednesday morning. She had already had an accident again, so I’m not sure what her hurry was in waking me up by whining and bumping the door with her nose. I took my new Ali Handal CDs into work that day to listen to them while I did my monthly reports, but the day was so stupid busy that I never even got the chance! I did enjoy going to lunch with Justin & Vic at Five Guys, who had opened up their dining room. We actually tried to go to China Buffet and Arni’s before calling them. Still, we made the right choice – those burgers are second to none! I walked three miles in 45 minutes after work, giving me my best time per mile this season. I dropped Ann off at home and picked up Abby to run to the store. We got a ton of supplies, including cocktail goodies. That evening, Ann made jalapeno popper dip and buffalo chicken dip for dinner. Meanwhile, I cleared out the Grand Caravan, including the seats so that we can move Abby home tomorrow. That night, we made Tequila Sunrises with our dinner to make up for last night’s tequila Tuesday. Afterwards we moved on to Bourbon Wednesday making Sidecars. They were not as good as the Sunrises. We think it was the mix of bourbon and the cognac (brandy). I think we should’ve used triple sec with the bourbon instead of Grand Marnier. Abby worked on her group project while Ann & I binge-watched season three of Ozark. It was Rob & Sharon’s wedding anniversary – #7, I believe. Happy Anny, guys!! Here are a few pictures of recent additions to my Hot Wheels collection.
Thursday was another stupid busy day at work. I guess I should be thankful that it went so fast, but things have to slow down or I think I might lose my mind. We ran a couple errands before work that morning, including picking up another cake from Ms. Mary for Ann’s surprise double-baby shower that afternoon at the office. I was a little late getting out but still managed to walk a 5K and recorded yet another new PB on my walking pace, logging a 14’10???/mile. It was so weird – when I walked outside, it was like 80 degrees but by the time I got across the street moments later, I swear it was only like 60. The skies were pretty nasty looking with several storms in the area – that’s probably why my pace was so great. Thankfully, the rain held off and after I picked up Annie, we took Barney up to FC, where we met up with Bu for her official move-out day. Abby returned to work that morning, going into Wings & Rings for the first time since she left for school last fall. Campus was empty – save for about five others. It was very strange. We got her stuff packed up in the van, unstacked her furniture and re-bunked her beds before heading out. We had plenty of room leftover but she had moved a few things back when she came home for the Coronavirus, so that definitely helped. We stopped at Big Woods for dinner on our way out of town. We had a couple brews and a few shots. I love their Six-Foot Strawberry Blonde brew. Annie tried a cherry wheat that was pretty good as well. We were very excited about their new line of spirits called Hard Truth. We ended up getting a fifth of the toasted coconut rum, cinnamon vodka and their regular vodka called Straight No Chaser. We tried to get a growler of the Strawberry Blonde, but they were out of their regular bottles with their logo and only had clear glass ones. So, we passed on the beer and grabbed a shot glass instead. It was funny that after debating all the delectable items on their menu, we all ended up deciding on tacos – Ann got steak while Abs & I got mahi-mahi. They were outstanding, as were the truffle fries and Bavarian pretzel & beer cheese we split. We got Abby all moved back into the house and allowed her to drop it all in the living room and go through it from there. It’s a warzone in our living room, but she swears she’ll get it moved out ASAP. We made screwdrivers for vodka night and as Abs worked on a project for school, Annie & I watched another couple episodes of season 3 Ozark until we both fell asleep on the couch. Meanwhile, Luke worked then went to Kam’s house afterward. They showed up at the house late, grabbed some pizza rolls then went to Kam’s house where Lukey spent the night.
We enjoyed sleeping in a little on Friday morning. I had the day off from work. Abs got up and took Ann for coffee then dropped her at the downtown office, here in town. I slowly got up and did a few things around the house before making breakfast and sitting down to write out bills for a couple hours. Abs worked on homework and I went and picked Annie from work then mowed the yard in a light mist. I got cleaned-up and Luke came home just long enough to shower then headed into work. Bu got a bunch of her stuff put away then went into work at BWR again. Ann & I relaxed that afternoon, enjoying our day off with no kiddos, binge-watching more Ozark. Later, we went out to the Lowe’s to do a walkthrough of the barn for next week’s faux Prom. Bryan ran electric and then we strung up a ton of Christmas lights all over the barn. The guys talked and laughed while the girls did their thing. We hung out for a few hours then came home. Luke & Abby were at the house when we got back. Luke had been with Kam all night and had planned to spend the night with him but it didn’t work out. We made homemade Long Island Ice Teas for rum night. They turned out REALLY good. We wound down the evening watching more Ozark; well I made it through about one episode before conking out on the couch. We have lots of social media pictures to share this week.
Luke & I enjoyed sleeping in on a sunny Saturday morning. The girls got up early and drove to St. Paul for more deliciousness from Wildflour. Man, she makes good stuff! I have enjoyed this weekend ritual and hope it continues! ???? I slowly got up and did a few chores around the house, including checking fluids in the vehicles and getting the van all put back together. Abby went to work at Wings and said she was working a double shift and would see us tonight. Later that morning, Luke & I loaded up Betty White and drove over to Mom & Sandy’s house to mow & trim. When we pulled up, they were just leaving to go shopping for flowers and shrubs for the flowerbeds. Luke had gone over Thursday morning and cleaned out all the weeds for them. After we finished, we came home and moved out the old love seat from the family room and took it over to Kam’s house, where they have a mancave set up in their pole barn out back. It fit right in with the décor, so I’m glad someone will get some more use out of it. We came home and cleaned up and then Luke went in to work at Arby’s. Ann & I watched the final episode of Ozark and hope there’ll be a fourth season! It turned out to be a gorgeous day – not at all how they made it sound earlier this week, with thunderstorms and clouds. Instead, the sun was out, the birds were singing and I was hoping for some patio time but instead we ended up napping that afternoon. Mom & Sandy stopped by that afternoon for a nice visit. Afterward, we tried to go through the car wash but they closed early so we ran past the drug store and stopped at A&W on a whim for a quick dinner. When we got back home, Luke was having car trouble. I test drove it and thought it felt like he was either having an issue with a spark plug or a fuel injector. So, I filled it up with premium and put a bottle of cleaner in the tank to boot then sent him back out and told him to run it for a while but be gentle and stay in town. Abby came home from work fairly early and Gary came over for the night shortly afterward. We got in a little porch time, enjoying a Quarterback Sneak for whiskey night. We didn’t stay out long because we got such a late start. When we came in, Annie went on to bed and I started watching the new ESPN series called The Last Dance. It follows the 1997-98 Bulls on their quest for a sixth championship. Luke had planned to stay the night with Kam but ended up coming home instead.
We slept in on Sunday morning before slowly getting around to our weekly household chores. We took it easy that morning. Matt came home for the day, which was really cool. It was nice to sit and visit with him for a while. Luke got up and went to Kam’s house where the two of them helped his dad work on the Hot Rod Lincoln. They replaced the spark plug as well as a couple other things and he said it’s running better than ever! He came home for a few minutes before heading off for work. Abby, Matt & Garrett went to Mom & Sandy’s house to visit then ran to the store for us so Ann could make a big lunch of spasagna, roasted cheesy broccoli and garlic bread. NASCAR returned that afternoon with a spectator-less race at Darlington, NC. We napped that afternoon and I checked-in my new Hot Wheels. It rained a little but not nearly as much as it was supposed to. Earlier that morning, I went over to the station and jumped Gigi in the Crossfire, which has set there since last summer. Once we got it going, I told her to keep it running for about a half hour to make sure the alternator has plenty of time to charge the battery. After napping that afternoon, the kids took Molly over to Mom & Sandy’s house where they pumped up Sandy’s tire and dropped off the battery charger for her to borrow this week until she’s sure that battery is going to hold. We gave Delilah another chance at having a cushion on the patio furniture and she tore the crap out of it again. Unfortunately, Matt had to eventually leave us to get ready for his final week of school tomorrow. Abs & Gary studied for their finals that evening. Luke got home late after changing a tire for someone at work. Ann & I watched the season finale of American Idol that night. Ann & I again called the final two this year…and again, she picked the winner over me as Just Sam beat Arthur Gunn to be crowned the season 18 American Idol winner. After that, we turned on a new show called Snowpiercer. It had an interesting cast but we’re not sure about the storyline yet, so we’ll see if we end up watching any other episodes… We waited up for Luke then I went on to bed. It was a relaxing way to wind down the evening and put a cap on another fast week.
Next up is our Waybac section, which continues to feature more of our digital pictures from 2003: first in June – hanging out at Gma & Gigi’s house and then Luke’s birth in Columbus; Fourth of July festivities downtown, at Mom & Sandy’s house and then back to our pad for some pool time and fireworks as well as Sandy’s birthday party – all in July; next we have more Trick or Treating in October, Danny’s birthday party and more Thanxmas in November and then Christmas Eve with the Owens family in December.
We wrap up with our video section which features one home movie this week as well as several from around the internet.
And that does it for this week’s entry into 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 and stay safe out there. We really miss ya, Mom…it seems like a lifetime ago since we last saw you…
Later, Scheu