I�m Gonna Walk all Over You

Although the sun came back out this week, temps plummeted and quickly reminded us that it is still very much wintertime. It was a very busy week that seemed like it took forever to get here�but right when it started, just like that – it was over. On Monday, Abby not only had her regular dance classes, but she also attended cheer camp (she actually attended Monday – Wednesday). Before the day was over, she had worked on her tap dance routine, her jazz dance routine and six different cheers. She was grumpy and exhausted when she returned home that night. She went back to brush her teeth and get on her jammies. When I went back to see why she was so quiet, I found her in her room, asleep on her new chair with Lola on her lap � who was also asleep. 😛 Unfortunately, they both woke up just as I turned on the light to take the picture because they were so cute…

On Tuesday, I worked a long day as we held our annual competency fair to do all our mandatory in-services with the staff. Matt had pep band practice before school. We stopped during the middle of it because at one moment we had four of the six Employee of the Year award recipients in the AT room. Even though it was a very long, busy, tiring day, it was actually a really fun. Kelly bought us donuts and pizzas which didn�t hurt things either! That night, as I hurried to clean up, Matt was preparing to wrestle against Columbus Northside Middle School only a few blocks away (thankfully). This was a very special night for him. As you may know, Matt was injured last year during the first period of his first match at a tourney. He broke his ankle but managed to tough it out for the remaining 4+ minutes to finish with a loss in the only match he would compete in. That left a very sour taste in his mouth as he had to sit and watch his teammates for the remainder of the season� So here we were, one year removed. Matt was healed and chomping at the bit. I figured I had plenty of time to get done with my stuff and make it over to see several matches. But for some unknown reason, they decided to start at the 155 lb weight class, moving his match up the third of the evening (he wrestled at the 185 that night). So, knowing how important this was to Matt, I panicked when Ann texted me and said that Matt was next. I sped to the school, got lost trying to find the area they were wrestling � which turned out to be next to the natatorium�yeah; they have an indoor pool at the JUNIOR HIGH! I didn�t even have cash with me, but the door lady let me because I �had an honest face.??? ;-P I walked in about a half a minute in to his match. He was phenomenal in that match. All that pent up frustration showed as Matt took it to that poor kid. Although Matt didn�t pin him, he did have the highest point total and greatest margin of victory for the evening; torching him 17-3�and Matt was penalized those three points for locking his hands inappropriately twice (the rules are much different than what I remember). His grappling skills are much more advanced then when I was an eighth grader. His cardio was pretty good for it being the first meet of the year. We didn�t stay for all the exhibitions (which lasted another hour +), so we paid the ticket lady and headed back home to relieve Grandma and Gigi, who were kind enough to pick up and watch the little ones so we didn�t have to drive home and back over to Columbus�

Wednesday was Ann�s fortieth birthday! Her office put out one of those yard signs to totally embarrass her; but she took it all in good stride. I thought it was hilarious�her not as much. 😉 Mom & Dad sang Happy Birthday to her, which she enjoyed and even had to replay it for me. �what a beautiful rendition! 🙂 After work, we surprised her with a pizza party with cake and brownies over at Mom and Sandy�s home. But because the cake was a frozen one (and delicious, I might add), we couldn�t get the candles in, so Ann had to settle for blowing out a candle instead. 🙁 I felt bad that we gave her presents early, but we have enjoyed that popcorn so the bad feelings haven�t lasted long!! Besides, her big present was coming the next day� We stayed at Mom and Gigi�s house that night until the kids got grumpy.

On Thursday, I left work early to take Ann, Amy, Mom & Sandy up to the Indy airport. They took a small plane to Cincy where they caught a big plane out to Vegas for Ann�s 40th birthday celebration. After we said our goodbyes, I rushed home to pick up the kids and head over to Matt�s next wrestling event. This time, they wrestled at home versus Jennings County. They did not have a wrestler his size, so Matt moved up to the 200 lb weight class to grapple a much larger boy. The match was very close right up until the very end of the third period when Matt got a reversal right in to a headlock and stuck the guy with only seconds left in the match! We are so proud of him for working as hard has he has in practice and it showed in these first two matches. This victory came with a price, however. He re-injured the shoulder that knocked him out of football for a pair of games only a few months back. He is icing it and doing his stretches to try and get it nursed well enough to get it ready for next weeks� competition�poor kid; nothing comes easy to him. We were so hungry when we finally got out of the junior high, so we ran out to get Mexican at El Chile Poblano. They again changed their menus and the layout of their facility. It now has roofed individual booths on either side of the dining room. It is actually pretty nice. The food was much improved, I am happy to report! We got home late and were all asleep within 45 minutes! Oh; and Matt made the paper his dominant performance on Tuesday night!

On Friday, I received a text that Ann & Amy had visited Cabo Wabo (the bar, not the city) and experienced a couple of the best Margaritas they�d ever had! I picked up the kids and we all ran out to the high school basketball game, since Abby was performing her cheer revue at half time of the JV game. She did really well; a natural. Mom would�ve been proud� We came home and had family night, playing Sorry and watching Paul Blart Mall Cop. It was silly and predictable, but kind of funny. The kids liked it�well most of it. They were both asleep about half way through it. 🙂

Saturday was mostly a chill-out day�except for Abby who was still trying to get her room picked up from last week! We got Mancino�s carry out and came home to have family night again. We played video games and watched Treasure Planet. Sunday was our normal clean-up-the-house day�we wanted it to look nice for when Ann got back! I hope to have lots of pictures to share from her adventure next week! 😛 Here are a couple videos from this week:

Let�s take a look at some Waybacs, shall we?? Leading off this time we have three from the early days: Maryann with her dog and my grandmaw Brown; both from some time in the forties. Also included is one that may be a duplicate�Maryann�s class picture from �53.

Here are this week�s sixties pictures: Grandpaw Brown playing poker, Mom playing in the yard with her friends in July of �61; then Mom with Aunt Midge two months later. Next is Dean & Maryann in a wedding party�then Mom in her graduation garb in June of �67. There is a picture of Brenda & Steve on their wedding day in February of �68 and finally another picture of Midge; this time with me taking a bath in her sink.

There are several seventies pictures. Ann & Deanna in their backyard in �73; all the Owens kids with their Owens grandparents in �74; Keith & Ann in their backyard in �75; Dee at an elementary school function in �76; Mom & Dad B with me downtown in Lafayette just after their wedding and then again 10 days later outside Grandmaw & Grandpaw�s house; Ann in her tap class picture from approximately that same year�and finally Grandpaw Brown on the day after Robby was born�note his moustache, which he grew while Mom was pregnant with Rob � hoping �he??? would be a �she??? (written on the back of the photo).

Here are some fun ones from the eighties: Mom & Dad on New Years Eve in 81; Rob & I on 10/24/81; Katie in May of �82 on Easter morning; Rob and Naomi Briggs (mom, who was that?) in Sept of �83, out behind our old garage on Rockwood; Rob and his friends at his birthday party in our kitchen in �83 (Rob, I recognize Andrew, do you remember the other two?); a picture of my room from approximately the same year; Ann and Maryann in their kitchen in �84; construction on our new garage in �84 with Dad, Rob (nice shorts, buddy!) and some neighbors; Keith and a date from about the same time frame before Prom; Ann with her cute little short shorts in �85; Grandmaw, Grandpaw & Dad B in �85 but I�m not sure where�looks like a possible picnic (?); several of football teammates, cheerleaders and myself (but I have no idea where we are or what we�re doing�besides having an egg toss maybe?); Ann, Dee, Maryann and their cousins in a wedding picture from about �88; Another of Dee from roughly the same time frame; Rob & I from later that same year as well; and finally Ann�s Grandma & Grandpa Townsend.

And finally, the nineties�Mo & Poppy from �92; all the Bryan gals (at the time!) at Mom & Dad�s first Rossville home in about �93; then from the same house a little while later, in their upstairs kitchen in about �94; Also from about the same year is Mom, Dad, Rob and their boating buddies from LP. George lives down in Florida now, but sadly his wife Sue died last year. Mom; where is Silver Creek Falls�in Florida? Next is several of Matt at our Columbus townhouse in �96: with Grandma Owens in August (she still feeds him each day like this, I think! 🙂 , on the chair with his hat, talking to Grandma on the phone and upstairs in his bathtub. The next one is Rob with Mom & Dad B at Three Springs, Alabama and wrapping up this week�s edition is a fun one of Maryann�s coolest pet, Melvin around �99. That poor thing is dressed in a tuxedo for some crazy reason�

Well that does it for this week�s edition of the Scheu Family Blog. As always, thanks for keeping up with us and we�ll check in with you next time. Until then, have a good one.
Later, Scheu