We’ve had another interesting week speed past us. We went from having the house opened up and enjoying temps in the 70s to turning on the heat due to the temps dipping into the 20s. What a difference a week makes, here in southern Indiana! Matt worked up in Carmel all week during the day then had wrestling practice each night in Zionsville. We enjoyed spending time with him this weekend for a few hours. We were hoping to see Taylor as well, but she wasn’t feeling well. Matt said that he thinks he has another good team again this year. Of the 40 kids that are coming to practice, over half of them are 8th graders with bodes well for him. We also saw Abby for a bit this weekend as well. She continues to work in Greenwood and even received a raise this week! We got to see Will for a couple hours as well but he had to cut his time short due to other obligations with the fraternity. We are looking forward to seeing them in a couple weeks when they plan to spend Thanksgiving weekend with us. Luke worked odd jobs around the area all week and spent time with Samantha most days. We enjoyed spending time with the kids on and off through the week. After finishing his Fire 1 class successfully, he is now taking Fire 2, which is a much shorter course. After that, he only has EMT class left before he reapplies at the fire department. He continued to work on his truck. He took Ann & I for a ride in it this weekend and I have to admit that he’s done a nice job with it. Hopefully, it will be a good vehicle for him for years to come. Ann & I had long work weeks, surviving another full moon week. I did get a few cool pictures of the lunar eclipse this week. Oh, and did I mention we got our first round of snow this week? It was a substantial amount, too – not just a dusting. I played nine rounds of disc golf this week but fell short of my exercise goal by logging only a little over ten miles of walking. I enjoyed spending a little bit of time with my buddies this week, which is always good for the soul. But the big news of the week was that we married off one of our children…well, an honorary child at least. There were many weeks where Megan spent more time at our house than she did at her own while growing up. It was just as special to see her walking down the aisle – call it a practice wedding. All I can say is that I’m not ready for all this grown-up stuff – first Brittney’s pregnancy and now Megan’s wedding. Damn, we’re getting old… Hello again and welcome back to the Scheu Family Blog.
There was a noticeable chill in the air on Monday morning as we headed back into work. We actually had to grab a sweatshirt and start the van a couple minutes early before we left the house. It was weird how bright it was during our morning commute. We had been used to it being pitch black and now it looked like the middle of the day. Luke got up and worked for Coach Harris for a bit before lifting at the Y and then spending the evening with Samantha, here at the house. Ann & I had fast days at work. I put away stock in the morning and attended meeting before noon. The afternoon went equally fast by helping problem solve for a few co-workers and then did video surveillance reviews before leaving for the day. It was a pretty afternoon, out on the AirPark disc golf course. The sun was nice and bright but obviously much lower in the sky, creating long shadows already. There was a sustained wind out of the north that played havoc with my disc. I was surprised at how sore I was during the first round. The way my back, ankle, elbow & shoulder felt – I realized I should have stretched after taking two days off. My score showed the struggle as well as I shot a one-over. Once my body loosened up, I did much better and wound up with a three-under for the 18 holes. The moon was impressively large as it rose out of the eastern sky and lit up the horizon as we drove home. It was already dusk by the time we got back to town – no chance for a round at the park. Instead, we ran an errand and headed on home. I did pretty well during the first 24 hours of my 48-hour fast this week, as I am determined to fit into my dress clothes this weekend at Megan’s wedding. I wound up winning my fantasy football matchup vs. Will for bragging rights for the year. Now he owes me a beer! We closed up the house that evening and took it easy, watched a few DVR’d shows and eventually falling asleep with the dogs on the couch.
I was a little late getting ready on Tuesday morning. Instead of doing my morning routine, I went out back with the camera and got some cool pictures of the Blood Moon lunar eclipse. This is apparently the last one for like three years. It was pretty cool; I have to admit. We had perfect weather for it…and with the time change, it was just the right light for it as well. We woke up Luke that morning and the three of us went over to the Knights of St. John’s to vote in the midterm election. I was surprised to see that many of the candidates were running unopposed. We dropped Luke off at home and went on to work. Ann had a doozy of a day, putting out fires while working up front. I had a good day, finally getting to my monthly reports. I did pretty good with my fast, making it all the way to the 48-hour mark that evening. It was hard because Vic brought in a big batch of deer jerky that Michelle had made for us. Brent couldn’t resist teasing me with saying he had eaten it all and then hid it from me – jerk! He played an audio snipped that had Sandy interviewing his son on WTRE about the play at the junior high this weekend. After work, I played 18 holes of disc golf, out on the airport property. The wind was swirling that evening as I played to a backdrop of warm but waning sun which created long shadows. I threw a par for the night. My body felt much better than yesterday with only a few minor aches and pains. We got gas & slushes at the Amoco Sonic. We also picked up one for Sandy and then met up with her at the courthouse. She and her posse were there, transmitting the returns as they came in. With the kids all busy, it was left to us to take Gigi her traditional Election Night drink. I couldn’t wait to eat dinner, so as soon as I got the trash out to the curb, I was in the fridge searching for the leftover biscuits & gravy – yum! Meanwhile, Luke raked the leaves from the backyard out to the curb, via the bed of his truck. He forgot and left the gate open and the dogs ran out. They were out for about an hour with the gate open. Although Lola ran away, DJ stayed in the back yard. Luke’s buddy down the road called him and said Lola was in his yard. So, Luke went down and grudgingly took her back. He went to his final Fire 1 class with Alex that evening and passed his big test! He will begin Fire 2 classes this Thursday night already! Way to go, little buddy! We watched a couple shows, a movie called Don’t Worry Darling on HBO Max. I wound down the night watching the opening game at Purdue at Mackey Arena.
Wednesday was another whacky day, thanks to the full moon. Ann & I would later share stories of our days when we rode home that night. We had a medical issue with one of our staff members that morning. I got a call from my friend Allen, who has been on the fire department for decades now. He is so sweet and a very good friend. He called me to ask if I was OK. He said they had a call that someone may be having a heart attack and he was calling to make sure it wasn’t me again! Brent had our CPR trainer up in the office and the three of us trucked down to the nursing station and asked the RN what was going on. She immediately grabbed the AED and ran out of the room. I grabbed the code cart and we followed her out back, where a small crowd had gathered. Seconds later, EMS showed up with a fire truck and ambulance. Since the paramedics and our RNs were out there, I went back inside. I held an orientation class that morning and then went to lunch with Brent. I had been wanting to have a McRib, so we went to McD’s and had a quick lunch. When we returned, I had a 2nd orientation class for a gal who couldn’t make the earlier one. It was the only thing I got done, outside of paperwork. After work, I enjoyed a gorgeous day playing 18 holes of disc golf across the street at the AirPark. Because the temps were in the 70s that day, I was finally able to strip off the sweatshirt and man did it make a difference. I shot a couple of 25s to end the day at four under par. Ann & I had to turn the lights on in the van during our drive home as the sun sat long before we even got to town. We ran over to CVS and found some Christmas presents while picking up prescriptions. When we left, we were both hungry and so we stopped at the nearest restaurant, which happened to be Pizza King. So, we went inside and enjoyed a nice dinner. We saw a few folks there that we (Ann) knew. It was the first time I had been in there in over a year, but it still looked the same. I had pizza and beer, which really hit the spot. When we got home, Luke and Sam were over in Columbus – eating at Panda Express. They came home shortly after we got back, actually. I was hoping to finish winterizing the house, but it was pitch black…and had been for over an hour. Instead, we watched a couple shows and napped with the dogs. Now that’s what I call an exciting date night! ???? LOL We have lots of social media pictures to share this week.
Stop me if you’ve heard me say this before…but Thursday was likely the last warm day of 2022. Seems like every time I say that it gets warm again. However, the forecast for the next few weeks shows the remnants of Hurricane Nicole blowing through via a cold front and temps spiral back down to normal November weather again. It was another busy day for us, out at the facility with the remaining full moon. Oh, the stories I could tell… Vic, Brent & I went to Jaggers for lunch, which we enjoyed. Ann had recommended it for us and we’ll go there again – for sure. I finished up all but one of my monthly reports that afternoon. Thanks to a couple late afternoon meetings that ran late, I got out on the golf course with only enough time to play one round of 9. I couldn’t break par but finished even on a lovely afternoon. I picked up Annie and we ran errands when we got back to town – including topping off the gas tank in the Barneymobile at Sunoco, where they had unadvertised special with petrol $.50 cheaper than BP! We went to Needlers to get supplies for Poker Night. I helped Ann make mini meatball subs that were delicious. I was surprised that I was able to bring three of them home! That was probably thanks to the fact that several guys couldn’t make it. For the first part of the evening, it was just Rick (who hosted), Bryan, Shawn & I. Bryan’s cousin joined us and “The Commissioner??? Mark rounded us out a little later. We sent our friendly salute to our compadres who weren’t able to attend – LOL. I lost $5 on the night and missed out on the Pick ‘Em game to Scott again by one game. If the Monday night game had been won by the other team, I would’ve won. ? Dammit! We had a good time catching up with everyone on our long weeks, enjoying some great food (Rick made tuna casserole, Bryan made Skyline chili dip and Shawn brought his Cowboy Dip that we simply call crack dip because you can’t stop eating it!). I thought it would be a good idea to drink 7 & 7s that night. I felt differently the next morning…
I was a little slow getting out of bed on Friday morning for some reason. My belly was questioning my choices the night before at Poker Night. Ann & I slowly got moving and worked in town that day. We ran through Dunkin and then after dropping her off at the downtown office, I went to my annual optometrist appointment to get some new contacts. I got new glasses last year, so I was in dire need of contacts, which were two years old. I put in my last lefty last week, so this was perfect timing. Afterward, I ran out to Walmart to get our weekly supplies then returned the house to work from home. …At least that was the plan… In reality, I was at the doctor’s office a lot longer than I anticipated and then spent over an hour at Walmart, shopping and waiting for the photo department to get Ann’s pictures done (for the second time – they lost the first batch somehow). By the time we got done putting things away and making lunch, it was almost one o’clock and so I called Jim and told him just put me down for PTO and I took the day off. That allowed me to edit pictures and rest for a while. Once it stopped raining and we woke up from our naps, the sun came out and I was able to get outside to finish up winterizing the house ahead of a cold weekend. I also went out to the park and played 18 holes of golf before the weather turned. I almost waited too late because by the time I was getting back in the van, it was nearly dark. I played only the front tees, throwing a 6-under and a 5-under-par to finish the round of 18 with a 43 after I nearly lost my new Beast disc on my second time on the island. As you might imagine, the place was empty except for me and one fisherman. Hopefully I’ll be able to get back out here next week because the forecast doesn’t sound very good for at least the weekend and the first part of next week. Ann made dinner that night. It was a tasty cheesy pasta dish with bacon and some Cheddar Bay biscuits from Red Lobster – yum!! We watched a few shows that night and napped on and off. Luke & Sam came and went a couple times as Luke got his windows tinted in the truck up in Greenwood, I think. I napped a couple times late that night before finally calling it a night sometime in the middle of the night. Here are pictures of recent additions to my Hot Wheels collection.
We woke up to a snowy Saturday. I think we probably got about two inches! It didn’t stick to the streets or sidewalks but the cars, lawns, houses and trees were all covered. We made a trip over to St. Paul to see the fine folks at Wild Flour Bakery and get a big bag of goodies. Luke drove us over there in his truck, which did very well. He’s done a good job of getting it fixed up pretty nice. We made it safely and then enjoyed our pastries and watched a couple shows. I paid the bills, did a couple loads of dishes and filed all the papers in the desk. That afternoon, we got cleaned up and headed over to Mom & Sandy’s to swap cars and drive over to the big event. The day was finally here – Megan & Peyton’s wedding day! Luke & Sam rode with us up to outside Edinburg to a place called The Barn at Hamner Ridge. We got there just in time to make our way to our seats (Megan sat us right next to the bar!) and the ceremony began. Unfortunately, it was marred by a few distractions like a couple crying babies (not bad in and of itself, but the parents need to recognize the situation and remove the child to another room), a late arrival opening a door right behind the focal point of the ceremony and then to top it off, an elderly couple came in about five minutes late when it was totally quiet and then the lady fell! Thankfully we had Mallory (an EMT by trade) that quickly responded and got her settled down so things could proceed. Megan – ever the optimist – chortled, “It wouldn’t be my wedding with out things like that to overcome!??? ???? That’s true, Meg-Peg…that’s true. But that’s why we love this honorary Scheu child. We are so proud of the young lady she’s become and wish her and Peyton a long and loving marriage with many healthy children! Matt picked up Will on his way down to the event. Taylor couldn’t make it due to back spasms that day. Abby and the bridesmaids looked lovely, as did the bride. After drinks and snacks, we enjoyed a good dinner of pulled pork, pulled chicken, mac & cheese and corn casserole. We had a great time, talking and dancing and enjoying the open bar – LOL. The girls did something cool that night by re-creating an old picture they took back in junior high. It was supposed to be an outdoor wedding, but they made the wise decision to move it indoors – not just because of the cold but also all the damn snow! Speaking of the snow; I was hoping to play a round of disc golf with Coach Nieman this weekend. He had told me it would be on Sunday, but then I got a text of him out on the field, which was covered with a couple inches of snow. He said they lost a few discs out there that morning. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to get out there that day since we were getting dressed for Megan’s weeding at the time. I’m not really sure if I wanted to play in that snow or not! ????
I was hoping to sleep in on Sunday morning, but my stomach had other ideas. It was upset from the all the carbs last night, I think. Ann wasn’t too far behind me, getting up way too early herself. It was bitter cold outside. I hate to say it, but I’m sorta glad that she turned on the heat yesterday because it would’ve been really uncomfortable in the house. As it was, I grabbed a blanket and snuggled up with the dogs as we watched the Boilermakers upset the #21 Illini. I slowly got around to doing the weekly household chores like laundry and dishes. Luke & Sammi got up and went to the store to get supplies for breakfast. Ann was kind enough to make a big batch of biscuits & gravy and hashbrowns – yum! We watched extra football that day with an early game being played in Germany. We watched a little bit of the fantasy football show to set our lineups and then watched RedZone all day. There were some close games and an instant classic between Buffalo and Minnesota that wound up in OT. What a crazy end to regulation! Luke took Sam home and stayed there with her family the rest of the day, enjoying a dinner of potato soup! It was a good day for soup as temps remained in the 30s. Even so, the sun was out and bright enough to melt the majority of our snow. Our crazy neighbor got out and mowed up all his leaves even with the snow on the ground! Luke probably needs to mulch up the leaves that are left on our lawn as well – but there will be warmer (and dryer) days ahead, I’m sure… We did manage to get in a couple cat naps during football then Ann made Fireworks popcorn for dinner that night. It was cold & dark by 5 that night. We were excited to see the Colts – led by new head coach Jeff Saturday – win against the Raiders but disgusted to see the Cowboys blow a two-TD lead and lose to the Packers in overtime. We turned off football and watched a few of our DVR’d shows, including a heartbreaking episode of SEAL Team on Paramount + followed by the long-awaited, season 5 premiere of Yellowstone. It was a great way to wind down the weekend and a relaxing way to wrap up another fast week, here at the Scheu abode.
Next up is our Waybac section which continues to feature pictures from Dee’s digital camera in 2007. We lead off with a couple pictures of the girls and their dogs in December 2006 before moving on to 2007: Abby playing basketball at the YMCA on Ann’s birthday in January; Sandy’s mayoral run in March; Matt at the Red’s game in April; Memorial Day weekend and the Gigster Group getting the word out in May; summer vacation fun in June; the Eiteljorg Museum, 4th of July weekend, Grace’s birthday and Sandy’s birthday in July; Van Halen in concert in October; Maryann’s birthday and Thanksgiving weekend in November; and Christmas Eve party in December.
We wrap up with our video segment, which has one short home movie this week as well as several from around the internet.
And that does it for this week’s edition 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 and stay safe out there. We miss ya, Mom.
Later, Scheu