November 2025

 

            We spent Thanksgiving up in Michigan this year.  We had a short trip as Allison had a shootaround on Wednesday and practice on Saturday morning, so it was a quick trip.  We arrived on Wednesday evening and went out to celebrate Randy and Anna’s 50th wedding anniversary.  All 10 of us went out to a local Italian restaurant, and I quickly realized that Allison and Sarah have not been to very many “nice” restaurants.  Especially one that has a different language on part of the menu, which caused them to ask a lot of questions to end up with a Caesar salad and chicken alfredo.  Julie, Kyle, Debbie, and I went to Orangetheory on Thanksgiving morning and then everyone spent most of the day helping where they could in the kitchen.  Dinner was great and we used AI to create some funny conversation starters to create some laughs.  We drove home the next day since Allison had practice, but Sarah stayed behind and drove back with Randy & Anna on Saturday.  Right when we got home, we raked the leaves one last time and then went over to the Dodson’s house to see the Vandervaarts, my mom, Mark and Chris. 

 

            We have spent many evenings this month traveling to Allison’s basketball games.  She started the season with 9 road games, with the closest one being Noblesville and the furthest one being in Evansville.  We have enjoyed watching her with the older girls in the program and she is enjoying it. 

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah has had a busy month of different activities.  Her volleyball team ended their season in early November.  Her fall softball team had an end of the season gathering where the girls had a lot of laughs.  Her new softball team, called “Midtown Machine” is starting up in December.  She also participated in the basketball evaluations for her team at CKS and made the “A” team.  She was very excited about this and hoping to challenge herself. Another big thing for Sarah was that she has started wearing contacts and is doing very well. 

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

             Allison is doing a good job balancing her school work and going straight from volleyball into basketball.  She really has not had much of any downtime since school started.  She is playing a “3” most of the time on the team and that is a change from what she has been playing the last few years.  It has her guarding faster players and playing more on the perimeter. 

 

A few more items from this month:

• I enjoyed dinner at Bonge’s with the normal group that goes each fall.
• Frank and Jan were in town so we took an opportunity to see them and go out to dinner with them and the Dodsons. 

October 2025

For fall break, we took went to Siesta Key.  We flew out early Sunday morning and arrived at our condo around noon. The weather all week was fantastic as we had no rain and plenty of sun.  We enjoyed meals at Captain Curts, The Hub, Spearfish Grill & Siesta Key Oyster Bar.  Most days had us on the beach around 11AM and heading back up to the condo around 4PM after spending the day at the beach and pool.  Deb, Allison, and I went to Orangetheory a few times during the week.  On the days we did not do that, we would take a walk on the beach in the morning.  We really enjoyed this condo (Horizon’s West) as the pool is closer to the water than most of the other places we have stayed.  We flew back on Saturday morningand after a short delay, got home in time to pickup Timber & go to church. 

 

            Allison’s volleyball team finished their season with the city tournament.  They played 3 games and won the city championship.  They played Scecina, Cathedral & Covenant Christian.  After fall break, she immediately went into basketball season at Chatard.  She made the JV team and has already had 2 weeks of practice and is starting to get caught up with the girls who have been playing basketball during the fall season.  The JV schedule follows the varsity schedule closely, so we will be on the road for several games this season as they start the season with 9 away games. 

 

            Sarah’s Jr. Trojans basketball season came to an end and she enjoyed meeting new girls and being coached by someone other than me!  Her volleyball games have started and her team is 3-2.  She has been having fun with this group as there are only 6 of them currently available for the team, so everyone is getting plenty of playing time.  Her softball team ended their fall season and they ended it with a game under the lights in Westfield on a cold evening in October.  They enjoyed the experience and are looking forward to practicing the winter.  

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah went to a workout at a nearby gym to get faster and stronger.  She liked it and decided to keep doing it 2 times a week.  We were proud of her for enjoying it, as she normally seems to like team sports and being around her friends and this has neither of those things.  

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

             Allison wanted to go to the Lainey Wilson concert, so I took her and she had a great time.  It was her first “outdoor” concert and she enjoyed it.  I did not know many songs, but Allison seemed to know most of them. 

 

A few more items from this month:

• Debbie and I went to see Jim Gaffigan at Clowes Hall at Butler.  We were supposed go last fall, but it was rescheduled.  Jackie helped get the girls where they were supposed to be that evening so we could enjoy the show. 
• Halloween was a lot more relaxing than in the past.  Sarah dressed up as Pooh Bear and ran around the neighborhood with her friends.  Allison had a friend over and they wore some old costumes we had in the attic, got some candy, and then watched movies in the basement.

September 2025

            We have enjoyed a good start to fall in September with the girl’s playing sports and enjoying school along with visits from Laura and Grace for a quick weekend and my mom in the middle of the month. 

 

            Laura and Grace came the first full weekend in September and watched Allison’s volleyball games on Saturday.  We had everyone over for a cookout that evening and Beth, Laura and I got a chance to catchup later that evening.  Kyle was in town for work that same weekend.  He came to church with all of us on Saturday and had dinner with us.  After Laura and Grace left on Sunday, I went downtown to meet up with Kyle and have some beers and enjoy the opening weekend of NFL football. 

 

            My mom came to visit the following weekend and was able to see Sarah play some softball and a few of Allison’s volleyball games.  She arrived on Sunday and went home on Thursday, after the Grandparent mass at Chatard. 

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah’s September had her balancing 3 activities (basketball, softball, and volleyball).  She hurt her knee at some point in late August / early September and went to the practices and games, but did not play much for several weeks.  She is slowly getting back up to playing full-time. 

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

             Allison’s volleyball team has continued to get better in September as they gear up for the city tournament in October.  She also got braces this month and is hoping the 18-month plan they laid out goes smoothly. 

 

A few more items from this month:

• Debbie and I went to the freshman fundraising party for Chatard in mid-September.  We left that gathering around 9PM to head over to Tilly’s to celebrate Corinne’s 40th birthday party doing some karaoke.  While Debbie and I did not participate, we enjoyed see the neighbors along with the teachers from school. 
• The girls and I took Randy to a Chatard football game this month.  It was the first high school game he had seen in years and was impressed with the tailgating, the players, and the facility. 
• I went to a leadership conference in Indy put on by the group of investors that own our company. We had a speaker on Friday followed by dinner at Weber Grill.  We were up the next morning at 6AM to participate in a workout with a Navy Seal and then learned how to row in an 8-person boat on Eagle Creek afterwards. 
• I drove up to Monticello for my 2nd invite to “Frank and Mark’s” euchre weekend.  Pete was able to come this time and we had 8 players and played almost 20 games of 6-handed euchre. 
• Deb was co-leader of putting on Grandparent’s Day at CKS.  It sounded like it was a great success.  I think she is going to do it one more year and then hand it off. 

August 2025

We officially have a high schooler.  Allison has spent a lot of time at Bishop Chatard High School all summer long, but her first day of school was cool and a lot different then how I was welcomed 30+ years ago.  On her first day, as you drive to drop them off, several hundred students line the streets welcoming the freshman to the school. All being said, it was quite embarrassing for the new students but it sounds like they have been doing this for years.  Allison made the freshman volleyball team and has enjoyed making new friends as the season has progressed.  Her volleyball team has had four games and they are 2-2.  She is also studying more than she had to in grade school, but that was expected.  Overall, she was ready for the “next step” and seems to be thriving in her new environment.  All things take adjustment, so as she is dealing with her new surroundings, we are getting used to not seeing her as much during the week due to school and practice.  We are also adapting to her desire to be driven on the weekend to the football game or hanging out with friends.  She has also got very comfortable taking a nap just about wherever she lays down each weekend. 

 

            Sarah’s first day of school went well.  She is in 7th grade now and she tells us this is the “hardest” grade because the teachers take it easy on the 6th graders as they transition to middle school and the 8th graders have made it to the last year.  Not sure if any of that is true, but she has been studying some evenings if she isn’t off playing one of her sports (softball or basketball).

 

            We upgraded our grill this month, along with adding some paver stones and getting a gas firepit.  We added some Adirondack chairs and put a TV bracket on the house so we can sit outside more often.  It looks great and we have spent a lot of time out there enjoying it. 

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah’s fall softball schedule will be one practice a week with games on Sundays starting in September.  She is also playing basketball which can be 1-2 practices a week along with games on Saturdays.  She will also start playing volleyball in a few weeks as she had evaluations in August.  

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

             Allison is doing well (as mentioned above) and on a social side, has met up with friends and attended 2 football games.  Her plans can change quickly…but we have been warned about that and tried to be flexible. 

 

A few more items from this month:

• Sarah and Debbie had a private cooking class at a bakery where they made hundreds of macarons. 
• Beth and I went to a comedy show in Carmel. 
• We went to the annual “Smokefest” hosted by the Steffey’s.  It was great to see everyone. 
• I went with Jeremy to see LIV golf in Westfield.  It was a fun experience even with the very hot weather. 
• Over this past weekend, I got a chance to play golf with several of my high school buddies at River Glen. 

July 2025

         As I’m finally sitting down for the monthly memoirs and it is late August, it is pretty evident that we have been busy adapting to life with a high schooler along with getting Sarah back to school.  But those are all things that occurred in August, so let us see what I can remember from July. 

 

            We traveled 3 times in July and our first trip was over July 4th weekend where we went to South Haven, MI.  It was our first time there and we enjoyed 2 days at the beach with good weather along with a fun downtown area we walked around for dinner, ice cream and the girls found some shirts they bought.  The 2nd trip was our annual trip to Beachmo in St. Joseph, MI where we had a good time catching up with family, playing euchre and celebrating my mom’s 75th birthday. 

 

            The last trip of the month had us traveling to Grand Lake, CO.  We flew out on a Tuesday and after a small delay and a 2.5-hour drive from the airport, we arrived at 11PM to our cabin.  The first morning, Sarah and I went to the grocery store for a few things before we drove to go rafting down the Colorado river.  The trip was a few hours and we went through a few class 2 and 3 rapids, but mostly enjoyed floating down the river and jumping off some rocks into the river.  We enjoyed Grand Lake Pizza that evening and everyone fell asleep after a few games of Uno.  The next day, we got up early and drove into Rocky Mountain National Park and drove to Alpine Visitor Center which was 11,800 feet elevation.  We completed the Ute trail (8-mile) that had us above the tree line and we went down to a lake before hiking back.  We barely made it back before a storm arrived and we saw a little snow.  As we drove back, we stopped at the Grand Lake Lodge and had an appetizer and a beer, as the view is fantastic and called “America’s front porch.”  We went to Sagebrush BBQ that night for dinner and the girls got some ice cream.  The last full day in Grand Park, we hiked Cascade falls (7 miles), and the trailhead was nearby the town.  This area was devastated by the wild fires in 2020, but the falls was a great spot to sit and relax before hiking back.  We went to Rockies for dinner that evening and then left town the next morning to head toward the hotel and stop at Winter Park to enjoyed some of their summer activities.  We had fun on the alpine slide, the gondola ride, the climbing wall and played around of putt-putt.  Unfortunately, our flight was delayed 3 hours on the way home, so we got home at 3AM and everyone was moving a little slow on Sunday.  We laid low, picked up Timber and got ready for the week ahead. 

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah’s softball season continued as she was part of the all-star team that got a chance to play 2 games in the state tournament before being eliminated.  It was a fun experience to play in such a cool stadium against some very good teams.  Sarah also attended the CKS girls’ basketball camp.  She and I also made our annual stop at the local farmers market where all Sarah really wants is a breakfast sandwich that seems to cost more each year!  Sarah spent a week at CYO camp where she got a chance to share a cabin with many of her friends and do all the activities she has come to love every year. 

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

             Allison has continued to participate in the volleyball and basketball workouts all of July.  Without having summer school classes like she did in June; this made her schedule a little easier to handle.  She also had her last IGB tournament of this season and they played well in their last outing.  Allison also had some oral surgery to have a wisdom tooth pulled to help her teeth come in so she can get ready for braces. 

 

A few more items from this month:

• We went to a Fever game on July 3rd to watch them play the Aces and they won.  
• Olivia and Ava were visiting Randy and Anna for a week, so Anna brought them down for a day to spend with Allison and Sarah so they enjoyed volleyball, Legos and just hanging out. 
• For Debbie’s birthday, she and I went out to dinner with the O’Rourkes.  Allison helped us pick out some new clothes from Athleta since Sarah was at camp that week. 
• I played my annual round of golf with some guys from church at Fort Ben and then went out for lunch and beers afterwards. 
• Debbie helped organize the used uniform sale again for the school. 

June 2025

            June was a busy month, especially for Allison who started her high school summer classes and workouts for volleyball and basketball.  Our entire family volunteered at the summer social at church and it was another success. 

 

            Allison started summer school along with probably 75% of the other freshman at Chatard in early June.  The 3-week Health course went from 8AM until 11:30AM, 5 days a week for 3 weeks.  It allows for the kids to get on campus and meet each other instead of waiting until August.  She has also been attending some workouts, with volleyball being 3 mornings a week at 6AM and basketball 3 evenings a week.  She also volunteered for the softball and basketball camps, which she enjoyed hanging out with the upperclassman.  As part of her basketball workouts, they had an opportunity to practice with Chatard at Gainbridge fieldhouse (where the Pacers and Fever play).  The same evening, the entire program took a bus to a Fever game. 

 

            Each June, our church has a Summer Social where the entire parking lot and streets around turn into a small festival.  Starting on Monday after Father’s Day, we unload the semi and start working each evening until it is ready on Friday.  I help with the setup, Deb led the ticket booth, Allison helped Debbie this year and Sarah worked the prize booth with her friends.  This year, the entire week was very humid and hot, which concerned us that maybe people may not show up, but they did and the entire weekend was a great time.

 

Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah’s softball season ended in the championship game where they lost in the last inning.  They played great and Sarah enjoyed playing first base.  She is playing for the all-star team and has also started seeing a hitting coach.  Sarah attended basketball, volleyball, and softball camps at Chatard and enjoyed the time with friends.  She also tried out for the Jr. Trojans basketball team and is looking forward to starting that up in late July and August.

 

Allison’s Thing of the Month

             As mentioned above, Allison’s June was very busy and she has quickly learned how much time management it will take to do the things she wants to do.  The hard part will be when there is homework added to her plate.  She is adapting well and we are looking forward to her first day in August.   

 

A few more items from this month:

• Sarah tagged along with me to work in early June for our annual meal packing volunteer event followed by bowling at Pinheads.  There were a few kids around, so she enjoyed participating. 
• I met up with Brian, Gareth, and John for a few beers at GiGi’s.  It has been about a year since we had seen each other, so we had plenty to catch up on. 
• All of us went to a customer appreciation event for Lake City Bank (the bank we use at work).  It was a hot Friday evening, but the girls enjoyed the catered dinner and seeing some baseball.
• We took the girls to Top Golf on a cloudy Sunday late in June to get out of the house.  None of us are good at golf, but that place seems to make anyone feel like they are not as bad as the really are.

May 2025

             May is always a busy month as it usually includes many sports and the end of the school year, but this year was a little different with Allison graduating from 8th grade. 

      The biggest thing that the 8th grade does in May is take a trip to Washington, D.C.  They flew out on a Wednesday morning at 6AMand seeing the sights all day until 9PM.  They were up early on Thursday and took a bus to Gettysburg along with seeing more of D.C.  They flew home on Friday evening and she was exhausted and ready for some sleep.  She really enjoyed the trip and it was fun hanging out with her classmates.  Another tradition at the school is May Crowning, which is a special mass for the 8th graders and ends with them putting a crown of flowers on a statue of Mary.  She graduated on the Wednesday after Memorial Day, with a mass at the church and dinner in the gym afterwards.  My mom, Beth, Anna and Randy attended the graduation with us and Allison shared some tears with her friends as the night came to an end. As a graduation present, I took the following day off and went with Allison to Kings Island.  We survived riding roller coasters and water slides throughout the day, along with a cup of coffee on my way home to keep me awake. 

             Chuck & Heather along with the Shafers came to Indy over Memorial Day weekend.  The Shafers stayed with us while Chuck & Heather stayed with the Cyphers.  We were fortunate enough to get parade tickets on Saturday, so several of the group went to that while Randy, Kyle and I went out to lunch and a few beers.  The Cyphers, Randy and Anna, along with Kyle and myself went to the race on Sunday.  Our seats were great and everyone had a good time minus the cold, wet and windy weather.  We left the house around 8AM and got hoaround 7:30PM.  We had a nice lunch the next day at Randy & Anna’s place before the Shafers went home. 

 Sarah’s Things of the Month

            Sarah’s softball continued this month, with games being played in her recreational team along with her travel team.  Her last day of school was unique as she rode her bike home with the Sniadecki family and Deb took her and a few kids to get ice cream that afternoon to celebrate another school year.

 Allison’s Thing of the Month

             Allison’s softball, track and basketball kept her busy just about every day.  She missed most of the track practices, but was able to help them do well in the relays in the city meet.  Softball ended with her having fun with her team as it was her last CYO sport.  She filled in the rest of the month with her IGB basketball team along with some practices at Bishop Chatard. 

 A few more items from this month   I was honored to receive the Msgr. Albert Busald award for CYO volunteer work over the last several years.  It was a great ceremony and appreciate Deb and the Sechrist’s for being there. 

• · When Allison was in D.C., we took Sarah out to dinner at Tomo.  It is a hibachi grill spot that Sarah really likes going to. 
• ·    My mom was in town for Allison’s graduation, Molly’s birthday and Erin’s KG graduation.  She came along to Sarah’s softball game 

  on Friday evening and she and I went to lunch on Tuesday at Sully’s. 
• ·Beth was able to get special access to a Fever practice and invited me to go along.  At the end of the practice, Caitlin Clark came by and we got a chance to take a photo. 
• ·Jeremy and I were fortunate enough to go to Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals where the Pacers closed out the series vs. the Knicks.