Home Again, Home Again, Giggity Gig

First off, pardon any typos. I had my eyes dilatated this afternoon for an eye exam and my eyesight is not back to where it should be yet. I didn’t really broadcast it widely, but I got to go away from home for a long weekend this past weekend! People comment about how much being quarantined for the last 4 months or so has been. Tack on another 5 on that for me from when I had surgery, got my diagnosis, and started treatments. I have been at home FOREVER! (my trip to Mayo Clinic does not count). However, last week my parents arrived at our home to spend a few days. They live in Houston, a hot spot, but they had been very very careful for the several weeks leading up to their visit. It was really nice to spend some “in person” time with them. It had been nearly a year since I had seen them…before my diagnosis. They left on Thursday morning to head towards my sister’s house in Goshen, Indiana. We left that afternoon and caught up with them in Joliet, Illinois that night. That left us just a couple of hours of driving on Friday. We shuttled my dad to ride with Rich and Lily and I drove my mom in her car. We had to go through Chicago…around it really…but it makes no difference; driving in Chicago is never fun. Blech. That is all I will say about it. I enjoy visiting there but wow….could never live there. Tallinn got to come along as well and was a real trooper the whole time. He is a great traveler.

My sister, Pam, and her husband, Brian, have three kids. Kara turned 21 on Friday. Alyssa turned 18 on Saturday and had her high school graduation party on the same day. Micah is almost 12. Pam and Brian will have their 25th wedding anniversary tomorrow. So there was a lot to celebrate at the Pfeil household! We arrived Friday afternoon to Goshen to help with the set up of tents and tables and chairs for the open house on Saturday afternoon. By Saturday, my brother, Craig Neitzke, had flown in from Houston and driven down from Detroit to spend the day as well. It was very warm on Saturday, but that did not deter any of the guests from coming and helping Alyssa celebrate. She had 12 varsity letters, so she knows a lot of people. Of course, with COVID-19 going on, the open house looked a little different. I was outside with a mask trying my best to keep a six foot distance from everyone but Lily and Rich. I didn’t eat through the buffet line. All this crazy stuff that never used to cross our minds. I did have a piece of cake and it was AWESOME. My sister made it. Alyssa will be going to Manchester University about 90 minutes away and will major in elementary education and play women’s basketball. It was awesome to be able to be there to help celebrate all these awesome occasions. We all gathered together for brunch at the Pfeil’s house on Sunday morning and then took off to come home. It was a very short trip with a lot of driving (9 hours each way) but it was so good to get away. It was fun to play cornhole and realize that Tallinn has to be kenneled up because he leaps in the air to catch the bag and takes off with it. The other great memory is that my brother, Craig, can really push my sister’s buttons. It was fun to sit back and watch that. Siblings at their best.