Mom in Black

You've seen--or at least heard of--the movie "Men in Black", right? Well with my latest interviewing duds, I hereby dub myself Mom in Black.

If you've known me any time at all, you know I stay as far away from subdued colors as humanly possible. I think my four years of brown at Catholic high school had something to do with that, but let's face it; when your vision stinks, it's a whole lot easier to see, say, Neon pink or Dayglo yellow than brown or black.

Problem is, such unsophisticated colors are not what today's human resource people want to see you wearing at a job interview. Enter the death suit. I mean black suit you see here. Everyone said I look professional and important. I think I look like I'm going to a funeral. Guess I'd better heap on the makeup so I look for alive.

Enjoy the goofy picture of the scary lady (laughs)!

He's Smarter Than He Looks!

In Tennessee, high school kids take various gateway tests to make sure they're learning what they need to. As a freshman, Chris took gateways in English, math and science. In the shocker of the century, he ACED his algebra test. All 100 questions perfectly answered! It sure threw some of the kids--and teachers--for a loop since CJ still likes to clown around.

I was so proud of him!

Then came the English results. I didn't have high hopes there only because Chris likes to read about as much as I like to engage in vigorous exercise. Yeah, we both SHOULD be doing our respective things, but... Anyway--I hope you're sitting down--he got a 96%! The turkey's been holdin' out on me!

I'm thrilled to say he ended on a high note with science as well. A 96% there, too.

Anyway, congrats, Chris, on showing them your stuff! Keep up the AWESOME work!!!

God, I Have Two HIGH SCHOOLERS?!?!?!?

We breathed a collective sigh of relief when Sam got her SIGNED diploma on Friday. Afterall, it's highly unusual for dead people to get diplomas!

You think I'm exaggerating? Huh-uh. One of Sam's teachers told the class she was dead, causing one friend to protest and subsequently get sent to the principal's office, and a second to cry for a week. Seriously.

I think there's a psychosis epidemic down here among people who THINK they're in a position of control. I'll leave you on your own when it comes to figuring out who--or what--I'm referring to!

And the Winner is...

For the past few months you've heard me brag about Chris's hard work with marching band and drumline. Well at the spring band banquet, his efforts were rewarded with the plaque you see above. His band director went on about how much Chris has grown and changed in the band program this year, and how he can't wait to see him on the field this fall. In fact, when Mr. Smith heard about the layoff, he said, "You may have to move, but your kids aren't going anywhere!" He went on to jokingly suggest a schedule where the Freeze kids would stay with various band families throughout the year.

There are so many neat people in the band program. It was driven home further at a band volunteer thank-you dinner Wayne and I attended last Thursday. We can't leave.

We WON'T leave!!!!!

What a Two Weeks

Well Samantha and I have been home from Cleveland for two weeks now, and there hasn't been a dull moment. I'll be posting several mini-updates and pictures this afternoon, but wanted to give everyone the overall "what's going on" and the "why I haven't blogged in two weeks".

Okay, I'm not sure I've ever experienced this many super-highs and super-lows in such a tiny stretch of time. Sam was released from Cleveland Clinic in more pain than she entered, and her memory was even worse. We've been on an aggressive "detox" of all the narcotics and other pain meds which has helped some, but not completely. The constant harassment from her teachers (one told a class Sam was dead!)forced us to finish out the year homebound. Luckily she was still able to participate in the graduation ceremony though, as I think the closure to that chapter in her life was necessary. In fact, just one hour after graduation, she was at the high school for her first Houston High Colorguard practice! There are some terrific girls in that program. Between the exercise and friendships, I think she's finally on a good healing path.

Chris also ended the year on a strong note as you'll see in upcoming pictures and posts, and I've gotten firmly involved in my role as a band booster board member.

Now that I finally like this place for the first time, it only figures that the other shoe would drop, and Wayne would get laidoff. His boss gave us minimal time to get things in order. We didn't see it coming at all, though I confess I've felt something was "off" for a while now. Despite Wayne's successful stream of prototypes of his boss's constantly changing ideas, the boss wasn't able to close a deal. Funny when four years ago there was a version of Wayne's program so stable and useful on a client's line that they didn't want to give it up. But you can't do the other guy's job for him... The company's on a fast track to a fiery crash-and-burn if the pattern continues.

Needless to say, all of this has kept us a bit off balance, but as the song says, "We Will Survive!"

Disney Boy

While waiting for Sam at the hospital today, I found these images on Chris's band web site from their recent trip to Florida. I'm sorry I missed it as it sounded like he had LOTS of fun. He even went so far as to suggest we go back to Florida as a family. That's high praise coming from Chris!

Cleveland's a Zoo. Really.

Our Sunday trip to the Cleveland Zoo couldn't have been better (except for Sam's extreme pain). She's pictured above in front of the Rain Forest waterfall. It was really a nice zoo. And we especially appreciated the inclusion of McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and KFC (laughs)!

While we ate our lunch, we were treated to a great view of a sunbathing pair of lions. We saw--and got pictures of--a momma koala bear with her baby on her back, saw fun pink flamingoes with their bright pink tushes, and saw a HUGE porcupine among many other things.

But even despiter her poor short-term memory, the one picture that may be forever etched in Sam's brain is of a pair of donkeys "enjoying" spring. That's right, donkey porn as Sam called it. Jeez, made me think of the time at the DC zoo when we saw a pair of tortoises do exactly that.

Hey, Y'all!

Hey, guys! It's Sammy! :-D

So, you heard about our day today (or yesterday, I guess... it's 12:30 here. LOL). Not a pretty sight.

One thing mom forgot to put in here, though, is that, while at the HORRID mall today, we found a really pretty dress at Talbot's for my graduation later this May. It's a pink-with-white-polka-dots halter dress that falls just below my knees. So I'm psyched about that.

Umm... let's see... my best friend from the pain program left earlier (the 3rd)to go back to her home in Florida. Let me just tell you, two weeks wasn't enough with Marah.


(Left to right: Caitlin, Marah, Lacey, Sam )

But seriously, she's awesome (so's Lacey). I hope we don't stop talking or whatever because of the distance and the fact that we won't be able to hang out anymore.

Lowdown on the girls (and guy) I've met so far in the program: Allison, 12-- really quiet, and complained a lot *left the end of my first week*. Calvin,17-- nice, kinda quiet, awesome guitar player (swoons, but stops remembering that mom called him hot to his face) really a neat guy.*left when Allison did* Marah, 12-- my best friend of them all. She's really sweet, kind, and funny and supportive *left before this Saturday* Lacey, 13-- she's super-cool. I'm really looking forward to getting to know her. *leaves one week after I do* Caitlin, 9-- not to be mean, but I really don't like her. Whenever something doesn't go her way, she throws a huge fit. Her mom asks us kids to practically babysit her and make sure she brushes her teeth when she's supposed to, and help her fill out her menus so she eats healthier. *leaves when Lacey leaves*. So yeah. That's all the fellow program-goers I've met so far.

One thing I must clear up now: I LOVE MID-WESTERN PEOPLE!! They're great. They're kind. They care. They're pleasent. What more can I say? They're awesome! (No offense to those of you non-mid-western folks-- we love you too. It's just harder to find good people elsewhere.) Everyone I've been around for long periods of times (except for two-- Caitlyn (9 who started a week ago) and Allison (12, who left a week ago)) in Cleveland have been great. :-)


And like Mom said before, the cards, flowers, etc. really cheered us up. I know I needed to re-read them all at one point when I was having a really bad day. It helped to know I've got so many people supporting me. So thanks so much, guys. :-D


Love y'all!

Sam

Fun, Fun, Fun. NOT!

It was a rainy Saturday morning when we caught the paratransit bus to the Great Lakes Science Center. It was supposed to be a day of fun and relaxation. Right... (Notice the sarcastic inflection...)

At the Science Center, we viewed the chocolate exhibit, and let me just say not only do fermenting cacao seeds smell NASTY, but you don't even wanna KNOW where those seeds may have been before they became a Hershey or Dove bar! Blech! It was a neat display though, and we got some bargain souvanirs because tomorrow's the show's last day.

We wandered the rest of the museum where we learned about pulleys, played stringless harps, and tried our hand at being members of the Blue Man Group (minus the blue faces). That's the picture above. We also took in an omnimax movie and dined on mini Pizza Hut pizzas. Little did we know that would be the highlight of our day (laughs).

Sam was a trooper at pushing through the pain despite us not having any of her routine pain meds. Don't ask. She tried to swallow a T3 w/ codeine during the movie without a drink and nearly barfed on the people sitting in front of us. Surely things would look up when we headed for the Cheesecake Factory, right? Wrong! (Laughs even harder.)

We got drenched several times in rainstorms, couldn't get to the Cheesecake Factory because there were no sidewalks and a big fence blocking us, had possibly the worst dinner ever at a place called Chipotle, and had extra time to burn waiting for the bus home. Oh, and did I mention the attack worms? I didn't think so.

Please-oh-PLEASE let tomorrow's trip to the zoo go better (laughs)!

I'm kinda anxious to see what the coming week brings for Sam at Cleveland Clinic. At one point she couldn't remember what year she was born nor could she remember the name of our fourth cat for a bit. Hopefully the endocrinologist and neurologist consults will help shed some light on all this because it gets kind of unsettling at times.

Back Online Alas

Well the internet connection where I'm staying at the Cleveland Sight Center turned out to be less than reliable. And here I thought I'd be one of the few people using it at night! Anyway, sorry for the delay in posts.

Tonight, after two full weeks of inpatient physical therapy, etc., Samantha returnd to the apartment with me where we'll enjoy a busy weekend together before the next week of outpatient therapy. Tomorrow we go to the Great Lakes Science Center, the Cheesecake Factory, and a funky mall in University Heights. Sunday we hit the Cleveland Zoo. I'm trying hard to keep Sam's rigorous 9-hour-a-day exercise regimen going since it's a crucial part of her recovery.

On the whole, she's doing great at managing her pain. Vicodin, Tylenol 3 with Codeine, and Ultram (all pain killers) are still commonly taken, but the usage of the Vicodin has decreased a great deal for which I am truly grateful. The bad news is her memory problem seems to get worse and worse. We saw the head adolescent psychiatrist (bad pun I know) for Cleveland Clinic who referred to Sam as a complex medical case that even Cleveland Clinic may not be able to fully "fix". He deytermined that depression, stress, sleep deprivation, and meds were not players in the problem and said we MAY need to got to Providence (Brown University) or Boston Children's Hospital where the pain/memory link is more thoroughly researched and treated. Ugh. But hey, at least there's hope.

I'm so impressed with how much exercise Sam is capable of doing. She's a lot stronger than she looks. She has a massive fitness program to continue once she gets home too. Even if she weren't in pain, it'd be a wise undertaking.

I also want to thank everyone for the cards, pictures, letters, flowers, etc. You really brought smiles to our faces! More to come...