Oh my gosh. I need to take a couple of deep breaths before I begin this post. I can hardly believe that I am literally sitting here at the desk, writing this. It would not have surprised me if I was in the bottom of a frozen lake somewhere, or flat out on an icy parking lot in Illinois. I will never understand why colleges don't schedule music auditions in the fall or spring, because winter is the biggest nightmare EVER!
Johannah had her fourth audition scheduled for Saturday, February 1 in Champaign, Illinois at the University of Illinois. Realizing that the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic have been living and surviving in a "polar vortex" for the past week, I was a bit worried, especially since we were planning on driving there and back.
However, the viola teacher at Michigan had recommended that at some point, Johannah meet with the Dean of Admissions to beg for money. Johannah had tried two times previously to set up an appointment, but without success. I knew that Ann Arbor was kind of on the way to Illinois--at least it was on the trail west, right? So, she set up an appointment for Friday morning. I didn't mind, because in case you haven't heard, I love Ann Arbor.
This might not have been that big of a deal, but life is never that simple, right?
I have had something going on in my hip since May. I started running last spring, and one day I came home terribly sore on the side of my right hip. I figured I had pulled something, so I just gave it a couple of days rest, but it didn't go away. I kept running, but when I could hardly move during the summer at Interlochen, I signed myself up for some physical therapy (without visiting a doctor and without an actual diagnosis). There were days at Interlochen when it was a "grit my teeth" kind of day, working.
By the time we returned to PA at the end of the summer, I figured it just needed real rest....which I never really got. I pulled myself out of running the Air Force Half Marathon because of the pain, and I didn't even bother signing myself up for the Baltimore. I did run the Disney 10 Miler, but the heat was a much larger factor than my hip pain.
Needless to say, it's continued, and I've gotten so used to being in pain for different reasons (herniated discs, broken ankles, sinus infections) that I wasn't really noticing it anymore. Really, if anything good has come of all the health problems I've had, it's that I don't notice them quite so much anymore.
So, last week, I planned a date day for John and me. Since we've basically been hibernating in the house for the past month, I thought it would be fun to go to the mall and "mall walk". I've seen people do it before (mostly people who could be my grandparents), and it looked like a fun, cheap date for us. John was actually excited as I pulled into the mall parking lot and told him the plan.
It started out really great. We did a couple of laps together, and then I told John to take off and start running.
Learn from our experience: mall security doesn't like people running through the mall :-) You should have heard the conversations I was hearing between the cleaning people and the security guys, and the warnings I was hearing over walkie-talkies, as I tried to find John before they did. They got to the "guy wearing the bright orange shirt, running through the mall" before I did, and he was back to walking...with a big smile on his face.
It was no big deal...but my hip pain was. Crazy, out of this world pain in my hip. I couldn't walk for the next few days, so John made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in Altoona.
When I went in, the guy took about two seconds to tell me that it wasn't my hip, but it was my back.
Yes, that's right, folks. Pain caused by my herniated discs. John set up an appointment with my back surgeon.
I cried the entire 40 minute drive home because I knew what this meant. Fusion of my vertebrae.
Johannah and I were supposed to leave rather early on Thursday for Ann Arbor, but my back doctor fit me in at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. It took him about two seconds to tell me that it wasn't my back, but that it was trochanteric bursitis, a situation that he could have fixed nine long months ago...if only I had come in.
He injected me with about 50 million mg of steroids in my hip and sent me on my way. Never mind that I have a long and sordid history with steroids, and because I had been in pain for so long, I wasn't thinking exactly clearly.
By the time we reached the Fairfield in State Street at midnight, I was feeling much better. Or I could at least WALK!
Funny thing about steroids. Along with taking care of a specific problem, they produce some crazy side effects.
I woke up in the morning, feeling like I was in shock. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, I was nauseated and I couldn't stop sweating. I couldn't hold anything down for breakfast, and when I tried to drive out of the parking lot, I got a bit confused to say the least (right, Johannah?). Too, all kinds of new crazy pains were running down my leg and up my backside. I was more immobile than I had been before.
However, looking back on life, I went all over the country with Mark, in a boot, on a scooter, drugged up on narcotics with a broken ankle. Really, this is all becoming so normal for me. I can't imagine these kinds of situations without something going on.
Thankfully, Johannah had a GREAT interview with Dean Hoffman which is not surprising at all. She is so beautiful, and polished, and poised, and mature. In fact, every time Hannah and I visit a restaurant now, people ask me if the checks will be separate--they can't believe that she is my daughter.
I was able to see Beth too. She's my herniated disc sistah. As I saw her hardly able to move, my already sick bowels filled with mercy, remembering the awful pain that comes with bad discs. I was able to bring her the most random assortment of food from Trader Joe's as well as some beef stew (which at least acts as a balm for the soul, if not the body). Johannah and I literally blew in and blew out of Ann Arbor (an always unfortunate thing).
Seeing that Johannah misses some school when we make these audition trips, there's always plenty to do in the car. This time, she was practicing her PMEA Regional music--the festival is in just a week and a half, and she'd like to make it to All-States. I have a picture of Mark doing the exact same thing back in the day (although I have more pictures of him sleeping....)
We drove down to Champaign without any problems. It's a 5.5 hour drive, and the roads were fairly clear. Even when there were flurries, there was no problem driving, thank goodness.
And the steroid sleep of the damned was no better. Waking up in cold sweats, crazy dreams, unable to fall back asleep after 4 hours of sleep.
The next morning....
Was I even the same person in the morning? Nope. No pain. Not a bit. I could hardly believe it. In fact, even now when I stand up, I expect searing pain in my hip, and it surprises me to find that there's nothing there. Surprising in a crazy good way. Of course, I was thinking life was looking up until I looked in the mirror....
There's nothing like audition days, because we (both parent and student) need to be completely "on", impressing the faculty and administration. We talk to everybody, sharing our life stories, trying to seem desperate enough for scholarships, but together enough that we look desirable. I joked with John that with me looking like I did, they might give Hannah a scholarship for different reasons altogether ;-)
Every audition is different. For this one, Johannah needed to go to the bathroom really badly before she even began warming up, but couldn't find a bathroom anywhere! She ran all around the building before she did finally find one. By the time she got back to the practice room, she was a sweaty, frizzy mess, and she stripped down. Boots? Off. Cardigan? Off. Jewelry? Off.
Hannah did great. They like her a lot, and I think she could be SO happy at Illinois.
Oh, did I mention that an ice storm had blown through central Illinois the night before? Yep, everything was covered in ice. Too, have I mentioned that one of my least favorite things to do in the world is to drive in bad weather?
There's no stress that another movie can't solve, right? I took Hannah to see Gravity 3D, and while I think it might be one of my top 10 movies, she left with a headache. Obviously, she really cared about Sandra Bullock surviving!
We went back to the hotel, Hannah climbed into her jammies, and we spent the afternoon chillin'.
We had been given complimentary tickets to a performance that evening at the university, and man, am I glad we headed back out again. It was Beethoven 7 and a Mozart piano concerto, played by an amazing community orchestra. I could hardly believe the concert had been two hours long by the time it ended.
And the ice rain continued.
When we woke up the next morning, I couldn't open the doors on my car because of the ice.
We headed to the university branch, made up of single students. There was a very sweet feeling in that branch, although I wrestled with Heavenly Father about the fact that I don't feel Hannie should be somewhere where she has to be the strong one in the area. Pennsylvania hasn't been the most welcoming to her, and she has had a lot of social struggles here. I want her to go somewhere where she can be around other strong people, and have opportunities to date, and where she can have friends! Did he really want her somewhere where she would be the one helping other people?
During testimony meeting, one of the men got up and referenced John F. Kennedy by saying, "Don't ask what the church can do for you, but ask what you can do for your church". In my mind, I was saying, "Really, Heavenly Father? Are you serious?"
When we got out to the car after sacrament meeting, Johannah told me how much she enjoyed the meeting and how she thought she could be a big help there.
Yep, Heavenly Father is up in heaven, laughing at me.
We filled up the car, and started on the 10.5 hour drive home. At least that's what I thought it would take to get home.
Let's see. Blinding winds and snow in Indiana, combined with unpaved roads. One single lane going down the highway, following semis that were blowing up more snow and goo on my windshield.
I breathed a sigh of relief when we stopped in Indianapolis at one of my favorite restaurants, First Watch, but not because of the food.
When we hit Ohio, things were going well through Dayton, but small flurries started appearing past Columbus...and it was getting dark.
Needless to say, the next six hours is a complete blur in my mind, possibly because that's all I was seeing out my front window. Let's see--can we make the horror cocktail any scarier for Larisa? Mountains, high bridges over water, blizzard conditions, dark, and ice on the roads? I don't think so.
When I was about two hours away from home, I called John and asked him if it was snowing there. It was a mental thing--I needed to know how much longer I had to endure. It reassured me that it was a balmy 39 degrees and not snowing. Really?
Turns out, about an hour from home, I finally got in front of the storm. I could hardly believe it.
And this morning? School was cancelled because of the storm that blew through. Yep, just keeping things real--driving through a blizzard, losing a tooth, being unable to walk. All in a weekend, right?
However, the viola teacher at Michigan had recommended that at some point, Johannah meet with the Dean of Admissions to beg for money. Johannah had tried two times previously to set up an appointment, but without success. I knew that Ann Arbor was kind of on the way to Illinois--at least it was on the trail west, right? So, she set up an appointment for Friday morning. I didn't mind, because in case you haven't heard, I love Ann Arbor.
This might not have been that big of a deal, but life is never that simple, right?
I have had something going on in my hip since May. I started running last spring, and one day I came home terribly sore on the side of my right hip. I figured I had pulled something, so I just gave it a couple of days rest, but it didn't go away. I kept running, but when I could hardly move during the summer at Interlochen, I signed myself up for some physical therapy (without visiting a doctor and without an actual diagnosis). There were days at Interlochen when it was a "grit my teeth" kind of day, working.
By the time we returned to PA at the end of the summer, I figured it just needed real rest....which I never really got. I pulled myself out of running the Air Force Half Marathon because of the pain, and I didn't even bother signing myself up for the Baltimore. I did run the Disney 10 Miler, but the heat was a much larger factor than my hip pain.
Needless to say, it's continued, and I've gotten so used to being in pain for different reasons (herniated discs, broken ankles, sinus infections) that I wasn't really noticing it anymore. Really, if anything good has come of all the health problems I've had, it's that I don't notice them quite so much anymore.
So, last week, I planned a date day for John and me. Since we've basically been hibernating in the house for the past month, I thought it would be fun to go to the mall and "mall walk". I've seen people do it before (mostly people who could be my grandparents), and it looked like a fun, cheap date for us. John was actually excited as I pulled into the mall parking lot and told him the plan.
It started out really great. We did a couple of laps together, and then I told John to take off and start running.
Learn from our experience: mall security doesn't like people running through the mall :-) You should have heard the conversations I was hearing between the cleaning people and the security guys, and the warnings I was hearing over walkie-talkies, as I tried to find John before they did. They got to the "guy wearing the bright orange shirt, running through the mall" before I did, and he was back to walking...with a big smile on his face.
It was no big deal...but my hip pain was. Crazy, out of this world pain in my hip. I couldn't walk for the next few days, so John made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in Altoona.
When I went in, the guy took about two seconds to tell me that it wasn't my hip, but it was my back.
Yes, that's right, folks. Pain caused by my herniated discs. John set up an appointment with my back surgeon.
I cried the entire 40 minute drive home because I knew what this meant. Fusion of my vertebrae.
Johannah and I were supposed to leave rather early on Thursday for Ann Arbor, but my back doctor fit me in at 4 p.m. on Thursday afternoon. It took him about two seconds to tell me that it wasn't my back, but that it was trochanteric bursitis, a situation that he could have fixed nine long months ago...if only I had come in.
He injected me with about 50 million mg of steroids in my hip and sent me on my way. Never mind that I have a long and sordid history with steroids, and because I had been in pain for so long, I wasn't thinking exactly clearly.
By the time we reached the Fairfield in State Street at midnight, I was feeling much better. Or I could at least WALK!
Funny thing about steroids. Along with taking care of a specific problem, they produce some crazy side effects.
I woke up in the morning, feeling like I was in shock. My hands were shaking uncontrollably, I was nauseated and I couldn't stop sweating. I couldn't hold anything down for breakfast, and when I tried to drive out of the parking lot, I got a bit confused to say the least (right, Johannah?). Too, all kinds of new crazy pains were running down my leg and up my backside. I was more immobile than I had been before.
 |
| I love these hallways in the School of Music. I wandered through them as a teenage pianist, and I guided Mark through them when he was considering Michigan. |
Thankfully, Johannah had a GREAT interview with Dean Hoffman which is not surprising at all. She is so beautiful, and polished, and poised, and mature. In fact, every time Hannah and I visit a restaurant now, people ask me if the checks will be separate--they can't believe that she is my daughter.
I was able to see Beth too. She's my herniated disc sistah. As I saw her hardly able to move, my already sick bowels filled with mercy, remembering the awful pain that comes with bad discs. I was able to bring her the most random assortment of food from Trader Joe's as well as some beef stew (which at least acts as a balm for the soul, if not the body). Johannah and I literally blew in and blew out of Ann Arbor (an always unfortunate thing).
 |
| We celebrated the good interview with a trip to Hannah's favorite restaurant. |
Seeing that Johannah misses some school when we make these audition trips, there's always plenty to do in the car. This time, she was practicing her PMEA Regional music--the festival is in just a week and a half, and she'd like to make it to All-States. I have a picture of Mark doing the exact same thing back in the day (although I have more pictures of him sleeping....)
We drove down to Champaign without any problems. It's a 5.5 hour drive, and the roads were fairly clear. Even when there were flurries, there was no problem driving, thank goodness.
 |
| While not perfect, this is definitely doable. Praise be to the state of Illinois and their allocation of money for salt trucks. |
Too, I was glad to reach the town before dark. We didn't even stop at the hotel, but headed to a movie theater to see "Saving Mr. Banks," a redemptive movie for those who have had alcoholic parents. I was definitely enjoying the whole theatre experience though. The theatre was new with great seats, and I had bought a small popcorn for Johannah and me to share. While chowing down on the buttery goodness, I felt my fake tooth "pop" and I knew it was gone. Not gone from my mouth, but definitely gone from it's securing wings. I caught Johannah's attention, and she could hardly believe it. Of all times!
 |
| I used to be horrified about this. Now, it's just incredibly funny. |
I've never been so glad to hit a hotel bed at night. I'm notorious for underestimating my pain on the pain scale of 1 to 10, but I could have given my pain that night at least an "8", the same number I gave the ER people when I broke my ankle...in three places....and my foot could turn 360 degrees while hanging from my ankle. Yeah, I was miserable.
And the steroid sleep of the damned was no better. Waking up in cold sweats, crazy dreams, unable to fall back asleep after 4 hours of sleep.
The next morning....
Was I even the same person in the morning? Nope. No pain. Not a bit. I could hardly believe it. In fact, even now when I stand up, I expect searing pain in my hip, and it surprises me to find that there's nothing there. Surprising in a crazy good way. Of course, I was thinking life was looking up until I looked in the mirror....
There's nothing like audition days, because we (both parent and student) need to be completely "on", impressing the faculty and administration. We talk to everybody, sharing our life stories, trying to seem desperate enough for scholarships, but together enough that we look desirable. I joked with John that with me looking like I did, they might give Hannah a scholarship for different reasons altogether ;-)
Every audition is different. For this one, Johannah needed to go to the bathroom really badly before she even began warming up, but couldn't find a bathroom anywhere! She ran all around the building before she did finally find one. By the time she got back to the practice room, she was a sweaty, frizzy mess, and she stripped down. Boots? Off. Cardigan? Off. Jewelry? Off.
Hannah did great. They like her a lot, and I think she could be SO happy at Illinois.
Oh, did I mention that an ice storm had blown through central Illinois the night before? Yep, everything was covered in ice. Too, have I mentioned that one of my least favorite things to do in the world is to drive in bad weather?
There's no stress that another movie can't solve, right? I took Hannah to see Gravity 3D, and while I think it might be one of my top 10 movies, she left with a headache. Obviously, she really cared about Sandra Bullock surviving!
We went back to the hotel, Hannah climbed into her jammies, and we spent the afternoon chillin'.
We had been given complimentary tickets to a performance that evening at the university, and man, am I glad we headed back out again. It was Beethoven 7 and a Mozart piano concerto, played by an amazing community orchestra. I could hardly believe the concert had been two hours long by the time it ended.And the ice rain continued.
When we woke up the next morning, I couldn't open the doors on my car because of the ice.
We headed to the university branch, made up of single students. There was a very sweet feeling in that branch, although I wrestled with Heavenly Father about the fact that I don't feel Hannie should be somewhere where she has to be the strong one in the area. Pennsylvania hasn't been the most welcoming to her, and she has had a lot of social struggles here. I want her to go somewhere where she can be around other strong people, and have opportunities to date, and where she can have friends! Did he really want her somewhere where she would be the one helping other people?
During testimony meeting, one of the men got up and referenced John F. Kennedy by saying, "Don't ask what the church can do for you, but ask what you can do for your church". In my mind, I was saying, "Really, Heavenly Father? Are you serious?"
When we got out to the car after sacrament meeting, Johannah told me how much she enjoyed the meeting and how she thought she could be a big help there.
Yep, Heavenly Father is up in heaven, laughing at me.
We filled up the car, and started on the 10.5 hour drive home. At least that's what I thought it would take to get home.
Let's see. Blinding winds and snow in Indiana, combined with unpaved roads. One single lane going down the highway, following semis that were blowing up more snow and goo on my windshield.
I breathed a sigh of relief when we stopped in Indianapolis at one of my favorite restaurants, First Watch, but not because of the food.
When we hit Ohio, things were going well through Dayton, but small flurries started appearing past Columbus...and it was getting dark.
Needless to say, the next six hours is a complete blur in my mind, possibly because that's all I was seeing out my front window. Let's see--can we make the horror cocktail any scarier for Larisa? Mountains, high bridges over water, blizzard conditions, dark, and ice on the roads? I don't think so.
When I was about two hours away from home, I called John and asked him if it was snowing there. It was a mental thing--I needed to know how much longer I had to endure. It reassured me that it was a balmy 39 degrees and not snowing. Really?
Turns out, about an hour from home, I finally got in front of the storm. I could hardly believe it.
And this morning? School was cancelled because of the storm that blew through. Yep, just keeping things real--driving through a blizzard, losing a tooth, being unable to walk. All in a weekend, right?
First of all, I love that you titled this post after my favorite primary pioneer song. And I love reading about these college adventures that you take your children on. I died laughing in some parts :)
ReplyDelete