Not So Wise

February 06, 2019 by Adam in Sam

Sam had his wisdom teeth taken out today.  We took him to the oral surgeon first thing in the morning.  He remembers getting a shot of medication in his IV and then nothing until I met him in the recovery room.  He was pretty groggy and I had to help him put his shirt on like when he was little.  I got him settled down watching Netflix, sipping water and taking it easy.

Jamie came over, bringing a basket of assorted foods, Emma's favorite stuffed animal, and a get well card that Emma made.  I think Sam appreciated the company, as he was feeling pretty lousy.

He moved from Austin Powers to World War 2 documentaries.  Towards the evening Skye came over to keep him company.  I made him a peanut butter milkshake and applesauce for dinner.  We asserted that our good smelling solid food was actually terrible and chastised Joanna for her terrible cooking.

He's working to stay on top of his pain meds.  Tomorrow is warm soup and scrambled eggs.  Hopefully he can work back to normal food soon enough.

Twenty

November 29, 2018 by Adam in Sam

Sam turned twenty earlier this week.  There's something special about the two decade milestone, though we couldn't think of anything special about the age from a legal perspective.  I got him some clothes and camping gear, which seemed to be well received.  Long gone are the days when I could just get him video games and Legos.

Road Trip with Grandma

November 12, 2018 by Adam in Sam

Sam and mom headed out to visit Seraph last Friday.  About an hour out of Bend they got a flat in the new Prius.  It turns out the new car didn't have a spare, but instead had a repair kit that the manual didn't really explain properly.  After a tow truck ride to Burns and stop at Les Schwab's, they were on the road again.  I think they picked up a real spare in case too.  I think they made it to Boise before turning in.

Today they've made it through Utah, sending a picture from a little town called Green River, and last I heard they were in Colorado.  I think they'll get there tomorrow.  Sounds like an adventure.

New Job

September 26, 2018 by Adam in Sam

I was chatting with Sam, who was over at the house with mom.  She sadly said she was losing him soon.  Sam has a friend who was doing customer support for an antivirus company.  They apparently need some more people, so he's off to two weeks of training at a local office soon.  I think he's looking forward to leaving the world of manual labor and not being tired all the time.

He said he was basically going to be talking to confused old people most of the time.  He and mom shared a look and then started laughing.

Driving Man

July 10, 2018 by Adam in Sam

Sam is officially a driver. 

He's been off in the woods for a week, measuring trees and taking pictures of wildlife.  He returned ready for a shower and some sleep, along with knowing how to play the guitar a bit more.  This morning he got up early and we practiced driving around the DMV.  Somehow I managed to remember the course from when I took my driver's test thirty years ago.  I think it helped immensely as he passed with a higher score than mine.

Sam's moving out plans keep shifting, though it may be sooner rather than later.  I think he's going to do some work for my mom relatively soon, fixing up the 4th street house.  

Growing Up

May 10, 2018 by Adam in Sam

Sam's in that phase of life where he's trying to figure out what he wants to do and who he wants to be.  Every few months there's a new change - I'm learning to let go of expectations and be generally supportive however I can.

It looks like his plan is to move out with some friends over the summer.  The mix of people seems to keep changing and there isn't something lined up quite yet.  The younger kids feel a little funny about it, as do I.  I'm glad he's moving on and being more independant, though I admittedly will miss him being around.

Sam's also not planning on taking classes next year, and instead just wants to work.  Thankfully mom has been throwing meaningful work his way, hopefully enough to pay for rent and food and such.  I just want him to be happy and eventually figure out how to support himself.

We've been practicing driving quite a bit.  My hope is that we can get his license by summer.  After that it'll be trying to figure out how to drive mom's manual transmission car around.  We've done it a little, though it's like playing a video game in hard mode.

Birthday Boy

November 27, 2017 by Adam in Sam

Sam turned 19 yesterday.  He kinda knew what he was getting from me - I bought him some black pants, black t-shirts, and Doc Marten boots, along with a few odds and ends.  He's of the age where clothes are cool and exciting, so he appreciated them.

I got to have some hang out time together, which was nice.  His old shoes were falling apart, so I gave him the boots early and we went for a hike through the rain up the Ridgeline trail.  It was beautiful and foggy - we chatted about politics and school and camping in the cold.  I'd been itching to get outside for weeks, so it was a nice treat for me.

Sam helped make his birthday dinner and dessert.  Joanna found some vegan peanut butter "cheesecake" cupcakes.  They turned out pretty tasty, with Sam having seconds.  He even patiently sat through a traditional birthday song, to everyone's amusement.

Bike Accident

October 03, 2017 by Adam in Sam

Sam was riding around campus today and got hit by a car.  He texted me from the ER, letting me know he was okay.  I immediately dropped everything and went to fetch him.  He was mostly fine - just a few non-obvious scrapes and bruises. I'm not entirely sure what happened - I get the impression he was turning at an unfamiliar location and missed seeing a car.  Fortunately it was all at slow speeds.

His bike got a little whacked and required some adjusting of brakes, wheels, and handle bars.  Fortunately that seems mostly okay too.  He was planning on metaphorically getting back on the horse and going to one of his student organization things tonight.

Parenting is an adventure.

Driver

September 12, 2017 by Adam in Sam

I took Sam on his first driving lesson today.  We headed up to the LCC parking lot and he managed to start the car, back up and start going around in circles.  He quickly picked up how to stop without a jerk, mostly turn without hitting curbs, and towards the end managed to pass a car moving in the opposite lane without incident.  Next time I'm thinking I'll take him to a quiet neighborhood and drive around.  So far, so good.

He also helped me move a broken washing machine to Lowe's, didn't complain when they took over an hour to bring us the new one, and helped me install the new one.  I always hoped they'd eventually become useful.

U of O Orientation

July 18, 2017 by Adam in Sam

I just returned from the first day of orientation at the O of U, aptly named IntroDUCKtion.  The duck puns were flying fast and furious all day long.

It was relatively well done, considering we moved 400+ freshmen and their families through various presentations throughout the day.  I briefly returned home as Sam and Isa were taking Japanese placement tests.  They were both worn out after it all.  I'll scoop them up for dinner and a relatively normal evening.  Sam has a math placement test, but otherwise should be ready to get his classes tomorrow.

I've got a checklist of things that need to be done, but I think we can get both those kids settled into college in September.