That's my boy!

In case you didn't know it... This is my son Ryan. He may make it to 18 in June. This photo was taken this winter in Nebraska when we visited my parents over Christmas. The cousins and friends went sledding. First on death-trap hill covered in ice and surrounded by deadly trees, then when the parents found out, on the gentle slope at the nearby high school field.

Ryan is my oldest and is being homeschooled this year as well as the later half of last year. Homeschool is probably used loosely here... He's finishing up his high school education through correspondence courses from a college nearby that has a highschool graduation program. He has 7 tests to finish up before graduation and we're already planning the party. Since I work full-time from home as a computer programmer, I'm not able to do the classes myself, so it's mainly up to him. I do sometimes help him with the studying before he takes the test at a teacher neighbor of ours.

Anyway... Pie In the Sky's latest blog about dentist bills made me think of Ryan... Not because of dental bills, (that's my youngest...) but because Ryan used up all of our cafeteria health plan money in February for the whole year. Wasn't that nice of him? Usually we use it for the yearly dentist checkups or contact lense refills or maybe getting new glasses for anyone that needs them... Not for a rock concert... typically...

In early February, Ryan wanted so badly to go see his all-time favorite band in Des Moines, Coheed & Cambria. Never heard of them?? Neither had we until last year. We give him 3 concert credits for the year and this was, like I said, his all-time favorite band. Since it was his first concert of the year and he's homeschooled, we gave him permission to go, if Robb drove him. It was on a Wednesday night, an hour away. The kicker was, Ryan hated the band that the concert was actually for, Slip Knot. Coheed was just opening for them, so Ryan planned on leaving as soon as Coheed was done with their part.

So, it's Wednesday night and Ryan found some friends of his during one of the opening acts before Coheed & Cambria. We don't know exactly what happened, (I'm thinking Ryan mentioned something about his feelings toward Slip Knot and someone overheard...) but someone from out of the crowd rushed toward him and slugged him hard. He didn't know what hit him. All of the sudden, there is blood sprayed around the area and his friends are getting him to security and a medic, leaving a trail of blood. In the medic tented off area, Ryan finds that his nose is most likely broken and after he gets it packed, rests in that room for a while before Coheed comes on stage.

After unsuccessfully hitting on the young nurse, he hears a voice from the hall. Imagine this in a Cheech and Chong drawl... "Where'd all this blood come from? " And who should come around the door of the medic area but Claudio Sanchez, the lead singer of Coheed & Cambria, (the bushy haired guy). If Ryan hadn't already felt woozy, he did now. Ryan got to meet him and told him that all he came here to do was to see them. Claudio felt very honored that Ryan spent full price on a concert ticket and all he wanted to see was him. As soon as Coheed came on stage, Ryan went back to his friends and enjoyed the concert of his young life.

Afterward the opening act and just before Slip Know, he called his dad, who had been reading a book in the parking lot to come get him. On the way home, he told him everything that happened, practically word for word, blow by blow. Robb was unconvinced that Ryan had a broken nose because Ryan was in such high spirits, until they stopped at a rest area and he saw him in the light. It was at that point that Robb called me and said they were going to the emergency room. Darn!

Several days later, after the swelling was down, I took Ryan in for an appointment to get his nose checked out. The doctor could either do it there, but only had one shot at getting it right without anesthetics, or we could schedule a surgery date, put him under and do it completely right. Ryan, without question, chose to go under. I didn't realize how much this would cost, or I would've told the doctors assistant, "QUICK, HOLD HIM DOWN AND DO IT!"

The bills are all back now and we're at least $2500 in the hole, if I'm adding up all these various bills right. But I guess in Ryan's mind, it's all worth it. Plus he got to go to the Sweetheart ball with his friend (who happens to be a girl) and got a ton of respect and admiration from his friends regarding his nose and fabulous suit (rolling my eyes...) that he borrowed from his cousin.. He was pretty much a celebrity. Unfortunately dispelling many myths of why he was pulled out of public school in the first place. (for example... he hadn't killed anyone, wasn't in jail and wasn't dead - aren't teenagers funny?)

This picture below is him at almost his worst. YUCK huh?
Yes, his nose is shaped like a D. The next day after this, the area around his left eye went black.

This is what he looked like all cleaned up a month later for his Senior pictures... Didn't he look much better??? I mean, except for his long hair?

Oh well... This is how he wants to be remembered for his high school days. Didn't I have the feathered Christy Brinkley hair, after all???

This is the one we've chosen for our living room wall. I go place the order tomorrow night.