Tuesday, March 03, 2015

Catching Up

To begin with the obvious, it's been a good long while since I've written anything. At first, I felt like I didn't have much new to say. From my son's obsessions and behavioral protocols, his budget, his tantrums and his multiple hospitalizations, the struggle to provide a stable environment for my typical child, the impact of Mother Nature on our quest for routine and structure, the difficulty of holiday and summer breaks, blah blah blah wah wah wah--sometimes I feel I've touched on it all. Even the dog has had his due.

And if I'm honest, I've been in a bit of a funk for the last six months, and I've found that most people generally don't want to read something funky. Or smell it. Bruno Mars is good funky, but that's about it.



Then, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I got caught up in the tornado of planning a charity gala in
Being interviewed by media company at the gala for a
promotional video for Pathfinders for Autism.
Not sure I made the cut, but it was fun!
Picture by Rachel Rock Photography
October and early November. A fun kind of whirlwind, to be sure, but a significant time commitment nonetheless. All for a great cause, of course.

Pathfinders for Autism is a Maryland-based nonprofit that helps caregivers and individuals with autism find the support and services that they need, trains first responders and emergency personnel in dealing with individuals on the spectrum, hosts free family fun nights in our community, and more.

Being in charge of the live and silent auction meant a tremendous amount of groveling and begging for super cool items, so I spent most of my writing time making sure that committee members were getting some nice swag. I tell ya, being in management is really tough. It's hard telling people what to do all day. I mean, people who are not my husband.

(Oh, who am I kidding, only the dog listens to me, and I think it’s because he feels sorry for me.)

Next thing I know, the fantabulous gala was over (thank God, those 5 inch heels HURT, what was I thinking?), and Christmas came barreling. Shopping is such hard work for a demanding recipient—I mean, look at the effort Kim Kardashian puts into it--especially in a time crunch. Conor has pretty high expectations, and at 16 years old, he still believes in Santa Claus. I remember one year, I spent months trying to find one of those scrolling signs that you see in store fronts.

He never used it. Oh well.

Along with Christmas each year comes a trip to Massachusetts and other New England states to see family. Planning travel with my son with autism is such an angst-ridden process. It usually makes me want to hide my head in the sand.  


On our way home
(Which I would be happy to do if we were going to the beach… but no beach. Just an over-chlorinated hotel pool.)

We've had mixed results during our 'vacations' in the past. I mean, you never know if your macadamia nuts will be served to you in the bag instead of on a silver platter, for Pete's sake. I mean, seriously. And then they don't bother to heat up the lemon water to the most optimal temperature. How are you supposed to clean the macadamia nut dust off your fingers? Unbelievable.

It takes a ton of planning, in all seriousness, to ensure a successful, smooth experience when traveling with my son. I actually considered packing some sweet potatoes in my carry-on bag along with all his medications but came to my senses. (I packed them in the checked baggage. Duh. Nonstop flight.

For those that don't know, Conor eats a sweet potato every night. Every. Night.)

Surely, I remember thinking to myself, this year's trip up north would be much easier than last year's

This year, while we were away visiting my in-laws just after Christmas, my sister’s husband was struck and killed by a drunk driver as he rode his bicycle on a warm-for-December Saturday afternoon in Baltimore. We cut our trip short and flew back home as quickly as we could. Conor handled it well, all things considered.


I did not handle it well, myself.

This deserves its own, more thoughtful blog post, so that’s all I’ll say about that right now. It’s hard to write when you’re crying, I’ve discovered. And I get a headache from all the trying-not-to-cry-ing. (Conor gets upset when I am upset, so I try to limit how much he sees.)

Suffice to say, it’s been difficult to get back on track. Grief is exhausting, I’ve found. Not sure I really realized that before now. Nobody told me that. Or maybe I just didn’t understand.

In any case, while I’m writing the next blog post, click here to read an old one. It's about Rachel and Tom's wedding. Or rather, how they nicely included Conor in it.  


We miss you, Tom.







10 comments:

The Lunatic Fringe said...

Hey, although you don't know me at all, I've been following your blog (which I stumbled upon when wondering where exactly my son is on the spectrum) and just wanted to say how sorry I am to read this sad news. I'm sure a virtual hug from a total stranger won't mean much, but here's one, anyway. *hug*

Alisa Rock said...

Thanks so much for your kind words and the virtual hug. It's been difficult.

Comlete Exclusive said...

Coping with the loss of a dear one needs time. It’s tragic that you lost someone to a drunk driver. We must plan a safe way to home every time. It’s better to use a cab than to face a DUI. While price is likely a consideration, do not make it the determining factor. Similarly, never choose a DUI lawyer based solely on their cost. You don't choose the cheapest doctor, do you?

JESSICA said...

ALL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE GREAT DEED HE HAVE DONE FOR MY DAUGHTER?
My daughter suffered from autism for more than 2 years which we started experiencing in her when she turned 1 year and 5 months we all thought it will end but got even worse as days went by. We tried all several treatments and therapy prescribed by various doctors we met but to no avail, she lost total concentration and always complain of sensitivity to sound . She usually tells me she haves poor eyes contact. This were steady disorder that disrupted her entire life, even at night she slept less because of this.It was during a casual conversation with a friend that i learned about Dr Williams herbal medicine I was able to contact him on his email address. and give him all the necessary information that he needed,few day later he sent me the herbal portion and his medicine was able to restore her back to normal and she is very okay now without any side effects whatsoever. If you have autism, do not hesitate to contact him on drwilliams098765@gmail.com for advice and for his product. I hope this also helps someone out there

Leonardo DiCaprio said...

SPECIAL THANKS TO DR WILLIAMS FOR THE AUTISM CURED HE
RENDER TO MY SON.
I'm giving a testimony about Dr. WILLIAMS for the great deed he have done for my family, he has
the natural cure to autism, he cured my son from autism ,
though I went through different website I saw a testimonies about this
Dr Williams, I was like: 'Dr Williams have the autism cure why are
people still suffering from it?' I thought of it, then I contact Dr Williams, I didn't believe him that much, I just wanted to give him a try, he replied my mail and Needed some Information about my son, then I sent them to him, he prepared the (CURE) and sent it to me through Courier Service he gave my details to the Courier Office, they told me that 1-3 days I will receive the package and my son took the medicine as prescribed by Dr Williams and i took my son for check-up 1 week after finishing the medicine, then the autism was not there anymore, if you are suffering from autism you can also contact him on his via email address: drwilliams098675@gmail.com for his help.

Isabella Charlotte said...


I got my already programmed and blanked ATM card to withdraw the maximum of €1,000 daily for a maximum of 20 days. I am so happy about this because i got mine last week and I have used it to get €20,000.{$,€, £ in any currency } MR MIKE is giving out the card just to help the poor and needy though it is illegal but it is something nice and she is not like other scam pretending to have the blank ATM cards. And no one gets caught when using the card. get yours from her. Just send her an email blankatm156@gmail.com

vanessa govinden said...

I give thanks to Dr onokun for helping me get a permanent cure to Uterine fibroid. I have used different western medication without any improvement, And I could not have a child of my own. I had heavy bleeding, frequent urination, a bulky stomach, and cramping. My bleeding is sometimes so heavy that I can’t go out. I go through 9-10 pads in a day. It is so uncomfortable. I have tried everything you can imagine because I’ve had my fibroid for 18 years but none of them have really worked. They just make you feel like you’re doing something but at the end of the day its not really much of a relief. People advertise all sorts of “Fibroid Cures”. I’ve tried all that you can imagine and they worked for a little while, but it’s not working out you have to keep on going. You cant really stop taking them. I got the contact of Doctor onokun from the testimony of people on the internet, and I contacted him through the Email and explained every thing to him. then he sent me his product which I used for 2 weeks. Now am completely cured so I really want to tell this to the world that there is a permanent cure to Fibroid. contact him on dronokunherbalcure@gmail.com or whatsapp: +2349064844957 he can help on any health issues

financialserviceoffer said...

My name is Mrs.Aisha Mohamed, am a Citizen Of Qatar.Have you been looking for a loan?Do you need an urgent personal loan or business loan?contact Dr James Eric Finance Home he help me with a loan of $42,000 some days ago after been scammed of $2,800 from a woman claiming to been a loan lender but i thank God today that i got my loan worth $42,000.Feel free to contact the company for a genuine financial service. Email:(financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com) call/whats-App Contact Number +918929509036

KADIR KADIR said...


Hi Viewers Get your Blank ATM card that works in all ATM machines all over the world.. We have specially programmed ATM cards that can be used to hack ATM machines, the ATM cards can be used to withdraw at the ATM or swipe, at stores and POS. We sell this cards to all interested buyers worldwide, the card has a daily withdrawal limit of $1,000 on ATM and up to $20,000 spending limit in stores depending on the kind of card you order for, we are here for you anytime, any day. Email; (blankatm002@gmail.com) I'm grateful to Mike because he changed my story all of a sudden . The card works in all countries except, contact him now (blankatm002@gmail.com)

John said...

My name is Mrs.Aisha Mohamed, am a Citizen Of Qatar.Have you been looking for a loan?Do you need an urgent personal loan or business loan?contact Dr James Eric Finance Home he help me with a loan of $42,000 some days ago after been scammed of $2,800 from a woman claiming to been a loan lender but i thank God today that i got my loan worth $42,000.Feel free to contact the company for a genuine financial service. Email:(financialserviceoffer876@gmail.com) call/whats-App Contact Number +918929509036
امید

شهیاد

فرشید امین