Happy Birthday Mr. Hood!

Today is December 31st - New Year's Eve. A day recognized by millions as a time to ponder the old year that has passed and new one that is fast approaching. This day, however, has additional significance in the Freede Hood - it's my older brother Curt's birthday.


I don't usually do tribute blog postings, so I'll keep this one pretty low key and try not to get too sentimental. Curt - Curtis when my Mom was mad at him, and Curtis Mitchell when she was really mad - was born on New Year's Eve 1951, the first of four sons to Heber and Eileen Freede. He attended kindergarden at Horace Mann Elementary in Warren, Ohio, and after graduation went on to scholastic and athletic success at Leavitt Elementary, Leavittsburg Junior High, Leavittsburg High School, and finally the University of Toledo.


Growing up he and I were inseparable. We shared a room for seventeen years until he went away to college in 1971 to become a pharmacist. Some of my fondest childhood memories involve Curt and I ganging up on our two younger brothers to keep them in line, teach them a lesson, or generally to just torture them for no real reason. I also remember the day we beat up Barry and Gary Foor, the twins who lived down the street (they deserved it). While in high school Curt was a star football player, setting every school and many county rushing records. If you're ever in Leavittsburg stop any person on the street and ask about how he single-handedly won the 1969 game against our arch-rival Champion High.


Today is an unusual day because it's the first day since December 3rd that we're not the same age. You see, when I say Curt and I are close, I mean close in a calendar sense of close. Owing to the fact that we were both born in December in adjacent years - he on the 31st and I on the 3rd - we are the "same age" every year for 28 days. I'm not sure at what point the realization dawned on me that my existence was not one that was planned. After all, how many people do you know who have a brother who is only eleven months older than they are?


Regardless of any additional fascinating circumstances, the main event today is Curt's birthday.


Happy birthday, Mr. Hood!




(Above: Curt is on the far left in the top picture - in the hat - and on the right in the botton picture - also in the hat.)

The Reports of the Death of Our Blog Were Greatly Exaggerated

Hello everyone. I'm returning to our blog after an absence of four months. With the Christmas season upon us and the end of the year fast approaching I thought I'd take a few minutes and do some catching up on what's been going on with us in the Freede Hood.

Our biggest news - for those of you who may not yet have heard - is that Bethany and Cody will be turning Vicki and I into grandparents, effective on April 30, 2011. We found out last weekend that the little human is a boy, as revealed during the "gender reveal" party that was held at our house last Saturday.

For those of you not familiar with exactly what a "gender reveal" party is, it works like this: Expectant parents go to doctor for an ultra-sound, which reveals the gender of the infant. However, gender is not revealed to expectant parents, but only to solitary designated third party, who is this case was Cody's mom, Cheryl, who due to work commitments knew she would be unable to attend the gender reveal party. Cheryl contacts bakery in Sugar Land and orders a cake that will be either pink or blue (in this case blue), with chocolate icing - which will conceal the color of the cake. At the party everyone wears either a pink or blue shirt to indicate their guess of the baby's gender. At the appointed time the expectant parents cut the cake and a naked baby jumps out. Not really. Actually the color of the cake reveals the baby's gender! It sounds pretty dorky, but it was actually a lot of fun, and quite suspenseful. It also proves that in 21st century Amercia people will now have a party for just about anything.

Because both Kayla and Bethany are designated for assignment to their in-laws for Christmas this year we held our Christmas festivities this weekend. Vicki arranged everything so perfectly that we for the most part thought that Christmas had officially been moved up a week. The only thing missing was the Christmas Eve candle-lighting ceremony at church. We decided against having our own such ceremony, guessing that it would lose its impact with only six candles. Vicki actually mentioned on the way to church this morning that she had some plans for the after-Christmas sales this week. Silly her. I'm thinking about taking down the outside Christmas lights tomorrow.

For Christmas this year I got Vicki two rocking chairs from Cracker Barrel. That's right, two of those white rockers that people sit in on the porch while they wait to be seated. She's wanted these rockers for several years, but I have always resisted, mostly because I don't really want anyone to know that I've actually been to Cracker Barrel, given that I have not yet attained the age of 85. As we sat on the back porch on Christmas morning, rocking away in our new chairs and talking about the new grandson, I suddenly felt old enough to be dirt. Vicki is debating over what "Grandma name" to choose for herself. I'm pretty much sold on "Grandpa" for myself. It will fit perfectly with the rocker.

Speaking of Christmas lights, we were devastated last week to learn that we did not place in the annual Greatwood home decorating contest. This blow was particularly severe because we had decided that this was the year we would go all out. In spite of my best efforts - which I have to admit may not quite qualify as "all out" - and some very customized work on my part, our finished product (see above) was neither appreciated or rewarded by the judges. Vicki has vowed revenge but I'm taking it a little more philosophically, trying to maintain some perspective on the true importance of a sign in the yard that says "Honorable Mention - Woodhaven". My plan for next year is to put some of those little electric candles in the windows and be done with it.