Disappointment and yet, we're so alive.
Chad and I were supposed to get a weekend away this weekend. We were headed for Park City to celebrate our (early) anniversary, but Thursday morning I started feeling kind of wonky. After two hours of trying to work, I thought "um, I feel like I'm going to throw up."
And it was all downhill from there.
I thought I had the stomach flu. It was 48 hours of total misery, but the worst part was the blasted headache. I thought my eye was going to burst out of head. It took 48 hours for the headache to break completely, but by Friday night it was starting to ease and by Saturday night the headache and all flu like symptoms were gone.
I now think I didn't have the stomach flu, but officially the worst headache of my life. And I thought I'd already hit that milestone a time of two, but I was wrong. I now know a whole new level of suckfest and it is writhing, piercing, nauseating, intense pain. I'm just happy it's over.
But poor Chad, got robbed his weekend away. I made a valiant effort to get up Friday morning and finish up my work, so I could go. I think I lasted 11 mins at my desk and then I had to lay down and sleep for 3 hours to recover from sitting up. So Chad very reluctantly called and canceled our reservations. I felt so terrible for him, or maybe I felt really terrible for me, or maybe I just felt really terrible. It's hard to tell what's going on when you can't sit up or open your eyes for 2 days.
But there were bright spots. And those are worth remembering, so here's what happened while I was curled up in my bed praying for death.
The Kindness of Friends
Grace had a field trip with her church group Thursday morning and she so terribly wanted to go. I only had to drive her two blocks to a house in the neighborhood and I knew I couldn't do it. So I made one of the children bring me the phone and I called my sweet neighbor. Her daughter was going too, so she quite willingly ran Grace to the rendezvous. That was it. That's all I needed and I was so grateful for the help.
An hour later I hear a knock on my door and I think, what the what? Grace is home already? Crap. So I throw on my robe and drag myself out to the door and I'm sure I looked really pretty. And I open the door with my popeye- headache face on and there's Robyn holding a Jamba Juice, a big bottle of Sprite, and a Powerade. And she takes one look at me and before she can say anything I say "I'm so sorry." And she laughs and calls me a silly girl, hands me my "medicine," scoops up Brynn and tells me to go lay down. Bless her soul, she kept my kids the rest of the day. She already has 5 kids (all tiny or on summer vacation), she was tending her nephew and then she had my two as well. Congrats Robyn, you just earned your Sainthood and a big tray of cinnamon rolls.
Exciting Adventures
Friday Chad decided not to wallow in his lost romantic getaway, but strap on his swim trunks and take the girls to the waterslide park. He let them go on all the major waterslides, which I tell them they are too little for. They were thrilled.
Before he left I made him promise to watch them close, closer than usual, just to be safe and put sunscreen on them.
Through the haze of my squinted eyes I could see them standing at the foot of my bed when they got home, regaling me with tales of their waterslide bravery.
My favorite is Brynn's retelling: "I went on the big orange one, Mom! It was a so big and I was so scared, but I did it and I FEEL SO ALIVE!!!!!"
I feel so alive?? I love her.
Before Chad shoosed them off and they came and kissed me and when they got close to my face I could smell sunscreen. Good man, that Daddy-Chad, good man.
Family Ties
Scott, Ash and Devin were in town for the weekend. So late Friday night I threw on some clothes and went and parked my rear in a lawn chair on my parents front yard. Thick, green grass under my feet and the azure evening sky behind the mountains. We talked and laughed and watched the girls run around and the baby play. It was so cool and lovely - I'm glad I didn't miss it.
Now here I am, Sunday, getting ready to face the week. And dreading it a little, because I know what I didn't get done last week, thanks to my stupid head. But tonight I made a lovely dinner and had a Mario Marathon with my little fam, read scriptures, said prayers and tucked everyone in without too much fuss. And my head feels good and I'm grateful that my prayers for death went unanswered. It's nice to feel so alive! :)
And it was all downhill from there.
I thought I had the stomach flu. It was 48 hours of total misery, but the worst part was the blasted headache. I thought my eye was going to burst out of head. It took 48 hours for the headache to break completely, but by Friday night it was starting to ease and by Saturday night the headache and all flu like symptoms were gone.
I now think I didn't have the stomach flu, but officially the worst headache of my life. And I thought I'd already hit that milestone a time of two, but I was wrong. I now know a whole new level of suckfest and it is writhing, piercing, nauseating, intense pain. I'm just happy it's over.
But poor Chad, got robbed his weekend away. I made a valiant effort to get up Friday morning and finish up my work, so I could go. I think I lasted 11 mins at my desk and then I had to lay down and sleep for 3 hours to recover from sitting up. So Chad very reluctantly called and canceled our reservations. I felt so terrible for him, or maybe I felt really terrible for me, or maybe I just felt really terrible. It's hard to tell what's going on when you can't sit up or open your eyes for 2 days.
But there were bright spots. And those are worth remembering, so here's what happened while I was curled up in my bed praying for death.
The Kindness of Friends
Grace had a field trip with her church group Thursday morning and she so terribly wanted to go. I only had to drive her two blocks to a house in the neighborhood and I knew I couldn't do it. So I made one of the children bring me the phone and I called my sweet neighbor. Her daughter was going too, so she quite willingly ran Grace to the rendezvous. That was it. That's all I needed and I was so grateful for the help.
An hour later I hear a knock on my door and I think, what the what? Grace is home already? Crap. So I throw on my robe and drag myself out to the door and I'm sure I looked really pretty. And I open the door with my popeye- headache face on and there's Robyn holding a Jamba Juice, a big bottle of Sprite, and a Powerade. And she takes one look at me and before she can say anything I say "I'm so sorry." And she laughs and calls me a silly girl, hands me my "medicine," scoops up Brynn and tells me to go lay down. Bless her soul, she kept my kids the rest of the day. She already has 5 kids (all tiny or on summer vacation), she was tending her nephew and then she had my two as well. Congrats Robyn, you just earned your Sainthood and a big tray of cinnamon rolls.
Exciting Adventures
Friday Chad decided not to wallow in his lost romantic getaway, but strap on his swim trunks and take the girls to the waterslide park. He let them go on all the major waterslides, which I tell them they are too little for. They were thrilled.
Before he left I made him promise to watch them close, closer than usual, just to be safe and put sunscreen on them.
Through the haze of my squinted eyes I could see them standing at the foot of my bed when they got home, regaling me with tales of their waterslide bravery.
My favorite is Brynn's retelling: "I went on the big orange one, Mom! It was a so big and I was so scared, but I did it and I FEEL SO ALIVE!!!!!"
I feel so alive?? I love her.
Before Chad shoosed them off and they came and kissed me and when they got close to my face I could smell sunscreen. Good man, that Daddy-Chad, good man.
Family Ties
Scott, Ash and Devin were in town for the weekend. So late Friday night I threw on some clothes and went and parked my rear in a lawn chair on my parents front yard. Thick, green grass under my feet and the azure evening sky behind the mountains. We talked and laughed and watched the girls run around and the baby play. It was so cool and lovely - I'm glad I didn't miss it.
Now here I am, Sunday, getting ready to face the week. And dreading it a little, because I know what I didn't get done last week, thanks to my stupid head. But tonight I made a lovely dinner and had a Mario Marathon with my little fam, read scriptures, said prayers and tucked everyone in without too much fuss. And my head feels good and I'm grateful that my prayers for death went unanswered. It's nice to feel so alive! :)
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