Saturday, April 30, 2011

Of All the Rotten Luck!

I don't know if I can even bear to write this.
I've been
Sick
Again
(I know, right?)
But don't worry, it gets better.
Much, much better.
Or perhaps I should say worse.
Much, much worse...

But let's start at the beginning, shall we?
The beginning of this tale was quite a while ago.

An idyllic start to any story, really.
(Ignore my mullet, please)
 April 11th, 1986
That's 25 years ago, in case you don't want to do the math.

 This year, we celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary.
That's a big deal, right?

 My grandma made my wedding dress. She made the whole bodice out of a sheet first, so she could make sure it fit properly.
(Please also ignore the blue tuxes. Ack! And the mother's dresses were burgundy, not red).


 So...How to celebrate?
Our Anniversary happened to fall during Spring Break, so we decided it was the perfect time to go on a little vacation. Plus, our kids are old enough that we didn't have to farm them out. Perfect!
We tossed around ideas for a few months. It had to be a trip that fit in our time frame and budget.
Originally, we decided to spend the week in St. George (where we spent our honeymoon). But at the last minute, Rick decided that Disneyland was feasible AND would be lots of fun too!

April is a crazy month for us around here. The week before we left was insane! I helped with Shane's field trip & we celebrated Shane's birthday a few days early, since it was during the week we would be gone.
But finally~ we are packed and headed out the door!
We drove to St. George & spent the night there.
The next morning, on the way to California, I mentioned that my throat felt kinda "scratchy".
I really thought I was having just some allergy symptoms.
Added allergy medicine to my list of items I still needed to grab at the store.

Next day...Disneyland!!!
So. Much. Fun!
I had been in a little bit of a funk because I had wanted to do something different. But once we got there, it was awesome. I had forgotten how much I LOVE Disneyland!

 First ride we got on was Space Mountain.
You need to know that I have not always been a fan of rides. There are still some I won't ride. (Splash Mountain~ I've ridden a couple of times & I hate it! And I won't even attempt Tower of Terror!!!)
As we were waiting in line, I was feeling a little nervous. What if I was back to the "not liking rides". That would make for one boring trip!
Rick asked if I was nervous...and I quipped that I was more worried about how many people had touched the railing that I kept touching as we waited in line!
And this was true! I had decided I didn't want to carry a bag with me~ so I had left my hand sanitizer back at the hotel...and I was freaking out a little, for real!
Truth be told, I joke about being a germaphobe, but I really have been a little overboard lately...so going without sanitizer was kinda like therapy! :)
All in all, we had a great day! Have I mentioned that I really LOVE Disneyland?
Such a magical place.
We spend the day there~ and leave around dinner time. We have 4 days to spend in Disneyland, so plenty of time to shop and see the shows and ride everything a few times...

Day 2...
California Adventure
I'm feeling a little "off".  Have kind of a sore throat.
We ride a few rides.
It's kinda cold.
In fact~ I am rather chilled.
We have lunch.
Rick eats part of my hamburger because I can't eat it all.
I tell him he probably shouldn't eat it.
"What if I'm sick"?
We head over to see the Aladdin show.
Afterwards, we are trying to decide what to do next.
I'm so darn cold!
Rick suggests we go back to the hotel and rest and get warm & then come back that evening for the show we wanted to see.
I'm thinking I kind of feel like I did the day I came down with the flu...
Back at the hotel~ I can't get warm.
Starting to realize I am sick.
I have a fever and chills & a sore throat. But I'm determined to be better by morning.
Load up on ibuprofen.

6:00 AM~ Still feeling like crap. We decide to pack it up and head home. :(
I don't even argue. I am feeling pretty rotten.
I doze off and on all the way to St. George. Throat is really hurting now.
In St. George, we decide to find an Urgent Care. Hoping I can get an antibiotic and feel better in a day or so & we can salvage our weekend.
Dr. confirms that I am indeed sick!
I have tonsillitis from strep.
Really? First off~ I never get strep. Haven't had it for years!
And 45 year old women don't typically get tonsillitis. It's more common in kids and young adults.
Lucky me!
Have no clue where I picked this up!
Doctor assures me that tonsillitis resolves pretty quickly & I should be feeling better in 1-2 days (liar!)
We decide to get a hotel and stay in St. George for the weekend.

I spend the evening propped up in bed~ with Rick bringing me ice cream, and hot chocolate and ice water and soup...anything to help soothe my throat.
Maybe the trip will be okay, after all. I'm sure I'll be feeling better in 24 hours.
NOT!
I actually got worse over the next 24 hours!
So, after a miserable night of not sleeping~ (In fact, I didn't sleep for 4 days...stupid, swollen tonsils!)
We decide to just pack it home.
Where I spent the remainder of the weekend feeling pretty miserable! Took the whole 10 days on the antibiotic for me to start feeling better...and a few days after that before I was feeling mostly normal.
Stupid tonsillitis! Stupid tonsils! Bleh!!!
I still have a stupid cough. I think I'll have that For.Ev.Er.
(And oddly, Rick did not get sick.)
Shane has been sick, too. But with some stomach bug that lasts a couple of weeks! Nothing related to my illness. But I better not get it!!!  He had to have some testing done because we didn't know what was wrong with him. He is finally starting to feel better the last couple of days.  He has had a really bad stomach ache & the occasional (every 2-3 days) pukies and poopies. Been such a fun couple of weeks! NOT!!!

We did no shopping in Disneyland. I did not buy one souvenir, or pin, or anything! I had my eye on a couple of shops & knew a few things I wanted to get for the kids...lot of good that did me.

I did take a few pictures. Maybe I could salvage something from that?
Nope~ they are all crappy! Even the ones I asked someone else to take.
When I looked at the pictures~ and they were so bad...I cried a little!

Now, I know this isn't that big of a deal.
 But it is really just such a huge disappointment for us.
Kinda hard not to feel a little sad about it.
I ruined our whole trip!

Honestly, we haven't even talked about it.
Rick finally said something a couple of days ago~ about being disappointed.
I told him~ "I can't even think about it, it just makes me so upset!"
Then we had a good laugh about it. :)

Sweetest thing he said to me when I was feeling bad that we had to come home?
"It doesn't matter~ we have our whole lives ahead of us."
(Which apparently, I will be sick for)

There will be other trips.
Other celebrations.
Much more life to live!

I found this cute figurine online~ when I was torturing myself by looking at the Disney store, seeing all the things I could have bought!
It's just the sort of thing I was looking for.
And it would be perfect too...

If we had spent more than 5 minutes in Disneyland!!!

So, there you have it. My tale of woe.
Sympathy encouraged and accepted. :) 



12 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry that the trip didn't go as planned at all, but congrats on your anniversary and all those years together and an eternity together in the future! Even if you didn't get to celebrate the way you hoped, be happy in each other's arms anywhere you are, even if you're about to throw up or you're burning with a fever. But get better (and stay better!) soon.

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  2. Valerie I sure hope you are feeling better! Tonsilitis is sure a weird thing to get in your 40's wow.

    I would just say this: Plan another trip for this summer somewhere to celebrate that 25th Anniversary!! It is a huge milestone and you can celebrate it anytime during the year!!!! So there you go. Do it when you are feeling good.

    In the meantime Happy Anniversary!!

    I love seeing your wedding pictures - we have been married 26 years and the styles from our wedding are much the same - gotta love it. And soooo neat that your Grandma made your dress - I think it is beautiful.

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  3. I am so sorry you were that sick. Strep throat is awful. I have had it twice and remember every single time.

    I love the wedding pictures. Your dress is so beautiful. I think you look darling. My anniversary is coming up soon....uh you are a baby in comparison. I'm going to break out my wedding picture and post it too.

    I think you should do another trip......cancun maybe.

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  4. Happy Anniversary a few weeks ago. We were married the same year in March. I wore a hat also :)

    So sorry about the string of bad luck with sickness. I, too, think you should reschedule and try and go again.

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  5. Dang it all! I think you certainly have payed your dues in sickness this winter, and you deserve a break! I hope that you are feeling much, much better, and I have to agree with Cherie.....you can celebrate anytime this year :)
    I think we are about the same age, and married almost a year apart. We will be celebrating out 25th next April. My how the time flies !
    I had to smile at you using the word 'poopies'. I use the same word, and my family thinks I'm a goof ball for using that term. I'll have to let them know that I am indeed in good company, and all the COOL people use that term :)
    Happy, Happy Anniversary, and here's to making anniversary memories all year long !

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  6. Valerie,
    That is a tale of woe! How sad and disappointing to be so sick while on vacation! What's going on with you? It doesn't seem right to be sick so much! And tonsilitis? Unreal!! Think to next spring break. Go again and really enjoy it!
    You need some chicken soup!

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  7. Oh, Valerie! I am s sorry you have felt so poorly. I was just saying to my kids that I need to start proposing some ideas to my hubby for our 25th, which is next July. I am personally pushing for Rome. No lie!

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  8. Awe Valerie, I hope you are feeling better now. As for the wedding dress being made first from a sheet. My grandmother made my dress and did the same thing. She also lined my dress as she did not want the seems touching my skin. Turned out to make the dress heavy and hot.

    You can find me here.
    http://www.simplyafamily.blogspot.com/

    I did send you and e-mail.

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  9. So sorry you're sick! Even at the "happiest place on earth"! :( Get better then go back for the 26th! :)

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  10. Gosh...I haven't been to Disneyland in a gazillion years. My parents took me with them and the family when I was pregnant with my oldest child...WHO TURNS 39 this year. See, I told ya.

    Congrats on your anniversary. It is always fun to look at our wedding pictures and see how the styles have changed so much.

    and I DO HOPE you start to feel better....it has been a long haul for you

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  11. listen here, cinderella! :) at least you had a knight in shining armor to swoop in and save the day by whisking you back home. ::hugs:: i think you SHOULD get that figurine since its still a memory shared!

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  12. p.s. if it makes you feel better, you're not alone in the sick department. but i think i've got what shane's got. have been battling this stomach stuff for near a week now. not. happy. about. that. :(

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