Williamsburg, Virginia

In June I had the honor of going with my mom to Washington D.C.  I have always wanted to go and was actually planning on going when I found out my mom was planning a trip as well.  We went together and I will always hold on to the memory because it was so special.

My mom and I flew into Williamsburg, Virginia.  We spent three days there with my niece and nephew Cami and Derrick Struksma and their daughter Zoe.  My brother Dan was nice enough to let us use three nights of his timeshare.  It was five minutes away from Cami and Derrick and was like a studio apartment with two bedrooms.  Our back patio looked out into a field.

I was excited to spend time with Cami because she is so fun and easy to get along with.  Cami and Derrick have a fun relationship that entails a lot of teasing and sarcasm.  They are both highly intelligent, sociable, and amazing people.  When it comes right down to it, Cami and Derrick are truly meant for each other.  

We spent our time in Virginia visiting Williamsburg, Jamestown, and William and Mary College.

Williamsburg was full of historical buildings and enchanting town actors.  I was excited to buy a whistle that was handmade there in Williamsburg.  I plan to use it to call my students attention in school.  There was a lot of walking there and I made mom walk further than she should have so that I could send a postcard to my family right from the Williamsburg post office.  There were shoe maker shops, seamstress shops,  and gardens.  Cami explained that all of the people actually make things how they were made back in colonial Williamsburg times.  They used antiquated tools, out of date technology, and historic methods.  Cami and I went off to find a bathroom.  That was about the time she told Zoe there was a frog in the grass next to her and Zoe started to run for her life.  There is a story about Cami, Zoe, and a frog from earlier in the month that you just have to hear Cami tell because it is hysterical.

Mom and I took a train from Williamsburg to Washington D.C.  It was difficult boarding the train, finding seats, and stowing our luggage.  I really thought someone would take pity on us and help us out, but it was a fend for yourself type atmosphere.  A kind lady offered to change seats so that mom and I could sit together.  When we arrived at the D.C. train station we were more than overwhelmed.  We did not know where our hotel was or the best way to get there.  We decided on taking a taxi and were relived when he loaded and unloaded the luggage for us.

Next post will be about Washington D.C.

Recuperating

My family has had and evil virus since the first week of June. Kyath was hit first.  He had a fever, chills, cough, and was just plain tired.  To be honest, I thought he was over exaggerating his case because he still had school.  So I gave him a limited amount of sympathy.

Zander was hit next.  He had all the same symptoms and just sat on the couch all day.  I had more sympathy for him because he is a tough kid and who plays sick during summer vacation?

What I haven't touched on is that both Kyath's and Zander's sicknesses lasted two weeks.  It is a pretty nasty case of the flu.  I kept thinking that they would be feeling better the next day, and each day they just became progressively worse.  Zander's started the two weeks after Kyath was sick, so I thought we were out of the woods as far as the rest of the family getting it. 

Around the time Zander started to get better, Dresden caught the flu.  She wanted to be held and taken care of every minute of the day for the entire two weeks.  I took her in to Instacare.  I had kept asking Kyath if he wanted to go to Instacare when he was sick and he kept saying he wasn't sure. Then I thought Zander could get through it if Kyath could.  I probably took her in because she was so needy.  That sounds awful, but it is probably true.

The doctor at Instacare diagnosed Dresden with "Walking Pneumonia."   She was prescribed an antibiotic.  That was about the time I felt like a terrible mom.  Here I had two other kids that had walking pneumonia and I just let them suffer through it.

As Dresden started feeling better, Porter came down with it.  I loaded him up with cough drops and decongestant.  After a week I took him in and he was diagnosed with Walking Pneumonia.  He was giving antibiotics and started to get better with the antibiotics.  He is still coughing throughout the day and is a little tired. as well.

You can guess what happened next.  I came down with it.  I had all the same symptoms of chills, fever, cough, headache, and low energy.  I went to Instacare.  The doctor came in the room laughing and apologized.  He wondered if I had heard him make fun of me to the nurses for calling it Walking Pneumonia.  He said, "They don't use that term anymore and I wondered if there was a 60 year old women in here."  That's when I knew I was in trouble.  I decided to hold back the snotty remark hanging on my tongue that it was the doctors at Instacare that had diagnosed my two children with the antiquated term Walking Pneumonia.

He listened to my lungs, looked in the mouth and ears, and checked my thyroid.  He told me I had the flu.  He gave me cough medicine and told me to suffer through it.  He told me to come back if the symptoms worsen.  I was upset.   I expected to get antibiotics like Dresden and Porter.

So here we are half way through summer vacation and I feel like I haven't even had a summer.  Besides the trip to D.C. (Way amazing by the way) I have been living in a sick ward.  I am so tired and am still fighting the flu.  I slept ten hours last night.  Then I took a two hour nap this afternoon.  Dresden begged and begged to go to the parade tonight, so I finally gave in and took her.  It took all my energy.  It is just crazy.  I hope no one else gets this because it is just terrible. 

Meanwhile I feel like I have neglected my brother Dex and my sister-in-law Robin for not calling and acknowledging the birth of their sweet girl.  I of course can 't visit because I wouldn't want to pass this on with their new born in the NICU.

I have also neglected my foster brother Travis and sister-in-law Kari with their newborn as well.  He is five weeks old and I haven't even given them a call.  They probably feel like I don't even care.  That's not the case.

Then there is Shelley who just has a hysterectomy.  I would have loved to visit her in her time of need.  I am thrilled that the operation went well and that the prognosis is good.  I love her and hope to make it up to her.

I wish I could help Debbie.  I know she is getting ready for Avery's farewell and as yet still doesn't have a kitchen.  I wish I could take part of her load.

There are so many people that I should be helping or at least visiting and I am just not to that point yet.  I wish I could just get this virus over and done with and get on with my life.  My fingers are still crossed that Don doesn't get it. 

New Outlook

So I realized just how important it is to have a digital footprint. Crazy you say? Let me explain. My friend Jordan Fowles died two weeks ago. The first thing I did was spend hours reading all the entries of his on Facebook. Then I went to all and any relatives' Facebook accounts to read as much as I could. It hit me that I needed to know what was going on in his life even though I had kept contact with him through the years.

I did the very same thing when my mission companion Susan Candland Bromley died. I had to know about her family. I needed to know more about what was going on to cause her tragedy.

So I am thus compelled to make a record of me and my family. It is not a matter of vanity or being self absorbed. It is just a drawing force in my life right now that I can't explain. There is a cute saying that I saw once at Kneaders. It says, "May your life be as happy as you pretend it is on Facebook." I am not out to show off or try to make anyone like me better. I just need to do this for me.

Today my oldest son, Ky, did something that brings tears to my eyes. I was out with Don and my second oldest, Porter, when he called. He said he felt like he needed to give some money to a neighbor. I told him that if he felt he should, then he should. He has been working a concrete construction job this summer. It is hard work, but it has taught him amazing things. His payday was Friday, so he had some money to spare.

When I came home, he couldn't wait to tell me how good it felt. He said he went to the neighbor and was tongue tied. He explained that he couldn't get his words out so that they made sense. Then he pulled out the money and explained to her that she has done so much for him and he felt inspired that he needed to bring her the money. She wouldn't take the money, but my son insisted. They both were in tears. She told him that she needed the exact amount he had just given her because her tires were bald and she was going out of town.

My payoff is that my oldest son has learned to listen to the still small voice and recognizes its promptings. He is only 15 and he has become such a man just these last two months. I can't thank Ben, his boss enough for giving this difficult job. It has helped Ky learn important life lessons life persistence and charity. I sure love that boy.