We are a family that loves to travel, yet…seems like it never fails, one of us is always battling something health-related when we hit the road or once we’ve reached our destination…whether it’s sunburn or allergies or a full blown cold, there’s always something to deal with…I don’t know why I don’t just pack an entire suitcase as a mobile medicine cabinet. I mean, our track record is not great…Andy came down with the flu on our honeymoon in Colorado…my teen got sick at a dance convention in Houston and had to see a doctor…then had an allergic reaction to the antibiotic to where her eyes almost swelled shut… my tween busted her head open on a diving board just prior to our 2009 summer vacation and had to visit a doctor on the road to get her stitches taken out…my teen got sick on our first visit to California and we were delayed going to the San Diego Zoo because we had to wait at a drug store to pick up a prescription called in by our family doctor…Andy once spent almost an entire family ski trip holed up in the hotel room with a stomach bug…
I guess it was time for my name to be added to that illustrious list! In the midst of our “drive around Texas” Spring Break vacation this past week, I came down with a nasty sinus infection and nonstop sore throat to the point where the “bed” part of a Hill Country bed and breakfast was a highlight of the trip for me…other highlights were Ibuprofen, a hot bath and chamomile tea. I didn’t stay in bed, however– I was a trooper, trying to keep down the pain and move on, but darn it, it’s no fun being sick on vacation…we hiked to the top of Enchanted Rock on Wednesday and of course I was slower than everyone else…we saw gorgeous blooms while walking around Austin but of course I couldn’t smell them!! Really, I’m surprised I don’t get sick every trip…I always stay up so late right before we leave, getting everything ready– this latest adventure was no exception, as I was up until 2:45 a.m. on the eve of our trip and we had to be up at 5:30 to leave…insanity, I know…but hey, in spite of everything, we’ve made some great memories…
A gray wolf licked my face at a wolf sanctuary…my tween got an impromptu guitar lesson on stage at the famous Hill Top cafe from its famous owner, Johnny Nicholas…my teen, normally the most whining hiker around, was the first of our bunch to reach the top of Enchanted Rock and didn’t even complain when we had to wait an hour in traffic to get inside the park, less than a mile from the gates…Andy got in some solitary biking along miles of the Galveston seawall and also enjoyed rollerblading around Austin…I got to meet my new great nephew and spend time with dear friends I hardly ever get to see…and the whole family had some great conversations in the car along the way…so it was definitely worth putting up with some pain and discomfort. But now that we’re back home, I just want to go climb in my own bed and get some R and R, but there are suitcases to be emptied, and mail to be opened…
Does anyone else have any “sick while on vacation” stories? Misery loves company!
Hi Patricia;
There is a reason I don’t go to the Hill Country in the late winter/early spring. Cedar Fever. You may have gotten yourself a good case of it. I was outside at my son’s “Walk for Diabetes” on March 12th with a strong southerly wind and I was sick all weekend.
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By the way, at this walk I got to “join in” on a conversation by volunteer moms who someday want to be “slacker moms” like the rest of the population. Keep in mind these moms don’t have jobs outside of the house. This slacker mom worked half a day, took a day off work earlier in the week for my other son and a half day to be sick all weekend only to be referred to as “slacker”. I’m also a room mom, church volunteer and Bible Study leader. I don’t consider myself a slacker. I appreciate volunteerism but this puts a dent on my desire to do any more for this school. May make an interesting article some day.
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Feel better.
Wow– they were really referring to you? Unbelievable. At our elementary school, I have never heard of moms who work outside the home referred to as slackers. Everyone knows it’s impossible for them to do everything at school all the time and the school is grateful whenever they can help. If they were really talking about you and are that ungrateful, I’d definitely show them what it really means to slack!!!
Thanks for the note about Cedar Fever. That just may be it. My eyes were burning today and the tissue box was my best friend!