What a week!

Well, most of you may have heard that I was in the hospital and to help save my hands from retyping what happened I will blog about it.

Last Sunday, May 10, I noticed that I was having some issues with stomach but thought it was because I was being more strict about what I was eating. I was spending a lot of time over at Erin and Drew's because my Aunt Pam and Uncle Ken were in town helping Erin with her first week back at work. Little did any of us know what a blessing having them here would be! By Tuesday, May 12, I realized that I was not just having some little stomach issue as I begin throwing up and having a fever that reached 102.5! By around 5:00 AM, I called work and left a message that I wouldn't be coming in and waited another two hours before calling my boss to let him know I was going to the clinic. I was a little nervous as thoughts of swine flu were dancing through my head!

At 9:00 AM, I called and was told to go right into the clinic as I had been unable to keep anything down for hours. By the time I was at the clinic, I was so dehydrated that it took four people and a lot of needle pokes to get an IV in and working. By 4:00 PM, Erin came and picked me up to drive me to Holy Cross's emergency room. At this point I was still able to walk and there were short periods where I could live outside of the bathroom. I went to the emergency room and there Aunt Pam and Uncle Ken joined us as I was getting pain and nausea medication to help thing get better. At this point, everywhere I went I had to have a bucket as my nausea was more than I could handle. Later that night, I was admitted into the hospital and attempted to get sleep.

Thursday, May 14, Erin stayed with me at the hospital all day and my friend Merry stopped by to cheer me up! At this point it was all I could do to get out of bed and the pain and nausea was beyond anything I can describe. Friday, May 15, I aspirated and ended up needing to be on oxygen as my oxygen levels were around 80. Saturday, May 16, I could barely get out of bed and much to the relief of my sister my mom flew into town to come stay with me. Sunday, May 17, I couldn't get out of bed and the vomiting was still continuing... I was so sick that I remember telling my mom to just take me out back and put me out of my misery! Between throwing up, my roommmates constant Court TV going 24 hours a day, not being able to even take care of myself, I was not a happy person to be around. My sweet VT, Stephanie, came to see me after church and I couldn't even make it the 15 minutes of her visit without getting sick. Sunday night I was informed that the Doctor wanted to have an endoscopy/colonoscopy done Monday morning to figure out what was going on...

Sunday night was the WORST night of my LIFE!! Already being unable to keep anything down they wanted me to drink this nasty tasting drink that would clear my insides. My mom was a real trouper and kept by my side always making sure that my pink bucket was never out of reach! My mom left at 1:30 AM after promising to be back at 8:00 AM - it was hard to have her leave me there that night... I was so sick.

Monday, May 18, morning dawned - Judge Judy yelling in the background and my brains about ready to burst. My mom showed up right before they were getting ready to wheel me down for the scopes and I was there with bucket in hand. They wheeled me back to the room and there was a small discussion on my need to still be on the oxygen, I then was informed that they were getting ready to put me to sleep. I was grateful for the chance to be out for a few shorts hours and away from my current situation. Too good to be true... All too quickly I was awake. I was staring into the eyes of one of the assistants and noticed an oxygen bag sitting on my chest. I was then informed that I had stopped breathing during the endoscopy; therefore, they weren't going to continue with the other procedure. Needless to say, my tears of anger weren't held back! I was a wreck! Those of you who have gone through that prep know how awful it is and to find out that you have to go through that again ended up being a bit much for me.

I was wheeled back to my room where I had absolutely no strength to even slide from the transport bed back into my hospital bed. A new doctor made rounds that day and after discussing my situation with my mom the decision was made to stop all pain and nausea medication and get a soft food diet. She said that by the end of the day she wanted me to be up and walking by myself... In my head I thought she was nuts!! My lunch of applesauce, pudding, and chicken soup arrived and my mother literally shoved it down my throat. Slowly, the waves of nausea passed and the need for oxygen was gone. It was probably 2-3 hours later that same day that I was able to walk to the bathroom and I even walked down the hallway! The nurse that started her shift when I was taken for the scopes, couldn't believe how quickly I had turned around. I was doing so well by that evening that I asked if I could leave! I couldn't wait to leave and get to a place where I didn't have to hear the sounds of Court TV, my roommate complaining about mean nurses, and waking up to nurses wanting to draw more blood. Watching my mom leave on Monday night scared me half to death.. I was afraid that once she left I would get sick again and they would tell me that I was unable to leave the hospital. Needless to say, the already rough nights I was experiencing were nothing compared to that night.

Tuesday morning dawned and I was up and ready to leave by 5:30 AM!!! My mom showed up around 9:00 AM and then it was a waiting game for the doctor. I was finally released!!!!!!!! I was so relieved that it was all I could do to hold back sobs of relief while we were leaving. My emotions were on quite a rollercoaster for the next couple of days as my body was adjusting to actually sleeping and recovering. I learned a lot about myself during that week and I also learned how much love my family and friends have for me. My dad sent gorgeous roses and my work also sent beautiful flowers that really brightened up my dull room.

My home teacher, member of the Bishopric, visiting teachers, a boss, and countless emails, phone calls, and voicemails from people in the ward were there for me while I was in the hospital and even when I left. I missed out on going to the yearly Duck Beach trip, but I was able to spend time with my mom (who left everything to be there for me). I was also able to go to Drew's graduation and watch him walk, it was pretty much awesome. But the week was not over yet...

Saturday, May 23, my mom and I were leaving Erin's after Drew's BBQ and doing minor shopping. I was driving and on the way home I was stopped at a red light waiting to turn left and BAM - we were rear-ended. My mom immediately called 911 and I went between hysterical crying (hey, I just BARELY got out of the hospital) and trying to figure out what to do. We finally moved to the side of the road as the cars behind us where losing the no patience that they had. The driver in the car behind us approached and told me to come and look at the damage. I got out and to my amazement there was little damage to either car. I had some scratches and my bumper was a little bent at the ends. His car, Cadillac Escalade, had was appeared to be no damage. He went on to say no damage, let's just leave and be done. I then informed him that I had already called the police and I wanted to exchange information. Well, three cops and the fire truck showed up... It turns out that he was driving drunk and was carted off to jail! So, now I am working on having my car checked out and getting things with that squared away!

All I can say is... What a week!!

Utah Weekend

My sister Erin wanted to visit the family in Utah and show off little Alesa June. Well, I couldn't stand to be away from Alesa for two whole weeks so I decided to fly into Utah on a Friday night and return to Maryland Monday morning with Erin. It was a crazy afternoon trying to leave work and get to the airport since I was experiencing the typical parking lot aka rush hour.

I flew to meet Drew to get Alesa's carseat as I would be bringing them home. I watched as Drew and his brother Joe driving the Subaru like two teenage boys! :) Joe literally threw the carseat in the back and I flew off to get back on the road and fight my way to the airport! My stress of that moment is coming all back to me! AH!!!

I made it with twenty minutes to spare and was so excited to see my family that I couldn't sit still on the plane! My brother Logan picked me up and drove me to Tooele to meet with some of the siblings. The next morning it was off to Salt Lake to have breakfast with friends and the to Provo for a luncheon date and a tour of my friends office on BYU's campus. From Provo, I quickly drove home to Tridell with only a minor scare of the vehicle I was driving having transmission issues. I was so excited to see Mom and Dad! I loved being home even though it was less than 24 hours... I then drove back to Salt Lake for a BBQ with the siblings! I made a midnight stop to wake up an old friend and say hello before trying to sleep the three hours before getting back to the airport!

It was a whirlwind trip to Utah, I kept wishing I had more time to spend there. I even loved the concerned lecture from an older sibling whose name starts with "G" about my still being single - little does he remember that he is older and in the same situation. I informed "G" that I would look further into the situation when he called and informed me he had a date himself... "G" still waiting!

Farm Trip

I was invited to a friend's farm in Virginia for the weekend to relax and enjoy the countryside. Growing up in the country, I was excited for a trip to see the stars and have no neighbors/police sirens/traffic/crap loads of people!

As my luck goes Saturday dawned dull and rainy! My roommate Andrea and I started the two hour drive with excitment brewing as the cement city fell behind us in the distance. We made it to the farm with little trouble, which always surprised me because the friend who wrote the directions and gave me the map is blind. Mrs. Price is absolutely amazing! We showed up in time to enjoy a light lunch and have a nice tour of the 80+ acre farm before sitting down to an excellant dinner.

Mrs. Price and her daughter Debbie were the best! Debbie was a wonderful cook (although she claimed to be out of practice), and Mrs. Price was full of wonderful historical stories! Mrs. Price tried scaring me by telling me about the bears that come right up to the house and eat the bird seed... Don't tell her, but it worked! We went to a berry farm on Christmas Tree Lane (no joke) and we were given fresh peach jam and honey with the honeycomb in the jar!!

After a relaxing Sunday morning, Andrea and I went to Lurray Caverns. Andrea was very helpful with my questions since she graduated with a biology degree! We had a good time viewing the cavern and the little auto museum connected right next door. We went to a show by Mark Russell and had a good time on the front row! He made a comment to me that made my face bright red and I was nervous that Mrs. Price would ask me to explain (it was about texting - that's all your getting).

John Adams (should be your Favorite Founding Father) Memorial Footrace

I did it!!! I went all over the Washington DC area using only the metro and my two legs to figure out clues similar to the "Amazing Race." I had two wonderful and very fit teammates who kept me going to the bitter end. Unfortunately, we ended up in last place but it was probably the best day of my life!!!

I had a blast figuring out the clues and finding the "bonus" clues such as a child on a leash! Yes, we did actually find a child on a leash and they posed in a picture with us, the little boy was adorable! We walked all the way (which is long!) to the National Cathedral and it was the wrong church!

All in all it was a great day! Way to go TAMANAHAWKS!!!!

Anyone there!?

How terrible am I that I can't even keep a simple blog updated! Well, be prepared because I have a ton of things to say!!

Happy Easter!

Well, Easter is upon us.. Okay, it has almost passed for me. I had a wonderful day with the sun shining and the earth literally springing beautiful flowers and waking up right in front of me! I even had my friendly black squirrel attempt again to get in my house!

I wasn't able to attend my grandmother's birthday bash on Saturday in Utah, so I had to do something to keep my mind of missing things. What do I do in that case? I shop! Yes, I spent four glorious hours shopping in Target, Giant, Dicks, and wandering around the little shopping center near my house. It was amazing and definitely did the trick in keeping my mind of not being in Utah!

Easter Sunday dawned bright and early for me! I dawned on what I considered a Spring looking outfit and went to spend a wonderful time at church. Afterwards, I had Molly and my roommate Andrea as my dinner guests. We enjoyed an afternoon of Thai Chicken, Pear Sundaes, and Cuppa-Cuppa-Two popcorn. It was very relaxing for me! The girls even helped me pick my magical musical number for tomorrow's Open Mic Night at the church. I will let you know how that goes! :)

Here is a picture of the dessert I copied from a French Restaurant I went to in Bethesda... What do you think?

Sisterly Love!

For those of you who may not know Erin and I are pretty much opposites. Erin loves the rugged outdoors, not showering for two weeks, and drinking water straight from the river (fish pee in that, yuck!) I am what one would call a "glamper," which is a glorious camper, meaning hotels/cabins, hot streaming water and flushing toilets, with restaurants near by.

But our differences aside we have had a ton of fun together... Erin making fun of me and mirrors or watching me barely squeaking out "Person! Person!" when a pedestrian got in our way while she was driving. Plus, I have taught Erin the lesson of the black boots and she never criticizes my shoe addiction. Having Erin close by has also been handy by becoming my GPS when I am lost in Southeast DC or giving me advise on the East Coast Singles Life.

Also, thanks to Erin and Drew who had little Alesa, I had the opportunity to have my mom and sister's visit the two of us in DC. Although I was constantly reminded that they weren't here to really be with me or when I was limited to only staying at Drew and Erin's a couple of nights while the parade of Merkley's was in full force - I had a GREAT time with my sisters and most especially my mom!



Okay I can't find pictures with Mel and Mom, which means the pictures were taken with their cameras.... Dang! Here is one of Kari and me on our pamper night... I LOVE being a girl!










Here is an adorable picture of little Alesa, proving to the world that...
I am her FAVORITE aunt!!!