weekend writing

This blog started for me with the intention of documenting my family and how we live life together. I've phased in and out of consistency, sometimes just highlighting trips or special events. I used to document once a week, Wednesday Senses, which allowed me to capture who I was, what my thoughts were, and how my days unfolded from early morning to late at night. I've written when happy, sad, excited, pissed off, confused, hangry and humbled. At times I've included recipes that I felt needed to be shared because I'd fallen in love and wanted the world (ok, all 46 of you) to know. I've been honest, a bit vulnerable at times and often very sarcastic. This week presented a situation for me that left me processing and for me sometimes it's best I write. I don't necessary write to express a point or to sway-I write because I can best organize my thoughts into words and feel complete when I end my writing. It is then that I can move on. So before moving onto whatever challenges, obstacles and goals we strive to meet next week, I need to release last week's moments of fear, humor, disappointment or pride. When I don't write, I often lay in bed and "write" in my mind, still producing a product of sort.

"I write because I don't know what I think until I read what I say."  

-Flannery O'Connor

This weekend I hadn't planned to write. Weekends are filled with fun and laughter, neither of which are words I'd use to describe the writing process. It's been a long and relaxing weekend for us. Truthfully, the weekend started on Thursday for me. I was looking forward to a few days at home with the opportunity to disassemble the numerous piles, prepare a few meals for the freezer, catch up to C in a book we're reading together and enjoy an adult beverage or two with friends as we watch our kiddos splash in a pool of warm water. It's a hot one here in AZ. Pools feel like bath water, sidewalks feel like hell and sweat comes from every pore possible. Labor Day is a strange "holiday" for me. It's perfect timing for the reprieve from school and work, however,  we often don't travel and that makes the days seem hotter, longer and do I dare say, a bit boring. Having traveled throughout the summer and fighting off the crowds of people who also want to camp, we opt to stay put.

Thursday came and I eagerly watched the clock knowing my boys had a 1/2 day and soon we'd be onto the weekend. It'd been a busy week full of school meetings, work events, youth group, baseball and volleyball practice and the season opener for ASU. The kiddos all had fun plans to look forward to and J and I were hoping to sneak out for a dinner date.

SPOILER ALERT: our plans changed.

B came home from school on Thursday not feeling well. Grandma Judi picked him up from school and into her van arrived a moaning, tired, weepy little boy with a fever quickly rising. The next couple hours confirmed we'd be changing our weekend plans and "resting" would be on the top of our list. Just KK, B and I were home. It was a quiet evening due to C being at baseball practice and J cheering on the Devils. Very quickly, things progressed for B and his fever spiked. He was burning up and had a bad headache so I applied cool washcloths to his forehead and rubbed his temples with peppermint, lavender and frankincense. He was in and out of sleep as I sat next to him on the couch trying to sneak in an episode or two of Scandal. He'd wake up and I'd pause the TV, he'd drift back to sleep and I'd intently refocus myself. Just as he woke again, he'd thrown his arms and legs into the arm for what I thought to be an exaggerated stretch... until he didn't stop... and his body started to jolt ...and then he started gagging...and I noticed his eyes roll back into his head. I knew right away he was seizing so I quickly rolled him onto his side and screamed out for KK. What felt like an hour was 6 minutes. Six minutes of frantic movements, a 911 phone call and KK aiding me to the best of her ability through fear and tears. Thankful for a helpful operator, I felt calm and controlled-yet my heart raced, just as the ambulance and firetruck arrived.

We rode to the hospital via ambulance, B strapped to a gurney and me in the front seat making the necessary phone calls. After KK reached J, he ran quickly out of the football stadium in hopes of finding a taxi waiting outside. God always provides. J jumped in the taxi parked out front and met us as we arrived at the ER. The next few hours were rather peaceful as B slept very heavily in the dark hospital room. As soon as his fever broke and was conscious enough to know where he was, we were able to head back home and crawl into bed.

The next morning, we talked about what had happened. Of course, he could not recollect any part of the night except waking up in the hospital and eating a grape "potsicle."  Thankfully, he didn't remember the scary and fearful moments KK and I experienced. He was saddened he didn't remember the "anbulance" ride to the "hopsital" because it must have been "so cool!"

"Can we put these pictures on the computer and send them to Grandma?"

So we rested and retreated the remainder of the weekend. The big kids still had fun with friends while we declined several invitations to poolside adventures and partook in Uno games, Netflix, Lego building and baseball in the backyard. B's feeling much better,  running around the house and tackling his big sister constitutes well, right?  I was surprised to receive a phone call this morning confirming that he'd had strep throat. They took a test in the hospital which had come back negative....until they sent it to the lab. Antibiotics have been started, the other kiddos have been armed and are pumped with Emergen-cee while we look at the calendar in hopes of recreating a less dramatic weekend sitting poolside with friends, sipping a cocktail or two and watching our kiddos splash in a pool of warm water.

Or else, I'll write.