Western Day, Crazy Hair Day, and Sick Day

Last week was "spirit week" at the kids' school, and they bought into it. They dressed up every day, but I only got photos of the last two days--Western day and Crazy Hair day. We've had this western outfit with the chaps for years. I found it after Halloween for $5, and it's been used by multiple kids on multiple occasions. I loved that Joel wore it to school, with his jean shorts. :) He and Kari looked so cute!

I laugh every time I see Joel in this wig. It's just so funny! Kari had fun with all her ponytails and ribbons, too.

We went strawberry picking on Friday morning with Grandma M and picked 37 lbs! And then we had to wash/prep 37 lbs of strawberries. I had help, as you can see. Grant helped me wash berries for a long time. He was a champ. Oregon strawberries really are the best--so sweet and delicious! Yum.

Notice all the medications on the windowsill, though. This last week was a very strange one and kind of scary at times. I got sick Tuesday night with a sore throat and woke up, after a fitful night, feeling achy and miserable. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me. I tried to do the elliptical like I usually do in the mornings and could hardly move my body. It took me longer than it should have to realize I had a fever over 101. I managed to make Kari and Joel's lunches, drove them to school, and then came back home and crashed on the couch. Grant and Aubrey were pretty much on their own for the morning. They got their own snacks and played nicely together.

By noon, I was absolutely miserable, could hardly swallow, and knew I probably needed to go to the doctor. The ibuprofen I'd taken hadn't touched the fever.  My doctor's office couldn't get me in, so I drove myself to Urgent Care with Grant and Aubrey in tow (not the best idea--I know that I should have called Greg at that point, but I didn't. I was feverish and wasn't thinking clearly.). Turns out I had a "peritonsillar abscess," an fairly serious infection that requires immediate attention and antibiotics. They gave me an antibiotic shot (which really hurt!) and sent me home with three prescriptions, telling me that I got any worse before morning I would need to go to the ER. I was a mess. I ended up calling my mom from the parking lot of Walgreens pharmacy because I was feeling like I was about to pass out and was worried because I had the two kids with me. (Again, I know I should have called Greg earlier, and then I wouldn't have been in that predicament.) Mom went and picked up Kari and Joel from school and got me home just before Greg got home from work. I had a fever of 102 by then. I'd forgotten what it feels like to have a fever that high. It was awful! By the next morning, though, my fever was gone, and the throat pain was bearable. I went back in to the doctor for a follow-up that morning, and they gave me another shot! I was thankful to be feeling better, though, so it was ok.

The prednisone they had me on made me a little crazy (cleaned three bathrooms and my whole kitchen one evening) and kept me awake at night, and the shots affected my sciatic nerve and had me limping, but I guess the medications all did their jobs. I'm better now. It's taken longer than I expected to feel back to normal and to have energy again, but I'm better. Thank you, Lord!