And son number two, is busy working like a little bee. He had several jobs lined up this week and he really didn’t want to miss them. He would miss out on literally hundreds of dollars if he went with us. That reminds me, I’ve got to talk to the boss about a raise. My 16 year old son makes WAY more that I do!
Another reason we didn’t go camping is that our camping buddies (Dave’s Brother and his wife) went and left the country for spring break! They choose, instead of RVing with us, to go to the beautiful beaches of Panama, where my sister in law spent some of her youth as a missionary kid. Well. Rude again! Really, I mean, who picks the beaches of Panama over the Texas Hill Country…oh, yeah, never-mind.
We did try to find someone else to go with us, but we were unable. So it would have just been Dave and I and the girls. For us the whole point of camping is the family togetherness. Since it would have only been half of our family, it just seemed like we should stay home.
Oh, and also, I had the flu. Which kicked my butt! Even if we’d planned something, I would have been hard pressed to do anything or go anywhere. I couldn’t make it up the stairs without sounding like I was about to cough up a lung. (Pretty word picture, no?)
Interestingly, the Fireman in Training also got the flu. He sat in class all day Thursday feeling worse and worse and worse. He came home, crashed on the couch and didn’t move. For three hours. Finally I went over and felt his head. Wow. He had a temp of 104. I knew there was no way he was going to Fire Academy the next day, so I took him down to the CareNow. If you miss a day at Fire Academy, you must have a note and of course it was long after 5 so CareNow was our only option. I must say, that internet check in is the way to go. We waited an hour at home, they called, we went in and waited 5 minutes in the waiting room.
Once there, the guy who saw us, a paramedic, talked to Bryce about Fire Academy, apparently he went to the same one. They talked shop while we waited for the official results to come back on the flu test. Sure enough, Type A Flu. The guy asked Bryce if he’d been in class today. Bryce said yes, he did his PT’s and felt okay, but as the day wore on, he got worse and worse and worse. The guy said, “Congratulations, you probably gave half your class the flu, because it’s highly contagious at this stage, and because you have to take a doctor’s note in, they are all going to know exactly who gave it to them!” then he laughed. Fun for Bryce.
We went back home with Tamiflu, codeine cough medicine, and orders to rest, drink lots of fluid and stay out of school until Monday. I clarified this. It was Thursday night. I’d had this flu for a week already and if I had to do PT’s right then, I’d probably lie down and die. (Of course, that’s the case when I don’t have the flu, but I digress.)
Well, that doc was right. Bryce came home Thursday night and went straight to bed. He slept on and off all day Friday. Saturday he puttered around the house. Sunday he was fine. FINE I tell you. Tamiflu is magic. And so is a 19 year old immune system.
He went back to Fire Academy on Monday morning, right as rain. He did the PT’s with no problem. The Chief even said to feel free to slow down and not push too hard. He didn’t want to set him back. The idea is to get stronger not sicker. But Bryce did fine. He was a little weak but he still managed to do everything required of him in PT’s. Amazing.
Now it’s Wednesday. I am still coughing, and Bryce is climbing ladders, running, carrying heavy hoses, and all manner of other Firemanly activities. Ahh, to be young.
Enjoy the rest of your spring break! And may it be more eventful and healthier than mine!
