21!

Do you remember your 21st birthday?
I tried to remember mine, but I got nothing. I know I didn't have a big bash, because I was a senior in college and it was during school, but I vaguely remember celebrating at the school pub. Which is precisely why I don't remember much of it! I do remember being excited that I was finally of the legal drinking age and that I was the very last of my friends to turn 21, so drinking was the plan. That's what your 21st birthday is mainly about, isn't it?

Well my baby girl Frick turned 21 last week-which makes her not a baby anymore. She's all grown up and legal now! And we did have a big party for her....

Her birthday was last Thursday, August 13th, so she had decided that she wanted to paint the town of Boston red with her new LEGAL ID. My nephew is a club promoter in Boston, so he hooked us up in the city's most happening Thursday night spot with VIP treatment and bottle service with 12 of her closest friends. The plan was to start out at our house with a BBQ with friends and family then we would all grab a bus (that we rented) and go into the club.

The week before the party I spoke to my nephew and told him to expect us in Boston around 9 or 9:30. He nearly fell over laughing, "Auntie, the club doesn't open till 10:00," he said. My Guy and I were dumbfounded. 10:00 on a Thursday night is past our bedtime, so needless to say we were second guessing the entire night. But it wasn't about us, so we let it roll. Then our friends started to drop like flies.

"I've got a big meeting in the morning, so we will come to your house but we are going to pass on the club, " one friend said.
"That's kind of late for us, so if you don't mind we will see you at your house and then go home from there, " another told us.

Did I mention that we were feeling the same way? After a chat with Frick, she reluctantly agreed to go to the club with 12 of her closest friends sans her parents. After the BBQ, cake and a bit of merry making and  pre-gaming, the van/bus came to collect Frick, Frack and her friends and off they went! Funny thing was, once the kids left, those same friends who decided to opt out of the club ended up continuing the party at our house till about 1AM!! The kids were sending us pics and videos from inside the club and a few of my older nephews showed up at the club to celebrate with Frick! Which can be both a blessing and a problem when you weigh about 95 lbs like Frick does...

Poor Frick. I'm not sure she ever consumed that much alcohol in such a short time, but just as I was brushing my teeth and getting ready for bed I started getting text messages from her friends.
"We gotta get her home-she's not feeling good"
"She may need a dry cleaner for her outfit."

Oh boy, I thought, we've all been there but it's not fun once you get there. And I felt a bit guilty, like I sent her out to the lions...

Frick arrived home safely and without any major incident, but I think her dress and her dignity have seen better days. The silver lining in all of this? Frick continued to tell me what a wonderful brother she has! She explained that Frack totally took control of her predicament and took such good care of her. All in all I think that is the best present any one could ever ask for.

The Lady In Yellow

She sat next to me on a crowded, skinny, two-seater airplane. She was a larger woman and I noticed her at the gate, thinking quietly to myself that she looked unsure. I wasn't feeling a hundred, so when we got to our respective seats I sat down quietly and closed my eyes. I noticed during take off that she had closed her eyes too. As I stated before, the plane was narrow and crowded so the fact that the larger woman sitting next to me, the lady in yellow, had her elbows in my gut became something that I knew I couldn't control.

Yet I didn't mind. 

As I restlessly slept on the plane I would open my eyes every now and again and looked at the woman next to me. Her skin was as dark as a bar of chocolate but it was luminous and beautiful. Her two-toned dreadlocks were swept up into a bun on top of her head and the sea shells that were expertly woven in between the locks made her appear much more stylish than that of a woman her age. Her fashionable leopard print scarf let me know that this woman knew exactly who she was and what she wanted to look like. But it was her smell that got me.

She smelled like my childhood.

She was chewing on bubblegum that smelled exactly like the bubblegum of my childhood. And that scent? It was so pleasant. I found myself wanting to put my head on her shoulder because she felt safe. The fact that our arms were smashed together because of the close proximity of the small seats didn't bother me at all. I liked her yet I hardly knew her. She was a woman of faith. I could tell because with her she had a 1997 biography of the Reverend Billy Graham and she opened it and began to read it while we were on the plane. I thought it adorable that before we took off she asked me exactly how to put her cell phone into airplane mode. I showed her where to find it in her settings AP. Obviously it was important to her to conform to the rules.

I must have been coughing a bit, because she asked me if I was OK, and asked me if I had allergies. I told her I had been visiting my son in college. He was sick with an undiagnosed strep throat that was mistaken for allergies. It had proceeded over the weekend into a full blown, swollen throat so painful that he could hardly swallow water. The fact that my emergency trip to North Carolina that Sunday to take him to the hospital was not lost on her. We agreed that I spent the most contagious 24 hours with him and I told her I hoped that I would not get sick also. 

We chatted a bit about being a mom and that when your child is sick, it's no matter where you are; you go. I found out she was from Kenya, just visiting relatives in NC and stopping briefly in my home town of Boston before flying to Amsterdam then on to Nairobi. It was her first visit to the United States. She had 3 grown children, each living in different parts of the world, and a new grandchild. I told her jokingly as we landed that she could now add Boston to the places in the US she has been, even for a short time. I helped her with the bags she had stowed above our seats, and I wished her a good trip and safety as she traveled back to Kenya.

Then I said goodbye and walked away from the Lady in Yellow forever. 

But I still thought about her. I'm thinking right about now she must be landing in her homeland, hopefully safe and tired. Maybe her children will be waiting to greet her as she arrives, maybe not. But I want her to know that somewhere, someone is thinking of her and hoping she makes it home safely. 

Things That Go Bump In the Night

So I just flew back home last night from sunny Florida. It was a great break from the snow and cold and a welcome opportunity to unplug from the outside world. We stretched it out to the last possible minute too, leaving on a 7:20 PM flight home. Flying Jet Blue is a joy, usually. They have it all figured out. The TV's on board make the entire trip a breeze and I didn't have to miss a moment of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! Lucky me!!!What wasn't lucky was the decent down into Boston. Holy turbulence, and I mean HOLY! It started out innocent enough.

The pilot explained to us that we were beginning our descent into Boston and "would be landing shortly, so please fasten your seat belts and flight attendants please prepare for landing." Everyone did as they were told and we settled in for our descent. The plane began to shake and drop, which is normal for the change in altitude. As we looked out the window I noticed the descent into the clouds outside my window. Turbulent air seems normal for that, I thought. But when the plane continued to shake and drop, and drop and twist and drop, and the clouds had gone I thought this wasn't very normal.

"Ooohhh", the groans collectively could be heard throughout the plane and with each twist and turn the taste of the blue chips I had eaten a mere hour before began to rise in my throat. I looked at Frack, he looked at me. I looked at My Guy, he tried to contain his composure focusing on the screen in front of him. I looked at my mom, she was gripping her arm rest and she looked at me with a quizzical look, her normally bright complexion gone ashen. I looked around me. No one was smiling. As a matter of fact, almost everyone was gripping their arm rest tight with ashen complexions too.

It seemed as if the bumpy air was never going to stop and just when it subsided a bit, the plane would sharply twist around immediately putting my stomach contents back into my throat. Outside the window the city lights below us looked to be on auto-loop with the scenery barely changing. Then the violent shakes began and the people on the plane again groaned with despair. Me included! Holy....I shut my eyes so I wouldn't hurl and I tried to be strong for my family. Big drops and more shakes were felt throughout and just when I decided I could no longer take another second of it, I noticed the city lights getting bigger, closer. I finally held out hope that we just may land this plane.

After another 5 minutes of dropping and shaking we hit the ground with a resounding bang! Everyone's heads snapped forward but the sound of overwhelming applause and cheers drowned out my huge sigh of relief. It took us a good 3 minutes to compose ourselves when Frack spoke.
"Mom, I swear to God I was saying the 'Our Father' the entire time."
I agreed with him and tried to calm the nausea that took over my body.

Entirely drained and slightly sick, we left that plane quicker than the flight attendant could finish her announcements. You never saw so many green faces standing in baggage claim. And funny....

I overheard someone at baggage claim say that the pilot never opened his door to exit till the plane was completely empty.

Food Is My Poison

I'm so hot...
Am I sweating? Or is it just that I feel clammy? Either way, I need some water. I'm really thirsty.

Is the room spinning? Sh*t!, is it hot in here or what? I gotta get me a drink of water. But where?
Here in my head there is no relief. I can see the faucet, but I can't get to it. It's too far away. It seems like I'll never get there. How did this happen? My entire world is dry.

Oooh, my head is pounding, so I'll have to pretend I'm drinking water. I see the faucet and I try to turn it on with my mind. Ice cubes...I need it to be cold because my mind is hot. Yes, I can imagine the first refreshing gulps of the clear, crisp water quenching the thirst that surrounds me. There, that's better..

But not really. I'm still hot and my throat is dry. And whoa-I feel, like I'm sailing on a boat, and I don't like it very much. I'm weak and the boat is strong. I might hurl. No, I'm definitely going to hurl, but I can't move. Suddenly my legs are concrete and I'm thinking this can't be good. No this isn't good at all...somebody stop this ride, cuz I gotta get off the boat...and wow! it's hot in here! Did I already say that?

I think my brain is frying up in my skull. Can I just have a little water. Oooh no, the thought of that makes me more nauseous. I'm awake but I can't move. I'm dead weight, but I can feel the small beads of sweat running down the back of my neck. This isn't good. I don't feel good, at all and I know what's next. I gotta get up and get rid of it because it's wreaking havoc with me. Ok, ready? I'm going to do it.

I don't feel any better.

Even the water I just sipped didn't help. In fact, It made me feel worse. I think it's not happy to be joining us today. I think it's leaving too. It's only a matter of time. What the hell did I eat? How did this happen to me? I promise I'll be good if you take away this feeling. I'll do whatever you want, just make me feel normal again. I will feel normal again? Won't I?

I'm so thirsty. and Damn! It's really hot in here.

Ewwwww.

Dang! Like overnight I became sick. This is a different kind of sick than I have been in a while. I woke up yesterday with a migraine and fought it off all day. Around 3pm I started to feel a bit better, and after dinner I went to Frick's high school play. As I was sitting there I could feel myself getting feverish .I came home and went right to bed. I had a rough, sleepless night, fighting off bouts of nausea.


At the moment, I feel like I have been hit with a Mack truck and I feel very weak. I can't seem to get out of bed.

Anyway, I hope I get better fast. I got plans for the weekend.

I hope you have a great weekend bloggers! Stay healthy.

Hung Happens

So this was me yesterday.

I spent the day on the sofa, nursing a slight hangover, but here's the thing, I don't really remember drinking enough to be feeling that way. I scanned my brain for a clue as to why my body just couldn't move like it should. Is this what happens when you get old?? It started out innocently enough.

We went over to a friends house and she had concocted a wonderful home brew of hooch. The homemade Margarita. Ahhh heavenly, going down, and we drank them from tiny Grappa glasses. It seemed very innocent. Surely two or three of these small aperitifs were fine for a buxom blonde like me to handle? Right? But I forgot to mention the lethal factor to this hangover equation. Patron.

AH yes, Mexican rage, and when it hits you you are doomed...BUT, after three of four tiny shots, we'll call them, of Margarita, we were off to the restaurant where I proceeded to have two more. One while we waited for the table and one at the table. Again, Candy was feeling so Dandy, she ordered the drinks by name brand, "Petron Margarita, please." All was well by most standards.

I was having such a good time that I didn't really notice that I didn't eat my dinner. It wasn't good, I remember that, and I know I ate some stuff at the table, but not enough to sustain said buxom blonde. I must have really been feeling good because I then drank some red wine with the dinner and you know how the waiter keeps filling the wine glass when you buy a bottle? Here's where I must have gotten into trouble.

I then ate the dessert. SUGAR. Now I know I'm drunk because, even thought I had just a few bites, I don't eat sugar and here I am imbibing and eating sugar. Still, I'm fine and when I get home I see the kids, talk for a bit, then retire to bed. ALL FINE. No bed spins, nausea, nothing just a drift off to slumber but when I woke up? My head felt like a 100 lb anvil.

And that's how I spent the day yesterday, horizontal on the sofa and feeling heavy. Now I know I have hit the liquor harder than that and survived before. What the hell made this one so bad?
My only consolation on yesterday's events? I watched the Steelers whomp the Jets ass..

So not a total loss.

Trudging On...

Bullets from my sick life:

• Feeling about 40% better today, which puts me in the 60% shitty category.
• I left work yesterday at 1:30, picked up Frick at school who was sick too, and spent the rest of the afternoon curled up on the couch with some Sudafed, watching a Hoarders marathon on A&E.
• Why do they need to see your drivers licence when you buy Sudafed? Either we have been healthy for the past few years, or the world has gone crazy. The pharmacist told me that Sudafed was a key component in Crystal Meth? Wow.
• Hoarders is an unbelievable show. It was bad enough that I was sick myself, but after watching that disaster, I felt even worse. Yet I continued to watch it. And watch it, and watch it, and watch it.
• Now I think I'm a shoe hoarder. I may need a "shoe-tervention".
• I have not worked out in like 5 days...who am I? I think that's making me sick too. Whens it ok to return to light exercise after being down? Today? Will I just re-lapse?
• I read this morning that Kate Gosselein went to Cabo San Lucas with her body guard for a vacation. (Copy cat). Isn't that guy married? I wonder what his wife thinks about all this. Is it just me?
• I'm dying to see that new Michael Douglas movie with Shia Lebouf. LOVE Michael Douglas. God Speed in his cancer recovery.
• On to work now, but really, I just want to stay in bed. Wash your hands a lot today bloggers, and take plenty of Vitamin c.

I Just Want To Curl Up In My Bed And Die

I did something today I NEVER do.

I got my kids off to school, then I went back to bed.

I NEVER do that. EVER. But today is different. Today, I have a terrible cold and as I said, I just want to curl up in my bed and die. But I can't because I'm at work.

Home remedies? Bring it people.
I wanna take a nap.

Judgement Day

Today is judgement day for Ex-Ass bloggers, and to tell you the truth, I feel like hurling.

No time for a post today, sorry. I hope you all have a great weekend and may all of you go into the weekend with a clear conscience and a pure heart.

Peace.

A Mothers Love

Frack spent the weekend skiing in New Hampshire with the family of his friend and had a great time. They rolled in from the trip at 5 pm last night and Frack called me at the store the second he walked into the empty house.

"Mom, where are you?" he barked.(because he had the day off from school he automatically thinks that it's Sunday)

"I'm at work, buddy. You home?" I said.

"Yeah, I'm home but I am sooo sick mom." he said.

Now, any mother will tell you that the simple utterance of these three words, "I'm so sick" automatically sends shock waves down her spine.

"What's the matter?"I shriek.

"I've got the chills, I'm sweating and I feel really weak, mom."

"I'll be right there," I said, immediately dismissing the dinner plans I had with my friends.

I hardly remember closing up shop, as I was outta there in about a nano second and on my way to the 5 minute ride home, in the blazing snow. I arrived home to find my son's wet winter ski coat and wet hoodie sweatshirt in a ball on the mud room floor. No wonder, I thought. I raced upstairs. The tell tale image of my son fully clothed and in his bed was enough to tell me this was no false alarm.

"Hey buddy", I said a I placed my palm on his blazing hot forehead.

"Ok, let's get you outta these clothes and into your pajamas."

After we got him into his clean, dry, warm pajamas and under the covers, I went to retrieve the medical supplies. A quick temp check revealed a 100 degree temp, which I promptly treated with a dose of Advil and a shot of orange juice. I then laid next to my son and I watched the chill escape his body. I watched him relax and drift off into a peaceful, much needed slumber as his breathing regulated into a peaceful calm. I left him to sleep, safe in the knowledge that at least for now, my boy was alright.

About two hours later I was delighted to hear my child's voice beckoning me from his room.

I had checked on him during those two hours, placing my hand on his clammy forehead to check his temp, this time his fever was gone.

He then uttered the greatest words a sick child could say to a mother, "Mom, I'm hungry."

I happily went to fix my son some sustennance, for that was all he needed.

That and a hearty serving of a mother's love.

Quarantined

The Daily Dandy is quarantined.

My baby girl has the flu. Yup, she tested positive for the Influenza A flu yesterday. Funny thing is, she is absolutely fine.

She came home from a sleepover on Sat morning feeling sick. She had a temp of 102.7 and I went into panic overdrive. Her eyes were all red and glassy and she was not feeling good at all. I kept a vigil by her bedside, taking her temp every hour. As the morning progressed, the fever broke and stayed at around 100.3. I wasn't taking any chances. Last week, every elementary school in our town was closed for the entire week because of the percentage of kids out sick with flu-like symptoms. Every school except the high school; her school. Her brother tortured her regularly, as he had a week off and was living it up with his buddies daily. She took exception to his ribbing and quietly hoped for the high school to close.

Be careful what you wish for.

I kept in contact with her doctor by phone and she prescribed Tamiflu for her, which she started taking immediately. By Sunday morning she was fever free and feeling better. The doctor still wanted me to take her in, so that she could be tested for flu. I was almost positive it wasn't flu because she was already feeling better. Much to my surprise, it was the flu. Influenza A.
But was it SWINE???? The doctor told me that the state of MA is no longer testing for swine because of an overwhelming number of cases, and that the strain is a lot less vital than they originally thought. The treatment is the same for both Influenza and swine. The doctor said that chances are it probably is H1N1, because by this time, spring, flu is not usually prevalent.

Great.

She also told me that it is state mandated that the child must stay out of school for 7 full days from the start of the fever and that I must inform the school immediately of my daughter's diagnosis. AND...that all three of us in the home, me, My Guy and my son must begin a preventative course of Tamiflu for the next ten days.

Double Great.

Today my baby is better than good and BORED out of her mind. She has been symptom free for more than 24 hours and I can happily report that she is already driving me nuts. I feel like Carol Brady in that episode when the Brady kids all get sick at the same time and they keep ringing that little bell for food and medicine, but at our house she has no bell. What she has is far worse; a cell phone, and is not shy about using it for one trivial thing or another. And I am thanking God.
I will answer the calls for Gatorade, soup and whatever else she wants as long as she continues to be OK.

We will do our quarantine and be grateful for a mild case of Influenza A.

Whatever it is, I'm not questioning it.