The Vacation That Wasn't

This week we had planned to have our first vacation as a family of four. I had made reservations for us (using points I had accumulated during my business traveling days) to stay for 3 days/2 nights at Myrtle Beach, SC. We were all so excited (especially Lauren) and Kimberly, being the planner that she is, already had all the bags packed 2 days in advance. We were definitely looking forward to a little getaway for Spring Break and the chance to explore a new area together.

Then, Nolan got sick over the weekened - he was running such a high fever Saturday evening that we rushed him to an Urgent Care Center. The doctor tested him for strep, said it was negative and sent us home. He continued to have the fever off and on through the weekend, so we figured we would take him in to see our doctor Tuesday morning before we left on our trip (we were hoping she would give us an antibiotic and he would be better quickly). Kimberly also started to feel under the weather, with a severe sore throat and a fever. So, when we went to the doctor (ours is a pediatrician and an internist), we had her checked out too. Thankfully, she knew she was sick enough to ask that they not only do a strep test, but a blood test also.

And the result? Nolan just had a virus that she said would pass in a few more days (which it has now). But, Kimberly's blood work came back positive for mononucleosis. We were a bit shocked by this, since this will be the FOURTH time she has had it. Based on that prognosis, we knew we needed to postpone our trip and reschedule for a time when we could all enjoy ourselves there. As disappointed as we were, it was a blessing that both hotels were willing to give us back our points (even though we were cancelling less than 24 hours in advance). Lauren was a great sport about it, as well, and I've tried to do some fun things with her at home, since she has Spring Break this week.

It definitely has been an adjustment for me to take over the daily responsibilities of the house and taking care of the kids so Kimberly can rest. And it is very hard for her to stay down - she is not the best patient in that way! But, because she's had this before, we know that if she stays down as ordered, it can last a minimum of 4 weeks. However, if she doesn't allow her body to heal and get better, it can be as long as 3 months!! So, I am doing my best to reprimand her when I see her doing too much. :)

We ask for your prayers during this time as we get used to a "new normal" - I will be posting another blog early next week with a job search update (good things are happening)!