So far, so good?

Day 5 of our 3 week travels and things have been a little wild around here. We had a great time in Williams, CA. No surprise there. When you are with the ones you love, life is good. We spent time with the boys God Parents. They absolutely adore the boys and completely spoil us. Spending time with my namesake Erin #2 is the very best. We are so at home there, its the best.

So, just say the bumps in the road all happened to me. I'm the mom, I run the show, I keep things moving in an orderly fashion (at least I like to think I do), I cannot be out of commission! Where to begin. The day before we left for this trip, I made a stop at urgent care and was diagnosed with shingles. Yes, you read that correctly. Shingles. No, I am not 60 years old. And, this is not the first time I've had this. It's the second time. The Dr. at the urgent care walked into the room. She was my age and the first thing she said was, "What in the world is someone our age getting shingles?" I said, "Right?! Please explain!" She said that shingles mostly happen to women over the age of 60, but it can come on with stress, anxiety and the heat. I laughed a little because with everything going on, I should be stressed! I have actually been great. Things were really falling in to place and we were packed and ready to go. So, stress didn't seem to be a factor. Either way, I was in tons of pain. If you have ever had shingles, it feels like someone is holding a lighter to your skin while pricking you with a needle. Mine is on the back of my neck and in my hair line. I was given a prescription and told it should be better within 2 days. I was also given a prescription for a shingles shot. Awesome. So, we hit the road the next day. Once we arrived in Williams, the shingles were still there and still burning, but I have a high pain tolerance and was dealing.

Our first night there, we were sitting outside and the mosquito starting coming out. Before I could grab my doTerra Terra Shield, I was eaten alive. I ran inside. The next morning, the bites on my feet had swollen into marble sized bumps. Allergic? Yes, Im allergic to mosquitos. Just a little. doTerra Lavender please! Let me just say, the doTerra touch kit is my best friend. Pre-dilluted lavender oil and I've been applying it obsessively to relieve the pain. So I now have these awesome welts around my ankles. Manageable, whatever. 

Back to the shingles. I woke up Friday morning in so much pain I actually cried. When I cry, Travis knows it's bad. So, my other Mom Marcie put me in the car and off to the ER we went. I was treated as if I had the plague, because there were 2 pregnant woman working in the hospital office. Shingles are most dangerous for women that are pregnant. Everything I touched was wiped down the second I turned around. The nurse was laughing and said she would hug me if I needed it. It was comical, but I felt so bad. I was glad to have Marcie there, because all we did was laugh. When I told the Dr my pain was an 8 on a scale of 1 to 10, I wasen't sure he would believe me because we were laughing so hard at things that probably are not that funny. I was hitting the point of deliriousness. I ended up with a shot in my butt, which later made me sick and barf and a lot of new medications. So far, I'm still feeling a little cruddy, but I can deal. I'm not contagious, unless someone has not had chicken pox or the vaccine so I'm careful of where I go I wash my hands often. It's manageable. I've got really good pain medication so that's been fun.
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While we were in the hospital, Travis and Eddie took the boys to the lake, which I was so looking forward to, but they had a great time without their mom hovering over them. Black Butte Lake, and they actually had the entire lake to themselves. The boys enjoyed paddling the kayak across the lake. Travis took Trenton out on the kayak and Trenton enjoyed jumping off the side, in to the water, and being pulled back in, over and over again. They saw a few deer on their adventure and had a great time. Jake said his favorite part was, "Going on the canoe thing. I liked that so much."

So with the Shingles on the road to recovery, I hope, I was in the trailer later that afternoon, on the ladder to the boys bed, making their beds, and the ladder collapsed under me. Yep, that just happened. As I hung from the top bunk wondering if Trenton was below me and if I could just land on my feet, the slippery sleeping bags made me slide right off the top bunk. 6 feet below me, my legs caught the broken ladder and I landed flat on my back. Head hit the ground, leg burn from the ladder. While falling, all I could panic about was if Trenton was below me. Thankfully, he wasen't. He was at the other end of the trailer. I'm pretty sure I laid there for an entire minute while he walked over to me and said, "Mama, owie?" and patted my head. Sweetest baby ever. When I finally got up, I was dizzy and knew I needed to get back to the house. I walked back over there, told everyone what had just happened. I then curled up on the couch and cried for a minute, okay, maybe a few seconds. I need a pity moment. Did I have a moment that I thought I was done. Absolutely. I was ready to turn around and head home. But that feeling didn't last long. I stood up, took a shower, and got back to life. 

So, bumps in the road. These things happen. I'm glad they've all happened to me. It's hard when your kids are upset and in pain, so I'll take it. But let just hope that things clear up and move forward. I'm ready to stop itching, bruises on leg to heal and mosquitoes to go to H E double hockey sticks. 

Today, we are in Grants Pass Oregon and spending time with my Aunt Kathy. We are taking the kids to splash pad today and tomorrow we are heading out the Hellgate Jet boat tour! We are super excited for that. Afterwards, Travis and I may sneak off for a date. My best friends family owns a winery not far from here. Folin's Winery. Date night please! We are loving the road life, loving the view and excited for our next adventure. These bumps in the road wont stop us. 

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