Welcome to 2005

Well, it's been a while since I've written anything on the blog. There's good reason that. In the 17 days that have made up this year so far, I have started a new job, taken care of very sick children, and had to arrange travel, lodging, transportation, and all that goes with it for a huge event for said new job. In the midst of all of the travel, I've managed to land myself one humdinger of an illness.

Here's the play by play
January 3. Start new job. Find out from new boss that in one week's time, I'll need to be heading down to Orlando for the industry's biggest show. More than 100,000 people attend this show and as the new group managing editor, it's my job to hobnob with each and everyone. I can do that.
January 4. With new employee ID number in hand, I proceed to make plane reservations that are uber expensive. Hey, at least I can get down there right?
January 5. I find out at 3 p.m. that the hotel everyone is staying at (everyone as in my colleagues) is booked up. So, it seems, is every other hotel in a 20 mile radius. I'm forced to use Expedia and my personal credit card to book a room at the Raddison down the street.
January 5-11. Matt and Ana take turns with 100+degree fevers, coughs, stuffed up noses, etc. Aaron and I spend the weekend watching Thomas the Tank Engine and Polly Pocket with the kids while simultaneously filling water bottles and dispensing motrin.
January 11. I wake up with a hacking cough. The cough continues well into the next day. The cough is so bad, Aaron is forced to sleep in a different room just so he can get some sleep. I'm due to leave at 6 a.m. on January 12 and by 3 a.m., I've had 1 hour of sleep. Ana is still coughing so at 4 a.m. she comes into bed with me. I get up at 5 to get ready to head to the airport.
January 12. I make it down to Orlando in one piece and don't feel too bad. That is until I get to my hotel and MY fever kicks in. I've got to be at a huge industry event in less than 2 hours and I'm so cold and hot I can barely stand up. My joints are aching and all I want is to sleep. ugh. 5 hours of standing on my feet later, I'm back in bed. The good news is that my boss thought my attire was beautiful, but my body looked like hell.
Once back in the room, I make it in to bed only to wake up at 3 a.m. with such a bad case of the chills I pull a muscle in my stomach. The temperature reading in my room: 78 degrees. Take 3 advil and go back to bed.
January 13. Make it to the show floor and am confronted with more coworkers that tell me I look like hell. Since this is a new job, I'm hardly going to sit this out, so I persevere. Several hacking cough fits later, I'm stting at lunch with some work folks and one person says I look so deathly she's afraid I'm going to pass out soon. With everyone's blessing, I head to my room to rest before the next event. The evening's event was very cool. I got to see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom from the roof of the Contemporary Resort. (I highly advise doing this if you have the means). Still feverish, I make it through my dinner and then back to bed.
January 14. I wake up barely able to talk. My throat is so inflamed from 3 days' worth of coughing that I can't swallow withought crying. I'm also so congested that I'm hardly able to breathe. I make it to 3 appointments, barely staying longer than 20 minutes, before I'm calling Aaron in desperation. Shortness of breath and 100,000 people are not a good combo. I'm alone, I'm in Orlando, and I haven't seen coworkers in 2 days. I want my mom!!!!
I head back to my hotel room and give mom a call (mom, bless her heart, is taking a much needed break while I'm in Orlando. She's visiting her sister, my aunt and has checked on me every day. I give mom a call and can barely keep it together. Mom suggests heading to the local ER, but frankly, I'm too scared and I don't have any insurance cards with me. I plan to take it easy for the rest of the night and get the heck out of Orlando ASAP. I check the Airline and they're able to get me out at 7 a.m. the next day. Great. Book me. I try to sleep during the night; however, I'm so scared I'm going to stop breathing that I barely sleep.
January 15. I finally get on a plane and get home. After a longer than normal drive home (there was an awful accident on our way way), Aaron gets me in to bed and takes care of me. He's also sick, but his doesn't seem to be as bad. I cough so much and so often that my head starts to throb (and throb and throb). Every time I cough, I cry. It was pure hell. Somehow, I manage to get some sleep and make it through to Sunday.

It's now Monday night and I'm feeling a little better. I can't stand up for more than 10 minutes without getting dizzy and I still cough every once in a while, but I think I'll recover.

I better.

I've got a wedding in 6 1/2 months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!