Sick on Vcation

We just returned from a visit with our daughter in Plano, Texas. The day after we arrived, Larry started sneezing and coughing and blowing his nose. He kept feeling worse as it started to move into his chest. The congestion grew worse, so we went to a walk-in clinic. (I am always a bit wary of colds because when I get them, they often turn into bronchitis.) Turns out it was just a bad cold. The doctor gave him medication for the cough and inflammation, but Larry spent a couple of days out-of-commission.

I started taking Zicam right away. I eventually came down with the bug, but I was only affected for a couple of days—and no infection.

This isn’t the first time we’ve been ill on vacation.

I remember one memorable trip to Hawaii when I was miserably ill. Kim was with us. I spent a couple of days in bed while Larry and Kim enjoyed the beach. I pushed through for the rest of the trip, but I was dragging.

In 2015, we celebrated our 50^th anniversary. Kim came from Texas for the party. A couple of days afterward, she became quite ill.

I’d had knee surgery the month before and was still recovering. I suspect my immune system was somewhat compromised, because I became ill with bronchitis—in spades. I went to the doctor, and she prescribed a round of antibiotics. When the first prescription didn’t help, she prescribed a second.

A couple of weeks later, we flew to Hawaii. I thought I was getting better, but by the end of the first week on Maui with our friend Suzi, I felt even worse. We flew to Honolulu, and the next morning, we went to the walk-in clinic. The doctor said I still had a bad infection. He prescribed a double dose of medication. I was out of it for a day or two. I kept going, but between my knee (still very painful) and the infection, I was pretty miserable.

Of course, I recovered—finally. This may have been the last time I was ill until this past week

Larry almost never gets sick, but when he does, he gets very ill. I also rarely catch anything, but I have noticed a change in location can introduce new germs. (The doctor in Plano said Larry probably caught something on the plane—despite our taking Airbourne before we boarded.)

We’re now home and pretty well recovered. Sleeping in our own bed helps with getting enough rest.

Have you ever been ill on vacation? It’s pretty miserable.

I Hate Moving

I hate moving. No exceptions. Maybe this is the reason we have been in our current home for nearly thirty years. Even when we lived in Japan for three years, we were able to leave much of our “stuff” in the house. (This photo is several years old.)

We owned our prior house for seventeen. We rented it furnished to a friend for nearly a year while we lived in Denver, CO. (I don’t think I’d do it again because of the amount of damage.) Larry’s cousin bought this house when we moved to Dana Point, and she still owns it. Maybe long-term home ownership runs in the family.

I keep saying we should downsize because “someday” we will probably have to move to a one-story house. Larry says he’ll install a chair lift or small elevator rather than move. I can’t say as I blame him since we live in a wonderful neighborhood with the best neighbors in the world. However, all the issues with my knee during the past two years has proved to me how vulnerable I am. (Of course, aging has nothing to do with this…) I haven’t convinced him, but periodically I purge excess “stuff.” I don’t look forward to the day when we really have to get rid of our surplus—and we have far too much.

Our daughter, Kimberly, has lived in Texas for nearly twelve years. She has been in three different apartments. Whenever she moved to a new place, we visited to help her unpack, arrange furniture, and hang pictures. A week ago, she purchased her first home, a condo in Plano. The timing of this major life event couldn’t have been more difficult for her. Three days before escrow closed, she started a new job. This was a promotion with an appreciated raise, but making the change at this time was a challenge. In addition, she sings in the choir at Prestonwood. The first two weeks of December, the church presents “The Gift of Christmas,” an over-the-top production. She had to sing in thirteen performances while trying to move in.

As always, new homes have issues, and she hasn’t been here to address them. Fortunately, we are.

The major challenge is lack of storage space. Her last apartment had huge closets throughout. This one has small closets and few of them. We bought her a new queen-size bed for her guest room since we are sleeping there. We chose a firm memory foam mattress with a metal platform. There is room under the platform for several plastic bins for her linens and other items for which there is no other room.

We are nearly finished, but we have worked harder this week than we have for a several years. Our muscles are sore, and we’re very tired. We look forward to returning home to get a rest.

Two days after we get back, Kim arrives for a couple of weeks as she does each Christmas. We’ll probably all try to get lots of rest. And I don’t plan to move for a LONG time.