Nothing Really New

I suppose that my only excuse for not adding a post in the past month is that there really hasn't been anything to post. Stacy is working and going to school. We see her occasionally. Benjamin is going to school, doing his FFA officer duties and growing squash for us. Kaitlyn is going to school and still wanting to be a trainer at Sea World. Shelby is going to school and still just being Shelby. Emma really thinks she is Diego, running around saying, "Animal in trouble! Hurry!" And me, of course, I'm teaching at GSOP, which consumes a whole lot more than is imaginable. I have a whole lot more respect for those who teach full-time, that's for sure.

And, of course, we're dealing with illnesses. Two weeks ago Emma actually began the stomach virus episode, with Benjamin quickly following. Shelby threw up once that week, but was fine after that. We thought we had gotten off pretty good. Then this week, Shelby started on Monday night, exactly two weeks after Emma began. Kaitlyn made it to school Tuesday, but ran in the door after school and threw up. And so I started about 3:00 a.m. Thursday morning. Yesterday is still a little fuzzy. I spent the entire day in bed, then went to bed about 10:00 last night and slept all night. Feeling better today, maybe back to 70% or so.

Which brings us to the reason for the recurrence of the illness. Grandma Lolo came this week. I picked her up from the airport in Tallahassee Wednesday morning. We decided to try to fly her into there so she could avoid Atlanta's airport (known by many other names, none publishable). It worked great for her. Nice short flight from a mid-sized Airport (Memphis) to a small airport (Tallahassee). We could have flown her into Valdosta for only a little more than it cost me to drive to Tallahassee to get her, but after her last experience in Atlanta, it was worth it. But, I digress. This actually began in 2006 when she flew down for Emma's arrival. We flew her into Valdosta, which was great for us, not so great for her. And shortly after her arrival, a horrible, horrible stomach virus swept through our household. It looked like a war zone. Bodies lying everywhere, with no one having the strength to even notice if anyone else was even still alive. Horrible. I will never forget that episode. I believe that she has twice since come down with my mom. Guess what? Both times we have gotten stomach viruses. And so she comes this time, and what happens? Either we are out to get her, or she is out to get us. (I haven't forgotten the lemon juice incident, Lois.)

Which brings us to yet another interesting question. When Grandma Lolo came down in 2006, the day she was to fly out of Valdosta to Atlanta to Memphis, TS Alberto came ashore in the Big Bend of Florida and came right over us. ASA cancelled her flight. I still remember the lady at the check-in here at Valdosta Regional saying very apologetically, "Well, it is hurricane season, and you have to expect cancellations." Granted, this was less than a year after Katrina and two years after Charlie, Francis, Ivan, and Jean had all passed close by. But I laughed. I mean, really laughed. Yeah, sure, we've had Fay this year, but so what! It's not like we get wiped off the map every couple of years, you know. Anyway, they stuffed Grandma Lolo into a van and drove her to Albany where she caught a flight to Atlanta, then on to Memphis. Now, back to the question. She flies out of Tallahassee next Friday, September 26. WILL THERE BE A HURRICANE IN THE GULF ON THAT DATE? One week from today. We'll soon know. If there is, does that coupled with the stomach viruses constitute a sign? Just something to think about.

OK. That's probably enough of my rambling, maybe even enough for another month! In October, I have planned a post commemorating our arrival in Valdosta, seven years ago. Some things just need to be written down. Also, maybe I'll include the latest Shelbyism, a term coined by Ryan, I do believe. Then again, maybe not, because some things do NOT need to be written down.