Greetings from Houston! We are here visiting my husband's family and having a great time! Unfortunately, you don't get to leave your chronic illness at home. And traveling with food sensitivities can be a pain in the butt. Avoiding dairy and gluten on the road is tricky and leads to a grumpy, hungry me. Sorry, family! Anyway, here is my travelog:
Day 1: We have awakened at 4:15am. IN.THE.MORNING. We are hoping that the boys, Big Red and Monkey Boy, will go back to sleep in the car. The plan is to pull out of the driveway by 5am. We are pulling out of the driveway at 5:30. I am driving first shift. Have my coffee and waffles and I should be good to go.
Hour 1: Crap. I'm already getting sleepy. But I'm the only one. Big Red and Monkey Boy are full of vigor and excitement. Oh, and we need Dramamine--that will help put the boys to sleep, right?
Hour 2: zzzzzzzzzz (don't worry, I'm not driving.)
Hour 3: Breakfast stop and I'm back behind the wheel. The boys are doing well but still haven't slept. Why aren't they sleeping?
Hour 5: Still driving and the boys are still awake. Obi John has napped briefly. I'm chugging Mexican Coke and popping Air Heads Bites.
Hour 8: Lunch. I'm stiffening up pretty badly at this point. Getting out of the van is harder at every stop. I've run the seat heater a few times to help loosen muscles. Monkey Boy is looking sleepy. Big Red is going strong. Nap time for me and my seatpet while Obi John takes the wheel.
Hour 10: How many more states do we have to cross? I'm getting cranky because I'm hungry and don't have snacks. Monkey boy took a little nap but Obi John and Big Red are starting to show fatigue without sleep.
Hour 12: Louisiana. I spotted a sign for boudin and curried favor with Obi John by stopping. Boys are getting a little wild, I am getting stiffer and crankier.
Hour 5,990: Okay, it's only hour 15. We are so close! Big Red finally lost his stuffing and I had to make good on the "don't make me stop this car" threat. He went to sleep soon after. My joints are aching and my eyes are gritty. Our final pit stop had us at a fancy gas station. You know what doesn't belong hanging over the toilet in a restroom stall? Large, framed family photos. It's hard to pee with someone's goofy son-in-law grinning at you.
In the home stretch...and BAM. GPS took us on a toll road that is for pass holders only so we had to get off. Took us an extra 30 minutes to get to the house after finally finding a way around the toll road of exclusivity.
Arrival: Joyous. Big Red kisses the driveway and I am close to tears. Hugs and dinner...and advil for me. God bless my sister-in-law, who broke out the wine.
Day 2: We are on our own for most of the day, so after sleeping in we head to the Houston Museum of Natural Science, on of Obi John's favorite places. Before even making it to the ticket window the fire alarm starts going off and the museum is evacuated. Thankfully, our wait in the heat is short and in we go. Big Red has expressed desire to ride a mechanical bull while in the Lonestar State. Instead we spot a Broncosaurus in the museum lobby and both boys get a ride. The museum is absoluting amazing! But it is also huge--3 floors of fantastic exhibits. We spent the most time touring the evolution of life on earth and craning our necks to look at dinosaurs. Floor 2 is a jaunt through rocks and gems. By floor 3 the boys are wiped out, Obi John is hungry (he's already eaten my emergency Larabar), and I'm fighting the back pain and fatigue that I'm feeling. I really want to see the Ancient Egypt exhibit so we whizz through it and then head for the van to relieve our tired feet. By the time we get back to the house I am about to collapse but I'm not letting it show. I don't want to impede our visit so I suffer silently. We go to dinner and grab some frozen yogurt while walking an outdoor mall area (no more walking!). A great day but it took it's toll.
Day 3: Hanging at the pool. I have slathered myself in layers of sunscreen so as not to fry in the hot Texas sun. Monkey Boy and Big Red brave the diving boards and the warm water feels good on my aching body. 2 hours of fun in the sun and no sunburn--that's what I call success. We have dinner at a dine-in movie theater and see Pixels. The nerd humor is enjoyed by all. My fatigue is getting rough, though. My achiness is increasing, too.
Day 4: While trying to decide what to do on our last day SIL suggests walking around the big, fancy mall. I nicely decline as my body is screaming in agony at the very thought. We settle for a trip to the aquarium. Other than being very hot and very humid, we have a great time. I'm hanging in there but my allodynia (skin pain) has become excruciating and leaning against the seat on the shark train is barely bearable. I have an extra glass of wine at dinner to dull the roar. We will be rising pre-dawn for the trip home.
Day 5: We head home after a fun stop at the second-largest gas station in the world, Bucc-ees in Baytown. After ogling the massive merchant and picking up snacks (including some extra bags of "Beaver Nuggets" for friends at home) we get on the road. Everyone sleeps more this time. 15 and 1/2 hours later we drag our bodies into our house. Thankfully, I am off the next day to recouperate. I pushed myself over my limits and I know I will have increased pain and fatigue for several days. Was it worth it? YES.
My mother-in-law also struggles with fibro so Obi John's family is aware and understanding of what I go through. I probably should have leaned on that and 't taken it easier on myself. It's hard to do that, though; I hate to feel like an inconvenience, especially as a guest in someone else's home. It takes a lot of trust and willingness to let someone else see our struggle. I think we, as fibroMIGHTS, tend to hide rather than share. So many people don't understand and we take the negative reactions to heart. That makes it harder to let others know that we need to take it easy. Well, that and it's hard to miss out on fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment