Winter sickness, mountain getaway, and our first trip to the ER!

The McFalls had a touch of the flu go through our house last week and it wasn't pretty.  It was the first time that Elodie has been sick.  The flu outbreak in Atlanta has been so bad that one county closed their schools early for the holiday because so many kids and teachers have been sick.  I consider myself to have a pretty good immune system.  I avoid most colds and sicknesses.  If we ever do start to feel a little sick I swear by taking Wellness Formula.  You can get it at any health food store.  It has helped keep me healthy for years. Last week Elodie woke up after midnight after throwing up in her crib.  After getting that mess cleaned up and her changed I attempted to rock her back to sleep.  Then she threw up on me. Getting thrown up by a toddler is a life changer. Apparently they don't completely chew their food up.  Yuck! Graham got thrown up on next.  She got sick four more times that night!  It was a very looooooong night!  In between getting sick all over the place she was laughing, smiling, and running around.  She didn't run a fever.  After finally getting her down at 6am she slept until 1:30 in the afternoon.  I had a huge pile of footie jammies, sheets, and stuffed animals to launder. We are hoping that will not happen again anytime soon.

That weekend we decided to take a trip up to Tennessee to see Granny and the Pelham family.  We rented a cabin in the mountains and got a dog-sitter for Jemma.  As we headed out on the road Graham's phone lost service at some point, had us take a wrong turn, and we ended up driving straight through the Smokey Mountains.  Lots of windy roads up and down without guard rails.  Not an ideal driving situation with a toddler in the back.  She ended up getting carsick.  After attempting to get her cleaned up, changed, and her car-seat cleaned out we still had an hour and a half left on our trip.  (It was supposed to take four hours).  It ended up taking 6.5 hours.  Putting her back in that wet car-seat was heartbreaking.  We arrived at our cabin after dark and had a beautiful view of the stars. The drive up the mountain to the cabin was terrifying.

The next day we met up with Granny and the Pelhams in downtown Gatlinburg at a famous pancake house.  Granny said she had been coming here for 50 years.  Another thing I have learned about the South is that people looooooove their sweet breakfast. There are pancake houses, waffle houses, and donut shops everywhere.  There was a Krispy Kreme on our way to the cabin and there was traffic because of all of the cars trying to get in line for one of those "butter sticks".  That is what they taste like.  I had one for the first time when Jan my mother in-law came to visit.  Sugary butter sticks!  After breakfast we decided to head back to the cabin let Elodie nap then go see Santa and visit the Pelhams. After nap time Elodie tripped over the area rug and hit the corner of a glass table.  It was one of those times that replays in your head over and over.  She cut her eyelid and under her eye pretty badly. There was a lot of blood and tears. Since the cut was on her face, she hit her head, and near her eye we decided to take her to the Dr.  Our first trip to the ER.  Not fun! No stitches but we were glad we went.  After we got home that evening Graham got his round of the flu.  High fever and couldn't keep anything down.  So I was alone hanging out in our hot tub on the deck under the beautiful falling stars.  First trip to the mountains!  It was tough but we are going to do it again! Hope your family stays healthy this winter!

Elodie after her car sickness!

Cousin Love after the ER visit!

Wellness Formula

How to keep in touch after all these years......?

People always ask me how I have kept in contact so well with friends over the years? I have always thought of my friends as family. I love them like family. I would do anything for them. It's as simple as that. Since I have only made like one friend down here that I have seen only once I have a lot of time to reflect on the friendships I do have.  It is fun for me to reminisce about all the memorable times I have had with such amazing friends.  I talk to my family all the time so I do the same with my friends. Most of all it has been the phone calls.  Catch up, check-in, celebrate each other. Life goes by so fast these days. Memories you make with good friends are something that you should always cherish. I think all of my good friends have something different to offer me in my life and I hope I do the same in theirs. The people that I have kept in contact throughout the years have deeply impacted me and helped shape me into the person that I am today. Sounds super cheesy but it's true. I have seen many of my best friends move away and start their journey in life somewhere new. Now I am doing that same thing. Before I met Graham and had Elodie I had much more free time to go and visit my friends around the country.  I have no plans to stop but it has slowed down a bit for now. Now my lovelies can come and visit me for a bit ;) Hint hint!!!! I have this fantasy of us all settling down somewhere in the same place someday!  Lets be honest it might have to be a vacation get-away or down the road an active senior community! ;) Just feeling a bit sentimental and thankful for all of the amazing people in my life for a moment down here! Thinking of you daily Minnesota, Indiana, Florida, New York, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado! You know who you are!

JUST A FEW MEMORIES!