Surprise Trip

This first picture isn't flattering at all of me, but Rissa's pose was too good to pass up. I am convinced she siphoned some of my pain meds.



Williamsburg! The dove house at some guy's property, though he never lived there... I don't get it either.




There are few people who can easily get me laughing so hard I cry. Two of those people are my sisters and within hours of surprising them on Monday night, we were all laughing/crying in IHOP at 1am. Don't ask me what it was about either, I don't remember. It feels good to be with family.

Months ago my dad called with the idea that Travis and I fly into Williamsburg to surprise my mom and sisters on their history tour. I was all for it and so was Travis. A few months after the plane tickets were bought I got a job promotion and my dad was sweet enough to change the returning flights to Wednesday instead of Thursday (if I knew then what I know now, I would have left them for Thursday!). We kept the secret pretty well because when we met up with my family in the Atlanta airport I sat next to my mom and she just stared at me for 10 seconds before it dawned on her. It was worth keeping my mouth shut for half a year :) First she thought that we were randomly flying somewhere and happened to be in Atlanta. Then she thought we drove up (9 hour drive) to meet her at the airport (not to mention having to buy a ticket to make it past security). When we told her we were going to be with them for a couple days, her reaction made me feel very loved.

Whitni was next to my mom at the airport so we surprised her there too. She took it a little better than my mom because she said "I had my suspicions, but didn't know."

Rissa was at the condo already so when we went to pick her up for dinner after midnight Trav and I got out of the car and hid behind some other cars... Rissa got in the car, then my dad started leaving the parking lot and stopped alongside Trav and I. Rissa seemed pretty excited to see us too, though her comment to me was, "I just saw you like a week ago!"... feel the love Riss. :)

We spent the next day in Williamsburg and I loved being with both family AND my Travis. It doesn't happen often and the only thing that could make it better was for the whole family to be there. Unfortunately there was something that could make it worse...

The next morning I woke up with cramps that got progressively stronger until I was on the floor crying. It was the worst pain I have ever felt in my life (which I would like to think says something considering I've busted open my head, cut my finger down to the bone, had cysts rupture, had surgeries, etc, but I am also known to be more "sensitive" than most...). Travis and my dad gave me a blessing and then took me to the hospital. Somewhere in there my poor dad had to leave the room because my clothes became too tight to handle with the cramps and so started coming off. I remember my mom and sisters stuffing me back into a shirt at least before I left for the hospital. On the way to the hospital is where the stories differ. I was laying, rolling, sitting in the back seat wanting to die (which thoroughly insulted Travis that I was willing to leave him like that) and begged for such several times. Travis, the patient navigator misread the map and sent us down the wrong road which increased the travel time. It wasn't fun for me at all, and probably just as horrible for the men in the car. I'm pleading the 5th concerning anything else they might claim I did and/or said during the car ride. It was not my proudest 30 minutes. At the hospital they got me into a wheelchair and took me to the ER where Trav said I acted like a zombie scaring the poor children and adults alike. They got me in pretty quickly (probably to spare every one, not just me) and on the IV meds. The worst part for me was that I went up to surprise my family and have fun and ended up confining them to a hospital for a whole day. They were sweet and incredibly patient. Even Rissa, setting off alarms as she stole the monitors from me and put them on herself. :) While Trav and I could have handled the medical issues on our own, there's just something more comforting about having Mom, Dad and two sisters going into nursing with us.

After the tests and conclusions, we were able to leave the hospital around 4pm, I think. We went to Jamestown for an hour or so, walked in Pocahantas' footsteps, got my strong pain killers, and had to say goodbye at the airport. 48 hours went by WAY too quickly. I wish we could tag along for the rest of the trip. It's good to be with family!!!