Sickness...

Alyssa has been sick. Last Sunday she was rushed to the hospital ER with severe stomach pains. Pain so bad, she was doubled over. I dropped her and her mom off at the entrance of the ER while I went to park the car. When I started walking toward the entrance, I saw a man shad picked her up and carried her in. By the time I walked in, she was in a wheelchair. We checked in, and proceeded to the Children's ER. There must have been 30 kids in front of us...the place was packed! Alyssa was in so much pain, she was crying, and holding our hands, squeezing when the pain peaked. Her mom took her back to the nurse station, and it was obvious that her pain was severe. She was bumped up in the queue, and her vitals were taken, and she was put in a room for her turn to be seen. They put an IV in her arm in case she needed meds, and she was wheeled to x-ray. The x-ray came back with a back up in her bowel. She was given something for the pain, and it worked very quickly. She was also given an enema, which didn't really work, and was sent home with instructions to see her primary care physician. By Monday afternoon, after seeing her PCP, she was sent to the hospital immediately. She was released on Tuesday night, still no "results", but there wasn't anything more they could do at the hospital that couldn't be done at home. As of today, she has moved very little, however she has changed her diet, high fiber, no dairy, no beef, and her pain has subsided somewhat. Her tummy isn't as distended and it isn't sensitive to the touch. I have been praying, praying, praying. She is 10 years old. Needless to say, I have been occupied with thoughts of Alyssa, just hoping she will get better.

Work has been so slow, and the buzz is that further cuts will be made. Summer is our slow season, but so far occupancy has been very low since last September! Guests are starting to notice and bring it to the attention of the management. Our guests do not hesitate to tell us what we are doing wrong that is for sure. We have been around for almost 30 years, and it is our return guests and their loyalty that is keeping us afloat. There are other hotels and spas i the area that are not faring as well, as they do not have the following that we do.

I am seriously considering changing occupation. I attended a workshop at a local massage school, and I have an appointment with the admissions rep on Wednesday. The workshop was 2 hours long, and we were asked to bring a flat sheet, a pillowcase and a hand towel with us to the class. After the 1 hour presentation, we received instruction on some Swedish massage strokes, and actually gave and received a mini massage! I have thought about a career in this modality before, but I thought touching other people would gross me out. I did pretty good, and I didn't freak out! Maybe now is the time, and it wasn't then? I also thought that I am mature (read: old) to change careers, but I was by no means the oldest person there! The curriculum at this particular school satisfies the requirements by the state of AZ, so that when you complete the classes, you only pay to be certified, and a state test is not required! My son went to a different school and he had to take the state test to be certified. I asked his opinion about whether I would be a good fit for this career, and he said emphatically, YES!

I got sick on 3/9, cold, chest congestion, cough...and I still have a cough and congestion!! I am just so done with this...I just want to feel well again. My energy level is sapped. I just started sleeping through the night about a week ago. I should buy stock in Hall's cough drops! My nose hurts from blowing it so much!! UGH...

It has been so windy for the last couple of days, which doesn't help the dryness in my nose and throat, but it'll be summer before you can say "ahhh-choo"...
Talk soon...