You Give Me Fever

And not the good kind! Panda Express, my love and knife, gave me a healthy dose of fricking food poisoning. Never again, Panda. NEVER AGAIN. And for my Ecuas out there, Nunca mas jamas!

So, after barfing multiple times and laying on the bathroom floor, shaking and falling in and out of sleep (it was 2 a.m. and I was so, so tired! Why is it that the throw-ups never hit when you are well rested?) I was feeling angry that I had just cleaned the bathroom that day. And also, I was feeling grateful that I had just cleaned the bathroom that day! Being that close to a clean toilet is just so much better than the alternative. But, I knew that, being the germ-a-phobe that I am, I would be cleaning the bathroom again within the next twelve hours. I mean, I’m a clean person even when sick, but just in case. So, as I lay on the bathmat, reaching my hand up to wipe down the seat with a Clorox wipe, a new anger overtook me…

What a freaking waste of money!

Good to know that I am both neurotic and cheap even in the most dire of circumstances.

And then my poor Darby awakened and knocked on the bathroom door, asking, “Mom, can I come in?” That sweet little honey. No baby, no. You cannot come in.

Have you ever had food poisoning?

Busy Week

I know, I know. I’m a terrible blogger. Let’s move forward.

We had a busy and fun weekend! Aramie, Matt, and Kacy arrived on Friday night. It was the first time we’ve met Aramie’s new husband and it was great. He fit right in and feels like family already. For Frankie’s initiation, the brothers all got into bed with him to see how he’d handle it. I’ll never forget that moment, when I walked up the stairs (I was staying downstairs and Frank was staying in my room upstairs) when I walked up to the top step and peered into my bedroom. There was Frankie, sitting in my bed with a smile on his face, with Dustin on one side and Aaron on the other. For Matt’s initiation, he had to shake it. That is where you put 30 ping-pong balls in an empty Kleenex box and tie it onto your back. Then you have to shake and gyrate around until all the ping-pong balls fall out. It is hilarious and he handled it like a pro! He didn’t refuse or get all embarrassed or anything---he just did it and shook his way into our hearts :).

Brett and Corrine (my parents-in-law) also arrived on Friday for a cousin’s wedding. It is always so nice to get to spend time with them. On a side note, (and because only family who already knows the situation and the people involved look at this blog) the cousin was supposed to get married in the temple, but she and her fiancée ended up getting married civilly. I know we, in the church, are prone to raising and eyebrow at that sort of stuff and gossiping and blah blah blah. But I would like to point out how brave I think it is to admit a mistake and to take your lumps rather than go through the temple unworthily so that you don’t have to face embarrassment. It shows that those two really understand how important and sacred those covenants are and they fear God rather than man. I am so impressed by them and their decision to be honest and real. So many kids just keep their mouths shut about anything questionable, go to the temple anyway, and take it to the grave and I think it is despicable. Anyway, that’s that.

It was so fun to spend time with Brett and Corrine and Darby, of course, had the time of her life! She got to spend lots of fun time with grandparents and I know how much she loves to have them around. Corrine took lots of great pictures and those are the ones I’ve posted. It is spring break, so I didn’t have to go hide in my office and do any homework while we had company, so that was an added bonus. I mean, I probably wouldn’t have done that anyway (let’s be real), but it was nice not to feel guilty about it. Brett made our backyard look awesome and we’ve been spending more time out there! Frankie’s poor parents come down and work their fingers to the bone for us! We went to dinner and got to hear a few cool mission stories from Brett. I had to teach the Relief Society lesson at church with Corrine there, so that was nerve wracking! Frankie was definitely missing his family, so it was nice for him to fill that canteen a little.

The first couple of nights, Aramie and her family stayed here with us. Kacey and Darby got along so well! They slept in Darby’s bed together and I listened at the door a few times to find out if they were still awake, and they were and it was so sweet to hear them talking together until they fell asleep.

It was a really fun break and we’ll get Britney (Frankie’s sister) for a few days, starting tomorrow. I guess I’m not huge on updates, but that’s what this one was. Here are a few pictures and I’ll get back to my old ramblings soon enough.

Dustin Robert James Judd

We have a nephew! My little brother Dustin and his wife, Jessica, just had a gorgeous baby boy! He was born on Saturday, February 19th, and Nate, Haley, and I drove out to San Diego on Sunday and we got to meet our first nephew within the first 24 hours of his life. Dustin and Jessica did not find out the gender of the baby beforehand, but we were all confident that Dustin would create the first male offspring of the Judd kids. Little Dustin is so precious and such an angel and we have waited for him for so long. I kissed his tiny cheek and he smiled! I'm sure that gas was the catalyst and not my kiss, but I'll take it! Welcome, baby boy! We love you.

Bon Appetit!

This is not a meal that I made. Obviously.

I have been really interested in cooking lately. No. It is wrong to lie. Let me start over.

I have had to be more attentive to my cooking lately. As we all know, I have an on-again off-again relationship with my multiple sclerosis diet. As Nathan so appropriately put it, “The only thing worse than having MS is the MS diet.” Ain’t it the truth! But, it really is a great way to eat, health-wise. It is a total word of wisdom diet. Anyway, I have resigned myself to snacking on walnuts and yogurt, but my poor family is suffering. The adults are supportive, but Darby has yet to see the merit in healthy dinners. She says such darling things when dinner is placed before her. For example, “Mom, do you really want me to eat this?” and “Mom, that is disgusting.” She doesn’t even try the food before these utterances escape her lips and she still has to take 4 no-thank-you bites (great idea, Britney!). After she agonizes through those, she usually says, “That’s not so bad.” Of all the comments she has made regarding the dinners over which I have slaved, my favorite is the most recent. She sat down in her chair at the table and looked into her dinner bowl. “Is there diarrhea in this?”

It does a mother’s heart good to hear something like that.

I Am A Super-Star

Hey guys. Long time, no see! I thought I’d share with you a few experiences Frankie and I had last night. Some are good for a laugh, others will help me get sympathy from you. Intrigued? Let’s press on.

So, I’ve been sick the last few days. The bummer about a simple sickness is that with Multiple Sclerosis, nothing is simple. The head congestion was messing with my equilibrium, which is already questionable. The brain pains were exacerbated so much that I was crying, and my vision was so bad that I couldn’t even read. My sweet Frankie gave me a blessing and decided that we needed to go to an urgent care. Haley and Nate kept Darby for us, and we went to seek medical attention. The first urgent care we went to was, of course, closed. The next one was dirty, but we got in quickly. The doctor came in and with his thick New York accent told Frankie that he was probably a great lover. Yes, that is actually what he said. He talked and talked about life in NYC and what he got for his mother for mothers’ day. He droned on about how his accent makes it impossible to understand him when he uses the word “yogurt.” He babbled about how city New Yorkers are horrible, but up-staters like me are the God-fearing salt of the earth. Finally, he wrote me some prescriptions and quieted his busy mouth.

I have pneumonia, so I was anxious to start my HUMONGOUS antibiotic and get some sleep. I woke up around 2 a.m. because I needed to go potty. Like I said, my equilibrium is way off and I probably needed help, but how embarrassing is that?! Besides, Frankie was sleeping in Darby’s room with her in case she needed one of us. So, as I was in the bathroom, I knew I was in trouble. I tried to hurry everything up, but MS also causes it to take forever for me to pee (too much info? Nah). Then, I couldn’t find the beginning of the toilet paper. So, by the time I stood to pull up my chonies and wash my hands, it was all over. I remember a loud noise, and then Frankie’s voice sounding panicked. “Hillary, what are you doing?!” “Sleeping.” That was my response. I truly thought I was in my bed. Then he asked me to roll to the side so that he could open the door. I had fainted and was blocking my bedroom door! What’s worse is that I hadn’t pulled my chonies all the way up before I passed out, so my half naked body was blocking the entrance to my bedroom as I lay on the floor, asserting that I was asleep. How humiliating.

So, this morning I have what I can only guess will eventually be a black eye. There are scrapes all over my arms and face and I have a massive goose-egg on the back of my head where it landed on the tile. My hip took the brunt of it all and I am pretty torn up! What a pathetic little story, right? It’s also kind of funny, so I had to share it with you. I have never fainted before; it was really weird. So, how about you? Have you fainted? Has anything embarrassing happened to you lately?

Smells Like the Color Brown

Yeah, I get it. It is Thanksgiving and I should be baking and cooking and basting and whisking, but I am not. Last year, I did all of that and then the 3 of us ate in like, 5 minutes and it was really lack-luster. This year, Nate and Haley live in town, but went out of town for the holiday, so it still would have been just the 3 of us. All Darby ever wants to eat is bologna, cheese, and a fruit snack, so the meal would have been lost on her. Frankie suggested we wait until Nate and Haley get back and I jumped on that opportunity! So, today we didn’t eat a great meal. We had some pretty lame spaghetti, actually. I did make green bean casserole, though, because it is divine. Anyway, we decided to take Darby to the movies for the first time and we saw Tangled. It was so good! She really enjoyed it for the most part. About 20 minutes before it ended, she said, “Is it over yet?” But, she sat through the rest of it just fine. And she loved the movie! It was really fun to watch her enjoy the theater experience. My favorite part of the movie is when the main guy says, “It smells like the color brown.” That is hilarious to me! Anyway, my favorite part of the day was when Darby was trying to get Frankie’s attention and she said, “Hey old man!” It was sweet justice because just last night, Frankie told me that he’ll always feel young because I’ll always be older than he is. Good thing he is so handsome, right? Helps me overlook such inflammatory statements! We went to the park after the movie and ran into Frankie’s uncle and cousins. We enjoyed hanging out at the park and came home for gross dinner and had a pretty good day. I’m thankful for so much, especially my family. Frankie and Darby, Mom and Daddy, Corrine and Brett, Nate and Haley, Britney, Aramie and Matt and Kacey, Adam and Lindsey and Montanna and Eden, Dustin and Jessica and Omega, Glen, Aaron and Katie; I love each of you guys. Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Amen :P

How was your day?

Bowler Hat Beauty

Happy Halloween! This costume is Haley’s brain-child, worked into reality with her own blood, sweat and tears. Nathan’s work group is CRAZY about Halloween and they all dressed as Disney villains. Nate was Bowler Hat Guy from Meet the Robinsons. So, being the cheap-o’s we are with the crazy daughter we have, we just used the same costume for Darby once Nate was done with it. She looked AWESOME! I kept hearing people talk about her and how great her costume was. She even had a bald cap with the little swirl of hair (I didn’t even think to take her hat off and get a picture of that, but it is there). She looked great and had a really fun time.

On Thursday, Darby’s preschool class got to wear their costumes to school. We couldn’t use Bowler Hat Guy because Nate would need it on Friday, and we didn’t want Darby to miss out. So, we had a ball of red yarn that Corrine bought for the Darbs to play with and we decided to fashion a Pippi Longstocking wig out of it. It turned out really great, even though it looks like a mix somewhere in the fray of Pippi, the Wendy’s girl (Wendy, I presume), and Raggedy Ann. Her schoolmates said that she looked “awesome” and she felt so good about herself! She is so fun and so wild; while all of her contemporaries are prancing around in princess dress-up stock and crap tiaras, Darby is bold and fun. I love my daughter.

How was your Halloween?