sarahski

In November 2010, my favorite author, Lauren Willig, came to town to do a book signing.

I came down with a ‘mild cold’ that quickly warmed up to feeling like death warmed over. I wouldn’t have gone if I’d known how terrible I was going to feel – but I felt fine when we left. It wasn’t until we got there that I was aware of how sick I was.

So when I heard a few months ago that Willig was coming back to town, I thought PERFECT! I can meet Lauren Willig again, and not be sick, and actually enjoy the experience.

I just needed to not get sick.

If I heard that people were sick, I canceled plans. I washed my hands, kept my fingers away from my ears, nose, eyes, and mouth. I propped myself up with vitamins and immunity boosting supplements.

And then the boy brought the plague home.

Now, it’s extremely rare that the boy and I share illnesses. So I was cautiously optimistic that I might be okay. I took care of him, from a distance, while continuing my regimen of vitamins, exercise, and good food.

When we made it a good five days out from his plague, I thought maybe, just maybe I might make it.

No, of course not. I wouldn’t write this if I’d escaped.

One week – one week! – out from Lauren Willig, I started coughing and spiked a fever.

Even though I’m past the point of contagion, and I know that by Tuesday, I won’t be feeling like death warmed over, I know I’ll still be coughing. Which means that if I decide to go, I’ll be “the girl who is always sick for Lauren Willig” …

I won’t lie, I’m a little bitter. I tried so hard, did all the right things, and I still ended up sick.

I’m sad.

Matt was trying to tell me, between coughs and sniffles, why he should be allowed to leave the house with me today in search of food. I kind of disagreed with him, but I let him come anyway, on his point that he’s probably not contagious by now. I didn’t really let him touch anything, though.

Side note, I’ve really got to get over there and straighten up his shelves….

I’ve been ‘decluttering/straightening up’ one area a day, just about. All I feel like it does is make me aware of all the other areas that need it too. Ah well. Getting there.

Watching the super bowl together. Mikenna shimmied up Matt’s arm and plunked down. Her head is right up against his cheek.

I like when she goes out of her way to show affection to Matt. I’m glad that they love each other.

It is incredibly difficult to exercise with the girls around. This is usually what happens, too. They get very excited when you move around or get on the floor with them, and so it becomes a pile on.

Normally, Matt does his exercises early in the morning, before work, and the girls (at least Mikenna) stay in bed with me. So he gets to exercise unmolested.

But not today!

Face full of westie.

So I felt obligated to capture the moment.

Aeris loves Mikenna. She loves Mikenna so much, that as much as possible, she wants to be near her. She waits for Mikenna by the door when we take Koo outside, she lays near Mikenna on the bed, and when she gets excited about getting her afternoon food, she headbutts her enthusiastically. Mikenna is Aeris’s little buddy. I’m not entirely sure that Aeris knows how to function without Mikenna.

Mikenna doesn’t always appreciate the nuances of Aery’s devotion. Aeris is also the klutziest cat I’ve ever known. Not too long ago, in fact, Aeris went to hop up on that very desk corner, missed, and landed on sleeping Mikenna. To be fair, that’s not how I’d want to be woken up either.

All that to say, sometimes Aeris has to settle for loving Mikenna from afar. Like here. Aeris is close enough to her sister, and Mikenna remains un-stepped on.