Soggy Sandwich of a Trip

Have you ever been REALLY looking forward to a big, yummy sandwich only to have the bread become so soggy that it was really gross?? This is ONE of the reasons I don't like any type of dressing on my sandwiches. I cannot stand soggy bread. Such a let down. At least the insides can usually be salvaged and enjoyed, right? Well, we enjoyed a wonderful trip these past couple of weeks. We had a couple of bumps at the beginning and end ... like a soggy sandwich.

We were in the middle of nowhere, Nevada when the van suddenly veered on the road and sounded horrible. It took us a few seconds to realize that our tire was flat. REALLY flat! We had to wait for roadside help. The guy was instrumental in helping us get our spare tire released from the bottom of the van (we would have been there another day!). He took our tire to the repair shop in the next town and we got it fixed. Turns out there was a small screw in the tire that punctured it. Set us back almost 2 hours. Then, G got a speeding ticket. Yes, talk about DUMPING salt in a wound. This was turning out to be a much more expensive car ride to Utah. So, this was one side of the soggy sandwich. Now for the other:

My throat had been bugging me a little here and there during our trip. Nothing that really stopped me in my tracks. Tylenol helped and I'd forget about it for a while. Then, during the last day and a half of our cruise, I was in severe pain. Not fun. To make a long story short, even after visiting an urgent care when we were back in UT the day before (and they didn't 'find' anything), I was dropped off at the ER even before we got home on Saturday. Luckily, with G working there, I was able to be seen very quickly. The Dr. took one look at my throat and I was on my way with painkillers and antibiotics. Right as I got home, G went back to make sure the tingling in HIS throat wasn't the same thing. It was. That's 2 visits to the ER. Now for the 3rd:

Later Sunday evening, the boys were getting very wild in the living room. Then comes a chorus of SCREAMS. It freaked me out, especially with all of the blood and chaos. T went flying into the window sill and split open his forehead. J helped get T's pants on while B wiped off the blood from his legs and arms. G and I, still not feeling well, dressed and rushed him to the ER. I snapped a couple of pictures with my cell phone while we waited.

Not a happy camper. It was a very deep gash.

He was being prepped for stitches. They wrapped him like a burrito! The gauze had a topical ointment to numb the skin, and that made him feel a lot better. It wasn't enough. After they irrigated the wound, it was soooo deep, that she had to give him a shot of liticane, which stung like a bee. He screamed. Then he fell asleep under the dressings. There were 2 stitches under the main layer of skin and 5 stitches on top.

Here he is between bandage changes. His forehead is more swollen today than it has been. Also, he got an eyebrow 'wax' when we removed the first bandage! Holy Cow. G said he'll just have to grow the family una-brow to cover than thing if it bothers him!

I have many fabulous photos from our vacation. We DID have a great time, despite the VERY beginning and VERY end. I'm just glad the middle, meaty part of our vacation went well and was memorable.

More to come !!