I've been putting off writing this blog because I've been a little sad about it all, but I know someday I'm going to want to remember this trip so here it is. We recently got back from Louisville, Kentucky. And it was... quite the trip. My friend was asking me how it went and after telling her the story, she responded with "well, hopefully this will be something you can laugh about one day!". Maybe it'll be part of our family trivia, like, "hey remember that time mom almost died and ruined our whole trip?! haha good times!". Or something like that.
I should have known our trip was doomed with the precursor we had. To begin, I spent the night before we left on the bathroom floor, puking my brains out, with the most excrutiating sinus migraine of my life. I imagine having an axe chop through the center of my head would have felt better. There was a crazy weather system moving through the area and my sinuses didn't stand a chance. So while I was busy with that, Michael finished packing, cleaning, and caring for the rambuctious children. He did great, I finally fell asleep, and we all got up ready to head to Louisville!
Day 1:
We stopped halfway in Indianapolis at the Indiana State Museum. We needed a place to stop and with our museum pass it was a free experience, but it ended up being a pretty cool place. We saw fossils, war artifacts, and interesting videos and hands-on exhibits. Then it was back in the car to continue on to Louisville.
We headed straight for Schimpffs, one of the oldest family-run candy shops in the country. It's been around since 1858 and has been run by the same family this whole time. They even have most of the original candy jars and cookware. They are famous for their red hot candies and caramel-covered marshmallows, both of which we had to try!
From there we walked part of the famous pedestrian bridge called The Big Four, connecting Indiana to Kentucky. We finished with delicious pizza at the bottom of the bridge.
The kids were probably most excited for our cute little air bnb, complete with really fun toys, a wii, and a cool backyard.
Day 2:
The next day was PACKED! I woke up feeling a little crummy, but I popped a dayquil and continued on my way. We started at the Louisville Zoo. It was very busy with field trips, but it was a big enough zoo that it didn't feel too crowded. Isla even talked with a zookeeper at length about the diet of the bears at their zoo. The kids loved the gorillas and birds the best. Michael got some cool shots of the animals. Our family really likes zoos :)
Oh and as a seasonal thing, they had some dinosaur robots set up that really moved and made noise. We all got a kick out of that too.
It was pretty hot by midday, so we changed gears and headed to the Louisville Science Center. This place was also free with the recipricol museum program, which was awesome! We explored three whole floors of science-related activities. Even Michael joined in on the fun with making rockets. One of the coolest exhibits was where the big kids and Michael all had to work together to maneuver a magnetic crane. They did a great job stacking blocks!
We were so tired by the end of day 2 that we decided on takeout and an early night.
Day 3:
And then it was all downhill. I had felt icky all day, but that night I had a really high fever, aches, and chills. In the middle of the night I woke up feeling nauseous, so I ran to the bathroom. The next thing I knew, I was waking up on the bathroom floor. I have no idea how long I had passed out for, but I definitely hit my head on the tub on the way down (and I have the goose egg to prove it!). The next day I felt awful, but it was supposed to be our most exciting day at Churchill Downs. I did my best to rally and we headed to the Derby Museum.
I do not remember much of the museum. I was on the verge of passing out again, my fever was high, it was hard to walk, I could barely keep my eyes open, and I was freezing cold. But the kids enjoyed learning all about the derby. They rode mechanical horses, pretend bet on horses, and even toured the actual track.
And then the tunnel vision, cold sweat, and dizziness started. Michael barely got me to the car as I went in and out of awareness. I thought I was having a stroke, but Michael is probably right in assuming I was having a panic attack, while almost passing out, with a high fever. It was really scary. We left Churchill Downs to try to get to a hospital, but by the time we hit the highway it had passed. We decided to finish out the day at the air bnb. I don't know what the kids did, but I slept from that afternoon until the next day.
It was really disappointing and frustrating. We were supposed to see a live race that afternoon and I was devastated that my health ruined that. Michael and the kids were so understanding and Isla said "I'd rather mom get better than us see some horses race", which was really sweet, but sad all the same. It was the main reason we went to Kentucky, but I think I was the only one that cried about it. Everyone else was a trooper. And Michael keeps reminding me that Churchill Downs will still be there when we want to go back someday.
Everyone really was a champ and did so well. Michael was the hero of them all! For the man that hates traveling, he not only took care of everything while his wife was sick, but made sure I was ok and made it fun for the kids even when the plans changed.
Day 4
I crawled my way to the car as we loaded up to head home. We stopped about halfway at Turkey Run in Indiana. I was bummed I was so sick because it seemed like a really cool place to explore. We can't wait to go back sometime this summer to do some hiking (and maybe camping).
When we got home, my MIL watched the kids while Michael trucked his sick wife to prompt care. And what do you know, it was strep! The doctor's words were "severe strep". I have not been that sick in a very long time. And even with my precautions of not going anywhere days before our trip and avoiding all the germs, I still managed to get sick. A strong course of antibiotics later and I am feeling much better. I actually feel human again and I'm ready to start working on building my gut immunity back up after these meds. oof. I'm glad we were able to have such a fun first half of the trip and I really hope the kids remember the good parts over the unfortunate ones. Maybe we'll return one day.
In other news, we've just been spending our days at home (trying to avoid germs before and after our trip). Lots of gardening, school, summer foods, and play. Oh and the Farmer's Market scones :)
The other special thing this May was Mother's Day. All I wanted was a family hike and the rest of the vegetable plants for my garden. We spent the day laughing, playing, hiking, and resting. I feel so blessed to be their mama. It's my dream come true.
We also got to deliver a gift to our special Nana. We are blessed to have a Nana and Mimi that are the best moms too :)
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