Rough Start to Summer

There is something quite satisfying about wielding a machete in dense underbrush. As Josh and I alternately hacked with the machete, cut small branches with the loppers, and used our body weight to push briars out of the path, I reflected on the craziness of the week and just how much had transpired between in such a short time.

It all began with my idea for a family fun day.  When you have a large family... mind you, I realize that some people consider our family of 7 a crazy-large size, and then other friends with 7, 10, 12 kids probably snicker at my use of "large." Anyhow, for us, 7 is a comfortable, slightly chaotic number... and when you have a "large" family with working children who participate in extra-curricular activities, it can be difficult to organize times when everyone is present.

Going to the zoo is fun for people of all ages, and Kayleigh particularly loves it.  When the big 4 were younger, we lived in Memphis and went to the zoo regularly.  We would take our own drinks and picnics and look at animals for as long or as little as we wanted, and we all loved it.  On a tight budget, the only thing about the zoo being something we did frequently was that the answer to things like Icees, Dippin' Dots, cotton candy, and the misting fans was always NO.

 Consequently, my surprise for the older kids may sound cheesy, but they appreciated it.  Family fun day was important to me, and I wanted it to be fun for everyone... so this was YES day.  Although I DID take a backpack of drinks and snacks, it was FAMILY FUN DAY, and we would enjoy the Dippin' Dots or Icees as part of it.

The weather was great- sunny, and warm- and everyone enjoyed the time together.  After we had seen everything except the farm animals (we have our own petting zoo in the backyard!), we left and decided to stop for a "linner" (Lunch/Dinner) on the way home.  Huey's was close, so we crowded around a table and enjoyed burgers, salads, sodas, and more fellowship.

Huey's is a restaurant with a neat vibe- burgers come in baskets, there is graffiti all over the walls, and long toothpicks with colorful plastic ends cover the ceiling.

And then it happened.  Josh decided to add his toothpick to the ceiling's collection.  Trying once, twice, he was unsuccessful.  On the third time, he was going to go big.  Drawing a deep breath, he sucked the toothpick right DOWN the straw and right down his throat.  Choking a bit and swallowing the toothpick, Josh looked stunned.  Heck, we all were.  What in the world just happened???   Before thinking about the seriousness of the issue, several typical sibling "roasts" were issued, and there was a good bit of laughter.  However, as we waited for our check, a cloud of worry settled over us, and we wondered how this was all going to work out.

On the way home I asked the advice of a doctor, and he seemed to think it would be broken down enough by stomach acid to pass... but be on the lookout for ANY pain and be on yellow alert.  Later that evening, after a phone conversation with my uncle, we decided to take him on to the ER.  From 10:00pm until 1:00am we waited in the Tupelo ER for the doctor to finally believe that Josh did indeed swallow a toothpick, even though the X-rays did not show anything.  They sent us to Lebonheur, and we arrived BACK IN MEMPHIS around 2:00am.

Side note: Josh and Will qualified for a national bridge building competition, and they were supposed to leave with their school group at 8:54am on Sunday morning to fly to Nashville, on to Dallas, and then to Salt Lake City, Utah for the competition.  It was now 2:00am on Sunday morning.  The question became- what are they going to do? Can they even do anything? Is the toothpick still in his stomach? Is it lost in the intestines? Should they scope him? Should they try to flush it through? WOULD HE MAKE IT ON TIME FOR HIS FLIGHT TO UTAH????

The doctors finally agreed that they should just admit him for observation.  NO 8:54am FLIGHT.  As Sunday progressed, they decided that if he had no major pains, he should just go home (or to Utah) and be on standby for abdominal pain.  Meanwhile, Will and the other students were delayed in Nashville because of a canceled flight.

After church, Scott came to Memphis to swap with me, because I had to drive to a coaches' meeting in Montgomery, AL.  At 4:00pm, Scott and Josh left Lebonheur with strict instructions to "RETURN IF YOU HAVE ANY ABDOMINAL PAIN!!!" and drove to Nashville to meet the group.  Did I mention that Josh and I had ZERO SLEEP on Saturday night?  ZERO.  Not an auspicious beginning to a full week (that was only going to get fuller).

Sarah rode with me to Montgomery, and although I missed the first meeting, we were there for a very late dinner and visit with a boy with whom she had been corresponding.  By this time, I was slightly loopy and in a sleep deprived state... probably not a great way to meet a potential suitor for the first time.

Meanwhile, Josh met with Will and the group in Nashville and prepared to leave for Utah the next morning.

Monday dawned and sent the boys flying from Nashville to Detroit to Salt Lake City while Sarah and I drove home after meetings in Montgomery.

On Tuesday morning, I had to work 10-6 at Fleet Feet and then do some serious grocery shopping for Will's graduation celebration.  The boys had made it to Utah safely, and we were able to watch the livestream of their bridge competition between customers.

Both boys' teams got third place!! How exciting!!

Wednesday was cleaning day for the at-home Duleys and a long day of traveling home for the boys which ended with a flat tire on the side of the highway as they made their way home.

On Thursday, Josh finally got to sleep in and recover, but Sarah, Will, and I left the house at 3:30am to head to his freshman orientation at USM. Kay met us in Hattiesburg and picked up Sarah to go home with her until graduation.  Another long day full of meetings and information overload began when we arrived in Hattiesburg, MS at 8:00am.  Hannah, the MVP of the week, kept Kayleigh and worked on finishing up house chores and cooking for the graduation dinner.

The parents and students were separated almost immediately, and we both participated in different types of programming all day.  The information was helpful, and I think Will is prepared for August.  Southern Miss... TO THE TOP!

We spent the night in the dorms on Thursday night, and Friday got going early with advising sessions and information about the honors college program.  While Will was meeting with an advisor, I received a text from Hannah saying that Josh was having a lot of abdominal pain.  Our primary care doctor advised us to take him back to Lebonheur, so Scott took Josh back to the hospital while Will and I wrapped things up in Hattiesburg and Hannah and Kayleigh worked with all three grandmothers to get the house decorated!

Around 4:30 on Friday, Will and I entered the house to find that Hannah had done an AMAZING job; our Hawaiian Luau was a go.  Although Josh and Scott were still sitting in the Lebhoneur ER while the team of doctors decided Josh's pain was from constipation (presumably resulting from the traveling- even though he had never been constipated in his life), the pre-graduation dinner was a success.  Kay made Will a Tardis quilt for his graduation gift- it is the coolest quilt we have ever seen!!!!

Our friends Ginny and Nathan came to swap out with Scott, because he did NOT want to miss Will's graduation that evening.

The entire family and many friends packed in on the bleachers and beamed with pride as Will was honored for being STAR Student (highest ACT).  Below he is with Ms. Bailey, his choice to honor as STAR Teacher.

He was also honored as Salutatorian, Hall of Fame, Ms Scholar, highest 4 year average in Science and History, and recognized for his many scholarship awards.  He has worked so hard to be successful, and we are proud of his many accomplishments!

After a family picture session (that was missing Josh), Hannah and I left for Lebonheur.  We crowded up in his hospital room and watched a late night movie before falling asleep on couch and recliner. Saturday was a long day (especially for Josh) at Lebonheur, and the rest of the family visited at home with Nana and Papa John.

Late Saturday afternoon, after a major "Love it or List It" and "Fixer Upper" marathon, they decided to send us home with a regimen of meds for Josh.  We arrived home to a delicious dinner prepared by Papa John, and we decided to keep our plans for going to our annual gathering at the TN river with my parents.

Early Sunday, we loaded our tents, camping gear, and all of Sarah's gear for her trip, and headed to the river.  WHAT A RELAXING 24 HOURS!  The weather was so beautiful, and we enjoyed the last day with Sarah.  In fact, we were so relaxed that I didn't even take any pictures!!)

Sunday night we got to have steaks for dinner- what a treat!- and then about 2:00am Monday, I woke up thinking that I had fleas in my bedding.  The itching increased steadily, and I realized that I was having another red meat reaction.  Daylight confirmed that I was indeed covered in hives.  Thankfully, we had Benadryl, and I am officially a non-beef eater. No exceptions.

By 11:30 I had slept off the Benadryl and all of our stuff was gathered and loaded.  The kids headed back home, and Scott and I took Sarah 4 hours across Alabama to drop her off for her summer.  She turned in her cell phone and that was that.

Although I had been fighting it, I lost it.  There is something about knowing your child will be flying internationally without a cell phone that just made me tear up.  It will be a long 8-10 weeks until I can give her a big hug and have all my chickens back in the nest.  After a four-hour drive home, we felt like we had survived a ridiculously busy, stressful week that had involved thousands of miles driven and flown, over 100 hours in the hospital, two large family gatherings/ celebrations... and much, much more.

On Tuesday we slept late-ish and then jumped right into trail work and preparations for running camp.  I got two quotes from bulldozer operators, and it looks like we will be able to renovate our 1.5 mile trail.

Wednesday, Josh and I went hacking a path through the brush in order to mark a path for the bulldozer driver, and now we will have a true loop without any two-way traffic.

Today, I have spent the morning catching up on this blog, and I am about to take Kayleigh to the spray park with some friends.  That will be followed by a final round of laundry catch-up, housework, and then topped off with a girls night dinner in Tupelo!

Sarah, we miss you and love you and hope you enjoy us keeping you updated with our day to day ramblings this summer!! :)