Up and at 'em...part 2

Note: This is a long post.

Friday:
Well, with McKenna having been back to normal. No fever, food was down, appetite was normal. Ella seemed fine and I felt fine. Why not go to Camp Shamineau? I asked Arthur his opinion and he agreed that she was definitely back to normal. I called Nate and said that I guess I could go if he felt it was okay. I think he was very relieved.

I had previously arranged for a sitter to come over to the house on Friday morning. She would take McKenna to preschool and then take Ella to her parent/child ECFE class. I would pack for the weekend and tidy up the house. I got a message from her stating that she was terribly sick and couldn't come. Yuk! Oh well, I could do it. I would just have to be quick and efficient with my packing after class. The morning went as normal-McKenna to preschool and Ella to ECFE (where I stay with her because it is a parent/child class). Afterwards, make a quick lunch then begin to pack.

We were finally off around 3: 30pm (a good 45mins. later than I wanted to leave). We had to stop at the grocery store because I had signed up to bring string cheese to the camp. When we got to the grocery store, down the street, it was pouring down rain. So, I turned around to get the umbrella at the house. Besides, I might need it over the weekend. On the return home to pick up the umbrella, I watched a cop hiding in the distance. I wasn't speeding, I verified that. We were buckled. Should be fine. He pulled out and followed me closely. I wasn't doing anything though (mind you that I am less than a mile from my home). Then he turned on his lights. I couldn't believe it. What law could I possibly be breaking!?

Quick note: I was borrowing my in laws van and had called them that morning to ask where the insurance and registration card were. They weren't sure but gave me 2 places I could check in the van. I never did that.

There was absolutely no shoulder on the road so I signaled that I would pull over but needed to proceed forward a bit to find a safe place. I guess I wasn't fast enough because the officer decided to turn on the siren, as well! Once pulled over, I was so nervous because I had no clue where the insurance card was. It turns out that my headlights weren't on (when the wipers were-remember it was pouring) even though I had them on auto. The light sensor hadn't kicked on, apparently. And, the insurance card and registration were in the console, where they should have been. No ticket, just a big upset and irritating of the nerves. Okay, went home and got the umbrella. Then got the string cheese-now we were really off @ 4:45pm. From what I had been told it was about a 2-3 hour drive. (We were going to Motley, MN-northwest of the Twin Cities.) With 1 police encounter, 1 grocery stop, 1 umbrella stop, 2 bathroom stops, 1 dinner stop, the rain, then the snow, the afternoon rush hour at 2 of the bigger cities...it was much more than 2-3 hours. We got there around 8pm. McKenna wanted to know each road/hwy we were on and what town we were in. She also asked "how much longer?" about every 20 mins. Ella was a perfect angel in the car. I was tired.

Got unloaded (everyone helped--it is so much easier when people pitch in), got unpacked, checked out the environment. By the way, there were about 6 inches of snow on the ground. Yes, snow at the end of April. I put the girls to bed around 9pm then did a group devotion until about 10:45pm or so. Chris (from Sunday school) was leading a devotion/discussion on making decisions. We talked about the 3 types of decisions (a decision of judgement, election, and sanctification). We read some passages from the Bible. Discussed this interference of sin. Shared and laughed. After the discussion lots of people stayed up and chatted or played games. Not me, I showered and then went to bed.

Saturday:
Woke up around 6:45 am--pretty normal. That is what time Ella wakes up on a regular basis. We went to the room across the hall form us, a meeting room of sorts. There were snacks (more than anyone could need in a weekend) and toys and movies, and so forth. We played in there a bit. McKenna woke up around 7:15am, got dressed. We had a devotion around 8:00am then headed to the dinning hall for breakfast-waffles, syrup, strawberries, whip cream, butter, cereal, milk) Ahh, church youth camp, the aroma still lingers.

My job for the day: the kids. There were 16 of them ranging in age from 12 months to 9 years old. I had adults rotating in to help me. I (along with a few others) had brought lots of stuff. We set up an art table, book/puzzle area, car/action figure area, etc. I brought a big, round, empty tub of cheese balls (thanks, Anna!) and some paint and paper and a golf ball for a project. Those who wanted to, one at a time, squeezed a few drops of paint onto the paper. Then dropped it into the tub with the golf ball. Put the lid on and roll away. The golf ball leaves neat impressions on the paper and the child has fun rolling the tub all over the room.

Watching the kids was probably one of the easier parts of the trip, honestly. It got a little rough right before lunch, but that's it. They were tired of being in the same room. With the snow, we were trapped inside.

Around lunch time, McKenna started acting a bit funny. We've been working on, um, regularity, in the bathroom. Well, with the hullabaloo of the weekend regularity went out the window. Thankfully, a friend had some fiber additive and that helped. Poor kid, I know her tummy was cramped up for a bit. But with each (and there were several) trip to the bathroom there were minor successes.

Ella was so relaxed, so go with the flow. She (as did McKenna) enjoyed herself every minute of the day. The adventure of 10 people piling into a car to go to the dining hall for a meal, the adventure of having your fiends run around with you all day and all night, the adventure of sleeping in a sleeping bag next to your mom, the adventure of taking a shower in a shower stall instead of a bath, the adventure of making sure you are in the girls restroom rather than the boys, it was so much fun for the girls. Ella was an angel. McKenna was well behaved too.
After dinner we played and relaxed. Then bed came early. Ella actually fell asleep on the bed while her friend Keira was watching a video right next to her. Also, I was in and out of the room along with other kids. They were climbing up the beds and playing super secret spy. Ella must have been pretty tired. Both girls were in bed by 8:15pm. The evening devotion started. The adults sat in circle and discussed decision making (lead by Chris). It went well. There was sharing, honesty, vulnerability, etc. After the discussion, there was snacking and playing games. I had made a cheese dip in the crock pot (salsa and Velveeta) and I enjoyed some yummy brownies. The ladies enjoyed a game of Skip-Bo (I won one round). Then I went to bed.

Sunday:
Around 1:30 am--yes I said am--while lying in my sleeping bag, being kicked by Ella, I began to feel nauseous. I repositioned myself thinking that would help. It didn't. I laid very still hoping the feeling would go away. Slowly it worked itself up to my throat. Yep, I was gonna throw up. I slowly and quietly walked down the hall and into the bathroom--hoping my girls wouldn't wake up in the process. If you've ever been to a church youth camp, you know that the walls are thin and there is a prevalent echo in the community bathrooms. I walked into the stall, and yes, threw up. Many times. While I was doing that, someone, of course, heard and came to check on me. I also found out that 2 others were feeling sick. After a few sips of water and washing my face, I returned to bed, dreading the next several hours. You see, when I throw up--I do it over and over and over again. It's just the nature of how my body reacts to a stomach bug. Ella, never throws up (doesn't mean she doesn't get sick--she just doesn't throw up). McKenna and Arthur are somewhere in between. Needless to say I revisited the bathrooms about every 45 minutes until about 6am, then it slowed down-didn't stop, just slowed down.

Then, Ella woke up with the same stomach bug manifested differently. She had frequent diarrhea. Poor baby! We went through several changes of clothes, even though each time we tried to get the toilet. We just weren't quick enough.

Sunday morning was supposed to be a group devotion and trip to the dining hall for a Sunday brunch. Well, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry! My friend Lisa had to put her foot down and make me rest (I didn't have the strength to argue with her.). She was a blessing! She packed up my suitcases. My other friends packed up the toys and kid activities that I brought. My friend Heidi handled McKenna. Ella and I just rested on the bed for a few hours. Well, we rested in between trips to the bathroom. Poor Ella! It's so hard to see your little ones not feeling well. The Kjelshus family is very familiar with the restrooms at Camp Shamineau!

Then, it was time to go home. How could I drive with nausea? And, with Ella visiting the bathroom about every 15-20 minutes? Thankfully, Lisa had that worked out too.
Chris, Lisa's husband, drove the girls and I all the way back to the cities. He stopped every so often for Ella (until she fell asleep). Gathered things in the van for me. What a sweetie! Chris and Lisa are dear friends! Arthur picked us up from Karin and Tom's house (Chris and Lisa's final destination). I went home and immediately went to bed. Didn't get up until the next morning.
I still feel weak and have no appetite but I am doing better. I did a few things around the house today. (Oh yes, I called in sick to Mom's Day Away!) I played with the girls some, though it was more reading of books and art rather than running around.

Did I have a good time? Yes, until 2 am Sunday morning
Will I go back? I don't know. This past experience is a piece of pivotal information when it comes to my decision making. Maybe I need to re frame the scenario, right Chris?
Did we bring the stomach bug with us to Shamineau? I hope not, but it is likely that we did. Really sorry guys!

Is anyone else feeling icky?