A Weekend of Flu, Family and a Funeral

The last two weeks have been a fog of sickness. First, of course, it was Abby. Lee and I fought if for a couple of days before I finally succumbed to it. I was fully sick just before the weekend. And, of course, that weekend we had major plans.

This flu came with such congestion that I had a raging headache everyday, I couldn't breathe, and even my eyes would involuntarily cry from the constant sinus pressure. I wiped my nose every two minutes, polishing the skin off until it glowed like Rudolph's. My ears stoppered up until I couldn't hear a freight train, or Abby, roaring ten feet away. It was pretty exhausting and I looked like hell.

And that weekend was a family funeral. The last of my father's siblings had past away. Though I didn't feel too emotionally attached to this uncle, I still felt obligated to attend because he had been my father's brother. And the last of his siblings. That had meaning for me. I felt I had to attend, no matter how sick I was.

Apparently I wasn't the only family who felt that way. The other sons and daughters of my father's siblings felt compelled to come as well. Suddenly, my mom's house was filled with 6 out-of-state family members, all of them there just for the weekend. It was hectic and crazy.





I was dispatched on airport transportation duty. I probably shouldn't have been driving. I picked up a car full of family and immediately headed up the hills for the funeral. As the elevation hit me, and my sinus pressure intensified, I knew I shouldn't have been driving. The get together in Grass Valley was weird in the sort of way that all families have that one weird relative that whenever you go to their house, you're positive you don't want to poke around for fear of what you might find lurking in the dark. My brother and his girlfriend found animal jawbones - that's more than one - in the corner of their pool deck. Ummm, time to go.





Afterward, most of the family returned with us to mom's house and we had dinner and talked. I coughed. I was so happy that some of my family got to see Abby for the first time. And some of them hadn't seen her since she was a baby. Abby was being cute and the family was definitely falling for her.







I just hope they forgive me for exposing them to our flu. I hope none of them get sick.

It's been nearly a week since the funeral and I finally had a dinner I could taste. Yay for taste buds!