Trip Coming Up? Bring On The Plague

Certain members of our family are developing a cozy little habit of becoming messily ill whenever a trip involving airline travel is involved. Were it only the flight itself, the issue could be isolated to motion sickness, claustrophobia or some other such identifiable cause. No, we delight in being awakened in the middle of the night just prior to departure by the unmistakable sounds of peristalsis gone horribly wrong, followed by the surprised and dismayed cry of the perpetrator. Leaping from bed to rescue the afflicted, the scene that awaits regrettably always fits the mind's eye. To spare you the details, it always involves washcloths, new sheets, and Fabreze. As we try to comfort the fever-soaked urchin, we cannot help thinking ahead mere hours to the adventure that awaits us: miles upon miles locked in a seatbelt, surrounded by dozens of people who silently accuse us of being those people, the awful ones who would take a sick child on an airplane to infect all aboard. Well, if we purchased tickets months ago, we're not staying home.

Sick in the middle of the night on Christmas Eve, with a present-laden flight to Oregon on the evening of Christmas Day following a full day of opening presents at home? Check. Sick (all over Daddy) at the airport early in the morning before the first flight of the day of a cross-country adventure? Check. Here's evidence of that particular day, almost exactly one year ago:



It is April again, our time for trips thanks to Kelly's extended vacation schedule. It also apparently signifies the beginning of "eww, gross" season. Last week, Kelly missed all but one day of soccer camp by coming down with an unexpected flu. Having thought the rest of us survived, we were proved wrong when Cheryl suddenly came down with the same thing early Easter morning. Now, two days ahead of our trip to [stay tuned], Michael decided to share his lunch with his carpet, which would be only mildly annoying if he hadn't already eaten it several hours before. We are hoping that our luck has changed, though, by getting our illnesses out of the way a convenient number of days before the actual flight.

No, I haven't gotten sick. Why do you ask?