FALL FESTIVAL

Until last night, I never knew exactly what it was like for a parent to sit and watch their children's school programs. I went through most of the day yesterday anxious and excited as the time for Cassidy's school program approached. Not only was it Cassidy's first program, but it was mine too. I think I may have been just as excited, or more, about it then Cassidy.

I picked up the girls from daycare, got them to my mom's house and gave them baths, then got them dress and ready to go. After the girls were done, I curled my hair, put my makeup on, and changed my clothes. When I finished, we had just enough time to make it up to the school by 7 o'clock. When we got to the school, my mom found a place to sit in the gymnasium while Jessie and I walked Cassidy down to the Kindergarten room to meet up with her teacher and the rest of her classmates, and then Jessie and I went back to the gym and sat with my mom. I kept an open mind about the program before it started. After all, the Fall Festival was put on by just the elementary children. We were not sitting down to watch the Trans Siberian Orchestra by any means. I knew it probably wasn't going to be the best thing I ever heard in my life, but I was still very happy to be there.

My open mindedness was correct. To be polite, the majority of the Festival was a bit hard on the ears. Only about four kids in the Kindergarten class knew all the words, they sang faster than the poor piano player could keep up with them, and of course there were occasionally the little children antics that were funny. The older grades and the elementary band didn't do too bad. At the end, all of the grades sang together and it sounded pretty decent. One of my favorite parts was an attempt at square dancing during one of the songs that looked like a scene off the movie The Outsiders. Cassidy's favorite part of the program was being able to keep the little flashlight she used during the last song in the Festival.

I give a lot of credit to the parents that endure all the concerts, programs, plays, banquets, and so on. Now I know what it's like. It can be difficult to sit through things like that, but as a parent you do it because you love your child, and that's what your child is happiest and most proud of at that moment. You want to support them and show them that you care. No matter how much you don't want to be there, you go anyway.

My heart swelled last night. It made me feel good to see Cassidy so happy and proud of herself. I was proud too as I watched her on stage singing her little heart out and smiling the whole time. I look forward to any choir, band, or program that she is in now that she is in school. I will not trade those moments for anything in the world.

PROGRAM TONIGHT

I am happy to say that my step has finally gone away. It's nice to be able to swallow again without agonizing pain.

Cassidy has her Fall Festival program tonight at the school. I am excited to go. My mom is coming with us too. After the program, the girls will leave for the weekend with their father. While the girls are gone, I am going to try to get my house back in order, and probably spend a majority of my free time riding.

I have noticed that my navicular horse it starting to favor her front leg more. I have been reading and researching things on navicular horses. So far, the best information I have found has come from a man by the name of Pete Ramey. There are also several different types of boots to put on horses depending on their needs. I read a statement from a woman who had a show horse develop navicular. After boots and the proper treatment, she is now jumping the horse again. I cannot imagine being able to show jump a horse with navicular...but I guess anything is possible. I really want to get more info on it. I would like to have my horse free of leg pain and be able to ride her. She was my childhood, and I am not going to give up on her.

STREP IS GETTING BETTER

My mother had the girls until this morning. I must say, with all the rest that I have had, I do feel much better. The fever is gone, no more body aches, but I still have a sore throat, and I have a lump on bottom right side of my jaw that doesn't seem to want to go away. I see the doctor again on Monday. Hopefully, he will tell me what the lump is. Better yet, it would be nice if it miraculously disappeared on it's own by tomorrow.

I had to run to Devils Lake today and pick up medicine for Jessie. She got a runny nose at my mom's place, and by this morning she had a pretty bad cough to go with the runny nose. Jessie was put on a Z-Pack, so she only has 5 days of meds. I hope it's enough to clear up what she has. Cassidy, fortunately, has not been sick yet.

I am excited for Friday. Cassidy has her very first music program at the school. They are putting on a Fall Festival Nov. 20th at 7:30 pm at the School gym. I cannot wait to go!! I am going to have to find something really nice for her to wear that night. The girls are supposed to go to their dads that evening. I left a message for him about the Festival and told him he should come watch it, and then he and the girls can leave for Minot right after it got done.....but he hasn't replied back yet.....which really doesn't surprise me.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

STREP THROAT

Tuesday morning I woke up with a sore throat. It wasn't bad, so I didn't think too much of it. That even, after the girls were in bed, around 10:30 I starting getting a fever, my body was extremely achy, and I was fighting chills and sweating spells all night. When I woke up yesterday, my throat hurt so bad I didn't even want to talk, my ears were burning, and I still had a fever. I decided to make an appointment to go see a doctor, because I thought it was an ear infection.

I saw the doctor and he said my ears were good, but he was very concerned about my throat. He took swab samples and sent them to the lab. When my lab results came back, they were positive for strep throat. He put me on penicillin and also a Nystatin mouth wash to help fight the bacteria. He also wrote me a note to fax to my job. No customer service work for me until at least Tuesday.

My mom called last night and said she would take the day off of work, and she would come over in the morning, get Cassidy ready for school and take her to the school, and she would take Jessie home with her so I could get as much rest as I possibly could. I sent her home with pajama's and an extra change of clothing just in case mom decided to keep them over night.

I love my mom. She is such a blessing to have. I got an email from a friend of mine who just got over strep about a month ago. She said that Mucinex really worked for her throat and had less irritation with it. After getting her email, I called my mom to see if she and Jessie were going to go to town today, and asked her if she could pick up some Mucinex for me so I could try it. When she arrived at my house, not only did she have the Mucinex, but she also had a large Milky Way coffee drink from The Coffee Connection for me. A short while after my mom left, another friend came by the house and threw a box of Chloraseptic throat lozenges in my front door and left right away. After I finish my coffee, I am going to try a lozenge. Hopefully that will help some too.

I have been sleeping all day, and I must say all the sleep has made me feel good so far. I just want the pain in my throat to be gone, or at least subside a little bit, and I will be feeling well. I have no idea how I caught strep throat. Nobody I know has been sick, and when I have been hanging around my friends they have all seemed to be very healthy. I just hope neither of my two girls catch it from me.