Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Road-Trip Adventures

This past weekend has been full of drama! Our good friend Jon got married in Calgary on Friday and Erik and I decided to make a road-trip out of it. After a few hours of sleep we got up very early on Thursday morning to start the drive. Little did we know the adventures that awaited us…

We pulled into Salmon Arm at about 5 am and Erik woke me up from my sleep saying that he needed me to drive for a little while. I felt exhausted and had a stomach ache but I said I could try driving if we stopped for some coffee first. Erik waited in the van with the kids while I went into Tim Horton’s. The cashier was taking her time chatting with the customers in front of me and as I was waiting I started feeling more and more sick and shaky. I have fainted 3 other times in my life and I recognized the feeling. It was just then that I ordered my drink and then told the girl that I needed to go sit down. I put my head down on the table and was feeling really awful. When she brought me my coffee I asked her if she could get my husband from the van. Erik left the kids and came right in and I asked if he could take me to the bathroom. As soon as I got in there I totally passed out. I remember a few people coming in and out. Erik had to go check on the kids and then a couple of girls from Tim Horton’s offered to bring them in and feed them timbits which was helpful. Erik ended up calling the ambulance and by the time the paramedics arrived I was feeling a bit better. The girl who first helped me was in the bathroom when they came and she gave them the low-down on what happened. Even in my state I couldn’t help but find it humorous that she included my drink order (half coffee, half french vanilla) in relaying her story to the paramedics :) They put me on a stretcher, loaded me into the ambulance and we made a short drive to the hospital. My blood pressure was extremely low and I felt really shivery but they gave me the most wonderful warm blanket when we got to the hospital. In the end they concluded that it was the combination of lack of sleep, lack of food and my low blood pressure that caused the fainting. I was also coming down with a head cold and I remembered later that at least one other time that I've fainted I've been sick. Even now I'm still fighting this cold and have a foggy, light-headed feeling. Do any of you medical people out there think there could be a connection?

So, anyway, after the three-hour trip interruption I assured Erik we could continue on to Calgary. By the afternoon the whole episode seemed like a distant memory and if it wasn't for the hospital bracelet I still had on I might've thought I dreamt the whole thing :) We headed straight for the church to be part of the rehearsal since Micah was supposed to be the ringbearer. He met his flowergirl counterpart and did his job great! Erik and I took the kids to our hotel afterwards and spent the evening enjoying the waterslide. Micah has become so brave in the water. With his water wings on he was totally comfortable going down the slide alone. He would bob under the water as he came down, but would pop right up with a smile and doggy paddle to the stairs to do it all over again! It was fun to watch.

Once again, the laptop was a road-trip life-saver:


The hotel ran out of playpens, so this was our make-shift bed for Keziah:


The next day went quite smoothly until about 2 hours before the wedding ceremony was about to start. I was doing my hair in our hotel bathroom when I heard Micah start screaming. I raced out to see that he had dove off a chair and cracked his head on the edge of the bedside table. It looked pretty deep and I was sure he would need stitches. I found Erik out in the hall and he offered to take Micah to a clinic. Thankfully there was one nearby. They didn't stitch him since Micah was far too hysterical, so they steri-stripped the cut. So, unfortunately Micah was quite bandaged up for the ceremony but he still performed great!


Flowergirl & ringbearer:


Practicing (I couldn't get a picture of the real thing):


Having a little conversation about the flowers:


Micah and the lovely ladies:


Standing with Uncle Doug for the first part of the ceremony:



Comparing flowers with Jon:


Family pictures:



During the wedding it had started snowing like crazy. We had arranged for our friends Dan & Karen to watch the kids that evening while we went to the reception, but we had to drive 30 minutes to High River to drop them off. The drive out was OK but we were worried about what the roads would be like later that evening when we needed to pick them up. During the reception, Karen called and advised us not to try driving yet that night. She assured me that the kids were doing great and were all asleep. That put my mind at ease and Erik and I were able to enjoy the evening without feeling rushed or stressed about a wintery drive.

Jon & Dayna at the reception:


Waiting for the first dance:


The next morning the roads were still quite snowy and icy, but our van handled it well and we were glad to see the kids again. Micah and Tyler had a blast together and I think Keziah felt right at home as well :) I told Karen she must have a pretty good touch since both kids did so well.

Micah showed me the bunk beds that he got to share with Tyler:


Micah & Tyler:


Keziah & Graham:


Karen & I:


We had planned on leaving Calgary that day but it was still storming and some sections of the roads were closed. So we took up some other friends, Craig & Janelle, on their offer to host us for the night. Their boy and girl are around the same ages as our own and the kids had a blast playing together. Erik & I really appreciated re-connecting with them too since we hadn't been in touch with them much since we moved away from Calgary about 5 years ago. We had such a good time that I forgot to take any pictures :( Oh well.

We left Calgary Sunday morning expecting the worst for roads, but we were pleasantly surprised to have a very uneventful trip home after all the drama of the weekend. We arrived to sunny skies, 9 degrees and green grass. It's good to be home :)

23 comments:

KDees said...

Well, it was certainly a action-packed weekend! It was good to see you guys! :)

KDees said...

How un-grammatical am I?? I meant AN action-packed weekend! I think I need another coffee!!

Janelle said...

oh my goodness Jamie!!!! that is CRAZY!!!! :) of course my first thought when i heard you fainted - was PREGNANT! haha... I'm glad that you didn't pass out while you were driving - and that you were somewhere that you had lots of helping hands! that's a blessing!! :)
i'm so glad you made the venture to Jon's wedding...i can only imagine how special that was to him! they are a stunning couple! wow.
and sorry some of our prarie weather affected your trip!! :) there's finally some sun peeking out today! it feels like we'll NEVER see spring!! :)
love you guys! wish you could've kept driving to S'toon!! :)

Jamie said...

The doctor and nurses at the hospital asked me about the possibility of pregnancy as well and I assured them that it was highly improbable!

Kirsten said...

WOW!!! So glad you are safe and sound Jamie. That sounds like a crazy week-end indeed, but still mixed with such moments of goodness.
The pictures from the wedding are so beautiful.

Was this road trip number one with the van? Fun times!

Trev and Rebekah said...

Yeah I would have thought pregnancy too. Glad you are okay. I hope you will feel well enough later this week.
You look great in the pictures.

Trev and Rebekah said...

How have you been feeling since that situation happened? Could it be hypoglycemia (sp?_) or something like that?

The Keowns said...

hmmm...pregnancy is the first thing that popped in my mind (since I remember fainting quite often) But i do think it is probably just the lack of sleep and food, and a head cold would defiantly add to it. Erik is a good man to call the ambulance (hopefully you have insurance!!) cauze Steve would have told me to suck it up and pile me back in the van LOL!
hope Micah's head feels better. Liam has a huge black eye from the weekend too (corner of my dresser!)
hope you enjoyed the snow. We were in the +20s over the weekend and I got a sunburn (and have a nice sandle tan going)

kelly ens said...

quite the adventures all around! Aside from the pregnancy suggestion, are you on the pill at all? I had a friend who was on birth control, and she was blacking out from it...

Anonymous said...

Oh Jamie - that sounds like a very eventful weekend indeed! Glad you are okay, and that Micah didn't require stitches. I haven't fainted often in my life, but I have blacked out three times while being sick with a head cold. Not sure if it would be the same thing you experienced, but you are not alone. Thankfully, none of mine happened in public - although it sounds like you were well taken care of. Thank God!

patti said...

oh dear. not the way you wanted to start the trip...good thing for fast thinking. glad you're ok and were able to enjoy the wedding.

rachel joy said...

Drama is right! You poor things ... I'm glad it all turned out well. The pictures are great!

rachel joy said...

just read some of the other comments ... I blacked out a few times on the pill too. What a freaky thing. I can imagine many of those things could have been factors.

Michelle said...

You guys are such a beautiful family! And I totally feel for the bridesmaid that was pregnant...I was 9 months pregnant and MOH!!

suzspeaks said...

I'm so glad you were ok & able to continue your trip!!

You guys looked great at the wedding - such a cute family!

Lindsay said...

wow! that's quite an eventful weekend you had there! you'll be happy to know that when I read your post, it didn't once cross my mind that you could be pregnant (until I read all the other comments that is) :)

Amber said...

WOW! What an appropriate title for this post. You had your share of adventure!! I cannot BELIEVE what you all went through for those few days! It sounds like Tim Horton's was the place for that to happen (if it HAD to in the first place...) as you got well taken care of (and M&K must have liked the timbits!!) I'm so glad you were checked out and OK.

Micah is the cutest ringbearer ~ head bandaged and all! (of course, because Hailey talks about her future husband Micah non stop I immediately fast forwarded him to when he's her groom looking all stylish!)

Beautiful family pictures, you look great in that dress!

So cool that you were able to reconnect with Karen~that picture of you two is lovely.

Vanessa said...

sounds like a great trip!! definitely lots of adventure too!! :) crazy about the snow, but glad to hear you guys made it home safely!

Dianna said...

Drama unfolded! How many days did it take for you to recuperate after you got home? it would've taken me a couple days for sure after all those happenings. Hope you're feeling better by now.

Kathy's corner said...

yes, that wa quite a weekend you had. Micah, you are so adorable. I owuld love some pics Jamie.

-Me- said...

What an eventful road trip indeed..glad that both you and micah were okay, and that you made it home safely!!! If you are checking blogs also, I tagged you today, so come by for a visit :D

Drea said...

micah looks so cute!!! love all the pics. have i mentioned you are like the cutest mom ever. i just love your dress and those shoes!

hilda said...

Hi Jamie, I am enjoying your blog. The kids are adorable and the new members of the family are so cute. Oreo is gorgous and a perfect name for her. I am such a cat lover; very much like your Auntie Martha was. My Betsy is 16 yrs. old now and has some arthiritis.Every now and then she still tries to climb a tree; but doesn't get to high. I am so thankful that Auntie Bertha takes care of her when we're gone. Have a wonderful summer. Love Auntie Hilda