The Carroll Chronicles: May 2009

Annual Family Vacation!

We got home from a vacation with my family a couple of days ago. We have been doing the annual family vacation thing as long as I can remember, now it has grown to include spouses and kids and we are still growing!! We stayed in a quaint little town called Cave Creek, not far from Phoenix. It was so so fun. Always the stuff of memories. Unfortunately, for me, this year had a traumatic beginning, and a memory for which I hope I will soon forget. After a long day of driving, we finally reached our destination. I was busy sanitizing all the door handles, tv remotes, light swithes, etc. Being the germ-a-phobe I am, I find myself hopelessly compelled. I had lost sight of Kaitlyn for only a few minutes, which turns out to be plenty of time for a disaster to happen. I spotted her just in time to witness, in complete and total horror, a TOILET PLUNGER in her mouth!!!! Of course, I spiral into a full blown, 5 alarm panic attack of epic measure and never seen before scope. This is the stuff of nightmares!! Kaitlyn has very possibly ingested feces, the very substance that motivates me to meticulously sanitize grocery carts, etc. etc. etc. It has happened. I can't change it. Of course, we scrub her hands and do our best to wash her mouth out, but it has happened. The next few days I am a basket case, riddled with fear and guilt that she is on the verge of becoming violently ill with some sort of pathogen. The next day, she has diarrhea and is vomiting and has a low grade fever. We make a trip to the ER. The doctor explains she has most likely contracted a "bug" that she may or may not have picked up from the toilet plunger. He did not seem to be a fraction as panicked as I was. Before leaving, the sweet little nurse, noticing my need for reassurance, explained that Kaitlyn is exposed to that kind of "stuff" all the time, I decided not to give her a run down of my obsessive compulsive sanitizing efforts. She said to keep her hydrated and to bring her back if symptoms persist. WOW. Well, it was been over a week and Kaitlyn is just fine. If she can survive that, grocery carts seem trivial. I am happy to report the rest of the week was great! We had a lot of fun. We spent lazy days at the pool, Ashley and I got the token sunburns this year, last year it was Jake. We went shopping, got pedicures, went to Angels and Demons, which was very very good. Went to the zoo, played games into the wee hours, and ate really yummy food. We went out to eat so much, Kaitlyn's new past time is taking my order. She puts on her apron, and with a notebook and pen asks me with her head slightly cocked, "What you want," after I make an appropriate response, she writes it down and says, "anything else," and "wanna a soda" and finally says, "coming right up." It is pretty cute. Here we are enjoying a meal at "Tortilla Flats" a restaurant loaded with character in the hills above Mesa. Dollar bills lined the walls floor to ceiling.