A weekend to forget. . .

It's funny how on weekends when you have plans you're really looking forward to something always happens that takes those plans, throws them violently to the ground, and squashes them like a bug with a big boot of disappointment.

This past weekend was one of those experiences in the Benallick household.

After a long week of work I was really looking forward to some fun time. We had a Warrior game to go to on Friday night and some friends of ours were going to be joining us. We then had plans for Saturday evening to hang out with the same friends- spending the night having supper and then taking our kids out bowling and watching the Leafs/Montreal game on HNIC. I know it's not a fancy-shmancy night out but hey, it's Moose Jaw, let's be realistic here.

Unfortunately we didn't get to do 3/4's of the fun stuff we had planned. You see our house, and pretty much everyone around us, has been battling a flu bug for the past couple weeks. First my wife had strep throat. Then our son had a couple days of some Stand By Me-like vomitting. A couple people in the office have been sick as well. Basically it was down to me and my daughter, Jenna, as the only two not to be sick within the past month.

Well, my turn came Friday. I think my first mistake was the cheeseburger I ate at the Warriors game. I hadn't had any supper yet and my stomach was feeling "funny"- something I took to mean hungry, not "on the verge of yacking" kind of funny.

So I ate my cheeseburger and by half-way through the second period I found myself heading for my car and making my way home, for fear that if I stayed any longer that horrid cheeseburger would be reappearing all over the nice leather coat of our season-ticket-holder friend who sits in front of us:). Not since the 3rd grade have I thrown up on anybody so I wasn't about to relive that embarrassment.

3 years ago while visiting my family at home in Ontario for Christmas I was rocked by the dreaded Norwalk virus. Friday night I had flashbacks from that time and I was not the least bit impressed to be that sick again.

I knew I was in trouble when two gravol's and a Tylenol Cold nighttime were not enough to knock me out and dull the aches and pains I was experiencing. Sure I'll probably have an irregular heartbeat now for the rest of my life because of over-medicating myself, but darnit, I really wanted to sleep this thing off.

No such luck. I was up most of the night and experienced some slight relief when that dreaded cheeseburger finally showed it's ugly (albeit somewhat chewed up) face in the middle of the night. I'm not proud of the sounds I made during that tossing- I can honestly say I've never heard sounds like that come out of my body before- but man was I glad to get that stuff out.

Anyways, by 6AM Saturday morning I was finally able to drift off to a state of unconsciousness which I stayed in until about 3pm Saturday afternoon. Aside from feeling the effects of a long night of yackin' and the effects of over-medicating myself, I knew the worst was behind me.

Unfortunately for our youngest, Jenna, she was next on this nasty virus' hit list. She succumbed to the beast on Sunday night, just before her bedtime. After enjoying a nice pre-bedtime bottle of milk she proceeded to redistribute that milk, along with the days earlier meals of rice (supper), kraft dinner (lunch) and portions of a blueberry muffin (breakfast) all over her bedroom carpet along with various items such as books and toys.

I can deal with being sick myself but it breaks your heart to a see your little 18-month old baby girl come down with such a violent stomach bug.

The one good thing about Jenna getting sick last night? It made her uncharacteristically cuddly. Jenna is not a cuddler. She's never fallen asleep on my chest or snuggled in underneath my chin. Last night she switched between laying on my chest to laying on Karlene's chest and tried to soak up as much of us as she could.

Anyways, it appears that the worst is behind her now too (thankfully). We've pumped her full of Pedialite (and she's managed to keep the last couple doses down) and she'll be able to rest well today.

Hopefully this will be our families one and only bout with the flu during this fall/winter season.

I just know I'm staying away from Civic Centre cheeseburgers for a long, LONG time.