I should begin by mentioning that I had a good Labor Day weekend. It began with Cody's bowling party, which was organized chaos at its best! (There were six 7-year old boys, one 7-year-old girl, & 4.5-year-old Kyle) Really, though, it wasn't bad! All of the kids had a blast, and Cody & Kyle even rolled their first strikes!!! (It was their first time bowling, btw) Here are a few snapshots of the fun!
(Note the look of excitement on Cody's face as he realized that he got his first strike!)
I ended up spending quite a bit of the remainder of the weekend with Tevis, and we had a great time! We even went on a double date with Tonisha and her beau, Michael, by going bowling. Even though I stunk it up on the bowling games, that was also quite a great time! On Monday, I went to lunch at Tevis's grandparents house, and I enjoyed myself. His family is lots of fun!
I finally got back into the grind on Tuesday morning, as I reluctantly climbed out of my cozy bed. Classes went well, and I had an added delight in my Comp II class. For lack of a better idea, I am writing my first essay about common misconceptions about Catholicism. I was afraid of how my professor would receive my topic, but I soon learned, after reading his comments on my rough draft, that he, too is Catholic, and was behind my topic 100%! How does that even happen??! The biggest highlight of Tuesday was that I decided to make the most of the glorious weather, and I went for a run. It was refreshing, and I now remember why I ran track, as I felt so alive afterwards. Carissa had a couple of friends over that evening, and I enjoyed talking with them. Just as they were leaving, Alex & Caleb happened to drop in. Apparently, they were waiting to see Shane, but he wasn't off work yet. What ensued was a 1-1/2 hour discussion about everything from religion to evolution, to love, to a heated debate (between Alex & Caleb) over whether or not immunity is hereditary. It was a great chat, and I loved the fact that three 18-year-olds were able to have an educated philosophical discussion as we did.
Wednesday was probably my most adventurous day. It was a day of quizzes in all three of my classes (I rocked all of them, btw!!!!) My favorite part of the day was the fact that I had some visitors! My mom and Mimi dropped in for a while, as they had been to the Grandparents' Mass at Cody & Kyle's school. I enjoyed their company, and I especially enjoyed getting to spend some time with Mimi. After they left, I remembered hearing my math professor/advisor tell our Trig class about a tutoring opportunity, and I decided to check into it. It turned out that I wasn't eligible for the position, as I am still taking College Algebra, but she recommended that I went to the tutoring center in the library to inquire about a tutoring position there. Right now it is looking like I am going to take that job. It pays minimum wage ($7.25/hour), but that is better than nothing. Also, the perks are pretty awesome! I get to make my own hours, I don't have to drive, and I was told that it is usually pretty slow, which means that I might get paid to sit and study for a few hours! I can do that! I really wanted to do this, as I think it would be a good gauge of my interest in becoming a math teacher. We shall see!
After inquiring about the job, I talked to one of my PLC sponsors, and I decided that I am going to join the Lit Club/Student Education Association! She said that it isn't a time-consuming group, and it is lots of fun! Our first meeting is in two weeks, so I can't wait to see what will happen with that! After taking care of some other things, I decided to venture out to Hobby Lobby to find myself a crochet set/instructional manual. I happened to find a great set that even came with all of the needles I would need! I also happened to drop into Ross, just to look around, and I ended up coming out with a new jacket. It looks like a shorter version of a pea coat (yes, I know I already have one), but this coat is cotton, instead of wool, which needs to be dry cleaned. Also, this coat has a hood (my nice one doesn't), and most importantly, I want my nice coat to hold up for a LONG time, and this coat will save wear and tear on that coat!
I finally got back to the dorm, and decided to go get my workout knocked out for the evening, as the weather was perfect for it. I sweated my way through, but I survived! Carissa was home by that point, and we decided to head to the cafeteria to grab a bite to eat. Not long after we got back from eating, I got a call from Gina, telling me that she would be over soon with her boys. Once they got here, Wyatt & Andy loved it! (It was their first time seeing it), and Gina, too, came to the conclusion that stairs & a loft were not things that they needed in their home anytime soon! The boys also enjoyed frolicking on my bed, and I wished I could've gotten a picture of them, because they pretended to sleep with the cutest expressions on their faces. After a while, they left, and the rest of my evening was fairly uneventful, minus the fact that I looked through my crochet guide. After about twenty minutes of finagling, I finally managed to learn how to chain stitch. There may be hope for me after all!
Due to circumstances beyond our control, Carissa and I switched our time working at the fair from Thursday night to Saturday afternoon, which I think will be better, anyway. My biggest accomplishment of Thursday was finishing my Comp paper in about two hours! I decided to skip out on a workout that day, due to the fact that my paper took a definite precedence. I ended my night by picking up a few things from Walmart, and stopping in to see Tevis at work (A Cookies & Cream ice cream cone sounded really good at that point!)
Today was probably the most eventful day this week. I woke up this morning with a strange ache in my toe, which I found odd, as I knew that I didn't stub it or bump it or anything else. It was inflamed, and it kind of hurt to walk on it, but I didn't think much of it, figuring that it would be fine later. I noticed a slight ache in my back, but, again, I attributed it to sleeping in an odd position. I got my things together and hobbled across the street to class. My time in my classes was alright, but by the time my noon Trig class came along, I didn't feel so hot. Rather, I felt very warm, almost feverish. A friend of mine told me that I looked pale (even more so than usual...), and commented that I looked drained. I made it through Trig, although it was pretty apparent that I wasn't at 100%, as I wasn't shouting out answers to problems we worked out. Also, two more people asked if I felt alright. (Sheesh, it was that obvious..) I stumbled back to the dorm, and I decided to get a small bite to eat, take a Tylenol, and lounge on my recliner with my book. I dozed for a little bit, and when I woke up, I didn't feel so feverish, but my toe was throbbing profusely. It definitely felt funny. Later, Carissa made it home, and we went to eat an early supper. When we got back, I decided to look at it a little closer. I took my sock off to see that my toe was swollen much more than it was earlier. I began to get nervous, and I had Carissa look at it. She was about to leave for the evening, but she recommended that I got it checked out, as it almost looked like a spider bite. It was around this point that it began to bleed and ooze. I looked on WebMD and Google Images (Never look at spider bites on Google images; it is very graphic and unappetizing. I don't recommend it.) I decided to call my nurse sister, but she didn't answer, so I called Scotty, who happens to be an EMT. After describing my symptoms, he recommended that I call my parents to see about getting it checked out ASAP. My mom told me that I could go get it checked out at the Minor Emergency Clinic. She also told me that she would feel better if I took someone with me. Carissa, having just left, was out of the picture, as was Tevis, who was at work. I was between my Aunt Pat and the Chermack cousins. I opted to call my cousins, and I was very glad I did, as Vickie was so kind as to take me to seek treatment. All in all, it was a pleasant experience, with a short waiting time! The nurse practitioner who treated me wasn't certain that it was a spider bite, but decided to treat it as such. I ended up with a prescription for an antibiotic, steroids to reduce swelling, and an antibacterial topical ointment. Vickie let me hang out at their house for the remainder of the evening, as I enjoyed some iced tea and freshly baked cookies, along with the new X-Men movie! I am so blessed to have family like I do, and I am fortunate that they are so willing to help me out when I need it! I only hope that I can repay them in the future! 
Though the picture doesn't quite do it justice, it is a pretty gnarly looking bite! Perhaps my Spidey senses will kick in soon!
Here's to an eventful week...(and I thought that I would wither away!)
Ouch! Glad you got some meds for that. You might think about putting out some of those sticky sheets that are used for catching mice, but are terrific at snagging spiders too. Put them under your bed or behind the sofa and under the sink, look at them in a week and you will be surprised I think.
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