So we didn’t leave today as planned. And I am really bummed about that because I wanted to go to church and see my friends tomorrow in Utah. But I’m REALLY bummed because of the REASON we didn’t leave.
And this is it…
I’ve ALWAYS been extremely fair in the sunburning/tanning department. I burn in 10 minutes, and I know better (even lathered Piper up with spf 50 before she scooted off to play at Jetty Island yesterday and sent Jack off to Scout Camp in the morning wearing a bandana around his neck to keep his already burned neck area covered – sunscreened him too). As a side note: Jetty Island with my friend and her kids was a really fun place that I’ll go to again WITH SUNSCREEN.
In high school, I went with Elisa Griego and her baptist church youth group to a lake in New Mexico. We drove down in a couple of 10-15 seater passenger vans. I so desperately wanted to get a yummy tan like the rest of the girls so I joined them in their yearly ritual.
Next to the LAKE.
On TOP of the van.
With BABY OIL for suntanning lotion.
For longer than my body should’ve EVER THOUGHT of being there.
By the time we got back to Elisa’s, the damage was already showing and I was in extreme pain. Her mom ordered me to stand in the bathtub and strip down to my undies. I was shivering from the burn. She came in with a jug of vinegar and began to drizzle it all over.
It was a breeze of heaven in my depth of hell.
I may have smelled like a pickle for the next several days, but that homemade treatment took the initial sting out and brought the pain down to a level I could handle.
But that burn wasn’t like this one. Now that I’m older (a stiff reminder Tiffany gave me on the phone today), my body doesn’t handle things as well as I’d like. This time it’s not so much the surface of the skin that hurts, except when the kids walk by and touch it to make sure, but underneath in the swelling, muscles and veins when I stand up to walk or when I sit down. They seem to be better when I’m horizontal and when I’m on ibuprofen. Last night I took a pain killer to get some sleep from the stinging, shooting pain.
I’ve been sitting at the computer now for an hour and a half to see what condition they’ll be in when I stand up so I have an idea if we could leave in the morning. Should I try now and tell you all about it? Okay, good idea. I need to potty anyway.
Alright! Good news! Potty break went well (I’m sure you wanted to hear that) and the legs didn’t give me shooting, piercing pain as I stood up. The bigger problem was my thighs being peeled from the vinyl office chair in this hot house. The resting and ibuprofen might be working! Yay!
