Worst. Winter. Ever.

For being sick, that is. I'm on the tail end of yet another plague of unknown origin -- and I can't even pin this one on my daughter! It all started on Saturday morning when I woke up and was sneezing and coughing. I figured it was my allergies because we were in Washington and when you go just that much farther south, there's just that much more in blood vs. here in Ames. So I resigned myself to a little bit of misery until we went back home that night. Trouble was, I didn't get any better by the time we got back. And what was worse, it had been raining all evening, which usually takes all the pollen out of the air so I started to wonder.

Sunday we ended up going down to Petsmart in Ankeny, and I tell ya, that about wiped me out. And by the time the afternoon got here, I had all the classic flu signs -- coughing, low grade temp, myalgias, shivers. It really wasn't fair because I've already done the flu once this winter and I really didn't think I needed a second helping. I started watching Jarhead later that night, but had to go to bed when there was only half an hour left because I was just feeling that crappy.

So I had Monday off because I'd taken a vacation day, but it was the worst sick I've been in a long time. When I first woke up, I thought I was feeling better -- so much so that I got up and took Anna to preschool, but after that, I came back and crashed. Watched the last little bit of Jarhead and then watch War of the Worlds. Seriously, sitting on the couch was all I could do. I was alternately cold and hot, my eyes burned, I was seriously uncomfortable. Midafternoon I took my temperature and it was almost 103! I can't tell you the last time I ran a fever like that. I knew even then that there was no way I'd be able to work today.

And sure enough, I woke up this morning around 5 AM and called in because all the myalgias and coughing and crap were still there. But as of now, I'm starting to feel a little better, but I'm still trying to take it easy. We're off to Chicago next week, and like I want to be sick for that!!

But after all this, you'd think I'd be immune to avian flu. Oh and mumps too. Definitely don't want that either.