I have some exciting news to report, although it comes on the heels of not-so-great circumstances. (If you are a sympathetic puker, then you may want to skip a couple of paragraphs.)

I stayed home sick from work yesterday and slept until after noon (it was about 12:30pm when I got out of bed). I began feeling bad during the night and woke up a few times with shivering chills that made me feel nauseated. My room wasn’t really cold, but I turned on the portable heater and bundled up in blankets, anyway. I slept fitfully until my alarm went off, then after tapping Snooze a couple of times, I thought I would try to tackle the day. I made it as far as the shower before I threw up. Yuck, but at least it wasn’t my sheets. I fell back into bed with damp hair, swype-typed an email to my boss on my phone, and went back to sleep.

My mom had already planned to take the boys swimming at the Y yesterday (since I was supposed to be at work), so they were gone when I woke back up. I’m so thankful for her help this week while they’ve been out for Spring Break. I fixed myself some toast and sat in my writing chair (cushy armchair by my bed). It took a good half-hour before I felt like I could function upright, but at least the nausea had passed. I just nibbled my toast and sipped some water.

When I finally felt like I was coherent enough to string a few words together, I opened my dissertation draft and started working. Over the next few hours, I completed the almost-final draft that I needed to send to my committee before my defense on the 24th. (<<That’s only 10 days, y’all!!) They will likely have more edits to recommend after the defense, and it’s possible that some of the committee may respond beforehand with other changes, but for now … I wait.

I texted my bff to tell her the good news, and she suggested celebrating with a glass of wine. Unfortunately, the very thought of drinking anything other than water or eating anything at all made me feel gross again, so the celebration will have to wait. Worst yet, the last thing that I ate the night before I got sick was fried mushrooms from George’s – one of my favorite dishes at one of my favorite restaurants – but now, I think it’ll be a very long time before I can stomach them again. I don’t know if that’s what made me sick (I hope not!), but just the association with being sick will take a while to get over. (It’s the same reason why I couldn’t eat pineapple for nearly a year after a bad episode in Thailand, but I’ll spare you the details of that ordeal.)

So, here we are. I will hit the road a week from tomorrow with a girlfriend who graciously offered to tag along for the drive, and we’ll get to Georgia sometime on Sunday afternoon. My defense is scheduled for 3pm EST on Monday the 24th, and I would appreciate your prayers for a clear head, articulate presentation, favor with my committee, and/or whatever else comes to mind. 🙂 We’ll start the return trip on Tuesday and get home on Wednesday. I really appreciate the grandparents for tag-teaming with the kids at home!