Plus and Minus

On the plus side, we now have a place to stay in Paris. We'll be staying with the friend of a friend, who apparently is not turned off by our large statures. This is good news, indeed. Not only is the price incredibly appealing (free), but they would like to cook for us! Honestly, who can pass up the offer of a free place to sleep, and free authentic French cuisine?

On the minus side, shingles is a very nasty thing. Thanks to the help of some knowledgeable friends, I now have some very potent therapeutic quality essential oils, as well as a bank-busting shingles salve, and a plethora of herbs and supplements to get Josh back on his feet.

I also realized today that Jacob (the youngest son) will likely get chicken pox from this adventure, as he was immunized against chicken pox as a wee baby and apparently that's a big factor in more children getting shingles or chicken pox later on. The immunization only lasts ten years, too, which is just dumb if you ask me. Darn it. I really wish I'd had half a brain and wouldn't have immunized him. I just didn't know then what I know now (it was more than ten years ago, after all). Heck, I didn't even have the internet back then! So, I can't kick myself too much, but it is a bummer to think that we might be in for yet more misery.

I have debated for the past two days... should I not go to Paris? Would it be better to call it quits and stay here to take care of my family? My timing is feeling worse and worse. But then the free apartment came through, and I confess that my spirits were significantly raised. Perhaps these aren't big red flags about taking the trip, but rather just regular old speed bumps. After all, did I really expect to go jetting away without any hiccups?

I have a pot of soup on the stove. It's supposed to snow tonight- oodles and oodles. I actually thought it was going to snow last night, but the storm is a little slow in its arrival.

m.e.g.