I hate being sick!

I’m sick. I hate being sick. I woke up yesterday with a sore throat, a stuffy head and general all purpose YUCKINESS. I actually called my doctor and made an appointment. The good news is he said that I “probably don’t have swine flu.” That’s good news, right??? He sent me home with a prescription that is supposed to take care of the stuffy head mess. My sister graciously picked it up for me and it is the nastiest tasting stuff ever. I think it’s supposed to be grape flavored, which is not exactly my favorite taste anyway. I’m supposed to take it every four hours, but my 11 – something dose last night made me nauseas, so I dry-heaved for 10 minutes, which did lovely things for my stomach muscles today. I went to work, but left halfway through and came home. I slept all afternoon and want to go to sleep again now. I’m not going to school tomorrow either, and hopefully, this will knock out whatever it is that’s gotten me so icky, nasty feeling. So, with my stuffy head, and sore throat, I’m going to sleep now.

My best friend’s child – a Marine!

My best friend in the whole wide world is Laquita. Laquita and her husband Kerry, have three sons: Derek, Landon and Casey. In June, Landon left home for Parris Island for Marine Boot Camp. Landon has always been a unique child, a typical middle child, with his own set of quirks. When he was little, he was obsessed with weather and was convinced a tornado was right around the corner. When he was nine, I believe, he decided he wanted to be a mortician when he got older, and began to perfect his craft even then. I've NEVER seen a child so aware of funeral homes and hearses. He actually got an invitation to an Open House, after a local funeral home redecorated. He's just always been his own person. . .

A couple of years ago, he decided he was going to go into the Marine Corps Reserve, but it just wasn't the right time. This time, it was. He didn't tell his family that he was going into the Marines, until he had all his ducks in a row, and everything was set. Before it even seemed possible, he was gone.

Laquita has shared some of his letters with me, and the growth in him has been amazing! It's evident even from his letters that he's grown up a LOT. Saturday, at my dad's birthday party, she told me that according to his schedule, he should have been in the midst of "The Crucible." I have watched the Military Channel enough to worry about him. We prayed really hard for him!

She called me today, and finally, after 9 weeks, she got to talk to him. I can't imagine what she must have felt like to get to hear him, and know that he was safe and sound. He told her his feet are blistered, and that he's NEVER been through anything like that ever in his life. In all this time, he's never once complained or said that he hated boot camp. Laquita and Kerry will be traveling to his graduation this weekend, and he comes home for 10 days. He's decided to choose active duty over the reserves, which scares us! But I can't wait to see him! I think we will all be amazed – he left us a boy, and he's coming home a man.