We were all so excited for our family trip to Fish Lake. Our bags were packed, we were ready to go, until… the day before, we received the news that Angel’s work had been impacted by our peachy economy and lay-offs were happening left and right. Angel was lucky enough to stay employed but he was forced into a demotion and pay-cut.
Well, we weren’t going to let that stop our plans for a fun-filled vacation, so Thursday morning, we all piled in the truck and made the trip to our cabin. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. The skies were the bluest blue, the snow was plentiful and glistening white, and our families were together. We took it easy the first night, knowing we would have an early morning out on the ice.
Getting a 3-year old ready for the bitter cold is no easy task, especially with grandma worrying like only a grandma does. A brisk snowmobile ride across the frozen lake, and we were finally ready for the fish. Sonja didn’t take to it at first. Whining, crying, and complaining filled the first 30 minutes. But, she soon got into it. I think reeling in her first fish did the trick. We all had some luck that first day. Angel and I caught two each, Lindsey and Mike were constantly reeling them in, but all the while my dad was suffering with a wicked bug. We decided to call it a day, and my dad was barely able to load up (not like my dad at all). He took one snow mobile with the equipment back to the cabin, and Angel took the other expecting to come back for the rest of us to take us to shore. We decided to start walking until they got there. My dad eventually made it back, but I was getting some good exercise, so I opted to walk alongside Lindsey, who was on skiis. Little did I know, that bug was just getting started on me. I thought my lungs were going to cave in by the time I made it to shore. “Man, I am out of shape,” I thought. We put my dad to bed, cleaned up, had some dinner, then went to bed preparing to do some more fishing in the morning.
The next day, my dad was done for. Fever, chills, horrendous cough, body aches, it was a nightmare. I didn’t feel so hot myself, but I decided to get out to see if some fresh air would do some good. It was another beautiful day, and we didn’t venture too far from home this time. An hour or two on the ice with no fish, and we decided to head back inside. BAM! The short walk back home just about killed me. The dry air sliced the back of my throat like a knife. I finally reached the cabin door and started ripping my layers of clothes off, sobbing in pain and worry because I couldn’t catch my breath. Insane body aches soon followed. My throat felt like I was swallowing shards of glass, I couldn’t eat and coughing was torturous. Needless to say, it was time to get the hell outta Fish Lake. Packing was rough, and it was a miracle my dad made the 4-hour drive home. I went straight to an urgent care, fearful that I had strep. I waited for two hours for the doctor to tell me it was a viral lung and ear infection and all he could give me some drugs for the pain. Finally, I was home in the normal altitude, and my throat could heal, but without eating and only mucus in my stomach, throwing up soon became my next hurdle. After an entire week at home with the plague, I’m finally feeling like myself. I was just starting to be able to eat, shower, and be on my feet as the weekend approached, and my first day back at work has been a success.
The trip was a bummer, mostly because we were so excited about having even a mini-vacation and to a place that is special to our family. But, it wasn’t a total loss. Angel now loves to ice fish, and is looking forward to doing some summer fishing with my dad. He and Sonja also had their first rides on a snowmobile, and I got to spend a little time with the Enright’s, which is always so great. Sonja learned a little lesson in patience and she’s definitely not afraid of squirming, dying fish. All in all, it will still be a treasured memory for all of us, and a tradition we’ll look forward to reliving next year.
