THE TRIP THAT WASN’T MEANT TO BE

Always happy and waiting for food…

I really can’t believe I’m writing this again.  I was hoping I never would and it’s almost a year to the date.  But, here I am…

My trihubby signed up for a triathlon training camp in Kona with Matt Dixon of purplepatchfitness and of course, I was tagging along – never a question.  The trip has been planned and looked forward to for months.  We were going for the camp and then taking 5 days for ourselves at our favorite, Four Seasons Hualalai.  The camp starts today.  In fact, as I’m writing this, we are supposed to be in the car on the way to the airport.  But, this is the trip that wasn’t meant to be…

First, several weeks ago, my husband informs me that we may have to cancel the last 5 days due to work reasons and we can only go for the camp.  Say goodbye Four Seasons…Okay, I can deal.  It’s still 5 days in Hawaii and will get me out of the cold and snow on the east coast.

Then, I get shingles.  Me, who is never sick; who never catches the flu and colds my trihubby brings home with him. It started with ear pain last Monday and I had several diagnoses before the shingles one became obvious.  And let me tell you the pain is excruciating.  It is literally what I imagine it must feel like to be stabbed in the back of the head.  But it doesn’t just decide to stay there.  Oh no, it has to catch me off guard when it feels like someone’s pushing a hot poker into my ear….I tell you this to beware and have sympathy for anyone who tells you they have this…

So, we made that the decision that due to work and me, Carl will just go for the 5 days and I’m still in a world of indecision.  So, I take the most logical route and let the airlines make the decision for me.  If I can get the return flight rebooked, I’m off.  If not, I’m home in the cold.  Just so happens I’m trying to do this as everyone else is before the big storm on Monday.  I literally was on hold with the airlines for 1:49:20 before I hung up.  It’s so funny how you’re afraid to do this and you keep staying on hold – what if you’re that next person in the queue and you hang up just as they put you through….So, I try again later and after 58:43, I get a live person and get to make the changes.  So, I’m off to Hawaii and feeling good about it.

Side note:  Okay, I just got an email pop up from Tommy Bahama – Wave aloha to men’s swim new arrivals.  Seriously?!

Ah, how you really just don’t know what life has in store from one minute to the next…Yesterday, I’m working at my computer and look down at my pup in her bed and her paws are splaying out, she is dazed, and can’t stand up.  This is pretty much the exact same situation I witnessed the day before I was going to Ironman Oceanside last year and when she was diagnosed with cancer.  There was pretty much no doubt in my mind that the cancer had returned – she has been cancer free since July.  After that realization, my next thought was, “Well, there goes Kona.”  Then, I felt horrible thinking that and called her vet.  Long story short, I managed to get her to the emergency vet in the very crappy weather here and they did an ultrasound and found some abdominal metastasis.

So, now it’s my trihubby’s turn to decide what to do.  While I told him I couldn’t make the decision for him, I did give him total permission to go and thought it might be good for him to get away with his peeps for some hard-core tri training.  He wakes up at 2 am, still undecided.  Same thing happens at 4 am.  Finally, at 5 am, I hear him texting and ask what he’s doing – have to say that’s the most annoying sound very early in the morning.  He was texting Matt to let him know he’s not coming.  Reason being – his head just wouldn’t be in it.  Plus, we both agree that if deciding to take a trip is this excruciating, something’s telling you not to go…

Always the good pup dad…plus, they’re both great snoozers…

Won’t know what we’ll do for Kayla until tomorrow when she sees her oncologist, but what I do know for sure is that sometimes life shows you that it’s unpredictable and often sucks, but also that you can be pleasantly surprised by how unselfish and loving your husband can be and let you know that you truly married the right guy.  Thanks honey…

 – SHERRY

Sherry Wernicke

Sherry is one of the TriWivesClub and LifeDoneWell co-founders and contributes to multiple blogs. She is a former co-owner of the California Apparel News and had a career in the healthcare industry. Her passions include traveling, real food, the environment, and animal rescue/welfare. She lives a healthy lifestyle and has been a vegetarian since 1987. She and her husband are parents to two rescue pups and reside in Connecticut.