Encounters with the Lower Forms of Creation...

That's right...a few of those "lower forms of Creation" (aka insects) have gotten the best of me lately! The second and more serious one was a mischievious mosquito (which I don't even remember biting me) that gave me the wonderful gift of malaria. Saturday night when I was ready for bed at 7 pm, I thought I was just tired after a long day...thought I was getting lame in my old age. :) Well, then about 9 pm, when I really did head for bed, I was feeling pretty queasy, but didn't think much of it. I slept a few hours and was up most of the rest of the night being sick...not fun. So, the next about 24 hours were pretty rough. I had to work up enough strength for about 2 hours just to sit up and take my pills with some food...then, another few hours to get up to go to the bathroom. When I finally made that journey, it was quite the 12 foot venture. By the end, I was starting to black out and as Mama Carolyn was talking to me, my hearing was going in and out. Yikes! I spent a good couple days in bed, and although the first two days were rough, I do feel very blessed to have gotten over it so quickly. I was on antimalarials and then started the treatment right away, so supposedly that helps make the symptoms less severe. Praise God! I know I'm feeling better now, because chocolate actually sounds good! :)

The first insect that warrants a story is a little more humorous...although not at the time. I had just finished reading a bedtime story to the boys in their dorm and was headed back to my apartment. Trust me, my eyes are always scanning the ground for snakes, or more recently--frogs! Well, apparently I missed the ants. I suddenly felt a sharp pinching sensation on my toe and looked down to see a big ol' ant on my toe. Man...those things sure can bite! So, if you know me well, you know that bugs and I don't necessarily get along. In fact, you could even say I'm extremely wimpy when it comes to dealing with any living creature other than humans and plants. :) So, because of the severe biting pain, I did try to grab it off, while being disturbed by the fact that I was actually touching an ant...heaven forbid! :) haha...well, I couldn't get it off (could've been due to my wimpy attempt, as I definitely didn't want to actually have to grab it by both sides! ;)), so I decided to hobble over to Mama Carolyn's apartment to have her help me. If you could've heard me, you probably would've thought I was being attacked by a snake or a wild lion-- definitely not an ant! So, I (literally) hobbled along, all the while "oww...eeee...ahhh"ing! Then, another bite would come, along with some more sound effects! But...with Mama Carolyn's help, we were able to get both of them off quite easily. :) So, I'm a wimp! However, to my defense, those ants are seriously wicked...and they really do hurt! haha...okay, hopefully that gave you a smile after the malaria downer. :) Thanks for all your encouragement and prayers while I was sick...God is good!