The good, The bad, and The Ugly

My trip to Austria started out really great. The house the family owns in fabulous. It's a two story cabin that includes four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The entire inside was a beautiful wood finish and smelled so wonderful. The snow there was amazing. I have never seen so much snow in my entire life. It was taller than me. The little village we were staying in was adorable. It's exactly what you think about when you think of a ski resort village. Just picture perfect. The weather was fantastic the entire time we were there. It was sunny and beautiful. The second day the kids and I decided to dig an igloo. We had to jump down from the second story to reach the snow to start digging. It was such a blast. Unfortunately I didn't bring any snow gear with me from home due to lack of space in my suitcases so I was in the snow with a couple pairs of leggings and my jeans. It was freezing. We didn't get to finish the igloo but it was fun attempting it.

I really wish I had proper snow gear because I really wanted to rent a snowboard and take advantage of some wonderful snow but without snow gear it's impossible. I really wish my brothers and sister were there to go snowboarding with. You guys would have loved it.

One of the days we went on a 14 kilometer sled ride down the Austrian alps. That's a little over 8 and 1/2 miles long.  When we got to the top of the Alps the sun was just setting and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. I can't even put into words just how absolutely breathtaking it was on the top of that mountain. Unfortunately, again, because I didn't have proper snow gear I couldn't take my camera. My house mom took a picture but I haven't had a chance to get it from her yet. The first half I had my own sled and it was so much fun. I seriously felt like I was a figure in Mario Cart. Speeding past everyone and jumping through ditches. I was the first to arrive at the half way point. I was flying down that mountain like a champ.  I will never ever forget that experience. The second half of the Trip Elin and I had to share a sled. Lets just say we barely fit and we would crash every 50-100 feet or so. It was so funny but it was very painful. I really don't think I have laughed that hard in a very very long time. So fantastic! I would do it again in a heartbeat.

Basically my Austria trip consisted of reading (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), playing board games with the kids, and drinking nice warm tea and snuggling under a blanket. It was wonderful.

The day after the sledding trip is when things started to go bad. I woke up the next day with the worse sore throat I have ever had. So I went back to bed and slept all day. I had 104 degree fever and was absolutely miserable. Because I didn't feel any better the next day and still had a really bad fever we all packed up and went home so that I could go to the hospital. When I got to the hospital they took some blood and I waiting for what seemed like forever for the results. Unfortunately for me, my blood work came back very abnormal and I had a very high white blood cell count. Because of this they wanted to keep me in the hospital to give me antibiotics through an IV. I was a little scared because I have never stayed in the hospital before and It was not at all comfortable because I felt like shit,  hardly anybody spoke English, the bed sucked, and all the entertainment I had was German T.V. which I of course did not understand. At that point all I wanted was my mom there with me and to be in an American hospital where I could at least know what the hell was going on. I just wanted to cry. I had to stay in the hospital for two nights and three days with a needle in my arm. Not at all how I wanted to end my vacation.

I was released from the hospital yesterday and I am feeling much better now. I'm not at all 100 percent but everyday I feel better. I happy to be alive and okay. I'm happy to be home in my own bed and getting things back in order. Here are some pictures I had taken while I was there. I really wish I would have taken more but that will not be my last trip to Austria with the family. Enjoy