Eaten Alive

Since I had work off on Friday, I went and visited with the Larsens for a Day Before Independence Day celebration.  Ian grilled hot dogs and corn on the cob and we ate fresh-cut watermelon.  Later on, the kids wanted to do some baking, so we made some double chocolate cookies that are always a hit -- I let each kid drop one cookie on the baking sheet and they were both eager to eat the cookie that they made.

While I was there, I spent a little time outside with the kids.  They love running around outside, but it's extra fun when a visitor does it with them.  I was only outside for about thirty minutes, but I got bit four times by mosquitoes, twice on my right leg (I was wearing shorts).  I thought the bug bites were strange, since I didn't notice too many bugs the last two summers, but didn't think much else on the matter.

The next day, I spent the bulk of the day at the Simcik's, helping them clean out their garage.  When they first moved to Maryland, a lot of their stuff was just shoved into the garage.  Now, after three years, they're trying to find everything a home.  I was happy to help and it was great to spend time with my good friends -- I even made a dessert that I hadn't tried before to share (it was really good).

Unfortunately, we were working outside and since it was hot, I was wearing shorts again.  When I made it home, I counted fifteen mosquito bites, ten of which were on my right leg below the knee.  In an attempt to fight against the itching, I took an antihistamine and went to bed.

The next morning, I was so groggy from the medication that I couldn't get out of bed. My church meets at ten, but I was in and out of sleep until after noon.  And while the allergy medication did help take the edge off the itching, it had worn off by the time I could function, so I never got to enjoy it.

While staying cool is important, the next time I spend time outside this summer, I'll either wear bug repellent or long pants.  Possibly both.