Picture Perfect is all Relative
So the long awaited Couchman reunion finally happened! It wasn't the picture perfect weekend that we all hoped for, but it happened none-the-less! Here's to you, Satan, and you're weak attempts to keep us apart ;)
We tried our hardest to keep the secret from my dad that the Boston Couchmans were coming but he's just too smart for that. He put two and two together after he helped get the plane tickets (he didn't know the dates for the tickets) and the fact that my SIL had this week off for Spring Break. I was able to keep the family pictures a surprise for at least a little while :)
The first speed bump of the weekend came in the form of a lovely storm system that started in the Midwest and made its way across the Mississippi and parked itself on the east coast. This resulted in Curt and Ashton's flights on Friday night being cancelled. After much searching, they were told that there would be no flights to Nashville until Monday. This was a devastating blow to all of us. I was able to reign in my emotions for the most part and was bummed to have to cancel the original family picture session.
Fast forward about an hour after the devastating news that Curt and Ashton weren't coming. By God's good grace, they were able to get a flight on Saturday night! This meant that we could still have our family "weekend" but it would be pushed out one day. We were all on highs after that. Talk about an emotional roller coaster! I was able to have our family pictures rescheduled to Monday night (which ended up being absolutely perfect!).
The second speed bump came on Saturday morning. I woke up to the news that my SIL Audra had been sick all through the night on Friday. I jumped into mommy-mode and armed myself with Lysol and Clorox wipes. We sprayed and wiped EVERYTHING down that she had been around and then just waited. Poor Miya succumbed next but, luckily, only got sick once. She bounced back like a champ after only a few hours and was back to her bubbly self until being hit with a low-grade fever Saturday night. Audra stayed quarantined in the bedroom pretty much all day, so I was optimistic that we had nipped it all in the bud. We resprayed and rewiped everything down Saturday night in an attempt to hold the germs at bay since Curt and Ashton and Hamp were arriving that night. To no avail...
My dad was the next victim of the super bug. He started feeling off late Saturday night, but didn't get the full blow until Sunday morning. He was hit more with nausea and a fever. He parked himself on our futon and stayed there all day. Rory, myself, the girls and my mom were the only ones to venture out to worship on Sunday. When we got back to the house after morning services, we resprayed and rewiped everything down AGAIN. I was bound and determined to get this under control. The majority of us were still able to enjoy a big southern Sunday brunch and family time. Sunday night, my mom became victim number four. She, too, was hit more with nausea and a fever. She quarantined herself in our front den and we, again, sprayed and wiped everything down.
At this point, I was starting to wonder if my attempts were doing any good. Our family picture session was set for Monday evening, so that gave my mom all day to rest and reboot. Half of us made a park trip to Harvey Park just down the road to let the kiddos run off some energy before afternoon naps. Rory had decided to work from home that day since everyone was still here, and good thing he did. He became victim number five Monday afternoon. He shut himself in our bedroom until just before time to get pictures. He and my mom were such troopers and rallied so that we could get some amazing pictures that evening! A mommy-friend of mine, Jessica, captured our crazy family at the Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! After a rainy and cool weekend, it was sunny and mild and NO HUMIDITY! We timed it perfectly with the golden hour also so I cannot wait to see the final pictures! A HUGE thank you to Jessica! I felt horrible that we sprung the news on her at the photo shoot about half of us being sickly, but we joked later about how my mom would have come with an IV bag in tow if she had to just so we could get these pictures. Disclaimer: We did tell her who was sick so she was able to stay a safe distance away. She also loaded up on Lysol and grape juice after the session 😂
Rory perked up after we got home Monday night so I was optimistic that this "bug" was a short-lived one. My mom, unfortunately, overdid it at the photo session, so she relapsed Monday night. She parked herself back on the couch in the front den and we didn't see her until Tuesday morning.
After the mass exodus of everyone to Birmingham Tuesday morning, I used what little Lysol I had left and resprayed my entire house. I washed every sheet and blanket and wiped down every doorknob and light switch we had. I'm crossing my fingers and praying hard that the bug has left our house! The silver lining is that future family reunions can only go up from here!
Next up is Jack's first birthday celebration, our Bahamian cruise, and then soaking up the summer before Emma starts school in August! With God on our side, we're ready to take whatever life chooses to throw at us!
God bless!
We tried our hardest to keep the secret from my dad that the Boston Couchmans were coming but he's just too smart for that. He put two and two together after he helped get the plane tickets (he didn't know the dates for the tickets) and the fact that my SIL had this week off for Spring Break. I was able to keep the family pictures a surprise for at least a little while :)
The first speed bump of the weekend came in the form of a lovely storm system that started in the Midwest and made its way across the Mississippi and parked itself on the east coast. This resulted in Curt and Ashton's flights on Friday night being cancelled. After much searching, they were told that there would be no flights to Nashville until Monday. This was a devastating blow to all of us. I was able to reign in my emotions for the most part and was bummed to have to cancel the original family picture session.
Fast forward about an hour after the devastating news that Curt and Ashton weren't coming. By God's good grace, they were able to get a flight on Saturday night! This meant that we could still have our family "weekend" but it would be pushed out one day. We were all on highs after that. Talk about an emotional roller coaster! I was able to have our family pictures rescheduled to Monday night (which ended up being absolutely perfect!).
The second speed bump came on Saturday morning. I woke up to the news that my SIL Audra had been sick all through the night on Friday. I jumped into mommy-mode and armed myself with Lysol and Clorox wipes. We sprayed and wiped EVERYTHING down that she had been around and then just waited. Poor Miya succumbed next but, luckily, only got sick once. She bounced back like a champ after only a few hours and was back to her bubbly self until being hit with a low-grade fever Saturday night. Audra stayed quarantined in the bedroom pretty much all day, so I was optimistic that we had nipped it all in the bud. We resprayed and rewiped everything down Saturday night in an attempt to hold the germs at bay since Curt and Ashton and Hamp were arriving that night. To no avail...
My dad was the next victim of the super bug. He started feeling off late Saturday night, but didn't get the full blow until Sunday morning. He was hit more with nausea and a fever. He parked himself on our futon and stayed there all day. Rory, myself, the girls and my mom were the only ones to venture out to worship on Sunday. When we got back to the house after morning services, we resprayed and rewiped everything down AGAIN. I was bound and determined to get this under control. The majority of us were still able to enjoy a big southern Sunday brunch and family time. Sunday night, my mom became victim number four. She, too, was hit more with nausea and a fever. She quarantined herself in our front den and we, again, sprayed and wiped everything down.
At this point, I was starting to wonder if my attempts were doing any good. Our family picture session was set for Monday evening, so that gave my mom all day to rest and reboot. Half of us made a park trip to Harvey Park just down the road to let the kiddos run off some energy before afternoon naps. Rory had decided to work from home that day since everyone was still here, and good thing he did. He became victim number five Monday afternoon. He shut himself in our bedroom until just before time to get pictures. He and my mom were such troopers and rallied so that we could get some amazing pictures that evening! A mommy-friend of mine, Jessica, captured our crazy family at the Harlinsdale Farm in Franklin. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! After a rainy and cool weekend, it was sunny and mild and NO HUMIDITY! We timed it perfectly with the golden hour also so I cannot wait to see the final pictures! A HUGE thank you to Jessica! I felt horrible that we sprung the news on her at the photo shoot about half of us being sickly, but we joked later about how my mom would have come with an IV bag in tow if she had to just so we could get these pictures. Disclaimer: We did tell her who was sick so she was able to stay a safe distance away. She also loaded up on Lysol and grape juice after the session 😂
Rory perked up after we got home Monday night so I was optimistic that this "bug" was a short-lived one. My mom, unfortunately, overdid it at the photo session, so she relapsed Monday night. She parked herself back on the couch in the front den and we didn't see her until Tuesday morning.
After the mass exodus of everyone to Birmingham Tuesday morning, I used what little Lysol I had left and resprayed my entire house. I washed every sheet and blanket and wiped down every doorknob and light switch we had. I'm crossing my fingers and praying hard that the bug has left our house! The silver lining is that future family reunions can only go up from here!
Next up is Jack's first birthday celebration, our Bahamian cruise, and then soaking up the summer before Emma starts school in August! With God on our side, we're ready to take whatever life chooses to throw at us!
God bless!
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