My favorite holiday?

I think that Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

So many of the things I like are part of it. This includes eating, watching football, playing football, watching the BYU-Utah football game, being with family, having a short work-week, enjoying a long weekend, eating Cranberry Cream, eating my mother-in-law's and now my wife's amazing pies, thinking of all of the things I am thankful for, relaxing in general and probably a bunch of other things. So many good memories.

This year was different.

I can't say that the biggest reason was because I now live far away from family. Unfortunately, the biggest reason this year was different is that I got sick. I started feeling really unwell on Wednesday at work and stayed as long as I could stand. I left at about 2:30 and rode home on one of the most packed Metro trains I have ever been on. I was pressed on all sides by at least 4 people and they were all jammed in too. It is a 10-15 minute walk from work to the Metro, I stood waiting about 10 minutes for the train to come, stood crammed on the train for the 20 minute ride to my station, and waited about 5 minutes outside for the shuttle to come. I was miserable.

I was sneezing, had a cough, was congested, was sore all over my body and had a fever. I rested after I got home and took some medicine and still didn't feel any better that evening. To spare all the gruesome details, I can just say that the only time I left my apartment from Wednesday through today was to go to the InstaCare for 2 hours and have them tell me I likely have H1N1 since I tested positive for the type of flu that includes that and some seasonal ones that don't start until December. It has been pretty miserable.

I feel bad, but also for my family. We had some pretty fun things planned. At least they got to go down to our Thanksgiving get-together. I did not get to play in the Turkey bowl, have Thanksgiving dinner, go on a Friday-night date with my wife, watch the BYU-Utah game (since they don't show it here or on the internet and you have to have satellite TV to get it), spend any time with extended family or friends, or do something fun as a family on Saturday.

The good news is that I am starting to feel better, I did get some of my wife's pies, my children already had the H1N1 vaccination, my wife is very helpful and caring, Kleenex works, OJ is good, BYU won and I could listen on internet radio to the game, I finished reading a book, I have a family, and I'm still alive.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. But, I wonder what future ones will be like?