So I got a little sick... and then it got worse!

Last month I had a bladder/kidney infection that I took my full course of antibiotics for and I felt all better. Apparently I wasn't all better though. So Thursday, Aug. 7 I went in to my day job with a migraine, only to turn around when I got there and go home. That day was spent vomiting, napping, and bathing to try to bring down my fever. My mom didn't believe I had the flu and wanted to come check on me, but I told her no. I can't afford to go to the dr. with my $65 co-pay for the flu! Friday I called in sick to BOTH of my jobs. At this point mom started to worry. She showed up to my apartment at about noon and immediately started yelling at me. My mom is a human thermometer and gagued my fever to be about 105. Just because I didn't have the strength to say no, or walk for that matter, I let her take me to the emergency room.

When I got there the nurses were pretty sure that I had either viral meningitis (sp??) or West Nile virus due to my headaches and the stiffness of my neck. Needless to say, I didn't have to wait long in the waiting room! They took me back, recorded my temp. at 101 or so (AFTER my fever had broken), pulse at 168 and blood pressure at something like 164/100. My joints, hands, legs and feet were totally red and swollen - especially my elbow and my hands. It was pretty scary. They took my blood, my pee, and my spinal fluid to test me for all sorts of things. They came back with the conclusion that my kidney infection never went away and spread into my blood stream (septicimia), and I had some kind of virus that was causing the headaches and vomiting. I never thought they'd keep me though! I figured I'd get some antibiotics and go home! Wrong!! They admitted me.

My mom, sis, cousin and Dave (the boy) were all there to make sure I wasn't gonna kick it and I was so glad they were! Friendly faces were necessary at this point - not even my back surgery caused as much pain as I was in that night! Not even Morphine was helping relieve my pain. After everyone left and I tried to sleep my fever started going up again. I was given Tylenol and Vicodin for both pain and in an attempt to break the fever. They wanted to give me a sponge bath, but I know how much that hurts with a fever (mom had already given me one), so I curled up with 7 ice packs and my fever finally went away!

The next few days were full of blood draws every morning between 4:30 and 6:00am (because that's how I want to wake up...), poking and prodding for other tests, taking vitals every hour on the hour, eating CRAPPY food, and wishing they could get rid of my headaches. I had a lot of visitors (thanks to the L's for my plant and my present). Dave was absolutely the perfect boyfriend through it all, visiting for hours every single day. I'm pretty lucky to have him. My family officially adores him for caring so much and being so concerned about me. (Gush session officially over) LOL

I was finally released on Tuesday or Wednesday - I can't remember which day because I was on some pretty heavy duty pain killers for the headaches. Stayed at mom's until Friday because the docs didn't want me to be alone, then started Dave's birthday weekend! I took it pretty easy though. Sat around a lot and wished I could do more. I'm back at my day job today, and I go back to the grocery job on Wednesday evening. I'm still pretty beat up and these headaches won't go away completely, but I'm glad to be out of the hospital! My fingers and my legs are peeling because my fever was so high that it damaged the skin on them, which is crazy and gross! I'm thinking I made it out without any permanent damage, but one of the nurses did tell me that this is now something that I'm going to have to be VERY careful about in the future. I go in Thursday morning to re-check my kidney infection and I'm hoping for a clean bill of health at that time.

Sorry this is so long, but I figured I'd give y'all the details and the rundown on where I disappeared to for the last week and a half!

1. Would you bang your neighbor?Um, no. Let's just leave it at that. :)
2. What describes your current status?Status of what? Warm, bored, tired, taken... you pick.
3. Where are you?At work.
4. What's the last TV show you watched?American Idol
5. I've come to realize the last person who held my hand is...Dave. *sigh*
6. What is your middle name? Anne
7. Who have you talked to most today?Cassandra
8. Do you carve pumpkins every year?Yep!
9. Color of the underwear you have on?They're super cute and pink!!
10. Shirt?A pink t-shirt. Hence the pink underwear and bra!!
11. I'm always...Over-excited
12. Who's on speed dial 2? 4? 6?I don't freakin' know! I have limited minutes!
13. Honestly, how many people do you have strong feelings for? Including utter annoyance as a strong feeling... A LOT!
14. What's your favorite season? Fall.
15. Good advice if you ever go camping?Don't do it in Utah in the summer!
16. Are you a bad influence?Haha. YES!
17. Are you in love?I'm twitterpated. (Thanks for that, LaRelle)
18. Rather have your name or your siblings name?Mine. Sarah is too common and Brian and Jason just don't work for me.
19. Would you do anything for someone else? For some people, undoubtedly.
20. Have you ever been called a bitch?Quite frequently, actually.
21. Best Friend(s)? The Irvine family, Dave, my BFF Terry... :)
22. What is your ring tone? You'll never guess. It sounds like a phone ringing! Pretty smart huh, now I ALWAYS know when it's my phone cause nobody uses that as a ringtone!
23. What song is on?Ghost of Memory by Tiger Army
24. Are your grades good?Didn't used to be...
25. Do you ever think people hate you for filling these out? I hope not. That's a stupid reason to hate someone!
26. Does your best friend have a myspace?yes
27. Whose page did you visit last? I couldn't tell ya. I don't pay attention very well. lol
28. Last time you went out to lunch?Probably somewhere with Dave on some random weekend.
30. Who is your favorite character from Friends? Phoebe - I relate to her.
31. Do you have a tattoo?Yes. More to come soon!
32. Do you want another one/or one at all? I'm getting two more soon. A treble clef on one wrist and a bass clef on the other.
33. Do you have one or more Britney Spears CD? Nope.
34. What did you do last night? Went to the store and bitched about my stomach hurting.
35. Are you a Lost fanatic? IT'S ON TONIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think that covers that answer.
36. Say you were given a drug test right now. Would you pass or fail?Are they testing for ibuprofen? If so I'd fail miserably.
37. Do you have a song by Ozzy Osbourne in your library?yes
38.iPod or Zune?iPod.
39. Do you watch Family Guy regularly?Absolutely
40. King of the Hill? Never got into that one.
41. Do you read trashy romance novels often? I just got one from my grandma that I plan on reading at the beach!
42. What's the last thing you bought?groceries
43. What's the last thing someone bought you? My boss footed the bill for lunch and coffee today since we can't go in the kitchen.
44. Do you ever sing obnoxiously in the shower?Sing, yes. Obnoxiously - heck no!
45. What's in your CD player right now? The new Gavin DeGraw cd. I love it!
46. What's your favorite romance movie? I don't know. The old Romeo and Juliet is pretty high up there though.
47. Another favorite movie? Across the Universe
48. Do you believe everyone has a soulmate? That's a tough question... I hope so.
49. Can you sing? I have fun while I sing. Does that count??
50. Can you play any instruments?Yes. Flute, piccolo, clarinet, bass clarinet, trumpet, baritone tuba, oboe, recorder, some percussion, BASIC piano stuff.
51. Have you ever been to another country?Yes
53. Are you ever a freak about cleanliness or organization? In my own crazy way.
54. Have you ever been to South America or Africa?Nope
55. Do you know how to knit?sort of....not really
56. Do you have a job? Yes.
57. Have you ever written love song lyrics yourself and put them on? I wrote lyrics for a song once. It sucked.
58. Favorite sports team? I don't watch sports really. Other than some racing now and again... :)
60. Baskin Robbins or Coldstone? Baskin Robbins Peanut butter and chocolate
61. Physics or chemistry?no thank you
62. Facebook or Myspace? I don't want to learn about facebook. I'm too old to learn new things anymore. lol
64. R-rated or G-rated movies?Both. Simultaneously!!
65. Walk or Run? I don't run. Unless it's toward food.
66. Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, or Star Wars? Star wars!!!
67. Fly or road trip?Road trip
68. Batman, Spiderman, or Superman? X-Men
69. What's your favorite Disney movie? Beauty and the Beast.
70. What did you do for your last birthday? Went to dinner with some of the coolest people I know! And had my Irvine family over for dinner!

Name SIX things you did this past weekend
1. Went to LaRelle's birthday dinner.
2. Went to Tyler's 1st birthday party.
3. Drank beer
4. Drank a margarita
5. Went to Grandma's
6. Came home.

List FOUR people you can tell pretty much anything to:
I've become too guarded to tell pretty much ANYTHING to anybody.

List THREE favorite colors
1. Pink
2. Black
3. White

List TWO things you want to do before you die
1. Know that I've always done my best
2. Be a mommy - don't worry... not yet!!!

Yes, I know... It's been a while and I should have done this sooner...

As you know, my sister Sarah and my nephew Mecklin came to visit just before Halloween! It was so nice to see them again. It had been 6 months since I saw them last and that is too long when there's a baby involved! I must say that Sarah and I have had our rough patches - we are sisters after all - but I miss her so much and am always glad when I get to spend time with her. Maybe long distance relationships are just better in certain cases. ;) Now I'll get on with it. Here are some pictures of me and my family - LaRelle included.Mecklin's first night in California. Man does he look beat!
Here are some pictures from Halloween:
At the beginning of Trick-or-Treating

At the end of Trick-or-Treating..."Would you put the camera away and let me go to sleep, Aunt Hill?"Finally falling asleep - notice all four generations are in this pic. :)Getting ready to go eat some dinner.Uncle Brian to the rescue!!"My mom is so funny!!!""Ok. Get the camera out of my face!"When my sister was little she used to put her shirt on her head like this and scream "COWBOY HAT"!Sorry you can tell I was crying. I hate goodbyes... Thankfully they're coming back for Christmas!So there are just a few - I could have bored you with WAY more - pictures of my family. Looking back at these I realize how much I love them all and miss them. Sheesh. Now I'm getting sappy. Thanks for stopping by and congrats if you looked at all of those!

I am so excited for this weekend!!! I can't wait! :)

Ok. I think that's all for now.

Since Larilyn doesn't have my email address... =)

1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:15
2. Diamonds or pearls? Yes please!
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? Pirates 3
4. What is your favorite TV show? Lost
5. What do you usually have for breakfast? Lately, eggs.
6. What is your middle name? Anne
7. What food do you dislike? Creamed corn.

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? Hmm... I have a few!
9. What kind of car do you drive? PT Cruiser
10. Favorite sandwich? Turkey!
11. What characteristic do you despise? Unreliability
12. Favorite item of clothing? Jeans and/or flip flops
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Tahiti
14. What color is your bathroom? White
15. Favorite brand of clothing? The cheapest one??
16. Where would you retire to? California
17. What was your most memorable birthday? Unfortunately the one where most everyone forgot about it. Why does the bad always stick out more??
18. Favorite sport to watch? UFC
19. Farthest place you are sending this? I'm not sending it, silly!
20. Who do you least expect to send this back to you? Me.
21. Person you expect to send it back first? Me.
22. Favorite saying? I don't gotta lie to kick it!
23. When is your birthday? Sept. 20
24. Are you a morning person or a night person? Whenever it's coolest
25. What is your shoe size? 9-10....My big toe on my right foot is freakishly long.
26. Pets? Paisley the amazing pooper
27. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? Tomorrow is SEPTEMBER

28. What did you want to be when you were little? A mom.
29. What are you today? I'm not sure...
30. What is your favorite candy? Snickers
31. What is your favorite flower? I think daisies. What a hippy!
32. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Sept. 27th
33. What is your full name? Hillary Anne Welti
34. What are you listening to right now? Mika
35. What was the last thing you ate? Chicken
36. Do you wish on stars? Always
37. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I'd be the broken one.
38. How is the weather right now? Muggy and warm.
39. Last person you spoke to on the phone? LaRelle
40. Favorite soft drink? Diet Pepsi Vanilla
41. Favorite restaurant? Hmmm.... I don't know right now. Maybe Islands?
42. Hair color? Which half?? Top=dark brown, Bottom=Blond
43. Siblings? LaRelle, Devin, Jenna, Braden, Larilyn, Jason, Brian, Sarah, Scott, KT
44. Favorite day of the year? September 27-29
45. What was your favorite toy as a child? My New Kids on the Block action figures and stage!!
46. Summer or winter? Fall
47. Hugs or kisses? Hugs
48. Chocolate or Vanilla? Chocolate probably.
49. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yeah, sure...
50. When was the last time you cried? I don't remember, which means it's gonna be bad when I do.
51. What is under your bed? Nothing. There's a first!!!
52. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Robin, but we are just "friends" now... not true friends
53. Favorite smell? The way the house smells when my mom gets out of the shower. It's just familiar and comforting.
54. What did you do last night? Went to Target and kicked some major ASS with my workout video.
55. Plain, buttered, or salted Popcorn? Little butter, lots of salt!!
56. How many keys on your key ring? 4. I'm simple.
58. How many years at your current job? Two.
59. Favorite day of the week? Saturday - unless I am working in Torrance. Then it's Sunday.
60. How many towns have you lived in? 4.

61. Do you make friends easily? I don't go anywhere to meet new people! But when I did, I think I made friends easily. =)

That's right. I'm bored again.


Playing favorites
Favorite color?
Red or black
...Band?
The Beatles
...Taco Bell menu item?
Oh my GOD! I don't even know any more! I'd eat a shoe if it were in a Taco Bell wrapper!
...Candy bar?
Snickers
...Concert?
Oooooohhhh! I'll say Rocco Deluca & the burden, The Last Goodnight and Sara Bareilles
...Movie quote?
"Inconceivable"
...Monopoly game piece?
The car???
...Nickname?
BFF!
...Pizza toppings?
Pepperoni and mushroom with extra cheese, easy on the sauce! I've officially entered fat kid mode.
...cell phone service provider?
Verizon
restaurant?
Olive Garden
....breakfast cereal?
Honey Nut Cheerios
...website? (other than Myspace you nerd=)
The farm
....roadtrip?
Utah was pretty fun!
....beer?
Guiness
This or That
Britney or Christina?
Yuck
Own a pet monkey or take part in a "heist"?
pet monkey!
Team Jolie or Team Aniston?
Team Pitt! Just to be contrary.
Paris or Nicole?
Your mom.
Firefighters or police officers?
Firefighters
Silver or gold?
Silver
Internet Explorer or Netscape?
Firefox
Fly or drive?
Drive. You get better stories that way.
Night or day?
Whenever I have something to do! I get bored too easily.
Beer or liquor?
WINE!
Law & Order or CSI?
Law & Order cause it has Jesse L. Martin
Glasses or contacts?
Black rimmed glasses for sure!
Martha Stewart: Domestic goddess or Satan's spawn?
The devil herself...
Godfather or Goodfellas?
I don't know.
Backstage or front row?
Backstage
Keep Dreamin'
If you could marry any celebrity, who would it be?
Hmm... I want to say Rocco Deluca, but he's a bit of a hippy - even a bit too much for me! So I'll say Johnny Depp and dodge LaRelle's shoe as it flies at my head.
If you won the lottery today, what's the first thing you would buy?
A VW Thing
You're on death row - what's your last meal?
CARBS. LOTS OF CARBS
If you bought a puppy today, what would you name it?
Plaid. Not only is it LaRelle's favorite color, but how cute would that be? Paisley and Plaid!!
What is your dream job?
What keeps me busier than this one right now?
If you could travel anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would it be?
The Tahitian Islands. I LOVE it there! Or Kauai
If you magically had a kid tomorrow, what would you name it?
Jonathan George if a boy, Sadie Grace if a girl.
If you could live anywhere on the planet, where would it be?
Gosh. Probably here.
Who would you "be a little gay" for?
Angelina Jolie.
What is your dream motor vehicle?
A VW Thing - in AWESOME condition
If you could go back in time, what historical period/event would you time travel to?
When the Beatles came to America.
If you could star in any movie, what would it be?
A movie about my life! Not because it would be extremely interesting, but because I wouldn't have to learn a script.
You're stranded on a desert island - what five members of the opposite sex (or same sex, if you so choose) would you want with you?
Matthew Fox, Rocco Deluca, Johnny Depp, John Lennon, George Harrison (It didn't say they had to be living, so I'm resurrecting a couple here)
If you were having a dinner party, what four people (living or dead) would you invite?
John Lennon, George Harrison, my dad, my grandpa.
If you could get rid of one celebrity that annoys you, who would it be?
Lindsay Lohan.
Randomness
What animal represents you best?
Kangaroo.
Ever seen a pedestrian get hit by a car?
No.
Where was the last place you went to on an airplane?
South Carolina
What is your most cherished old school Nintendo game?
Sonic the Hedgehog.
How many times have you been out of the United States?
A lot. I don't know. I'd say about 15 or more.
What food do you refuse to try?
Hell. If it's called food, I'll at least try it.
What's your middle name?
Anne.
What is the coolest city you have ever been to?
New York
Who do you IM with the most?
My boss. I give him messages on IM's.
McDonald's Chicken McNuggets: yay or nay?
Yay
McDonald's: yay or nay:
Yay
Ever posted a glittery/animated comment on someone's Myspace page?
Yeah.
Do you know who Glenn Coco is?
WTF?
What television channel do you watch the most?
I don't know.
What perfume/cologne are you wearing right now?
Plumeria spray from Bath And Body Works. Thanks, LaRelle!
What is your Starbucks beverage of choice?
Right now, green tea. :)

A
• Are you available?: So very available. Ha ha!
• What is your age?: 23
• What annoys you?: Not having anything to do at work.
B
• Do you know anyone named Billy?: Yes... let's not go into that one, ok?
• When is your birthday?: September 20
• Who is your best friend?: Terry & LaRelle! (And Paisley) =)
C
• What's your favorite candy?: Oh God! Probably sugar free York Peppermint Patties.
• Crush?: Not even worth mentioning. :P
• When was the last time you cried?: Hmm... I think last week when So You Think You Can Dance had the saddest dance ever and it almost killed me!!

D
• Do you daydream?: Yes, Siree.
• What's your favorite kind of dog?: Paisley
• What day of the week is it?: Wednesday

E
• How do you like your eggs?: In brownie batter
• Have you ever been in the emergency room?: I practically had my own parking spot for a while!
• Have you ever pet an elephant? Yep. Rode one too.

F
• Do you use fly swatters?: I do at work
• Have you ever used a foghorn?: No. My voice is quite loud enough, thank you.
• Is there a fan in your room?: Yes

G
• Do you chew gum?: Sure do.
• Do you like gory movies?: If it's necessary gore, yes.
• Favorite board game?: Apples to Apples . . . it's not really a "board" game though, so maybe Cribbage.

H
• How are you?: BORED
• What's your height?: 5'8"
• What color is your hair?: Brown

I
• What’s your favorite ice cream? Peanutbutter and chocolate from Baskin Robbins
• Have you ever ice skated?: Not in a LONG time.
• Ever been in an igloo?: Paisley and I made one the other day on the balcony! In California! Yeah...

J
• What's your favorite Jelly Bean?: I like the black ones and buttered popcorn by jelly belly
• Have you ever heard a really hilarious joke?: Uh... yeah....
• Do you wear jewelry?: Heck yes! Accessorizing is life!

K
• Ever been kayaking?: No
• Have you ever flown a kite? Yes
• Do you think kangaroos are cute?: They're my favorite!

L
• Lions or tigers?: Tigons
• Do you like black licorice?: Yes. Especially the dutch salty kind!
• What are you listening to right now?: The radio, the fan, and my mind screaming from boredom.

M
• Favorite movie as a kid?: Beauty and the Beast
• Ever shopped at Moosejaw?: Oh yeah! It's my favorite! Great deals on lower jaws especially
• Favorite store at the mall?: Claire's or any similar accessory store.

N
• Do you have a nickname?: Tons. BFF, H2, and so on and so forth.
• What’s your favorite number?: 13, 23, 45, and 2307.69 Yes I'm serious. Add 2307.69 four times and you get 9230.76 Nifty, huh? Yes, I am compulsive.
• Do you prefer night or day?: Any time that I can sleep.

O
• What's your one wish?: If I tell you, won't it not come true??
• Only child?: No
• Do you like the color orange?: Yes. I wore my orange T-shirt yesterday

P
• What are you most paranoid about?: Becoming paranoid. Oh crap! Too late!!
• Piercing?: Just various ear piercings. I want my nose or tongue pierced again though.
• You know anyone named Penelope?: Well, it's my Starbucks name, and LaRelle's!

Q
• Are you quick to judge people?: Yes. (I don't have to lie to kick it!)
• Do you like Quaker Oats? Yes
• Know anyone that makes quilts?: Sure do!

R
• Do you think you're always right?: The last time I was wrong was when I thought I was!
• Do you watch reality TV?: What garbage! Yuck! That's terrible! (OK - you caught me. I'm a reality tv junkie. I love it!)
• Reason to cry?: The need to.

S
• Do you prefer sun or rain?: Right now, rain. I miss it.
• Do you like snow?: Sure. Wouldn't want to drive in it though.
• What’s your favorite season?: Fall.

T
• What time is it?: 2:10 pm
• What time did you wake up?: 6:15
• Who did you last text?: LaRelle. I told her to put a diaper on. Hahahaha!

U
• Can you ride a unicycle?: Well I am quite coordinated... :-S
• Do you know anyone with a unibrow?: Me if I don't pluck them!
• How many uncles do you have?: I don't know. That can't be good, right?

V
• What's the worst vegetable?: Probably the brussels sprouts I had on my hip yesterday. They are the gross brand.
• Did you ever watch Veggie Tales?: Nope.
• Ever considered being vegan?: Hell no!

W
• What's your worst habit?: Eating too much.
• Ever been inside a windmill?: Just the TGIFriday's in Carlsbad
• Ever been whale watching?: Yes.

X
• Have you ever had an x-ray?: TONS!
• Ever used a Xerox machine?: Yes
• Play the xylophone?: I can play children's ones!

Y
• Do you like the color yellow?: Yes
• What year were you born in?: 1983
• Do you yell when you're angry?: Depends on who I'm angry with.

Z
• Do you believe in the zodiac? Kind of.
• What's your zodiac sign?: Virgo
• When was the last time you went to the zoo?: Sheesh. I don't know. I want to go!!

Well, that didn't waste nearly enough time! I'm bored!!!!!