We’ve had a busy last few days at our house.
Early on Friday morning Mike and I hopped on a plane to visit with my best friend and her husband in Washington, DC to celebrate the impending birth of their daughter in December. They had a co-ed baby shower at my favorite restaurant in DC and we had a blast! This was the first co-ed shower I’d been too, loved the idea, but one of the younger, posher attendees told me these sorts of things happen all the time. Who knew?
We came back into Denver late on Sunday night which meant not much sleep before heading back into work for either of us. Late on Monday morning Mike got a call from his oldest son’s school saying the boy was feeling quite ill and needed to be picked up. Four hours and a doctor’s appointment later we were told that he has contracted the H1N1 virus. Whoa.
Despite exhibiting the other characteristic symptoms for this flu (sore throat, body aches, cough and congestion, vomiting is typically not associated) he did not spike the characteristically high (104F +) fever. His fever stayed under 100F and we are glad for that. He seemed generally content, even if uncomfortable. Had the fever been worse I fear the stress on his system and our sanity would have been overwhelming.
When I went into work this morning I found out that several of my co-workers’ children have contracted the virus recently and therefore many of them have been at home caring for them. Apparently this virus has been whipping through the schools out here like a new fashion fad. What is slightly comforting about that is I have heard repeatedly that there is no cause for serious concern. Yes, this strain of the flu is novel and alarming, but healthy individuals are at low risk and recovering well. Fortunately, we are healthy individuals.
After a day at home with his dad resting and playing video games to his little heart’s content, my stepson is recovering nicely. He appears to have missed what could have been a much more severe case. I am home now, too, sitting on our couch eating the delicious dinner Mike made, sipping chamomile tea and watching Fawlty Towers. I’m glad for it.
But, while doing a random internet search for aerospace-related jobs in the U.S. I came across a press release from the FAA. It mentioned recent changes to air medical transport regulations in the U.S. and abroad, especially in and out of international airspace and combat zones. The report also noted several design issues concerning the fixed and light wing craft used, and that led me to do a bit of exploration into the subject on my own. What I found out was, the nation’s largest provider of air medical emergency transport services and systems to the U.S. and abroad is based less than an hour from my front door. After looking at the company’s profile and learning more about the aeromedical industry, I felt myself falling and looked into finding a job there I qualified for. The one I was most attracted to involved working with design specifications in the engineering department. I applied, and the rest is history.
