Off to College

The day has arrived. After the dance last night, I came home to find Chelsey still puttering around at midnight. I told her to go to bed! She was up by 6 and hanging out with the two little ones. She had Bo in tears, so I assured him she was just a few hours away and that we would go visit her. I had planned on leaving my kids to fend for themselves all day, but that started to make me nervous, so I farmed them out to 5 different places. SO grateful to those who helped! We planned on leaving by 9 but didn't get out till almost 10. Glade, mom, Nick and I all came along.

We hadn't gotten too far when Chelsey started complaining about cramps. We gave her some Motrin but it wasn't doing much for her. Within not too long, she was crying and saying how bad it hurt. Once she started crying, she had a hard time getting a hold of it. Soon she was saying her hands were cold and numb and it was hard to breathe. Mom rubbed her back and we tried to calm her down. We decided to pull over and get a drink and let her out for a minute. We were barely in Phoenix at this point.

As soon as she got out of the truck, she sprawled herself on the dirty sidewalk in front of the QT. Now she was white as a sheet and not crying, but moaning and a little "out of it". I sat beside her while the others went in to get a drink. She was saying everything hurt, her arms were tingly, she couldn't breath.... honestly, she looked like a strung out teenager. A couple of people even offered to call 911 for us. Mom and I came to the same conclusion rather quickly. She was having a panic attack. I went through something very similar as a teenager and when they took me to the hospital, they insisted I tell them what drug I took so they could help me. I assured them I hadn't but they didn't believe me. Watching Chelsey, I could see why, she was a wreck.

I explained what was happening to her and that there wasn't anything a doctor could do, she just needed to calm down and relax. I convinced her to take a Motrin PM to relax her and help her go to sleep. I helped her up to take her to the bathroom before we left and she could barely walk. Wouldn't keep her eyes open. She had been in the stall for a long time and I was worried that she would pass out, but I hadn't heard a thud yet so I waited. Finally she opened the door, but stayed in the stall (handicapped) and sprawled herself on the floor right there in front of the toilet. In a gasp a tell her to "get up!" She said she couldn't, it was too hot, she needed the cold. I pulled her up and walked her to the truck. She kept saying she needed Daddy to give her a blessing.

Once she got to the truck, she crawled in the back seat and laid there moaning. At first Glade was a little annoyed with her behavior, but I assured him she wasn't just being dramatic about cramps. As I was telling him what was going on, she started calling for him "Daddy! Daddy.." That got his attention. He stood right there by her and gave her a blessing. When he was done, she asked me to sit in the back with her, so I did. She laid her head on my lap and within minutes, her color was back and her skin had gotten warm again and she was completely relaxed. The other three were in the front seat and Glade had gotten some Gobstoppers. She heard the box rattle and said "is there candy up there?"

She ate several Gobstoppers, downed the turkey sandwich we bought her, had a little bit of conversation and then slept the rest of the way. Totally fine the rest of the day. I look at it as such a blessing that I had that experience as a 16 year old. Had I not, we probably would have taken her to the hospital, but I was able to talk her through it and know what to do. Mostly, so grateful for the Priesthood and a husband who is worthy of it.

The rest of the day was extremely uneventful. All four girls were there with their families trying to move everything in. It was quite chaotic, but very exciting. Mom and I left for lunch and were gone probably too long, but there wasn't much we could do anyway. Once most things were settled, we made a grocery list of all their necessities and went to the grocery store. Finally it was time to leave. It wasn't a big emotional goodbye, just some hugs and last minute directions and advice. On the way home, Nick said "I thought I was excited for her to leave, but now...it doesn't feel like it." Whitley avoided her when we left and was in tears when we got home. She will miss her big sister the most. They talked for an hour before they both went to bed. She told Bo she would call him when he got home from school on Monday. I think we will all feel a little lonely for the next few days.

This is her back yard. Nice! It was a hard thing, but I'm so proud of all she's accomplished and I know she will do great. Like I keep telling everyone else, she's only a couple hours away!