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I wish I could just teleport...

Next week I will not have a blog post for you. I will be either freaking out about going to GRL, traveling, or experiencing this get together for the first time. It’s on my mind so let’s talk travel. The first thing you have to do when preparing to go anyplace is pack. I must say it’s not my favorite activity. It’s true that I am horribly addicted to both shoes and clothes which means I like the process of deciding what to wear even if it sometimes takes me awhile to finalize my choices.

But it all starts going downhill when I try to cram everything I want to bring into a reasonably sized suitcase. There’s never enough room and it’s amazing that I somehow normally manage to stay under that fifty-pound weight limit. I used to keep a spreadsheet to make sure I didn’t forget anything but now I start a few days early (okay, more like a week or more) so I can give my brain plenty of time to remember every little thing I want to have on hand. (My husband not only makes a detailed list but repacks three times every trip. He calls my reckless abandonment of my spreadsheet foolhardy and begging for trouble. I, in turn, roll my eyes and tell him to get a life.)

While I have at times attempted to curb my impulses to overpack, I don’t want to be uncomfortable on my trip. I have enough anxiety regarding the travel itself and whatever social things I have to do while I am there, I don’t need to worry that I’ve left behind the wrong shoes! Once the misery of packing is completed, I move on to grabbing every charger in the house to ensure everything is at full battery power before I step outside. This is not my OCD, this is the husband following me asking me if everything is charged. (He does the same thing before every thunderstorm. He’s lucky I haven’t shoved him under a lightning bolt.)

Finally walking out the door, my mind turns to the whole airport ordeal. Ugh, is there anything more annoying than standing in that security line knowing you have to quickly rip off your shoes, your belt, and pulling out the laptop without dropping something or irritating all the people behind you by moving too slow? Once I get to the gate the doomsday scenarios start. Today might be the day the plane crashes and I am found smashed up against a mountain. I have to lift up my pant leg to make sure I shaved my legs so the emergency personnel, coroner, etc. think I have good grooming habits and don’t know that most of my life I’m sitting around the house wearing pajamas and wondering when I last combed my hair.

Once the plane is up in the air, I’m actually pretty good unless there’s turbulence. I hate that stomach dropping feeling! I will usually read a book, listen to music, or in recent years work on editing. (I am too keyed up to write.) If it’s a long flight, at about hour three I start getting antsy. My attention span is too short to just sit there patiently. By the time the plane lands, I am ready to shove the husband out into the aisle just so I can stand the hell up and RUN to freedom This trip to Portsmouth is going to require a dreaded changeover which means TWO FLIGHTS each way. I wanted direct but apparently no airline flies straight from Las Vegas to Portsmouth. 

Anyway, that’s a super fun day traveling with me. I exude calmness while on the inside my mind is calculating how many hours until I can toss my luggage into the hotel room, wash my face, and get back into my beloved nightclothes while doing its best not to freak out that in a few days I’m going to have make it back home. Have you picked up any tricks to make your own travel easier or less intimidating?

P.S. I haven't forgotten about the questions you guys asked about D'Vaire, I promise to get to them soon!

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