You heard that right! 27 days until I board a plane for Detroit and then me and my two adventure buddies head out over the big blue Atlantic to beautiful Amsterdam.
Guess what?! I’m excited! I’m scared! I’m making a hundred different lists that need to be checked off and then executed before I even leave for the airport!! Someone give me a valium, please!
My mind is swirling with things that need/have to be done in those 27 days so that I can leave for 2 1/2 weeks and know that my family is taken care of in my absence. Not that my husband isn’t capable, but I would like to leave him with a plan and a sense of peace, not chaos and lots of fast food runs! And besides, I’m kind of a control freak. What? Don’t laugh, you know it’s true.
Some of my lists include:
Meal plans for Jon with recipes
Chore suggestions to keep the house running smoothly and stress free
Packing- this is a MUST, but I’m working on what I need to supplement to my wardrobe because I am still in the process of losing weight and and unsure of my clothing sizing. This is a GOOD thing and a BAD thing, all at the same time!
Checking off lists of doctors to see, medications to make sure are up to date, and making sure my insurance is accessible overseas.
A must- Checking with ATT about my phone/internet coverage for my iPhone while I’m over there. I must find out if I can add to my plan so I can call my babies and wake them up in the morning or heck, even call my Dad in the other part of the hotel if need be.
Planning what I’ll want to pack in my carry on bag for the flights and making sure my iPhone doesn’t crap out on me in the middle of the flight. That would stink!
Overall, I’m excited and anxious to just go already, but I know preparation is the key, so I’m making my lists. I’m checking them like an OCD mad woman, but a list maker and worry wart has to do what she has to do!
One thing I get to cross off my list is my passport! I got it in the mail about 3 weeks ago and I’m pretty jazzed about it! I sure can tell though I’ve lost 15 lbs since that picture was taken. I hope they recognize me when I go through customs! What do you think? Can you tell a difference?
How could I have forgotten the most important thing?! My plane tickets! Maybe they weren’t on my list because I didn’t have to book them! My Dad went through all the frustration and elation of getting out tickets to both Amsterdam and Florence. At one point, he was sure he was going to have to fly home by himself though Paris because all the seats on our plane were full! I almost told him to send me home through Paris so I could spend the 14 hour layover exploring the airport, so I could say I’ve been to Paris too! But…I changed my mind when I realized it would take me over 31 hours to get home. No thanks.
Passport: CHECK
Plane Tickets: CHECK
So far so good!
All in all, I’m really looking forward to hitting the town and shopping around for everyday souvenirs for Jon and the kids. Wouldn’t it be cool if I could find some Pokémon cards in Dutch for the boys or some fun bracelets for the girls at the local drug store? I think so, I hope the kids would like that too!
Last year, Dad and Leslie had to go to the drug store for supplies. What they were looking for and what they found were very different to a couple of Americans! A search for band-aids resulted in 4 inch long bandages that wrapped around Dad’s finger. Vinger Pliesters is what they were called in my phonetic Dutch. I can’t find an example on the net because I think I need to speak Dutch to understand all the websites, but you get the idea.
I searched through a lot of their web albums today and revisited all the places they went. I tried to picture myself there, but my minds eye couldn’t do it. I guess I’ll just have to go and experience the real thing!! I think I can handle that.
IN OTHER NEWS… How about bullet form? Shall we?
- Daniel played Daniel Boone tonight in the 5th grade Wax Museum at school. He was nervous and stumbled some of his lines, but after the parental units left, I’m sure he did great!
- Lauren is preparing for a choir banquet that is happening in a couple of weeks. They’re not performing, but get to go to a formal dance as an end of the year party. I think we’ll be shopping for a new dress this weekend and scheduling a hair cut soon. She is excited and so am I! I get to dress her up like a doll and she’s even going to let me do her hair!! Squeeeee!! Maybe she’ll let me do her make-up too??
- Brenna is rehearsing for a big Spring Pop Choir concert with no less than 7 dances. They’ll be performing music from Glee and other pop hits. She is excited but loaded down with end of the year projects and tests to prepare for. She’ll do fine, but you know how it is when you get near to the end of school! Summer fever is in full swing.
- Michael Jon is going to sing with the Praise Kids choir at church this Sunday. He is over the moon because he gets to “dress upâ€. Meaning, he wants to wear his suit that he got for Christmas from Grampa Mike. I told him we should get him a new tie. He’s down with that!!
I just realized something…
I sense a running theme here. My kids like to perform in front of people, musically. Hmm… maybe I should have named after the Von Trapp’s and they could have had a shot in show business?! Oh btw-I have NO idea where they get the need to be in the spotlight. I’m just sayin’.
So, that’s the latest NEWS from the Bippy household. We’re all just chugging along, preparing for the next big thing and counting down the days until my vacation. Wheee!!!