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Thursday, August 26, 2010

My Bags Are Packed / I'm Ready To Go

All set for our trip to MN tomorrow, but while I'm excited to go, I also feel anxious about the trip. Let me break down the mixed emotions:

I'm excited because:
  • It's going to be Norah's first airplane ride, and even though traveling with her is gonna be more complicated than the old days of just Jerry and I, I'm looking forward to her new experience.
  • I get to see all my family, and some of my family members haven't even met Norah yet: My youngest brother just came home from a deployment in Iraq a few weeks ago, so this will be the first time he sees her, and my grandfather, who lives in Denver, will also meet her for the first time.
  • I get to see all of Jerry's family. I enjoy my in-law family, and it'll be fun to see everyone.
  • I get to see my brother get married and be a part of his wedding. A few years ago, I never thought my brother would be the kind of person to get married, but I guess he just needed to find the right person, and I'm so happy for him. He and his wife-to-be seem like a good fit, and I'm so happy to see him get to enjoy and celebrate that kind of companionship.

However, I'm anxious about:

  • The traveling. Flying with Norah adds a few extra logistics, and in general, I don't fly that well. I am really sensitive to motion and have to take Dramamine to fly. Plus, flying always seems to leave me with lingering vertigo for a few days.
  • Seeing all my family. I love my family, I do, but they're like that TV show "Modern Family" -- but not funny. Just thinking of having my mom and dad in the same room together makes me want to crawl into a cave, close my eyes, and wait until it's over. Granted, that's just me blowing things out of proportion: My parents have been divorced for 30 years and have always behaved with nothing but respect, dignity and poise, yet it is the eternal curse of the child of divorce to cringe when thinking of those two people within close proximity of each other. There are other strained relationships here as well, but it would take too long to explain it all. Just know this: The forecast for me drinking too much is HIGH.
  • Organizing the visits with everyone when we are only in the state for about 60 hours. Needless to say, it involves a lot of driving back and forth, and as of late, a lot of calls that go: "Well, we'll be there between 9 am and 11 am, and then we'll be here between 11 am and 1 pm, and then..." It doesn't make it any easier now that Jerry's parents are also divorced. It feels like we have 4 families to see instead of 2!

But, I'm sure everything will be fine, and if it's not, I'm sure it will be comical a few years from now. That, or I'll drink enough champagne to blot out the bad stuff :)

So, I'll probably be MIA for the next 4 days: Don't cry, I'll be back. And hopefully, I'll be able to report that not only was the entire trip great but that I also managed to maintain the streak. Cross your fingers!

27 comments:

Charbelle said...

fingers crossed for the streak, but don't stress yourself out over it, you've got SO MUCH going on that's crazy!!! Hoping that everything is smooth and easy for you!!!

Marlene said...

Good luck! I hope the travelling and family visits go smoothly, and that you manage to find some time to run in the process.

Shellyrm ~ just a country runner said...

Enjoy the trip. It will all work out wonderfully.

Take loads of photos. I can't wait to read how Norah handles flying!

Katie A. said...

I think along with the drinking, your streak will help!
Congrats to your brother for making it home safe and serving our country - glad he has found someone! Good luck! Fly safe!

Andrew Opala said...

That's such a sad song ... but your blog will still be here ... so actually I won't miss you!

Go with the flow!

Heather said...

Safe travels, and have a great weekend!

gmontalvo13 said...

have a great trip and good luck! :)

TNTcoach Ken said...

OMG! Modern Family, only not funny...ha. I'm going to steal your line 'The forecast for me drinking too much is HIGH'.. I love that. Have as much fun as possible.

Carly said...

Have a great trip....shoot me an email if you have time and you are in my hood and want to hook up for a run.

Anonymous said...

Not to make things worse, but I cannot beleive all the extra "stuff" you ahve to take on a trip with a child. The younger the child, the more stuff.

Um, have fun...

RunningLaur said...

Have a safe trip!
I think your list of awesome things outweighs the worries :)

Jess said...

Good luck maintaining the streak and enjoy the trip and the wedding!

JojaJogger said...

Endure the not fun stuff and enjoy the fun stuff. Oh yea, and enjoy the break from the humidity.

ajh said...

Good luck with the traveling and all the family dynamics. Congrats to your brother.

Jill said...

Have a great trip!! Traveling with wee-ones is tough but you'll always remember her first airplane ride!!

teacherwoman said...

Have a wonderful, enjoyable trip! See you when you return!

Aka Alice said...

Good luck on the flight. One word. Benadryl (for you or Norah...you choose :-)

Glad your first week went well. Mine was CRAZY. I could use a weekend in MN.

Crazy family stories (and too much to drink) makes life colorful and gives me loads of examples for my classes (well...except for the too much to drink part).

Have fun!

Unknown said...

Just remember what Jeff Foxworthy said, “If you ever start feeling like you have the goofiest, craziest, most dysfunctional family in the world, all you have to do is go to a state fair. Because five minutes at the fair, you'll be going, 'you know, we're alright. We are dang near royalty.'" Have fun!

RunToTheFinish said...

i marvel at those of you flying with kiddos it's so much stuff to lug around!! have a great time

Wes said...

Safe travels. Sounds like you have lotsa adventures ahead of you. Enjoy!!!

Aron said...

i hope everything goes well this weekend and norah is an angel on the plane :) have a fun trip!

MN Mom said...

Have fun and relax! (You can drink on the plane if need be too.)

Rachael said...

I found your blog when I Googled "running and pregnant" and I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed reading! It's also really nice to find another mom who's trying to balance being a SAHM with teaching (I assume you're also teaching at a university, since you mentioned night classes?).

Anyway, I'm training for a half right now, at home full-time with my kids, and teaching university. It's crazy. So it's nice to read about someone else who's in the same boat. :-)

Unknown said...

Have a good time!

Stuart said...

I always like the idea of seeing my family...but it's never the same in reality!

runner26 said...

hope the trip is going well!!

Crissy Rae said...

Hope you guys are enjoying your weekend. I'm sure it's crazy and flying by super-fast as long weekends in MN tend to do.