Oh, and I had my vacation mani/pedi. Here's a destination hint: as a little inside joke, I got an American manicure on my fingers and "You're so Euro" on my toes. You wouldn't know that just by looking (unless you are an OPI executive), but I know, and it makes me giggle. Because I'm silly that way.
But back to the packing process. My patient, long-suffering husband and I have different packing philosophies. My first step is planning obsessively for months. I carefully select clothing that is destination appropriate, doesn't wrinkle easily or take up too much valuable suitcase space, and coordinates well enough that my shoes and accessories can do double (or triple) duty. Then I make a list of everything I need to take, from documents to medications to electronics to ensure I don't forget to pack anything. Then I also make a list of every last-minute thing I have to do before the trip. Then, the night before the trip, I get everything out to begin packing and add a bunch of things to the pile that weren't on my list. I begin packing my suitcase and realize everything won't fit, so I start the difficult and painful elimination process. After I cram as much as possible into the suitcase, I go to bed and lie awake all night worried that I've forgotten something or eliminated the wrong items. I get out of bed the morning of the trip and take a few things back out of the suitcase so I can replace them with things I've determined are more important during my sleepless night. Close the suitcase, go to the airport, check in my baggage, get on the plane, then spend the whole flight worried that I've forgotten something or made the wrong replacement choices. And that, my friends, is how I go on vacation.
His process is as follows: he makes sure to get a good night's sleep the night before the trip. The morning of the trip, he asks me, "What is the weather supposed to be like where we are going?" Then he throws some clothes and toiletries in a suitcase and voila, ready for vacation.
And he is trying to bring me over to the dark side one step at a time. Last night he convinced me to go to bed without a single thing inside my suitcase. There is plenty of time in the morning. Even if I forget something, as long as we have our travel ID, prescriptions, and a credit card, it will all work out. I slept, but not very much. (64% sleep score - a new record.) When I woke up (early) this morning, I started packing. Lo and behold, everything fit on the first try! In fact, I had a little extra space, which will be useful on the trip home. We were ready in plenty of time and were sitting on the porch waiting when the shuttle arrived.
We had a very pleasant first leg of our flight and were really glad we had gone to the trouble to get TSA pre-check certification. Then we arrived at JFK airport for our overnight flight. In case you've never been there, JFK is a cesspool. A big, crowded, disorganized cesspool. And guess what? They don't have TSA pre-check yet. Which meant, among other things, I had to take off my shoes to go through security. I hope all my shots are up to date.
We are about to board a plane for Milan. When we arrive in the morning, we will pick up our rental car and make the four hour drive to a little town on the French Riveria which will be our home for the first week of our trip. I hope to post as much as possible on the trip, but it may be sporadic, depending on internet access. My foot has been pretty irritated the last day and a half during my pre-trip frenzy, but I feel certain it's nothing a week looking at the Mediterranean while drinking good French wine won't cure. Bonne nuit, y'all.
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