Of Course We Forgot!

When i came down Friday morning at 4:30, dressed and ready to finish things up, #1 Son and #2 Son were already awake, trying to decide which suitcases to use.

#1 Son asked me if there was any place he could go at that hour to buy headphones. After telling him that Wal-Mart and CVS were both open, and either one would have what he needed, he decided to wait on that.

Packing was the usual chaos. Everyone was up by 5, stepping over each other as i fed and watered the cats and scooped the boxes one more time, washed up the "last dishes" five or six times, and called to each other about whether or not we were bringing this or that. #2 Son and Little Girl tore the house apart looking for their favorite baseball caps, and the cats pulled on their cloaks of invisibility until the furor died down.

On Thursday, Sweetie had come home with a rental, a 12 passenger van with the last seat removed, so seating for 9. It was fire engine red. Never having seen one that wasn't white, i had to give this thing a name. Since it's color is even more distinctive than its size, Cherry Bomb it was. In a good way, of course.

We got Cherry Bomb packed with so much room to spare it was ludicrous. Never before have we had enough space to put everyone and everything without spending huge amounts of time finagling and shifting and moving this or that to a different location. It was mostly loaded by the time i went out, and almost nothing had to be moved.

Our departure goal was 7am, and at one minute after, everyone was outside and we thought we were ready. Then #1 Son remembered his driving glasses, for just in case. After that, Sweetie remembered he didn't have his jacket, so back in he went. Only 7 minutes late, which for us counts as on time.

First things first, get on the interstate and get far enough from the morning traffic to stop for coffee and packaged junk at a gas/convenience store. Then on the road for real, let the adventure begin.

Just for fun, our packing list (as much of it as i can remember late at night in a hotel room):

Clothing -- underwear, bras (if applicable), socks (if i can make Little Girl wear them), pants, shirts, shoes, pajamas, one nice outfit each, sweaters and jackets for cool evenings, fuzzy slippers, bathrobes, swim suits for if it is warm enough to swim.

Toiletries -- toothbrushes, toothpaste, baking soda/salt for neti pots, neti pots, prescription meds, supplements, grapefruit seed extract and olive leaf (just in case, great for when you are coming down with something), benadryl, deodorant, hairbrushes, hair bands, blow dryer, hair spray, mouth wash, special soap for sensitive skin, shampoo, razors, make up, hand lotion.

Food -- bananas, raw food bars and raw juice powders (yes, i know i'm weird), apples, hard boiled eggs, oranges, nuts, plus my spill proof water bottle and coffee cup, raw honey so Sweetie won't have sneezing attacks.

Electronics -- computer, fan for computer, fan for Sweetie (he doesn't sleep without one), cell phones, charge cords.

Other -- Bible, devotional, notebook, crossword puzzles, pencils, pens, books, heating pad, pillows, blankets, spare change, laundry detergent, quarters for washing machines, $5 and $1 bills for tips, driving glasses, reading glasses, and sanity (or whatever is left of it).

It's no wonder i forgot the sanitizing wipes for the hotel room.


Today is:

Alamo Day -- Texas, US

Azure Dragon Festival -- China

Cheesefare Sunday -- Orthodox Christian, sometimes called Forgiveness Sunday (the last day that dairy products can be eaten before the Lenten fast)

Dentist's Day

Feast of Excited Insects -- China; Korea (sometimes called Chinese Groundhog Day, the day insects are supposed to awaken for spring)

Festival of Mars -- Ancient Roman Calendar (god of war)

Foundation Day -- Norfolk Island, Commonwealth of Australia

Girl Scout Week begins -- Girl Scout Sunday/Girl Scout Sabbath/Girl Scout Shabbat patches may be earned by scouts who attend religious services this week

Independence Day -- Ghana

Kirishima Jingu Otaue-sai -- Kirishima Jingu Shrine, Kirishima, Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan (rice planting festival)

March Goblins' Galumphing Gala and Display -- Fairy Calendar

Narcissus Day

National Chocolate Cheesecake Day

National Frozen Food Day

Stoneware Pottery Appreciation Day

St. Thomas Aquinas' Day

Vasaloppet -- Sweden (winter week festival)


Birthdays Today:

Shaquille O'Neal, 1972
D.L. Hughley, 1963
Tom Arnold, 1959
David Gilmour, 1946
Rob Reiner, 1945
Kiri Te Kanawa, 1944
Willie Stargell, 1941
Lorin Maazel, 1930
Alan Greenspan, 1926
Ed McMahon, 1923
Lou Costello, 1906
Ring Lardner, 1885
Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1806
Cyrano de Bergerac, 1619
Michelangelo Bounarroti, 1475


Today in History:

Ferdinand Magellan arrives at Guam, 1521
The First Fleet arrives at Norfolk Island (an external territory of Australia) in order to found a convict settlement, 1788
York, Upper Canada is incorporated as Toronto, 1834
After a thirteen day siege by an army of 3,000 Mexican troops, the 187 Texas volunteers defending the Alamo are defeated and the fort is captured, 1836
Giuseppe Verdi's opera La Traviata receives its premiere performance in Venice, 1853
Dmitri Mendeleev presents the first periodic table to the Russian Chemical Society, 1869
Bayer registers "aspirin" as a trademark, 1899
The trial of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg begins, 1951
United Kingdom colonies Gold Coast and British Togoland become the independent Republic of Ghana, 1957
After 19 years of presenting the CBS Evening News, Walter Cronkite signs off for the last time, 1981
Michelangelo computer virus begins to affect computers, 1992