making plans

well it's that time again. when all the kids are out of school for a week and i am reminded that as a grown up i get no spring break. makes me sad and old. along with the lack of break i get, i get to add all of those out of school kids to my every day life. it's a lovely little tradition we like to call vacation bible school. a.k.a. vbs. yes vbs is here once again and i can hardly believe it. feels like i just wrapped up kettles. how can it be april already. i don't know but it is. and as i sit here i am wondering how this week will go. will the movie be sucky with the pool be open. will i have enough adult men to escort boys to the bathroom. the wonderful joys of my life.

however, if i can bring myself to look just past vbs i see vacation. wonderful vacation. nothing fun or exciting other then no work and seeing family i haven't seen in a year.

every year i make a trip to the phoenix area to see my grandma. i'm lucky because there are many aunts and uncles and cousins who live there or also visit often so i get to see a group of them all at once. it's retardedly hot in arizona 300 days of the year so i have very specific times when i will visit and due to my work schedule those dates are narrowed down even further. i pretty much am only willing to go january to may and even april and may are too hot. but i love my family so i suck it up and only complain when they can't hear. i try to go sooner then this like february or march but this year it's april and it will be better then the year it was may. and the year it was october. i never new it could be 100 degrees in october any where. that was a strange experiance i have to say. the weather forcast says it will be high 80's most of the time i'm there and while i'm not thrilled with this degree of heat i am just glad it's not hotter.

i leave on saturday so i have 5 days to pack but true to me i have already started compiling a list and a small pile of things i won't need between now and then. an extra towel so as not to die grandmas towels blue and purple with my hair, a nice dress and shoes to match, capris (it's 45 here today so i don't need those here yet), shorty socks, flip-flops (again no plans to wear them while it's 45). things of that nature. things like shampoo and deodorant will have to wait to be packed until friday because i will want to use them again before then.

i always find deciding what extracurricular goodies to bring one of the two hardest parts about packing for a trip. haven't played the ds in quite some time but what if while i'm away i have a burning need to play. should i bring it or not.

the second hardest part only applies if flying (which i am this trip) and that's, how do i pack? carry on everything but a small checked bag full of full size bath products? put bath products in 3 oz containers in a quart size zip-lock? check everything except the important things and the stave off boredom items (laptop, camera, knitting). i just can't decide. my instincts say to check only the bath stuff and carry everything else. don't want to be stuck in phoenix while my underpants have been sent to milwaukee. then again, there is a part of me that says "make it easy on yourself. it's a vacation. check everything you can and hope for the best. airlines almost never lose luggage any more"

any thoughts?

the end.