Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Things I Learned Before Hitting the Road...

Get some sleep.

I am not a morning person.

You probably already knew that.

I wanted people to like me.

I wanted to like me.

I decided to forgo sleep the night before we left on our trip.

That is right.

No. sleep.

Because technically, I wasn't being made to wake up.

I already was.

Do you see the method to my madness?

Don't try this at home.

Not a good idea.

Pack ahead.

A day or two ahead.

Or an hour or two.

Do not wait until 4:00 am to pack.

Bad. idea.

Pack lightly.

You will not need to provide snacks for all 56 passengers.

You will not need 6 pairs of shoes for 3 days.

You will not need to bring 7 books.

Sudoku puzzles.

Crossword puzzles.

And Ring-a -word books.

There will be times you will not be on the bus.

Imagine.

The less you pack, the more room you will have.

Post ahead.

This is a great tool blogger offers.

But write ahead.

A day or two.

Do not wait until 2:00 am to compose three posts.

You will be silly.

You will make no sense.

And a Christmas post may appear out of nowhere.

Everything does not have to be clean before you leave.

Leave. it.

The baseboards will wait.

And the ceiling fans.

So what if the spices are out of ABC order.

Did I just say that?

Just be sure you have cleared a path from the back door to the bed.

Priorities.

Eat Breakfast.

It is a long time before the first rest stop.

And you will seriously consider chewing your arm off.

Back. away.

Eat before you leave.



This concludes The Things I Learned Before Hitting the Road.

Join me tomorrow when I share The Things I Learned While On The Road.

28 comments:

C and C Mommy said...

OMG...that is funny!! I have gone on trips where I decided to stay up the night before because when you have to get up at 3 am, what is the point of going to sleep?? Bad idea!! I can't wait to read what you learned while on the road...I am not a road trip-kind-of-person!!

leah said...

back. away. LOL!
hey. i just might do a halloween post. why? because i want to be like you THAT MUCH! :)

Unknown said...

I will definitely reference this post when planning for a trip because I do the exact same things. Well, not the spices in ABC order but close! Thanks for the laugh!

Kat said...

HAHAHA!!! I could have used this advice when I went to Key West in May. I should have eaten breakfast because I didn't really get a chance to eat for the rest of the day and felt miserable with a headache.
And why on earth do I always clean the house from top to bottom before I leave???

Thanks for stopping by my blog! :)

Susan said...

Why does the staying up idea always seem logical at the time? It truly is a bad idea!
Spices in ABC order? You are too much!
Can't wait to hear about the trip.

Emily said...

I hear that you made some good friends on your trip with my HI family! Margo says that she and Claire are "tight"! Wish we could have made the trip.... maybe next time!

Cecily R said...

Wendi, I LOVE you!

With the exception of cleaning (baseboards? What? People DO that other than when they move out? Really?), I do it all. Especially the wholepacking procrastination and staying up all night the night before.

And really? Alphabetical order spices? I just found our salt shaker in the living room.

Cecily R said...

I meant to leave a space between whole and packing. Really I did.

Stephanie said...

I'm still laughing at the Christmas post because I remember being very confused.

All good points. All points taken. Thanks for the planning advice ;)

amanda said...

love the list friend :)

it's amazing what a good ole road trip will teach you huh?

and abc order spices...really?

i didn't think it was possible to love you anymore.

guess i was wrong :)

Anonymous said...

Omg, I totally do the same kind of thing before we leave for vacation. I stayed up all night before our cruise last year because I was sure I was going to miss the plane. It was madness. And the cleaning, well, not so much. I used to do that, but I kind of got over it. Can't wait to read about the rest of your trip.

Kristen said...

Oh Wendi you are just too funny!!

Eat before you leave?? Good idea, but this control freak mama sorta hates to fly and gets what I like to call my travel diet. Where literally I feel sick about leaving, and then don't eat for a day.

Great way to lose a couple of pounds right before you head off somewhere. Nerves.......They will do wonders for your waistline! :)

Can't wait to read tomorrow's post!! I NEED this information before I leave you know!!

duchess said...

Thanks for all of the tips.
You forgot to mention going to the restroom before you leave.
Important.
ABC spices??

Katie said...

You are insane! Although, the idea of ABC ordered spices really appeals to me...I'm a sick person.

Melissa said...

ha ha ah! I so need to remember this on my next trip

Brittany said...

Once again you have made me laugh. You really are nuts! I just hope it doesnt run in the family. If so I am in big trouble. Glad you had a fun and safe trip!!

Laural Out Loud said...

Been there, done that. Will NOT be doing it again!

The first time we travelled out of the country as a family, we had to leave for the airport at 5:00 am. I was a nervous wreck, trying to pack for a three week stay in a country I'd never been to before, and stayed up the whole night. I thought I could sleep on the plane. Nope. I didn't get to sleep until we reached our final destination 24 hours later!

4funboys said...

priorities...

amazing how they change under different circumstances

Anonymous said...

LOL, you crack me up!
The trip was fun, even with the lack of sleep :)
I packed the day before, packed no snacks but for my dear hubby and I, didn't clean the baseboards and ceiling fan...didn't put my spices in abc order, you'd die if you saw my cabinets!!!
Thanks for the ride there and back and the entertainment along the way :P

Rach (Mommy Learns to Blog) said...

Girl, I have promised to keep your secrets and you have outed yourself to all right here in Bloggywood! That's right, you know what I'm talkin' about!

I can't help but feel a little guilty since I kept you occupied for some of that time, BUT it is so un-Wendi-like of you not to have been packed days ahead of time!

Once again, you have made me laugh. I'm glad I don't keep my Crystal Light right near the computer or there'd be some trouble ;)

Krystyn @ Really, Are You Serious? said...

Wendi-
You crack me up.
I can't believe you pulled an all nighter...we're too old for that stuff!
Glad you learned your lesson!
And, really, ABC order, you are a little crazy, right?
Love ya still!

Andrea said...

Oh my gosh, I love this post! This is me to a T! It's nice to know other people wiht these vacation rituals!

just jamie said...

Phew. All I'm thinking is that I love you all.that.much.more.

Carol said...

You are a brave woman to stay up all night in preparation for a weekend away with 50 something teenagers.

I'd need a brief coma to prepare myself for such an ordeal.

Carrie and Troy Keiser said...

Seriously funny! Come now, sleep is highly overrated and so is packing in advance! Why is it when I actually do use the post ahead feature, that it NEVER posts it when I ask it to?

Unknown said...

this is exactly what i do when i am about to hit the road! ha

McMommy said...

Holy Moly.

Please tell me you were delirious when you wrote about alphabetizing your spices.

Actually, I'm kinda of hoping you were serious.

And then I need you to come over RIGHT NOW and visit me.

Show me the wisdom of your ways.

Help me organize.

Please?????

Unknown said...

Hmmm...did I write this post?! Lol! It sounds exactly like things that I do before trips :) Happy POW!