Oh, vacation…how I love thee. Oh, vacation…you can exhaust me. It was fun, but I’m trying to get the house back together now. Laundry and blankets and sheets and clothes and everything else for 8 people…the laundry pile looks like Mt. Everest trying to eat my washer and dryer.
It was a really nice place, though. It wasn’t a sunny beach or a tropical island, although I could really use a tropical drink with some vodka right about now. We went camping at Pine Lakes Resort. Five fun-filled days of the great outdoors. It was a good time. No TV, no Internet, and I only checked my cell phone in the morning and evening for emergencies. It was nice, minus the flies and mosquitos. I didn’t miss television, but I did miss blogging. I did a lot of writing, so my next posts about vacation were actually written sometime between July 7-12. And of course, there will be lots of pics soon. 🙂
July 7, 2011 Packing for Vacation: The Beginning
Our camping reservations were made months ago. I just started thinking about everything we would need a couple of days before we left. I wanted to start packing a week ago, but that is kind of hard when you use the items daily. So I knew it was going to be an all nighter/marathon packing event.
I started a list of necessities on a small notebook that sat next to my purse. Whenever I would think of something I wanted to remember to bring I would add it to the list (as long as I could find the list, things get lost in that area with all the clutter, honestly). The short reminder list turned into a long list (picture a scroll unwinding down an endless staircase) to basically the whole house needing to be shoved, crammed, rolled, squeezed, and folded into bags and boxes. Who knew you needed so much for camping! 😉 We needed laundry soap for the babies clothes because they can get gross pretty quick with spit up, baseball hats to keep the sun off my boys’ shaved heads, cereal bowls, plastic silverware, sheets, blankets, bottles, baby food, among many many other things. The items were scribbled and printed and written in every which direction and in many colors of ink and even crayon. And when I ran out of room I wrote sideways, upside down, and every which way in the margins. It was a cluttered mess, but I found what I needed and crossed the items off one by one as I packed them away the night before we were to leave.
“Is this going to be enough towels for 8 people?” I wondered out loud. “Did I overpack?” It did start to feel like I was packing everything except the kitchen sink. But there was nothing there, so I knew we needed these things. But when is enough enough? How many blankets do you really need? But I don’t want to be cold. We are gonna pack the electric griddle so I can make pancakes, better grab the mixing bowls, measuring cups, etc… And maybe I might make bacon, better grab the tongs. Maybe I should grab an extra spatula. I think I will throw in the pizza cutter too, why not? You never know! This kind of self questioning went into every item I threw into the bags or boxes. I always had an excuse why I really needed it.
In the meantime…
The kids tore through the house with a toddler and two dogs trailing right behind them. The babies giggled in their seats as I talked to them. I also talked to myself… and I love talking into thin air. “I wonder how many pots and pans should I bring?” and “Better grab some seasonings for the burgers…and pot holders.”
Obviously, I didn’t need all of this and a lot of it stayed packed up most of the trip. There were a few things I forgot though, like a can opener, foil, and baggies. Oh, well. We managed. It was fun…and a ton of work, especially with all the babies. We made lots of memories, though. They wont remember, but I will.
Stay tuned…the rest of the vacation will eventually find itself on here. I’m still in tired vacation mode.
xxx
Amanda St.Clair 