I think I like your brother.:)
I shake my head at your hubby.:thud:
bizi

took a day off from packing.
 

Bizi and Waves,

I did not get back to the "packing" Tuesday because I was preoccupied by other things.

Alos, I was not up to starting over again after hubby altered my system.

I have to do a real pack Wed.
Get the toiletries sorted and put everything in the bag to make sure stuff fits.
I will decide at some point re the 2nd (third) pair of pants.


M

Mari

Have a good trip. I agree with Bizi on shaking head at hubby.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

packing update
 

I bough a very small suitcase at Target Wednesday that is a little bit bigger and is more substantial, more put together/more structured
I want the bag and its contents to be light enough for me to easily carry/roll/lift.

This is what I am adding to my list
ear-buds that work
laundry soap --
hand lotion --
bath soap -- because I am fussy about smells
bite guards
pens
notebook
pair of jeans with light fabric
white tea
maybe some nuts

Have not decided to bring iPad. I will be disappointed if it gets lost/ stolen.
I have to remember to keep the charger with the phone in my purse rather than packed away.

I hope to do a full pack early Friday afternoon.

M

moods are all over the place.
 

Hi,

A week ago, twenty minutes into my siwm, I started crying.


I have been doing weight lifting instead and that is working for me.

======
I cried a lot today (Wed).
I am overwhelmed about getting myself to where I need to go. . . including getting there on time.

And this is hard work -- leaving my comfort zone, traveling via plane for the first time in almost 15 years.

Packing . . . Does everyone hate packing? I am worried about taking too much and worried about taking not enough.
Lots of sadness.

M

Oh mari,
I am sorry this is overwhelming to you.
Know that you are prepared, it sounds like so you should be comforted by that. Flying by yourself is brave.
your my hero this morning. I will do the same thing as you aug 1st.
bizi

Mari,

The bottom line is that if you can get there with your meds and your CPAP, things will mostly be ok. Everything else can be done without or bought.

Here is your travel short list:

-- self
-- meds
-- CPAP
-- ID
--------------------- if you get this far, the airline can figure you out.
-- boarding pass
-- money
-- phone + charger
--------------------- these additional three will make life significantly easier

Everything else is gravy.

When you get overwhelmed, maybe you can take a few mins to re-anchor yourself to the fact that these things are already pretty well sorted out -- you will have them, so you will be OK.

It will be nice to have the suitcase with your other things, and you have a good plan for that. You are in good shape, because you are already working on the gravy part. ;)

I know the whole travel concept is stressing you to the bone. I am sorry about that. :hug::hug::hug:

You are going way out of your comfort zone, but you will make it through. Keep taking 5 min breaks. Cry if you need to. Have a mini freak-out if you need to. Then take a deep breath and keep pecking away at your suitcase process.

:hug::hug::hug:
waves

Have a safe trip.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

I had planned on driving myself to the airport and leaving the car in the lot because hubby gets very very very very very very stressed driving through the signs and the ramps . . .

Wednesday he said that he wants to drive me to the airport :eek::eek::eek:

In his mind he is helping me by doing that and maybe he wants to be with me, but I do not see his driving as a good thing.

---
The one good thing is that he can sometimes be better than I am about being on time.

M

My vote is to let hubby take you, if he wants to. It won't be the first or the last time he freaks out over some ramps, right?

Does he plan on parking or dropping you off? Drop-off would be hugely more efficient, but not sure how either of you feel about that.

My friend and I did that when I left Florida. No parking hassle for them. We had the few moments for final hugs and goodbyes (I mean how much of that can one reasonably do, anyway :cool:) It worked well. For that matter, he picked me up from Arrivals when I got there too. Mostly coz I had told him the flight would be late and then it wasn't, but this worked out better, IMHO. Again no parking hassle for them, and no trying to divide myself (emotionally or practically) between socializing and dealing with travel processes.

I am totally freeked out and hubby is gone for the day.

What's going on, Mari? Talk to me.

Do you have the day off to pack and stuff?

For the most part, I completed the job. 'Will wake up at 9:30 a.m..
 

Hi,

I was mostly finished packing by 8:00 p.m.
Hubby is home and we are going to fill up the pill minder already in my purse so that I have a full seven days of meds.
I will also have a few days of meds in the little suitcase.

I leave Fri; I return Sun.


http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/p...psxdeeraa2.jpg


http://i419.photobucket.com/albums/p...psl8rk4tel.jpg



-----
(The cleaning lady is the one who keeps putting sheets on the sofas. I cannot stop her from doing that so I leave them.)
M

congratulations on completing your packing! yes!
Maybe you could offer to drive him there instead of him driving you there?
Have a safe flight!
Enjoy your brothers company.
bizi

Wishing you a safe and happy trip Mari. :Wave-Hello:

Have a good trip, Mari. :) You did a great job on your suitcase! :)

:hug::hug::hug:

waves

Hi.

We are going to the airport together.
I will be driving.

Then he will drop me off at curb side like we do with my parents.
He will be able to figure out how to get home.


M

Sounds like a plan! :):cool:

Sounds like a really good plan.

Have safe trip.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

Visit is going well. Except I am not sleeping.
 

Hi,

The plane rides up here went well.

Brother and wife treated me nice the first night (Friday).
They had an unexpected visitor who it turns out is spending the same two nights that I am --- 27 yr old chica who came to town to run a triathlon Sat a.m.
She sleeps in the creepy basement with the steep stairs and I sleep in the fold out bed in the living room. :)
Tonight the huge yellow lab is sleeping on the floor next to me.

Brother and sis-in-law and I hooked up with the son (18) and daughter (10) on Saturday night who were off and not available on Friday.
Those are both doing well considering who they have for parents.

Brother really really really wants me to come to the lake where he crews/rows (7:00 a.m/. 6:30 wake up) so that I can meet his friends.

'Similar to this group but in a different state:
https://sites.google.com/site/tennes...w/join-ut-crew

http://www.rivercitycrew.com/about/3127/
It will be chilly in the a.m.


M

Are you going?
glad the flight went well.
I like yellow labs.:)

Hi Mari! :)

I guess it worked out with the other guest... it sounds like you feel better about being in the living room. Did the dog being there bother you at all? Or reassure you maybe? Labs are usually pretty good dogs... they are people dogs, basically, know how to treat a human. :) But I wonder how you feel about sharing sleeping quarters like that.

The lake expedition sounds cool. Your brother sounds really passionate about it... and wants to share that with you. :) I hope you enjoyed it, despite the early hour and lack of sleep. Look forward to hearing about it.

You will recover the sleep when you get home. It will be ok.

Hope the return flight goes well.

:hug::hug::hug:

waves

very troubled teenager. also about feeling weird re the basement
 

My brother worked for an organization like this that helps troubled kids by having them live in the wilderness for 12 weeks in a "therapeutic" environment.
http://www.anasazi.org/youth.html
ANASAZI Programs for Boys & Girls

The adults with the kids were either
1. counselors
or
2. people with wilderness and survival skills.
My brother worked in group #2


During the first evening at his house, brother told me about a girl who tried to commit suicide.
The girl lived.
Brother and I sat in his backyard talking about the whole thing and how "angry" he was for for six months afterwards. He is not angry now. We talked more.

I became disturbed.
I wanted to fly home, especially knowing that I was going to sleep in the basement away from the family down very steep stairs.

====
When he and I walked in the dark to the front of the house to come inside,
he saw on his porch, his old work friend:
the 27 year-old-survivor-skills-chica who helped him to save the girl's life.
The chica (cannot remember her name) had come to town for the triathlon (750 meter Swim - 17.5 mile Bike - 5K Run) and stopped at my bother's for a place to sleep while she was in town.

=====
It was decided by brother, sis-in-law, and me that the chica go downstairs/to the basement to sleep because she needed to wake up at 5:00 a.m. for her competition and we were still busy talking and catching up and being loud.
-Chica was happy.
-I was happy.
-Sis-in-law thought it made perfect sense.
~Brother was disappointed at first because he had worked hard to build that basement and had hoped that I would like it.

The chica came in second in the race.
The second night, brother and her and I listed to music via YouTube.
We talked about her race also.
Then the two of them played a lot of chess.
Around 10:00 pm she left by herself to go to a club for salsa dancing.

========
I liked the lab, "Buddy."
He stayed on the floor near the head of my pull out bed for most of the first night.
The second night, he stayed the whole night.

========
One night the family went out to dinner at a fancy place that the nephew chose
and we enjoyed letting him help us order and talk about how the food was prepared (he is training to become a chef).
========
I enjoyed the morning on the lake. :)

========
After the lake, I had brother drive the niece and me to Target to get some clothes and
to buy the sis-in-law a new tea kettle because theirs had a burned "whistle."

The 10 yr-old niece picked out
2 t-shirts,
1 pair of shorts
2 hoodies


++++
Hubby met me at the airport at baggage pickup as per my family's system.
"Meet me in baggage," we always say.
I was impressed that he had safely navigated the chaos of the airport's ramps and parking lot.:heartthrob:


M

Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you had a nice visit.:) Buddy helped.
glad that hubby was able to pick you up.
bizi

That all sounds pretty intense, Mari. :o

How are you doing now? Are you still upset from the first night's events?

It also sounds like you and your brother did not get that much time alone... at least not as much as you might have without the racing chica. :o Do you feel you had enough quality time with him?

Buddy was a comforting presence. I am glad he was there for you. :)

:hug::hug::hug:

waves

So glad you had a good trip.

Also glad the arrangements could be changed.

Donna :hug::grouphug:

Brother is fine and I am fine.
I am asking the mods to close this thread.

M.