Molly's Guide to Vacation Travel Prep

My name is Molly and I love vacation.  I'm now going to provide in gory detail all the things I'm doing to get ready and provide some friendly advice for vacation that may talk you into making an adventure for yourself.


We are looking at a good 10-12 hours in the car in one day with myself, my husband and a 3 year old.  Planning is muy importante! Here's how I'm rocking out this year.

Mental Prep.  Sometimes its hard to separate from the problems of life when we go on vacation.  I'm attempting to plan ahead in this regard. Here's how:

• Get the bills payed early so they aren't hounding you while gone or when you get back.
• Finish up big projects at work or establish a good stopping point, either way, leave it at work. No checking/responding to work emails.  Period.
• Clean your house: Nothing worse than coming home to a dirty house after a likely long journey.  We have house guests while gone, so it will be half dirty, half clean.  Oh well, can't complain with all the free dog sitting, which is a savings of about $500.
• Don't take an online class during your vacation.  Because it sucks.

Car and Travel Prep. In essence, hunting & gathering:

• Scrub out your car, inside and out.  Its very important to make sure the inside of your windows are clean.  They can get scuzzy and hinder your view, especially at night.  Your car is going to be a hot mess when you get back, but at least for the first leg of your journey, it will feel, look, smell good and you'll be able to see. 
• Plan & purchase your road food: This year, we are not eating out as much as we can help it.  I'm packing a loaf of good bread, lunch meat, cheese and condiments.  I might even throw in some pimento cheese. I'll make some sort of potato or broccoli salad. Apples, baby carrots, fruit leathers, water, cokes, juice boxes and maybe some homemade party mix or granola. Utensils, paper towels and many, many wet wipes.
• Kid stuff: Crayons, markers, coloring books/pages, movies, kid apps on the iPad, books, a few baby dolls, snuggle blanket, pillow...that should do it. 
• Adult stuff: I'm loading up the iPod with music (mine and my husbands), some podcasts, books and magazines and both digital and analog cameras to capture the amazing views and my adorable kid. 
• Navigation:  We don't have a fancy navigation device and I don't have a data plan for the iPad, so I'll be printing this info on paper.  Its so easy to make some maps on the computer with all of our travel info included.  I'm going to make a little booklet or three ring binder so we aren't fumbling with 15 sheets of paper.  and constantly wonder where we put it. 

What kind of vacationer are you? Once you get to your vacation destination, the rest is really up to you.  I've learned over the years that there are really two kinds of vacationers: those who chill and those who need constant activities. We are chillers through and through.  If my parents have taught me anything, its how to slow it down and relax while you can because when you go back, it all cranks right back up again.

Next up, I tell y'all how I'm packing the car.

Appalachian T-Bone!

Its almost time to hit the Holiday Road, yet again!  If you've been reading this blog for any period of time, you can glean that I love vacation and road trips (and writing monotonously about it).  If you've been around since this time last year, you also know that last year's vacation wasn't so great.  My husband and I were so very depressed.  He was out of work, we were poor (we still are, but much less) and he and I weren't relating all that well.  My mom and dad gifted us some money and we were able to go, barely.    Little did I know at the time, my dad was going through a major depression and lack of employment as well, and my poor mama was trying to lift up everyone on her own.

Does that suck?  It sucks hard core.

Things have been looking up with a few exceptions.  First of all, I have the most amazing 3 year old a girl could ask for.  My husband, with some great persistence, got a full time job.  It pays decent and has benefits, amen.  He also started a band that is gaining popularity in the indie music scene.  My father, a contractor, got a good gig installing Pella Windows.  He doesn't even have to find the jobs, they find Pella, Pella calls dad.  He was also able to pay off a big tax bill that he's been diligently and painfully paying off for a few years.  Its a major relief for him and will allow him to have some spending cash for the first time in a very long while. The exceptions to all of this are as follows (I'll keep it short): The two hardest semesters of school I've ever experienced, the declining health of my grandparents and the stress my parents have taken on in caring for all of them, depleting any time they may have had for their own personal interests.  Caring for the old people is part of life and I know my sister and I will get our turn.  Its just tough seeing my middle aged parents under so much stress at a time in their lives when they should be playing. 

So, we're now gearing up for vacation and all we can do is hope and pray everyone keeps it together enough for us to get through the week with no disappointing events back at home.  If for any other reason, my parents really fucking need it.

I have had so many great post ideas this week...

But they have all slipped away from my mind.  I usually think of them in the car on the way home from work in the evening, I need to keep my pen and notepad out so I can jot them down. 

 Dang.   I'm so sad that this thought gets its a solo post.

Been Climbin' Out.

I've been spending the last two weeks digging myself out of a hole that I fell in this past fall and it was way deeper than I knew.  For a few days there after summer school ended, it really felt like I'd been gone for a long time and that I needed to get used to being home again.  But not in a fun, post-vacation kind of way.

I'm actually doing things again.  What things, you ask?  Things like cook dinner, watching a lot of TV, exercise, sewing, talking to old friends that I've missed dearly, visiting my family, laughing, playing with the monkey, sleeping, having a drink, day dreaming, taking care of the house, keeping up with the laundry.  These things don't seem that exciting, but when you are consumed by stress of many colors, you forget.

In all of the things I've listed above, there's a few still missing that I'm just not ready for yet: reading books and being more active on my blog/podcast.  I just don't have it in me at the moment, but I'm getting closer.  I guess my tank is empty and needs to be re-filled with experiences, hugs, laughter and contemplation. 

Sadly, I must report that the great Appalachian Roundabout of 2012 won't be happening this summer as far as I know.  The timing is off a bit with Baby Sister's WV visit, which is perfectly fine.  She's off with the Baptists at camp deep in the mountains of WV getting her own personal reboot. I might see if I can talk her in to coming down to KY for a few days next week just to play.  In about two weeks, we head off to the beach in SC.  Its a new place and we're getting excited.  You know me, I love the drive and the sites and the ocean.  Maybe I'll use vacation as my Appalachian Roundabout instead...but I may have to rename it Appalachian T-Bone instead.  I'm just excited to be back in a place where they make fresh boiled peanuts and baby crabs occasionally pinch your toes.  I must see about growing my own peanuts in KY.  Or, well, you know, move east!

Love,
Molly

Little Old White Haired Ladies

Long weekend back in the holler in WV.  Got home Friday evening to find Mom across the yard at the grandparents' house.  My mom is a saint, just for the record.  She takes care of everyone.  Grandpa had low blood pressure, ended up in the hospital on Saturday morning.  He has pneumonia and no lungs to fight it with. I'm going to try to stay positive for mom and dad. Grandma has Alzheimer's and really counts on grandpa to be there as her cornerstone.  I think its how she makes connections. His loss will be tough on her.

All these old boys are passing on leaving a slew of little old white haired ladies.  For a while, they'll have to keep each other company.  That just seems to be how it goes.  And as they pass on or their personalities change, my memories of those times long ago are shifting into a big pile that I have a hard time sorting through. Of course I have to make room for new memories, for my kid.  I am making peace with that because all of what was is a big part of who I am now and what she will be.

I thought I'd be fine after a good night's sleep, but alas I'm more beat up from this weekend than I thought.  But I won't complain too much.  After a full two days of taking care of things with Grandpa, my mom had to go to her mom's house and give her a bath.  Saint.
 

Class Act

It is done. Summer shall now begin.

All those things I've been yacking about, I'mma do now. All that extra brain space can be utilized for writing, traveling, watching TV and drinkin'. And exercise too, of course.

 I'm gonna yuck it up real good.


I think I might even throw a cigar in there too. But just one.  Because I'm a classy bitch.