Anxiety

Well, we are now down to 7 days before we leave for our big summer adventure. I'm freaked to say the least! I feel like I still have so much to do by next Monday and not much time to do it in. A lot of what I need to do can't be done until a few days before, and to make matters worse we will be leaving Saturday to visit a congregation that supports Chris. So we will be leaving sometime Saturday afternoon and not getting back until probably late Sunday afternoon, and then we have a going away dinner after services on Sunday evening. I foresee a very late Sunday night for me!

It's just hard knowing I have to pack for a family of 5 for a month. Ok, technically 4 since Chris will be packing himself. And where we are going is on the cool side and so I have to not only pack clothes for the heat, when we will be in South Dakota for a few days, but also long sleeves, jeans, and light jackets for when we will be in Minnesota. AND Elijah just happens to be right in the middle of sizes. Some 3-6 month stuff is getting small but some of the 6-9 month stuff is still too big. What do I pack! Who knows what kind of growth spurt he will hit while we are there. So do I just pack the things that fit him right now and a few things that are bigger? Oh yeah, and I have to guess at that for his long sleeve stuff. Agggggggggg! Did I mention I was freaked?

I have a list of clothes to be packed in our hotel bags, organized into who will be wearing what for each day until we get to Minnesota 5 days later. That should help with the packing process. I'm going to be packing the clothes that the kids will be wearing in MN in a vacuum bag.

I'm trying to figure out what we will be needing for the 5 day road trip, things to do in the car for the kids, things we will need while driving, things for the hotel. And trying to keep it all organized! Just trying to keep it all straight on what we will need immediately, in the car, that we will be able to easily find yet keep things hopefully clean. I think what I'm going to do for the girls is buy them a backpack and fill it with things to do in the car and that they can easily take with them into the hotel, including Faith's baby and Sam's kitty that they always sleep with. I thought that way it would be easily accessible for in the car and it also gives them stuff to play with while in the hotel.

I'm also worried about how Elijah will be in the car. We have a lot of driving ahead of us and he is in a phase right now where he likes to be held. We are hoping if we just sit back there with him when he gets fussy that that will calm him down. It works on Sunday's on our long drives, but this drive will be much much longer.

While obviously anxious about getting everything done, I'm also so very excited. It has been 2 years since we have seen the people in Sturgis and I can't wait to see them again. One of the elders called yesterday and I answered the phone, it was the first time I, personally, have talked to him on the phone in almost 2 years. We have sent emails, but it was so nice to hear his voice again. Just got me even more excited! And then after that getting to go to a state and town that I have never been in. I just can't wait. It is going to be such an uplifting trip and hopefully we will be able to help others recharge their batteries as well. It has been 2 years since we have been on a vacation. While not technically a vacation, it will still be all of us, together, seeing some things for the first time.

Life is just full of adventures!

So...7 days and counting.