Making a List and Checking it Twice

Very soon, Chris and I will be heading out on a long trip with Ginny.  It will be our longest trip with Ginny ever. We will be driving down to Florida for the first time since she was born (actually, the first time in 14 months) to visit my family.  My parents, my sister and her family, an aunt and uncle, and a couple of cousins live down there, with most living in the Jacksonville area.

I have been chomping at the bit to get down there. In the last 14 months, my parents have visited a few times, but I've only seen my sister twice (once for my baby shower and the other right after Ginny was born) and my niece and nephew once. We haven't seen my Aunt Nita and her husband Todd nor my brother-in-law Jeff for over a year now.  I miss everyone!  I can't wait to get down there and see everyone.  I can't wait for Ginny to spend time with this part of her family.  I'm quite positive that my parents are anxious to see her. They have missed her.  And, if I know my sister, she will be bouncing off of the walls until she sees her niece again.

There is one problem though.  We have to pack. Packing has typically been a non-issue.  Chris and I are laid back people. Normally, we pack fairly last minute--even for a long trip like this (about 16-18 hours).  Now, I find myself stressing and worrying that I will forget something. Because of that, I have turned into my parents, more specifically, my father.  I created a list with items we need to bring. How anal is that?  I fear, though, that we will forget something we need to have for Ginny.

Even as I am writing this blog, I am thinking of things we need to bring and adding them to the list.  I keep going over and over the list to make sure I haven't forgotten anything.

Do you ever get that feeling that you have missed something important? That feeling is overwhelming me as I look at the list.  I just know I have forgotten something important.  I KNOW that by the time we are driving through Paducah or Nashville, I will have a sudden revelation as to what I forgot.  I HATE that feeling.

So, my plan today is to pack up most of Ginny's things, start packing our stuff, and walk through the house to make sure nothing is forgotten. Hopefully, when we are driving past Altlanta and I suddenly realize something we forgot, I may relax knowing that where we are going is part of mainstream civilization.  You know, a place that has stores.

Until then, I should go over the list at least one more time.