Tuesday, July 03, 2007

I'm Worried...

We're going to be leaving for vacation in a few weeks. My sister and I and our families will be traveling to a large family reunion--spanning 4 or 5 generations--in northeast Iowa. Afterwards, Q, the boys, and I will be spending time in Minnesota with his family.

For me, this will be my first time flying since security restrictions were placed on liquids awhile back. Since then, it seems like the rules are changing on a daily basis. And since I fly so infrequently, I haven't exactly kept up with my carry-on etiquette. I don't know what is and isn't allowed on a plane--this week, anyway.

For this reason, I'm worried about the embarrassment of having something seemingly innocuous--like my Chapstick--confiscated by airport security. I'm actually thinking about sending my mother-in-law some cash and a shopping list just so I don't have to wonder if mint-infused shampoo is on the red-flag list. Among other concerns I'm having:






I'm worried that we will oversleep on the morning of our flight.

I'm worried that we won't be able to find a place to park at the airport.

I'm worried that a long line at the security checkpoint will cause us to miss our flight.

I'm worried that my astringent bottle will leak inside my suitcase.


I'm worried that Jango will be severely depressed while I'm gone. She's staying at my mom's and I know Mom knows how to take care of cats. But this cat goes nuts when I leave the house to get the mail.

I'm worried that our flight could be cancelled. Apparently, the NWA pilots are having a snit about one thing or another. They've been "calling in sick" en masse.

I'm worried that my current acne outbreak won't be healed before we go.

I'm worried that one of Q's customers will track him down with a problem that anyone in his office could solve.

I'm worried that while we're gone, a monsoon storm will hit our area. We will come home to roof damage, busted windows, downed trees, and patio furniture at the bottom of the green pool.

I'm worried that the Minnesota humidity will wreak havoc on my hair.

I'm worried that our luggage will be lost (Old Navy t-shirts for everyone!)

I'm worried that the hostess gifts I bought will arrive broken.

I'm worried that someone will get sick. This happens more often than I care for it to.

I'm worried that the boys will complain about being bored. I don't think there are too many video game consoles or computers where we're going.

I'm worried that I will forget something important...like a cell phone charger. I never forget easily replaceable stuff like toothpaste and cotton balls.

I'm worried that I will pack the wrong clothes for the weather. If I bring tank tops and sandals, it will be cold and rainy the whole time.

I'm worried that someone, somewhere will pick a fight about something stupid.

I'm worried that I will lock the keys in my mother-in-law's car.

I'm worried that there won't be enough time to visit everybody. Q and I come form very large extended families...both of whom live in the area.

9 comments:

MG said...

One word: Xanax.

Ms. Val said...

Gee, I don't know, Mark! Will they let me bring it on the plane?

Anyway, the reason I'm so worried about this stuff is because if anything goes wrong, it's all my fault!

ChristopherM said...

1. Pack your liquids in a heavy-duty Ziploc bag that you put in your luggage so you don't have to worry about leaks.
2. Your plane will be late. Virtually all of them are right now. Everyone I know who has traveled lately has had some difficulty because to save money, the airlines are running as few flights as possible. NWA sucks, by the way. I know, I'm a ray of sunshine. :)

Anonymous said...

Val-
Just like Christopher says-Anything that could possibly leak-even perfumes- need to be in heavy-duty ziploc bags- by themselves. If you are not a list maker- start to be one now-
Don't worry about things that you have no control over-
They don't bother with your prescription medicines but I would keep them in a carry on - I would not pack any of yours or especially Q's medicines that could be lost-
Tell your kids and Q to start making a list of what they want to take. My husband used to putll that stunt on me of blaming me for things he forgot. You have to train him that he is an adult and therefore able to do these things himself.
The more worried you are the bigger chance you take of forgetting things. Things will work out fine. Don't even worry about not being able to talk to everyone. You'll manage. Have a good time. Denise

Ms. Val said...

Christopher--
I'll definitely pack my liquids in the checked luggage. I really hope they don't leak because the skin care line I use isn't available in every corner store.

Denise--
You do read this blog, right? Most of my posts ARE lists! Heck, yeah, I'm a list maker! I've got notebooks full of old lists lying around the house. Shopping lists. Chore lists. Packing lists. Song lists. List lists. :-) You name, I write it down.

And you're right, everyone else needs to take stock of their own stuff. Lately, the daily mantra around here seems to be "you should have reminded me".

kj said...

are you my twin sister, val? i worry about everything you do. everything!

have a great trip!

Ms. Val said...

Actually, KJ, I'm Christopher's twin sister. We're both redheaded, Fiesta collecting, cat loving, return college students, with a taste for obscure 80s music.
We're also the same age.

But you can be out triplet if you want! :-)

Q is the anti-worrier. If we're running late for our flight, he'll be cruising down the freeway at 35, while I'm screaming PUNCH IT!!!!

Menchie said...

Relax, everything will be ok, and if you hit a snag or two, that's life. stress about it for five minutes then eat chocolate.

Don't forget to bring chocolate. Lots of it. and a good book. If they start to bicker, you can always tune them out and eat more chocolate.

I hope you have fun!

Ms. Val said...

Menchie, I like how you think! I will definitely bring chocolate! I just wish there was a way to keep it frozen on the plane.

As for a book, I prefer to thumb through the SkyMall catalog when I fly. That's one aspect of the flight I'm looking forward to.