The Two Methods of Packing

 

 



Last night, Charlotte slept from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. for the second time this week. If she keeps this up, soon I won't have to choose between sleep and blogging and you'll be hearing more from me. More importantly though, I'll be able to tell other mothers with a smug sense of superiority that my baby sleeps through the night at 3 months old. (I always thought these mothers were lying but it turns out that maybe these mythical babies do exist.)

 

The girls find wands to play with and bless Charlotte with gifts of beauty, song, etc. 

 

So in the interest of practicality, I thought I would talk a little bit about travel. We just got back from another fun summer trip to Nana and Poppy's house on the lake, and while there were ups and downs to the traveling process, I would definitely do it again. (Up: Seeing the beautiful mountains near Vail, Colorado for the first time. Down: Austin's incessant quest to kill a bug in the car that woke up my sleeping baby.)

 

As far as roadtrips go, now that I'm a mom and can't listen to music and sleep the whole time, my favorite part has definitely become packing. I love packing. I like the process of gathering everything together, for a brief time on the road having everything you really need within arm's reach, and the sense of victory when you realize you didn't forget a single thing--one of the true marks of a master packer.

 

I don't think I've become a master packer yet, but Austin's parents still like to talk about the time Austin and I did Europe with a backpack apiece. Like a school backpack, not a hiking backpack. It's nice to be portable when you travel.

 

I've decided there are two styles of packing, Kitchen Sink Packing and Survivalist Packing.  

 

Kitchen Sink Packing: This is where you hold up an item and think, Will I possibly need this on my trip? The answer to this question is usually "Yes." Of course you could possibly use some bandaids and a straightener and your winter coat and that big bottle of lotion and a beach towel, etc. etc. This type of packing results in a lot of luggage. (I call it Kitchen Sink Packing because my dad literally brought a sink with us on one memorable camping trip where the scout motto of "Be Prepared" was taken a little too far.)

 

Survivalist Packing: This is where you hold up an item and think, Is there any way I can go without this on my trip? The answer to this question is usually "Yes." Do you really need that mini first-aid kit, could you wear your hair in a ponytail instead of straighten it, maybe borrow a jacket from your host if you get cold, run to Walmart if there's not lotion at your hotel, etc. etc. This kind of packing results in a sleek, streamlined bag that is easy to tote around. Unless you have kids, in which case you really do need all that stuff...



 

 

Sand is awesome!

 



The Purpose of Valentine's Day

As far as I can tell from looking at Facebook, the purpose of Valentine's Day is to brag online about the cool things your husband/significant other did for you on the big day. Now, don't construe from this that I'm a hater. I know some people really dislike Valentine's Day, representing it as a contrived, artificial holiday to celebrate something as deep and undefinable as love, but I am not one of these people. I actually think Valentine's Day is a great excuse/reminder to do something nice for your significant other. In fact, this year it was an excuse for Austin to book us a trip to Maui for the weekend.

I basically spent the whole time in a swimsuit or a bathrobe: relaxing, swimming, snorkeling, whale and dolphin watching, beach-walking, and having nice dinners with my husband. (Yes, I even wore my swimsuit to one of those. For a pregnant, sunburned woman, less clothes = bliss.)

 

Happy Valentine's Day 2013!

 

One up, Facebook posters.

A Thousand Strange Places

Life is returning to normal...I'm decorating for the holidays, touring schools for Sammy for next year, and I just got back from my first official midwife's appointment. During which the police showed up at my house. You know. Just normal life.

However, I would be remiss if I didn't post pictures on the blog about a time when life was not so normal...a time when we sailed the wine-dark sea and walked the alleys of the East...a time when we viewed a thousand strange faces and a thousand strange places, and through it all clung to our quest for bold adventure:

Fish pedicures

 

 

and a firm knowledge of who we were and where we came from:

 

 

Formal night after a couple weeks at sea

 

 

So now, without further ado, I give you: Italy, Egypt, Israel, Turkey, Greece, and Crete!

 

Italy

 

Yes, that's me.

 

 

Egypt

 

 

 

 

 

Israel

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turkey

 

 



And back on our ship...

 

Austin gets bored and starts making these small towel animals...

 

Greece

 

 

 

Crete

 

 

 

 

And back home...

 

 

where Sammy calls me "Nana" for a week and Cici won't let me out of her sight...the girls have commandeered our empty suitcase and go on frequent trips. I don't plan on going anywhere for a while. These epic trips sure take it out of you.





Solitude and San Francisco

 

 

We got back yesterday from a little jaunt to Yosemite/San Francisco. With our long cruise coming up in a few weeks, I felt a little guilty, like I didn't really deserve a fun trip, but with a lot crowding my mind it was a much needed break--not to think about everything but to not have to think about anything for a few days.

The wilderness was refreshing. Down in the valley things were a bit crowded, but when Austin and I got above it all we found the peace and quiet we love about the wilderness. (That's me in the picture above!!). Along with the massive scenery we also saw some unique wildlife--a bear (almost hit it with our car), a "mountain lion," and a "small peasant." I suspect the last two items may have actually been a stray dog and a small bird respectively, but I guess I'll have to take Austin's word for it that a ferocious wildcat and petite Russian émigré were both wandering around by the road.

The city was energizing and exhausting at the same time. Austin was conferencing during the day, so I explored by myself most of the time. I always have to gear myself up to go out in cities because the sounds and smells and people and general hubbub can be overwhelming. You've got to have your wits about you. But once I'm out, I love trotting about briskly being a part of the glorious wash of humanity. I made several good discoveries, including the fortune cookie factory and cream puff shop, perfected the art of not looking dumb when you are lost in the city, (Halfway down the block, when you realize you are going the wrong direction, pause, gaze pensively at the store window in front of you, wait until people right behind you have moved past, then turn around) and generally enjoyed myself people-watching. My favorite find was the guy decked out head to toe in camo, accessorizing with a pink Hello Kitty bag. Sometimes in the city it can be hard to differentiate between ironic fashion statements and mental illness.

I will share one last memorable moment, filed under A for "Awkward." On one of our cab rides our driver decided to chit-chat and asked us the standard question: "Where are you from?" Me: "We're from Utah." Driver: "Are you English?" Me: "Uhh...no." And that was pretty much the end of all conversation for the rest of the 30 minute drive.  

All in all a successful trip. It's hard to go wrong with a combo of granite cliffs and luxury hotels.

There and Back Again

We started out our summer peacefully, pulling weeds in the fresh mornings, taking luxurious naps in the lazy afternoons, and playing board games long into the quiet gloaming. Well, I got to take naps, anyway. Our relaxing/boring summers seem to rapidly morph into these massive journeys, and this year was no different. We left our mountain home in July and travelled to Nebraska, Paris, Venice, and Chicago before finally returning about a month later. I think we can all agree that the main point of going on vacations is so that you can bore people with your stories and pictures when you get back, and since that's the way its been for hundreds of years, I see no reason to break with tradition now.

Nebraska:

We loved hanging out with Nana and Poppy in Omaha, and our favorite thing to do there was playing by the lake. We almost always ended up being mermaids--Sammy gave Cici the mermaid name of Kayak, and her name was San Diego. She must have ran out of good names by the time she got to me, because I ended up with the name Trampoline. Austin turned 29!

Paris:

Paris didn't start off on a great foot. Our airport bus dropped us off at the Arc de Triomphe, and after we checked it out Austin thought it would be a good idea to give me the map and have me tell him what street we were supposed to walk down to get to our hotel.



That's the Arc in the middle

With my famed navigating skills, I managed to take us all the way around the massive traffic circle (under the scorching Paris sun) until we ended up one street away from where we had started. Oh man.



Look, we're really in Paris! Right after we took this picture, (probably as revenge for earlier annoyances,) Austin told me to look down at the river, where I was greeted by the sight of a hairy, Speedo-clad Parisian man soaking up the sun. Thanks, Austin. Now one of my lasting memories of Paris.

As part of our romantic vacation to Paris, Austin took us to the Sewer Museum. This is a picture of him standing by a display of stuffed rats. Basically, you pay money to walk around the sewers of Paris and like all museums, end up in a gift shop at the end. (With toy rats though.) I was very disappointed with their bathrooms. You would think the bathrooms in a sewer museum would be pretty incredible, but instead they were pretty gross. I came across an incredible variety of bathrooms during our travels. Someday I will write the coffee-table book, "Bathrooms of the World," and offer advance copies to any readers of this blog. !!!



Venice:

Ahhh, Venice! We got upgraded to a tower room...I never wanted to leave. I've always wanted to live in a tower.

Getting lost was actually kind of enjoyable in Venice. You can't go too far wrong on an island.

Goodbye, Venice! Back to the good ol' U.S.





On the way back, I discovered the real reason people like airport lounges: it's not the drinks, it's the airplane-shaped gummies.

I also discovered the real reason we went to Europe: so Austin could experience the new 747-8I business class on the way back. 



Chicago:

Hello Chicago!

Hello San Diego!

Thanks to Nana for staying with us in Chicago and for taking us fun places like the Children's Museum.

They expect a lot from the kids there.

Good thing I know a lot about sewers now.

And now back to our humdrum real life:

Bright Lights Will Inspire You

What to say about our trip? We basically went to as many tourist attractions as possible and tried to soak up as much New York as we could. I want to say that we are the hip couple that goes and sees offbeat things, but there's a reason so many people go to see the tourist-y things. Most of them are pretty cool.

Touristy things we did: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Yankees game, Museum of Natural History, Broadway, eating food from street vendors, etc. I know I left something off the list.

Some pictures:

At the Museum of Modern Art

I searched the entire wall for the rifle shot and then read the plaque that said the "artists" decided to just put the words on the wall and not actually shoot the wall. Lazy! What I should have done: Pondered the artists' deep ironic message that incidentally made me look like an idiot. What I did: Hope the museum didn't pay too much for this particular work of "art."

The most ridiculous tour bus ever

All the tourists were sitting in these sideways stadium seats. Why? I don't know. But it gave them the unfortunate effect of looking like animals in a traveling zoo, being driven through the streets of New York for our viewing pleasure. Trust me, you cannot look at this bus in person without laughing.

Non-touristy things we did: Chinatown foot massages. So painful, yet the results.... Also walking the Highline, a favorite from our last trip. Oh yes, and the New York LDS temple. That's about it. We were really very tourist-y tourists.

 ***

I have a bunch of pictures, but there are two that really encapsulate our whole trip, taken at the Natural History Museum.

Picture 1:

Picture 2:

 You see?

And best of all, I got to come home to these two characters!

When I gave Sammy the little Yankees hat /bowl that we ate ice cream out of at the baseball game, I expected Cici to freak out...instead she just ran over to their kitchen and stuck a bowl on her head to match Sammy's.

More travels to come! And after checking out three bonsai books from the library I have concluded that buying a bonsai right now is not a good idea...they don't like to be moved, and much like the problem with owning a dog, I would need someone to look after it every time I traveled. I like my fairly portable lifestyle. I guess I'll have to wait until I'm old, maybe wheelchair-bound or bed-ridden.

The Joys of Planning Ahead

Well, I escaped the winter storms and am having a marvellous vacation with the family. (We'll pass over the little episode from this morning where I got locked in the playground with Sammy and Cici.)

When we went on family car trips when I was growing up, we would end up in some random town late at night, tired and grouchy from travelling, and we would stop at every hotel that looked promising so Dad could go in and ask how much it was. It always seemed to take fooooooreeeeeever. We kids of course, were rooting to stay in the most expensive hotel available, with its accompanying host of amenities, while my parents simply wanted to stay financially solvent with their 10 kids. We children would wait with bated breath to find out our fate for the night: Would we get one room or two? A pool, or no pool? A nice continental breakfast, or one with Tang and chocolate chip cookies from Albertsons? (And yes, I've stayed at places with those options.)

I know the Internet has probably (hopefully?) changed the way my parents find hotel rooms, but ever since I've been married, I've discovered the joys of planning ahead. I love that my husband makes plans and reservations and that we leave at a predetermined time and have a predetermined destination. Are we free-spirited travellers that embrace the road wherever it may take us? No. Do we embrace the place that we have told our GPS to take us, especially if it happens to be a fun resort hotel with 90 degree weather in October? Most definitely.