Friday, August 10, 2018

Definitely Feeling Good Friday

Today is my last day of work for 18 wonderful long days. I realize vacations are not a right but research has found that people, women in particular, are three times more likely to be depressed and anxious if they do not take regular vacations. Vacations don't need to be travel, but at least significant breaks from demands of life. Too bad for me, the anxiousness escalates right before a vacation. Thank you for all the supportive comments yesterday. You all get me, get what I was talking about. I felt very whiny and ungrateful, but your comments made me feel, well normal. The three pesky red tape indecisive issues have been resolved at work. I'll spend today tying up loose ends and having soft hand offs so I can be gone with a free and clear mind.

We're talking with DS tonight on final details. His flight is 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning. He has a long layover in Detroit, three hours, and will arrive two plus hours before us. There is a Sheraton Hotel connected to the airport. We think that might be the best place to connect with him as it sits right between the two terminals we each fly into and might be a bit more of a relaxed setting for him, since by the time he gets through customs he will have been traveling for 17 hours, to chill with a glass of juice (pricey at a hotel I know). I really hope he is able to sleep on the flights. This trip, despite the kids being our guests, is a financial stretch for him. He has been working any extra job, any opportunity to make a few more dollars since essentially he self funds his vacation time off. Adulting for the self employed at it's finest. Maybe a few photo's or videos he creates will be the money shots? 

We've had DD1 here since late Wednesday afternoon. I haven't seen much of her as I was at work and she spent last night with my niece, who she is very close to. She got to meet her new fur cousin I think, a cute little dog I've only seen in pictures so far. My niece had been pup's dog sitter until she went and started truly adulting by moving in with her boyfriend and getting a pup of her own. DD1 continues to pursue a career change in the Twin Cities area, part of the reason she took the extra two days off before our vacation. Fingers crossed, she will land a good fit. In the meantime, she is doing well at her current job, despite frustration at the low salary to her skill set and less than professional coworkers with lazy work ethics. 

The choir program posted a Minnesota All State Mixed Choir Sample from Rehearsal on their Facebook page. I can just get a glimpse of DD2 at the very beginning when it is a still shot, and a quick glimpse past the piano. As she is 5'1" and about 105 pounds, she usually is front and center. This is just a snippet from a rehearsal; I am so excited to hear her Saturday morning. She has a friend in this choir, and tow others in the Bass and Tenor male choir. Two other boys from her school/show choir are in each of the two choirs so a respectable six students all together from her school, the maximum allowed.

My weight is higher than I was hoping before going on vacation, but I've been walking a lot and feel like I am up for the long days of site seeing. I'm trying to hydrate well so I am not sluggish. As we have a transfer in Philadelphia but probably not much time to get anything to eat, I stopped at Aldi's and got protein bars and individual packets of almonds, enough to curb hunger before the meal service. I'll perhaps take something like  Benadryl or NyQuil on the long flight to ensure I  get some sleep, despite the lure of the behind the seat entertainment. I may have a couple more posts in me before we leave/ Have a great Friday and start to your weekend. 



12 comments:

  1. I get very nervous before a trip also. All the details. I am so excited for you.

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    1. Now that work is over, I'm less nervous. Now, today will be organizing, tomorrow morning last check and then nothing but family.

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  2. Gosh, I'm so excited for you I can't wait to see your photos! I have travelled a lot but still get nervous too. In fact, I have just finished packing for my trip to England tomorrow and I go over it and over it like I'm going to some third world country where I can't even find a toothbrush if I forget it!!!! Tomorrow is Geneva/London then Tuesday is London/Manchester so somewhere over northern France we can wave at each other from our planes!

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    1. Enjoy your trip. It is such an investment coming form the US as planes are so expensive, but I am not dwelling on anything but the good time.

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  3. I used to travel to Europe frequently. From experience, I wouldn't suggest taking anything like Benadryl to help you sleep on the flight. I wouldn't do anything less natural than a glass of wine and a blanket over my head. If worse comes to worse, you stay awake. Adrenaline will kick in when you land, and you manage to keep yourself moving until you can check into your hotel, to bed early, and get a decent night's sleep, and effectively have eliminate jet lag. Of course, the whole Benadryl for sleep irritates me. That's not what it's meant for, though parents seem to have no compunction about using it on their kids that way for convenience. So many people suggested I give it to DS before flights when we would fly. To my credit, I didn't spit in their faces...idiots. Perhaps if drugs were used as they are intended, and maybe we wouldn't have a drug problem. ::Jumping off my soapbox now::

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    1. I should have explained better. I don't take meds for what they aren't intended for either. I have horrible allergies (certain scents, cat hair-things I am unwillingly exposed to on planes in unknown quantities) and I take a daily antihistamine. Benadryl, as an antihistamine, works a wonder for them, but I can't take because it makes me too sleepy. I only use it when I know I can fully sleep off the effects. I get what you mean about using meds for other intentions-like people thinking they need an antibiotic for a viral bug.

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    2. As a pilot, the airline would give melatonin at the hotel on international flights. He didn't take it, but other claimed it help with the sleep/jet lag. As far as the allergies, he would drink lots of tea to keep the sinuses open. The recycled air doesn't help that either! Oh, it's getting SO CLOSE!!!!

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    3. Ugh, "he" here is DH. It vanished from my first sentence.

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  4. Just enjoy yourself - this is a trip of a lifetime and if you have to double up on the frugality when you get back, so be it, do everything you want to do!!! As far as hydration....isn't it customary to drink wine all the time in France? You MUST stay hydrated :)

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    1. We will be frugal for the next three decades-trip, college, then hubs retirement! It will be worth it, and of course, you are in my travel plans.

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