The Storm Before the Calm

Traveling home from halfway around the world is a logistical nightmare. There are so many tiny details to take care of before you actually leave, which puts me into a manic state for weeks before the departure date even arrives. It’s a lot of forecasting. Who’s watching the dogs? Who’s watching the cats? Do we have enough food for all of them? Which passports do we need? Did we clean out the fridge? Did I remember to pack everything? It never ends.

Take this stream of questioning myself and multiply it by five weeks, add two weddings, a bachelorette party, a bridal shower, the Wisconsin State Fair, camping, a Brewer game, and a Packer game and you get my current state of mind. I’ve never been away from my normal life for this long. I also haven’t been back to Wisconsin for this long since I moved away from home in 2012. It’s bizarre.

However, I do find myself much less stressed out than usual. Perhaps it has to do with the reason we are going home. I’m so very excited to see my family and friends and attend all these wonderful events. We’ve known about these two weddings for over a year, and I can’t believe they are finally happening.

Though I will say, the logistics of packing for two weddings and other fancy occasions is a bit maddening. I have a dress, so then I need these accessories for this first dress, and then these shoes and these accessories for the next dress, and then another set of shoes and accessories for the other one, and so on. And don’t try to tell me I can repeat outfits.

First of all, no.

Second of all, I don’t want to.

I also almost forgot my Packer jersey. That would have been tragic. I’ve never been to Lambeau, so finally, at 29 I’m attending a pre-season game, and I’ll be damned if I forget to pack that.

I’m by no means complaining, more laughing at my usual method of packing as lightly as possible go entirely out the window. The minimalist side of my personality might be crying, but to hell with it, we’ve got parties to attend!

What always gets me is how the constant stream of questions and worrying quiets the moment I get on the plane (to be replaced with a new stream of worry but that’s not what this post is about). The actual travel is the calm part. Yes, it’s annoying. Yes, I’m crammed into a seat so small it’s practically inhumane. Yes, all the movies are stupid, but I end up watching five of them to stay awake. But at this point, everything is out of my hands, and I can trust that everything will work itself out.

Besides, we will be in America. If I’ve forgotten anything, it’s not the end of the world. That’s what Target is for.

Since I’ll be home all of August I don’t know what my upload schedule will be like, but I’ll still try to get on here at least once a week. Back to normal life in September!