Happy Mom: Laminated Travel Plans and Grocery Lists, who knew there was a connection?

Monday, April 28, 2008

Laminated Travel Plans and Grocery Lists, who knew there was a connection?

For years I've had good laughs at my dad's expense. The man is beyond organized (my mom too for that matter). He can't just wash the car, he buys a book about the best way to wash a car, purchases the just right products and then washes the car. It's like that with most things he does, which is why he does excel at most things he does. I love him for it! I also love to laugh at him for it. heh.

Travel is no different for this man. There is always an itinerary with the day's activities along with "Plan B"s should a Plan B be needed. In high school we went to Disney Land and since the itinerary for the park had no line item for a stop at the gift shop we had to wait for the end of the day when we had completed the tasks on the itinerary and IF there was time I could get the mouse ears...but not until then. Thank goodness we had 5 minutes to spare at the end of the day, I was able to run in quickly and snag a pair of mouse ears!

Then, there was the time when Addie and I went trompin' through Paris with him. Not only did we have an itinerary, if I remember right it was laminated. It had every stop that was to be made for the day along with which underground tube station would get us where. At one point in the day my dad thought the itinerary was lost, he padded his chest pockets, his pant pockets, his coat pockets, dug through his travel bag - he was PANICKED! Addie and I have had great laughs about that moment through the years and I have teased him many times.

That brings me to today, my shopping day. Happy Boy and I set out after lunch on our weekly adventure to Wal-Mart. Say what you will about the store but you just can't beat their prices. So, I toss him in the shopping cart, open my purse to grab my grocery list and...you guessed it. Padded my jacket pockets, my jean pockets, dug through my purse - I was PANICKED! I couldn't find my grocery list and with the brain memory power I carry these days that is a big mistake because even if milk is the only thing I need if it isn't written down I'll leave the store with everything but the milk. I call it the Happy Home Law (you know - instead of Murphy's Law). So, I grabbed Happy Boy and headed out to the car to see if it was in the car, it wasn't.

I meal plan, people. Not having "the list" means I have to look back through the cupboards and dig through the recipes to figure out what I need again. And if there was anything that I wrote down on the list throughout the week - well, there is no way I would possibly remember.

Yes, I got back in the car and drove home to look for it. All the while worrying that I might have lost it at a store that I stopped at during the morning errands and wondering if it wasn't at home would I be desperate enough to go to the store and see if I could find it.

I've got problems, people.

Happy Boy could sense how intense and panicked I was, and thank God he is small and still loves me (and not a snot-nosed teen with best friend laughing at me) because he said, "Mama, let's pray and ask God to help us find it." He did, friends. He prayed for me to find my list. It was at this moment that the memory of my father came to mind of him standing in the middle of Paris desperately looking for the itinerary and all I could do was laugh. Okay, so I didn't laugh until after I got home and was able to find the list. Because there would be no laughing if the list wasn't at the home, there would be wailing and gnashing of teeth. But the list was there. *large sigh of relief*

All this leads me to an open letter to my father:

Dear Dad,

Remember when we were in Paris and you lost the itinerary? And remember how
Addie and I laughed mercilessly at you? And remember how we always would bring
that story up after the trip and laugh at you some more? Yeah, good times.

Well, thanks to you and your genes I've just raised my level of
crazy. I now know that I will be able to provide countless stories to my
children of how insane I am. Hours of laughs they will have at my expense,
thanks to your crazy you've passed on to me.

I hope someday my crazy will pass on to my kids so I can enjoy the laughs
on multiple levels as you are able to do now.

Love,
Your favorite crazy daughter.

# POSTED BY @ | Monday, April 28, 2008

3 Comments:

Heh, heh, heh! :-)
Love, Dad

By Anonymous, at 11:09 PM

OMW - I read this last night and was all teary eyed as a result. I would think it's the whole "travel-round-the-world" missionary thing...but my husband's got none of that in his blood. Trips are very much "fly by the seat of your pants" around here (which drives this list-maker a bit batty at times).

By Michele, at 10:57 AM

A roit!

By Pfingston, at 12:44 PM

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