Bonjour! Buongiorno! Hallo! Hello!
Where have I been since the last post? Everywhere.
I wanted to start blogging my preparations and all that good stuff for my trip to Europe, but things kept coming up. A week before my departure, we were told that our house needed to be fumigated for termites in the upcoming weeks. So, instead of blogging it up, I started trying to gather things to make it easier for my husband to pack up and go. Well, TWO days before departure, we get a call saying that they've moved up the fumigation for a few days after my departure. WOOOOOW. Commence anxiety attacks. I have to pack up my whole kitchen while simultaneously packing my bags for my 20 day trip, and making sure there were enough freezer meals to keep my family fed while I was away. Boy, was that a real s*** show. Not only that, but a few sitters we had lined up told us that they would not be available to help out on the days we really needed them the most. Needless to say, I had no time for much of anything outside of my personal life at home. Even leaving to the airport was very hectic! I was packing my son's clothes and finishing my bag and other little things here and there. I even had to work the morning of (which was not a huge deal, but ate into my prep time). I ended up having to take the quickest shower of my life at my mother in law's house and hope that it was enough to keep me fresh on my 10 hour flight from LAX-CDG (Paris) PLUS travel time through customs and to our room... I stopped by my mom's house to say a quick good bye and sped off to the airport. The goodbye at the airport was also quick and a little heart breaking having to hear my 2 year old cry out for me as I walked away. But this momma needed a break.
Finally met up with my travel buddy and BARELY had enough time to grab a water and some snacks to keep me alive on the airplane. Got on with our backpacks and off we went! The flight itself was not too bad. I was so tired having only slept 3 hours the night before, so I was able to sleep most of the way.
I know this post is a little everywhere, but I promise to write out a more detailed account of everything as to avoid further confusion as to what in the heck is going on here.
Is there a point to this post? Yes.
Apart from needing to get back into the groove of writing, I wanted to start off with something that shows the ugly and hectic side of traveling. Everything you see and read on blogs and magazines show such a glamorous picture that when you decide to travel, things just end up being a disappointment. Ladies and gentlemen.... I promise to be as real with you as I possibly can. I haven't done an "about me" post yet, but i'll get there. I'll show you the good times AND the bad times. I'll write about mom guilt and the importance of letting it all go.
So, explore avec moi and have a good time. We'll laugh, we'll sing, and we'll maybe ugly cry.
Until next time, peeps! Much love
-Shirley.
As promised, sharing a real picture of me. Thanks to my good friend and traveling partner, Jennie, for hooking it up. Here I am, walking in Naples, Italy towards the train station to catch our next BUS out to Florence. That pillow is currently lost somewhere in the Netherlands.
