pre-departure baggage

i’ve been to europe. i know what it is like having a suitcase with you as you’re going up and down stairs, getting on and off trains, walking from the station to your hotel when you don’t really know where you’re going, and then doing it again a day or two later. i took the smallest bag possible and i probably could have gone smaller. mom’s bag was bigger than it should have been, but still not as bad as i expected from her. the g-rents come in town on friday and i couldn’t have been prouder of grandma’s packing choice - plus the fact that she had been packed for over a week!

now i naively thought since my cousin sarah just did the italy thing back in may that joann and gaylyn would be fair-warned. instead they show up at our house on monday afternoon with dinosaur size suitcases and judy forces them to downsize… you know it’s a bad situation when judy is telling someone they over-packed. it was definitely entertaining, and after a lot of cutbacks they were still way overpacked, but it was as good as it was gonna get.

we were up late finishing logistical things like making copies of important docs, figuring out money stuff, and deciding train times. we were extremely excited but i was exhausted from the wedding so as soon as i got in bed i was out.

the next morning louise picked the five of us up for the airport and we were off…. at the mercy of standby tickets.

needless to say i took a xanex.