Some of the things I love about vacation are not the memories of the where and when, but about the who-does-what-and-why. Certain people have certain habits that have become as much of the "to do" list as packing and leaving a light on.
Ben manages to pack all his stuff in about 14 minutes. He gets in the van and asks if anyone remembered contact solution. Someone has. He's good to go.
Sarah likes to stay up late and pack. She is the most efficient person, but this habit enables her to fall asleep rather than stay awake excited.
Stephen is our camera guy. He makes sure all batteries are charged, all adapters packed, all techy questions answered. He ensures that Molly has been fed, watered, and put out to do bizniss.
Joel just keeps saying, "Can we go now?"
My QVH is also kind of an OCD behavior. I scour my sink to a high shine, getting all the black crud out from under the faucet (even if I've just done it the day before). The blankets have to sit perfectly straight on the backs of sofas, a long list for the dogcare person is set on the table, but I must proofread it and fuss with punctuation. I put a fresh hand towel in every bathroom. I adjust the bed pillows in every room just so. (In case I die on vacation, I'll leave the impression my house always looks this way.) All of this before a typical scheduled (idolized?) departure time of 7 a.m.
I also take a shelter magazine, a Reader's Digest, a spiritually encouraging book, a novel (I read one novel a year and it's on vacation) , a home organization book, a Bible study book, and of course my Bible and journal. This year I am thinking of taking The Excellent Wife because I've been anything but. We'll see. If I'm feeling condemned, I'll leave it home and tuck in The Exemplary Husband instead. I also make sure the bag of "every hundred miles" surprises for the kids is out of sight but easy to get to.
Morning-of: It's 7:04. The kids and Paul sit in the van waiting for me, then Paul comes in and says, "Are you ready yet?" And I say, "As soon as I go to the bathroom again." Then it's 7:07. He makes sure the coffee pot is off and unplugged (which I've already done). We get in the van, make sure our directions are handy, and then Paul prays for a safe and refreshing trip. It's 7:09. Then he closes the garage door, drives up the street, turns around, checks the garage door, listens to the other five of us say, "It's closed. You watched it close, and we watched it close." He says "Just checking!" in his own defense, and then heads for 7-Eleven.
And that's been our set of Quirky Vacation Habits for the past decade. Got any QVHs of your own to share?
2 comments:
I like the house to be clean, too..not so much in case I die as much as it makes having to come home from vacation so much more enjoyable when I can walk into a clean house.
I also have to leave at least once and come back for something I forgot....ALWAYS Happens no matter how many times I check my packing list. (and, yes, I make a packing list; i actually keep it on my computer and specify it for each trip.)
Yeah, I like my house nice and clean too, like Briana, so come back to everything nice and neat so that all I have to do is laundry and put stuff away.
Zo, you sound like me, taking so many books to read. I like variety and never want to run out of reading material!
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