Almost Packed and Ready to Go

J ate some broccoli with hummus as part of his dinner tonight. After he finished he said, "Thank you for the broccoli!" I said, "I'm glad you ate broccoli because it's good for your eyes (i think i was thinking carrots, but that's irrelevant). He said, "Good for my eyes, but not for my mouth." We are finding that if we say, "Try them, Sam I am" we have a much better success rate at getting him to eat things we want him to eat.

Things have been really busy around here. We're gearing up for the first part of our August trips that will keep us away from home for 20 out of 31 days. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. On Wednesday morning, J and I head to NY for a couple of days of r/r at the familial Long Island home. I think I forgot to mention that this home is currently up for sale, so it could potentially be the last summer we go to visit there. My mom and I have tickets to see Gypsy in NY on Friday night and reservations at a yummy Italian restaurant (I will only eat Italian food in NY now because it doesn't exist down here). I'm so so so excited to go to the city! If all goes well, B will join us in NY late on Friday night after working and we'll get to take the train together back to LI.

Saturday is barbecue day with relatives and friends. B's cousin W is doing an internship in NY right now, so he might come out for the day as well.

Sunday is our wedding anniversary. Lucky #7!! We'll be spending a romantic evening in Economy Class on a Swiss Air flight bound for Geneva, Switzerland. I'm a little unsettled about traveling overseas and leaving J behind. I don't do the best with flying as it is, and last week's news about a hole blowing out of a Qantas plane didn't do much to make me feel better. B reminds me that driving is much more dangerous and I know it's irrational, but it's still tough for me. We're going to try some melatonin this time and see if it helps me relax and get over jet lag easier. If that doesn't work we'll be spending three days getting over jet lag with B's cousin M. I'm super excited about going to see him and we should have a blast! Then we'll get up at the crack of dawn on Thursday the 9th to head over to Krakow, Poland for B' stepbrother's wedding on Saturday (remember the invitation I tried to translate?). If all goes well with the timing of things, we should arrive within an hour of Mr. Feathernester. Feathernester is staying behind using that whole taking care of a baby excuse, which I guess will have to suffice, but I will totally be missing her and I know she knows exactly what I mean. The whole thing should be really interesting. Forget the fact that we don't speak Polish, but Polish weddings are apparently a lot of gloom and doom followed by a huge celebration from dusk till dawn. I am extremely concerned that my liver is not quite up to the challenge, but we'll see.

We arrive back home late on Aug. 12 and have a few days before we turn around and head to California for a visit to Nummi's farm and for B's wedding in Sonoma. I'll try to post in between, but it might be tough.

I'm hoping to have all of the packing done tonight so I am not running around like an idiot tomorrow, but it always ends up being that way regardless of how early I pack. I better get back to doing that, so we'll share our adventures with you in a few weeks!