So much to figure out for this trip - really important things - like where can I get 4 plastic gnomes, no bigger than 3-4 inches high? Why do I need them? For the traveling gnome shot, of course!
You'd think this would be an easy Google or something, but try it! They're all garden gnomes, the size of the Travelocity gherkin; and made of plaster, like him. Although he is very cute and quite charming, not to mention a bit precocious, he's just too big for my suitcase and I'm not going to sacrifice my one carry-on just so he can accompany us, no matter how fun he is (jumping on the bed: Travel Wish #52! - very fun, Indeed!).
However, it might be funny to be one of the last people to get on the plane carrying nothing but a 2-foot cement gnome in your arms. As you make your way down the aisle, you pause at each row with an empty seat, glancing at your boarding pass, just for effect. All the people sitting alone suddenly start praying you stop before you get to them, while all of the people you pass sigh in relief.
You make it to your seat, and when the stewardess tells you that you need to ditch the gnome overhead, you protest, telling her that the gnome is the sacred vessel holding the ashes of Dear Departed (insert name here) and you can't let it out of your sight! A small tussle ensues, and you compromise by putting the gnome under the seat in front of you. He doesn't mind - he's checking out the leg room. All in a day's work!
If you want to see what the real traveling gnome has been up to, check out this video for a good laugh. Meanwhile, I'm off to revise my search terms.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Amazing, or Crazy?
Mike and I always talk about trying out for The Amazing Race...
however, not being able to leave the kids for a month prevents me from making that audition tape - that, and I need a haircut. Of course it hasn't stopped Mike from making them... (kidding, Hon!). Actually, I think we would make a really good team and might have a chance at a million dollars if we did get picked because:
I've come to the conclusion that planning our overseas odyssey is much like planning for a GIANT wedding; it's way more complicated than planning for a baby, and is almost as scary as having one, or both, for that matter. A moment of excitement comes to mind when a couple brings home their new baby for the first time, and then when the kid won't stop crying, reality hits and they wonder, "WHAT were we thinking!?" (you know you did...heck, I thought it before he even started crying...) Eventually the initial panic passes, and you get on with it.
A month of winging it in Europe is not new to me. Waaaaay back in '88, back in the old days when you didn't even have to prove who you were to get on a plane let alone walk through any kind of security, I roamed around Europe with no particular schedule, a 40 lb. backpack dragging me down, and a plane ticket out of London for 4 weeks later. Ahhh, to be young!
But '88 was also the year everything changed, when four days before Christmas, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie Scotland. The world would be a different place now, and along with 9/11, this event changed the world forever.
This cowardly act of terrorism stole two girls from our tight-knit program who were flying back to NY. Four of us had been in transit when it happened, and so had no idea. Our parents were worried sick when they didn't hear from us. Some kids had changed their tickets to an earlier date to surprise their families for Christmas, so although we knew someone from our group was flying on Pan Am that day, we didn't know who for sure. You could change tickets with someone and no one would even know.
So, as much as I'd love to live the free-wheelin' life again and "wing it" ala The Amazing Race style, I figure for the sake of the kids' nap schedule (heh heh!) , and the sanity of our family and friends who may worry about us, we'd better have some plans nailed down.
Mike made the leap for all of us when he booked the tickets - fly in to London, out from Paris. If we're going to do it, we might as well go big, so 4 weeks and 3 days later our Amazing Race will cross the finish line, and no matter how many challenges we may lose in between, we're all sure to come out winners in the end!
(Ok, corny, but I couldn't resist...)
I've already started my Powerpoint itinerary and notes...notice how many squares are still empty...
however, not being able to leave the kids for a month prevents me from making that audition tape - that, and I need a haircut. Of course it hasn't stopped Mike from making them... (kidding, Hon!). Actually, I think we would make a really good team and might have a chance at a million dollars if we did get picked because:
- Mike has a built in GPS in his head (which anyone who has ever travelled with him knows)
- I have a plethora of trivial (ie:useless) information, on a variety of random topics, floating about in my head (it's just that sometimes I have a problem retrieving them...)
However, ultimately we wouldn't win because I'm afraid of heights, and they always make someone jump off of a building or a mountain or something, and there's only so many times they let one person do the crazy stuff.Anyway,
I've come to the conclusion that planning our overseas odyssey is much like planning for a GIANT wedding; it's way more complicated than planning for a baby, and is almost as scary as having one, or both, for that matter. A moment of excitement comes to mind when a couple brings home their new baby for the first time, and then when the kid won't stop crying, reality hits and they wonder, "WHAT were we thinking!?" (you know you did...heck, I thought it before he even started crying...) Eventually the initial panic passes, and you get on with it.
A month of winging it in Europe is not new to me. Waaaaay back in '88, back in the old days when you didn't even have to prove who you were to get on a plane let alone walk through any kind of security, I roamed around Europe with no particular schedule, a 40 lb. backpack dragging me down, and a plane ticket out of London for 4 weeks later. Ahhh, to be young!
But '88 was also the year everything changed, when four days before Christmas, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie Scotland. The world would be a different place now, and along with 9/11, this event changed the world forever.
This cowardly act of terrorism stole two girls from our tight-knit program who were flying back to NY. Four of us had been in transit when it happened, and so had no idea. Our parents were worried sick when they didn't hear from us. Some kids had changed their tickets to an earlier date to surprise their families for Christmas, so although we knew someone from our group was flying on Pan Am that day, we didn't know who for sure. You could change tickets with someone and no one would even know.
So, as much as I'd love to live the free-wheelin' life again and "wing it" ala The Amazing Race style, I figure for the sake of the kids' nap schedule (heh heh!) , and the sanity of our family and friends who may worry about us, we'd better have some plans nailed down.
Mike made the leap for all of us when he booked the tickets - fly in to London, out from Paris. If we're going to do it, we might as well go big, so 4 weeks and 3 days later our Amazing Race will cross the finish line, and no matter how many challenges we may lose in between, we're all sure to come out winners in the end!(Ok, corny, but I couldn't resist...)
I've already started my Powerpoint itinerary and notes...notice how many squares are still empty...
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Prep Time
Well, it's official - our Amazing Race begins July 18, 2009. We start in Toronto and fly to our first stop, London; arriving on Sunday 19th July (as dates go in Europe!) at 11:45. They also use military time, so this is going to drive me nuts!
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