The Final Countdown

It's the Final Countdown - it's just over 6 weeks (already!) that we leave on our trip and my anxiety dreams have already started. Probably because there is still so much to plan, book, confirm, purchase, reserve, print, rent, figure out, research.... agh! Funny how months turn into weeks...excitement to alarm!

Have you ever noticed how six weeks seems to be the standard amount of time polite people and businesses use with which to calculate how far in the future something is to take place? Why is that the magic number?

For instance, Emily Post suggests that you send out your wedding invitations 6-8 weeks in advance. Very polite - it gives people a chance to plan; then they wait until the last minute to RSVP and buy your present anyway. Shower invitations are usually sent 4-6 weeks in advance. Super plan-y (organized) people like to receive an invite 6 weeks in advance - however, most people send them by 4 weeks. Seems like it depends if it's a wedding shower or baby shower.

Then there's when you order that awesome $2.59 toy after saving 535 Mallow Cup coupons, and the order form tells you it will be '6-8 weeks for shipping and handling'. All that anticipation and waiting before you're disappointed by it. Maybe it's faster if you're expecting something in the regular mail. Our Ceremony of Keys tickets were supposed to take '6-8 weeks for processing' - surprise! They came in half the time. (Those Brits, so very polite!)

So with two weeks of things to do before I really panic (4 weeks ! Panic Time!), I'd better get down to it. If I get enough done in that amount of time, maybe I can sleep at night. At least I have a fashionable backpack on the way - and I don't have to wait 6 weeks for it!