Last day of prep, now on with the FUN

I have decided I really hate packing. There are so many "what ifs" and second guessing and then trying to fold it or roll it all so that it looks the least bit wearable and not like you drug yourself through a knothole backwards. It is 1 am and we have finished most of the packing. I am happy to report that we have whiddled Courtney down to only 6 pairs of flip flops as opposed to the 8 or 9 we started out with. I am told that each one has a purpose and that they are "really flat and don't take up any room in the suitcase at all". Nevermind the lump of shoes in the middle of the suitcase, but at least she'll look good while she is there! We joke that if this girl ever goes on tour with "So You Think You Can Dance", that she will need several UHauls trailing behind the bus just to haul all of her clothes and shoes! This girl takes her packing very seriously. She actually made a key code for the list. A check mark meant it was packed in her luggage, a squiggle meant it was in with someone else's luggage, a star meant to go back and make sure she really had it in there, and a circle meant "my mom needs to go buy it at Walmart before we go". Fortunately since I have received a running list for MONTHS now on what all we need in the way of toiletries, there were very few, if any, items with circles. We managed to get through the list and I'm happy to report she made it in ONE suitcase!

It was a busy day of getting last minute errands done, but the ladies did have time to get their manicures and pedicures and boy was it nice! We each got French manicures and bright berry pink toes with flowers on them. They look nice and it was lots of fun. We enjoyed a nice lunch at The Sage before heading home to tackle more of the preparation for the trip.

Ryan stayed with Grandpa today while we ladies "prettied up". They went to lunch at Sandwich Express and watched the train. Grandpa then took Ryan to the park (actually TWO parks) to play, and then topped it all off with a "Not So Hot" from Dutch Bros. Ryan was really excited to get to spend some fun time with Grandpa. He bounded out of bed this morning "ready for lunch and having to get to Grandpa's house".

Tom was able to get off early today, although it didn't seem like it since traffic was backed up everywhere. It was nice for him to be able to get out of work mode though and start thinking about getting everything gathered for the trip. (In case you're wondering, I know Courtney doesn't get her packing list skills from him. His theory is the less the better! We will be lucky for him to even take 1/2 dozen t-shirts, a couple pairs of shorts, and his swim trunks for the entire two weeks. The rest, he says, he will just live without.)

We are all going to enjoy our last night in our own beds. I doubt we'll get much sleep tomorrow night at the airport hotel, so we'll try to sleep doubletime tonight. Tomorrow, it is checking off the last bits of laundry, tidying the last things in our house, and locking up the luggage. Ah...it is finally here!