Pilgrimage

It's time once again for our family's annual Spring Break pilgrimage to Palm Desert. And after almost three weeks of at least one person in the family being sick, I am SO READY.

All seems to be coming together perfectly as everyone is, at least momentarily, healthy. Even the mail is cooperating since my new swimsuit arrived in a slightly squished but okay package yesterday.

The laundry is done. The bags are 90% packed - minus the last minute stuff I have to throw in tomorrow morning like toothbrushes, etc.

Bird sitter is set up (although I just realized I forgot to tell her about the hermit crabs but all she has to do for them is make sure the water dish hasn't dried out).

I invested in a new system for totin' beady stuff so tonight I get to pack up some potential projects and see how it works. I've been in such a TERRIBLE slump lately and I'm hoping that doing some beading on vacation will help break me out of it.

The only thing that has me a LEETLE bit worried is the phone calls I've been getting all week that basically run as follows:

ME: "Hi, Mom."

HER: "Have you been watching the weather report?"

ME: "Yes. Why?"

HER: "You know it's going to be in the upper 90's on Friday, right?"

ME: "Yes. Why?"

HER: "Well, I think maybe we shouldn't leave until Saturday then."

ME: (rolling eyes and thinking of the wasted day of vacation) "You think we should leave a day late? Because it's going to be HOT? In the DESERT?"

HER: "Yes. It might be dangerous."

ME: "But we'll be driving. In an air-conditioned car. And the villa is air-conditioned when we get there."

HER: "The heat might make the car break down. And you know what air-conditioning does to my allergies."

ME: (thinking - I'm not going to be like this when I get older, right? please tell me I'm not going to be like this.) "Mom, have you checked the temperatures for Saturday?"

HER: "Yes. Why?"

ME: "Well, Saturday is going to be 89. That's only 5 degrees less than what they're predicting for Friday so I don't really think it's worth wasting a day of vacation for a difference of 5 degrees."

HER: "Oh, but 89 is TOTALLY different."

ME: (TRYING to remember that she's elderly AND she's taking US on vacation for free) "Okay, what if we drive out after dinner on Friday. It will have cooled off by then and we can wait until rush hour is over."

HER: "You mean DRIVE IN THE DARK???!!!"

This may be a really loooooooongggg week of vacation. Oh, and God help the people at the resort if they haven't given us one of the TWO UNITS ON THE ENTIRE PROPERTY that she deems acceptable to stay in.

KJ - Already looking forward to the alcohol by the pool.