Prep Days

I have been preparing for my trip to see Cambodia and Vietnam for almost a year now. My father called me from out of the blue in mid May 2013 and said, "I would like to go to Vietnam but I don't want to go alone. Will you go with me?"  My father is a Vietnam vet and I knew this trip would be hard for him, so I said, "Let me talk to Hubby and I will give you an answer soon."  Hubby agreed to watch the boys and keep house, my mom agreed to watch the boys when hubby has to work overnights so I could go. Dad bought the tickets through a tour group and we were set. We would be flying out February 23, 2014 and would be gone 17 days.

It didn't seem real at first. I mean, I got the passport, shots and other things that must be done way in advance but it never seemed like it would actually happen. It was so far away.  It was not until December that I even became concerned that I wouldn't have enough leave from work. Then I got concerned about how my children would cope with me being gone.  My husband just said tonight that I am the key to making everything run smoothly in this house.

So, to prepare:

• I made 15 crockpot freezer meals (our favorite is the orange chicken)
• I made a schedule of who had the kids on what days/nights (they are 5 and 8 years old)
• I wrote a note to their teachers to notify them of my travel and emergency contact changes.
• I did extra laundry, dishes and such so the house is less dirty when I leave then usual.
• Made the boys a calender that they can use to cross off the days till I return.
• Planned my knitting projects
• Started a new blog
• Bought trail mix for the flight

What I should do to prepare but have not yet:

• Pack
• Choose items for carry on
• Use my Learn to speak Vietnamese CDs   
• Pack my children for their weekend away with my parents in law

I have one more day.  I can do this. (Well, not learn to speak Vietnamese but the packing part and the getting ready to leave my family part.)