Planning, List-making, Packing.....

We a have a BIG vacation coming up. 

I'm not going to go into too much detail yet, but suffice to say.... all six of us are going, four flights will be taken, borders will be crossed, suitcases will be packed and unpacked, 4 car seats must be lugged around, and my sanity will be greatly tested.

Now why on Earth would any rational person put themselves through this?  Well, we haven't been on a family vacation in over three years.  Yep.  I said it: 3 years.

When you own your own business, it's incredibly difficult to let go of the reigns and go away for any period of time.  When you have four kids, it's very cost prohibitive to go great distances - especially when planes are involved (which is why our kids are such great car travelers b/c it's the best way for us to get from point A to B).

But I managed to convince Chris, and we bit the bullet and booked our flights.  We cashed in all our airmiles and reserved the hotel.

And now I can't sleep.

Picture a hamster running in a wheel - that's pretty much what my head feels like 24/7 now.  I keep thinking of how I'm going to pack for 6 people, contingencies that might come up, plans A, B, C, D....F, how to keep the kids entertained, where we're going to eat without breaking the budget, what we're going to see, how we're going to sleep, what if the weather is bad, how are we going to afford this trip.......  you get the picture.

At the same time I am SO EXCITED about this big adventure.  And I keep thinking how fortunate and blessed we are that we can actually do this.  Yes it's going to be chaotic and crazy, but it's also going to be amazing and wonderful and totally unforgettable.

Now if only I could sleep.... I think it's time to self-medicate.  Or start drinking heavily.....