The Serious Vacation Planning Begins

The time has come. Two weeks from today we leave for vacation and I must be prepared. Let me introduce you to The Vacation Notebook. It looks like this:

Inside it is full of lists. This particular one starts with Vacation 2006, when we went to Ohio for my cousin Aubrey's wedding. Daniel was 8 weeks old and not yet sleeping through the night. Getting thoughts through my brain was like shoving shoving a string through mud. I had to make the lists to keep us sane. Apparently I took the Vacation Notebook along with us because following the packing lists is a list of states we spotted on license plates as we drove.

Then there's a page titled "Things That Made Us Laugh".
-Brenna sitting in her car seat with her pillowcase over her head.
-Large dump truck that said DO NOT PUSH across the back.
Another said RUNNING LATE
Another said NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR BROKEN WINDSHIELDS
-Aunt Tina stepped on a frog in her bare feet at the end of her driveway while saying goodbye to Kalf. She did a funny dance trying to get away from it.

Next is a page entitled "Best Memories". Here are a few from the list:
- Eating in an Amish buggy at the Amish Door Restaurant
-The Smuckers Store
-Taking Grandma to Starbucks
-Swimming at Nana's
-Chuck E Cheese with the cousins - Brenna's first time to go
-creme sticks from the bakery
-hanging out at Randy's
-all the corn we ate

Though most of the rest are just packing lists and to-do lists for trips, I have notes from Williamsburg 2006 when we stayed at Mom and Dad's timeshare condo for part of the week. South Carolina 2006 when we went to visit my sister and brother-in-law, then stopped for a couple of days in Charlotte to stay with our friends Jonathan and Tara. South Carolina 2007 when we went back to my sister's after Easter. Raleigh, NC 2007 when the kids and I went to visit my cousin. Ohio 2007 when we went up for Memorial Day weekend. The Educators Conference in June. And finally.....

if you look carefully, you can read 'Pigeon Forge, Tennessee - July 2007'

I started these lists yesterday.

Things to buy before we go:
Things to DO before we go:
List to take with us:
Food to take with us:
Daniel's packing list:
Brenna's packing list:
Julie's packing list:
Michael's packing list:
Questions for Randy:

Now the gathering and buying begins! Vacation Planning is underway at the Peapod!