I hate packing

I hate packing. I just hate it. My mind seems to go in 12 directions as I try to think through the whole mix 'n match wardrobe thing. Is it okay to bring the orange Coolmax shirt, since it will go with the slacks and the shorts but not the baby blue "skort"?

I wish they had "Garanimals" for adults.

And then the luggage sizes and limits, most of which have to be converted from the cm's on the airline web sites to inches -- it makes my head hurt. We've worked out a whole scheme that relies on our eating no less than 6 pounds of snack food before we take the in-country flight so that our big piece of luggage meets Vietnam Air requirements.

We got a little way-laid in the trip prep today, due to my garbage disposal giving up the ghost last night and causing the dishwasher to drain through the kitchen floor into the basement. We are the third of the four couples on our trip to have a plumbing issue days before departure.

Luckily, my partner is a do-it-yourselfer, and four trips to The Home Depot later, I have a brand-new disposal with the fierce brand name of "The Badger." Still, we could have used those six hours to pack or spend our Sunday in a last-minute kid-free adventure.

Yesterday was far more productive. The family came up and did a massive job of preparing the house. Grass got cut, Loc's room got set up, rooms are baby-proofed and cleared out. Things are looking good, especially his room, which is so cute. My family is incredible -- everyone pitched in and worked so hard yesterday.

I should be getting ready for work tomorrow, but right now I just want to chill with a Wailua (wheat beer brewed with passion fruit from Hawaii!) and not think about the plane ride. Or what I might be forgetting to pack.