As ya'll could have probably guessed, my boss has asked me "what do we have to get done before you leave" about 20 times just this morning.
Yesterday was a pain in the rear end. The phone would not stop ringing from the minute we opened up after lunch until we left at 5:15 p.m. (yes I worked late). We have caller i.d. and the line 1 rang a total of 28 times. I don't even want to know how many times line 2 rang. That may not sound like a lot to ya'll but in a one lawyer/one paralegal office, that's way too many calls to death with on any given day. Much less a few days before I leave for vacation.
If you'll remember, my boss's mother found a fill-in for me......my boss's sister. He really didn't want her to do it but he thinks his mother is the cat's meow and would never say no to her. I really don't give two hoots who fills in, just so long as somebody is here. His sister is a little bit on the lazy side (else she would have a steady job) and it'll be interesting to see if she actually comes in on time.
I decided that I'd go ahead and type up some office guidelines and the day-to-day activities as if we had done it for the other girl who might have come in. That way, at least I've done my part.
I have one deadline tomorrow. I have billing to get out today. Not too big of a job now that everything has been entered into the system. I have to hand feed my printer right now because lightning struck a bridge right near our building and somehow my printer doesn't work correctly now. The computer guy keeps saying he'll be here any day. Yeah right!
On the homefront.....
I got a whole heck of a lot done last night. I had already pulled out my clothes and piled them into the corner with the snack stuff and miscellaneous stuff the other day. Last night, we got all of John's clothes matched and folded. We got all of Hunter's clothes matched and folded. Lacey got all of her things together and folded.
I already had most of the last minute things out on the cabinet in the bathroom. You just can't pack that kind of stuff ahead of time because it's things you use every day like...toothbrushes, hair dryer, deodorant, etc. I do have the bag sitting there just waiting on us to throw stuff in it though.
We got all our shoes together. I am not a real shoe fanatic but we do like to take a couple of pair a piece and then a pair or two of flip flops. A few years ago, I bought one of those bed-in-a-bag comforter sets. You know, the ones that come in the big clear zippered bag that has a handle on it. Well, I saved it and it's our shoe bag. Perfect size and you can see which shoes you want without having to take them all out. And, it keeps your shoes away from all your clothes.
Then.....clue music.....dun, dun, dun.....I realized that Hunter has grown quite a bit from last year and there's no way that both his clothes and my clothes are going to fit into one suitcase like I usually pack. Hum? We have a lot of small/mid-size duffles but I don't really like to pack clothes in those. What to do? I go into the living room and announce to the family that I'm going to Wal-Mart to buy a suitcase. Why Wal-Mart? Because it's 9:30 p.m. and nothing else is open.
John decides to come along and we find a 4 piece set of luggage for just $49.00 (on clearance). I was really surprised that they were that cheap because they weren't all flimsy floppy. Pretty decent.
Right before we left, we asked Lacey and Hunter if there was anything else they needed from Wal-Mart. Lacey said she might need deodorant. Now you know how I am about stinky people....if she needed it or not, I went on the short shopping list. The shopping list included: 1) suitcase; 2) air conditioner filters; 3) deodorant; 4) 2 liter coke.
By 10:15 p.m., we were outta Wal-Mart and on our way home.
When we got back home, I just wanted to plop in bed but I couldn't because all of John and Hunter's clothes were on the bed. I packed Hunter's clothes in the suitcase we already had and then put mine in one of the new suitcases.
Oh, and I packed our overnight bag. Because we break the drive up into two parts, we stop overnight. I don't want to pull everything out of the car so I pack one bag that has just one set of clothes and sleeping clothes for us all. Easier than totally repacking the car.
So, I get everything except the "last minute" bag packed and I look over at the pile of luggage and ask John if he thinks we can fit it all in the trunk. Let's see. All of us grab a couple of bags and we carried them out to the carport. It's now 11:20 p.m. and we're out trying to see if we can get our bags in the car. After a little bit of turning and trying different ways, we get everything in the car. Even a small soft sided ice chest (holds about 6 cans) fit in. We all giggled and said there was no way that we'd remember the puzzle of how we got it all in there. Then we looked at each other and said "why do we have to take it out?". No reason at all. Everything is still in the trunk of the car. Just have to throw in Lacey's duffle (she took it out to add two shirts) and the "last minute" bag.
For the inside of the car, we have two throws (the kids can't travel with out their "cover"), the snack box, the portable DVD player and Lacey's decided to bring her laptop. I have all the maps, two magazines and our reservation envelope ready to go in the car.
On my way home from work, I have to go to Wal-Mart again. Ugh! John's prescriptions won't be ready until today. I had to get pre-approval to have them filled early since we'll be out of town. Lacey's contact prescription runs out tomorrow so I am going to pick up her contacts today at Wal-Mart as well. I have to stop by the bank and make a deposit.
All I have to do tonight, it make my mousekeeping envelopes and my window decoration.
I've never been this prepared this early. Love it!
for your TR. I've made the best friends here! 
I've enjoyed your TR so much, can't wait for the next one! 
