Leaving... on a jet plane

My long-awaited trip to Miami is finally here! And while I really don't like Miami, I am looking forward to getting out of the freezing temperatures and gusty winds.

As far as I'm concerned, the stress of traveling began last night. It was nearly midnight when we finished packing, something I blame on myself due to a long week at work. But anyhow, as I was saying, the stress began last night.

Me: Have you taken out all the things you need for the weekend?

Mike: Like what? I have jeans and t-shirts out already.

Me: How about your suit, a shirt, and a tie that doesn't make you look like the biggest Republican in the place? And your square-toed shoes and dress socks?

Mike: Oh yeah, a suit.

Me: I can't wait to see Little Owen. I'm so excited.

Mike: We're going to see Owen and family? I didn't know that.

Me: Duh? Didn't I mention that we were going to a wedding? The wedding of a former college roommate? A roommate that I had when I was a student at the University of Florida and was a bleeding orange and blue gator? A roommate that was also roommates with my bff?

Mike: Oh, I must have not been listening.

Ugh.

The stress continued when I mentioned that we would be bringing my parents presents. Two carry on suitcases! That I got for free! Because if I actually went to Miami and bought my parents two suitcases, they wouldn't like them. But, since I told them I got them for nothing (FREE! GRATIS!), they are excited to receive them. Actually, I told them I had one, but with my excellent packing and organizational skills I was able to pack one into our regular suitcase and use the other one as a carry on for us.

Let me explain this: the thrill of getting a good quality anything is a success to Cubans, namely my parents. It helps even more if the good quality anything was free (FREE! GRATIS! NO TAX!). The other thing is that both my mother and I feel that the gifts we bring eachother are the greatest, most ingenius gifts ever known to man. We never stop to think that the pajamas my mom brought me could easily have been bought in my neighborhood mall or that the shampoo gift basket that I brought her could have been bought in Miami. We've been doing this for years, including the time I regifted my father a Waterford crystal eagle that I received at some charity dinner (I carried that baby on the plane with me, folks!).

But I digress... what was I talking about? Yes, stress. I am sure it will continue through the weekend. I have already heard word of my father cooking for us and packing his home cooking up in containers for us to bring back to Jersey (we can't get food up here, apparently). And there's no arguing with him, so we'll be eating his specialty dish for a few days after we get back.

I suppose I should just enjoy the attention from the family. Afterall, I'm their baby. And Mike, well, he's the greatest gringo they've ever met. I can't wait for my aunt to hug him and kiss him all over.

More on our adventures next week. And photos of us sweating in the hot south Florida sun and doing the white man's overbite to the Electric Slide!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Tagged Again

I've been tagged by the lovely Freckle Face Girl. I was hoping I wouldn't get tagged with this particular one, but I can't deny FFG. Here goes:

Six Weird Things About Me

1. I normally wake up in a good mood. By this, I mean that I am able to wake up and strike up a conversation. I rarely require coffee/caffeine to get me going. Anyone I have ever lived or vacationed with find this trait extremely annoying. I think my co-workers hate it too, since I am able to walk in to the office and immediately start chatting about anything and everything.
2. I am a first class organizer. Just look at my post from yesterday. If the bed isn't made every morning, I cannot function at work. I just keep thinking about how awful the room looks with multiple sheets all tangled up. If Mike leaves after me, I practically have to bed him to make the bed. If it doesn't get made, I will come home and regardless of the time, make the bed. I arrange all my shirts on hangers and they all must face the same direction. I like to clean the fridge out every few days and rearrange the items.
3. When watching television or listening to the radio, the slightest melodramatic music or voice will scare me. For as long as I can remember, I have not been able to watch Unsolved Mysteries. The host's voice really freaks me out. And I don't like the element of surprise in mysteries. Ironically, I love shows like Lost, Law and Order - SVU and CI, and Criminal Minds.
4. I tape the Rachael Ray show every single day even though I am completely irritated by her. There is something about watching the show (sometimes on fast forward) and making fun of her butt and her terrible interviewing skills that brings joy to my day.
5. I love shopping on online. I used to be skeptical about eBay, but now, I am a huge fan. I buy all kinds of things online: books, music, movies, soap, shampoo and conditioner, cotton balls. With the exception of clothes and shoes, I have probably bought it online.
6. I am a coupon clipper. I love the thrill of using coupons every week at the grocery store and saving over $10. My obsession with coupons is so extreme, I have joined a coupon train group.

How's that for weird? There are many more weird things about me, but I thought these things revealed a lot about me and everyday personality.

I am tagging my bff on this one. She's even weirder than I am.

More Changes

Subtle, yes, but changes none-the-less. I've taken your comments (all four of them!) very seriously, as you can see. Like I said previously, I don't know the codes or html, so changes things dramatically is difficult. But I am trying.

Again, all comments are appreciated.

For now, I leave you with the result of an afternoon of organzing my linen closet:

I am not well, folks. Look at my hallway linen closet. Doesn't it make you want to vomit? Come on, I know you just threw up in your mouth a little. :)

More closet cleaniness. This time, the lower portion of the closet. Notice all the cleaning supplies at the bottom? They are located right next to Mike's numerous Ace bandages.

Making Lists

I know that everyone does it: those lists.

I keep a list for everything. I have a work list. A grocery list. A wish list. A 'to do' list. I even have a packing list.

The packing list. There's a reason behind this, seriously.

Anyone that knows me understands that I do not like messes. I hate piles of stuff on my counter tops and on the bed and dressers. I have to put the laundry away. I have to put *all* the groceries away. Basically, if there isn't a spot for it in my house, I don't want it.

Simple enough, right?

Nah, it could never be that easy.

Mike is the complete opposite. He can leave a stack of clothes on top of his dresser for weeks without it bothering him. He will take a shirt one day, a shirt another day, and before you know it, his stack is gone and he hasn't opened a dresser drawer in a week or two. On the other hand, if I see that, my skin automatically starts to itch and I *must* put the stuff away.

When it comes to packing, Mike will throw stuff in a corner or on top of an extra bed and then pack it in a bag the night before we are due to leave. I can't do that. It's is physically impossible for me to do that.

So I make a packing list. It looks something like this:

• three bathing suits
• four pairs of socks
• five pairs of shorts
• five t-shirts
• two button down shirts
• two pairs of capris
• two pairs of flip flops
• purple sneakers
• shampoo/conditioner
• deodorant
• toothpaste
• camera
• camera charger
• extra memory card for camera
• aspirin/tylenol/motrin

and so on.

This method has worked for me for years. I've never forgotten anything. Except batteries once. :)

So, today, I start my list for Hawaii.

But first I have to check off stuff from my work list. Tee hee hee.

Yes, I'm sick I tell ya. But don't you (my three faithful readers) have a quirk that identifies you?