Return to the Deep Freeze

Tomorrow Asha and I are flying to Winnipeg for my friend Sandi's wedding. It'll be a whirlwind trip of quick coffee dates, breakfast and lunch with girlfriends, a family birthday party, Heppner Christmas and of course the wedding. Last week I made myself a list of all the things that I needed to do before I left. This is on top of all the other things that I do, like cooking, cleaning, laundry and storyteller. Some examples from my list are:

-make chocolates
-pick up Christmas cards
-buy envelopes
-make birthday cards
-bake cake
-bake cupcakes
-shop for party (hats, bags, tablecloth, veggies, sour cream)
-chiro appointment
-book San Fran hotel
-write out envelopes
-finish speech for wedding
-buy baby gift and Christmas ticket gift
-birthday gifts
-bake cookies and brownies
-clear up preschool account
-buy jacket, shoes, mitts and scarf
-Asha toque
-sort clothes
-call airline

Each 1/2 day I would return to my list to check things off. Then once I had done at least 6 things, I would rewrite a revised list of things. Now my to-do list is on the back of a receipt, instead of the original 8x14 piece of paper.

And then I kept a running list taped to the desk of all the things that I need to pack in the bag, like passports, the flash drive, Canadian cheques, and Christmas presents.

Carl thinks my list making is a bit on the obsessive side. When I'm anxious, I make a list, when I'm bored, I make a list....he compares my compulsion with list making with his need to make scale models of the room and furniture (he says it saves time and back pain when you want to remodel a room, but I think it's totally unnecessary). Anyhoo, I love checking off items from my list. On Monday I was feeling pretty good about myself and all the things I had done, when at homegroup, Rhonda, who is the queen of lists, asks me how packing was going. Packing? I hadn't even thought about getting that together! So on Tuesday morning I decided I would start packing. Because I certainly didn't want to be crying over a suitcase 2 hours before my flight. Why do we do that to ourselves? Why do we wait until the last minute? Surely you can pack and then wear sweats for the next 2 days? (I'm not by the way). And can I tell you that except for my toiletries (and a few items on my list) I am packed for both me and Asha. What a flood of peace fills my heart!

And so this afternoon while Joel and Kezia are sleeping themselves to health, I plan to bake some cookies and a pan of brownies. The kids have both of their Christmas programs while I'm gone (boohoo is only an understatement) so I'm making treats for them to take along. Plus I already arranged for Carl to borrow a digital camera to take pics of the concerts while he is simultaneously filming it all on the video camera. Am I organized or what?!

I am really looking forward to going back to Winnipeg. It'll be nice to reconnect, even if it's short moments in a socially filled weekend; and it will be so special to have Asha make connections too. I look at this trip as bonus time. I wasn't expecting that I would be seeing people before June. The only thing that I'm dreading is the cold. I'm sitting her typing in the house and it's probably about 10 degrees outside. The house isn't that chilly, but I have 2 shirts on and a big pair of socks....and I'm still cold. Boy, I'm going to freeze in Winnipeg. Like the slogan from Thompson Manitoba, Cold Noses, Warm Hearts. That'll be me this weekend.