Mindful Preparation

Eight and a half more days of work. 43 and a half more days until we leave. AAAHHHHHH There's so much to do! Hi, my name is Booty and I'm a list maker. {Hi Booty} I have a list in the family room and a list in the bedroom. I now have a list that goes with me everywhere and it's three pages long. I even made a list for hbf of things he is responsible for. He just laughs and shakes his head at my lists, but I love them! They bring order to the chaos that is in my mind and it gives me a small sense of accomplishment to take my pen and violently cross off the things that are done. [Cancel the cable] Hbf claims that 90% of my To Do's could go undone and I would be perfectly fine. I maintain that if 90% of my tasks went unfinished my head would explode. [Put Law & Order episodes on my iPod] I prepare now so I can be at ease when we travel. I am what you would call 'worry wart' (thank you mother) and I dwell on every single itty bitty detail until I drive myself and everyone around me crazy. [Find my camera] So, good thing work is uber slow and I have enough time to stew about everything I need to get done. Otherwise, I don't think I would sleep for fear of not completing my lists on time! [Book a hotel in Beijing]

With all this list making, I haven't had time to think about the actual trip. [Learn how to use chopsticks] Maybe my lists are a coping mechanism because I would poop my pants if I started to dwell on the fact that I may have chronic diarrhea for the next 6 months. [Put together a 1st aid kit] Also, I probably wouldn't get much done if I were fantasizing about all the perfect beaches I was going to lay on. My lists keep me focused, and they keep me from freaking out. [Make copies of our passports]

Enough about lists! Hbf wanted me to mention our other blog that will actually tell about the places we have been and what we have done. the url is www.mytb.org/gabanie [Register trip with the US consulate] That blog will tell about our adventures: this is what we did and this is where we have been. [Get Rxs filled] My blog will kind of be the same thing, but written with my slant on it (the princess slant) and will probably focus on my inability to try new foods or be OK with soggy things on my palette.

The world calls this neophobia and it generally only applies to children, but I say I have an over developed sense of taste. I really can't believe anyone would eat a cooked carrot if they were actually tasting and feeling what I taste and feel when I eat one. I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit. [Change my address] Texture is even more important than taste. I love cereal way more than the average person. It's one of my food groups (my food groups are: bread, bagels, cereal, milk, eggos and any other breakfast food). However, if you pour milk on the cereal, I won't touch it. The milk makes the cereal soggy, and sogginess is my sworn enemy. [Print out travel insurance policy] There are few things more unpleasant to me than eating something soggy (no, that is not a challenge). Soooo, needless to say I have a few worries about finding things to eat when I am over in Asia. I guess it could mean I'll be on the best weight loss diet for the next 6 months.