It totally weirds me out that we’ll be back in Austin, Texas in a little more than two weeks.  It feels like it’s been awhile since I’ve had a place of to call home and had a routine of housework, playgroups, and child-raising, but still…  It blows my mind that the Travel Extravaganza we’ve planned for so long is almost over.  It has really flown by.

But instead of waxing poetic and reflecting on what all this means about time flying and our Big Move rapidly approaching, I thought I’d jot down some thoughts about the past few months, before they trickle off into distant memory.  So with that in mind, here are some things I’ve learned from traveling to the opposite ends of the U.S. with an almost-two-year-old and a few suitcases containing most of our worldly possessions:

• Not all Old Navys are the same.  Some are much better than others.
• Even if you never thought of yourself as the type of parent to succumb to electronic nannies, a portable DVD player is a Mom’s Best Friend on really long road trips.
• I need sun.  Cold is fine, if it’s not cloudy for days on end.
• Socks drive me crazy.  They’re only useful as a necessity to prevent frostbite; otherwise, give me Chacos and bare feet any day.
• When traveling cross-country because of an impending move overseas, there are bigger fish to fry than thwarting your toddler’s regression into paci obsession.
• Overall, the Denver airport is better than the Orlando airport.
• Overall, Denver is a better city than Orlando.
• Cinnamon Bun lotion is the best-smelling lotion EVAH.
• It’s useless to fight your inner conscience that wants to buck the trend – Starbucks really is an amazing oasis of caffeine.  There’s something heartwarming to know you can get a decent shot of espresso no matter where you are, even if you have to refinance your house for a latte.
• The play area at the Cherry Creek Mall in Denver is ingenious.
• Blogs truly are the best tool for keeping up with friends and family.  If you don’t have one, you should.  You’re missing out.  And I’m missing out on knowing how you’re doing.
• It does you little good to pack a fall’s supply worth of diapers if you don’t actually take them with you to your different locations.  Same with wipes.
• You really do need that many envelopes, thank you notes, prayer cards, and cardstock.
• Little People will always make Chickpea’s day, whether in Colorado, Florida, or Oregon.
• We get to meet the coolest people in the world because of what we do.  Truly.  Making new friends has been the highlight of my experience.
• Unless it’s pitch-black dark and Hour 7 of sitting on a plane, Chickpea will NOT sleep on the plane.  Admit it.  Just deal with it.  You’ve done everything possible to make that happen.  Succumb to the fact that you are That Parent With The Difficult Child On A Plane.
• Toddlers are way more resilient to cross-country travel than you give them credit for.  They really need little more than the essentials.  Most essential is Mom and Dad, where Home is wherever they are.
• That said, it does help to have two sippy cups at all time, one for water and one for milk.  It gets old constantly having to wash one out to host the other liquid.

More coming soon, as I think of them…

posted: 06 December 6
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