You thought I was kidding....well the joke is on me!!!

Just wanted to say, I am pleased to have so many family and friends along for what we hope to be, one very incredible trip. For those of you who have been following this blog... your patience has actually paid off...we are FINALLY traveling!!!!! Not to say that this post is going to be about where we are, or even what we are doing.....yet. The time, effort and experiences involved in arriving at your destination (Miami at this stage of the game), may sometimes be equally as interesting as what occurs at journey's end. Actually, if you think about it, this entire trip is one continuous journey, with many destinations along the way. Although we travel as often as possible, we prefer to visit many destinations on one journey, rather then many journeys to one destination. I promise you, we will get "there" soon :)

You may recall in my second post titled "Prepping...." I mentioned how our home looked like a suitcase factory. Let me just say...I really wasn't kidding. The funny thing is (ok it's not really funny, but it helps a little bit to say so--in light of a not-so-fun situation, and believe you me...packing and/or unpacking is NEVER fun for me), you need to be extremely organized to pack enough for an extended trip and get out the door with everything on your list. The best laid plans.....enough said...or maybe not. Here are a few pics of my packing as it progressed through this past week....and no, I never did take a picture of all the packed bags as we dragged them out of the condo, into the elevator, and then Roger squeezed them into the car....believe me, it was not a pretty picture, and never really is for us. I do, however, recall him saying, "it's a good thing no one needs to sit in the back seat." Never let it be said, that either of us are light packers...quite the opposite :)



The basket of the continuously growing collection of "essential travel stuff" for our one shared piece of checked luggage


My partially packed check-on rolling duffle.


Important documents for one of our two, under-the-seat carry-on bags.


My partially packed overhead bin carry-on bag

We were able to get out of the house only 30 minutes after our intended estimated departure time....which isn't too bad for us, considering our recent change of itinerary when we decided to head south to Miami a day early. We had originally planned to spend a full morning at home, to complete our packing, and then travel directly to the airport mid-day, for our 5 pm flight. So at 9:30 pm, we finally hopped on 95 and were south bound....for about 20 minutes.....when I then realized I forgot something...OH CRAP!!! You know how once your butt hits the seat of the car and you drive away, and BEFORE you get too far from home, you mentally run through a checklist of all the important stuff? Well my physical list was three pages long, so it stands to reason, it took my slow brain just about 20 minutes to realize that something I'd had in my hand, just never did make it into any of our 9 bags. Don't let the number 9 scare you too much, I'm including checked luggage, handbags, carryon bags and small overnight bags (which we are leaving behind in the car when we fly--they were packed in an effort to avoid dragging 3 big suitcases, with 2 weeks worth of clothes, into the hotel for one night)

Please know, it did not give me any pleasure to turn to Roger and say those 5 horrible words every traveler dreads thinking, never mind saying...."I think I forgot something." After checking a few spots in my various bags where it SHOULD have been, I sadly realized I'd left it at home.

Being the good sport and understanding husband that he is, of course Roger immediately headed back home. Considering our good track record over the last 32 years of traveling together, this was not a major upset. This was only one of two times we've ever actually turned around and back tracked to retrieved a missing item. The last time Roger was the forgetful one, but his small faux pas was just a tiny blip in our trip plans....I luckily remembered, before we even reached the ramp for 95, he'd had an important pair of pants (perhaps for the wedding--my memory fails me) which were still hanging up on the door. This time we were not so lucky :(

So the million dollar question....what did Joanne leave behind that was so all important, that it warranted an additional 20 minutes added to the trip? Was it money, nope.....was it passports, nope......was it cruise docs, nope....was it prescription medicine, nope-I don't take any....was it the camera, IPhone or IPad, nope, nope & nope.....it was my small black roll-up bag with ALL of the jewelry I'd packed for the trip. My only excuse....I'd finished packing it and got distracted putting on my earrings, then walked out of the room without it. Totally all my fault....I rarely turn on overhead lights (energy conservation is in my blood) and only use the soft lighting of the makeup mirror on my dressing table. The room was dark, it is very small and it is very black...you get the picture. Now you might think, how could a few pieces of jewelry left behind impact the quality of a 12 night cruise....let me just say, anyone who really knows me, would not even ask that question. Simply put, even Roger did not hesitate for a moment and just turned the car around. I've been collecting jewelry for years, you might even say....it's another one of my obsessions (but that's another story). However, there are equal amounts of costume pieces (compliments of each Bijoux Turner store I've ever had the pleasure of stumbling upon), handmade items (incredibly designed by my very dear friend), and of course, the "good stuff" that most every woman owns. I'm usually able to pull together a look combining a little bit of everything, when I leave the house each day...it's one of the fun parts of getting dressed, almost a game for me. That being said...all those clothes in all those bags, would just not have had the same affect without the finishing touch that jewelry provides. If you are a lover of jewelry, I need explain no further, the rest of you....well, let's just say that what pleases me, pleases Roger...and we'll leave it at that :)


A few of my $10 fun finds at Bijoux Terner


A beautiful original design created specially for me on the occasion of my birthday--thanks again Lois--your generosity and passion for these wonderful pieces, knows no bounds...love you :)


And last but not least, some of the "good stuff"----diamonds really are a girl's best friend :)

Update: Rog left his brand new casual jacket hanging up....sorry honey, if it's not one thing, it's another. Here's hoping we will get this whole packing thing down right some day!