Departure Day is Here!

And so it begins! I woke up Wednesday morning just after midnight. I was not too bothered because I figured I could get to sleep by 6:00 am, sleep for my typical four hours, and still have plenty of time to mow, clean the house, do laundry, pack, eat, and shower. It didn't exactly work out that way! When six came, I was not sleepy at all!

I decided I could sleep later in the day! I started off with washing my blankets for the train ride! By 8:00 am it had already started heating up outside, so I decided to mow the lawn and get that out of the way. I already had all of my clothes from the laundry the day before sitting nicely on the bed waiting for me to decide their fate. There were a lot of decisions to be made concerning the clothes. What was I going to wear and when was I going to wear it. Was I going to put outfits together or just wing it when the time came, and which suitcase were they going to go in-a lot of decisions.

At this time, I was not even sure if I was going to check a bag or carry them on- I just didn't know! I decided to pack my food first which would help me decide which bags I need to carry on. Once the food and water was all packed, I tackled the items slated for my personal bag. Chromebook, purse, first night's food, chargers, and a few miscellaneous things. I was ready to sort out the clothes situation!

It was very hot out, but the train has a/c, and it is going to be around 50 degrees in Chicago. Did I want to wear shorts and change before I got to Chicago or just wear pants? Would jeans be too uncomfortable or should I wear leggings? The other issue is that I have been losing weight so I had to try on all my pants to see which fit. I started putting outfits together with an idea when I would wear them. Before I knew it I had all the clothes either in the closet, in the red checked bag, or in the purple carry-on! I also had decided on which clothes to wear for the first leg of the trip!

I decided I would go outside and complete part of my daily walk! Fifteen to twenty minutes after I started, I decided the plant with thorns on the side of my house needed to be trimmed which led to all the hedges being trimmed! It was around 10 am when I finished. I made a quick trip to the bank to withdraw the funds for my ride to the train station. I had previously hired Mary Lou, once to go to the airport and another time to take me to the hospital. On the airport trip, I forgot the money, and helped her set up Zelle in order to pay her! I didn't want to make that mistake again!

I realized I needed to bring some type of jacket. I spent time trying on sweaters, hoodies, and light coats. I finally settled on one, but had to throw it in the wash first. I put one of the pork meals in the microwave, and remembered I wanted to look for a small compact mirror I got years ago from JC Penney. I searched in several boxes, even emptying them, but to no avail. However, I did find something for my son that I am bringing with me-so that's fun! I picked up a little mirror I had on my bookshelf, and found the perfect case to protect it and into the suitcase it went!! It was around one pm and I was finally packed!-except for all of the other things I kept finding to bring.

I was still thinking I was going to get at least a few hours sleep before my five o'clock departure-I was wrong! I don't know what I did besides a quick tidy up, watering two plants, and washing the dishes. It was about this time, I remembered I put food in the microwave. I quickly ate it, and sat down to do one Duolingo lesson to extend my streak. It was four o'clock and I knew I had to take a shower, but intrusive thoughts tried to convince me otherwise! In the end, I got squeaky clean and finished on time!

I didn't get any sleep, but I figured there would be plenty of time on the train to sleep!

Once my ride arrived, we loaded the suitcases and backed out of the driveway!

To be continued - Headed North