Travel Woes

Remember when you were little and it was time to travel somewhere? Maybe it was Thanksgiving (ahem). Maybe it was Christmas. Maybe it was your first trip to Disney World? And all you wanted was to watch TV or read a book or do anything but help clean the house? After all, why bother cleaning the house when you're just going to leave it. It makes no sense. You're not going to be there to enjoy the clean, and your time could be much better spent elsewhere. And wouldn't your mom be so much more pleasant if she was able to just be excited about the trip and not flipping her lid about clearing the dishwasher and finishing the laundry and taking the trash out?

That's what I thought. You do it, too, don't you? Yup. We've all joined the league of "Those Who Clean the House Before Attempting to Travel." It's a pain in the ass, isn't it? I want to sit on the couch and do nothing. I want to eat dinner at a reasonable hour (it's in the oven now). I want to actually call my sister back when I promise to (in 45 minutes, not 3 hours...). But no. That's not how tonight worked out at all.

I'll be honest; I thought about just giving into the filth. I battle it every day. There's the litter box to clean (I wholeheartedly recommend stopping at two pets, by the way; Mom, you were so right about that one). The dishwasher to clear. The laundry to sort, clean, fold, and (on a really good day) put away. The bed has to be made every day. Toys need to be put away. Floors need to be vacuumed and steam cleaned (a new addition to the list). And I can't go to bed if it isn't all set and ready to wreck again the next day. I've tried to give in. I've tried to let the piles and fur and dirt and dishes not irritate me. They do, though. Especially when I'm trying to go out of town.

I can't even pack until the house is clean, which is why the suitcase is still in the closet. Luckily, we bought last-minute plane tickets to Baltimore instead of driving to Annapolis (can you believe they were only $171 each?). So, I'll have time tomorrow afternoon to enjoy lunch with Justin and Robbie and get packed. And thank goodness I have a clean house that will make that packing possible.