Lists

I'm the girl who likes to stay at home. I'm the one who rarely needs to go on vacations. The fact that the bed will not be familiar and the bathroom may not be as clean as I want it to be weigh heavily on the scales of VACATION YES and VACATION NO. Poor Steve has endured my ritual AAA search for what I consider an acceptable hotel on our driving trips. I'm the one who, for comfort's sake, will pack my own Fiber One bars, pretty mug, bottled water, bags of Tazo Ginger Spice Tea, and--I confess--even packs of Sugar in the Raw. I'll leave adventure to someone else; just give me my routine and familiar surroundings.

So, only events as important as the birth of our first grandson, and the wedding of our Will and Cecilia could make me throw all caution to the wind and fly south across the equator for a 15-week stay in Brasil. With no hesitation, I must add. I felt like a great explorer, embarking on an expedition with minimal clothing and toiletries--nothing to weigh me down. Three pairs of capri pants, a denim skirt, 2 pairs of Teva sandals would be fine for me. If I needed anything else, I would get it in Brasil. I had bigger fish to fry.

Have you ever played that game, "I'm Going to WalMart and I'm Going to Get . . ."? You and the other players take turns making an absurd random list of items and services--repeating the entire list before adding a new item. Well, my "I'm Going to Brasil, and I'm Going to Take . . ." list included:
1 cordless house phone
1 large gift-wrapped Michael Kors handbag
1 router and modem
1 pair earbuds
2 bags Ghiardelli Chocolates
Daniel's layette and clothes
1 box Triscuit Wafers
5 small white paper Japanese lanterns
1 38 year-old wedding veil and headpiece
1 tea-dyed, appliqued sash for a Vera Wang wedding gown
4 large white paper Japanese lanterns
250 paper party napkins
Jeannette Walls' True-Life Novel "Half Broke Horses"
3 white plastic American switch plate covers
1 lime green Puj baby bathtub
1 Fisher Price Rainforest Activity Mat
Sudoku, Word-Find, and Easy Crosswords puzzle books
2 Bic Velocity #2 mechanical pencils
4 pre-addressed Valentine cards
1 iPad with Skype, email, and FaceBook
1 fuzzy brown Teddy Bear
Bible Study workbooks on James and Galatians
1 iPhone (with no use at all outside the US)
1 passport and copy
1 Brazilian Visa and copy
copies of every piece of paper and plastic that I brought on the trip
105 days of Synthroid, Centrum Silver, 81 mg Aspirin, and Zoloft
1 Medela breast pump + 'accesories'
1 magnifying mirror
2 pairs tweezers
1 pack Extra Peppermint "American" Gum (that's turned to goo wrapped in foil)

I've been able to find necessities such as All Bran and Colgate toothpaste--some things no world explorer should be without. The iPad fills in some very important gaps. Skype capabilities give me some face time with my honey nearly every day. Through FaceBook, Steve Jr., Luey, and I have messaged "three things I'm thankful for" almost every day. That's a tradition we started over a year ago, and I love the daily-ness of it, in addition to the gratitudes.

Now that Daniel has arrived, Cecilia, Will, and I have been on a brand new adventure within the walls of the apartment for the past 4 weeks. If I were making another list "I'm Going To Be a Grandmother, and I Need . . . ," what would that list look like?
prayer
1 pair of stong arms
1 box of tissue
1 XL protective cover for my heart
6 hours of uninterrupted sleep
wisdom
1 collection of baby songs and lullabies
photographic memory to capture every newborn expression
1 expandable container to store the pride I feel for Daniel's parents
patience
1 40 year-old body

Got any of those things handy? Please send them ASAP!

With much love--GiGi
aka The Gringa, aka Gringa Granny