The Sun Always Shines on TV

Have you ever had the dream in which you're late to a final exam, running around trying to find the classroom where it's being given, only to realize that you've never gone to class even once all semester and it's too late to drop? I guess that can be interpreted to mean there's anxiety (real or imagined) over not being prepared for something.

Whenever we are getting ready to travel, I start having variations of the same nightmare -- we've missed our flight or forgotten to pack something important, like passports, tickets, or a camera. Or something unforseen happens to throw a wrench in things. Oh wait, that wasn't a dream... a few years ago we really were hit by an uninsured driver the day before a trip and had to rent a van so that we could still go.

Or even worse, like Clark Griswold, we finally arrive at our destination only to find out that the place we drove all this way to get to is CLOSED FOR REPAIRS...

April 2010
I looked up the info on Four Corners months ahead of time, but didn't check for updates before we left.

Anyway, a few nights ago I had a horrible dream that it rained on us the entire trip. Four whole weeks, non-stop! Before fancy computer-generated radar images, remember the old school weather reports on the news, with the high/low pressure fronts, sun, clouds, rain, etc. stuck onto a national map? In this dream, I had my own personal feltboard weather forecast. The cartoon version of our minivan was heading along our planned route with a little black rain cloud pasted right above us wherever we went. Noooooo!

So much of what we want to see/do this summer involves being outdoors. We're spoiled living here in California. When it only rains less than 10% of the time, it's easy to forget to account for things like bad weather in my plans. (The other thing I have to remind myself is that roads aren't always flat, straight, or traffic/road construction-free, so covering 65-70 miles in an hour isn't always possible.)

"...The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft agley (often go awry)..."                                         -Robert Burns

As much as I try to plan and prepare, I know that we are bound to encounter a few detours and raindrops along the way. It will just add to our adventure, right?! Good thing my husband is much better at "rolling with it" than I am. But I'm still crossing my fingers that there won't be too many opportunities for me to practice!