Ask the PI Moms

As I sit on an airplane bound to New York with PI Moms, Denise and Michelle, I finally have time to remember what I’ve forgotten to pack.  Why you ask?  Well, a funny thing happened on the way to packing my suitcase last night.  Michelle, being the avid and well seasoned traveler convinced me to shed my old ways and carry-on my luggage.  “Carry on my luggage?  You have got to be kidding!” were the only words reverberating within my over challenged cranium last night, especially since I tend to be the queen of over-packing.  And, to top it off, I’m not just the queen over-packing, I hold a throne status in the land of “Be Prepared for Everything.” 

Now I’d like to say I owe this all to being a PI, but I’ve held this position ever since I became a mom almost nine years ago.  Actually, come to think of it… I’ve always been ‘that’ person.  My mom still reminds me of my 9^th birthday where I actually excused myself from my own party to write thank you notes that could be handed out as my guests exited my house.  Yep, that’s me.  So as you can imagine, last night came as a challenge.  With wine in hand, a suitcase suitable for my daughters doll clothes, I ventured into an unknown world for me.  This unknown world, you know the one… the world of ‘smallplasticnolargerthan3ounceplasticbottlesinanairlineapprovedbaggiecanIbringsmallscissors’ kind of world?  Thank GOD for Denise pointing me in the right direction to the travel aisle at Target or surely I would have lost my mind.  Why was I sweating this?  Darn it, I’m a mom!  I can do this!  I prepare for more intricate adventures during working hours and Bessie (my undercover minivan) is equipped with everything from duct tape to GPS devices.

After two glasses of wine, unloading and loading the small suitcase 17 times, a dozen texts to Michelle and Denise requested the exact amount of liquid products I could stow away in my approved airline baggie, I was proud to say I did it.  I packed as if I were going to be gone for three days, not a year.  I patted myself on the back and toasted to a job well done.  I was excited until I arrived at the airport and was shot a disapproving glance by the security agent as I silently loaded my extra small carry-on bag, next to my extra large purse that resembled a carpet bag on the security belt.  Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I also packed a garment bag?  Sigh.  Some things will never change…