Sunday, September 7, 2008

Prayer, Updates, and Rambling about Underpants

My church prayed over Abigail and I today in anticipation of our trip. It was really good, and made this feel so much more real.

I can't believe the countdown is now less than a week until we leave! I went to B*biesRUs today and finally found a diaper bag that I like at a price I can afford. (There were lots that I liked, but I refuse to pay more than $30 for a diaper bag!)

I am writing the world's longest email to my house-sitter/Lily-sitter. I don't know why I feel like I need to list what to do in every scenario, but it might have to do with the fact that I may be coming home with an ill baby, an ill first grader, an ill Gagie, or an ill me! None of those scenarios sound good to me, but I recognize the possibility, and want to minimize the difficulties associated with them if at all possible.

Also, I think my cat is likely to puke multiple times while I am gone. She is a bit bulimic, and when she is upset, she likes to puke on Abigail's bed (and now on the baby's bed, too.) I am hoping the Lily-sitter will find these little puddles and clean them up.

It also occurred to me that a short 14 days after we return from Ethiopia, we will be leaving to head to John's sister's wedding in Gatlinburg. I guess after 20 hours on a plane, 8 hours in a minivan should not be too bad, but I am still nervous:) Especially after the fiasco of driving through the West Virginian hills. Ugh. I do not want to repeat that!

They say that when you pack for Ethiopia, you should not pack any clothing that you would be embarrassed for the neighbors to see, because when it dries out on the line, others are likely to see it. This has left me with a small dilemma when it comes to packing underpants. I have 2 categories of underpants: work underwear, and fancy underwear. My work underwear are seriously granny panties; this is purposeful. When you work as a nurse and you are very physical, you want something that will be comfortable all day long. You also want something that, if your patient decides that the best way to lower themselves into the chair is by using your pants to steady themselves (and thereby effectively "pantsing" you), stays up and keeps you covered. I speak from experience on this point. Therefore, granny panties work for me in the work setting.

Behind door number two, I also have the kind of underpants that women wear to prevent panty lines and as a cruel and unusual form of punishment. I only wear them when necessary.

Honestly, neither form of underpants is something that I want the neighbors (or the roomies) to see. I mean, my underpants are personal- no one sees them except me! They are not meant to be seen! That is why we wear them under our pants! And here I am, knowing that others will be seeing my underpants, and having a near freak out while strongly considering a new undergarment wardrobe.

And yes, it is ridiculous that I am thinking about this. But at the same time, this is totally in the category of things that I would think about, so it's not that ridiculous. Honestly, you are not surprised by this, are you? This is definitely typical Grace. Ah, what to do, what to do?

11 comments:

Dawn said...

I COMPLETELY understand!! I have often thought of the undies that I want some little Vietnamese woman to be washing! Let me know what you decide!!

I Love Purple More Than You said...

That is hilarious, that you are thinking about what panties to bring... for the world to see on the clothes line.

And hopefully your kitty won't leave too many "presents" while you're gone.

Ahhh... Gatlinburg. I love that town!

Faith said...

How about taking a lot of panties and not sending them to be washed?? Then you can laugh at the fact that people think you don't wear underpants!!

Lori said...

I brought so many panties that I never needed any to be washed. And you can always bring your own detergent and wash them in the sink and hang them up to dry in the bathroom.

m&r said...

Your roomies promise not to look!

But I also echo the comments above. I'm planning on bringing enough pairs that I should not need to have any washed. Seeing my panties wouldn't do anyone any good ;)

coffeemom said...

Or think of it as an act of humility...your panties out there a flapping w/ all the others, Habesha or not. Just like a local. growth in humility = growth in holiness, no? Yes!

I get it. no good answer...probably packing a bunch, wish I had known!

Robbin Hopkins said...

I would probably purchase some in between panties. Bloomers but in like satin material. Say on clearance! LOL, but I'd definitely be backing twice as many as I need!

Robbin

Blessed Mommy said...

you totally crack me up -- in guat, when i hung my clothes to dry, i just hid my panties behind or in between some of my larger shirts or pants.. oh well, at least the neighbors were nice :D

Renee said...

I totally understand! I bought all new underwear for our trip and still ended up washing them myself in the shower with me every day and hanging them to dry on the back of a chair in my room. I just can let them blow all over outside like a flag!

Jebena said...

Hahaha---whew! I like ted&lori's idea...bring plenty of panties.

Or, you can do what my friendgirl suggest and that is to buy a pack of Poise (yep, Poise) and wear them inside your underwear. At the end of the day, dispose of the Poise in a plastic bag; thus, keeping your panties in a less-then-...well you know! I tried it when we went camping, you do feel a little "seniorish" at first, but it's not all that bad. Hey, it's an option!

Anyway, I'm so happy for you!!!!!

~Laura~ said...

Funniest post award! Hilarious! I vote to bring lots of extra's so there's no need to wash. That's my plan. :)