Too Excited to Sleep

It’s packing week, which means things around our house are a little chaotic. But really, packing has been the least complicated part of this past week. Updating the packing list in Google Sheets, putting together our vacation meal plan and grocery list, and reviewing instructions with our cat/house-sitters were all complicated by the fact that we are in the middle of a house renovation project. It seems there is another decision to be made every day. Our contractors will continue to be in and out of the house while we’re gone.

Despite all there was to do, I managed to get everything done and myself to bed by 1:00 a.m., which is pretty early for me on the night before vacation. But falling asleep was another thing. Insomnia has reared its ugly head lately; something I struggle with from time to time. Still, after four-ish restless hours of sleep, it was time to get up and complete all the last-minute details. The girls and I helped Tom load up the cars and put the bikes on the rack. We finally hit the road at 9:23 a.m.(ET), just a little off of our goal of 8:00. Have we ever hit our goal? Ummm, no.

Around 11:30 a.m. (CT) we pulled into Abt Appliance north of Chicago (Glenview) to take a look at the kitchen appliances we ordered for our kitchen remodel. We then hopped next door to Elly’s Pancake House for brunch. The pancakes and egg skillets were a delicious break along our way.

The only other stop that day was a gas/pit stop near Madison, Wisconsin, followed by our usual beer run. Since Wisconsin is the only state that sells New Glarus beer (a favorite we discovered when Jared worked in Madison), we usually stock up on our way through.

We arrived at our hotel (the AC Hotel by Marriott) across the street from the Mall of America around 7:45 p.m. We had discovered Hazelwood Food and Drink following Chloe’s graduation a month earlier and had already decided we had to go back for more brie cheese curds with lingonberry ketchup. Again, it did not disappoint.

After a big meal following all day sitting in the car, I felt the need to get some steps in, so Tom and I walked around the area, enjoying the warm summer night and interesting surroundings.

Even after all of the activity and little sleep the previous night, I still lay awake for over an hour before drifting off. Like my childhood days, I guess I’m just too excited about the fun times at the lake to come.