type away... I actually read it all, and found it interestingPay no attention to me....I just like to whine, and I'm darn good at it!Toiletries and sundries are covered. Whenever I buy a product, I buy two. One for the house, one goes in the overnight, in travel sizes if possible. I keep extra unmentionables, jammies, and hose packed at all times, so all I have to do is add meds and that's ready to go. Your mom sounds like a very smart lady! Eastern Star requires a lot more dressing up, so she had it wired! I'm not in Star, no desire to join either, despite a lot of cajoling about it. For 26 years as a Navy wife I had to join this and had to be part of that.....Navy Wives' Enlisted Club, Navy Wives' Officer's Club, Navy Relief, Ombudsman....<shudder> No more wives' organizations for this cookie!
I've learned that one set of black chiffon pants and a few colorful dressy tops cover a lot of events very well, both formal and informal. Add a glitzy top and it's formal. Add a couple more relaxed tops and I'm set for semi-formal. Bonus: Chiffon pants can darn near be rolled up into a ball and still look great when I take them out of the bag. With a pair of dress pants, I can mix and match for business casual. Some tops are glittery, some aren't.
Ken's calendar is pretty complete, so when we get home from somewhere and the clothes are cleaned, I can decide what to take to the next event, repack outfits into the garment bag I took the first ones out of, and they're ready to go.
Shoes are no issue. Because of my leg and foot issues, I can only wear one kind of shoes, and those are my Dansko Mary Janes. No glitz, no glamour, but a little dressier than my Dansko every day shoes and comfortable enough to wear all day. Since everyone we know is familiar with me using my walker at times or even taking my chair at others, depending on how I'm doing, I don't even have to make excuses. One pair of shoes worn on the trip and one pair for all events. Those Mary Janes are only worn for events, so they stay right in the bottom of the garment bag. Done and done.
I usually tell new ladies to the Grand Line not to sweat it. I tell them to think back to the last event....can they really remember what each and every lady was wearing? Usually no, unless it's a dress that really stood out for some reason. All they remember of the last event is what they wore themselves, and that everyone looked very nice and was dressed up. Individual outfits are quickly forgotten. The guys all look like little stuffy penguin clones anyway, so nothing stands out there, either.
So all whining and kidding aside, it's more the having to change constantly than the packing that gets annoying. A casual, blue jean breakfast followed by a business casual luncheon with a semi-formal Grand Opening, plus a formal banquet that same night makes for some confusion in the hotel room! Over the past several years in the line I've even learned to simplify that process!
The only thing I do want to get is a brand new, have-never-worn-a-million-times-before formal for is Ken's installation, when I escort him in and put the jewel around his neck and for our official formal photo. Other than that, I'm good to go.
And I just typed this out and realized that nobody really gives a flying hoot. Oh, well, it ate up a little time and nobody has to read it all anyway!
(yes, there is lots of snow, and yes there is ice in the parking lot) achem... I just stuck my feet in my summer clogs, so I didn't have to sit down and yank on my boots...
