Neurotic Monica

My favorite t.v. show is Friends. It is the best. Ever. And as much as I don't like admitting it, my personality is very much like Monica's. I specialize in a specific version of Monica's character which the writers of the show call "Neurotic Monica". Scared? You should be.


Neurotic Monica has some lovely qualities such as her timeliness, her organization, her cleanliness, her self discipline...but, like everyone else she does have some flaws. These include a slight tendency towards the dramatic, an unreasonable level of self-expectation and then of course there is the ever present neurosis.


Hey...I resemble that remark!


And since this is a deeply ingrained and pivotal part of my personality (sorry family and friends) I of course have to apply it to all aspects of my life. Including trip planning. Sorry Cody.


So once we had decided that our European Extravaganza was our new reality I got a move on! And I carted Cody along with me!


We waited in line at the post office to have our passport photos taken only to be told that the lady who is qualified to work a digital camera was on her lunch break; we booked six plane tickets before asking for the time off from work to make sure we could actually go; we researched the climate in the areas we would travel to and were assured that it only snows a few inches in London in the dead of winter, tops (more on that later); Cody talked to his phone company and was told that his phone should work in Europe; Christina bought a phone card just in case; and finally we went back to the damn post office so that the lady could take our photos. Cheese.


It wasn't always the smoothest of journeys but it was happening. I made 1,784,263 to-do lists and I planned. I could have received a Gold Medal for the amount of planning I did. I bought double decker bus tour tickets, I ordered money from the bank in both currencies, I made a travel folder which had all of our documents and receipts organized in the order in which we would need them in the airport. I bought a digital camera, I held Cody's passport hostage and I printed out seven pages worth of Spanish vocabulary for Cody and I to study on the plane. Next time see Cody, ask him to speak to you in Spanish, he's real good at it.


I also stressed. Did you know that I do that? Well, I do. A smidge. And I broke down and cried and yelled sometimes. I overworked myself and was frustrated about the Tube system and the flight connection in Madrid and I still hadn't found time to get a new heavy jacket. And it was all becoming just too much.


But whenever I got overwhelmed or upset or just needed to rant for awhile Cody did a really good job of being there for me. He helped me prioritize, tried to handle some of the to-do's I couldn't get to and he gave me lots of hugs when I needed them. Yep, Cody was there for me through thick and thin; reminding me that I needed to snap out of my hysteria and keep my eyes on the prize...that hamburger.