A Week from Today!

A week from today . . . we Sail away!  I really can’t believe it!  

This is a little scene that has been in our bedroom since we came back from the last trip to England aboard the Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.  I love having it here because a dress like that should not be locked away; it hangs there like a fairytale and has all the fairytale magic and dreams connected to it.  I’m not the kind of girl who’s worn very many dresses like that.  Like really, this is the only one.  I just can’t hide it away.

The hat, I bought in England, because our good friends took us to Royal Ascot!  I think I look a little like Queen Elizabeth in it (which, although she is lovely, is not the look I’m actually after), especially with Joe next to me wearing his gray top hat and a morning coat with tails!  This is the dress code for Royal Ascot and you really have to do it!

Do we look like Yanks?  Could they tell?  I kind of think so!  But not one dog attacked us!

I bought the dress that’s hanging on the closet door for our first formal night aboard the ship.  It has a scarf too.  It goes to the floor, has four layers of skirt; I packed it in tissue paper.  I think it was the right thing to do for my first trip.  But this time, I’m thinking differently (now that I’m a seasoned ocean-liner traveler);  I don’t want to take different evening clothes for each night (six!) like I did last time; that was a lot of packing of things I never needed for the rest of the trip! I was jealous of Joe, who more or less wore the same tuxedo every night and looked adorable.  To be honest, I’m not really a formal type of girl (I think pantyhose was invented by the devil); I like corduroy and linen.

I looked around the dining room last time, to see what other women did; there was this elegant French woman who sat at a table near us at dinner; I loved how she handled it.  She  wore the same classic black pantsuit every night, with heels, and different scarves and jewelry, to change the look.  It was so clever; seemed very French to me.  What a good packing tip for next time, I thought! So this time I have my own little (non-itchy) black suit all ready to go into the suitcase, and all the accessories to go with it.  Just like Joe.

The entire rest of my suitcase is raincoat, cute umbrella, jackets, t-shirts, lots of linen bell bottoms . . . (remember my dancing pants … now they have a reason to dance, they’re going on a trip!) . . .

. . . warm sweaters, and comfy shoes.  And art supplies!!!  Almost ready!

Yikes!

By the way, are you all on Twitter?  I am — I Twitter and send photos there too (I think you may be able to read my page without joining, not sure).  A couple of times, when Joe and I have crossed the country on the train, I’ve done this thing called “Twitter from the Twain.”  It works really well, because if we’re out and about and only have the phone with us, I can take photos with it and send them directly to Twitter.  I’m going to try and do that on this trip, we’ll see what kind of connection England affords our internet connections . . . but I need help.  I need a name.  So far, the Twitter Girls have suggested “Shenanigans from the Ship,” “News from the Cruise,” and “Blog from the Boat” — all wonderful, but what about when we’re not on the boat?  Any ideas? (Playing my cards right, figuring out ways to no longer have to do my own thinking 🙂 )

HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!