Good morning! Welcome to #WeekendCoffeeShare, thank you for joining me on this beautiful Saturday morning.
It’s Wednesday night and I am already composing this post. It’s a tad early, I know but I’ll be busy on Friday night as I will be finishing some last-minute packing for my trip.
Can you believe it? It’s here!
Inside, I’m like, “Oh no, it’s here.” 😔
It isn’t that I’m not excited about going on this trip, it’s just I’m having a lot of anxiety about it that I’m finding extreme difficulty to relax and enjoy the journey. After all, lots can go wrong between leaving home and arriving in the UK. Mom is also expecting me to plan the entire trip. She’s expecting me to know the lay of the land, to know where to go, to not get lost, etc. I mean, no pressure or anything but that’s a lot of pressure for someone who’s just as new and foreign to the country as the traveler.
Beside this, I have tons to worry about home while I’m gone. Will my seedlings be watered? I planted a bunch of peas and beans in a ground bed on the 1st of May, the peas are just barely coming up as of Thursday, will my uncle and aunt remember to keep it moist so the seeds will germinate?
Of course, what’s a trip without phone problems? On Thursday, I registered the pre-paid SIM card for my phone and decided to insert it to make sure it works. It worked, all right. Unfortunately, when I inserted my old SIM card back into my phone, I completely lost 4G service. I couldn’t access the internet unless I had wi-fi.
This over-loaded my anxiety meter. My hands started to shake. I couldn’t focus. All I could think about was my phone. I have gone through a dead tablet and a few dead laptops before. Not fun and I am not about to go through a dead phone. No no NO!
Immediately after dinner and after going in the wrong direction twice even though I’ve been to the store a million time, I arrived the service provider and they tried it on a new SIM card.
It took a while but finally, it worked. My 4G service restored. It was funny, the lady at the store said my 4-year-old phone was too old and may not had been compatible. Because why? My phone doesn’t support 5G? The problem was the SIM card, not the phone. I am not about to fork over $700 for a new phone when my current phone works perfectly well.
Well, we shall see. Perhaps, I’ll need another new SIM card when I return.
Anyway, enough of that. This week was Employee Appreciation Day at the office. There were food trucks, gifts, laughter, fun, and meeting a few individuals for the first time. That day, I reserved all the room in my belly for the food, only getting a cold brew from Starbucks to help me stay awake.
I ended up with a square-shaped pizza with red-pepper, olives (my favorite), sausage, and pepperoni. I tried to finish the whole thing but only finished half. The other half was taken home.
I had an appointment with the orthodontist this week and came away from the appointment with two small bags of elastics.
12 months of wearing braces and I have to wearing elastics already!
I have a combination of an underbite and crossbite and I’m guessing the elastics are suppose to correct that. I’m finding very tricky to put it on though. I suppose that’ll take some practice. Mom does not want me to wear elastics in the UK, she wants me to wait until I come home but won’t the orthodontist notice when I have my appointment in 7 weeks?
I s’pose I’ll have to practice more on putting them on and taking them off because I’m committed to wearing them, just as I’m committed to my braces, even if they cause me pain.
#weekendcoffeeshare is hosted by Natalie of Natalie the Explorer. I appreciate you stopping by. Until next we chat. 🙂
This is Another Story 
The UK would be a great place to visit! Try to enjoy it. I understand the anxiety, I usually make so many lists before traveling. If we’re not careful, we can drive ourselves berserk, but still, being prepared is wise! Hmmm, balance is so hard to find, though.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I just made it through the TSA checkpoint, will have to go through another one when I get to LA. I think that might be the worst part of the flight, hopefully. Crossing my fingers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hope you enjoy your trip! I live in the UK, and everything here is smushed together with lots of signposts it’s hard to get too lost. If you still do, people are usually more than helpful to help you out. Ask in a shop 🙂
I really hope you enjoy it here 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. It’s good to hear that there are lots of signposts there. I’ve been to Canada and it’s the opposite there, which makes driving difficult. I’m looking forward to seeing London. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve been to Canada too, coming from the UK it was a shock how much empty space is between places, and how far everything is from each other! Beautiful country though 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think it’ll be a shock for me, too, seeing everything so tight together.
LikeLike
I hope everything goes smoothly my friend. Enjoy
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I just arrived and already feeling somewhat calm and frustrating.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All the best my friend
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLiked by 1 person
👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope that you will find much to please and interest you during your trip. Looking forward to your return and learning of what you’ve seen. Best wishes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I’ll be posting as I go and a reflection when I return like I do with all my trips. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope you’ll be able o relax and enjoy your trip. A vacation is supposed to one fun. However, I do understand the complications of an opinionated travel companion !
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I just arrived and it’s been an interesting trip so far with a decent amount of frustration.
LikeLike
I feel you and your anxiety. There’s a fine line between excitement and anxiety. Since meeting my now husband who is very laid back in 2016, my anxiety is better controlled. Also, I take a medication for it, but I am thinking of weaning off of it. Anyway a trip to the UK sounds amazing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is definitely a fine line between excitement and anxiety. I’m glad to hear your anxiety is better controlled now. I wish there’s a medication I can take because I can certainly use some but apparently, I am on the “high-risk medication taker” list.
LikeLike
Hi Yinglan,
For what it might be worth, one of the mistakes we’ve made several times on this type of trip is trying to cram too much in. You end up stressing and running about. You do technically “see” more, but only at a level you could have mostly accomplished from home looking at photos on the internet.
It’s a better trip to see and experience a few good spots after reading some about them ahead of time. If you can find a good guide service, they can easily add a lot of value to the trip both by showing you around and directing you to places you want to see on your own.
I hope everything settles and you have a great time.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hi Gary, I’ve definitely been guilty of trying to cram too much into a trip but since the last trip, I have learned to emphasize in seeing one area of one place as opposed to seeing everything at once. I actually find I see more and learn more this way.
Ha! I doubt mom will allow me to hire a guide service. She’s always said I’m her guide. Well, who’s my guide?
LikeLike
I like the concept of an anxiety meter, and can relate. Hope your trip was a success.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you.
LikeLike
Getting lost is one of the funnest parts of a trip. I try to keep my itinerary light. I do more of a bucket list.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Unfortunately, mom gets super angry when we get lost. In fact, she’s pissed right now.
LikeLike