Wayfaring Day 181

December 27, 2025 Saturday

Today is our prep and packing day for our trip to Ireland and the UK. We have so many things to do today that is a little overwhelming because it is impossible. There were several things we needed to do for David’s parents that we did not get to today. Packing is always a challenge and today was no different. With each trip we try to pack as simply and as light as possible. We have never felt like we have done a perfect job but we keep trying.

The checking in process seems to always have surprises. We need to have all our pertinent numbers and information on file in a way so that it is more automatic. As with our trip to Germay the booking with one airline but flying on a partner airline for part of the journey seems to complicate things. The primary issues are having to choose seats and check in on the other airline‘s website or app. This means entering duplicate information on multiple forms which means you seem to miss one place somewhere and have to fill in more info at the last minute. We try to make lists and keep things at the ready but it seems we are always scrambling right up to the last hour.

Today we also made time to go say goodbye to David’s parents since we will be gone on such a lengthy trip. We had already told David’s mom about our niece passing away and this evening we explained everything to his dad. It took him a minute to remember who she was but he eventually made the connection. We realize the timing of our trip is not what we would have wanted but we have a responsibility and the family understands. We will be back for the memorial service that will be near our home base.

With most of the packing completed we made it to bed just before midnight.