All Over the Place

First of all, if you're reading this before 11:59 p.m. CST on Friday, go and enter my contest to win some free organizational products from Blue Sky!  Seriously, it's a real giveaway where you will get the products directly from the company, not mailed by me at the local rinky-dink post office!  The mailing label will probably be typed and have a barcode!  (On the other hand, it won't have any cat stickers on it.) 

Also, if you look to your immediate right, you will see that I have an ad in my sidebar from Illinois Farm Families.  They paid me to run this ad, because they're looking for people to apply to be Field Moms.  Field Moms are moms who are interested in how our food is grown, and are willing to attend various field trips to learn about food production.  They will have to record videos of the trips and blog about their experiences.  If you're interested in applying, click here or on the ad to the right.  The application deadline is August 21. 

As for news from my own personal life, I leave tomorrow for a weeklong trip to California to visit family and attend the BlogHer conference.  And seriously, you guys, I am freaking out about leaving Nathan.  The freakout isn't because I fear for his safety with Bill or anything like that, it's because I will miss Nathan so much.  I never expected to be that mom who freaks out about leaving her kid.  I mean, I'm happy to take him to school or camp, or hire a babysitter for him.  I love me some alone time.  I have been dreaming about sleeping alone in a hotel since he was born. 

But ... a whole week?!  I just hope I'm less emotional during the actual trip than I am as I anticipate it. 

Oh, and you know what else contributed to my pointless anxiety today?  I discovered that my cell phone no longer became charged when I plugged the charger in.  I was hoping I could just buy a new charger, but, as predicted, the problem was with the port on the actual phone.  I could have gotten a replacement phone using the insurance, but then I wouldn't have my phone for at least the first two days of the trip, and am I the only one who becomes absolutely terrified at the prospect of taking a giant cross-country trip alone without a cell phone? 

Fortunately I was eligible for the upgrade, which meant I could get a new phone for $50 above the price I would have had to pay for the insurance deductible on a replacement of my own phone.  Still, I felt like a sucker saying I needed to pay more money and get a whole new phone because I couldn't wait two days for the insurance replacement.  

Similarly, I wanted another phone with the pullout keypad, but that had to be special ordered, and, again, I can't go on a trip without my cell phone.  So, I ended up with a phone that wasn't as good as the one I had before, keypad-wise, and it cost more. 

But I can't really go on a trip without a phone, right? 

Anyway, I have to get to packing.  And freaking out some more about leaving muh bay-bee.