Our adventures are usually hilarious when the unexpected often happening- once we’ve left home!
The last trip to Beverly Hills we took, Cindy lost her license and we were unable to fly back to DFW, I had to rent a car to drive us that barely got over 40mph after the first rental threw a rod before we left the lot at LAX. Bicycles could have passed us, we had to turn the air conditioner off or, we lost power going up hills-jeez.
Yes, I could write a book about things that we’ve overcome from here to Belgium on my travels and, they’ve always worked out, even when I had no luggage after being de boarded en route to Hawaii and my bags were sent back to DFW. I hit the thrift shops and found some crazy cool stuff that I added sarong styled cover ups and sandals with to create versatile outfits for 10 days and wore drug store make up- it was a little dark but hey, everything can’t be perfect ya all!
On a trip to LAX with my twin, the tiny Texas Twins and my aunt Shirley 5 years ago, Santa Anna winds kept us circling for two hours bouncing around the plane as if we were in a jungle gym, the twins loved it- my aunt was horrified!
By the time my aunt finally calmed down after praying for three hours- my rental Jeep Grand Cherokee was another hurdle for her to enter and exit, sorry guys, but I loved that rental! It was fun, everything fit and, it had an awesome stereo too.
Perhaps the nicest rental I’ve had yet was on our last trip to LA and, believe it or not, it was a Buick Envoy! I’ve always assumed that Buick was for senior citizens and, after years of modeling for Cadillac must tell you, I’m a tough sell on luxury vehicles but was so impressed by that SUV, it may be my next new car purchase.
The hilarious 24 hour road trip to get back to a parade I was a corporate sponsor of for TCGPWA, took us on “quite a ride” that included running out of gas in Arizona and the worst rest area I’ve ever seen. As usual, Cindy had me cracking up and singing 70s tunes all the way.
I’m the planner, sometimes the beginning stages of a trip for me take place two weeks prior to a departure. You see, I over prepare everything! It’s a problem I can’t relax about worrying if I have “just the right jacket or the perfect pair of boots, earrings and purses” to have at least 3 changes of clothes per day in the event I change my mind regarding an outfit and a fourth for dinner, I’ve always dressed for dinner.
Nobody knows this, but I’m the worrier! Will one of the twins get sick away from home? Will there be turbulence that upsets them? Will I have a flat on the way to the airport?
Everyone is amazed that I have the ability to pretty much dress anyone regardless of their size out of my closets- but, I can and I do, all the time!
Packing lightly is something I simply cannot bring myself to do when leaving home where everything I need or want is located in one of my seven closets. You see, after twenty some off years of modeling, I haven’t parted with anything I’ve collected through the years I’ve sold many furs and jewelry items to fund my businesses but kept key items I knew I’d never find again.
Thyroid cancer and medication altered my weight from time to time, so I would take these items to my tailor to add a “V” of additional fabric on each side of the waist to let them our and, after losing weight I would return to remove the “V” to return the items to their previous size.
Cindy, my twin is perhaps one of the most “fly by the seat of your pants traveller ” you will ever meet with regards to packing for herself. However, the tiny Texas Twins, Maryssa and Makenna Mahaney have perfectly coordinated headbands, leggings, tutus and other accessories that took more luggage space than she and I put together!
Traveling with twins requires an SUV, preferably with a cargo rack on top to hold our ever present assortment of luggage. We travel with my luggage because I can’t stand a mismatched cargo of travel accessories. For me, the luggage should be coordinated too which pains my husband to no end when traveling with me. Everything is an accessory from the outfit to the purse to the luggage, I can’t help it, I know it sounds crazy but haphazard mismatched items drive me crazy.
This evening after going over numerous details , texts and phone calls with my sister, Cindy came to our house with 3 duffel bags that I sorted through then folded and organized into my luggage. Arriving to your destination with wrinkled clothing certainly doesn’t get your trip off to a very good start ( in my opinion).
Clothing to me is like good music, if the fabric flows and makes you feel happy- wear it! Throw in a few ironic and unexpected items to “jazz up ” basic everyday staples and then add the jewelry, the shoes ( if you’re from Texas, several pairs of boots) and coordinating purses along with your evening bags ( I always pack a gold, silver, and black to cover all my bases).
Ensuring that I have band aids, hairbrushes, hairpieces and essential medications ( thyroid, vitamins, allergy pills, wrinkle creams and the like) I them get baggies to mark and organize these items into separate carry ons along with my jewelry and make up.
Evening clothes are always hung with casual clothing folded to save space and shoes or boots bagged to prevent damage along with evening purses.
Cindy has no idea why after pulling clothing for over a week for our trip to Beverly Hills on Tuesday, it takes me three hours to pack these items and carefully wrap the sequin evening clutches and kitten heel sandals separately from my boots so they aren’t scuffed by rubbing against each other or another item in my luggage.
After accomplishing this arduous task, I ask my sister who is playing on her phone where the tiny Texas Twins shoes are- they aren’t! She forgot them, I quickly make yet another list for myself and a copy for my sister to ensure we remember to get them from get home tomorrow.
Normally, I carefully craft an itinerary which my sister hates because scheduling feels like “work.” However, scheduling keeps everyone at a pace to ensure we go everywhere that I have planned after calculating driving time, along with essential prep time believe me, at our age we need to have a minimum of 20 minutes to drink coffee prior to waking the girls.
I cannot fix their hair to my sisters high standards- for ten years I have tried with no success. Their hair is hip length and any suggestion for a trim is met with an evil eye directed at me.
How do I overcome my anxiety of missing or forgetting something? By writing to you my dear and loyal readers to admit my flaws! I strive for perfection but, truth be told when we awaken Tuesday morning to prepare for Dfw it’s a guarantee that the “crazy train” will be flashing an all aboard sign as usual.
For these reasons, I have decided that perhaps it’s best if I continue my ardent role of matriarch and attempt to have order amongst chaos by pre planning and verifying hotel reservations for the SUV, Ritz Carlton in Marina Del Ray, and finding a lovely restaurant to take my sister Tamara and her fiancé for dinner with our rowdy and high strung bunch.
The twins are looking forward to another visit to Cali and Disneyland, and at the holiday season I’m certain the park will be beautiful. I’m hoping the rain ends soon and doesn’t dampen the trip but, one can only hope.
I’m bring our emergency “kit of tricks” should a blister, stomach ache or other issue should arise and plan to double check the twins backpacks for sugary pirated snacks to ensure they aren’t high strung from carbohydrates on the plane.
I’m certain parents everywhere go through the sane worried of forgetting or failing to plan for something they overlooked. Thank God we no longer have to deal with security and double strollers!
On a lighter note, I’ve decided to give up my matchmaking attempts due to the outrageous incidents I’ve been struggling to not laugh while ardently listening to from the unhappy couple.
Oh for those days prior to my niece Leigh Ann’s wedding when her horrific dating stories kept Cindy and I laughing for hours on end… The boy who asked if she was hungry and took his gum out to hand to her, the one that decided watching ducks rather than going to the movies was a far better plan on a rainy Fort Worth night, or the time she called us to pick her up on camp Bowie horrified that her date had run out of gas!
My latest “perfect couple” or, so I had thought couldn’t even tolerate an hour with each other? What the heck, back to the drawing board my darlings!
Comments by Wendy Wortham