Brandon Prepares to Conquer Canada, Part I

 Our trip to Canada is in the beginning of October. Next week is September. So, it's a lot closer than it seems. As such, we (mainly me) have been doing everything possible to start preparing for it now, because I know once I get bogged down with work stresses again on a daily basis, finding the energy to do so during the brief few days I'm off every week will prove to be an almost insurmountable task.

And, to be fair, there are a lot more preparations necessary for international travel. When we go to Canada, it's not just a "throw some clothes and vapes into my backpack and wing it" experience -- there are so very many factors to consider and plan for, such as the rental car, hotel accommodations (because after all, in Canada, we're not staying with my parents) for two different cities, planning international flights, planning for contingencies like luggage getting lost on international flights, exchanging currency, making sure we take clothing for all possible weather situations, etc. It's so much more work and planning than it is to just fly to North Carolina to visit my parents.

Adding to this, we're not just going for a pleasure trip this time around -- this trip is specifically to see some family briefly and then attend Daisy's cousin's wedding the day before we fly home. PTO is tight for both of us because we just returned from North Carolina -- I have zero wiggle room left after applying my PTO last night upon my return to work. We'll get back into Omaha on a Sunday night (and it hurts that I had to burn the PTO for that day, as I won't get home for hours after I'd have to start work) and both of us immediately return to work the next day with no breathing space or recovery time. 

But, it's still an international trip, so normal international trip preparations must be made in addition to preparation for a wedding we'll be attending.

As an aside, on average I attend about one wedding a year. Again, average. Most times it's not an incredibly formal affair (I don't think this one will be either), but I still try to make myself look nice, if not incredibly presentable. I owe that to the folks getting married. The problem is, well, I don't really have any "dressy" clothing. I have two sport coats -- one I got married in and the other I tend to wear to weddings, but as I've lost so much weight it looks like a tent on me now. I have maybe four pairs of dressy slacks in a few assorted colors, and I look weird in them when I wear them. I have two pairs of incredibly uncomfortable dress shoes that I can't wear for long periods of time or my feet will hurt for days (actually, I'll probably donate those soon). Everything else in my closet is jeans/sweatpants, t-shirts, shorts, hoodies, and flip-flops. I don't leave the house anymore unless I have to, and as formal dress opportunities are once a year on average, aside from those things my wardrobe has been pared down considerably over the course of the past few years since the pandemic. 

I also find it hard to pack for Canada in October. In October, it could be crazy cold below freezing every day/night, or they could be having an Indian Summer™ and it could be in the 60s and 70s every day. When we were there in May a couple of years ago, it was like this too -- below freezing in the mornings and still spring-brisk in the daytime/afternoon hours. I think it hit 70 for the first time one of the last days we were there. So I mean, we kind of have to consider both types of weather because in Atlantic Canada anything and everything can exist in the same day -- I've seen it. 

Space is at a premium too -- as I've written here before, when we travel, we tend to shop and update our wardrobes considerably. Canadian Walmarts are amazing and other chains up there like Giant Tiger are great too. They carry clothing in fat-people sizes and are wildly affordable, especially with the exchange rate being what it is. Let's check on that for a second, shall we?

Yeah, that's about average. Basically, look at it this way -- in Canada, our money goes 39% farther.

But because we know we will be getting new clothing in Canada, it generally shapes what we take with us because, after all, we have to save space in our luggage. Suitcases have a max weight limit of 50 pounds for checked baggage -- and both of us tend to come reaaaaally close to that on return trips from Canada. But, also, like... why would I pack a hoodie, for example, if I know I'll get at least one new one while in Canada? Same goes for a lot of other clothing too. I don't know if there's a trip to Canada we've made where I didn't come back with at least one (last time, it was three) new hoodies. So, it's hard to plan for. What if we go up there and don't find anything new? Etc. 

I have preliminarily started packing my suitcase; there are other things that will go into it and things that I'll end up taking out of it. Mable was not amused:

So far, I have a couple pairs of sweatpants, some jeans, a zipper hoodie, a pullover hoodie, some t-shirts, and my cosmetics case/bag (see the far right of the photo). Where Mable is sitting, I'll zipper in the sport coat and other clothing specifically for the wedding to keep it separate. I also have to take a lint roller, because cats. 

Almost all of the clothing currently pictured in that suitcase will likely change between now and the trip. This is just a "dry run," so to speak, to figure out what I really need and how much space I really have to work with. 

Because of the dress shoes situation I mentioned earlier, I looked up and purchased a nice pair of black slip-on Skechers dressy-ish shoes this afternoon on Amazon. They'll likely be my main shoes when I'm traveling this time around; they would work both in casual as well as formal or semi-formal applications:

Good enough, right? Can wear 'em with normal pants as well as with dress pants and they won't stand out too much either way.

Mind you, I don't need more shoes, lord knows I have enough. But I have to be able to wear something comfortable and easy when traveling, and my other slip-on shoes are either Hey Dudes (too casual) or are tan/white, which do not go with the black/gray ensemble I'm wearing for the wedding. My other choices are Chuck Taylors with flames on them (which, incidentally, I wore to the last wedding I attended) or...flip flops.

Yeah, again, I'm not a dressy guy.

Daisy's cousin, who is an amazing person (her husband-to-be is too, by the way) would likely find it quite amusing that I'm stressing even this much about what shoes to wear to her wedding. But honestly I want to show up, I want my wife to be proud to be seen with me. I want to look good. 

I showed my wife the planned outfits when she came into my office on her break, and her response was "you know this is a really casual affair, right?"

Yes, yes I do.

I then folded up my jacket and dressy pants, and tossed a nice v-neck into the suitcase and zipped it up. Wedding outfit: done. 

I am excited, if you couldn't tell; I adore Canada. There's nowhere else on the planet I'd rather go, and when I'm there, there's nowhere else on the planet I'd rather be. Canada -- especially Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia -- feels so much like home to me. It just feels right, it feels safe there, and even though I'm an American, everything and every place feels like I am welcomed with open arms -- come to us, West Virginia boy, bathe in our maple syrup and Timmies, eat of our bountiful poutine, and listen to the soothing sounds of Gordon Lightfoot, Rush, and The Tragically Hip. I may be an outsider, but I never feel like one when I'm there. Ever.