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| That feeling of not being in control. |
You know that you are old when what was a blazer becomes a sport coat.
UGH!
The husband and I have a wedding that we have to attend this winter season. We are friends of the family and we have to go. The problem is, it is being held nowhere near where we are, and nowhere we would ever want to go. So there will be flights - two in each direction. Then there is the hotel. Ugh.
The only good news is that we are flying First Class.
And First Class makes everything better.
We were given a suggested wardrobe list, but given that we are traveling hundreds of miles, to a city that we don't know in frigid conditions, we are traveling light - two carry-ons, period.
So the first thing to go was the idea of a suit of any kind. Two reasons, one the last time we needed a suit was when my mother in law died, and since then, eight years and a pandemic have happened. I love the bride and groom, but no, we aren't going to buy new suits for this.
So we cleared the sport coat idea with the bride's mother and got the green light on that.
But there is a problem - the stores have nothing in stock.
Nothing.
I take that back. I did find a sport coat for me, not the greatest, but it was in stock and it fit. It was also on sale. That's a win.
THEN we tried to find one for the husband. We bombed on that. Not one store had anything for him. And it isn't like the old days when you could out and find locally-owned men's stores. We did Banks and we did Men's Warehouse. Nothing.
I did find him a gorgeous coat that would have fit at Nordstrom. The problem is the price. Macy's nothing.
Husband has two fit challenges. First, he's tall. Secondly, we are no longer the lean young men we first met in college.
Banks - two stores - had two coats. Actually, one coat at two different stores. A lifeless light grey coat that looked more like a misplaced suit jacket than a blazer or sport coat. The material was poor, and it was uninspired.
So this weekend we strike out again. I sense bitter disappointment.
And in the end, this may be for naught.
With Omicron gathering steam and the airlines in a huge mess, and our inability to board our dogs, we may not be able to attend, realistically.
What we told the mother of the bride is that if it gets to the point where one of us is sick, or my doctor forbids me to fly because of my lungs (severe asthma against the potential damage of Omicron), or the husbands work demands that he be on duty, all of this will go out the window.
The good news is, we have had travel insurance. So if the plans fall through, we're covered 100% less the cost of the jackets, is covered.
And the good news for the bride's parents is that listened to me when they booked the venues and bought insurance that would cover cancelation IF the COVID Crisis forces the event to be postponed or canceled and a smaller wedding is called for at a different time.
The bad news is that a really sweet couple may not have the wedding the bride dreamed of. And she is a wonderful young woman. So we want all good things for them, and for her.
So send out positive vibes for the weekend. If we can find a jacket for the husband, then we only have to deal with the uncertainty of travel.
Ugh.
