Matt and I leave for Iceland in two days, and I just received an email from our dogsledding company (because, you know, why not go dogsledding on a glacier while in Iceland?) saying that, due to the heat, the glacier base camp has closed for the season. They are now only offering dogsledding tours in the lowlands, which translates to \u201cdogs pull you along farmland on a wheelie cart.\u201d I\u2019m sure that would still be fun, but the basecamp isn\u2019t located anywhere near where our (non-refundable) lodging is. Besides, it\u2019s pretty pricey to do something I used to do with my own dogs when I was a kid. So\u2026 yikes.<\/p>\n
My initial (and crushing) disappointment, however, only lasted a moment because that\u2019s all the time I have to give that particular feeling.<\/i> The problem with leaving for Iceland in two days is that I have no time to be sad \u2014 I only have time to plan.<\/p>\n
All I can say is that it\u2019s a good thing Matt and I planned our wedding in just four months last summer\u2014the \u201cSHIT SHIT SHIT!\u201d method of planning is old hat by now.<\/p>\n
So here\u2019s how this played out over my lunch \u2014 right after global warming ruined my life:<\/p>\n
Step 1: Email the people we\u2019re lodging with. \u201cHELP! WHAT IS THERE TO DO IN YOUR AREA?\u201d Realize that their offices are closed and we will not hear back for at least 16 hours. Realize that we do not have time for these shenanigans.<\/p>\n
Step 2: \u00a0Go to the Internet!<\/p>\n
Step 3: Find a bunch of stuff that seems like it might work but be sold on nothing<\/p>\n
Step 4: Lament again that nothing is as cool as dogsledding on a glacier.<\/p>\n
Step 5: Tell myself we will go to Sweden in a few years and pledge to go dogsledding there. Or in northern Minnesota sometime because, you know, we live there and this is not our only adventure. Look on the bright side and realize we no longer have to worry about packing wool socks. Try to maintain a stiff upper lip because you do not have time for melancholy, madam.<\/i><\/p>\n
Step 5: Remember that OMG, I HAVE A FRIEND WHO WORKS AT A TRAVEL COMPANY SPECIALIZING IN ICELAND STUFF! Call her immediately and learn all sorts of stuff:<\/p>\n
Step 6: Exhale.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
So the moral of the story here is that we haven\u2019t even left the country yet and our carefully laid plans are already falling apart. But the second moral is that we\u2019ll adjust with relatively small amounts of panic. Because it\u2019s really the only option we have. I find that oddly comforting.<\/p>\n