4 weeks and counting!

   

  E. and I have four weeks before we take off for Italy!  With all the brain drain that has gone on since our wonderful trip to Colorado in July, I am finally getting back into the excitement of a journey.  And this will be a journey.

    I am packing different than I normally do.  I won't have a big strong man to lift my luggage all the time.  After talking with my dear friend L. about how she and her hubby packed for their trip to Spain I decided to go her way.  I bought a Rick Steves Convertible bag that can be used as a carry on and a backpack.  I haven't done a backpack since I was on my honeymoon!  Thankfully this is a frameless backpack and has a decent waist belt to keep the weight off my neck and shoulders (please, hopefully...).  It can be carried from the top and the side as well.  Lots of zippered pockets and compartments too.

     I don't think of myself as an overpacker but I do want to pack as light as possible.  One weeks worth of clothes to last for our 16 days gone.  I have this mental list that keeps swirling in my head of what to bring and the list does keep changing.  I am trying to check the weather even though it is too far off to get a good idea of what the temperatures will be.  It should have cooled off enough that the temperatures should be in the 70's to 80's which is perfect for traveling. 

     Normally I would check luggage but that is not our plan and that opens up of how much liquids can I carry.  I don't wear makeup but I do have a fair amount of daily pampering that I use.  Somewhere in my careless dreamy travel state of mind I was thinking that I would get all these little containers that I saw at The Container Store and fill them with my daily lotions and such.   I bought some small prefilled bottles too like:

mouthwash (must have a fresh breath in the morning)
hairspray (must continue to keep some style to my flyaway hair)
eye cream (to smooth the potential lines that want to appear)
moisturizer with sunscreen (it helps me with the illusion that my freckles / age **** are fading every time I use it...it is a must to bring)
anti-bacterial lotion (bought a small bottle at Trader Joe's and added Lavender oil for fragrance.....germs begone!) 
foot cream (keeps my feet smooth and soft...all that walking is going to cause callouses).  
facial exfoliating wash (my face always feels so soft afterwards)

     Then I remembered that I have to bring a week's worth of my progesterone cream and thankfully they come in individual daily plastic pod containers (need to keep my hormones happy).  To round out my arsenal of products I have:

shampoo (two containers as I like to trade off on my shampoo)
volume conditioner and volume styling gel
bath shower liquid soap (found some of coconut and mango that smelled yummy....remembering the odd odors that come up the drains in Italian plumbing...trying to mask that so I can breath through my nose)

  Ha!  This should all fit in the bag...right?  Big brother has no idea that our last phone call made me realize that I can't bring a GALLON size I can only bring a QUART size!   He was talking to me of the 3  3  1 deal with TSA and I ended up going to their website and saying to myself "oh no".

     Process of elimination begins....first to go was the mouthwash.  Small tube of toothpaste has Scope in it.   No eyecream...I will have to use my daily moisturizer for that.  No progesterone cream...one more week without....okay I hope I maintain decent hormone levels

(EARTHQUAKE just happened....sorry...pause for heart to stop racing)

.......where was I?   Oh yes...hormones.  E. will have to deal with it and maybe I will be just fine and dandy  (smile!).  I need to get smaller containers for the stuff I NEED to bring.  Do you realize how small a quart bag is?  Really how is a woman to bring her essential items?  Everything will have to shrink in size....