T-14…HOURS. :D

Posted on December 19, 2008

It’s 6am the morning of my trip and though I’ve forsaken sleep I’ve slipped into a happy, calm excitement, for once less the child on Christmas morn than the adult, pleased with Santa’s preparations. I have no doubt that child-like glee (which was present in spades only 24 hours ago when I woke up and all I wanted to do was clean and pack - which I procrastinated on until last night, go me!) will return very shortly.

There’s something exciting about making as many preparations as one can so that the event itself can be enjoyed. I still have a few things to order, like ground transportation while I’m there, but I think I’ve covered as much of the others as I can for now. I feel good about that, and will really try to get to a stride where I can hopefully just roll with whatever happens. I think that’s the ideal as a traveler - do what you can, go with the flow for the rest. We’ll see if I can get there.

Packing was a challenge. I wanted to pack as light as possible, but while it’ll be 70 here today it should be a high of 47 and rainy when I land, with highs in the 40s and 50s all week. Next week it could easily drop down into the 30s unexpectedly, so I’ve had to bring layers. And packing light for 15 days isn’t exactly easy. lol My suitcase is pushing the 50 pound limit - but at least I only have one. I’ll weigh it once it’s complete and see if anything needs to go. I’m sure 20 pounds of that is socks. I’m a firm believer that if you can keep your feet warm and dry, you can pretty much take care of anything else. I think the Army and Marines agree with me on that one. Learn from the best, right?

14 and a half hours!