Packing Patrol

I spent the night packing. Sure, we don't leave for 6 days, but I am a perpetual early packer. I make lists, with check boxes and everything. I like to feel like I have some time and space before we leave so if I suddenly remember something I forgot, I have plenty of time to remember that item. And sure, I probably feel some sense of control in it. I feel out of control in regards to most everything, so this tiny bit of control feels good.

And yes, packing for the Mid-West so early, has limited my current wardrobe. I never have a problem with t-shirts, I have too many to ever run out for a 5 day trip...or much longer, but it is everything else. Bras, gauchos/capri's, sleep shirts, etc. Yup, I may need them still, but I have them in a suitcase already. I'd rather scramble for outfits for the next 6 days, than pack at the last second. I sure hope the hotel has an iron because my Sunday clothes are going to look like crap! It will be weird to go to church in a different state. Except for that horrible experience living in Florida, I have only ever gone to church in CT. And except for not knowing a lot of people at the other wards, it still feels like church. Which it didn't in Florida, so we will see how church feels in the Mid-West.

Anyway, I even packed my carry-on. I had to unpack it after, because I will need to charge everything up before we go. I just wanted to make sure everything would fit. When all packed, and yes it fits, it is HEAVY. But I do not trust any of my precious electronics to checked baggage. I am bringing both my camera's and their cords, etc. I am bringing my Ipod and its' charger and headphones. I am bringing my Nintendo DS, it's charger and my games. And I am bringing the portable DVD player and a bunch of DVD's. I don't trust the luggage people, and music, movies and games are to divert my attention.

I don't travel well. In Planes or cars. Besides getting motion sickness sometimes, I get very claustraphobic. Even flying down to Florida, which is maybe 3 hours, I start to get panicky half way in. I feel trapped and like I am going to explode out of my skin. So last time Sandy made me play Super Mario Brothers and that distracted me until the last 30 minutes of the flight. SO I am arming myself, for this longer flight. I am not even sure WHEN we get there, I have never (well Iowa when I was a kid, but like kids notice) flown west so that there is a time change. Weird. And the trip home we have like 3 layovers, so I think we travel a total of 9 hours that day. I am hoping that the layover spots will have those stations where you can plug things in, so maybe I can charge our old dvd player, which only lives about 3 hours, so I can use it the whole way back. I didn't know airports even had stations like that until this last Florida trip. Our CT airport just recently got a few, but at this one airport, can't remember which state, they had them everywhere! Very cool, and handy.

So the trip is almost here. Scary. And I don't travel well at all. Great. The hotel looks sweet, even though it is a one room suite and I am sleeping on a couch bed. But the hotel is NEW. They are all new, these Cambria Suites, and there is 2 plasma tv's, a dvd player, a fridge, a microwave, a pool, etc. And everything looks so pretty. Brand NEW pretty. I love that! New means clean! So my germaphobic CSI-watching self can be a smidge less leary. They even have a 24 hour sundry shop with snacks and a Barista bar (don't know when that closes) that sells sandwiches and salads, it kind of looks like the ones in airports. LOL! And their restaurant serves Cheesecake Factory desserts! Forget dinners which will probably be pricey, get me some cheesecake with strawberry topping! Mmm. And I hope we get to go to the Mall Of America. There will be times when....all is quiet and there will be nothing much we can do, so I hope we get to go. I know we won't be doing the amusement park in the middle of it, but the unique shops, would be fun. I love to shop and it releives stress for me. And I am betting I will need that. So fingers crossed!