What to pack...

Today I leave to go back to Southern California for 11 glorious days. I’m soooo excited. Originally I was only going to be in and out and stay just long enough to spend Christmas with my family and friends but I chucked that idea and decided that it would do me some good to be around the people I love for just a little longer. I plan on fitting in as much as I possibly can during this week and a half. There are Christmas parties to attend, holiday family get-togethers, lunches and happy hours with friends to play catch up, a date or two, new year’s eve festivities, and perhaps a bit of training if I find the time. :)

Of course, packing has been a beast. Part of it is my fault, I know. I’m just no good at it and even though I’ve definitely got better over the years, I still would not make Martha Stewart proud. I’m not sure that she directly relates to packing, I just imagine her being able to fit a weeklong trip into a carryon with all the right mix-and-match pieces for every possible occasion. A person like myself travels to Chicago for four days and has an overweight bag. That’s right…64 pounds of just in case outfits and a $50 charge to remind me of my excessiveness. Luckily for me, you are able to flirt your way out of those charges the same way you do parking tickets. In my defense however, cold weather is not something I am accustomed to so I kinda just pack every warm thing I have.

For this trip I had to allocate one huge suitcase to gifts which made me realize that I really just need to go the gift card route when I am coming from out of town. My other huge roller bag is stuffed to the brim and even so, I had to cut out items that I really wanted to bring and I just know I am going to face disappointment when I go out to dinner and don’t have the top I want to wear. I had to stick to a basic color scheme and only bring shoes that are very versatile which was a bummer since I have these fabulous boots I’ve worn once that I bought right before I left L.A. Seeing as how there is never a need to look cute in Tucson, they really need to travel with me but there simply wasn’t enough room to take them this time.

And of course, since I will be in L.A. I will probably just go shopping. I have this stupid habit of trying on most of the outfits I bring with me before I pack them…as if these aren’t my clothes and I don’t know how they look on me. And yet still I find a way to feel like the outfit is totally wrong when I go to wear it. I am not crazy about the outfit I packed for New Years and by the time the 31st rolls around I am sure there will be ample time to find something way more glamorous. And if the outfit doesn’t go with the black heels I brought, well… a girl can never have too many shoes!