leafing through

This time next week, I will be aboard a plane, headed to Madrid, en route to Paris, France!!  Heee!  Just thinking about it has me giddy with excitement.  This trip has been planned and booked since December but it always seemed like such a distant event that I never gave it much thought.  I mean yeah, I want to visit the Louvre and see the Eiffel Tower but it wouldn’t be for months.  Well, the months have passed and in one week, I’ll be in Europe.  Paris, Venice, and Rome.

Last night, I started packing.  I gathered some basic essentials and threw them into my suitcase.  Already I have too many things, tops, shorts, blouses, dresses.  Plus, just checking the weather, it looks like I packed for the wrong season.  It’s going to be in the 50s to low 70s.  Warm, but not hot.  Perfect walking weather.  I am ready for this vacation… just as soon as I gather:

• 1 jacket
• 1 sweater
• 1 skirt
• 3 pants (2 jeans+1 stretchy pants!)
• 2 dresses (1 sweater to go over it if the evening is cool)
• 1 pair of heels + stockings
• 1 pair of sandals
• 1 set of sleepwear
• 3 layerable long sleeve tops
• 1 button down shirt
• 5 t-shirts, maybe 4 if I need to lighten the load
• PASSPORT!!!
• photocopy of passport kept separately
• 2 sets of contact lenses + solution
• sunglasses
• 1 extra pair of glasses
• hand sanitizer
• sunblock
• hair clips, headband, hair bands
• comb and frizz cream
• jewelry bag with a few necklaces, rings, earrings
• camera charger and extra memory cards
• Gorillapod
• CAMERA!!
• gum
• face moisturizers and facial products
• makeup and makeup remover
• dental hygiene necessities
• Europe travel book
• mini notebook
• printouts of online tourist itineraries
• allergy pills
• Pepto pills
• cortisone cream
• travel money belt