The Final Details

Packing, (insert sigh of disgust), sucks.

It is amazing all the details that have to go into a venture such as this. First I had all the paperwork and testing to do for the travel agency, along with a drug test at a sketchy facility on the northside of La Crosse that didn't even have real walls. Try peeing in a cup when there are people standing just on the other side of a temorary wall, yeah, not so easy.

All of that was a piece of cake compared to the packing. Just remembering the items you need for a week long vacation is hard enough, let alone 13 weeks away from everything you're used to in your own home. Clothes were easy. Toiletries, medications, and cleaning supplies, no problem. The issue arose as I stood in my kitchen evaluating my cupboards. What do I need? What can I live without? In my mind, being an avid cook, I could not survive without each an every spatula, bowl, whisk, and wooden spoon in my kitchen. So, the weeding out process began. My car can only hold so much. Now, it all sits in boxes and luggage, waiting to be skillfully packed into my Equinox. Hope it all fits, or its back to the drawing board!

I will say that this dreaded packing has been the best distraction on my last day in Wisconsin. If I allow myself the time to think about leaving, my stomach starts doing that nervous flip-flop. So, before I start dwelling on my departure, I'd best get the car loaded!