Pictures of the Queen!

Like everyone else I'm getting ready for the trip. I bought new luggage a couple of weeks ago but today was my big day to run around. I bought more elastic for my music folder (too darn much music!). I bought another pair of black pants for our informal concerts -- God was looking out for me because I'd bought a pair at Costco a couple of weeks ago, and when I went back today I couldn't find ANY until at the last minute I found a pile of Dockers that had no price label over them at all (like they were left over) and right on top was the only pair of black ones, and in my size! Whew!

I also bought a current adapter and a charger for my iPod Shuffle. The charger claims to accept 110 or 240V and 50/60HZ, so I bought an adapter and not a converter. I guess I'll find out if the charger folks are lying or not! I also got another memory stick for my camera so I can trade them out.

I stopped at the bank and got 60 euros and 60 pounds. I'd forgotten how pretty European money is... a little too pretty. It tends to look like Monopoly money to me and it's a little too easy to forget it's not! The euros are not too good looking, but the English notes are. I've got pictures of the Queen! :-)

The Joys of Packing

I remember back almost a year and a half ago now when Eliot and I moved to Ireland for a year, and I did all the packing for it. Four suitcases and two carry-on bags laid around me in a giant circle while I sorted through all our "must-haves" and "really-wants." I will never forget what it felt like to drag all 280lbs of our stuff all the way to Ireland and back... I remember it so well, in fact, that this time we are only taking one small suitcase between us!


(This is me, packing for our move to Ireland)

So now I am sitting in my circle again, trying to figure out how I will get 2 1/2 weeks worth of stuff into one backpack and half a suitcase. "Must-haves" are now things like prescription medication and my passport instead of Friends DVDs and my hairdryer. My how my perspective has changed on how to travel!

Now if only I didn't need all this darn music... :-)