hello sunshine

Packing is a fine art. I am a notorious overpacker. I like to think of this as being somewhat of an overachiever, but maybe its really more of being an optimist, or a boy scout. I mean, I am prepared for any fashion emergency, right? I have made many trips this past year to visit my parents, and I almost always hear "Don't bring too much, Lisa", when I announce my impending arrival. Yes, I know this is a deserved reputation. I have actually now almost always underpacked and it is an irritating experience. More irritating than injuring yourself lugging a heavy suitcase or crossing your fingers when heaving the bag onto the weight machine at the airport check in. I am going back to what I am good at.
I have read countless articles on how to pack for a trip, written by glamazons that zip off to Capri or Paris, jabbering about making sure to pack that "new Pucci bikini in all colors" (um, ok...I do have a Pucci scarf....) and yet I have retained almost none that I have read. I do know you are suppose to pack with a color theme in mind, say, black and grey with some white, but its hard to do. My friend Lindsay went to Paris and brought one pair of lovely black boots and that is it for the whole time she was there, plus a tiny suitcase. I admired her and yet I knew I would never be that girl. I like choices. On my trip to Paris last year I did have maybe three pairs of shoes, which I thought was excellent, but also brought an extra almost completely empty suitcase for shopping. Well, I was prepared at least.
Packing your suitcase is a very personal thing. I found this out after my husband and I started out in our marriage sharing a suitcase for trips. This always ended badly because I would change my mind and decided to hunt for the top that was inevitably in the bottom of the suitcase. My normally mild mannered husband was not mild mannered after several of those scenarios and we moved to separate suitcases and a more blissful start to our vacations.
Today I packed for a weekend in Palm Springs, which could not be more different weather wise right now than Seattle. I chose a theme of yellow, turquoise and grey. With some white. And, well, I am close anyway. I did follow the instructions for using accessories to help an outfit change from day to night. I tried everything on, edited out a few items and most importantly, brought a change of clothes and bikini in my carry on bag. Having had my lovingly packed suitcase go AWOL on me a couple girls trips ago, I know now to have an emergency kit with me, and by that I mean clean underwear tucked in with the lipgloss and wallet. I am ready to go--with room to spare. Sunshine, here I come.