A blog by Lori Lyons

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Trippin'

All my bags are packed,
I'm ready to go.
But before I leave,
I'm sure I'll pack some mo'.



For the record, I am not a high-maintenance woman.

I can get showered, blow-dried, made up and styled in under an hour.  I rarely, if ever, leave my husband waiting at the door when we have somewhere to go.

In fact, I'm usually the one with my hand hanging on the door knob, waiting for him. First to arrive from whatever game he's playing. And then, well, let's just say his mother trained him well to go before he goes -- even if he just went.

The hardest part for me usually is figuring out what to wear.  I have been known to change outfits a dozen times before walking out of my you-would-be-jealous-if-you-saw-it walk-in closet. I do much better in June, July and August, however, because that you-would-be-jealous-if-you-saw-it-walk-in closet is not air-conditioned and could very well double as a walk-in-closet/sauna at times. Sometimes I must hurry, else I have to shower all over again.


But give me a ticket for an airplane or a fast train or a little weekend car trip and make me choose some things to take out of the you-would-be-jealous-if-you-saw-it- walk-in closet to a tiny hotel room far away and I lose it.

I become one of those women. 


The inner me.


I overpack.

Tomorrow morning I leave for a four-day trip to Natchitoches, Louisiana, for the annual Louisiana Sports Writers Convention and Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame Induction ceremony. I am the president of the association and I will be up on a giant stage Saturday night handing out plaques and awards to a very distinguished group of legendary Louisiana sports figures. I have purchased a very nice new dress for the occasion.

But there are other events and other days.

So, tomorrow morning I will leave with (as of this moment) four bags, a garment bag (for the new dress) and a tackle, er, make-up box. I am bringing  six dresses, four pairs of shoes, four bras and seven pairs of underwear. For a four-day trip.

(My husband, incidentally, is driving up another day. In another car. He'll throw some underwear and socks in a bat bag and be done with it. The bastard.)

Yes, I know you are asking why. So am I.

Is it because I have trouble making decisions? Do I have commitment issues? Am I just a little OCD? Or am I just a woman?

Yes. To all of the above.

I can't stand the idea that I might get there, wherever I am, and need/want/have-to-have something I left behind. Even though I know perfectly well that there are Walmarts in virtually every town in this country. Even though I know I have six dresses packed. What if I want the other one?

I say, pack them all.

Just as I said last November, "Let's just drive to Disney World so I can pack whatever I want."  And we did.

Crazy. I know.

But I can't help it. I'm a Girl Scout mom. Always be prepared, I say.

But I'm also the silly woman who decided to leave the packing for her honeymoon until after the wedding. After the, oh, half a dozen glasses of wine and champagne. On an empty stomach.

So, hours after I said "I Do," I went off to my romantic honeymoon in Point Clear, Alabama, with nine pairs of socks and not much else. In December.

New husband must have been happy, you say with a wink and a nudge? Yeah, until he had to take me shopping for a whole new wardrobe. With a hangover.

Better to be prepared, I say.


This post has been submitted to Lovelinks #12.
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15 comments:

  1. This is JUST like me! I packed last night for a three-day trip to Houston. Two dresses, a skirt and top, four pairs of shorts and Lord-knows-how-many tops, two swimsuits and five pairs of sandals. When I thought to myself, you know, you overdid it again, all I could remove was one pair of shorts and one top. And you know what? I'm ok with that.

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  2. Ha!! So glad I'm not alone... I'm learning to be OK with it... But boy, you should see my car when we evacuate!

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  3. Putting up my hand to say "me too". What if it's hot, what if it's cold, what if I need to be more dressy, what about casual nights, what if I get something dirty, wet, lost? Always end up coming back with things I didn't wear but at least my brain is happy. Hope the trip went well, think I'll follow on to see what happens...

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  4. My husband is happy throwing wrinkled clothes in a plastic bag and wearing the same jeans 5 days straight (ew). I pack three sets of everything per day of vacation. You never know when ou are gonna get covered in paint/mudd/rain or when things will get ripped/town/lost. You always have to have a backup(or two)!

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  5. Dontcha just hate that? I, of course, went shopping for even more clothes while on my trip -- giving myself even more choices! At least I have a big car...

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  6. I usually pack too much, leave it for a day, come back and throw half out. I end up not even wearing the stuff that does make it to the trip. Having said that, I do ensure I have matching bags, shoes, accessories lol.

    My husband chucks a couple of things in a bag and calls it packed - what?

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  7. For my first trip to Europe about 10 years ago, I packed a jumbo large suitcase and had a carry on bag as well. I really didn't know that hotels in Europe have tiny rooms with no room for that kind of luggage. Nor did I realize I'd be lugging around these things to catch trains, to run for airplanes, etc. Now when I go, there is one small bag and a carry on. Yes, even for 3 weeks. It can be done and it's the only solution. If you need something, go buy it! Love this post!

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  8. So glad to learn that I'm not alone in this... I didn't even mention the fact that I also have to pack for my 10-year-old daughter. Or try. Somehow we forgot to pack her underwear for this trip...And yes. Men have it waaayy too easy.

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  9. I just got back from a trip where I didn't pack much and felt like a schlub the whole time. Somehow looking schlubby at home doesn't bother me but looking schlubby in front of people I don't know and will never meet does. Why is that?

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  10. Funny. I packed all those clothes and I STILL felt like a schlub. Why is that?

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  11. You're a woman. I tend to overpack too so that I don't go,"argh, should have packed that one!" Visiting fr lovelinks - i never win too!

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  12. I only thought I packed too much... then I saw my stepdaughter's wardrobe... She actually brought more shoes than clothes, I think. And she's a size 2 so her clothes took up a lot less room too.

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  13. I often have to travel for business on quick three to four day trips. I go into agonies about what to bring, just to go out to eat dinner at the end of the day. But in the end I have one suitcase down to a science.

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  14. Oh! You should write a book! "Packing for the Rest of you Dummies!" My next blog post might very well be titled, "How did all those clothes get in my suitcase and do I now have to wash them."

    Thanks for writing!

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  15. I am a classic over packer. One time I decided I was going to pack only what I needed and ended up forgetting shoes, underwear and several other essential cannont-be-purchased-anywhere items. Since that ill-fated trip, I always pack at least twice the number of clothes I will need.

    (visiting from lovelinks!)

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