The List

Chicago is four days away!! Now that the countdown can be done on one hand, I'm finally getting down to business figuring out all that I need to do in the next few days before I leave.

I don't know about you, but if something is too far out, even by a week, I have a really hard time motivating myself to start checking things off the to-do list. I won't even have a list established. Sure, I'll think about things - "I need to do this" and "don't forget to do that" - but I don't act on any of it until the running-out-of-time-pressure starts to mount. I'm not sure how well this will serve me when I'm planning a wedding someday... the thought of planning a wedding for a year or more overwhelms me... I'll be tickled pink if I can get 'er done in a handful of months (I've known people who have done this and have had beautiful weddings, so I know it's possible)...

But I digress...

There are errands to run, things to buy, apartment things to straighten out, laundry to do... All of these have their own sub-list.

I started compiling my packing list a few days ago, and it's steadily growing. I must have lists. I'm a list girl. I cannot function at the grocery store without a list, even for a quick trip. And I know that if I try to pack for an entire month away without establishing some kind of organized process (via The List), packing will be a nightmare. Of epic proportions.

My goal is to find the fine balance between packing enough but not too much. Yes I want to be cute and I have to leave room for my shopping spoils (look out H&M, a Colorado girl starved for H&M is heading your way), but I also hate overpacking. I learned from my last trip to NYC how much it sucks navigating the airport and subway and buses with too much crap. I remember trying to maneuver myself and my luggage into a corner on the hot, stuffy M60 while the bus was moving (a small-scale circus act) and the bus driver screamed at us all (nerve-wracking) to keep the aisles clear. OMG. I want to be the stylish-and-cute-but-efficient-and-low-maintenance kind of traveler. I'm still learning how to do this.

What outfits do I pack? How can I mix and match? Which shoes do I bring and which do I leave? Do I bring my seashell bikini or my cherry-print one? What hair and body stuff do I bring, and what do I just buy there since I'll be there a month? Since this trip is more than just a fun vacation, I also have to think about all my dance gear, including the rehab goods - athletic tape, Epsom salts, band aids, heating pads, ice packs, massage balls and rollers...

So...
Dance gear
Dance rehab gear
Night on the town gear
Day at the beach gear
Day at a Cubs game gear
Exploring Chicago in heat and humidity gear
What else, what else??

Seriously, this is overwhelming. Must consult The List!