Packing Prep

Tomorrow, I am leaving for a girls trip to New York.  Yippppeeeeee!  This is my one week of freedom from any type of treatment or appointments (well, almost. I’m getting my port-a-cath removed on Friday morning).

Truth be told, I am as excited as I am anxious about it.  The anxiety came out of the blue and knocked my socks off. I’m not an anxious person by nature, so to feel anxious was not only awkward, but also new and unique.

Why anxious, you ask?  Well, because this is the first big trip in oh, about 7 months.  A lot has gone on in the last 7 months. Obviously. I’m mentally and physically weak and the thought of getting myself from here to there and back (with a lot of logistics in between) is a little daunting.

Turns out that breaking out of Isolation Island is not as easy as I imagined it to be.  However, I’m buoyed by the fact that I’m also super excited about this trip and am confident that once I’m on the plane, I’ll be happy as a clam.

Even when I am healthy, I am a notoriously bad packer.  I always forget something, usually a toothbrush. The HOTY now carries an extra one for me, which is yet another endearing quality of his. (He’s not coming on this trip though!)

On one trip to Los Angeles, I was so proud of myself for packing everything that I knew I was going to need (including a dress for a black tie event).  When we got to our hotel, however, I realized that though I packed everything, I forgot the suitcase. At home.  Brilliant, I know.

So in preparation for this trip, I decided to make a comprehensive packing list that I could use not only today in my packing, but for future trips.

Toilette Supplies

• Revitalash, Revitabrow and Rogaine  (I don’t want to miss a single day of potential eyelash, eyebrow and hair growth!)
• Toothbrush
• Toothpaste
• Deodorant
• Zit cream (Because my skin breaks out at the drop of a hat. I look like a 14 year-old adolescent.)
• Neosporin (I have always put Neosporin around my eyes and nose when I travel because those are the top sites through which airport and plane yuck can enter the body.  My eyes and nose are especially sensitive now because there is no hair to serve as a bug buffer.  So tomorrow it is especially important to use neosporin.)
• Makeup (though I’m not wearing much these days.)
• Clarisonic
• Travel size facial cleanser
• Travel size face lotion

Closet/Clothes

In planning what clothes to pack, I consider two things:

• The events and meetings on the trip:
  • This week, I have a bunch of fun meetings all over town, beginning with breakfasts and ending with dinners.
  • Additionally, I have one super fun and chic fashion party (planning my outfit for THIS is intimidating!).
  • I plan to be comfortable by day and uncomfortable by night. Comfort, for me, is determined by the height of my shoe heel. So, for this trip, I have one pair of low heels (for the daytime) and one pair of high heels (for the evening).
  • One standing packing policy is that I never leave home for an overnight trip without a pair of jeans, black cardigan and white shirt.

• The weather
  • Since it’s going to rain and be both warm and cool, I will bring a trench coat and layers.

A couple of other items that are new additions to the packing list courtesy of FBC:

• Lymph edema sleeve and glove. I’ll do a separate blog post on these items.
• Scarves. In packing today, I started with the two scarves I’m bringing and assembled my outfits around them.
• Cashmere skullcap (Finally Five fondly refer to it as my “Thinking Cap”)

Jewelry: because I tend to lose so much (including Finally Five last week, though she was recovered very quickly!), I am not taking more jewelry than I am wearing.

Other Miscellaneous Items:

• Exercise clothes
• Running shoes and socks
• Pajama’s and cozy night time socks
• Undies

Technology

• MacBook Pro
• Camera
• iPhone
• Chargers and camera cord

Paperwork

• Book for bookclub (Half the Sky)
• Paperwork to read
• Plane Itinerary
• Trip Itinerary
• Journal

Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.

~Seneca