Ellen's Packin' Up...

With a day and a half or so before I depart Lakewood, I dedicated today to getting serious about packing. Although packing is a chore that no one enjoys, it actually isn't going as painfully as I had anticipated.

First, I laid out all of the clothes that I liked on the dining room table. Then, I chose half of them to actually pack into my bag.

                                                      (There were more in the basement.)

I also had to make some difficult choices when it came to animals to bring. I really wanted to pack Custard, my beloved 2-and-a-half-foot caterpillar, but he was just too big.

           (Is it bad that I'm going to miss this stuffed animal more than I'll miss most of my friends?)

I also wanted to bring my light-up pillow pet, Luca, but he was also a bit large, so I purchased a tiny pillow pet that I named Half-Pint to take his place.

                         
                                     (It has just as bright of a light, too! Powerful little zebra.)



I think that the hardest part is that I have to leave my beloved books behind. There's no way that I can bring all seven of my first edition hardbound Harry Potter books across the ocean. Maybe I'll just have to check them out of the library every few weeks. You know, solely for Senior IS research.



Now that I'm basically packed up, I'm really starting to realize that this trip is real. I'm actually going across the ocean in a couple of days and I'm not coming back until it's nearly time for the Fourth of July. Not sure if I'm excited or terrified.

At least Princess Kate will be there to keep me company.

(Yes. I AM a 20-year old woman bringing a teddy bear in my carry-on. She's my friend, and  if working at camp has taught me anything, it's that you should always travel with a buddy.)