A Very Lucky Girl

Packing for an entire semester in Scotland is one of the hardest voyages I've ever packed for. I pride myself on being a relatively light packer...but I needed chastising for what I was trying to fit into the limitations of my one checked luggage and one carry on.  My original plan included seven pairs of shoes. One of those would have been on my feet on the plane...but that left six pairs of shoes within the confines of my baggage. I'm crazy.  I skimmed it down to five. One pair of brown riding boots (these will be on my feet), my Sperrys, black flats, black combat boots, and my Nikes tucked into my backpack. Oh, and a partridge in a pear tree.  From there I focused on what clothing essentials I NEEDED. My friend Tracy, who has done this all before, reminded me to pack what I find myself wearing most often in America. I'm not going to suddenly become a daring fashionista solely because my natural habitat has changed.  I don't need to bring every pair of underwea...

My Mimi helped me with the overwhelming task of cleaning out my room over Christmas break. Everything is better with a friend. Especially one that reminds you that you really don't NEED that high school cross country sweatshirt. I kept the St. David's one and goodwilled the Heritage Hall option. #compromise.  Other treasures unearthed in my boudoir: 3 pairs of tiny skinny jeans. Like size zero itty-bitty. Like they fit me when I was 98 pounds. I hung onto them previously because I was dreaming of fitting into them again. It's not going to happen. Goodbye skinny love. An abundance of china figurines that hadn't been taken out of the box since the move from Texas to Oklahoma. That was almost 4 years ago.  Various cross country and track memorabilia, plus my letterman jacket from Legacy Christian Academy in Beaumont. I shoved it to the back of the closet; that will never again grace my shoulders. Dry-erase markers from playing school all those years ago in an overly...