You Want Me to Put What Where?

Traveling is a daunting task. Sometimes, just sometimes, I feel so overwhelmed by the anxiety to pack just the "right" amount {and styles} of clothing that it overpowers my anticipation of physically arriving at the location. In an effort to not sound like a completely spoiled brat, I must admit to having a rather obsessive compulsive personality: life exists in routine, schedules and alarms. Any deviation from the biological norms I have created within my daily life gets my panties in a {rather unpleasant} twist. I find solace in repetition of familiar habits, and packing {no matter how hard I try} never feels familiar. Once I get past the appropriate number of undergarments {a fairly trivial task}, my mind goes blank. I obsess over the weather and go back and forth wondering if it will be a hot or cold 70-degree day. Procrastination inevitably leads to me staying up until 3 AM the night before, haphazardly grabbing my shoes and articles of clothing and throwing them into my overstuffed bag.

This story went no differently as I prepared to embark on my {belated} European honeymoon, only the problem magnified itself in my brain as international travel took the place of my previous intercontinental exhibitions. Having never been to Europe, I became even more compulsive about checking the weather {something I did not think was possible}. And, I wasn't packing for your average 4-day weekend. We were leaving on an 18-day excursion {yeah, double digits, baby}. How in the world does anyone pack for 18 days?!

Well, I lived through it, and I'm here to say that it can be done {in a single bag, mind you}. Actually, something quite amazing happened through the process. I started to side with the part of me that was excited to partake in such an amazing experience with the man I love. Thankfully, we had an afternoon flight, so at 8:00 AM, my excited persona started bossing around that anxious part who still had nothing {and everything} packed at 2 AM the "night" before: Put this here, put that there...no, THERE. Magically, the bag {albeit still overstuffed} was complete.

More importantly, as I sit here writing from 10,000 feet in the air, I realize that life is continuing on Earth {and let's be honest, no one gives a crap what's in my suitcase}. I'm just happy for this moment and excited for the memory {and, of course, I'm kicking myself for not remembering to bring a jacket on the plane}.

The Goods.

The Bag.

Mission: Complete.

J. Crew maxi skirt {old, but similar here} + Cece flats, Zara basic tee, Tory Burch aviator sunglasses, Inga Creations tusk necklace & bracelets, & Michael Kors jet set watch.

Flying Essentials: Coach large Saffiano City Tote + Madison Lindsay crossbody {sold out color, but available style here}, Passport & neck pillow.