A Walk in the Woods

So we're heading off to the mountain today to spend the weekend in a cabin with 10 of our closest friends. Many couples, only three discreet bedrooms - wanna race?

It's surprising how much I stress about vacations. I think it's partly because I haven't really travelled all that often and don't feel like I'm really that good at it. It's one of those things where I never know that I have everything I'm going to want/need. And even if there are stores where I can purchase the things I forgot, it feels strangely like a failure if I didn't bring it in the first place. One of the things I love best about A is that he doesn't mind if I take a really big bag even for short trips - well, he may not love it, but he doesn't give me a hard time, make fun of me, or make me carry/tow/stow my own luggage just to prove a point. This whole airline charging for baggage thing is going to really impact my comfort level with traveling, but I've always wanted to travel lighter, in general, so I guess it will be that much more motivation to get good at it.

So, I'm heading to the woods for a weekend of games, good food, camaraderie and hopefully safe thunder and lighting. Thunderstorms predicted. My packing list includes:

• Really comfortable full coverage pj's (one of the great things about cold weather per previous post)
• Socks and underwear
• Daytime pj's (that is, yoga pants and T-shirts)
• Something to wear outside, in case A convinces me, despite my better judgement, that this is a good idea
• Toiletries
• Swim suit (for hot tub) and towel
• Zip hoodies and fleece jacket with rain shell
• Sneakers and sandals
• Camera
• Games (Boggle, Apples to Apples, Yahtzee)
• Snacks (peanut butter filled pretzels, cheese popcorn, yogurt covered pretzels, energy nuggets, crackers, hummus, tabouli, cream cheese torte)
• Lunch foods (mac and cheese, fake-meat BBQ riblets, fake corn dogs, fake-meat sausage, green beans, oranges)
• First aid kit - because you never know

And since the dog is also going on vacation over to Aunt-Ree's, he needs:

• Raw meat food, dry food
• Water and food bowls
• Bed with blanket
• Playpen gate
• Bone
• Toys (ball, rabbit)
• Sweatshirt
• Collar, retractable leash and regular leash

Yeah, that's probably too much, but it's all in a small pack, so it's going with me.