Pack It Up, Pack It In…

I’m back! Sorry I haven’t posted anything earlier this week, but I had an unexpected and extraordinarily eventful long-weekend away from home. I’m still trying to catch up, but I wanted to tell you guys what happened, AND provide some useful packing tips.

I went out of town last Saturday morning to go to Riot Fest in Philly, with the plan to stay with friends in town that night, and then head back to NY on Sunday with a carload of peeps. After an amazing brunch (which included waffles with built-in bacon!) on Sunday, while we were lazing about watching the Eagles game, my sister called to inform me that our youngest sister was going to have her baby a few weeks ahead of schedule. Like, tomorrow. Instead of returning to NYC with my friends, I headed a half hour south, to my hometown of Wilmington, DE.

This was all very convenient, except remember that I had only planned on being away from home one night, and had packed accordingly. Instead, I ended up spending three nights away from home, at a different place each time. Also, what you wear to a sweaty punk rock show is a lot different than what you (should) wear in the delivery room of a hospital.

I was actually kind of okay, but there were a few things I could have done better that wouldn’t have taken much time, effort, or space in my bag. They’re not exactly packing basics, or even essentials. It’s more like girl-scout-level ways to “Be Prepared.”

Always bring a long-sleeve jammie option
FAIL! Everyone seems to keep their home colder than I keep mine. I never seem to remember this.

Always bring extra socks and underwear
PASS! I brought one extra pair of socks and two extra pairs of undies, and I’m very glad I had them.

Always bring a jacket
PASS! I had a lightweight olive-green blazer with me, which kept me comfortable in the chilly hospital and made my white v-neck and jeans seem more like an outfit.

Always bring a pair of nice-ish shoes
PASS! I wore boots to Riot Fest, and packed a pair of Chucks for the way home, but just in case something came up where I wanted to look a little bit nicer, I threw in my leopard ballet flats. They take up very little space, and if I had to go out to dinner wearing sneakers, I would be sad. I DID go out to dinner and was happy to have these.

Always bring extra meds
FAIL. I had a small pillbox with me, but it only had one spare Zyrtec and zero vitamins. My sister gave me a Claritin but it didn’t work as well, and you can tell I have itchy eyes in some of the photos with the new baby.

Always bring your makeup
PASS! While it would have probably been fine to have at-home brunch and a long car ride home in plain-face, I brought makeup basics just in case plans changed, and boy did the ever! I had all my favorites: Dr. Jart BB Cream, Tarte Cheek Stain, Sephora Lip Stain, Tarte Smoldereyes, and Buxom Mascara. And my Shu Uemura eyelash curler. Fast, easy, and long-wearing: Yes, Yes, and Yes, please.

Always (try to) pack stuff that goes with everything else
PASS! I had black jeans, blue jeans, two white tee shirts, one heather gray Philadelphia Eagles tee shirt, a black button down, an army green blazer, black boots, silver chucks, and leopard flats. Plus a small black leather purse and a silver and black necklace. Not the most creative outfits, but easy.

Always pack an extra shirt or two
PASS! You never know when something is going to get on your shirt. And if you are around kids, that goes double. It’s nice to have wardrobe options, plus if you need to freshen up, a clean shirt makes a world of difference. OR, you could end up away for much longer than you anticipated, and you’ll be really REALLY happy to have spare shirts.

Always bring your metrocard (or equivalent)
FAIL.I had switched to a smaller wallet to fit into my little cross-body bag for Riot Fest, and only had two credit cards, an atm card, my health insurance card, and my ID. When the Amtrak train I took attempted to take back to NY inched it’s way into Newark Penn Station after being stuck for 2hrs just south of Newark, they announced it would still be at least another hour before we got to New York Penn Station. However, there is a PATH station at Newark, so a bunch of us jumped off to try an alternate route into the city. The PATH train was ready and waiting, but the metrocard machine on the platform was broken and everyone was running around trying to find another one. A nice lady ended up running us through with her card. If I’d had my metrocard, I could have been the nice lady running people through. (PS. Thanks to the delay, I hit Manhattan at rush hour, exhausted and lugging my duffle bag, which was easily manageable when I left Wilmington, but seemed to get increasingly larger and heavier with each leg of the journey. I truly believe rush hour in Manhattan is why people think New Yorkers are rude, because they SO ARE!!!)

Always bring your camera, AND the charger
PASS and FAIL. I had my camera, but I didn’t bring the charger because I didn’t think I’d need it. My battery started running low right around the time my sister had to start pushing. And she had to push for TWO AND A HALF HOURS! This is not the kind of thing you get a second chance at, so it was kind of stressful. (Considerably less stressful than what my sister was going through though.)

Always bring a bathing suit
FAIL, but it was okay. I didn’t bring my bathing suit this time, because I knew there would be no opportunity to swim. And there wasn’t. But I also didn’t bring a bathing suit to Switzerland, because I didn’t think I’d have an opportunity to swim, and I ended up having to borrow one (which worked out fine, because it was a really cute suit and it fit) but still! If my friend and I weren’t close to the same size, I would have missed out on the thermal springs, and the thermal springs were AWESOME.

Anyway! That’s a bunch of stuff! They say if you have your keys, wallet, and phone you can pretty much deal with whatever comes up. Yes, I could have gone to a store and bought allergy pills and underpants. Technically, I could have even done a load of laundry at one of the houses where I stayed, but we were never really home, and didn’t have a minute of free time for shopping. I probably could have borrowed a sweatshirt or a pair of socks here or there too, but I always prefer having my own stuff. Most of all, I prefer being at home. It was a really fun and exciting weekend, but I’m happy to be back.
YAY FOR HOME!