Pack it up, Pack it in. Let me begin

No, I have not yet begun packing up my entire house in preparation for Denver. I'm not that crazy (ok, I am, but I don't have any moving boxes yet). But as I packed for my weekend excursion (up to Lancaster to visit one of my best childhood friends who I haven't seen in entirely too long), I thought: I will surely forget to pack something.

I don't have a good track record, you see. The things I forget can range from minor to vital, but I will, without fail, inevitably forget something.

It has been this way for as long as I can remember. There was the time I was allowed to pack by myself for our annual Memorial Day trip. I think my mom had just had surgery, so Dad left me to my own devices. I ended up packing clothes that would have been appropriate for August at the beach - not May in the mountains. I wore other peoples clothes the entire weekend. I was 8 (ish).

This packing-related disability did not improve as I got older. Once in college, I managed to only pack one shoe for a trip home. Not one pair of shoes. One singular shoe. To be fair, 50 cent rail drinks, a malfunctioning alarm clock, and the world's worst hangover also played their part in that fiasco.

As I started traveling for work, the responsibility to represent my company did not force me to improve my packing skills. Once I forgot a hairbrush. In a now infamous work trip to Middletown, CT, I forgot to bring pants. I had taken the (extra early morning) Acela wearing my black fleece comfy pants and had packed nice work pants for our meeting. The meeting turned out to be a mucky site visit and my jeans had managed to miss my suitcase (I later found them laying on my windowsill, adjacent to where I had been packing). I ended up having to wear my client's (who was 4 ft tall and quite round) stretchy waistband pants and have been mocked by my coworkers ever since.

my officemate was so kind as to document the hottness:



Even packing for trips I make on a regular basis, I'm sure to have forgotten something. When I ride to work, I wear my workout clothes and then change in the locker room. Every day it is an adventure to see what I have forgotten. Monday, I forgot my cardigan (a crucial part of my outfit). Thursday, I forgot my make up bag (I looked in the mirror, sighed, and thought "well, this is as good as it's going to get today"). Last year, I forgot to pack a bra. I have also mispacked - once wearing green underwear but packing white pants. Not infrequently I'll pack a gym bag for after work, only to arrive at the gym without workout pants (it's a bit awkward to discover this after I've already started undressing). Pants are my nemesis.

My mom keeps telling me to create a standard list I can go through each time I have to pack. I think that takes the fun out of it. So, while I think I have surely remembered to pack everything for this weekend (even though, despite my plans to pack last night, I was shoving clothes into my 'weenie roller' at 6:45 this morning), I am certain to arrive in Lancaster missing some item of importance. Who knows what it will be!!!