All packed.... I think?!

Packing for a year-long trip is a daunting experience, as I am finding out.

I started with me opening my closet. Mind you, if you have ever seen my closet, it's a thing of both wonder and beauty. I love clothes, shoes, bags, hats, and other shit I never wear. I love it, I buy it, and it all now lives in my closet. So, here I am staring into the void of retail that is my closet thinking "what can I leave here for the next year?" And so starts the packing....

Into the suitcases go the shoes, shirts, pants, skirts, sweaters, belts, hats, and purses. I pick up the suitcase, and it rips out of my hands back into the floor with a resounding crash... too heavy. So I open it back up and start sifting. This process goes on FOUR TIMES!!!! Four times of opening the suitcases, weeding out more shit that I never wear, and putting it back into the closet. Those black and white wedges? Yea, they're nice, but I haven't worn them in a year. Back into the void of closet they go. 4 shirts in varrying shades of pink? I put 3 back, and pack 1. Do I need 2 pairs of the exact same jeans? Nope. On and on it goes....

Once the clothes are all sifted out, I manage to weed the shoes out the same way. Purses, I only packed three. I'm really quite proud of myself...

I can't believe I finally got all the packing done. It's weird, not knowing what you're going to be running into, and then trying not to pack everything you own!

Pictures and frames go into the carry on rolly bag, along with oma's blanket which I cannot sleep without. Sentimental things have to go too in case I get homesick. Pictures of friends, good times, and fun are all important, so along they come.

So after 4 hours of throwing clothes everywhere, having toiletries spread all over the bed like I'm having a free for all, and shoes missing pairs in every conceivable corner of the floor, it all fit neatly into 2 suitcases and a carry on. The best part? I have room left over and I can actually PICK UP the bags.

I have no idea what to expect on this trip. I cannot even begin to imagine what Korea is like, the people, the food, the smells, and the atmosphere. I'm sure it will be like nothing I've ever imagined. Am I scared? YEP. But I think the experience will make me a stronger person, and that I will have a great time and see many things I'd never be able to experience here in Cincinnati.