Everything I own for the next 6 months.

If you’ve ever been to an amusement park/state fair/festival/special type of rock concert, and ridden a roller coaster, do this exercise with me.

Imagine the craziest, twistiest, almost-going-to-puke-iest coaster you’ve ever ridden. For me, it was the rockin’ roller coaster at Disney in Florida. The swift curves, the slow and rumbling crescendo of the hill [and in my stomach], releasing and you’re weightless for a moment. Your stomach floats and it kind of feels cool but also weird, and you wonder if feeling your heart beat in your thumb is normal. Whew! That was my entire weekend this weekend. It’s been thrilling, terrifying, and has had plenty of twists and turns.

Friday night was a “New Beginnings Party” with so many of my friends – it was wonderful. I am the luckiest gal – thank you to everyone who came out! It was also a little sad because I won’t see many of them for a long time…twist on a roller coaster. My folks arrived Saturday to take a load of my stuff back to Ohio to storage.We got everything loaded, and my apartment now feels slightly barren to me. Down the hill we go.

Special thanks to my Mom, Dad, Mia, Tom, Aunt Lyla and Uncle Allen for their support in the move! ❤

Sunday brought an impromptu adventure to Medieval Times Dinner Tournament out in the burbs – it was SO FUN! We cheered for our knight – the black and white knight – like lunatics. “WHOOOOOO!!!!!” Despite his loss, we had a wonderful time!

Monday brought some sobriety to the party. My dad and I packed my final belongings into the truck, and tucked Yahtzee into her carrier. We had a quiet breakfast at McDonalds and then they dropped me off for some errands. Mom and I got out of the car and hugged – she cried. I stayed strong to demonstrate my resolve to come home safe and sound. Assuring her that I’d email as much as I could, she put Yahtzee on her lap and they drove off – my colorful bike, Pon Pon, tied to the back.

That was definitely the hardest moment so far – I’m going to miss that bike so much. Just teasing! Mom, I’ll see you soon – I love you! I’m having a swirl of emotions – excitement and fear, the desire for adventure and the desire to be near home struggling against each other to find a balance. 

On a lighter note, only two days until I leave for San Francisco! I accomplished a lot this weekend, thanks to tons of help from my support circle. We got everything loaded into the truck, and I’m all packed.

When I tell people I go to Burning Man, they always ask “What do you, like, even bring to that?” I’m getting the same questions about my trip to Asia, so without further ado…

Here it is! The lists.

Yahtzee not included, she’s just helping.

All the things (in, um, no particular order):

• 4 tubes of Burt’s Bees Chapstick
• Passport and extra photos for visas
• Two guidebooks which I’m emotionally prepared to rip pages out of if they are too heavy
• Debit / Card cards
• iPhone
• iPad
• Mac
• Apple product chargers
• Power converter – outlets are different abroad
• USB Battery Pack
• Two travel locks
• Sleeping mask
• Neck Pillow
• 14 pairs of underwear
• 2 pairs of short
• 10 pairs of socks
• 1 pair of tennis shoes
• 2 pairs of flip flops
• Bitchin’ Bikini
• 2 wonderful bras from bras galore in Chicago. My lady friends, check this place out.
• 1 sports bra
• Glasses
• Contacts and solution
• Diva cup
• Washcloth
• Towl
• 4 t shirts
• 4 tank tops
• 1 sleeveless dress shirt
• 1 dress
• 2 pairs biking shorts
• 1 scarf (for covering shoulders and protecting dreads)
• 1 pair of leggings
• 2 pairs of Bandalettes – my life savers!!
• My dread crochet hook
• Regular crochet hook and yarn
• Deodorant
• Rubber Cement
• All the medications
• Antibiotic ointment
• Hair ties
• Sunglasses
• Earplugs
• 90% deet bug spray of poisonous death
• Flash drive
• Sunscreen
• Headlamp and batteries
• Mini toothbrush and toothpaste
• Tiny scissors
• Tarot cards
• Headphones
• The hilarious miniature game “Iota”
• Notebook
• Pen
• Vaccination Record
• Laundry bag
• Hand Fan in the traditional Asian Style

Burning Man

Burning Man requires a few unique items.

Every year when I leave the playa, I ask myself “What will you do differently next year?” And every year, it’s “bring more warm things” – so we’re heavy on the layers this year!

• Tent
• Air mattress and pump
• Camel back
• Warm pants
• Hat and scarf
• Coat
• ISIS Wings (not affiliated with the terrorist organization)
• Sleeping Bag
• Wool socks
• Hand warmers
• 10 gallons of water
• Tent stakes
• Foodstuffs
• Bowl and silverwear
• Baby wipes
• Lotion
• Personal lighting
• Ziplocks and trashbags
• Toilet Paper
• Cup (this will be it’s third time to the playa!)
• War Paint
• Goggles
• Gifts
• Toilet Paper
• Clown Nose
•  Pee jug and funnel. Sexy.

All packed up and ready to go! I’m bringing an empty one to fill with food and water.

 

My pack will come with me to Asia. My two bags will stay with one of my camp friends who is kind enough to store it for me so I can pick it up when I get back and head to the burn. I’ve checked the list once, twice and a third time. I’m pretty sure I have everything…

LET’S GO!

You’d tell me if I was forgetting anything, right?

If you’d like to join me on the adventure,

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xoxo ❤