I Need a Mary Poppins Suitcase

Today's been my major prep day for my trip tomorrow!  The past few days have been a whirlwind of work, shopping, work, and Skyrim (I have become obsessed with this video game... I'm going to have to devote an entire blog to it at some point).

Yesterday, before I headed into work, I decided to do some shopping on the Upper East Side.  I had some things to buy pre-trip, and wanted to treat myself to some new Spring clothes since I haven't bought myself any new clothes in a real long time.  I tried shopping on Saturday, but every store I went into was just AWFUL.  I hate most of the clothes this season.  It's like... the worst of the 70's and 80's vomited all over the designers and they were like, "OH PERFECT YES!"  I walked into Forever 21 and H&M, and walked right back out.  I think I'm done with those stores.  I just can't find anything there.  Maybe because I'm not 21... it's an age long gone.  THEN my old standby, Anthropologie, was CLOSED.  I mean, not ALL the Anthropologies are closed, but the one on 5th Ave that was my favorite is all boarded up.  I couldn't believe it!

So anyway, Saturday was a big ole flop (though I did find one really cute dress for the rehearsal dinner), so I had to squeeze some shopping time in yesterday.  Y'all--I felt like Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman on the Upper East Side.  Not like anyone was judging me, and I felt fine in all the stores--but I felt like I was pretending.  I ended up in Free People and spent my entire Spring budget on 3 items.  Woops.  But they were 3 items I really loved, and that's better than 10 items from Forever 21 that I will hate in a year.

So anyway, I was walking around the Upper East Side with all kinds of shopping bags that made me feel like a rich 20-something with tons of money to blow.  I had bags from Zara, Free People, Giggle, Pottery Barn, Bebe, and the Organic Cafe (I'm obsessed with this place I discovered--I will definitely be blogging about it on my other blog at some point).  Not that any of those places are super fancy... they're just stores that I normally don't shop at... because I'm poor.  So that was really fun.  To feel rich.  Too bad it's not real... (note:  to be clear, I was gift shopping--not all of that stuff was for me... I don't want you to be rollin' your eyes and sayin' "if you're poor, don't be spendin' all that money, girl".  ;) I was playin Santa.  In April.)

So, I got home and pulled out my big suitcase.  It was all the way at the back of underneath my bed, and the way my apartment is laid out, the only way to get to it was to literally crawl under my bed.  It was awesome!  All my yoga is certainly paying off as I flattened myself and crawled belly style to the furthest, dusty depths of my under bed storage.  That suitcase has been  under my bed since I last used it a year ago for my family trip to Disney World.  All the other trips I've been on, I've had to pack in my carry-on as the airlines charge you to check one bag.  But not Jet Blue!  I get to check my bag for free.  But you know what?  It doesn't really help to have the bigger suitcase.  It's that whole "eyes bigger than your stomach" concept.  Or something like it...

I swear.  I packed enough clothes to last me 2 weeks instead of 8 days.  But I don't really know what I'll be doing on a day to day basis, and I surely don't know what I'll be in the mood to wear.  And I guarantee that when I get there, I'll wish I had something I didn't pack.  I know it.  Already, I know.

But then again, all I want to wear is my new outfit from Free People.  But I don't think it would be appropriate for all occasions... and it might start to smell.

Just another reason why Mary Poppins was practically perfect in every way.  She could over pack to her heart's content.