Hello??? Is anybody home???

So much for my new year's resolution of posting once a month.  If anyone is still out there I guess I can catch you up on some of the things that have been keeping me away...

January- I went to the Philippines for almost a month and had another life changing trip.  I got to see new places and cultures, and even had time for a side trip to Singapore.  This trip is a post in itself, but here are some highlights.

I got back mid-February and have been trying to catch up on work and life since! 

April- My brother and FSIL (future sister-in-law) moved to Chicago just after the new year, so my family decided it was time we went for a visit.  I've never been so I was thrilled that Chi-town lived up to everything I'd heard about it. 

And finally, April brought upon us FSIL's bachelorette party.  My body is still recovering.

In less than 1 month I'll be in Florida for my baby brother's wedding...stay tuned!

It's Better at Bloomie's

Bloomingdales Spring Sale by lizalishus on polyvore.com

Last week I hit up Bloomie's before the rush of this weekend's spring sale to make sure I saw everything before the vultures arrived.  I have several wedding related events this year between my brother's and several friend's weddings so I figured now was a good time to stock up on some cute options.  And you can never have too many t-shirts!

Sinulog 2013

Hello from Cebu! Cebu City is the 2nd largest city in the Philippines and this weekend the culmination of Sinulog. It's like their Mardi Gras celebrating the acceptance of Roman Catholicism into Cebu. We arrived at the hotel on Friday and it was like a "Stomp the Yard" dance off between neighboring hotels- costumes, props, and Santo Niño...the tiny deity they worship during this celebration. Today is the Sinulog Parade through downtown Cebu which should be overly crowded and excessively hot. I'm really not excited about this. But how many times will I ever experience something like this, so lets go get crushed by thousands of Filipinos dancing in the streets! (wish me luck)

Making the List

In 1 week, 4 hours, and 38 minutes (but who's counting) I'll be on a plane bound for  THE PHILIPPINES!!!

 

This will be my second trip back there and it's a loooong one...24 days to be exact but again, who's counting?  The idea of being overseas for just about a month gives me unnecessary amounts of anxiety.  Anxiety about being in a foreign country, about being with my family for a month straight without a break, about flying for 15 hours, but mostly about packing!  I'm the queen of over-packing...I'm talking 6 pairs of shoes for an overnight trip to the beach.  It's a problem.  I'm allowed 2 suitcases up to 50 lbs each, which is more than enough for my, but I'm trying to keep it to one large and one carry-on size suitcase because we are going to be island hopping and 2 large suitcases just won't be manageable.  Where to begin???

THE LIST

I'm a tad OCD, and make lists for everything.  My packing list the most extreme example of my tendencies.  I'm pretty sure this stemmed from a cruise many moons ago when I forgot to pack underpants, and I spent most of it in bikini bottoms or commando.  Neither of these options are what I'd consider comfortable so I vowed then and there to never be left pantless again.  

The list is broken down by clothes & shoes, accessories, haircare, toiletries, and electronics.  Then each of those categories are broken down further (i.e. tops, bottoms, UNDERWEAR).  I have variations of the list for different trips and frequent destinations: a wedding, the shore, skiing, Atlantic City, Savannah, and a generic list to be modified as needed.

Are you convinced I'm crazy yet???

The Philippines list has additional sections to organize my pre-trip to do's and carry on items.  The packing started last week, and I'll probably edit my choices a couple more times before I actually leave but the bags don't get zipped until I've checked off every box on the list.

Do you have any tools/tips to help you organize your packing?  Leave me a comment (or am I the only lunatic???)