I’ve talked about packing several times before here on the blog. About how I used to be a major over-packer. About how I have mild packing anxiety (I’m always afraid I’m going to forget something important…hence the over-packing).

Well, as I’ve taken more trips over the last several years, I’ve gotten considerably more adept at remembering the important stuff and not taking too much of it.

But I am proud to say that on a trip Shaun and I took to San Antonio last weekend, I really outdid myself.

I packed everything I needed plus clothes for the twins, and I even managed to round up the boys soccer uniforms, socks, shin-guards, and shoes in—wait for it—37 minutes. THIRTY-SEVEN.  It was almost as miraculous as the time I got in and out of Wal-mart with five kids and two carts full of groceries in 38 minutes.

And then? We were getting ready for a date night on the River Walk, and I put on my thrifted J. Crew dress (Goodwill, $6), which is really pretty and fits great but is a tad on the plain side for my taste.

And I reached into my perfectly packed suitcase for my new Anthro belt and came up with…nothing. I checked all the pockets. I checked the car. I muttered a lot of about how I just KNEW that I had packed it. I am not crazy (debatable). I just KNEW IT!

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Turns out I was right. But it took my husband’s rooting around in my “perfectly packed” bag to find it. Which, of course, made me feel a little bad for all those times I tease him about not being able to find something in the fridge when it’s right in front of his nose (he was the one who found the strawberries when I looked right past them this morning, too, so there’s a worrying trend developing).

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(Isn’t the belt fun in black and white?)

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One drawback of packing everything in 37 minutes is that you don’t necessarily take varying weather conditions into account. Like the fact that, sure, the high on Saturday was supposed to be 76, but the low was in the 50s, and it’s always colder down by the river.

I rarely wear strapless dresses, and even when I do, I almost always have some sort of jacket or sweater over them, but last weekend, I literally brought nothing long-sleeved.

Lucky for me, there’s a shopping mall right on the River Walk. Shaun and I ducked into a store right before dinner, and I snagged a $12 cardigan in the perfect shade of teal to match my belt and shoes and instantly felt more comfortable in multiple ways (less tugging and readjusting and a lot more warmth).

We ate at Paesano’s on the River Walk, and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in a while.

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Just in case you’re in the San Antonio area or planning on visiting, I highly recommend the Chicken Artichoke Pesto pizza and the Parmesan Crusted Chicken Piccata there. Both were beyond yummy.

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Of course, not all aspects of our trip—in fact, the very reason we took the trip in the first place—were as enjoyable as that date night.

But I’ll tell you more about that tomorrow…

Have you ever bought something on the fly after you forgot to pack something you needed?  I have several times, but I always try to make sure that I buy something I would want in my closet anyway. (I think  it worked this time, considering that I am wearing the teal cardigan I bought as I type this).

8 Comments

  1. Oh! I wish I knew you were coming to San Antonio because that is where I live AND my husband is a captain of those boats you saw on the Riverwalk. We could have hooked up your family with some free boat rides AND other amazing adventures, all while meeting you! Lemme know if you or your bestie Mandy is coming to town cuz I will hook all your families up!

  2. Love the dress!!! We went to Disney a few months back and I decided after previous trips in tennis shoes to wear converse everyday. I thought they would be much cuter. After 8 hours of nonstop walking in Magic Kingdom I had huge blisters. Converse are so hard and non-flexible that my feet were aching! I went in every store searching for flip flops. About 2 hours later I finally found a pair for $26! I don’t spend $26 on Easter shoes, but you can’t put a price on comfort!

  3. The worst I ever did was the summer we were doing two trips back t back The first was north to Seattle for four or five days and then leave the next day to go to Disneyland pulling a camp trailer. My daughter was about 8yrs old and I packed all her panties in the trailer so we had to make an emergency run for panties. Has been a family joke ever since. And of course contributed to my packing paranoia

  4. i think this is the first time i’ve ever seen you in strapless! you look HOT! you’ve got some major beauty! i can DEFINITELY understand why you choose to be modest. there is something so beautiful about covering all that up and having it only special for your husband.
    🙂 great dress!

  5. Just a few weekends ago we took a day trip to the hot springs a couple hours from our house. I wore my swimsuit and brought clothes to change into afterward for dinner out. And I totally forgot my underwear. *facepalm* So… we stopped in Kmart (the only place available once I realized my mistake!) and bought some. Oh, that my story involved just a forgotten cardigan.

I love hearing from you guys!