Luggage and Life

Once again I am packing Lover's suitcase. Something that I seem to be doing awfully frequently the last few months.

Go ahead, ask me how I really feel about it. I dare you.

Anyways, Lover travels light, so it is always a cinch to pack for him. There are a few things I try to make sure always go with him;

• Fiber One bars. He is notorious for not eating well while he is gone. While he won't always eat the bars while he is traveling, it makes me feel better, kind of like I am taking care of him while he is gone.
• Extra change of clothes. Oftentimes his travel is last minute, and there have been innumerable delays and extra, unplanned for, nights. So I always send some extra stuff to get him through.
• Web cam Neither one of us is big on the phone, and while we do still use it when he's gone, we'd prefer to see each other. Every once in a while the hotel internet connection is fast enough that we can web cam. It's always a special treat.
• Love notes for each night This is a tradition I started the first time he had to spend nights away for work. Since then I don't think I've missed a night. They're always short and sweet, something akin to "I love you and you're the best," but they help us feel connected when we are so far apart.

And yes, his suitcase is ridiculously small. If it were any bigger I totally would have tried to stowaway on one of his many trips to New York City. Come to think of it, maybe that's why he doesn't have a bigger suitcase. He's a sly one! ;-)

Lover travels so often that it has become a habit to keep the suitcase half packed to make my life easier. He has extra toiletries that stay in the suitcase, along with a few other necessary travel things. I've found that it really simplifies the process. I'm applying this principle in other areas of my life such as;

• A ready to go bag of toiletries in our overnight bag to make last minute trips a breeze.
• A plastic tote full of our camping supplies, with a list on it of additional things to pack for camping, along with some menu ideas.
• My latest project, a small box for the living room, with pens, bookmarks, stamps and return address labels for easy note writing and magazine marking.

What do you keep prepared ahead of time? I'd love to hear about it!