Chap Stick and Handkerchiefs

We are packed and ready to go. We think... What to bring has been a major topic in our lives. Coming from years of backpacking I have learned the art of packing only the essentials and using things for more than one purpose. There is nothing quite like strapping everything you need, or think you need, on your back and venturing off. My dad started taking me backpacking when I was ten years old. Since then I have come to appreciate many essential items that seem inconsequential in most peoples daily routine.

Two specific items I have found are priceless in the back country and I am sure will serve us well on our travels; A chap stick and a handkerchief. Chap stick because it i hard to sleep with bloody lips, and I can seem to muster up enough self control to keep from licking chapped lips. Furthermore, Jessica is addicted to the stuff like crack, Softlips being her preferred brand. A handkerchief because it is the most universal item to ever be made. Obvious uses include using it as a tissue and substitute napkin. More creative uses include using it as a pot holder, sink plug, water filter, keeping dust out of your mouth, and as a tourniquet.

While it might be reasonable to expect that I could pack everything that I need for an extended trip into one bag, it has been nothing short of a miracle that Jessica has been able to downsize to one suitcase, of carry-on size no less. Some times I pray for God to give me tangible evidence of his existence. He turned the Nile onto a river of blood, parted the Red Sea and gave the Israelites food every morning. Jesus healed the blind, raised the dead, and ascended into heaven for the disciples. For me He has packed Jessica, willingly, into a single bag. Only an act of God could accomplish that. I am proud of her.

You will notice that we have four bags. The bottom two are our main bags, we have one day bag and one 'bin laden' bag. Thanks to terrorists we need a separate bag of checked luggage with our liquid items. Per TSA and EU regulations carry-on baggage is limited to one 8 inch by 8inch zip lock baggie containing less than three ounce containers of liquids. In an effort not to displace all of our luggage, we will just check the 'bin laden' bag and carry-on our other bags.

So we are off. We may fail, we may succeed. We may find what we are looking for, we may find something better. We may come back rich in experience and poor in money. We might just come back poor and pregnant. We are hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

Mark Twain best encompasses our current philosophy:

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover".