On Tuesday my mother and I did what I like to call “packing practice.” We got together all the stuff I’m taking and proceeded to do a test run of fitting everything into my nice large suitcase from an L. L. Bean luggage set (it has my initials on it in yellow letters). Unfortunately all of my stuff wouldn’t fit into that one big, as big as it was. We discovered that the bag is deceptively big…it has a large frame, but the interior isn’t very deep. So I found another large bag that I had used on the Spain trip. We attempted to fit my stuff into that bag and the large L.L. Bean one, and it was very tight. So I had 2 large-framed bags filled to the brim, with no breathing space whatsoever. It didn’t look good at all…and it’s not like I had an exorbitant amount stuff either.

My mother and I watched videos on YouTube, trying to figure out the best way to pack a suitcase. We also looked at luggage sets for sale on QVC and HSN. It was a challenge.

My mother was determined to pack all of my stuff into one large bag (the one I took to Spain) and a smaller bag from the L.L. Bean set. Initially I wanted to take only one bag to avoid having to pay those ridiculous baggage fees, but I was just like, what the heck? 2 bags it is…

So yesterday morning she spent a lot of time packing everything, and she did it! It’s a beautiful packing job! Plus I have room left over incase I accumulate stuff in Denmark (which I’m not planning to do excessively). I have the best mother in the world, really! The best family, actually. They have all been so supportive of my trip, helping me out along the way, and for that I am really grateful (and lucky)!!