One more day...

So how do you pack for 10 months? Kind of like this. Here are the contents of my backpack, and then a picture of how they all miraculously fit into a backpack and one carry-on bag. So what's in there? 5 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 dress, 12 shirts (of varying length sleeves), sunglasses, 2 pairs of shoes, my camera, a fleece, a rain jacket, a bikini, 2 bras, 20 pairs of underwear, 9 pairs of socks, one hat, 1 scarf, a pair of gloves, a million medications, 2 books, an ipod, a travel pillow (for the long airplane rides), a toothbrush, shampoo, etc., extra contact lenses, a journal, uno (thanks Emory), electronic travel yahtzee, sudoku, a flat iron (yes, I am THAT vain), and a garden gnome (thanks Mahalia). :) I have a feeling you will all see a lot more of the gnome in the future months. He needs a name though, so feel free to offer suggestions. :)

So, after a tearful goodbye with some of the best friends I could ever ask for, I got to LA last night, walked outside into the hot LA air at 9:35pm, and realized immediately, I had over packed. So today I will sort through the backpack and send some stuff back home...already. Last checked, the pack was about 38 pounds, and I was about 125. We'll see how those numbers change in the next months! I leave tomorrow at 1:50 from LAX and go directly to Peru. We should be there for about 2 weeks, and hopefully I will find out how easy it is to blog in other countries. Wish me luck!