1. It’s the most exciting thing I’ve done all summer, and I’ve done some pretty exciting stuff! For example, I pet sharks and sting-rays at the zoo, babysat two (sometimes three, if baby Milania was included) hilarious kids during the week, launched my blog, cooked amazing meals for my friends and family, relaxed and rode bikes on the beach, hiked in beautiful, warm Malibu wilderness, saw fireworks from our friends’ backyard in Pacific Beach (and stayed in a $500/night hotel room which was absolutely stunning), and spent so much but still somehow not enough time with my family and friends. And packing for school is probably my favorite.
2. Yes, it’s fun and exciting and all that jazz, but it’s a lot of work. I can’t count the number of times I walked up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs or how many times I zipped and unzipped my suitcase, or how many times I seriously questioned the possibility of fitting everything that I wanted to take in the car.
3. Unless you live somewhere it’s not 105 degrees right now (like my brother, who lives in Minnesota where the high today was 55 degrees), you WILL sweat. Look back at #2 – with all that stair climbing and suitcase zipping, you’re gonna’ sweat. Wear deodorant.
4. Even if it has already hit you that you’re actually moving out and even if you think you’re so emotionally stable to the point where even MC Hammer can’t touch you and even if you’re going to Cal Poly SLO which is the greatest school ever and you’ve got absolutely nothing to lose and absolutely everything to gain, you’ll get emotional. However, you do that, it’ll happen, and that’s normal. Don’t freak out – just take a little break. Hug your parents, eat some sweet potato fries and cookies, think about everything that’s ahead of you, and get back to work.
5. Get someone who’s… well… heavy enough to sit on your suitcase because it should be stuffed. I packed almost every piece of clothing in my closet into two suitcases (talent?) and had to take a few dumb-bells with me to add extra weight so that my suitcases would zip when I sat on them. And believe me, the sound of the zipper zipping up completely was one of my favorite sounds today.
6. This one is for those of you who haven’t quite grown up all the way like me. Pick in advance which stuffed animals you’ll be taking with you. Otherwise, you’ll spend too much valuable time juggling which ones will be joining you at school and it will just add more stress.
7. Play your favorite music really loud all day. It’s great because you can sing and dance while you work. Duh.
8. If you come across something from when you were little that brings back memories (for me, it was my journal from 6th grade), try not to spend too much time reminiscing. Save that for when you’ve finished packing. Besides, it’ll just reinforce #4. Eat another cookie instead.
9. Pick your outfit for the next day or two and pack them on top of your suitcase. I always forget to do this and end up trying to carefully lift layers upon layers of clothes off my suitcase to get to the shirt and still messing up those layers I moved because it’s just impossible to get to the bottom of anything without messing up the top.
10. Finally, just have fun. Turn up your music (mine was everything from Demi Lovato to Jack Johnson to Chris Brown), spend time with your family, and GET EXCITED!!
