A California Girl In Kansas

In preparation for my utterly insane and fabulous move to the Caribbean, I’ve been making lists and checking them twice.  There are, like, two million things to accomplish before I leave in a month and the lists keep getting longer and longer.

And then there are these thoughts:

“What the hell am I going to do without Super Target?”

or

“What the hell am I going to do without (insert friend’s name here)?”

or

“How much will it cost to ship my espresso maker?”

or

“Oh my God, how will I live without my BlackBerry?  I mean, seriously… I might die.”

And then I start thinking about the things I want to bring with me for my initial trip - clothes, linens a few books, Veronica Mars on DVD, and at least six pairs of shoes (or maybe seven)… Suddenly my two suitcases are already bursting at the seams with what I’ve mentally packed in them.  And then I have crazy thoughts about buying 30 pairs of Gap Body underwear because they’re my favorites and I’ll need to stock up since I can’t just run over to Bradley Fair to pick up a pair or two whenever I feel like buying cute underoos.  And then I remember that people on the island wear underwear too (well, those that aren’t staying at the nude resort on the French side) and I might just have to do without the Gap Body “cheeky hipster”, as spending $400 on drawers is probably not the most prudent decision at this time.

I have to keep reminding myself that the adventures and the beauty of the island and the potential new friends and the plethora of new experiences are all worth far more than a few lame, materialistic things and conveniences.  Well that and I can bring an empty suitcase on every trip back to the states to stock up on Burt’s Bees lip balm and Aveda shampoo and Trader Joe’s French Roast and all the cheeky hipsters I can grab.

Things I’ve already worked out:

• MTV.com and Surfthechannel.com will be my best friends.
• Skype will be my main mode of communication.
• My Flickr account is going to see a flurry of new activity.
• My tan is going to be awesome.
• I will possibly never blow dry my hair straight again.
• If I lost 5 lbs. on vacation (seriously- who does that?!), I will fit into my skinny jeans in no time.
• I’m going to learn how to sail, fish, snorkle, speak French, and cook a lobster.

This is going to be awesome!