The end is the beginning

With only 3 days left in Winslow and having turned in my final grad school project yesterday-it seems things are ending.

When I was packing up everything in Portland I had a really hard time trying to pare down the massive amount of stuff I wanted to bring. Now I'm looking at everything differently. It's with the 'how in the world did we accumulate all this stuff' combined with the 'if I'm not going to take it to New Zealand will I still want/like/need it in 6 months' attitude that I'm coming at all the stuff now! Let's just say Goodwill is going to love us-but somehow I know we'll still be packed to the gills on the drive back to the Midwest!

Looking at stuff this way, it's hard not to notice the things that have been the best, most used things that I couldn't have done without. In no particular order, here are my MVP's of the American leg of our journey:

From Arizona

I didn't even think I brought my little teapot that Laura gave me! Actually I was pretty sure I had packed it with the kitchen stuff to be sent to storage-but I'm guessing while I was working those last days and Keith was packing the last of everything, somehow it got in the car-and I'm SO happy it did! Just as it always was while I studied in Portland, it has been with me doing homework in Enterprise and Winslow!

My super super cute pink carry-on luggage has been invaluable for all of our weekend escapes since we've been in Winslow. I don't know what I would have done without it!!

Finally-what have been the most worn pair of shoes, the super comfy go-to's: my New Balance sneakers that I have worn so much the past few months I need to get new laces for them! The runner up for shoes is, obviously, my cowboy boots.

With all this packing and cleaning out it's almost easy to forget that in 24 short days we will be leaving for New Zealand and we won't be back until August!! I am so ready and excited to begin the next leg of our adventures!