packing it up

I am at t-minus 2 days until departure - whoa! I am busily trying to convert my nervous energy into excitement about whatever happens. I know I am going to get lost at some point, so I'm mentally preparing for it now so that it's a fun adventure and not a scary one. I'm also busy wrapping up lots of loose ends here - writing out rent checks for my mom to mail for me while I'm away (gotta keep paying the bills somehow!), analyzing maps of Barcelona (my first stop), and soaking up lots of family time. I've been at the family farm since last Friday and am loving it - I even helped my dad bottle feed a baby calf on Friday...I think it's been at least 7 years since I've done that!

The biggest thing right now is figuring out the best way to pack my backpack. I bought a serious backpack for this trip and was told it is pretty much the Rolls Royce of backpacks - ha!

See how fancy it is?! So far everything fits *huge sigh of relief*, but I need to measure it to make sure it's small enough to be my carry-on for the plane. There is no way I'm checking any luggage as I'm 99% certain the airline wouldn't be able to track me down to get it back to me if something was lost. Any thoughts on what the best packing strategy is would be welcome. Right now I'm thinking the clothing will have to be on top to lessen the top-heaviness that I experience the first time I test-packed it. Other than that, I've got my space-saving bags to roll my clothes in, my 3oz liquids chosen, and am well-stocked with magazine and puzzles for the plane thanks to Emily. I'm almost ready!!