She Was An American Girl

It's no secret that I have a small interest, okay obsession, with all things red, white and blue. So of course the Fourth of July is one of my two all-time favorite holidays (the other being Halloween, natch). I think it also stems from the fact that my grandfather was in the Navy and my mother was so into like the whole country Americana thing. 

In the past few years it has sort of... snowballed into a ferocious attempt to collect whatever nautical items I can. We're talking anything with anchors, rope, ship wheels, and anything that falls under a patriotic palate. It was the only motif that we could agree on when decorating our bedroom and it's also now consumed the inside of my closet. 

So as you can imagine, packing for our annual Fourth of July trip to Portland was no easy task. Actually, I guess it wasn't that hard because I just packed every nautical item I own. The most difficult part was just getting my suitcase shut. 

I should preface by saying that I am probably the worst packer in history, mainly because I always have so many things I want to bring and because well frankly, packing sucks. You have to think ahead about every possible weather and social scenario and find a way to cram all of the products that you use on a daily basis to transform yourself from the swamp creature you wake up as into someone presentable. I always forget how much stuff I use to appear effortless until I have to travel somewhere. I usually wait until the absolute last minute because I work best under pressure. 

So after watching marathon sessions of The Hills and trying to decide if I want headbands to come back, it was time to start the dreaded packing. Steve had already left for his fishing trip, so I was left to my own devices, hence none of this starting until 10:30 pm. I decided like all successful endeavors, I would just have to take it one step at time, step one being accessories. 

To be honest, when I first saw all my accessories laid out, the first thought in my head was "how do I not have any nautical rings?!" and not "I have a problem."

Next, shoes! Oh my God, shoes. Footwear is tough mainly because of the highly unpredictable New England weather. Also if you think it's hard to wear five pairs of sandals on a three day trip... well, you're right. 

Some may think that it's a bit insane packing up all of your nautical clothing and your nautical accessories in your nautical bedroom. Things did get a bit crazy there for a minute...

... but luckily I had my nautical notepad to help keep me organized. 

YOU CAN NEVER HAVE TOO MANY WHITE BOTTOMS. I would have been lost without my white shorts, white bermuda shorts, white capris and white skinny jeans. It's like Pokemon. You gotta have 'em all. 

Okay, so I guess I would have technically "survived" without the aforementioned white bottoms. But I think that ten shorts/pants options is totally appropriate for a three day trip. A girl's gotta have options. 

Oops. Sorry. There were dresses too. MORE OPTIONS!

Hmmm. Something's not right here. I should probably buy a navy bathing suit. 

Ah, the dreaded zipper. Most people (i.e. my husband) say that if you can't shut your suitcase, you should probably take out a few things. Or...

You just pack in multiple tiny smaller bags! Done and done. 

And that, my friends is how I packed for my favorite holiday. 

And... it rained. Not just rained, but like pouring horrible monsoon style tropical stormed. My outfits were sad. 

Oh, did you want to see said outfits? Stay tuned for a follow up Portland post!

~L