That’s what Brian said to me about 3 weeks before our big move as I planned out what I’d pack in my suitcases – one of them big enough to actually hold me inside while zipped. “Yes, of course,” I replied, shaking my head at him like he was an alien.

Well, as I sit here writing this, just 3 days into our big adventure, there are countless thoughts swirling around my head. But I have to say, the loudest thought of all – the one yelling at me in caps lock, is simply “I’m so freaking happy to be done lugging around 62 pounds worth of crap.” Er, I mean, clothes.

Why 62 pounds? Condor Airlines, a carrier we had never heard of before we bought a ticket to Germany, is a German budget airline that offers, among others, direct flights from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, to Frankfurt. (A direct flight is like a leprechaun – they are never seen and you probably have to have a lot of gold to get one.) Anyway, we found out scarily close to our departure date that as a budget airline, we were only allowed 2 bags per passenger – 1 checked bag that was not to exceed 50 lbs, and 1 carry on that was not to exceed 13 pounds.

So, as my family knows, I had to spend a lot of time whittling down the amount of stuff I was planning to bring with me to fit within the parameters of Condor’s luggage weight restrictions (the scale at the airport read “49 lbs” for my checked bag, and “13 lbs” for the other – score!)

After 3 full days of lugging around 2 suitcases, I now wish that I had just brought a carry on. I can totally get away with wearing the same 5 outfits for a year, right? Ok, fine, maybe that’s the exhaustion speaking, but we have been on just about every mode of transportation fathomable in the last week, save for a boat, and trying to navigate airports, train stations, city streets (COBBLESTONE – argh!), and other assorted paths with 2 suitcases is the pits. Yes, I know I’ll be happy about that extra pair of long johns later in the winter, and I’m sure I’ll be thrilled I brought at least one pair of heels, but that was not a fun activity.

On the flip side, I hadn’t really worked out in a couple of weeks, so maybe it was worth it in the end. 🙂