I can't believe it's almost here. What seemed like a casual conversation between friends is now a reality just 3 short months later. My friend Maritza and I leave for Madrid in 5 days!!! I couldn't be more excited for this adventure and for the opportunity to see some of my former Orientation Staff members: Kelsey, Juli, Amanda and Annie.

As always when planning for a log trip, packing was a bit challenging. I'm trying to pack as light as possible since there will be trains/buses to catch and potential walks to hotels from said train/bus stations. To make things even more interesting, the weather in Spain is cooling off significantly. As I type the morning temps in Madrid and Granada are 30 and 28 respectively. A very chilly start to the day. But never fear because the highs for the today are predicted to be 57 and 61. Layers is the name of this game, but layering is not a friend to packing. Somehow I managed to fit 7 days of clothes, two toiletry bags, and my red boots into a 22" carry-on sized suitcase and a medium backpack. You can just call me the Royal Packer! I've also packed two compression sacks to squish all those clothes down to make room for goodies; I hope I have enough room for goodies.