Apparently those of us that pack too much for vacations also do so under threat of evacuation. Now in my defense, I have decorated my home with mostly antiques that I have collected from those loved ones that now reside in Heaven. This makes for a home that I not only love but one surrounded by creative inspiration. During the Cedar Fire, three-ish years ago, we left our home thinking we'd be back in by nightfall. A week and a half later we finally moved back in to our apartment with electricity, the smell of rotten food and ash covering everything like the first snowfall of winter. We brought nothing with us during the evacuation and ended up hitting up Walmart for a few necessities. So, this time, as I awaited news, I had three days to keep adding things to the pile in my family room. By the end, I had more that was going than staying (ok, not really but it was close) and with the news that the fire danger had passed, I had to put it all back.
I've realized there is no winning. If I had left something behind I would've been upset and yet I was upset that I had taken so much out. What did I learn? Not a darn thing. I will probably take even more next time because there are a handful of things I thought of after the fact. I guess the moral of this story is, once a heavy packer, always a heavy packer. I'm going to have to go on the patch or something.
