T minus 7 hours

Today's the day!

I was a little nervous last night because it was getting later and later and I had so much to do. But once the laundry was done and I got the socks in my suitcase and carry-on, everything looked much brighter. (I also put all the dishes in the top rack of the dishwasher and ran it instead of hand washing.)

Everything fit in my suitcase, and I even stuffed some extras in - lotion, a couple books and extra socks. The second pair of shoes was not as difficult as I thought it would be. My carry-on bag, however, proved to require a couple of re-packs to get it right. Now I have my clothes in the bottom, my in-flight entertainment in the middle, my travel documents on top, and my one, one-quart clear plastic bag of bottles of liquid on top of that. I may even re-pack before I finally take off.

I also had to do an inordinate amount of Web surfing last night to find out if I could crochet on the plane - well whether I could bring a needle and scissors. Turns out the answer is yes, for all of you who want to know.

Charlie is safe at a friend's house, hopefully not making too much noise, and my house is cleaner than it has been in probably a couple years. So I'm ready to go, and I'll talk to you all from Vienna.