Packing Wars: Part fjórir

Some last minute random travel thoughts...

For several days, I have been tearing the house apart trying to find a headlamp to use for the camping excursion during the last leg of the trip.  Sitting around a campfire is nice but anyone who's ever camped knows how imperative it is to have some kind of mobile light source for that most important of camping activities - making it from the tent to the bathroom and then back to the correct tent!  A flashlight would do but a hands-free light is best because for some reason, flashlights seem to jump from my hands and end up in the nearest water source so you can imagine how a sleepy middle of the night campground bathroom trip would end!  Finally, I had my Eureka moment yesterday when I discovered one of the missing camping headlamps in the junk basket on the counter.  (In case you're wondering, we have a junk basket, as well as its older sister, the junk drawer, and a little cousin, the junk tray. What can I say? We're thorough in our junk storage.)  As I proudly held the headlamp up, basking in the satisfaction of discovery, it dawned on me that I would be camping in Iceland.  In the summer. When Iceland does not get dark at night.  Screw it.  I spent so much time looking for the darned thing, it's going in the suitcase anyway!   

And then there's the rain coat/poncho issue.  I kept asking Mark if he's packed one, if he even still owns one and let's just say rain ponchos haven't been high on his list of priorities.  With one packing day left, I asked again and this conversation happened:

Mark:  "No, I don't have one but I checked the weather channel and it's not going to rain."  

Me:  <blinking in confusion> "We'll be in Scotland and England for TWO WEEKS and the weather channel has told you that it won't rain at all in Scotland and England for TWO WHOLE WEEKS?!" 

Mark:  <unconcerned> "Well, it's not going to rain on race day so that's the important thing and I think there was a 30 percent chance of rain some other day."  

Me:  "It's Scotland and England.  I've been told that the only constant there IS rain and if we take nothing else, we should have an umbrella and/or poncho for when it DOES rain because it always rains because it's Scotland and England!"  

I'm not sure that conversation had the desired effect because who's going out to buy another poncho?  No, not Mark, me. :P  

So the packing is almost at an end.  I think.  Although, how the heck is this...

supposed to fit into this?  *deepbreath*  I can do this!  I think.