#TBT: Adventures in WEG Patriotic Packing

I am SO EXCITED for airport security to search my bag.

Happy almost Fourth of July, American readers of Horse Nation. This patriotic adventure was first published on August 27, 2014, on the eve of the World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

I’m a legendarily terrible packer. Seriously. I’ll get somewhere and have 10 shirts but not a single pair of pants, or vice versa. I’ll remember to bring socks or underwear but never, ever both. It’s not for lack of trying — it’s more like I’m always shoving clothes into a suitcase at the last minute and certain basic human necessities get lost in the shuffle.

So when it came time to pack for the World Equestrian Games, this week-long deal taking place on an entirely different continent…

This time, I decided to go in with a gameplan. A good gameplan? Doubtful. A practical gameplan? Absolutely not. But fun gameplan? Totally.

Basically, this so-called “gameplan” just involved rummaging through my closet and dresser and pulling out anything that looked remotely patriotic. Red, white, blue… star or stripe patterns were a plus. The end result? I was so proud I posted it on my Facebook page:

But then my WEG travel companion, EN editor Jenni, had to go out and up the ante, scoring some sweet red, white and blue pajama pants at Old Navy. Naturally, I saw her pajama pants and felt compelled to take it to the next level.

And then she took it one giant step further.

And then suddenly my suitcase looked like this…

…and hers looked like this…

…and the Chinch looked like he was about to run away with a motorcycle gang.

Well, my flight to Paris is boarding so I’ve gotta run. Until next time, Go Eventing!