Luggage and Literature

The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - St. Augustine

Archives for February 2018

Kaaboo Del Mar (Part 4)

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In Part 1, I covered general information about Kaaboo, as well as things we wished that we’d known beforehand. Part 2 covered our specific Kaaboo experience in 2017. In Part 3, I talked about what we did in our time away from Kaaboo. And in Part 4 (this post), I’ll provide my Kaaboo Del Mar packing list (what I took, and what I wished that I’d taken with me).

When planning for the trip, I researched what people typically wear to music festivals, as I’d never been to one previously. Most of what I found was for other music festivals besides Kaaboo. And I saw lots of posts with people wearing all kinds of crazy costumes. But costumes aren’t really me. And I wasn’t sure that would be appropriate for this festival anyway. After experiencing Kaaboo, I’m pretty happy with most of what I packed, but would do a few things slightly differently next time. And for other first-time visitors to Kaaboo, I hope that I can provide some guidance about what to wear and pack.

Kaaboo Del MarThe festival is 3 days long (Friday through Sunday). We also had two travel days to get to San Diego and back home to Nebraska, because we didn’t want to miss any part of the shows. For travel days, I wore short-sleeved shirts with capris or shorts. I also had a long-sleeved half-zip in my carry-on bag, in case the flights were chilly. This worked fine for me.

For the festival, some people dress up quite a bit, and others are just in t-shirts/tank tops and jeans. I wanted to be comfortable, since I knew that we’d be at the festival in the sun and heat for several hours, with lots of standing and walking. I wore comfortable short-sleeved shirts with capris. For shoes, I wore sneakers or flip-flops throughout the festival, and changed back and forth between those shoes during the day, which helped my feet. But a couple of pairs of comfortable shoes are an absolute must. I didn’t wear a hat, but I think this is just a personal choice. I took my half-zip with me and kept it in my locker for the cool walk back to the Uber area.

KaabooIn addition to the festival, we spent some time at the pool at our hotel, visited the USS Midway, and went to La Jolla beach. For these activities, I also needed my swimming suit, swim cover up, and camera. My clothing and other items were exactly the same.

Kaaboo Del Mar packing list:

  • Sunblock
  • Hat
  • Sunglasses
  • Kindle
  • Cell phone
  • Charging cables
  • Battery charger
  • Travel journal
  • Empty water bottle
  • Kaaboo Del Mar passes
  • Blanket (we packed one for sitting on at the festival, and then didn’t use it)
  • Camera with white balance disk
  • Cash and credit cards
  • Identification
  • Crossbody purse
  • Prescription and vitamins
  • Pain reliever and first aid kit
  • Teeth care items
  • Hair care items
  • Shower items
  • Deodorant and perfume
  • Makeup and facial care items
  • Appropriate undergarments
  • T-shirt and workout capris for sleeping
  • Sneakers
  • Flip-flops
  • Dressier sandals
  • No show socks
  • 5 short-sleeved shirts
  • 3 pairs capris/shorts

Kaaboo Del Mar

What items do you leave off of your list? What items do you take that I haven’t listed? And if you’d like more packing tips, check out Packing for a Scuba Diving Trip, Packing for a Conference, and Packing for a Camping Trip.

January 2018 Reading List

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Every month I try to read at least one book from the following categories: nonfiction, devotional, and fiction. And this year I’m participating in the 2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge, so I’m also going to be listing which category my books fulfill. If you want to join in on the fun, you can check out the list of categories here! This is my January 2018 Reading List, my brief reviews and book recommendations for January 2018. Hopefully I’ll provide you with some inspiration for your future reading as well!

Books Finished:

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

2018 PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book with your favorite color in the title

This will be our March book club pick, but my Overdrive hold came up, so I thought I’d go ahead and read it early. This is a historical fictional novel set during World War II and told from the perspective of three women a German, a Polish, and an American woman. It was riveting, although at times difficult to read. I am really looking forward to discussing this with my bookish friends!

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania by Erik Larson

The true stories of various individuals experienced the sinking of the Lusitania by a German U-boat during World War I. I’d never previously read any of Erik Larson’s books, but intend to now. He makes real events come alive on the page and actually mean something, by telling the stories of those who experienced it and were affected by it. A great book by a great author.

The Racketeer by John Grisham

I really, really liked this book! It kept me guessing from the start to the finish. The main character is a lawyer who was wrongfully convicted in a financial scam, and is sent to federal prison. While there he gets information about a murder, and the story takes off from there. If you’re a Grisham fan, you’ll enjoy this one.

The Gilded Lily by Deborah Swift

I picked this up from a discount book bin. It is set in the 1600s with two sisters who run away from their poverty-stricken life in the English countryside. This was a time period that I’d not read much about previously, so I enjoyed that element of the book in particular. But the characters were engaging, and the story moved along. I’ll have to look for more by Deborah Swift.

Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Essays by Joan Didion

After reading The Year of Magical Thinking last year, I’ve become an admirer of Didion’s writing. A series of essays published in Didion’s early career in the 1960s, the book was like traveling through time and space to when and where she was writing.

The Whole Town’s Talking by Fannie Flagg

The story of the birth of a town in the Midwest, and the souls who populate that town through the years, this book was sweet and emotionally satisfying in the way that Fannie Flagg’s writing simply is. If you’ve never picked up one of her books, I would recommend checking one out. There are several more that I’ve not yet read, but intend to.

Bliss by Kathryn Littlewood

This is a children’s book, but I was completely taken by the cover and had to read it. The Bliss family runs a magical bakery, but the magical element of their pastries is a secret. When the parents are called out-of-town on an emergency, the children run the bakery in their absence. But when an unknown relative comes to help, Rosemary Bliss is suspicious. This is a quick and fun little book.

 

Books in Progress: 

It looks like I have quite a few going, and might need to finish some of these up in February!

Jesus, the One and Only by Beth Moore

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves by Karen Joy Fowler

So Many Roads: The Life and Times of the Grateful Dead by David Browne

Raising a Secure Child: How Circle of Security Parenting Can Help You Nurture Your Child’s Attachment, Emotional Resilience, and Freedom to Explore by Kent Hoffman, Glen Cooper, and Bert Powell (this was recommended to be by some therapists that I work with regularly on my cases, as it is the background for the Circle of Security Parenting curriculum that we often have parents go through as part of their case plans)

Discerning the Voice of God: How to Recognize When God is Speaking by Priscilla Shirer

Testament of Youth: An Autobiographical Study Of The Years 1900-1925 by Vera Brittain

Six Stories: A Thriller by Matt Wesolowski

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

 

Books I’ve Abandoned:

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

January 2018 Goal Update

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In 2017 posting on the blog with my progress toward meeting my goals helped to keep me on track and accountable, so I’m doing the same thing this year. Here is my January 2018 Goal Update.

Faith Goals:

Attend church at least one time per month. Not met. 🙁 I’ll do better in February.

Read at least two chapters of the Bible per month. Met. I read Leviticus Chapters 18-20. Leviticus feels like a bit of a slog to get through.

Read at least one devotional per month. Met. I read Uninvited by Lysa TerKeurst and am also working my way through Jesus the One and Only by Beth Moore.

Attend Bible Study weekly. Met when in town and our group was able to meet.

 

Reading Goals:

Read at least one fiction, one nonfiction, and one devotional per month. Met. Check out my January 2018 Reading List post, as well as my Bahamas Reading List post, for a list of the books that I read.

Track my reading on the blog. Met.

Utilize Overdrive, Kindle Owners Lending Library, Prime Reading, and books previously purchased to keep costs down. Met. I purchased one book in January, Kabumpo in Oz, which was inexpensive on Kindle.

Complete PopSugar 2018 Reading Challenge. In progress. My Reading List posts show which categories I’ve met in each month.

Apply to What Should I Read Next? podcast again. Not met yet.

 

Finances:

Pay off at least half of my Acadia. In progress. We paid extra toward it in January.

Pay off law office line of credit. In progress. I paid extra toward this in January.

Double personal, law office, and LLC reserve funds. In progress.

Continue charitable giving at present levels. In progress.

Keep meal costs in check by eating at home and packing lunches. We did a good job of this the first week, and the last two weeks of the month. We were on vacation for a week, and then didn’t do great right after returning, since we had no food in the house.

 

Fitness/Health:

Drink 8 servings of water per day. Met.

Drink no more than two pops per day. Met probably 75% of the time.

Eat at least one fruit or vegetable per day. Met.

Track food consumption with either MyFitnessPal or Weight Watchers. Met for the last 2 weeks of January with MyFitnessPal.

Pack lunch or eat at home each weekday, unless eating out with friends/colleagues. We did a good job of this the first week, and the last two weeks of the month. We were on vacation for a week, and then didn’t do great right after returning, since we had no food in the house.

Plan lunches for the week on the weekends. We did a good job of this the first week, and the last two weeks of the month. We were on vacation for a week, and then didn’t do great right after returning, since we had no food in the house.

Cook and eat dinner at home five times per week. We did a good job of this the first week, and the last two weeks of the month. We were on vacation for a week, and then didn’t do great right after returning, since we had no food in the house.

Use FitBit for sleep and step monitoring. Met, except while on the sailboat during vacation, because we were doing a lot of diving, and it wasn’t worth it to have to keep putting it on and taking it off.

Walk at least 8,000 steps per day, five days per week. Met probably 50% of the month.

Peloton three times per week for 30 minutes. Met since the bike was delivered on January 25.

 

Law Practice:

Pay off law office line of credit. In progress. I paid extra toward this in January.

Double reserve funds. In progress.

Research law office marketing. Not started yet.

Revamp website. Not started yet.

Develop and implement marketing and social media plan. Not started yet.

Write blog post once per month. Met.

Hire associate or advertise office share availability. Not met yet. In progress.

 

Blogging:

Post at least once per week. Met.

Post travel post at least once per month. Met.

Post goal update monthly. Met.

Post reading list monthly. Met.

Develop and implement marketing and social media plan. Not met yet.

Take additional Travel Blog Success (or replacement) course. Not met yet.

Find/watch Lightroom tutorial series. Not met yet.

Utilize travel journal while travelling. Met.

Update old posts with pinnable images. Not met yet.

Increase photo size in old posts. Not met yet.

 

Travel:

Take at least one trip or local adventure per month.

  • January–Bahamas Met! This was such a fun trip! 
  • February–Museum of Nebraska Art ?
  • March–Florida with my friend Tara
  • April–Willa Cather Museum ?
  • May–Stuhr Museum ?
  • June–Cour D’Alene, Idaho and Spokane, Washington for Mike’s family reunion
    Girls weekend with my college sorority sisters
  • July–
  • August–
  • September–New York over Labor Day Weekend ?
  • October–
  • November–Cozumel/Belize with Mike ?
  • December–

Go to Iceland.

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