Isn't This How Everyone Prepares for a Trip?

I admit it, I'm a bit preoccupied with the trip I'm taking next month. The trip planning started with an invitation to a wedding in Vienna, from my friend G___ (sender of Krampus packages and recipient of an Unoriginal hat). My friend S__ and I will be travelling together for most of the trip, and once the date of the wedding was set we added:

• A plan to run a 4.2K "mini-marathon" in Prague, which as a non-runner has involved a lot of training. S__ is running the full marathon--I'm just running the mini in order to get free beer later that evening.
• A quick 2-day trip to Paris, a city I've never been to before.
• An even quicker trip to Venice to visit some Boston friends who are living there this spring.

Basically, it's now four countries in a little less than 2 weeks, and I'm leaving in about 3 weeks. I haven't been back to Europe since 2001, when I live and studied in Vienna, and I'm very excited to go back. I can't really believe that 7 years have passed since I was there, or that it's taken me this long to go back. I'm also having a hard time believing how terrible the exchange rate has gotten--I think that it was about 0.9 dollars to the Euro when I was there, and now it's about 1.5. Yikes!

Anyway, with the trip getting closer and closer, I'm started to get into heavy-preparation mode--hence the photos above. I think that it's perfectly natural to start a bunch of new craft projects that have to be finished before I leave, don't you? The stress of this approach will counterbalance the stress of finishing a hundred lingering projects at work. Right?

I was supposed to be out of town this weekend, but changed my plans at the last minute and stayed home, and have tried to be as productive as possible so that the weekend's not "wasted." I started with making six passport holders using this great tutorial, (via whip up) and I may make more. It's hard to decide which one I'm going to take (I'm leaning towards the gnome), and I'm although thinking about adding a hidden pocket in the lining. It might add some unwanted bulk, though, and I'm in more of an assembly-line mindset than a design-and-innovate mindset.

I also started three A-line skirts, using Amy Butler's Barcelona Skirts pattern, using the three fabrics in the lower left hand corner above. I think that the green striped silk will be appropriate for the wedding, and the two cotton skirts should be good for everyday wearing. The fabrics for the skirts and passport holders are from my stash (yippee, stash!), although I did need to buy the skirt linings and notions. I made a skirt back in January with this pattern, and I wear it a lot. It's a little bit big, so I went down a size with these three skirts. Unfortunately, I forgot that the silk does not have quite the same amount of "give" as the wool-blend I used before, so the silk skirt is currently a little bit tight. Not can't-be-zipped tight, mind you, but a little uncomfortable. I'm going to hold off on hemming it for now, and hopefully I can lose a few pounds in the next couple of weeks. Or figure out how to let it out without have to pick out all of those stupid seams. I've got my fingers crossed for the other two skirts, the cotton should be a little less "firm" and maybe I'll make the seam allowances a little skinnier. Maybe the next project should be one of those elastic-back cute skirts!