13 days!!!

I recently got a text from my sister, and my last piece of gear arrived in the mail today...I now have everything that I need for my Camino, and I'm beginning to get excited!

I am beginning to feel this way...I'm just glad I won't be walking in snow!

• I have also talked to my bank and let them know that I will be in Spain during that time so that they don't lock my debit card.  
• I have new epipens to take with me.  
• I have begun to make a list of things to complete before I leave, such as clean my bathroom and put everything that is chewable out of my dog's reach.
• I have been working on eating all of my perishables so that I don't leave anything to rot in the fridge.
• I'm slowly but surely working my way through all of my courses so that I can  (hopefully) complete all of them before I leave.
• I found a passage of scripture to memorize: Isaiah 54
• I have begun making a list of intentions to take with me to pray about while I am gone (If you have something specific you want me to be praying about, please email me about it).
• I bought catastrophic health insurance for while I am gone
• I have been working on my Spanish with co-workers
• I have been making a list of phrases that I'm going to ask one of my coworkers to translate for me.
• I will be renewing my lease at my residence first thing next week, since my current lease is up at the end of the month.
• I have been collecting pebbles from friends and coworkers to take with me, and will have a way to keep them together next Thursday!
• I will be seeing the chiropractor and my counselor one last time before I leave.

I'm also getting nervous...I'm beginning to worry about the following:

Typical sleeping arrangements in Alburgues--hence my worry about snoring...I am taking earplugs, but still!

• Is my sleeping bag warm enough?
• Will I have too much gear? not enough gear?
• Should I wear a non-hiking outfit on the plane, or one of my hiking outfits?
• Do I have enough money for my trip? (according to most calculators, I do--actually 2-3x what they estimate, but I'm still worried it won't be enough!)
• Should I take a travel pillow, or just plan on using my clothing as a pillow?
• Will I be able to find enough to eat while I am gone? (related to food allergies--most traditional walking food like bread or nuts is out for me....I suspect that I will be eating a lot of Tortilla!)
• Will I be able to find hot tea, or will I be stuck with coffee for the whole trip?  Should I pack some teabags with me?
• Will I have the stamina to walk 300 miles?
• Will I be the person who keeps everyone up with her snores?
• Will I be able to sleep with everyone else's snores?
• Should I take more than one pair of shoes beyond my hiking boots? If so which one?  My running shoes? My sandals?
• How important are shower shoes? (DestructoDog chewed my flip-flops up, so if I really need them, I will need to buy a pair).
• How likely will it be that I lose my backpack when I fly?  (I have insurance for this, but don't want to start my Camino by replacing all of my gear)
• Will I be able to find friends on my trip, or will my introvertedness and inner feelings of awkwardness get in the way (Most social situations make me feel like the awkward, geeky 13 year old that I was in middle school)?
• The litany of questions goes on and on....

I know that many of them will depend on how heavy my pack is once I put everything in it.  I'd really like to be lighter than 15 lbs, but anything under 20 is acceptable.  Also, many of my questions are questions that I will just need to leave up to the Lord.  Even so, I am spending more and more of my time contemplating these questions instead of focusing on the preparations at hand.  I hate to say it, but I think my brain checked out on Camino about a week ago, even though my body is still firmly in the United States.  

To get my Compostela, I have to walk from Sarria on, no matter what.

It is too late to do so at this point, but the one thing I regret is not ordering a patch from the Camino Forum I am a part of.  It would have been nice to have added that to my pack.  Even so, I will be buying a shell as soon as I arrive in Burgos to attach to my pack.  Once I arrive in Santiago de Compostela, I plan to find and buy a small silver shell with the St. James cross on it to add to the necklace that I wear every day.  I'm not sure what I will be getting friends and family members as souvenirs from my trip yet, but I know for sure that I want this particular souvenir for myself.  

In the meantime, I need to get back to work...Focus, Ruth, Focus!!! You have to get your work done!!!