Prioritizing Your Purse

Bustling airports, cramped buses and guided tours under the scorching summer sun cause you to prioritize your purse's belongings. No one wants to go to the doctor complaining of shoulder problems due to their huge Mary Poppins bag weighing them down. After being constantly on the go for three months and changing from buses to trains to airplanes, my perspective on Travel Necessities has changed somewhat. While these items I previously posted have done me good on this trip, they are geared more towards airplane travel and not everyday. No, everyday necessities are a whole different story! I have one word for you -- minimal. Yes, when you are walking around all day or having to carry your purse through the train station or airport security, you want the minimal amount stuff as possible - no need to weigh yourself down. So this summer has caused me to prioritize and these are the winning items I must have with me at all times:

1. Canon s90 Digital Camera - I am not usually a big picture person. My scrapbook for this past spring semester has a total of maybe 30 pictures in it. And when on vacation, I'd rather take a visual snapshot than have to inconvenience someone and ask them to take a picture for me. But this summer has changed that and I've gotten to have a little trigger finger on the ole Canon. Picture picture everywhere! I think most of what has changed that is this camera - I'm obsessed with it. It is small enough to fit in my purse and not weigh me down, but has nice enough functions to create awesome pictures that are completely scrapbook-worthy.

2. Sunglasses - This may seem like an obvious pick, and it is... but until you are doing an outside guided tour in Italy and you've forgotten your sunglasses, you take them for granted. Yes, sunglasses are a must have with you. Whether it is shielding your eyes from the sun as it's poking through the train's windows or protecting against windblown sand on the beach, you never want to forget that sunglasses must always have a place in your purse.

3. Colgate Wisps - These little travel tooth brushes have saved me on many occasions. You never know when you're going to need a little espresso pick-me-up and , though it does it's job, it leaves you with this taste that will have you reaching for your toothbrush as quickly as possible. Colgate Wisps are the perfect solution for a spur-of-the-moment brush up, leaving your teeth sparkling clean and minty fresh.

4. Miniature Nail Files - I have this odd obsession with filing my nails. I can't explain it, it's just a habit I've picked up. And ever since I got these little mini nail files in my stocking this past Christmas, I've had to restock them as soon as I run out because they are so handy!

5. iPhone - I'll admit, I wasn't an easy sell on the Apple iPhone at first. I didn't get the big hype. Then when my ancient dinosaur of a phone gave out on me right before I was supposed to leave for the summer, I took the plunge and got the phone everyone couldn't live without. How did I go without it for so long? It has been the most critical element of technology of my trip so far. Whether I want to listen to music on the bus, translate English to Italian or text with my friends for free... it has been there for me!

6. Travel Neck Pillow - This item is more for long travel days, but don't let its simplicity fool you. There have been many times when we've had 6 a.m. wake up calls and then traveled on the bus -- I wouldn't have had the nap I did those mornings without this pillow. It is a crucial element in days of planes, trains and automobiles.

7. Compact Umbrella - Need I remind you what happened the one day I forgot my umbrella and it rained? Bad things... and ever since then I have learned my lesson and this umbrella never leaves my purse -- regardless of what the weatherman says!

8. L'Oreal Color Presso Lipgloss - I got this little handy thing at CVS before I left and it baffled me -- it was a keychain. Keychain lipgloss, there's no way it could be good... but it is! It's hands-down my favorite lipgloss I own. And it's a must have for impromptu photo shoots.

So there's a little look into the inner-belongings of my purse in Italy. Not very exciting, but it beats listening to me ramble about how I've been sitting in the Palace for the last three days and not doing much of anything (though I'm loving it -- no complaints here)!

Sidenote... Monday Must-Haves

I know I am supposed to be writing about my summer in Italy because that's what the "followers" check back for, but I've got to make a quick detour onto another subject... I'm going to quickly give you my Monday must-haves. Things I'm dying over right now. Here are my current obsessions:

After living in Italy for 2 weeks, I've come to one definite conclusion: I wear a lot of color. I don't know why this is, but color seems to attract my eye and I somehow manage to incorporate it into most every outfit. I've noticed this in Italy because Italians are the complete opposite. Their color scheme consists of black, gray, brown and muted black. I swear they don't believe in the other colors of the color wheel. So when I saw this bright red purse by Madewell 1937, I was drawn to it like a moth to a flame. This would be the perfect accessory to complete an outfit for a night on the town or to dinner with friends... it speaks for itself.

I know I talked about this leather bracelet from Linea Pelle earlier after I saw Jennifer Lopez rock it in her sadly disappointing rom-com, The BackUp Plan... but I'm still dreaming about it. I'm just picturing it as being an everyday statement piece to add a bit of boho-chicness to the wardrobe. Maybe my 2 month obsession over this one item should be a sign that it's no longer an In Limbo purchase situation--trying to decide if this is the right arm candy for me. Time to click that buy button..? Thoughts?

I know I said earlier that I started to read Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter book, but that's not looking so hot for Sara Kate. Actually, that has actually stopped. I read the first few pages and they were pretty deep, not as light-hearted as I thought. So I immediately popped into the first bookstore I could find in Italy, ran to the English section (where selection was slim to none) and bought me another book to read. To my surprise, they had one of the ones that was on my list to read... The Carrie Diaries by Candance Bushnell. Its the story of Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw in high school. We get to read about what turned Carrie into the woman we know on the famous TV show. I'm already 70 pages into it and I'm thinking its a winner!

Another recent obsession that I've noticed I've acquired is a love for sneakers. I never really took myself to be a Converse-wearin' kind of gal (minus my Life In Limbo tomboy phase where I would have traded a worn pair of New Balances for stiletto Christian Louboutins anyday), but recently I've been known to rock the sneaks. And you know what? I'm loving it. Loving it so much that my lone pair of white Chuck Taylor All-Star Converses just aren't cutting it. Nope, I'm moving onto bigger and better things. And who does bigger and better better than Juicy Couture?

Sorry for the off-subject post, but when a girl's got love built up inside her like I do now, all I want do is share this love and consuming passion with others. So from Italy to your house, these are my Monday must-haves from the eyes of an In Limbo girl.