You know what they say about a tech rehearsal --- if it's a wreck, that's all the better for the show's opening. Better to avert possible disasters ahead of time!

Well, last week my family and I took my brother's pop-up camper to a nearby beach campground for a "Tech" rehearsal. We're heading out west in 3 short weeks and wanted to work out some of the kinks. And while we had a glorious time -- we also had a million obstacles to work through. It was true theater -- but we were awesome!

Our site was under lovely pine trees, rare in Illinois, and we only had one neighbor -- a lovely little family from the city. The wife was a gamine model --- wearing premium skinnies, a J. Crew sweater, BR Anorak and teal suede booties. I felt like Ethel Mertz alongside her. Or Rhoda. Truly -- I had fashion envy while camping of all things. She was quite sweet, of course, and there's a reason "envy" makes God's Big 10, so I let it go and just enjoyed her and the lovely weather (well, after the hellacious storm that almost caused our fire to ignite the pines).

What I learned:

1. I'm excited for the "big trip"

2. I will be making two capsules for travel, not one. The first will cover traveling to and from the national parks. The second will cover the middle section of our trip, when we're camping completely without hookups and doing lots of hiking, rafting, biking, etc. The first capsule I'm confident in but:

3. I have a gym gear formula that kinda works, but I look hopelessly lost when I try to dress for trekking in the mountains. Truly hideous. so.......

4. There will need to be rehearsals and pics for every outfit that gets packed. I want to know what works when I dress while lying/sitting on the camper bed, without time, much privacy, or a mirror. Then I can dress and go, trusting that I look put together. I don't expect to be a fashion plate, I just want to have functional clothes that are pleasing to the eye and relatively flattering.

5. Long pants are better at the campsite, unless it's sweltering, but under no circumstances should bootcuts or yoga pants be worn ---- tapered hems only! Camp bathroom floors, dirt, gravel.....need I say more?

Did I get pics? Not of my clothes. Perhaps a good thing --- after the tech rehearsal I was ready to fire the costume designer --- wait......that's me!

Photo: DD wrapped in a sheet to ward of mosquitoes as we waited for DH and DS to come back with the camper key. Yep. We were locked out. My brother pocketed the key and went to his church to teach preschool VBS. Fortunately, the church was just 5 miles away and the kiddos didn't object to having their lesson on the Good Samaritan interrupted. Told you --- obstacles!

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