Headed out in 4 days on a “mini” trip.

It’s just 14 days in Toronto, book-ended by 2 travel days, but we have 6 dinners with friends and family, 4 lunches, 2 overnight visits, 2 small reunions, and a wedding shower to attend… so far!

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We’re flying Porter Airlines for the first time, so can check a bag at no extra cost. Our bags are carryon size, but checking them means there’s essentially no weight limit on them. Nonetheless, each of them is under the usual 10kg/22lb carryon threshold anyway. What I’ll carry onto the plane instead is our small duffel bag containing the fragile shower gifts (Indigenous art-embellished porcelain) we’re bringing from B.C.; Ted will carry his small tech backpack for our tablets and laptop. He won’t be bringing his camera this time, just his phone to (hopefully) take group shots. I’ll be taking food photos, as always!

All those social engagements, many in downtown restaurants, mean clothes a notch nicer than just jeans and tees. Summer in the “big city” is a welcome chance to show off a bit of fashion savvy.

We’ll still wear our jeans and tees in transit, but here’s what’s in our bags:

Rose: (all in blue/white/yellow) 1 pair of pants, 2 capris, 6 tops, 5 summer dresses (2 maxi, 3 knee-length), 1 lightweight cardigan, 1 pashmina, 1 bathing suit, 1 pr yellow sandals (to supplement the blue ones worn in transit), pyjamas, and lots of colourful costume jewelry to fancy things up.

Ted: (all in blue/beige) 2 pr pants, 4 long-sleeved cotton shirts, 7 short-sleeved shirts, 2 tees, 1 bathing suit, 1 pr slip-on runners, sleep pants.

The Airbnb we’ve booked has a beautiful shared laundry room, but our social calendar isn’t going to allow a lot of free time, so I’ve planned for the possibility that we won’t do laundry at all during our stay (beyond an ironing marathon on arrival … because … me).

It’s going to be a fun, busy 2 weeks, and we’re doing it in style!

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Afterword: Where’s all our other stuff going? We won’t be returning to our Maple Ridge VRBO until August, and it is rented to others during the month of July. Our three 25” suitcases, containing everything else we own, will be stored short-term with son #2.