The Cat's in the Bag!

In April, I spent a good bit of time on the road doing music and speaking at various events. Preparing to go away can be a daunting task in and of itself, but as a musician who has to take sound equipment, "stage" clothes and all your merchandise along, it feels even more daunting. Picture a music store on wheels.

Sometimes it's fun to go somewhere and not take ANYTHING with me—especially my phone! I feel so free.

Samie and Blue - my kittens!

But now that I have two adorable cats (though my husband calls them the demon twins—and they are very bad sometimes) life has become even more complicated when I pack. Or, maybe I just try to cram too many things into my day before I hit the road.

Things like....

Make food ahead of time and put it in the fridge for my husband.
Wash the kitchen floor.
Wash the clothes.
Balance the checkbooks.
Get the suitcase out from under the bed.
Chase the cats out of the suitcase.

Put clothes in the dryer.
Go to the library to get books for my husband to read while I'm away.
Clean out the fridge so that there are no science projects in there for my husband to gag over.
Go back to the suitcase and chase the cats out of it, again.

Take clothes out of the dryer and put them away.
Chase the cats out of the suitcase.
Start loading clothes in the suitcase.
Get the merchandise ready to pack up.
Load sound equipment in the van.
Wash more clothes.
Chase the cats who are now lying on top of my clothes, out of the suitcase.
Vacum cat hair off of my clothes and suitcase.
Go ahead and vacuum the house since the vacuum is now out of the closet.
Bake a pie. (What was it I'm supposed to be doing???)
Take a shower.
Wash hair.
Put on makeup.
Chase cats off the top of the suitcase so I can finish packing toiletries.
Close up the suitcase.
Set suitcase in the kitchen by the door so I don't forget it. (I have left without my suitcase!!)
Pack up exercise clothes (in a gym bag and hope the cats don't find THAT).
Chase cats away from the suitcase by the door.
Pull cats out of the gym bag.
Put the sneaker they pulled out of the gym bag back into the gym bag.
Finish packing the van.
Pull out of the driveway as the mournful cats watch you leave.
Begin wondering how to possibly take the cats with you next time.
Arrive at the venue and find more cat hair all over your black "stage" outfits.

Note to self: next time get black kittens?