what's in my bag (travel edition)?

okay, i suppose i should be honest and just tell you that i carry this huge bag, EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.  but with good reason, i promise!  i consider myself a writer, as y'all already know, and i am never without a book to read, so it just makes sense for me to carry a bag big enough to hold my journals, books, writing utensils and, on occasion, laptop/study materials.  this particular bag i bought sometime after christmas from francesca's.

this is my favorite bag, and this back pocket is the reason why.  it makes it easy to keep my books and journals separate from my other stuff.  i can fit my (most recent issue of) glamour magazine, composition book, planner and latest read (the moonstone)!  and i never have to worry about the pages getting messed up because of leaky makeup/pens or anything like that.

in the main part of the bag i carry most of my daily necessities.  the polkadot bag you see poking out has my pens and pencils, and right next to that you can see my umbrella (a necessity in new orleans, where it rains often, without any warning).  i always keep my deodorant in my purse and dove is my favorite brand.  i also love that PINK "sweet and flirty" hand lotion.  i hate when my hands get dry, and since i wash my hands often (if you handled dirty, dusty files, you would too) i need to keep hand lotion nearby.  ernest bought my D&G glasses for christmas two years ago.  i've had asthma since i was five, so keeping my inhaler nearby has become more of a habit than a necessity for me (and allergies mean keeping tissues nearby too!).

the front two pockets are kind of my catchall for my lipglosses and meds.  i keep several tubes of carmex and blistex because i get cold sores often, and my lips are almost always dry (even when i'm fully hydrated!).  right now my favorite lipgloss is smith's rosebud salve.  and since my braces were put on, i've gotten more into the habit of carrying extra sugarfree gum.  i also carry plenty of tylenol and migraine pills, antibacterial (though i only believe in using it in EXTREME circumstances), a tide stain stick and other various things for my braces.

so there you have it!  occasionally you might find a pair of high heels in there, or maybe my lunch, but for the most part this is how my purse looks everyday!  i know i carry lots of stuff, but i'd hate to be stuck somewhere bored (that's just the kind of person i am) so i'd rather be overprepared than unprepared.  :-)