I am an anticipatory person.  I’m also a worrier, but right now I feel the tingles of anticipation of good things to come beginning to creep into my extremities.  Pleasurable anticipation is a bit like pins and needles but it doesn’t leave you hobbling around on one gimpy foot as you repeat, “Ugh!  Pins and needles!  Pins and needles!”  No, the expectation of good things to come is nearly like being in the first throes of a hard-crush.  Since I love to travel and feel much the same when traveling or being infatuated with a new person, I firmly believe I’ve got a great deal of dopamine and norepinephrine coursing through my circulatory system.

People have been asking me for months if I was excited to go on vacation, but months ago my vacation was still months away.  There were more pressing matters to attend to and I didn’t have time or energy to focus on a vacation that I knew was going to happen but not for a while.  I would respond to their inquiries with a smile and say I was looking forward to my trip but that I was far from excited over it at that particular moment in time as it was months away.

Tall, Dark and Swedish has been sending emails and stating in conversation for months that he’s really looking forward to the vacation.  In fact, all of our friends who will be with us have been saying the same thing.  Me?  I’ve been the cool cucumber and saying the same to them as to my coworkers and other people.  I was happy the trip was “out there” in the future, but I wasn’t thinking about it too much.

Friday, I started to tell myself that in a weeks time I’d arrive in South Beach Miami to begin my vacation.  Yesterday the reality hit that in a week I’d be in wheeling my suitcase on board a ship for another cruise.  Today, as I selected dresses and casual wear, shoes and swim suits, and stacked them on the bed for loading into the suitcase, the tingles started.  The butterflies in my stomach didn’t rise in a flurry with their wings beating, but they did start to fan them in the sunshine of my mind, warming up and getting ready to launch.

I’ve had my list of things to do ready for the last week before I leave the house at the crack of “wow it’s early and normal people are still asleep”.  My house- and pet-sitter is ready to go.  My neighbor who plows my driveway has been told.  The cats know something is up as the suitcases have been hauled from storage so they’ve been extra clingy.

The week before a big vacation always has much to do and I never feel like I will finish it all before I go.  Plants need to be cared for and babied (there is a reason I have a lot of cactus, succulents and orchids).  Fresh fruit and veggies must be eaten or chopped and frozen so they don’t go to waste.  Perishables in the fridge need to be served up for meals, cooked into larger dishes and servings packed and frozen so we have meals ready to go for the first couple days upon our return.

Preparing for the trip has also included dance lessons, namely the Salsa, with Tall, Dark and Swedish and Short, Blonde and Swedish.  We will look like we know what we’re doing and our last lesson pre-trip included learning how to do a Dip.  We’ve asked the guys to not drink any adult beverages if they’re going to dip us and mentally I’m going to hear our dance instructor Josh saying to the men as they were learning, “Catch me!”

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Yes, I’m anticipating this trip and spending a lot of time learning all about the places I will go just like I would a new beau.  I’m spending hours reading about them.  I’ve researched the ship’s decks and know where my cabin is in relation to most of the places I will go.  Over the next few days my preoccupation with vacation will take on a rose-colored glasses, love-goggled infatuation where I may begin writing “Sarah loves Vacation” in my notebooks and crying into my pillow at night because we can’t yet be together but…. soon.  Soon, Vacation.

In six days, SoBe – I’ll be in you.

Where was the last place you went on vacation?  

What was your favorite part of your vacation?