12 Days and Counting!!! (April 30; from MySpace MORE blog)

Shameless music placement on my site, I know, but it's got me in the mood for my Royal Caribbean days! In 11 days I will be nearly on the road to Baltimore, officially on vacation, and in 12 I will be ON the ship. YES! Can't wait!! It's "Lust for Life" on the open seas, to be sure. No calls, no e-mails, no distractions toward feeling the best I can possibly feel -- sun and fun, rest and relaxation, jogging on the deck (how cool is that?!), hanging out in the Jacuzzi or poolside, being pampered, no cooking, no making my own bed (heh), no cleaning the bathroom, just all the time in the world to enjoy myself, friendship and all the good things in life ... ahhhh ... I smile at the thought of what good times are to come!!!

My travel companion, who is my best friend from college, and I may partake of a cooking class in Cozumel, and we'll probably hit the pub crawl in Key West, which reminds me ... I should pack that Hemingway book I've been meaning to read in forever. And of course I'll pack the iPod, which reminds me that I should make new cruise-themed playlists, some for working out on the ship, others for lounging poolside. Which reminds me that I need to buy new sunscreen and new (scratchless) sunglasses. And cruise attire. Yay, an excuse to shop! heh.

I also need to remember to charge the camera batteries, perhaps even bring the charger. I don't anticipate taking tons of photos, especially if we're not doing many excursions, but who knows, we may cave and pay the outrageous prices to go get guided tours of Cozumel and Key West. I have never been to Mexico, so it might be worth it, especially since we have very limited time in both places.

One unexpected highlight of the trip is that I will get to hang out with my best friends from both college and high school at the same time. My high school best buddy is now living with her husband a short drive from Port Canaveral, so we're meeting up for the afternoon. How cool to have two important friends from different times in my life converging with me in the same spot?! Tres cool, I say.

It's finals week here as of tomorrow, which means all will be quiet and pleasant around town (except for late at night, which makes me happy that I don't live near the loud, obnoxious, drunk kids who don't know when to be smart and take care of themselves) and next weekend I'm high-tailin' it to the big city (Philly) to enjoy a bachelorette party, which means I'll avoid the massive move-out weekend. Big HURRAH for that! And of course cruise weekend no. 1 will be commencement weekend here, so I'll miss all the confused parents trying to rush their soon-to-be grads to the ceremony, then waiting in line (and blocking traffic) near the campus statues for photo opps, then the looooooong lines at restaurants as the families celebrate. Good for them, I say, and congratulations! But even better for me that I won't be having to deal with the commotion! :-)

That's about all from here lately. The pooch and I are going to enjoy a quiet Sunday afternoon of reading and napping and generally enjoying being with ourselves. :-) I hope that when I return from the cruise the weather will have warmed to standard highs of 70s during the day so being outside for extended periods will be comfortable, not chilly. May and June are probably my favorite months of the year -- everything is still fresh and green, breezes are warm and the weather is not uncomfortably hot, everyone is excited for the end of school or excited that it has just ended, so everyone is in good spirits. The longest day of the year is in June -- my favorite day! I should really host a Longest Day party. It makes me a bit sad, even so, b/c I know the days will only get shorter after that -- why can't all of summertime have the longest days? They should!

Well, that's all for now. Thanks for reading. Now you know MORE! :-)