Vacation Mode

All week at work, I have been in Pre-Vacation Mode (or PVM as my boss Jen and I have nick-named it). You know, that burst of energy just before you take time off, where you are hyper-productive in anticipation of being away from the office for a week or more. I once heard that if we all worked as if we were going on vacation the next day, we'd get so much more done. And that is how it was this past week for me. And not just at work. There were a bunch of things on my to-do list at work and at home, and most have been checked off, though not all - yet. There are a few items that have to get checked off today. I'm baking for my favorite Saratoga hotel to the tune of 12 dozen muffins and 12 dozen scones so that they can have a steady supply while I'm away. Then there's the 50th wedding anniversary cake that is being decorated in white buttercream roses, to be delivered by noon. Later, I'd like to get the car washed which is probably silly before driving for such a long distance, but I just love a just-washed car!

And here's the cake!

The plan is to hit the road by 3 am in order to arrive in Emerald Isle, NC, by 4 pm tomorrow afternoon, in time to meet my sister Anne and her family at the beautiful beach house with an aptly designated name of its own: Seaside Retreat. I'm packing a cooler of drinks and food for the 13-hour drive. I have to stop today to buy a car charger for my phone, and finish up laundry and packing. If I can get to bed by 8 pm and set the alarm for 2 am, that'd be great.

There's a lasagna in the freezer that will be packed in my new Trader Joe's zippered cooler bag (thank you to my son Jeff for the cool bag!), and some groceries packed and ready to go. I stopped at the library yesterday to pick up some beach reading, and the Kindle Fire is charged up. Russ shared some books on CD to help pass the time. I'm driving south through Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and on rather than take the more eastern New Jersey, DelMarVa route to avoid the beach-bound congestion on the highways.

So, my friends, please check back for posts from the beach house! I am happily looking forward to sharing my vacation with you!

Photo credit: http://media.smashingmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/uploader/images/signs/im-on-vacation/full_imonvacation.jpg