Tropical Paradise or Bust!

Stepping out of my life for a weekend can be challenging. Stepping out for 2 full weeks can be a marathon of deadlines, a frenzy of phone calls - not to mention a hurricane of phone calls.

But I'm doing it.

Caribbean Princess, Here I Come!In just 40 short days I'll bid adieu to my life. My lover and I'll fly to San Juan, Puerto Rico where we'll board the Caribbean Princess for 2 weeks. We (and I) have done this before and each time I do, I'm reminded of the gargantuan effort it takes to excuse myself from the everyday.

My pre-vacation challenge is unique this time. Before I leave, I'm traveling to Toronto and Vegas representing Natura World Inc  (I'm the Communications Director there) at furniture industry shows and a social media event that I'm hosting. Oh, and I'll be launching another website as well - not to mention the smorgasbord of other deadlines and don't forget the "please, can you take on this quick, little project?" thrown in for fun.

And that's just 9-5 between now and February 12 (the day our plane leaves from Buffalo). There's the matter of my hair (don't ask), pre-tanning to camouflage my wintery whiteness and maybe a manicure.

I haven't gone bikini shopping in 2 years. I'm confident finding the perfect suit to hide all my sin (and accentuate what isn't so sinful) will take up more than 2 weekends of shopping, followed by copious amounts of alcohol.

Then there's hitting the gym every morning (to get this body ready for the forthcoming bikini).

Kids, thankfully, are being attended by "The Grandmothers." One will stay at the house to referee and cook meals while the other will cheer the first one on and monitor Facebook. "The Grandmothers" - ensuring the safety of both their moral and mortal safety.

I have friends and co-workers who never take vacations, worried that even a week out of the office signifies a lack of career commitment. They wear their vacation-less lifestyle like a runway model. But my European friends scoff and say my "short" getaway is a travesty - they escape 6 weeks each year and apologize to no one for it.

Over the next 40 days I'm taking GoGirlfriend readers on my pre-vacation adventure. And when the "Tropical Paradise or Bust" adventure wraps up, get ready for daily fun aboard my Princess Cruise - cause I'm taking y'all with me!

When's the last time you excused yourself from your life for some fun in the sun?