You know where I’m going.  Florida.  Miami.  Then on a big ship and on the high seas for five days / four nights.  Without my husband or kids, but Rick Springfield.  Yes, on a cruise.  There will be *5* concerts, photo sessions, and many many cocktails.  No worries, the rest of my family is safe at home enjoying their time without Mommy staying up late on the weekend and eating ice cream for breakfast.  (Oh wait, I let them do that sometimes too!)

This is last years cruise that I couldn’t go on…

While away without a laptop (ZOMG!) or any real Internet access to speak of, I will have time to read, relax, lounge on the beach, stay up late, sleep in late, and get my shit together.  Sometimes people need that.  Collect their thoughts, sort through them, and move forward.  Good thing for me I hit a ‘rockstar awakening’ a few weeks ago both personally and professionally, and this vacation could not come at a more perfect time.

My kids are healthy.  My husband is amazing.  My daughter is so intelligent.  My son is talking more and more.  My mom is *happy* for the first time in a long time.

My company is doing very well.  I have office space of my own for the first time in a very long time.  I have started hacking down vines and building my own path again. I’m able to volunteer my time and knowledge with several local business groups.  The purple stripes are back in my hair.

I will miss all of this on my vacation, but at the same time I get to finish a thought, work out ideas, make new friends, and maybe – just maybe – I will get to meet (not just get my picture taken with…) a rockstar I have been completely crazy about since 1981 & the Working Class Dog album.  Some would say I was late to the game – but I was 10 years old!  (Rick is playing the entire WCD album start to finish in order at one of the concerts on the ship.)  I now own every song he has ever released and have been to 15 concerts.

Anyone that I have fallen in love with their work, I’ve been able to ‘friend’ to some degree with social media tools.  Not just friend as in “I can follow your updates & stalk you” but truly befriend them.  Matthew Ebel and JC Hutchins come to mind (both *amazing* artists in their respective crafts.)  Not having access to Rick Springfield is actually kind of strange to me.

Ok, I’m done rambling.  I am done packing, now I just have to make a poster for my cabin door.  Yeah, it’s a sickness….

Talk to you all when I get back! (And hopefully see you at Web 2.0 NYC!)