Vacation, Have To Get Away

It's an old, tired joke.

"Going on vacation was so stressful that I need another vacation just to recuperate."

Har de har har, but it has a ring of truth to it.

This week, however, I am finding that I need a vacation just to get ready for my vacation.

My fiance and I leave on Friday morning for a weekend of sun and fun in Ocean City, Maryland, with my parents, sister and brother-in-law. I have been looking forward to this trip since we planned it several months ago, and, I am especially excited now -- just two weeks after my fiance became my fiance -- because this is the first opportunity I'll have to show off my sparkly diamond ring and chat about wedding plans with my family.

However, the closer the trip gets, the more unprepared I find I am. On my to-do list:

- Do enough laundry to have clothes for the four-day trip and for at least a day or two of work after we return, because we won't get back until the wee hours of Tuesday morning and have to return to work that day.

- Stock up on sunscreen and other needed sundries.

- Clean out fridge, take out garbage and otherwise eliminate anything that might smell bad after being left alone for four days.

- Pay bills that are due during the time we'll be gone.

- Go to the gym two extra times during the week to make up for the two visits I won't make on Friday and Saturday.

- Find someone to get us to the airport at 5:30 a.m. on Friday and pick us up at 11:50 p.m. on Monday.

- Knowing no one who owes us that big of a favor, check prices for parking at airport from 5:30 a.m. on Friday to 11:50 p.m. on Monday.

- Clean out car, leaving no traces of anything being stored inside of it, thus lessening the chance it will be broken into.

- Pack.

- Repack, upon learning new restrictions about what can and cannot be taken on an airplane.

- Re-re-pack, upon checking weather in Ocean City.

- Lose 10 lbs. OR pretend to have forgotten bathing suit; come up with host of fun activities that do not require beach wear.

- Make sure that at least left hand looks good and nails are painted to accentuate sparkly ring.

- E-mail parents one more time to make sure there will be cold beer waiting when we arrive.

- Find something to do on the flight to Philadelphia, where we will meet my sister and brother-in-law, and the 4-6 hour car ride from Philadelphia to Ocean City; e-mail sister to see if it's possible to have cold beer waiting at the airport.

- Buy cold beer to last the next few days, as with that list, we're going to need it.