9 Days

Nine days from now, I will be waking up at the crack of dawn and leaving on a jetplane. I will be escaping the chilly New England weather and touching down on a tarmac that will be sizzling in the mid day heat. I will follow the herd through immigration, grab my bags and jump in a rental car that will navigate a road with an amazing view of the azure sea. I will arrive here:

This is our dream house, our home away from home, our villa in Aruba.

We finished building it in September. We went down to finish up some minor details in November and December. This will be our first full week of sun and fun in the new house. I can't wait to relax, make a chilled cosmo, and dip my feet in here:

As you can see, we weren't fooling around. We put in our own private pool. The beach is a two minute car ride down the street. I will be sure to pack plenty of sunblock. Now, who knows how I can magically lose 20 pounds before I go??