I am finally going on a vacation! The possibility of going on a vacation for almost anybody is an exciting prospect. For me, however, the occasion is glorious and should be accompanied by angels with harps as I am sure it is heaven sent.

My wife and I recently moved into a new house and for anyone that has moved I am sure they can relate to how stressful and exhausting the process is. The company I work for also decided to move their regional office into a new building and that process was also hectic and taxing.

Take into account that I have been working fulltime since I was 19 years old and in my 14 years of 40 hours a week misery I have had zero vacations. I have had long weekends, quick getaways and even a honeymoon but I have never had a true vacation.

Needless to say my retreat from reality is not only much needed, but greatly deserved. By the time you read this I will be camped out next to Lake Michigan (told you it was a retreat from reality!) where things such as time and stress do not exist.

My irreverence for time and stress will have to wait however because I have quickly discovered the vast amount of tension that goes along with preparing for a vacation. No wonder people don’t take vacations like they used to; vacations are hard work.

First we had to buy airline tickets. Flying is expensive and thanks to the internet there are about a thousand different sites that you can purchase your ticket through. This way you are guaranteed the satisfaction of knowing that no matter how good a deal you may have just gotten on your flight, you will undoubtedly come across another site that would have saved you more money.

We did get a good deal on our flight, but then made the mistake a few months later of attempting to alter our flight plans and transfer the flight home for use at a later time. The airline would be more than happy to accommodate us if we would simply be willing to pay a penalty fee equal to the cost of our roundtrip tickets.

Now I’m no brain scientist or rocket surgeon, but it seems to me that if the penalty is equal to or more than the cost of the flight that it would just be cheaper to throw those tickets away.

We then had to find a sitter for our pets. We actually came out very lucky in this aspect because our cat can for the most part take care of itself. Cats are cool in that way. They need food, water and a place to pee and after that their needs are minimal.

Dogs require more attention and supervision and our dog has special needs so she necessitates a little bit more. That’s where Leslie came to the rescue. Leslie works with my wife and has been gracious enough to watch Dixie (our dog) on several occasions. We simply had to gather all her stuff (I swear that dog has more stuff than I do) and take it to her house.

We still have to finish laundry, pack, prepare my replacement at work, make arrangements for a cab to the airport and write a column for while I’m gone. Wait, I’m almost done with that so there is at least one more thing I can check offmy list.

I had no idea vacation preparation could be so demanding. I think I’ll take a break for awhile and go watch some Sports Center. We’ll call it a vacation from my vacation.

David Friedman is a long-time contributor to the Roanoke-Chowan News Herald. A Bertie High School graduate, he and his wife currently reside in Wilmington. David can be reached via e-mail at dave@gate811.net.