it's official...

...I'll be spending six weeks in this paradise this summer. Six weeks. My heart flutters just thinking about it.

I owe this extraordinary opportunity to the kindness of two of the loveliest people on the planet. And, after much taunting from Old Southern Women who didn't think I had the balls to go through with it, I finally threw cash into the wind last night and booked my flight.

Not that I needed to be asked twice. I mean, how often does someone offer YOU a place to stay in your vacation destination of choice for little more than the cost of stocking the bar when they come up to visit? No, I didn't need to be asked twice...but I did have to think for a second. Six weeks away from home is a long time...

But then I recalled the LAST time I spent six weeks away from home. The last time I threw cash into the wind, put everything in Atlanta on hold, and went away on a bit of an adventure. This resulted, and it was the best time of my life, as was the trip to Provincetown that followed.

No, I don't expect a repeat of that magical summer. Such wondrous times occur as the result of a gorgeous and random combination of people, places, and things. But when the universe presents you with such gracious gifts, it would be criminal not to accept them.

I plan to read a lot, write a lot, not watch any television, ride my bike everywhere, see friends, make friends, and get some stuff together.

Neat.