Amsterdam!

It's official, I'm going to Amsterdam. Totally last minute. Totally out of the blue. Totally crazy! Friend Maddie is from the Netherlands and just happens to be over there visiting relatives. Friend Laurel and her dashing hubby, Russ, will be stopping by Amsterdam for a few days on the way to a cruise. Friend Louise looked at me on Saturday and said, "Why don't we go, too?" Well...there's the money issue. There's the job issue. There's the husband issue. There's the Shana issue. So, one by one, no, no, no, no. Then I realized that Shana would be the first one to say, "Go, Mom!" I asked Shawn what he thought and after a little back and forth, he said to go, too (he won't notice that I'm gone for at least three days) (update, he just told me he'll start missing me on the way to the airport!). I checked out the schedule at work and pulled in some long overdue favors to help cover my absence. Then came the money issue. I went to travelocity.com and it was way too much. Not going. Then Louise found hurry, hurry, hurry, cheap, cheap, cheap, only two tickets left on Orbitz.com. Going. I had a weird dream. Not going. Louise begged. Going. Got out the plastic and pushed the button. It's all about the dash, right? Thursday - just couldn't say no girls' trip - tulips, windmills, Anne Frank, Van Gogh, clogs, cruising on the canals - here I come.