A week ago today, I was in Colorado enjoying the opening ceremonies of the First Annual South Park Convention – and a week from today – I will be in Juneau, Alaska enjoying my second of two vacations in the same month.

This is the first time in my life that I have taken two vacations in the same year – much less in the same month. For me, going on vacation is as rare as the coming of Haley’s Comet, but seeing as how this year has been the best year of my life – I decided to make the best of it by planning two trips – one to Colorado for the South Park Convention – and one to the farthest, and largest state in the Union – Alaska.

So here I am – right smack in the middle of both vacations. Still recovering from one while I prepare for another.

The vacation I am recovering from brought me so much joy that I would give anything to go back to Colorado and spend just one more day with my fellow South Park Conventioneers. I miss them so much, and now as the e-mails start coming in to the Digest from the people I met – I recall the times we had as I read their descriptions and feelings of the weekend we all shared and my desire to go back there doubles. I know that the Convention is over – but the good news is that SP Con 2002 is already being planned. It may be a year away – but you know that I will be the first to arrive once again.

The vacation I am looking forward to is one that will take me to Juneau, Alaska to meet Montel, another old friend and member of the South Park Booster Club. Although we have spoken to each other almost every day for the past eight months – I have never met this really good friend of mine. So I decided that I would travel to Alaska to meet her.

Of course, some of my friends and family think I am crazy – but I don’t. What is wrong with taking a vacation and meeting the person you are traveling to for the first time? I just did that last week – and that was over thirty people – this is just one. And besides, my Fourth Of July Celebrations have always been unique. My mother took me many great places for the Fourth. One year, we went aboard the U.S.S. Independence and watched the fireworks on one of this country’s largest aircraft carriers. Another time, we spent the Fourth directly across from the Statue of Liberty at then country radio station 1050 WHN’s Fourth Of July Barbecue. So since my Fourth has always been unique and fun – then why not spend the Fourth in a place where the sun rises at five o’ clock in the morning and sets at two o’ clock in the morning? Now that’s a party.

So with less then a week since my first vacation and less then a week until my second one, I once again wait with baited breath until I am taxiing on a runway about to head into the air for my second destination in the same month.

The part that is the saddest is that when my trip to Alaska is over – who knows when I will go on vacation again?