Hitting the Road, and why does it take so dang long to go on vacation

So I'm dropping my foster dogs off to boarding (so I can go on vacation), and the poor gal at the counter is really confused. "One is staying here at the boarding facility and one is going back home with you when you get back from the beach?" Yep. She chases cats, and in my house, that just doesn't cut the mustard. "Ok, so which is which?" Which is a pretty decent question, since both dogs are black with white patches on their chests and white paws.

And this is only the start of a never ending list of chores to do before I go on vacation, which I actually thought started on Friday afternoon, last week, when I left work for 10 days. But boy, there's a lot to do to go on vacation. Especially if you're taking your own dogs with you. You've got to:
* clean your house so the petsitter you've hired for the cats doesn't think you're a slob
* clean your car so you can stand driving in it
* buy beach appropriate clothes including a cute new bathing suit for the boyfriend
* run all around town trying to find the exact Schick shaver for your bikini area that was mentioned in Glamour magazine. But no one seems to carry it, not even Walgreens or CVS
* after all that driving, remember you don't need to shave your bikini area because your swimsuit has a skirt and no one's gonna see the bikini area
* buy sunscreen, buy a shaver for your legs, get all of your prescriptions filled
* shave your legs
* go pick up the prescriptions
* buy some magic hair product so your hair doesn't frizz
* make sure there's enough dog food to last while your gone
* mail all those letters and bills you've been meaning to send
* type up something for the petsitter and try not to sound too anal retentive
* write out your last will and testament in case you get killed driving to the beach (just kidding!)
* decide you really do need to clean up the junky office because the petsitter is going to think you're a slob
* OMG, decide you are anal retentive

God, it took me 3 days to get ready to drive 4 1/2 hours away from home to try to relax at the beach. I'm going to be exhausted when I get there. But at least I'll have a cute bathing suit, shaved legs, happy dogs running through the surf , and a petsetter who'll be enjoying my really clean house.