After This, I'll Need the Vacation

We are going to Hawaii next December for my 2 week vacation. I have been going NUTS making the arrangements. First, I tried to get frequent flyer seats, but there were none available for 35,000 earned miles. So I cursed and stomped my feet decided to take the seats that were 70,000 earned miles....EACH!! We do have a lot of saved miles and I have to use them some time! I was hoping to go to Hawaii using my two banked timeshare weeks, but again....nothing available (there's over a year's wait to get a place using exchanged weeks). Since we have to pay for accommodations, it made sense to take the over-priced free flights. I have been wearing out my eyes using the computer to get accommodations. Finally I thougtht I took a place in Kona, Hawaii for 5 nights, and in Kihei, Maui for 9 nights. WRONG!!! E-mails back and forth told me that I didn't have the bookings I had hoped to get (and I worked for DAYS on it). Then, last night, I agreed to take a place in Maui, only to be told that I have to send 1/2 the cost now....in a check. That didn't well with me. I am a VERY trusting person....but I really didn't want to send a stranger over $500 by check. I did some more checking and found that he will take credit card via Paypal, so we are working on that now. As for Kona, I made about 10 calls today and booked a small 1BR 1.5 bathroom condo with a GREAT ocean view. It will be the height of whale season, so we should be able to see many from our lanai (patio). Now I have to work on my summer trips. Nothing exciting - 7 to 10 days in NYC, seeing family and friends, a few days in OKC to see my Dad and my brother, Texas again (for Gerry), with a few little weekend excursions thrown in (Daytona for the NASCAR race July 4th weekend). I'll get lots of good knitting in with all that travelling. I think I should go into the travel business with all this experience I am getting.