How did this Australian trip come about?  Well, let me tell you. To a certain extent, it was a gift given out of spite.

You see.  I work for a woman who over the years and because of circumstance has become one of my closest friends.

That happens when two people are thrust into a world where the only people they can actually speak to let alone, relate to are each other.  I affectionately call her boss/friend.

Think about your best work friend.    We all have them.  That person you are closest to at work.  You eat lunch together and share company gossip together.  They are that person that just makes being at the office a little more bearable.

But, there is a reason why we call them our work friends.  Besides the occasional happy hour, you don’t really spend a lot of time outside of work with this person.    I mean, let’s be honest.  The only thing the two of you have in common is this mind numbing, creativity sapping, energy-draining job.  Or is that just me.

Now, imagine living next door to that person.  Riding to work with that person every day.  Having dinner every night, too.  I am talking about every night.  A bit scary, right.

But, over the years, we have certainly learned to appreciate each other and all of our weaknesses.

One of those weaknesses is that boss/friend is a shopaholic.  But, on top of that, she feels likes everyone around her takes advantage of her and exploits this.  Do you know those people who ask you to go to the most expensive restaurant in town?  Then, when the check comes, you offer to pay your share and they say no, I got it.  Then later, they complain about the fact that they always have to pay for things?

She will buy stuff for herself, and then buy us the same thing to justify in her mind that she is doing it for us.  It isn’t necessary a bad thing.  She can afford it.  But, seriously, who buys the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd version of the Ipad.  1- 4 of the iPhone, too.  For all of us.  That’s is a bit excessive, right?

So, to surprise boss/friend, her boyfriend and I buy her a trip to Australia for her birthday.

We wrapped up the tickets and the itineary and gave it to her at her birthday dinner.  That was in December,  we leave in 14 days and she still doesn’t believe we are really going.    In fact, every week she asks me if I have done this or that for the trip.  It started out as funny, now it is just annoying.

This trip was put together as a much-needed vacation for the three of us.  But also, this trip is a way for us to prove to boss/friend that we are not ungrateful free loaders and we can purchase the big-ticket gifts as well.  Bitch!