The most expensive vacation that wasn't

I think we’re all probably clear now that my trip to Scotland was foiled by Iceland’s volcano.

Since I’ve been back, I’ve been thinking about the costs involved in this vacation that wasn’t.

First, the puppies. Meet Cash and Lola.

Lola’s my girl, rescued and adopted a year ago. She’s 6 lbs, a delicate mix of Italian Greyhound and Chihuahua. Cash is our new boyfriend. He’s 2, and he’s my aunt’s puppy. I’m serving as foster mommy while she returns to Iraq/Afghanistan for a year. I didn’t know that he was 112 lbs when I offered to take him in, but we have fallen in love with him. He’s a rescue as well, a German Shepherd, Lab and Chow mix. I catch them lounging together in the sun all the time. Lola was sleeping against him but quickly sat up as I approached to snap the pic. I love her dreamy sleepy eyes.

I digress.

Gift cards. The vacation that wasn’t required friends to take in the puppies, and for their gracious hosting of the puppies, I have $75 in Starbucks gift cards with which to thank them.

$75 down.

Let’s also note the British pound conversion process. For my travels to the UK, I asked my friends at the bank to convert $1000 US into the pound. It became 620.

Our economy blows.

There were also conversion fees to pay, but the bottom line is my $1000 became 620. Because I never got to the UK, I then had to convert the pounds back. And so I visited my friends at the bank again, handed them my un-used, still sealed in the bank envelope 620 pounds.

After converting it back, can you guess the deposit amount into my bank account??

$898.

We are worth less now than we were a week ago.

$1000 became $898.

Another $102 down for the vacation that wasn’t.

I had no luggage, so I bought a darling set of Liz Claiborne.

Vintage-y. Pretty. The set was a couple of hundred dollars.

I didn’t have a passport. I paid rush fees. It was about $100.

I didn’t have a camera. Best Buy now has a couple hundred dollars.

But hey, at least I now have a passport, luggage and a camera.

And just so I’m not a total Negative Nelly with this post, I will say that we very much enjoyed our brief stay in New York City while we held out hope that the skies would clear. We did not so much enjoy the cost of our hotel, but we had amazing views of midtown. I saw a hilarious play on Broadway.

God of Carnage. Despite the title sounding so, it was not Biblical. Hilarity.

We got drunk on margaritas at Rosa Mexicano in Lincoln Center.

We got more drunk after that at Smith & Wollensky’s.

When the volcano continued to spew ash and our hope was finally gone, we boarded a flight home to Vegas.

Now, since you don’t get a refund when your flights are cancelled due to a natural disaster, you get a credit, I now have $3000 banked with United.

Where should I go?

I have a passport, new luggage and a new camera.

I have to go somewhere.