Is there anything better than a tropical vacation? Not in my opinion and our favorite tropical destination is the small strip of islands south of Miami known as the Florida Keys.

My first visit to this island chain was in 1979 as a 19 year old college student spending a summer as a nanny, taking care of two little girls, for a Long Island, New York family who just happened to have a vacation home in the Keys.

I've been hooked on the Keys since and my husband Jeff, too, since we married in 1993.

We're wrapping up a 11 day Keys vacation on Friday and too soon we'll be heading back to reality in Sacramento, CA.

But, we're also happy to be heading home. Being self-employed makes it difficult to be away too long from the business and I must admit....I also miss the routine of my work.

Days on end of lazing in the sun, snorkeling, boating, fishing, eating out and basically doing nothing is fun.....for awhile....but it's good to get back to reality, too.

Next week I'll be back in the office, rested, tan and ready to get back to work. And as long as I know when we can return to our tropical paradise I can keep my nose to the grindstone.

Next scheduled trip to the Keys: September, 2009. Four months to go!