Best Year Ever

Thus far this year, I've been all over the South Island, several places on the North Island that I had never been to, a South Pacific island, met several new friends and had a blast with them (including securing couchsurfing spots in several European countries!), and have many more plans to continue this ride.

As far as continuing the traveling goes, I've carefully budgeted to go home later this winter (US summer) for a family reunion in Michigan, a few weeks at my parents' place, a wedding in Rhode Island (with several days' stopover in Boston to visit two other good friends), and a stop in SoCal to visit friends from when I lived there.  My budget of $3,500 can JUST barely cover this.

So, yeah--this year has already been pretty epic, and I think it's only going to get better!

Now, I've been offered kind of a once in a lifetime kind of deal--a friend of mine wants to do a two week road trip around the Southwest US, to see two national parks that I've been dying to visit (Zion and Bryce).  Her parents don't want her wandering around Europe by herself, so they offered her their car and to pay for gas for the entire duration.  She needs someone to go with, and is starting from the exact city in SoCal that I will be visiting, at exactly the same time I will be there.  Airfare-wise, it costs the same to stop in SoCal for a weekend as it costs to stop there for a few weeks.  Hmmmm.  The only costs will be campground fees (we're both big on camping) and food.  How can I pass this up, if my boss will let me take 7 weeks straight off?  (I have 4 weeks vacation coming to me, so I will have to take the other 3 weeks unpaid, unless I put in time beforehand.)