I love this thread, Dazned. Your plans sound idyllic, and I really hope it all works out well for you.

I'm also about to start my own dream-come-true ball rolling, so I have an inkling as to how you must be feeling. Do you mind if I post mine here?
In December, I'm going to play a wonderful organ concerto in a concert with a lovely orchestra who I've played with before, though in a less soloistic role. I just can't wait to put all my practising efforts together with them when we rehearse. I've done orchestral playing before, as a second-study viola-player, and I used to love that. Now, being able to bring the two sound-worlds of organ and orchestra together, on a lovely instrument in a lovely acoustic, will be a total treat for me. I've dreamt about this sort of thing for long enough and now it's actually happening.
I think we all need something to look forward to. We're allowed to dream, so why not turn our dreams into reality?