made it through the week...

Well, I certainly got behind... Lets see, catch up on the week or just move forward? how about some of both...

To say that I am happy I made it through the week is an understatement. Every time I thought I was getting ahead, it all came crashing down... I am now further behind in work stuff than before... UUGH! And to top it off I am working the whole weekend - monitoring and reporting - on a critical issue, that there is no fix for. That really isn't true... The fix is to either get the customer to clean up configuration data (not as easy as it sounds) or to do a massive software upgrade which really isn't an option this weekend as it very possibly could take a week to upgrade... So, no way out...

The other thing is that I was supposed to learn about the new job - could they afford me or not by Friday and of course, heard nothing... Figures... Oh well. I did tell my boss that I was interested and that the new department was as well. So, I am continuing to play the waiting game - and this is a game I don't appreciate at all.

Well, I can dream Disney for a while that's for certain!!! 116 days until we head to Spain. This week brings more magnet planning and starting to print as well. I have the day one and gift magnets all figured out, now I just need to print those and design day 2's door. I also am printing magnets for a Friends door! I think that these have me more excited than my own as they are a surprise!!

So, 116 days until we fly, that means 117 days until we are walking Las Ramblas, seeing the architecture, and getting immersed in the culture! This also means 119 days until we sail, and 119 days until we surprise the kids with a very cool upgrade! They are totally in the dark about the room upgrade. I almost blew it a couple of times, i hope that I can keep it quiet.

Thursday night brought the ability to book on board things - Palo dining, Spa, excursions. I could have called the concierge on Friday and done it all - but the reality is that I am a bit anal and really wanted to go and book stuff! So, of course, I did!! I have brunch, tea and dinner reserved, a massage (although I will have to have the concierge move it to a morning slot).

We have decided to do our own thing in Gibraltar. We and another family will get off the ship in the morning and head to get a car (van) and driver and do the ROCK! We are going to see the apes, explore the caves and see the museum. We might also try and ride the Cable Car - but it depends on the lines. We should end up in town so that we can see what the shops have to offer.

haven't figured out our other stops as yet, so today I need to look at Madeira and present the options to the family! hopefully they will like my choices.

I hope to either book them all, or easier yet, email the list to the concierge team and have them do it for me! I must say - having that option is nice, especially after the week I have had and having to work this weekend!

More later!!

And another day is gone...

Well, it was an exciting Sunday for us. Becca had her Gymnastics end of year program. This is her 2nd year in instruction and she has moved up a class, so we were not sure what to expect. We were wowed to say the least. She was one of 2 advanced girls in gymnastics, and one of 4 advanced overall. There were about 15 girls and 1 boy in the program. The gym did 4 individual programs this year, and I really liked the smaller class size.

Becca surprised us with back handsprings on the trampoline, on the "cheese mat" (which is shaped like a wedge of cheese) and on the floor. She has come so far in such a short time. She was also good on the bars and great on the beam. Despite it all, she finished with her favorite two tricks... running cartwheel and then a one handed cartwheel.

From there it was out to a late lunch at the place of her choice. She chose Hooters, so we went out for wings, and she spent half the time hula hooping with a hoop as tall as her! Quite a sight!

Got some of my magnets laid out, and I am looking forward to getting the printing started. I think I said I would need 5 weekends to do it all and I am guessing that I am right on the money. It is a time consuming thing to download them and lay them out in a word doc. i am hoping that they will print OK. As a test, I will need to just print in color first and see if they are what I want... Such decisions!

I also got a bit ahead on things, and did a mini packing test with all of my dinner clothing and some of my shorts and a couple of Becca's dresses. This (my dressy stuff)is what will take the most room, and weight (I think). I filled half of the large suitcase and was under 30 lbs. The suitcase weighs in at 14 pounds, so I am doing good. We will check 4 bags of clothing, carry on a bag with 2 days of clothing just for Barcelona and 3 other carry on bags of stuff... I am much less worried about space now that the first test is done.

More later!