Tentative itinerary

I'm sure this will change as time goes on, but for now. . .
Jan. 30 - Mar 22 Torino, Italy for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games
Mar 22 - Mar 27 Houma, Louisiana for family lovin and crawfish season!
Apr 20 - Apr 26 Beijing, China for Olympic Games 2008 site visits and meetings
Jun 6 - Jun 20 Western European vacation (not sure which countries yet!)

Although I went to Torino in May last year, I'm quite sure the city will look and feel much different draped in the excitement of the Winter Olympics and Paralympics. For those of you who are familiar with my aversion for cold weather, you are probably amused that I am excited about a trip to the mountains in the dead of winter! What can I say. . . I'm dedicated to my job!

The Beijing trip is still up in the air, so I'll report more on that as time gets closer.

The trip I'm probably most excited about is the Western European vacation I will be taking in June. For almost a decade, I've been promising my nephew (and god son), Andy, that I would take him backpacking in Europe as a high school graduation present. Well, it's finally come- Andy graduates in May 2006. Some friends of mine here in Colorado Springs own the most wonderful coffee shop in the Springs called Ravens Nest Coffee. It's just a few blocks down the road from where I work, so when I get a free moment (which isn't as often as I'd like!), I hang out there. I've gotten to know Paul, Heather, and their kids over the last couple of years. As luck would have it, their daughter, Alexis, is also graduating in May and will be joining us on this backpacking experience as a high school graduation gift also! One of the most refreshing experiences in the world is to see someone experiencing independent travel for the first time. I'm very excited to see how Andy and Alexis perceive western Europe and all the things we'll see and do while there.

So, we don't have an itinerary yet; we'll hash that out as time gets closer and Andy and Alexis determine what they really want to see in 2 weeks.

There's still a lot of packing and planning to be done before I leave for Torino, so posts may be sporadic from now until I get there. Please bear with me and keep checking back.