Counting Down

19 is the magic number!  We have 19 days until we leave for Russia.  Unreal.

We have been busy making plans and getting ready.  We have a few loose ends left to tie up.  We need a hotel room at the Moscow airport on our return trip, transportation to and from the airport in Sochi hasn't been arranged, and what/how to pack is still up in the air.  But the list of things that are done is far longer which is good news.

The Norwegian Jade

Our family will be staying on a cruise ship during our stay in Sochi. Fun, huh?! There are at least 6 cruise ships that are going to be in the ports of Sochi and Adler (a town about 30 min. from Sochi) and we chose to stay on the Norwegian Jade docked in Sochi.  The Sochi area did not have enough hotel rooms, so this was a way to address that problem. I thought it was a good idea.  However, being a ship, our room is small and quarters will be tight.

Since our ship is in Sochi, we will need to take public transportation to Adler where the curling venue and Olympic Park are located.  Our plan at this point is to take the train.  They built a new train just for the Olympics and we are looking forward to trying it out.  There is also a bus, but we think the train will be faster.  No matter what, this trip will be an adventure in transportation.  By the end we will have taken a bus, flown on a few planes, slept on a ship, commuted on a train, and had a car ride or two. Oh my.

We also have some fun events planned before we leave.  On Tuesday, January 21 there is a free meet and greet at the Madison Curling Club from 5pm-9pm.  Debbie is going to be there, but so are other Olympians that belong to the Madison Curling Club.  Craig Brown, the alternate for the men's curling team, Patrick Mcdonald, the skip for the Paralympic curling team, and Steve Brown, the coach for the Paralympic team will all be there. There will be a raffle, some snacks and lots of fun!  If you live nearby, we would love to see you there. Then on Saturday we have a fundraising party that Debbie is organizing, and on Monday Debbie is going to be speaking to my students and at Wesley's school.  A full, but really exciting schedule for everyone!