Santa's Coming to Town

Yes that's right folks it's almost time for the big man's visit which is why I've been a little absent from the blog lately. Juggling work, Maya, the house, and anything else that comes along can make mamma tired. Good news though is that in one week I'll be finishing up packing for our big trip! I can't wait. These last few weeks of work have felt like they've been in dog years. I love my job but, really, Turkey? Much better than fixing the postage machine in my office.

I was telling someone last night that I can't believe this trip is only a week away. I still feel so unprepared. I haven't learned any Turkish and I've barely cracked a guidebook. Thankfully, Josh has been pulling up the slack (though he never learns languages). He was flipping through a guidebook one day and showed me an illustration of the huge wall that use to surround Istanbul during it's days as a Roman capitol. It looked amazing and hopefully we can see it at some point. I did get a chance to oogle some articles about traditional Turkish wares that one should get while there. I have one word for all my fellow women...JEWLERY! If nothing else, I do plan on purchasing some of the beautiful baubles they have there. Ahhhh, rings, they are my downfall. We also watched a documentary about the train tunnel they are building through the Bosphorous channel to link the European side with the Asian side. It's truly an engineering marvel though work on the European side has been held up with the discovery of an ancient port. It would be cool to see the excavation site so that may be one thing to do while we're wandering around.

After Turkey we will be making a pit stop to see our friends in Chesterfield, England. I'm so excited to see them. I love going to Chesterfield. Yes, yes, it's an industrial town but really getting to hang out with good friends, good food and maybe catching a footie match or two is my idea of pure heaven.

A quick FYI-There was some excellent news on the Trunki front. Towgo won a silver medal from Mother & Baby magazine in the Best Travel Product category! Way to go Trunki! I, of course, think they should always get a gold but I can't judge everything. Congratulations to Rob and the gang!