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Ok, I've now filled a bookshelf with maps, guides, brochures, notepads and a wide assortment of catalogs. I'm ready to plan!
Can I point out here that the catalogs are for the Adorable Husband ™? He decided that he needed to have stuff for this trip -- a walking stick, maybe a hat, definitely a new backback, and a new coat.
Well, I can understand the new coat business. The amazing Rukh (a.k.a. PuppyZilla) ate a very large hole in the back of his previous coat. For whatever reason, the puppy has a weird fetish about nylon and Gore-Tex. (I think that the current score is: Backpacks 0, PuppyZilla 2). We must have looked in just about every outdoor store in Boulder. I had no idea that a flimsy little jacket would cost $300! Yikes! Mark's criteria were pretty simple, though -- waterproof and windproof and zip-in liner.
Easy enough. I did manage to talk him out of the dayglo yellow one with the argument that he'd look like Big Bird. (Well, I'd never be able to lose him!). So, he has a new shell, but no liner, despite several tries to find one that works.
And why is this important, you ask?
Part of the reason he was so adamant about the coat was that we have finally decided on a timeframe for the trip. We wanted to avoid the high-tourist season, and the timing worked out to May-June, which is at the early end of spring and can be a wee bit chilly. At the moment, the tentative dates are May 15 - June 8. A bit over three weeks.
Three weeks is no big deal for Mark. He'll be out of school, waiting for the results of the NCLEX (licensing exam for nursing) and can postpone starting work for a while. I told my manager that I was taking three weeks off for vacation next Spring. He replied that I only get two weeks.
"No." I explained patiently. "You don't understand. I am taking three weeks of vacation."
"But..."
"I'll work it out. I'll use comp time, or I'll take the last week unpaid. I will quit if I have to." I think he understands now. I'm lucky enough to be in a line of work that will let me do this. If I thought we could afford a month, I'd take that, but this pesky work thing keeps interfering. How unreasonable.
So, May 15. Considering that it's only October, I think we're leaving enough time for planning, eh?
Of course, I don't have a coat.