The day after tomorrow, Friday, we leave with our 18 students who will be student teaching in Antigua. I am going as a volunteer instructor. And there is still much to be done:

~ TC will be living with a friend who has taken care of her before, so I have to pack her things: big tub of kibble, her Fancy Feast, new litter pan and scoop, litter, and her favorite toys... it brings back memories of the days when I used to cart around my babies and all their gear.

~ Put mail and newspaper on hold (can be done online), deep water all my house and patio plants, go to bank, return books to library, pay or schedule any bills that will be due while we're gone.

~ Take the new printer we are donating (to a Guatemalan school) to the kind student who agreed to haul it as his second "suitcase" since he's traveling light.

~ Figure out the best way to pack supplies we bought for our students and still stay within weight limits: printer ink, white board markers, tape, children's books, paper, Purell hand sanitizer, first aid kit, and OTC meds for common ailments (e.g., Pepto Bismol, Imodium, Tylenol, NyQuil, etc.).

~ Buy and pack the food and snacks we are taking: Trio bars, raw almonds, dried blueberries for cereal, and canned chicken.

~ Clean out the refrigerator... eat leftovers or give away any good stuff that won't last three weeks.

~ Oh yeah, finish packing my clothes and personal belongings!

Some students changed their flight plans to avoid stopovers in Mexico but most are still proceeding with the original itinerary to fly through Mexico City. The original flight was cheaper ($415 vs $595), but some felt it was worth paying extra to not have that additional worry. Dh and I are in that group.

Since dh and I canceled our original flight with Mexicana, we will have to pay a $100 change fee to use the ticket within a year. The university will reimburse us for our flight to Guatemala, but we are out the cost of the first ticket plus the change fee. So now we are motivated to use it to fly somewhere we've never been before the "use it or lose it" deadline. Well, I've much to do, so I'd best get to it... but I'll stay in touch, time and technology permitting.