Thanks for the condolences, Andy.
Hey, I need to ask everyone's opinion on something. DH and I haven't made any kind of decision yet, and we still will probably go, but we brought up the subject today of us possibly canceling our
Royal Caribbean cruise. That cruise sets sail on Friday, June 17, 2005. That is DSs' last day of school. So all along, we knew they'd both miss that last day of school, plus any possible snow days.
Well, now that it's January and we have 4 snow days already, that's a full week of them missing school at the end of the year.
Neither of them have ANY sick days out so far, so that's good. And this is not a major school year for either of them, meaning no graduations or any other major end-of-school things going on this year.
Last year, I know that their last week of school was basically just handing in their books, watching movies, etc. They did no actual school work during that last week. But I'm afraid that if we get any more snow days, that it will eventually cut into actual school time.
Our final payment for this cruise is due by March 14th. Obviously by then we'll know if there are any additional snow days or not. I have a bad feeling about the rest of this week. It wouldn't surprise me if they had no school tomorrow, either.
Now, regarding this cruise: If it were just DH and I going, we'd absolutely be on the phone right now changing the date to later in the summer, but we booked with 2 of my brothers and their wives. They all live in NJ; one brother has pre-schoolers so it's not an issue, the other brother has a daughter in high school but they haven't had any snow days, so it's not an issue for them either.
I really can't ask or expect them to change the date of the cruise to later in the summer. First of all, I know that one of my brothers has ONLY that week available to cruise which is why we chose that week to begin with. Secondly, the later in the summer, the more expensive the cruises are, and I wouldn't want to impose that upon them. One of my SILs even has another couple cruising with us, an uncle and aunt.
I know that DH and I can back out of this cruise and my brothers and SILs can still cruise, but I'd feel like we were letting them down somehow. One SIL is very excited because I told her I'd do Stingray City with her, no one else wants to go. lol
I guess I'm typing this all out so I can see the pros and cons in front of me. And really, I can't make a definite decision until I see if, or how many more snow days there might be. Both of my DSs are on the honor roll and making them miss some days of actual school work would mess up their averages. I guess I could talk to the school and see if they'd let them take any tests or exams in advance.
Ok, I'll stop rambling now. All comments and opinions are welcome!
P.S. DSs are NOT going on this cruise with us. We did think of possibly leaving them here in MA, with friends, so they could finish out the school year, but that worries me a bit, because I'd be so far away from them, in the middle of the Caribbean, if anything should happen. Otherwise, they'd be in NJ with their father, who I trust implicity in the event of an emergency. *ugh* I don't know what to do!
lol
Please take it easy. It's got to be so hard for everyone who works outdoors, especially after a blizzard like we just had. 
