Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho, it's off to the CSR we go! A Feb PTR 2/28 Trip report started!!!

[dizneeat]

Less than two months! You'll be there in no time! I'll just have to experience the warmer weather vicariously through your TR.

YES, we hit the 50s today! Only 59 more days!!! Can't wait and it better be warm in Florida in February! I am done with the snow and cold and winter!

Wow! That is alot of snow! Reminds me of my Minnesota days as a kid.

We have heard about the crazy airport delays. I hope you stay warm! Looking forward to hearing about the Dream and Fantasy!

Yes, it definitely was! We do get quite some snow, but that was really A LOT!! Not happy about it. Now today it has all started to melt - it does not look very pretty!

Frankfurt airport was still delayed this morning! I hope they get everything running smoothly for our February trip - I only have one week, I DO NOT want to spend it at Fraport!

Wow sounds like 2012 is going to be another awesome trip for you guys, the Dream and the Fantasy. Take me with you

Tom only rolled his eyes when I came up with the idea of cruising again!
Oh, and you can jump into my suitcase and come along any time? What about Dave? Will he fit in a suitcase too?

Great pics Just pack some of that white stuff up and send it my way. Could you spare a foot or so? I love the snow, of course not on the roads as I have said before. But we got our first snowfall on Thanksgiving and we have had nothing but flurries since then, well ice of course causing our car problem. But for snow on the ground it's yucky right now, you can see the dirt and grass still with bits of white here and there. So much for a white Christmas.

We would love to take a Disney cruise. My hubby and I will be celebrating 10 years married in 2012 and we are thinking about doing something Disney related, but I just don't know if I could do it without the kiddos.

You can have the whole load of snow! I do NOT want it!
It got all warm today and the snow started to melt, but it is supposed to get colder and more snow on the way for the holidays. As long as it leaves the streets I don't mind during my holidays!

Disney cruises are the best. Not that we have tried anything else! You really should look into it - they are just the very best! It was so much fun the first time around. And if you cruise, sign up for a Fish Extender Exchange - it is the ultimate fun!

Your cruise ideas sound wonderful! I hope to take Juliana on a disney cruise someday....

I wish we had some of that snow. We have had a total of 2 inches all year. We still have a dusting on our lawn but that's it. I think they are calling for a Christmas Day storm here.... stay tuned!

Tim, I am sure Juliana would love a Disney cruise! There are so many things to see and do ......... unbelievable and the CMs are just amazing! We made friends with so many of them! Made for a truely wonderful cruise.

Oh, and if you need some snow, I'll very happily share!

 

[dizneeat]

Okay, just a short update about what has been happening those last few days!

Now let me tell you something that drove me nuts yesterday! Christmas season is the season to send out parcels. Well, so did I. I mailed some at the end of November, then some more in very early December, then some more on December 9 and the last few went out on December 15. Some of these packages were big enough to be tracked, others were much smaller. Now guess what - I follow the tracked ones every day and I was stunned to see that two of my packages have been sitting in Vienna (!!!) for over 10 days now. So yesterday, as I had to get something done at the PO anyway, I asked about the packages. I could NOT believe what I heard. The US is refusing any packages over 1/2 a kg (1 pound)!! So the Austrian PO seems to kidnap them and keep them in Vienna. I asked what would happen and they told me that the parcels will all be returned to me and that I will need to pay a fee for having them sent back!
I am so mad right now! Not only was it really expensive to send those packages overseas, but then they KEEP them "hostage" for some time, then charge me again for sending them back - FROM VIENNA????????
I still hope the US opens its borders and will accept packages again!

The other news is that I have been fighting a sore throat for a few days now. Today really did me in. I was so happy to be home in the evening. 8 lessons a day when your throat is on fire, are NO fun at all. I told my headmistress/principal that I might call in sick tomorrow, depending on how I feel, so I might even start my Christmas holiday a day early!

Hope everyone else has a picture perfect day!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

How can the US refuse packages at all? I do not understand this crazy rule! What's worse is the packages being held hostage in Vienna (lovely city though it may be ) and you charged a fee if returned!!! Insanity! Fingers crossed every pkg arrives at it's destination very soon.

I am sorry to hear you're not feeling well, Karin. Wise to warn the headmistress - me thinks you should go ahead and stay and take care of that cough (beginning the Christmas holiday a day early certainly would not hurt. ). Do take gentle care and feel better soon.

Any plans for Christmas and the break?

We've had a rather busy week - our little 10 lb, 15 yr old Jackie Maltese had been feeling ill for awhile, but last Wednesday seemed much worse so we've been tending to her - then on Monday we took her to the Vet Specialist and she was admitted to ICU - she has pancreatitis, which even in a mild form is very serious in dogs and cats. Fortunately, she responded wonderfully to the IV fluids and meds and was discharged this afternoon. She is one happy pup! Now we must watch her carefully, feed a special low fat diet several small times a day in small amounts (strange thing is that she eats a low fat organic diet now) and give her the meds 3 times a day. Sometimes without the IV fluids, they do go downhill quickly, but we are keeping fingers crossed.

Feel better very soon, my friend!

 

[YukiPhnx]

Wow Karin, what a day you had! I had heard about the US restricting items from certain countries like Japan, but I had no idea it was from ALL countries! I'm so enraged that they're charging YOU to send it back!!! I can't believe that! That's completely unacceptable.

I've been nursing a sore throat as well, but you're the one that has to teach! I'm glad you'll be taking the day off. Don't want you to get worse! I've been drinking Twinnings's Ginger Lemon tea with a bit of honey and it's worked really well. Hope you get better soon!

 

[MAGICFOR2]

Okay, just a short update about what has been happening those last few days!

Now let me tell you something that drove me nuts yesterday! Christmas season is the season to send out parcels. Well, so did I. I mailed some at the end of November, then some more in very early December, then some more on December 9 and the last few went out on December 15. Some of these packages were big enough to be tracked, others were much smaller. Now guess what - I follow the tracked ones every day and I was stunned to see that two of my packages have been sitting in Vienna (!!!) for over 10 days now. So yesterday, as I had to get something done at the PO anyway, I asked about the packages. I could NOT believe what I heard. The US is refusing any packages over 1/2 a kg (1 pound)!! So the Austrian PO seems to kidnap them and keep them in Vienna. I asked what would happen and they told me that the parcels will all be returned to me and that I will need to pay a fee for having them sent back!
I am so mad right now! Not only was it really expensive to send those packages overseas, but then they KEEP them "hostage" for some time, then charge me again for sending them back - FROM VIENNA????????
I still hope the US opens its borders and will accept packages again!

The other news is that I have been fighting a sore throat for a few days now. Today really did me in. I was so happy to be home in the evening. 8 lessons a day when your throat is on fire, are NO fun at all. I told my headmistress/principal that I might call in sick tomorrow, depending on how I feel, so I might even start my Christmas holiday a day early!

Hope everyone else has a picture perfect day!

DH works for the government and thinks something stinks in Vienna. Here is a link to the USPS how they handle inbound mail and weight limits - up to 70 lb is what I see http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immpg.htm

Maybe they can't fly out either? Hope the packages get out soon!

 

[tinacaplan]

Oh, Karin, I'm so sorry to hear about your packages...and that you're not feeling well. That's tough right before break. It seems like everyone's been sick over here, as well.

I hope things are looking up for you by tomorrow and that you're feeling much better by Christmas!

 

[Stefy]

Tom only rolled his eyes when I came up with the idea of cruising again!
Oh, and you can jump into my suitcase and come along any time? What about Dave? Will he fit in a suitcase too?

I guess Dave could, but we will have some exciting news in the New Year, so stay tuned on the TR

Okay, just a short update about what has been happening those last few days!

Now let me tell you something that drove me nuts yesterday! Christmas season is the season to send out parcels. Well, so did I. I mailed some at the end of November, then some more in very early December, then some more on December 9 and the last few went out on December 15. Some of these packages were big enough to be tracked, others were much smaller. Now guess what - I follow the tracked ones every day and I was stunned to see that two of my packages have been sitting in Vienna (!!!) for over 10 days now. So yesterday, as I had to get something done at the PO anyway, I asked about the packages. I could NOT believe what I heard. The US is refusing any packages over 1/2 a kg (1 pound)!! So the Austrian PO seems to kidnap them and keep them in Vienna. I asked what would happen and they told me that the parcels will all be returned to me and that I will need to pay a fee for having them sent back!
I am so mad right now! Not only was it really expensive to send those packages overseas, but then they KEEP them "hostage" for some time, then charge me again for sending them back - FROM VIENNA????????
I still hope the US opens its borders and will accept packages again!

The other news is that I have been fighting a sore throat for a few days now. Today really did me in. I was so happy to be home in the evening. 8 lessons a day when your throat is on fire, are NO fun at all. I told my headmistress/principal that I might call in sick tomorrow, depending on how I feel, so I might even start my Christmas holiday a day early!

Hope everyone else has a picture perfect day!

That is outrageous!!! I would ring them back and ask how they can have the gall to charge you when they didn't even attempt to contact you to let you know your packages were in holding!!!

I really hope that the US do lift their ban and the parcels get through soon. Let us know how it goes

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Hope you are feeling a bit better today, Karin.

As nice as it would be to start your break a day early, you'd not get to say goodbye to your students. I always enjoyed seeing our students before the holiday break - the last day was fun, everyone happy and excited.

Feel better soon!

 

[2princesses2princes]

That is just plain crazy, I can totally see why our upset and frustrated with the shipping issues. That just doesn't make much sense at all. It's Christmas everyone's shipping packages everywhere. I hope you can get this all straightned out soon.

 

[jenseib]

I would be fuming about the packages too.
I personally would do the 5 day Dream and 7 day Fantasy. I think it would be neat to try both ships out and I'm sure you would have a fabulous time.

 

[dizneeat]

It is time to celebrate Christmas!
Merry Christmas to ALL my DISfriends!

 

[Minnie&Nana]

Thank you, Karin!

A Very Merry & Joyous Christmas to you & Tom!

 

[jenseib]

Merry Christmas!

 

[DaveInTN]

That looks like what we faced in St Petersburg all week. Yuck! It was beautiful and all, but the cold and snow got old. So I looked forward to returning home to the warm, sunny southern US. And what did we get when we got home? Snow! A white Christmas! In Tennessee!!

Well, can't complain. A white Christmas is pretty awesome after all!

 

[that's nice]

Karin, I hope you and Tom had a wonderful Christmas!

 

[cbg1027]

When I complain it gets too hot here in FL, I will try to picture the snow you're dealing with!

That is really absurd about the packages! Hope they will get sent eventually.

I would do the Dream and Fantasy cruises because you get to see 2 ships, and new ports of call you haven't been to yet!

 

[dizneeat]

Hi! Christmas is almost over, it's St. Steven's Day (here in Austria), Boxing Day in the UK and I don't know what in the US, and you can see that I am feeling much better.

There is SOME news on one of my packages, which I will tell you about in my next update, once I have answered all your comments!

How can the US refuse packages at all? I do not understand this crazy rule! What's worse is the packages being held hostage in Vienna (lovely city though it may be ) and you charged a fee if returned!!! Insanity! Fingers crossed every pkg arrives at it's destination very soon.

I am sorry to hear you're not feeling well, Karin. Wise to warn the headmistress - me thinks you should go ahead and stay and take care of that cough (beginning the Christmas holiday a day early certainly would not hurt. ). Do take gentle care and feel better soon.

Any plans for Christmas and the break?

We've had a rather busy week - our little 10 lb, 15 yr old Jackie Maltese had been feeling ill for awhile, but last Wednesday seemed much worse so we've been tending to her - then on Monday we took her to the Vet Specialist and she was admitted to ICU - she has pancreatitis, which even in a mild form is very serious in dogs and cats. Fortunately, she responded wonderfully to the IV fluids and meds and was discharged this afternoon. She is one happy pup! Now we must watch her carefully, feed a special low fat diet several small times a day in small amounts (strange thing is that she eats a low fat organic diet now) and give her the meds 3 times a day. Sometimes without the IV fluids, they do go downhill quickly, but we are keeping fingers crossed.

Feel better very soon, my friend!

Hi Christine! Hope your Christmas was a wonderful one!

There was a terror threat, so all parcels more than 1 pound were/are (?) refused by the US. The only thing is that this was NOT published anywhere here. I had to google it and it took my quite some time to find information. If only they had put a note on the PO website, so people would have known about it.

How is your little furbaby? I hope she is feeling much better. Nothing worse than seeing a pet suffer!

No huge plans for the holidays here. Tom and I celebrated Christmas part at my place and part at his. Tom has to work again tomorrow and since it is so cold he is not looking forward to it. Unfortunately the holidays fell on a weekend this year, so no extra days off for him.
And, between and Christmas and the New Year is the only time people give tips, so it would be foolish to take time off and have someone else "cash in" on his work!

Wow Karin, what a day you had! I had heard about the US restricting items from certain countries like Japan, but I had no idea it was from ALL countries! I'm so enraged that they're charging YOU to send it back!!! I can't believe that! That's completely unacceptable.

I've been nursing a sore throat as well, but you're the one that has to teach! I'm glad you'll be taking the day off. Don't want you to get worse! I've been drinking Twinnings's Ginger Lemon tea with a bit of honey and it's worked really well. Hope you get better soon!

So far I have not had ONE parcel returned to me, so I am still hopeful they will hold them for a while in Vienna and then deliver once the US lifts their ban! They will not like the responce they are going to get IF they return the parcels AND try to charge me for it!

My sore throat was really hurting on Wednesday, but then it was a long day at school - 8 lessons and you can't teach without talking!
But I feel much better now that I have been home for a few days and not done any extensive and loud talking. Hope you are feeling much better yourself!

DH works for the government and thinks something stinks in Vienna. Here is a link to the USPS how they handle inbound mail and weight limits - up to 70 lb is what I see http://pe.usps.com/text/imm/immpg.htm

Maybe they can't fly out either? Hope the packages get out soon!

Thanks for the link! I guess this is all due to the terror threats that have been floating around lately.
If only they would post something on the PO website here, so people know what is happening. I can't be the only person sending packets to the US!

As for flying out, Vienna airport was only closed for one day, so I don't think that was the big issue.

And now that I am feeling better I am not all that angry any more. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that they will hold the parcels for some time and then deliver, once the US opens its "gates" again!

Oh, Karin, I'm so sorry to hear about your packages...and that you're not feeling well. That's tough right before break. It seems like everyone's been sick over here, as well.

I hope things are looking up for you by tomorrow and that you're feeling much better by Christmas!

Feeling much better today, Tina. Thanks for being so thoughtful! So many people here are feeling sick, or are sick right now and all the cold and chilly winds don't help much either.

Only 55 more days, Tina and I am SO hoping the weather will be warm and nice in Florida in February!

 

[dizneeat]

I guess Dave could, but we will have some exciting news in the New Year, so stay tuned on the TR

That is outrageous!!! I would ring them back and ask how they can have the gall to charge you when they didn't even attempt to contact you to let you know your packages were in holding!!!

I really hope that the US do lift their ban and the parcels get through soon. Let us know how it goes

Yeah! Sounds like interesting (good) news for the New Year! Can't wait!

I am really hoping that the US will accept parcels any time soon again and that they will just be delivered with a little bit of a delay.
The only thing I was really mad about, is, that they did NOT make it public that they won't be able to send on the parcels. I wonder how many more people wonder where their parcels have been, not knowing that the US refuses to accept them.

Hope you are feeling a bit better today, Karin.

As nice as it would be to start your break a day early, you'd not get to say goodbye to your students. I always enjoyed seeing our students before the holiday break - the last day was fun, everyone happy and excited.

Feel better soon!

Thank you, Christine.
I am feeling MUCH better, today, but really did call in sick on Thursday. It's a 45 minute drive one way and it would have been for only two lessons, and I would not have even seen my own class that day. And since Bruni already knew that I was feeling ill, it was an easy decision in the end.

That is just plain crazy, I can totally see why our upset and frustrated with the shipping issues. That just doesn't make much sense at all. It's Christmas everyone's shipping packages everywhere. I hope you can get this all straightned out soon.

I have cooled down a bit from the initial fuming about the issue, even though I still think it is NOT okay to be charged again for shipping the parcels back. But so far nothing has come back, so I hope that the US will accept parcels again soon and that they will be delivered.

I would be fuming about the packages too.
I personally would do the 5 day Dream and 7 day Fantasy. I think it would be neat to try both ships out and I'm sure you would have a fabulous time.

Thanks for feeling with me on the package issue!
If I had not sent out that many I might have taken it a little lighter, but the thought of having to pay for them AGAIN for having them shipped back made me really cross.
I am so torn on the cruises!
I would love to do a 7 night cruise, but the Western Caribbean appeals more to me than the Eastern itinerary. On the other hand it would be much more leisurely, as we would have more days at sea.
And then two Dream cruises would mean FOUR days at Castaway Cay. But thanks for the input! I will keep all the advise I get in mind!

 

[dizneeat]

Thank you, Karin!

A Very Merry & Joyous Christmas to you & Tom!

Thank you, Christine!

Merry Christmas!

Thank you, Jen!

That looks like what we faced in St Petersburg all week. Yuck! It was beautiful and all, but the cold and snow got old. So I looked forward to returning home to the warm, sunny southern US. And what did we get when we got home? Snow! A white Christmas! In Tennessee!!

Well, can't complain. A white Christmas is pretty awesome after all!

You picked the wrong time to come to Russia and go through Europe! Did you have any delays at the airports while coming through?
It definitely IS beautiful, but the shovelling of the snow and the slipping and the cold is NOT what I like to think about!
And the temperatures have dropped so far, it really is SO cold and winter has just begun, quite some time before the temperatures are getting warmer again!

So you got a white Christmas? Good for you! It is a very pretty thing for Christmas, really captures the spirit of the season!
Hope everything goes well with your adoption plans!

Karin, I hope you and Tom had a wonderful Christmas!

Thank you, Tim! Yes, we did! And I hope, Ana, Mel and you enjoyed it too!

When I complain it gets too hot here in FL, I will try to picture the snow you're dealing with!

That is really absurd about the packages! Hope they will get sent eventually.

I would do the Dream and Fantasy cruises because you get to see 2 ships, and new ports of call you haven't been to yet!

Could we trade our temperatures a little? I would not mind a little warmth now and then and you can have some of our snow and windchills!

The thought of being able to go on two Disney ships is very tempting! We'll see what is going to happen until we set sail in 2011, let alone 2012!
I still need to start my in depth planning for February! And then start to make plans on where to eat for the first part of our summer 2011 vacation - we have the free DDP again!

 

[dizneeat]

Okay, time for a short update!

Parcel update:
Guess what, after all the worrying and being upset about the whole parcel issue ONE of the parcels has finally arrived in the US!
Since this is the one that was sent way before the US restricted foreign parcels, I guess that it was way under way and "slipped" through. I could not believe it when I got mail from Mary Ellen, that she had actually received the parcel on December 23! It took much longer than the proposed 5 - 7 business days, more like 15 business days, but who cares as long as it arrives in the end. Now, only 3 more to worry about!

Since so many of you asked, YES, I did take a day's sickleave on my last workday before the Christmas Holidays. It takes me about 45 minutes to drive to school during the winter and since it was only 2 50 minute lessons to give, I decided to stay home and nurse my sore throat. Guess it was a good decision, as I am feeling MUCH better by now.

Next issue was that right before Christmas the weather changed and it got really warm again, so here in the city we did not have much of a white Christmas in the end. Right after Christmas Eve it started to snow again, and we have had a lot of new snow again. One day, when I don't forget to take my camera, I will take some photos of you all to see.

Christmas was very nice and laid back. There is NO stress as it is only Tom and myself. I put my tree up the day before Christmas and we celebrated on Christmas Eve (Christmas IS on the 24th, here in Austria), then we had dinner at Tom's place and we sat and chatted for quite some time. I arrived back home at around 10.30 and fell into bed. I was still very tired from being ill and Tom was tired from having to get up for work at 3.30am that day. Yesterday we took it real slow and that is what we will do again today, especially since Tom needs to go back to work tomorrow.

And here are a few photos of our tree!

Front

Side

Front with gifts

We had decided not to buy gifts for each other as our real gifts are the two trips to the US we are planning. So we did pretty good on "presents".

Yip, we have a Disney tree! Did you think we would have anything else?

Representing our summer vacation - a DCL ornament and one from OKW!

Candles on the tree lit, with lights on

Candles on the tree lit, with lights off

I will put up my in depth planning on my February trip real soon. I need to start working on my plans on one of the next days after I have updated on my other threads and updated my home page. But I still have 2 weeks off, so the plans should be posted before I head back to work on January 10! Only 55 more days until we leave!

In the meantime .......

Have a wonderful and magical Sunday!