The excitement keeps building

For those of you with a little bit of free time, I recommend visiting the Today show web site (http://today.msnbc.msn.com). Yesterday, on their segment called "Where in the world is Matt Lauer?", viewers found out that he was in Buenos Aires. There are some great clips showing all of the different places I hope to visit while I am there. It got me so giddy to watch!

Yesterday I found out that one of my wonderful clients has a very close friend who lives in BA. He told me an amazing story about their friendship withstanding the test of time over lunch. In fact, they have been friends for over 20 years! They lost touch and were reconnected through a serious of events. His story touched me so much and I hope to be able to meet her while I am there.

Today I went to lunch with my amazing friend Patricia. She lived in BA with her husband for 13 years, until the economy collapsed. She gave me a list of places to visit, complete with hand drawn maps! She recommended some restaurants as well. I can't wait to try authentic empanadas, bife de chorizo (steak), provoleta (fried cheese), and the Italian influenced foods like pizza and pasta. My mouth is savoring just thinking about it! Patricia also gave me the contact information for her cousin, Santiago, who live close by where we will be staying. So now I will have a local connection!

I have the dreaded task of packing. I started pulling clothes out on Sunday and putting outfits together, but I have found it more difficult than I expected. I have never taken this long of a vacation. I know I am going to over pack, but I am not sure how to not over pack (if that makes any sense). I just want to be prepared for whatever occasion arises. The bad news is that the airports are making things more difficult now. Apparently, as of May 5th, you are only allowed to check one bag. Each additional bag will cost you $25. Luckily we leave on the 2nd so we will only be charged on our way back. Oh, and your bag can not weigh over 50 lbs or you will be charged an additional $80!

Well I am off to pack now! Wish me luck!

A Few Pics

It is now 7 days until I leave! I can barely contain my excitement. I pirated some pictures of the beautiful hotel we will be staying at off of their website. Enjoy!

The Count Down has begun

It is now 9 days until I leave. I fly out of Salt Lake on Friday, May 2nd to Atlanta. From Atlanta it is a direct flight into Buenos Aires. It will be an overnight flight and we will arrive at 7:45am. My hope is to sleep for the entire 7 hour flight.
Yesterday I had the scary realization of just how much I still needed to get done before I leave. Some little, some big. Get my hair done, pay bills, do laundry, fix iPod, find a babysitter for my cat...those sort of things. I did manage to cross one major item off my list however, Learn to speak Spanish. I went to Barnes and Nobles and bought some CD's that claim that I will be able to speak Spanish in 7 days (plenty of time!). So worry about me being in a foreign country no longer. I will blend like one of the locals. :)
We will be staying in Palermo at a swanky hotel called the Soho All Suites. You can check it out at www.sohoallsuites.com
I am hoping to be able to keep this blog updated daily and add pictures and stories to keep you entertained. So continue to check back for more updates!
Ciao!