I can thank the Travel Department for a nice (truly) layover here at O’Hare. It certainly gives me some much-needed catch up time to knock out a few ‘to do’ items before I officially leave US soil. It has been a busy few days trying to get ready to leave. I met my nephews (and Jack and Sue) for dinner last night in Spring Hill [I dooooo love those little guys] and got my ‘beef fix’, then met best bud Denise for breakfast this morning before rushing off to one last Bikram yoga class, which gave me just enough time to get home, clean up, and pack up before heading to the airport mid-afternoon.

I’m looking forward to my visit to Bangalore. I made a “rookie mistake” and booked my trip without checking the holiday calendar. I arrive on Tuesday – a day the entire office is off on holiday for “Republic Day”… I’m guessing that’s similar to our Independence Day festivities, but will let you know for sure in a few days. I looked at rebooking my trip, but the flight change was going to cost 2x my hotel bill for the night… so I decided to head on in to my Beloved Bangalore to enjoy yet another national holiday with my friends on the other side of the world.

I arrive at Bengalaru Airport early Tuesday morning and will be shopping by lunch time! Good thing I’ve got a “free day” to shop – I have a LIST of requests! Mostly jeweled/wicked shoes (see December’s blog)… I wonder how I’ll get through customs coming back home and explain the 20 pairs of shoes (in varying sizes) in my luggage. Well, that’s a couple of weeks from now, so I have time to prepare. In the meantime, I’m spec’ing out my shopping plan. Maybe a side career in the import business is in my future? Stay tuned, and we’ll see how this trip’s Shopportunities go!