On January 23, we held a lottery open to anyone who had already booked a regular stateroom for our upcoming Prairie Home Norway Cruise. The prize: the Penthouse Suite for the 10-day tour aboard our ship, Holland America Lines' ms Veendam.

We are happy to announce that Margaret Thome and Dorothy Bergmann, her roommate for this trip, were selected in the drawing. Margaret, from Buckingham, Virginia, worked in Washington, D.C., for many years. These days, she gives guided tours of Monticello and spends a lot of time reading and participating in a number of book clubs. This will be her third Prairie Home Cruise. Dorothy, from Vernon, Connecticut, enjoys travel and hiking. This is her second sea voyage — a while back, she took an Alaskan cruise organized by the University of Pittsburgh. Dorothy's father was born in Sweden and grew up in Denmark, so this Scandinavian journey seems quite fitting.

We're counting down the days to Norway and thought it might be fun to open a space on the site for people to share what they are most looking forward to. Are you re-connecting with old friends? Looking forward to making new ones? Do you have a talent act you can't wait to talk about? Drop us a line and we'll post them here. We'll keep the chatter going until July 10th, at which point we'll hop on a plane and meet you all in Norway!