Here is another plugin I’m playing with on this site: wp-vgl-events and to quote the author:
This is a count down/up script
Basically what it does it gives you the option to put an event on your blog and it will either count up to the event or count past the event and display the appropriate information each way. I’m going to see if I can get it to work to show when my wife is coming back from Texas.
— update —
After some work (and I still am not too happy about having to manually edit the plugin to enter the data, that is to say ‘hard-code the times and text’) I think I’ve got it working.