11/10-11/12 The Limeys Invade Virginia; Well, Maybe It Was More Of A Recon Mission

[rer1972]

Part 1 Pre-Trip 11-10-06
Original plan was to meet up at Va-bear's (friendly bear who likes to do :laundy: ) home on 11/11 Saturday night . That plan was scratched for meeting up at a hotel, having a nice dinner, and maybe drinks instead. No problem our motto was "Improvise, Adapt, Overcomehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/marine8point.gif!!", or was is it pass the Kahlua?
Soon though the troops started to fall. What started out as a full on assault on the hearts and minds of the citizens of Richmond, Virginia had turned into a small force of LGMHPC Commandos including:
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/m1helmet.gifcrossfamily - Teresa
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/m1helmet.gifKaw1218 - Kelly (our super secret commando; we didn't even know she was going)
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/m1helmet.gifKatlas&kids - Kathy
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/m1helmet.gifrer1972 - Ronnie (me)
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/m1helmet.gifVa-bear - Virginia (they named the whole state after her you know)

The following installments will give you the heroics, pitfalls, and laundry endured by those brave souls.

Next: Part 2 Battle of the Standby Flyers

-Current Installments-
Part 1 Pre Trip Report pg 1 post 1
Part 2 Battle of the Standby Flyers pg 1 post 2
Part 3 Wave Bye to the Pretty Plane or From Russia with Boots pg 1 post 8
Part 4 I Got the $10.00 Richmond Tour for 20 Cents!!! pg 2 post 17 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=2&pp=15)
Part 5 Face to Face on a Laptop pg 2 post 22 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=2)
Part 6 Um, Is She Driving With Her Feet?? pg 3 post 37 (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=3)
Part 7 Spiders, Crab Claws, and Frisbees Yum!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=5&pp=15)
Part 8 Last Night In Richmond (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=6)
Part 9-1 pg 7 post 92 Huh, there’s a Haunted Mansion in Richmond Too (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=7)
Part 9-2 pg 7 post 94 I don’t care if you’re Owen Wilson’s long lost twin I need to get on that plane!!!! (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1273170&page=7)

[rer1972]

I am up at 4:00 AM this morning!!! Holy #@&% :scared1: that’s too early!! I remember I’m going to visit some Disers (Secret Limey Disers at that) so that gets me out of bed. I’m out of the house and headed to the airport at 4:30 AM :car: . The flight I am trying to catch leaves at 5:45 so I have plenty of time for breakfast at the airport before the flight.
Check-in and security both go very smoothly. Now it’s time for BATTLE OF THE STANDBY’S.

Side: Now I need to give a bit of back ground, and I’m gonna steal DISUNC’s sidenote format http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/bow.gif (it just works so well). I have to explain in advance that I will be flying standby this whole trip. My cousin works for a certain airline and I am on his list of people who can fly for free (or relatively for free). Now flying standby definitely takes some patience and prayers (used lots of both for this trip), but it’s worth it most of the time.

The Battle of the Standby’s rankings are affected by how long the employee has been with the airline. I’m ranked about 3rd out of 6 on this flight. Not too bad. I’m even chatting with another girl http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/naughty.gif(kinda cute) who is on standby for the first time; kind of telling her how it works and what her chances are of getting on the flight (pretty good I thought). I talked to my cousin last night and he said there were about 5 or more open seats (very good chances). So, I’m sitting next to the ramp agent’s counter and overhear her say, “what do you mean you have 15 people that need to get on this flight? :eek: :faint: ). Uh, oh there go those great chances. Well, there weren’t 15 extra passengers there were about 8 of them. Okay, I can go out on the next flight. The ramp agent says that one is full too. I ask about the next two and she says they are close to full. Great, I may be here a while.

It’s now 12:00 and I’m waiting for the 3rd flight out. There are 2 other standby’s waiting and I don’t care how cute that girl I was talking to before is; I am getting on that plane first. I’m also hoping the other guy will get stuck in the bathroom http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/toilet15.gifwhen they start calling out names? Suddenly I hear them call out my name. The ramp agent hands me the boarding pass and says to hurry it’s the last seat. I resist the urge to point at the other standby’s and yell, “That’s right losers!!!! http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/loser.gif I’m going and your not!!!”. Finally, I’m on my way to Houston. Yup, I gotta do this all over again in Houston!

Next: Part 3 Wave Bye to the Pretty Plane or From Russia with Boots

[heaven2dc]

Oh my - I can tell this one is going to be a doosie!! :rotfl2:

Can't wait to hear how your second lag of your trip went and if you made it to good ol' Virginia (live in Fredericksburg, just north of Richmond so Welcome to Virginia!!)

[crossfamily]

Awsome so far R-E-R I will wait to comment till you are all done at least I will try!!!!! :rotfl2: Take my word for it its gonna be a great one peeps!!!

and I have the official card to prove it too....

[uhtimex]

Finally, I’m on my way to Houston. Yup, I gotta do this all over again in Houston!

Next: Part 3 Wave Bye to the Pretty Plane or From Russia with Boots

I wish would have know you were coming to Houston I might have been able to stop by Hobby and say hi :wave2:

Anywho thanks for representing all the males in the SGC :thumbsup2

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Great start so far! Hey they probably would've let you on the plane faster if you would've worn some pants! :rotfl:

Sorry I missed the fun. :( Next time PEEPs, next time! :thumbsup2

[rer1972]

heaven2dc - I really enjoyed Richmond. Even got to see some sights other that the Targets, Walmarts, and Old Navy's. :teeth: :rolleyes1
crossfamily - I am expecting to get your versions of events on here. So, whenever you want to just throw in the comments. Not that anyone has to tell you to throw in a comment. :rotfl:
uhtimex - Gotta Represent!!!! :rotfl2: My buds and I go to Houston every so often, so next time we go I'm letting you know for sure. :thumbsup2
stinkerbelle's mom - That's why we need you around you think of all the important things. Like pants!!! :lmao: Next time for sure!!! :thumbsup2

[rer1972]

So, we’re starting our descent into Houston (George Bush Intercontinental), and I notice that it’s about 1:05. Hmmm, I better check that connecting flight in case I gotta run to the gate. 1:20!!!!! I check my watch again 1:10 :scared: . We’re not even close enough for the landing gear to go down yet! Come on Capt’n get on it.

Side: By the way throwing yourself forward in your seat does not make the plane go any faster. You just get funny stares :crazy: ; at least now the guy next to me wants to get off the plane pretty quick too.

We finally touch down at 1:19. It wasn’t 1:20 because the big hand was just ahead of the 12 :sad2: . Great, I guess I’ll have to find another flight (patience; serenity now!, serenity now!!http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/yeah.gif). As we are taxing in I see another plane pass by going towards the runway and I swear I could see everyone waving to me :wave2: , or was it the Loser signhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/loser.gif. I arrive to the gate and disembark (I like that word it sounds like it should be the name of a country between Denmark and Germany). Anyhoo, I check the next flight to Richmond, VA and it’s not going out till 6:45. No problem I can go grab some lunch http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/pbjsandwich309.gifand do some people watching over in terminal D & E.

Side: If you are ever in Houston Intercontinental for a long layover I highly recommend terminal E. Nice architecture and a larger variety of shops and eateries. :thumbsup2

After a quick sandwich and a drink I headed on back to the Continental Express terminal (B). I had been chatting on aim with Katlas&Kids while waiting for my flight this morning, but unfortunately IAH doesn’t have free internet service :sad2: so communication was limited while I was there. I then get a call on my cell phone from Katlas&kids; my cell was losing its charge after the morning chats with family and the phone died. So I sit down next to a plug in the wall and charge up the phone. This was the point where I so wished I had a camera phonehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/253.gif, because right across from me in a chair was Borat. You know the guy with the new movie out. If it wasn’t him it sure looked like him. White dress shoes, black curly hair, mustache, running suit and all. Maybe I should have asked for an autograph. So, I call the fellow limey Katlas&kids back. I chat for a bit telling her about Borat when some lady walks by wearing what had to be her witch costume from Halloween. Man do I love to people watch!!! It’s getting close to boarding time so I say bye to Katlas&kids, pack up my stuff, and head to my gate.

I had already done my pre-board headcount (my guesstimate of passengers) and it looked like it was under 50 (an ERJ can take 50); so far so good. I got my name called before they even started boarding so there was a really good chance I was getting on. I like to wait by the ramp agent’s counter as they take tickets just so I know how things are going :rolleyes1 . Well, the very first guy doesn’t have his ticket! Um, okay :sad2: . He says he was in the last airport and the gate next to his was coming to Houston too but leaving earlier. So, he asked if he could get on that flight and they let him on. The ramp agent keeps repeating that she can't find him on any flights coming in or on this flight. At this point there is a line behind him, and everyone is getting antsy popcorn:: . Then the guy says, “Well, I guess I just teleported in to Houston then didn’t I”. Maybe he can leave the same way you came in buddy :teleport: (I know everyone around him was thinking it- we all gave each other that look like I know exactly what you're thinking ::yes:: ). Finally, they just let him on (that better not be my seat buddy!).

I do finally get on, and as I get to the aircraft’s door I see the stewardess. Man was she hot!!! Blond, short skirt and those pointy bootshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/naughty.gif :love: . She says, “Velcom abooord”, and I gurgled back a “Hello” :blush: . From her accent she must have been from Eastern Europe(maybe Disembark?), and I started imagining her doing that Russian (I don’t know if it’s Russian??) dance where they squat down, cross their arms, and kick up their boots all the way down the aisle. I must have been staring because when the daydream finished she was looking at me saying http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/batsmiely.gif“SIR, YU NEEEED TU PUT THAT BEG AWEY!!!” “Okay, I just need to put my phone in the bag”, is what I was going to say but I only got to Okay, I just need… She just kept repeating http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/batsmiely.gif“SIR, YU NEEEED TU PUT YOUR BEG AWEY!!!” Gotcha comrade! So, I stuffed my bag into the overhead compartment and sat down.
I was really starting to feel the effects of getting up at 4 now :faint: so I just hoped that nobody would bother me as I drifted off to frozen Siberia to watch Nadia (or whateva her name was) kick up her heels :teeth: .

Next: I Got the $10.00 Richmond Tour for 20 Cents!!!

[TOT_Princess_412]

Yay RER....this is great. I can't wait for more. :goodvibes

[TOT_Princess_412]

NSALZ WROTE........TOT just came and got me and said..."you have to come read RER's trip report"......Lovin' it so far.

[stinkerbelle's mom]

WOW, that was a great installment! :rotfl: at Disembark! Glad Katlas was able to keep you so much company! Can't wait for more..... popcorn::

[Va-bear]

Ok; cant make any corrections yet - since its installment 3 on the VA-meet and you're not in VA yet!! But, grrreat job so far. :thumbsup2 (though, I could have done without the visual imagery of the stewardess doing the kicky dance down the isle. :sad2: )

keep up the good work!!

[Princess89]

Ok; cant make any corrections yet - since its installment 3 on the VA-meet and you're not in VA yet!! But, grrreat job so far. :thumbsup2 (though, I could have done without the visual imagery of the stewardess doing the kicky dance down the isle. :sad2: )

keep up the good work!!
I'll second that one. Nice TR so far!

[crossfamily]

You're just jealous you didn't get to see va at the mall like i did I have to download the rest of the pics i took... Great deals missed at old navy they even had pants on sale..............................

[Va-bear]

You're just jealous you didn't get to see va at the mall like i did I have to download the rest of the pics i took... Great deals missed at old navy they even had pants on sale..............................

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Teresa you brought tears to my eyes (laughing!)

[DISUNC]

:thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :thumbsup2 :yay:

[rer1972]

After catching a few a winks I checked my watch (and moved it up one hour); it was just after 9:30 PM so I had about another hour to go. I got a beverage served by Misha (see Va-bear didn’t mention how hot she was :love: ), and settled back to read http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/newspaper.gif Continental: The inflight magazine for Continental Airlines.

Side: I know people may not think much of the airlines’ magazines, but I think they are pretty good. There was even a joke on some show about a character that subscribes to an airline magazine from his home. There’s some good info in there.

So, I read through most of it. I really enjoyed the cover story “Fresh Powder” by Mitch Kaplan. Yes, I still have the magazine. You’re supposed to take them aren’t you? That’s what complementary means. Well, after reading about all the skiing spots I want to go skiing so badly. Of course I’ve never skied in my life, but I'm going do it now. How hard can it be to learn :confused3 ? The Captain notifies us that we are now descending into the Richmond area, and it should be another 15-20 minutes. Great, I’m almost there :woohoo: !!!

Side: I just got over being sick, and apparently all this taking off and landing is starting to affect my left ear because it’s really starting to hurt from the change in air pressure. When we do land I notice that my left ear is kind of plugged up, and I can’t hear too well out of it. So, for any of you Dissers who may have been talking to me and you thought I wasn’t paying attention. Nope, I just couldn’t hear you. Next time I’ll take a pen and pad of paper so you guys can write down what you are telling me. On the other hand I may not want to know what you are telling me :rolleyes: .

The aircraft lands and reaches the gate, I tell Katya to have a good night :wave2: , and head for baggage claim and the rental car. It’s now 10:30 PM.

Side: I have to say that the airport in Richmond is very nice, still under construction, but very nice :thumbsup2 .

So, I get down to the baggage conveyer and wait. Now I have to use the restroom, but I can’t find a working restroom on the baggage claim floor (I looked everywhere even the construction areas). Okay, I’ll come back for the bag. So, I go back upstairs, find the restroom, use it, hurry back down to baggage claim, tell the baggage guys I don’t need help for the second time, and wait. Hmmmm, the bags are still not coming out yet so I didn’t miss much. After a few more minutes the conveyer starts, I find my bag, and head out the doors. Okay so where is this shuttle to the rental car :confused: ? All I see is parking garage shuttles. I head back in and find the Dollar Rental counter. I guess there are no shuttles to the rental cars, because the rental cars are right next to the airport http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/doh.gif. The Dollar guy was really nice. He gave me directions to the Hotel, and he upgraded me for free from a Dodge Neon to a Chrysler 300. I walk out to the rental car garage; find the car, and check my map. I also get a call from Katlas&kids and get directions from her and Va-bear.

I pull out of the garage and head into town :drive:. Now, I heard “take 64 to 95 South, and then take 195 to Powhite Parkway South, get off on 60/Midlothian Turnpike”. I’m also told that I am going to need change for a toll. Somehow that part really stuck in my head, and I got some change out and put it in the ashtray just in case. I was driving along and Katlas&kids calls again and asks if I’m doing okay. Suuuuure, I got it down pat. I’m on 64 going West, and I just need to find 95 to 195. She tells me to call if I need help, and that she and Kaw1218, and Va-bear are at a McDonalds waiting for me. Okay, now I’m wondering what I’m getting myself into :worried: . Should I stop and pick up some pepper spray? Who the heck sells pepper spray at 11:00 PM in Richmond :confused3 ??? I tell myself I should be fine, but any weird moves on their part and I’m outta therehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/theflash.gif. Well, as fast as I can haul my butt outta there.

I guess thinking about all this kind of distracted me a bit, and next thing I know I’m on 95 South and see "Toll Ahead Exit Here". Oh, that must be my exit. I exit and come to the toll booth. It says 20 Cents. Wow, that’s pretty cheap :yay: . So I throw two dimes into the basket and head off. Now, I drive a little ways and realize that this isn’t Powhatever Parkwayhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/huh.gif. So, I’m driving around, and around, and around. Hey, that looks like the state capital!! No time for pictures right now. I see a sign that says 161 this direction, and look it up on the map. Okay, that runs into Midlothian Turnpike I’ll go that way. After sightseeing a bit more (No! I Do Not Want To Buy A Watch!) I finally reach the street I'm looking for and drive towards the Hotel. It’s now 11:30 PM :faint:

I drive on for another 30-45 minutes when I finally reach the hotel, and pull in. I walk in and notice there seems to be a dance club just off the lobby; it’s called Razzles, and the joint is jumping party: . I go up to the counter and tell the guy I have a reservation for tonight and would like to check in. He seems reeeeally happy to see me, and looks up my reservation. I now notice there is a guy standing next to mehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/stimpy.gif. He says, “How you do'in”. I can tell Mr. NY has been in Razzles and has had a fewhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/seeingtwo.gif. I tell him I’m not doing too badly. He then starts to tell me his story of how he already lost two keys, he hates to have to pay for the lost keys, and the reason he lost the keys was because the old guy at the counter got him “All Jumpy :bounce: ” about the key to the safe in his room. No, he didn’t lose the key to the safe he was just “All Jumpy :bounce: ” about losing it because the old guy told him it would cost a bunch just to replace it. Alright then (why do I attract these people :confused3 ). So, Virginia’s original settler gives me my keys and gives me the spiel on not losing the key to the safe in the room. Not wanting to lose anything I just figured I wouldn’t use the safe at all. I didn’t want to get “All Jumpy :bounce: ” either. So, I drag all my stuff to the elevator and head to my room.

Next: Part 5 Face to Face on a Laptop

[mom2jcc]

SAHM addicted to the disboards during kids' naptime subscribing here!!!!!!!

[rer1972]

TOT_Princess_412 Thanks TOT hope I can remember everything. I did forget to mention the guy that left his bag near the gate we were leaving from in Houston, and went to the restroom. The ramp agent started asking who's bag it was. I was already getting visions of everyone being evactuated from the terminals and standing out in the parking lot. :sad2: The guy got back just in time and they tell him to please not do that. He said "Sorry", and walked off. http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/batsmiely.gif

TOT_Princess_412 for Nasal ;) Thanks I feel the lov'in. :goodvibes

stinkerbelle's mom Thanks Ms. President. It means a lot coming from you. :goodvibes

Va-bear I don't know I kinda liked that dance. :teeth: :rotfl2:

Princess89 There just is no pleazin some folks. http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/nanabobo.gif

crossfamily I'm sure it woulda been fun to shop with you ladies, but I had to see the sites and get rained on. Ducks love rain ya know. Not so interested in pants though. :rotfl:

DISUNC Thanks DISUNC. http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/bow.gifhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/bow.gifhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/bow.gifhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/bow.gif

[bigsis1970]

OH My sounds like an awesome TR so far! Can't wait to read more... Michelle

[rer1972]

mom2jcc and bigsis1970 thanks hope to get to more of it soon.

[rer1972]

Alright, time to find Katlas&kids and Kaw1218. I call http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/coach.gifand ask what room they are in, and I head on over (is there a safety switch on this pepper spray?). I finally reach 2K’s door and knock. “What’s the password!”, I hear from the other side of the door. Passwordhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/huh.gif??? He#* if I know? I ask the large white door, “What password?”. You can’t just make a password without telling it to the people that are going to use it! Finally the door opens and a blond lady with a nice smile opens the door. “Uh, Kathy?”, I ask. She says yes and lets me in. Kathy(Katlas&kids) and Kelly(Kaw1218) introduce themselves and I introduce myself. They both seem pretty nice down to earth people (didn't see any axeshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/icon_axe.gif, but I did later hear somebody dad some cutting tools). We get to chatting :hyper2: about my trip, the boards, Va-bear(Virginia), and what was planned for tomorrow. Kelly is on the boards and they tell me to get my laptop and bring it over so we can all get on the boards. Why didn’t I think of that before I came overhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/doh.gif? So, I go grab my laptop and come back. Now Kelly and I are both on Disboardshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gifhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gif, and Kathy is taking turns using my laptop and Kelly’s laptop (see exhibit A below)http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gif. Kathy is also getting picture happy http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/253.gif as she starts taking shots of us tapping away on the keyboards, us in the reflection of a huge wall mirror tapping away on our laptops (the mirror which Va-bear thought should be up on the ceiling :sad2:; nice one Ms. President :teeth: ), me picking up my pen, me glaring at her as she takes another snapshot :blush: .

Side: If anyone wants the transcript for that evening it's right here (enjoy-starts on post 24640):http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1101903&page=1643&pp=15

I eventually start to get tired http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleepyzzzz.gif(remember I’ve been up since 4 AM), and say my goodnights to Kathy and Kelly. Kathy asks me if I am going to get up for breakfast. I tell her sure, but not too early. “How about 9:15?”, she asks. “That will be perfect.”, was my response. She even says to set my alarm for 9:15 because she will be setting hers to 9:15 (I actually saw her set the alarm on the clock) :thumbsup2 . So, I head back to my room for a shower and some sleep. Can’t wait to get up at 9:15 for some free breakfast, and some chatting with Kathy and Kelly. I guess it's lights off http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/turnofflight.gif.

Exhibit 'A'
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/vameetroom.jpg


Next: Part 6 Um, Is She Driving With Her Feet???

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Alright, time to find Katlas&kids and Kaw1218. I call http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/coach.gifand ask what room they are in, and I head on over (is there a safety switch on this pepper spray?). I finally reach 2K’s door and knock. “What’s the password!”, I hear from the other side of the door. Passwordhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/huh.gif??? He#* if I know? I ask the large white door, “What password?”. You can’t just make a password without telling it to the people that are going to use it! Finally the door opens and a blond lady with a nice smile opens the door. “Uh, Kathy?”, I ask. She says yes and lets me in. Kathy(Katlas&kids) and Kelly(Kaw1218) introduce themselves and I introduce myself. They both seem pretty nice down to earth people (didn't see any axeshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/icon_axe.gif, but I did later hear somebody dad some cutting tools). We get to chatting :hyper2: about my trip, the boards, Va-bear(Virginia), and what was planned for tomorrow. Kelly is on the boards and they tell me to get my laptop and bring it over so we can all get on the boards. Why didn’t I think of that before I came overhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/doh.gif? So, I go grab my laptop and come back. Now Kelly and I are both on Disboardshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gifhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gif, and Kathy is taking turns using my laptop and Kelly’s laptophttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gif. Kathy is also getting picture happy http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/253.gif as she starts taking shots of us tapping away on the keyboards, us in the reflection of a huge wall mirror tapping away on our laptops (the mirror which Va-bear thought should be up on the ceiling :sad2:; nice one Ms. President :teeth: ), me picking up my pen, me glaring at her as she takes another snapshot :blush: .

Side: If anyone wants the transcript for that evening it's right here (enjoy-starts on post 24640):http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1101903&page=1643&pp=15

I eventually start to get tired http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleepyzzzz.gif(remember I’ve been up since 4 AM), and say my goodnights to Kathy and Kelly. Kathy asks me if I am going to get up for breakfast. I tell her sure, but not too early. “How about 9:15?”, she asks. “That will be perfect.”, was my response. She even says to set my alarm for 9:15 because she will be setting hers to 9:15 (I actually saw her set the alarm on the clock) :thumbsup2 . So, I head back to my room for a shower and some sleep. Can’t wait to get up at 9:15 for some free breakfast, and some chatting with Kathy and Kelly. I guess it's lights off http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/turnofflight.gif.


Next: Part 6 Um, Is She Driving With Her Feet???

See with you with no pants & VA with the mirror on the ceiling-- you both are way more Presidential than me! :teeth: Hmmmm, 9:15 are ya trying to tell us something!?!?!?! :rotfl: :rotfl2: :lmao: Another great installment, also too entirely short, but I guess its cuz it was a short trip. :sad2: Waiting for more..... :artist:

[Va-bear]

See with you with no pants & VA with the mirror on the ceiling-- you both are way more Presidential than me! :teeth: Hmmmm, 9:15 are ya trying to tell us something!?!?!?! :rotfl: :rotfl2: :lmao: Another great installment, also too entirely short, but I guess its cuz it was a short trip. :sad2: Waiting for more..... :artist:
OK- fair enough - but you had to see this HUGE a*# mirror!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! VERY very odd......


Great job :sunny: !!!!! :thumbsup2

[Princess89]

What's with the 9:15, you have a bias against that time or something? :confused3 Hmmm, VA Bear and mirror on the ceiling! Sorry SB's Mom, changing my vote for President from you to VA that one tops the cake!

This whole trip report is killing me, I so wanted to be there :sad1: But I will live vicariously through the TR! :teeth:

Oh and rer, what is with your smilie toward me all the time, that guy kills me! Are you trying to kill me with laughter? And you got that right, its hard to please me :teeth:

[bigsis1970]

Haa AWESOME installment!!

[crossfamily]

Wow finally got to catch up... After reading the title of the up coming thread I may have to disappear for a while.... Great Job RER... Yeah I get to jump in tomorrow!!!

[TOT_Princess_412]

Great trip report here you deserve a :worship: ! :teeth:
CAN'T WAITING FOR MORE!!!

[Va-bear]

Wow finally got to catch up... After reading the title of the up coming thread I may have to disappear for a while.... Great Job RER... Yeah I get to jump in tomorrow!!!

uh, oh............... WHO was driving w/ their feet????? DO jump in!!! :rolleyes: (good to see ya back!!)

[kaw1218]

Alright, time to find Katlas&kids and Kaw1218. I call http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/coach.gifand ask what room they are in, and I head on over (is there a safety switch on this pepper spray?). I finally reach 2K’s door and knock. “What’s the password!”, I hear from the other side of the door. Passwordhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/huh.gif??? He#* if I know? I ask the large white door, “What password?”. You can’t just make a password without telling it to the people that are going to use it! he didn't even try to guess the password.....I mean come on, two pretty girls opening the door to a strange duck???? Do you blame us?
Finally the door opens and a blond lady with a nice smile opens the door. “Uh, Kathy?”, I ask. She says yes and lets me in. Kathy(Katlas&kids) and Kelly(Kaw1218) introduce themselves and I introduce myself. They both seem pretty nice down to earth people (didn't see any axeshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/icon_axe.gif, but I did later hear somebody dad some cutting tools).
yeah....but I didn't use them :teeth:
We get to chatting :hyper2: about my trip, the boards, Va-bear(Virginia), and what was planned for tomorrow. Kelly is on the boards and they tell me to get my laptop and bring it over so we can all get on the boards. Why didn’t I think of that before I came overhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/doh.gif? So, I go grab my laptop and come back. Now Kelly and I are both on Disboardshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gifhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gif, and Kathy is taking turns using my laptop and Kelly’s laptop (see exhibit A below)http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/dissing2.gif. Kathy is also getting picture happy http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/253.gif as she starts taking shots of us tapping away on the keyboards, us in the reflection of a huge wall mirror tapping away on our laptops (the mirror which Va-bear thought should be up on the ceiling :sad2:; nice one Ms. President :teeth: ), me picking up my pen, me glaring at her as she takes another snapshot :blush: .
that mirror was extra blinding with the camera flash!!!
Side: If anyone wants the transcript for that evening it's right here (enjoy-starts on post 24640):http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1101903&page=1643&pp=15

I eventually start to get tired http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleepyzzzz.gif(remember I’ve been up since 4 AM), and say my goodnights to Kathy and Kelly. Kathy asks me if I am going to get up for breakfast. I tell her sure, but not too early. “How about 9:15?”, she asks. “That will be perfect.”, was my response. She even says to set my alarm for 9:15 because she will be setting hers to 9:15 (I actually saw her set the alarm on the clock) :thumbsup2 . So, I head back to my room for a shower and some sleep. Can’t wait to get up at 9:15 for some free breakfast, and some chatting with Kathy and Kelly. I guess it's lights off http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/turnofflight.gif.

hey....in all fairness....KATHY said 9:15.....I didn't :teeth: besides, Sunshine, I didn't want you to miss out on any fun!!!

Exhibit 'A'
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/vameetroom.jpg


Next: Part 6 Um, Is She Driving With Her Feet???

[kaw1218]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2766.jpg

freaky mirror!

[dwheatl]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2766.jpg

freaky mirror!

Do you think they had the camera behind it for the closed-circuit movies? Chick a Bow Wow! If it was a secret camera, boy were they disappointed! 2 hot chicks, 1 hot duck, and they're all sitting around TYPING!

[pixie dust 112]

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Finally getting around to reading this report! This is too funny. Can't wait for more! I love all your smilies!

[rer1972]

stinkerbelle's mom thanks, but I'll make up for it on the next installment.

Va-bear it was a veeeeerrrrrryyyy big :eeyore: mirror. Oh, and you'll find out who it was next time.

Princess89 what better way to kill than with :teeth: .

bigsis1970 thanks :thumbsup2

crossfamily hey no :tiptoe: away; the best parts are coming up. :yay:

TOT_Princess_412 hey thanks for the :worship: :goodvibes

kaw1218 you needed to give me the password before I got there. :sad2: Thank gosh!! :scared1: Yes the mirror combined with Kathy was very blinding :rotfl: . So, I guess that means you're off the hook? :rolleyes:

dwheatl we did all discuss that. Was a bit creepy.

pixie dust 112 thank you thank you; means a lot coming from everyone :goodvibes

[kaw1218]

Do you think they had the camera behind it for the closed-circuit movies? Chick a Bow Wow! If it was a secret camera, boy were they disappointed! 2 hot chicks, 1 hot duck, and they're all sitting around TYPING!
we tried checking for a hidden camera....they had that thing bolted to the wall!!! good thing....I think it would have killed one of us if it fell :rotfl:

[bigsis1970]

Haa --- OMG you checked for a camera!! that is a riot! I can't wait to read more come on Ronnie get'ter done man!! LOL... Michelle

[rer1972]

Oh, Siberia is such a nice place. RING The ice, the snow, the boots :teeth: ! RING Do you hear a phone ringing? RING Are there phones on this frozen tundra they call Siberia :confused3 ? Hold on a sec Bootsanova. “Hello? No, there is no sunshine here. Yeah, alright buddy I’m going back to sleep. Why don’t ya hassle someone else about sunshine and breakfast?”. Hmmm, was that supposed to be my wake up call for breakfast :rolleyes1 ?

Well, I didn’t get a Mickey or Stitch wakeup call this morning (somehow I did end up with a nickname though). It was Kelly asking about breakfast. I really can’t remember anything I said when she called except,” It’s not 9:15. Why are you calling me if it’s not 9:15?”. Other than that I am drawing a blank. So, Kelly, if I said anything bad during that call I am sorry. You just don’t mess with a ducks scheduled wake up timehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleep026.gif.

I laid in bed for another 15-20 minutes, and finally got up, got dressed, and headed down for some free breakfast (in no way is this like free dining). I didn’t get a picture of the breakfast, but if you’ve ever seen half a bagel with cream cheese and half a bagel with peanut butter then you know what it looks like.

Side: You know I honestly think peanut butter goes with just about anything. Bread, Chicken, Veggies, Fruits, Cheese, Crackers, Jelly, and so on. I'd like to change the Cambell's Soup song so it goes... "That's what PB is, Mmmm, Mmmm, Good". I wonder if Cambell's would mind?

Anyhoo, I finished off my coffee, and headed over to the front desk. I had some business to take care of there. I asked if I could move to a room closer to the 2K’s (I was in a whole other building), today’s hotel counter person was much younger. She seemed very happy to take care of my request; now that’s what I call service :thumbsup2 . So, I go back up to my room, throw everything into my monster rolling suitcase (you’ll find out later why I brought the monster rolling suitcase on such a short trip), and head over to my new room in the other building.

After finishing getting settled in for the second day in a row I headed over to the 2K’s room. At this point I got the rundown on today’s schedule. We would hang around here for a bit (good time to Dis, and I brought my laptop), then head to the airport around 11:00 to meet Crossfamily(Teresa) and her DD. We wouldn’t be picking them up or anything. Nope, we would just be doing some convoy duty. So, the three of us sat around in the hotel room and watched cartoons and Dissed.

So, we’re watching cartoons :happytv: (maybe the 2K's remember which ones) till about 11:15 when we head down to the parking lot. After “volunteering” to drive, the three of us settled into the Chrysler and pulled out of the parking lot with Kathy giving directions and Kelly in the backseat. Boy Richmond sure looks different in the daylight. It’s a whole lot easier to get around too. The 2K's were chatting :hyper2: along and I’d throw my 2 cents in here and there. I think Kelly was even taking pictures out the windows. Of what I have no idea. Then Kelly and I picked a radio station we could torture Kathy with, but she seemed to actually enjoy it. It was like that old Life Cereal commercial, “She Likes It! She Likes It!”. Kathy then gets a call from Teresa. She had just arrived, and was heading to pick up her bags. The plan was to meet her up in the rental car parking garage, and then she could follow us back to the hotel. We arrive at the airport and head for the rental parking garage. We call Teresa again to ask what she is driving. We find her blue car and pull in front. Teresa tells us she would like to stop for something to eat so we recommend the Waffle House or some other place I never heard off. Seeing as I’m in the lead I go ahead and bypass the other place that I have never heard of and pull into the Waffle House (one of the perks of being the lead driver :thumbsup2 ).

Side: I need say something about The Waffle House; I love this place :love: . It is the travelers Mecca. Those black letters in the yellow squares http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/WH_Logo.gif just call to weary travelers. It reminds me of vacations with family, traveling (the few times I did) with my parents, coming back to Baton Rouge after a long night in Nawleans :goodvibes . The bar counter dining with the spinning stools, the mini-booths you can’t fit all your friends into :crowded: , the jukebox :music: , and the greasy food. The name just doesn’t say enough about the place. It’s not just waffles. Its hash browns with everything on them, chili, steaks, hamburgers, fries, and iced tea (for those that can’t get the real stuff). The only problem is the closest I can get to a Waffle House is Houston, TX :sad2: . If I see one anywhere that I visit I try and make a stop at The Waffle House.

So, we pull in and we all amble out of our cars. I get my first glimpse of Teresa and her cute DD princess: (who I will call M from here on out). Seems like good folk too. We all cram into a mini-booth; well, I pulled up a chair. I think the timing was just right because I was already getting hungry; I think the 2K's were too cause they ordered as well. I ordered the bowl of chili and a diet coke. I think Kelly had a breakfast plate, Kathy had hash browns, and Teresa got a waffle for herself and some butter for M. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the food, but I do for some reason have a shot of me and one of M at the Waffle House. I think Kathy took these.

Good thing the flash didn’t reflect off my head to badly. Hmmm, is that lady behind me holding a pitcher of OJ or is she trying lock her car from inside the restaurant?
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h002.jpg
Mmmmmm, M loves that butter. She even had a bit of waffle with her butter.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h001.jpg

All around I think everyone enjoyed their food very much; especially M and her butter. We then split the check and headed on out to the cars. Both cars pull out of the Waffle House and drive off towards the Hotel with me in the lead :drive: . Now Teresa said she wasn’t too sure how to get around here so I made sure to keep an eye on the rear view mirror so I wouldn’t get to far ahead. Well, were going along, the 2K's chatting away, and me checking the mirror every so often. Things were going well till we got to about the second stop light. That’s when I looked in the mirror and saw Teresa looking in the backseat and telling M something :worried: . I’m sure it was, “Sweetie you really do need to stay in your seat belt so mommy can drive us both safely to the hotel” (right Teresa :rolleyes1 ). The light changed and I start to drive, but Teresa is still working on the back seat situation. I slow down so she can catch up and she starts to move; good I think. The next time I look back she is driving, but turned all the way around facing the backseat again. Oh #@&* :scared1: ! I swear she was driving the car with her tennis shoes on the steering wheel. There must be a special driving course just for mothers cause I don't remember this technique in drivers ed; which explains how my mom was able to reach around and smack me from the front seat when I was a kid. At this point I mention to Kelly and Kathy that at the next light someone might want to jump out and get into Teresa’s car to help her out. Kelly was volunteered for this mission, and as we stopped at the light she asked me if the coast was clear. I checked the mirror and saw no cars coming, “go for it!”, I said, at that point another car came into view. Before I could give out a warning she was in the back seat of Teresa’s rental car (another teleporter?). Whew :faint: .

Now that Kelly was watching the kiddo the convoy made its way smoothly back to the hotel. We all arrived and planned our next mission. We were going to rest up a bit, and then head over to Target so Teresa and M could get some warmer weather clothes :sunny: . We would search for some :laundy: we could put in the rooms fridge for later that evening, then head over to the main mission objective of the day: Dining at Milepost 5. Now that's a battle I wanted to win :teeth: !

Dining fans and History Channel buffs please come back for the next installment as I detail the latest battle in Richmond: Part 7 Spiders, Crab Claws, and Frisbees Yum!!! or Where Is That Bear!

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Another great installment Ronnie! You is da man! :thumbsup2 You actually are even a little funny who would've thought it! :rotfl: I have to tell you, in that picture of you at the Waffle House you look an awful lot like my dh! :eek: Btw, we tried a Waffle House in SC on the way home from WDW-- yucky-- did not like it at all--sorry. popcorn::

[Va-bear]

WOW - this man feels passionately 'bout Waffle House!!!! I'd better try one!

Great job (G)Rer!!!!! (Bear, what bear????)

Later :sunny: !!

[kaw1218]

oh....I so need to add a few things here.....I don't have time...I'll be back later....

[Princess89]

The Waffle House?? I went for the first time on the way to FL and not a thing on that menu appealed to me. There we go again, yes hard to please!! But the passion you have for it, well its quite scary!

[crossfamily]

LMAO OK now I can add my version......

Now when I started to help put together this meet of our fellow limeys there were lots of people going to come. Well about a month and a half before I head to meet my limey pals my ds9's hockey teams decides to have a hockey fundraiser the friday of my weekend away! :scared1: ok now what to do? I had planned to drive with the kids :car: but now there was no way I was going to be able to. So I call my mom and ask her to watch the kids because dh had to work. She said i'll keep the boys but I'm NOT watching "M". Ok talk to dh and he says to get a flight out for the 2 of you then. OK well I want to go so bad I have no choice. I book our flights......
Ok back to the friday night of the big weekend.... I am at a bowling fund raiser so I am doing lots of :laundy: and keep in mind I don't usually drink.. So after we close down the bowling alley I lay down to get a couple of hours of sleep before I go to the airport.. Well I hear this noise at 6:00am and i freak out. :scared1: My plane leaves in 1 hour and 15 minutes. UGH!! DH wake up you have to drive us to the airport quick....... Ok jump in the :car: and go... Now I am usually yelling at dh to slow down but this time I'm yelling at him to go faster. We make it in record timing and I get there check in my bags and head to security.... UH OH!!! I forgot to take out the bottle my dh put in my purse last night... Sorry Captin' Morgan ya gotta go... Sure the security guard enjoyed it that night.... Ok I grab "M" and run to our gate... I am in my boots which have heels on them but I manage to get there just in time for the final boarding call.. YEAH!!!!
We had a pretty smooth flight out of Detroit and landed in Philly on time... Then we have to take a bus... and no I don't mean a http://i79.photobucket.com/albums/j130/crossfamily/smilies/12_7_10v1.gif. We get to the other terminal and find our gate and I sit down and turn my phone on and Kathy has called wanted to know where I was and if i was ok? :hug: I tell here I am doing fine and getting ready to board my plane to see you guys... Hung up with her chased "M" around for a bit and then boarded my plane and headed to VA!!
I land in Richmond and call Kathy as soon as we hit the ground and she said they were on their way. By the time i found my way to the rental car counter and get my car Kathy is calling to say they are almost there and asked where i was and I told her. By now i am loading up "M" and our bags and in the car and pull out and she says they are in the garage and I look in my review mirror and see them. They catch up to me and i tell them to lead because I am already lost and we haven't left the garage. I tell them i am starved and need to eat.. Kathy mentions some place and Waffle House (RER I need your waffle house sign) Well being from Michigan we don't have a Waffle House around here so Waffle House was a MUST. So since I am following RER I let him lead the way to the Magic of the Waffle House...
We get out and I say to myself he looks much better in person than in the pics I seen of him on myspace (yep a little birdie told me about that) I also finally get to meet KAW...
sidenote:When i first joined the disboards KAW was one of my first friends... She went out of her way to get me info on Sesame Place. So I was really excited to finally get to meet her in person...
We go in and the place was busy so we cram in a small booth and RER gets a chair and sits on the side. I order a diet coke and then remembered I was in the south they had SWEET TEA :cool1: I had a sweet tea and a waffle and some hashbrowns.. Since we were on a budget "M" had to eat butter.... :rotfl2: :rotfl2: Yep thats my kid...
Now we go back to the hotel and its a long and I mean loooooooooooong drive for me.... My perfect daughter whom is 2 thought she could go without a seatbelt.. I am gonna strangler her in a minute if she doesn't sit in her seat and keep belted. OK where are you taking me Kathy???? I really don't need a tour of the city now I need to put my kid down for a nap...... Ok just when I am gonna lose it I see KAW get out of RER's car and run into mine!!! YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS back up!!! Well KAW being a mom too knows what its like so she lets my daughter show her how to use her camera. Yes "M" taught KAW that her camera could play music... :rotfl2: next thing I knew it was pure silence... Miracles happen "M" fell asleep.. :cheer2: and you guessed it we pulled into the hotel parking lot.. Ok we go up to the room and Kathy's keys don't work so yes you guessed it "M" woke up... We finally get our keys fixed and head up to our room and I say we might as well get ready and go to Target because I so need some summer clothes... Its hot here.... I left MI it was suppose to snow that day....
We get there and all split up... Shopped a bit and met up again... RER and I want some adult beverages to do some :laundy: this evening... We go to a grocery store and they look at us like we are :crazy: liquor at a grocery store.. OK now RER and I think these locals are :crazy: Ok now Kathy tells us to go to this other place and all they have is wine... OK is this a DRY state? We finally find a place get our goodies and head back to the hotel.. YEAH!!
Of course what do disers do when they get to a limey meet we get on our laptops and dis....
Like RER says we finally get ready and head to MilePost 5
Stay tuned........................

[bigsis1970]

OMG what a fun installment !!!! the butter thing must have something to do with the letter "M" I love butter as well (ate sticks when I was little every chance I got haa) and Hum Ronnie - myspace :) Can't wait till you get the next one installment up!! Michelle

[rer1972]

stinkerbelle's mom I may be in the minority when it comes to the ole waffle house, but it still holds a special place in my gut. :rotfl2: Soaks up that :laundy: really well.

Va-bear Hey Boo Boo, she's not your average bear! :teeth:

kaw1218 TAG

Princess89 You picky!! I don't believe it!! I know Waffle House= :crazy: :love: :rotfl:

crossfamily :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Okay, who's next??? I think Kaw was gonna Tag-In tonight. I'm sure she has some good stuff to add (psst I'd only believe half of what she says).

I forgot about you holding M while they were trying to open the door. I was thinking, Geez could ya hurry there I think her arms are gonna fall off! :rotfl2:

I'll get to our search for :drinking1 in the next installment.
bigsis1970

[katlas&kids]

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2766.jpg

freaky mirror!

And it was right beside the bed. You could give yourself a heart attack or some real bad nightmares waking up and seeing your early morning self in it!! :lmao:

[Princess89]

RER I let him lead the way to the Magic of the Waffle House...
We get out and I say to myself he looks much better in person than in the pics I seen of him on myspace (yep a little birdie told me about that)....
Ahhh yes, the myspace....saw it too :rotfl: A little birdie told me about it too!

[katlas&kids]

[kaw1218 you needed to give me the password before I got there. :sad2: Thank gosh!! :scared1: Yes the mirror combined with Kathy was very blinding :rotfl: . So, I guess that means you're off the hook? :rolleyes:

You better mean this in a nice way. Remember, I have the pictures that you don't and you may not like them being posted here!! :rolleyes: :3dglasses

[katlas&kids]

Oh, Siberia is such a nice place. RING The ice, the snow, the boots :teeth: ! RING Do you hear a phone ringing? RING Are there phones on this frozen tundra they call Siberia :confused3 ? Hold on a sec Bootsanova. “Hello? No, there is no sunshine here. Yeah, alright buddy I’m going back to sleep. Why don’t ya hassle someone else about sunshine and breakfast?”. Hmmm, was that supposed to be my wake up call for breakfast :rolleyes1 ?

I am not sure we needed to know about this dream..so glad he didn't share it there! And when did SE Virginia become the frozen Tundra? Sure Richmond gets snow, but not 1 hour and 15 min or so south of there! And yeah...breakfast is breakfast and since you kept us up late, we needed to make sure we got some before you did! She was being nice to make sure you could get your fill before we delegated you as designated driver!

Well, I didn’t get a Mickey or Stitch wakeup call this morning SIDE: this was not told to us or we could have stitched him all over the place!( somehow I did end up with a nickname though). It was Kelly asking about breakfast. I really can’t remember anything I said when she called except,” It’s not 9:15. Why are you calling me if it’s not 9:15?”. Other than that I am drawing a blank. So, Kelly, if I said anything bad during that call I am sorry. You just don’t mess with a ducks scheduled wake up timehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleep026.gif.

I laid in bed for another 15-20 minutes, and finally got up, got dressed, and headed down for some free breakfast (in no way is this like free dining). I didn’t get a picture of the breakfast, but if you’ve ever seen half a bagel with cream cheese and half a bagel with peanut butter then you know what it looks like.

Side: You know I honestly think peanut butter goes with just about anything. Bread, Chicken, Veggies, Fruits, Cheese, Crackers, Jelly, and so on. I'd like to change the Cambell's Soup song so it goes... "That's what PB is, Mmmm, Mmmm, Good". I wonder if Cambell's would mind?

Have you asked them to make a PB soup yet?

So, I go back up to my room, throw everything into my monster rolling suitcase (you’ll find out later why I brought the monster rolling suitcase on such a short trip), and head over to my new room in the other building.

See we did give him time alone! :rolleyes:
Please note here that this suitcase was the size of a small house. Kelly and I both took a suitcase too, and we did drive to Richmond, but both of ours could have fit in there with room for the :laundy: we picked up! A sure sign that men pack more!! I will say that he dressed very nice and Disney like in his Disney polo's though! And he does have nice hairy legs in his shorts!

After finishing getting settled in for the second day in a row I headed over to the 2K’s room. At this point I got the rundown on today’s schedule. We would hang around here for a bit (good time to Dis, and I brought my laptop), then head to the airport around 11:00 to meet Crossfamily(Teresa) and her DD. We wouldn’t be picking them up or anything. Nope, we would just be doing some convoy duty. So, the three of us sat around in the hotel room and watched cartoons and Dissed.

This is mainly cause I needed something to stay awake with. NOT being technically advantaged, IE: no laptop of my own (christmas suggestion to my family...again), I had to not so patiently wait my turn to see if I could post anything. And I could have slept again with no problem at all, which would have been bad cause I was the only one who knew where to go! To get Teresa guys, not anywhere else!

Then Kelly and I picked a radio station we could torture Kathy with, but she seemed to actually enjoy it. It was like that old Life Cereal commercial, “She Likes It! She Likes It!”.

Kathy listens to contempary Christian radio, so some of the ummm... newer noise is unknown to me

Side: I need say something about The Waffle House; I love this place :love: . It is the travelers Mecca. Those black letters in the yellow squares http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/WH_Logo.gif just call to weary travelers. It reminds me of vacations with family, traveling (the few times I did) with my parents, coming back to Baton Rouge after a long night in Nawleans :goodvibes . The bar counter dining with the spinning stools, the mini-booths you can’t fit all your friends into :crowded: , the jukebox :music: , and the greasy food. The name just doesn’t say enough about the place. It’s not just waffles. Its hash browns with everything on them, chili, steaks, hamburgers, fries, and iced tea (for those that can’t get the real stuff). The only problem is the closest I can get to a Waffle House is Houston, TX :sad2: . If I see one anywhere that I visit I try and make a stop at The Waffle House.

IE: a single man's place to eat. fun things to play with, the chance to get squeezed against your date, grease.. well did I call it or not Ladies?

So, we pull in and we all amble out of our cars. I get my first glimpse of Teresa and her cute DD princess: (who I will call M from here on out). Seems like good folk too. We all cram into a mini-booth; well, I pulled up a chair. MY SIDE: to scared to figure out exactly which limey lady to sit with and definitely not the type to want to wear butter, not even pre-licked butter! I think the timing was just right because I was already getting hungry; I think the 2K's were too cause they ordered as well. I ordered the bowl of chili and a diet coke. I think Kelly had a breakfast plate, Kathy had hash browns, Scattered stuffed covered ect hashbrowns!! and Teresa got a waffle for herself and some butter for M. Unfortunately, I don’t have pictures of the food, but I do for some reason have a shot of me and one of M at the Waffle House. I think Kathy took these.

Good thing the flash didn’t reflect off my head to badly. Hmmm, is that lady behind me holding a pitcher of OJ or is she trying lock her car from inside the restaurant?
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h002.jpg
Mmmmmm, M loves that butter. She even had a bit of waffle with her butter.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h001.jpg

All around I think everyone enjoyed their food very much; especially M and her butter. We then split the check and headed on out to the cars. Both cars pull out of the Waffle House and drive off towards the Hotel with me in the lead :drive: . Now Teresa said she wasn’t too sure how to get around here SIDE: and neither was Ron, but I digress so I made sure to keep an eye on the rear view mirror so I wouldn’t get to far ahead. Well, were going along, the 2K's chatting away, and me checking the mirror every so often. Things were going well till we got to about the second stop light. That’s when I looked in the mirror and saw Teresa looking in the backseat and telling M something :worried: . I’m sure it was, “Sweetie you really do need to stay in your seat belt so mommy can drive us both safely to the hotel” (right Teresa :rolleyes1 ). The light changed and I start to drive, but Teresa is still working on the back seat situation. I slow down so she can catch up and she starts to move; good I think. The next time I look back she is driving, but turned all the way around facing the backseat again. Oh #@&* :scared1: ! I swear she was driving the car with her tennis shoes on the steering wheel. There must be a special driving course just for mothers cause I don't remember this technique in drivers ed; which explains how my mom was able to reach around and smack me from the front seat when I was a kid. And it took you just how many years to find out that we as moms can do things that you as a male can't? :confused3 At this point I mention to Kelly and Kathy that at the next light someone might want to jump out and get into Teresa’s car to help her out. Kelly was volunteered for this mission, and as we stopped at the light she asked me if the coast was clear. I checked the mirror and saw no cars coming, “go for it!”, I said, at that point another car came into view. Before I could give out a warning she was in the back seat of Teresa’s rental car (another teleporter?). Whew :faint: .

The reason that Kathy hunched down in the front seat and didn't run to BFF Teresa's aid is that BFF convience Kathy to leave her kids at home to have a real adult vacation and Kathy just wasn't up to wresteling one after a not so great night of sleep and her no children weekend! I did apoligize to her though!

Now that Kelly was watching the kiddo the convoy made its way smoothly back to the hotel. We all arrived and planned our next mission. We were going to rest up a bit, and then head over to Target so Teresa and M could get some warmer weather clothes :sunny: . We would search for some :laundy: we could put in the rooms fridge for later that evening, then head over to the main mission objective of the day: Dining at Milepost 5. Now that's a battle I wanted to win :teeth: !

Dining fans and History Channel buffs please come back for the next installment as I detail the latest battle in Richmond: Part 7 Spiders, Crab Claws, and Frisbees Yum!!! or Where Is That Bear!

[crossfamily]

Hey RER your slacking where's the next post? And please don't tell me your waiting on KAW.

[kaw1218]

Hey RER your slacking where's the next post? And please don't tell me your waiting on KAW.
yes...please don't tell us you are waiting on KAW.....she's been MIA recently :rolleyes:

(sorry ya'll)

[rer1972]

yes...please don't tell us you are waiting on KAW.....she's been MIA recently :rolleyes:

(sorry ya'll)
Working on it. :thumbsup2

[kaw1218]

Oh, Siberia is such a nice place. RING The ice, the snow, the boots :teeth: ! RING Do you hear a phone ringing? RING Are there phones on this frozen tundra they call Siberia :confused3 ? Hold on a sec Bootsanova. “Hello? No, there is no sunshine here. Yeah, alright buddy I’m going back to sleep. Why don’t ya hassle someone else about sunshine and breakfast?”. Hmmm, was that supposed to be my wake up call for breakfast ?

Well, I didn’t get a Mickey or Stitch wakeup call this morning (somehow I did end up with a nickname though). It was Kelly asking about breakfast. I really can’t remember anything I said when she called except,” It’s not 9:15. Why are you calling me if it’s not 9:15?”.
Well, since I didn't sleep, and Kathy was awake...we decided to go to breakfast a little early. I'm sorry that we felt the need to be polite and let you know our change of plans.....








ok...I fess up.....It was just plain old fun :teeth:
Other than that I am drawing a blank. So, Kelly, if I said anything bad during that call I am sorry. You just don’t mess with a ducks scheduled wake up timehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleep026.gif.
Wouldn't you like to know what you said.....maybe I should tell anyone that wants the good version to PM me ? :rotfl: Naw...you were a total gentleman....Sunshine! So, I go back up to my room, throw everything into my monster rolling suitcase (you’ll find out later why I brought the monster rolling suitcase on such a short trip),
It was HUGE!!! I had less luggage for 10 days in Disney!!

So, we’re watching cartoons (maybe the 2K's remember which ones) till about 11:15 when we head down to the parking lot. After “volunteering” to drive, the three of us settled into the Chrysler and pulled out of the parking lot with Kathy giving directions and Kelly in the backseat. Boy Richmond sure looks different in the daylight. It’s a whole lot easier to get around too. The 2K's were chatting along and I’d throw my 2 cents in here and there. I think Kelly was even taking pictures out the windows. Of what I have no idea.
Hmmm...I don't even remeber the cartoons. And we considerately gave the man control of the vehicle...of course it was his.We definately got the tour this time. I would have jumped on a major road...wasn't 95 around there somewhere? and I wasn't taking pictures...I was just trying to get a picture of the 25ft smilie face....that would have been a good photobucket addition.
Then Kelly and I picked a radio station we could torture Kathy with, but she seemed to actually enjoy it. It was like that old Life Cereal commercial, “She Likes It! She Likes It!”.
In all fairness... we did pick 'How to Save a Life' by the Fray....pretty tame compared to what we could have sprung on Ya Kathy!

We call Teresa again to ask what she is driving. We find her blue car and pull in front. Teresa tells us she would like to stop for something to eat so we recommend the Waffle House or some other place I never heard off.
Hmmm...we 'found her'? I think we were creeping through the parking garage like stalkers.....


Oh...this is where we all merge....
I land in Richmond and call Kathy as soon as we hit the ground and she said they were on their way. By the time i found my way to the rental car counter and get my car Kathy is calling to say they are almost there and asked where i was and I told her. By now i am loading up "M" and our bags and in the car and pull out and she says they are in the garage and I look in my review mirror and see them. They catch up to me and i tell them to lead because I am already lost and we haven't left the garage. I tell them i am starved and need to eat.. Kathy mentions some place and Waffle House (RER I need your waffle house sign http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/WH_Logo.gif ) Well being from Michigan we don't have a Waffle House around here so Waffle House was a MUST. So since I am following RER I let him lead the way to the Magic of the Waffle House...
We get out and I say to myself he looks much better in person than in the pics I seen of him on myspace (yep a little birdie told me about that) I also finally get to meet KAW...
Yeah!! That's me!!!!

sidenote:When i first joined the disboards KAW was one of my first friends... She went out of her way to get me info on Sesame Place. So I was really excited to finally get to meet her in person...
awww......it gave me and the kids a REASON to go to Sesame....of course we never really needed one before :rolleyes: All around I think everyone enjoyed their food very much; especially M and her butter. We then split the check and headed on out to the cars. Both cars pull out of the Waffle House and drive off towards the Hotel with me in the lead :drive: . Now Teresa said she wasn’t too sure how to get around here so I made sure to keep an eye on the rear view mirror so I wouldn’t get to far ahead. Well, were going along, the 2K's chatting away, and me checking the mirror every so often. Things were going well till we got to about the second stop light. That’s when I looked in the mirror and saw Teresa looking in the backseat and telling M something :worried: . I’m sure it was, “Sweetie you really do need to stay in your seat belt so mommy can drive us both safely to the hotel” (right Teresa :rolleyes1 ). The light changed and I start to drive, but Teresa is still working on the back seat situation. I slow down so she can catch up and she starts to move; good I think. The next time I look back she is driving, but turned all the way around facing the backseat again. Oh #@&* :scared1: ! I swear she was driving the car with her tennis shoes on the steering wheel. There must be a special driving course just for mothers cause I don't remember this technique in drivers ed; which explains how my mom was able to reach around and smack me from the front seat when I was a kid. At this point I mention to Kelly and Kathy that at the next light someone might want to jump out and get into Teresa’s car to help her out. Kelly was volunteered for this mission, and as we stopped at the light she asked me if the coast was clear. I checked the mirror and saw no cars coming, “go for it!”, I said, at that point another car came into view. Before I could give out a warning she was in the back seat of Teresa’s rental car (another teleporter?). Whew .
Ok....yeah Ronnie was nervous.... but then again..I was watching him from the backseat....I think he was looking past me more then he was looking in front of him!!! And its definately a talent to be able to drive with your knees.... hmmm....a mom thing? I don't know about that....My mom used to just pull over and....well I won't finish that one :rotfl:
And I won't tell ya'll how I can jump from car to car without being detected.....

Now we go back to the hotel and its a long and I mean loooooooooooong drive for me.... My perfect daughter whom is 2 thought she could go without a seatbelt.. I am gonna strangler her in a minute if she doesn't sit in her seat and keep belted. OK where are you taking me Kathy???? I really don't need a tour of the city now I need to put my kid down for a nap...... Ok just when I am gonna lose it I see KAW get out of RER's car and run into mine!!! YEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSS back up!!! Well KAW being a mom too knows what its like so she lets my daughter show her how to use her camera. Yes "M" taught KAW that her camera could play music... :rotfl2: next thing I knew it was pure silence... Miracles happen "M" fell asleep.. :cheer2:
I think she's gonna be a photographer....such nice pictures she took!!!
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2792.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2794.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2800.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2803.jpg
http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2804.jpg

We get there and all split up... Shopped a bit and met up again... RER and I want some adult beverages to do some :laundy: this evening... We go to a grocery store and they look at us like we are :crazy: liquor at a grocery store.. OK now RER and I think these locals are :crazy: Ok now Kathy tells us to go to this other place and all they have is wine... OK is this a DRY state? We finally find a place get our goodies and head back to the hotel.. YEAH!!
Of course what do disers do when they get to a limey meet we get on our laptops and dis....
Like RER says we finally get ready and head to MilePost 5
Stay tuned........................

Now that Kelly was watching the kiddo the convoy made its way smoothly back to the hotel. We all arrived and planned our next mission. We were going to rest up a bit, and then head over to Target so Teresa and M could get some warmer weather clothes :sunny: . We would search for some :laundy: we could put in the rooms fridge for later that evening, then head over to the main mission objective of the day: Dining at Milepost 5. Now that's a battle I wanted to win :teeth: !

well...I have nothing else to say.....except what about the steel plate and shiny pennies!!!!!!!

[bigsis1970]

Oh I can't wait to get more of the story - it sounds like you all had a BLAST !!!

[kaw1218]

Oh I can't wait to get more of the story - it sounds like you all had a BLAST !!!
It was 36 hours full of laughter for me...... It was nice to know that there are other normal people out there like me :crazy:

[kaw1218]

hmmmm...I was just looking back.....we forgot VAbear!!!! I was just adding on to Ronnies report...I forgot he didn't get to meat VA friday night....hmmm. I guess I will have to go back in time......

[kaw1218]

You better mean this in a nice way. Remember, I have the pictures that you don't and you may not like them being posted here!! :rolleyes: :3dglasses
like these???

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2781.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2780.jpg

It's always good to have some blackmail pictures handy!! :rotfl:

[rer1972]

It was 36 hours full of laughter for me...... It was nice to know that there are other normal people out there like me :crazy:
Coughhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/omg2.gif Coughhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/omg2.gif
Did you say crazy as you or as crazy as you. :rotfl:

I keed I keed :teeth:

[rer1972]

hmmmm...I was just looking back.....we forgot VAbear!!!! I was just adding on to Ronnies report...I forgot he didn't get to meat VA friday night....hmmm. I guess I will have to go back in time......
Wow, you can teleport and go back in time. Your gonna be Kathy's newest bestest all time friend for good now.

[kaw1218]

Coughhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/omg2.gif Coughhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/omg2.gif
Did you say crazy as you or as crazy as you. :rotfl:

I keed I keed :teeth:
you may interpret that anyway you want! :sunny:

[kaw1218]

Wow, you can teleport and go back in time. Your gonna be Kathy's newest bestest all time friend for good now.
the things one learns at the home depot....they do have those learning clinics every week! :teeth:

[rer1972]

like these???

http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2781.jpg http://i55.photobucket.com/albums/g129/kaw1218/IMGP2780.jpg

It's always good to have some blackmail pictures handy!! :rotfl:
Oh Geez Kelly :scared1: !!!! I'm trying to keep this as PG rated as possible, and you go and throw those out there :sad2: . Please accept my apologies, and disregard the the photo's above. If any kids are out there reading this please cover your eyes and move on to the next post.

Thank you for your understanding and patience :thumbsup2 .

[kaw1218]

Oh Geez Kelly :scared1: !!!! I'm trying to keep this as PG rated as possible, and you go and throw those out there :sad2: . Please accept my apologies, and disregard the the photo's above. If any kids are out there reading this please cover your eyes and move on to the next post.

Thank you for your understanding and patience :thumbsup2 .
Hey! I THOUGHT those WERE the PG ones.......(sorry guys if I offended anyone...not you ronnie :teeth: )

[Va-bear]

hmmmm...I was just looking back.....we forgot VAbear!!!! I was just adding on to Ronnies report...I forgot he didn't get to meat VA friday night....hmmm. I guess I will have to go back in time......

How could you leave out meeting Va-bear? :sad:


(Great job otherwise guys!!!! :goodvibes :sunny: )

[Va-bear]

Oh Geez Kelly :scared1: !!!! I'm trying to keep this as PG rated as possible, and you go and throw those out there :


:rotfl: Yeah, PLEASE Kelly, DONT go throwing those things about!!! :rotfl:

[kaw1218]

How could you leave out meeting Va-bear? :sad:


(Great job otherwise guys!!!! :goodvibes :sunny: )
Actually it was more of I forgot Ronnie wasn't there friday night....which makes HIM forgettable!!!!

[bigsis1970]

so sad I wasn't around I would have love to hang out with other "Normal" people for a change!! Hey Ronnie - looks like Feb is a go right now.. is there a major post here someplace with names of other dis'ser heading down at that time? Michelle

[crossfamily]

AWWW loved the pics my dd took!! I guess I will have to get her that digital camera after all for christmas.. You know the one the kids can throw down the stairs and it won't break.. :rotfl2: Hope it plays music like yours!! :rotfl:

Ok for the rest of you who didn't get to make the meet I'll fill you in on the shinny penny thing....

RER and i were in buying stuff to do some :laundy: and I needed a quarter so RER being the gentleman he was gave me one so I didn't have to break another dollar... Well I got back some change and it was a couple shinny pennies.. Well anyone parent out there who has been to DW knows that you just have to have shinny pennies for the penny press machine. I was so excited. I bet RER thought I was a bit :crazy: at this point!! But hey isn't he the one who flew cross country to meet a bunch of us normal :crazy: limeys?

OK now I was at the grocery store later that night (ran out of jello and had to go get more) and I used the self check out and got a bunch of shinny pennies!! Well I'll let you use your imagination on that one!!! :rotfl2:

[rer1972]

Okay, I'm still working on the next section. I figure to have it up this week some time.

[bigsis1970]

YAHOO... Another installment soon!!!

[rer1972]

Okay, so everyone has rested up a bit. Now it’s time to head to the stores? Well, Teresa did need to get some clothes for her and M so I won’t say anything. That and I did end up buying some leather flip-flops at the Payless next to the Target; I didn’t know this place was gonna be this warm so I left mine at home, and they were like $7 :thumbsup2 . All purchases were completed, and I dumped everything in the back of the car so we could do some shopping in the grocery store (for some adult beverages). We search every isle of the grocery store, and not a lick of alcohol. I walk up to a stock boy and ask, “Where do you all keep the beer?” His answer was a flat “uh uh, no alcohol”. I walk away in utterly confused :confused3 . No beer? What unholy place is this ;) ?

Side: Turns out Ukrops is owned by a super-conservative family (let me know if I’m wrong). So, they have a no-alcohol policy. Go figure :teeth: .

Luckily Kathy is in the know on locations to acquire some adult beverages (hmmmmm, Kathy?). So, we head to the next stop. The Rancho Trailer Ct trailer park! We gonna buy some hooch? Well, no I guess I took a wrong turn :teeth: . So, we find a liquor store. Teresa and I run in to see what we can buy. Okay, I think at this point we were both more interested in some beer and wine cooler type drinks. This place was all liquor. Although, there were some test tube shots that looked enticing. Like I said I think we were just looking for something a bit milder. We’ll try another place. So, we run back to the car and head to the next place Kathy recommends (boy Kathy sure does know where all the liquor stores are in Richmond :teeth: ).

Ah, this was the place; beer as high as the eye could see. Teresa headed of to find her own concoction, and left me to ponder the great question. What beer do I choose :scratchin ? Canadian, German, Bavarian, maybe a Shiner from Texas, some Guinness (couple of those and I’ll be feeling no pain), some Corona (cheaper at home), or some cheap old Coors Lite. So I went for the cheap stuff (I don’t browse the Budget Boards because of the interesting stories ya know). Teresa trotted back with some Kailua Coolers, and we headed to the counter to pay. I pay for my beer, and wait as they check Teresa’s ID, blood type, fingerprints, etc. She happened to need some change so I handed her a quarter (I think it was a quarter). So, do I get the change back? Nooooo!!! As Teresa happily said, “Oh, that’s a shiny penny I can keep it for the penny press at Disneyland”http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/penny.gif. Ah, if it makes her happy she can keep the shiny penny. Just don’t let the kid’s forget how they got that penny that was so shiny. Now the car is loaded up, and we head back to the hotel to rest up a bit and put the drinks in the fridge.
Here's me resting while M attacks Kelly:
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h003.jpg
It’s time to meet this famous Va-bear I hear so much about. Should I take some bear biscuits or a picnic basket :guilty: ? Oh well, I’ll take my chances. I looked up Milepost 5 on the internet before we left so I could get to it without having driving around in circles and getting there was actually not bad. We passed it once, but just cause it was kind of hidden in a shopping center. The shopping center was very nice. All lit up with Christmas lights, and the parking lot was packed. We all piled out of the car, and were already wondering if the wait would be really long. No wait at all really. We were seated about a minute or two after we got in the door. I have to give Virginia props for picking the restaurant. I’m not a seafood nut or anything, but I do occasionally go for some. Now we were wondering if we should wait for Virginia to join us before we order. We were pretty hungry so we went ahead and ordered. I do believe someone talked to Virginia on the phone to see how long she would be (it was going to be a little while).

Ordering was as follows (I may need to be corrected on some of these): I ordered a coconut shrimp appetizer (very good; and there were more than 4 :teeth: ),
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h121.jpg
Kelly ordered a chicken wrap with fries(if you look closer you can see it came with something extra),
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h120.jpg
Teresa ordered king crab legs and coconut shrimp for herself
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h119.jpg
and the kids chicken nugget Frisbee (yeah Frisbee; the kids plate comes on a Frisbee you can keep pretty cool huh) for M,
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h115.jpg
Kathy ordered shrimp with rice and veggies,
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h118.jpg
and I ordered fried halibut with veggies, rice, and super crumbly cornbread.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h116.jpg

Well we discovered that Teresa doesn’t mess around when it comes to eating. I almost felt bad for that crab (until I remembered it was already dead). Crabs legs were a crack’in and a fly’in. Anyone sticking there fingers in there were likely to get them cracked or bitten off. We all did enjoy our food very much. That is except for Kelly. Seems Kelly is a bit of a picky eater. Yeah, she doesn’t like spiders in her food. Gee, aren’t they supposed to be full of protein or something? Apparently one of the 8 legged freaks snuck up onto Kellys wrap just before it was heated up. So the poor spider didn’t have a chance, and neither did Kelly for that matter. Didn’t take long for everyone to notice she was picking at something on her plate. Teresa even got some good action shots of Kelly and her spider.

Here’s Kelly noticing there is something wrong with the wrap…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h009.jpg
…here’s Kelly trying to figure out what type of spider it is…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h006.jpg
…and here’s Kelly waiting for her new spiderless wrap to arrive.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h005.jpg
Well, just as we are getting our food Va-bear/Virginia arrives. She places her order, and we all introduce and get to know each other. At this point we notice that poor M had enough and decided to crash out on the soft cushiony bench.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h112.jpg
No wonder Teresa enjoyed her crabs’ legs so much. Oh, by the way Virginia ordered a seafood pasta dish that looked really good.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h117.jpg
Now that we were all a few pounds heavier it was time to mosey on back to the hotel for some adult beverages and some chatting.

Okay, I wish I coulda posted more, but I have been really short on time lately. So please come back for the next to last installment of this trippy Part 8 Last Night In Richmond.

[bigsis1970]

EEEW EWWW EWWWWEEEWWWW a spider .. Kelly you poor thing.. I would have been jumping all around --I soo hate hate H...A...T...E... Spiders..

Good Job Ronnie keep 'em coming when you can...

[Va-bear]

Thanks Ronnie - I needed that!!!! What fun we had - well, except that whole spider-wrap thing! I wish we could do it again this weekend!!!! I can get Teresa some REALLY shiny pennies, you can wear your new fip flops, Kelly can bring her insect repellant, and Kathy can give us the grand tour of ALL the liquor store in Richmond!!!!!! (And yes, please bring a picnic basket so I can put an extra order of that pasta in it - it was HEAVENLY!!!!)

Keep up the good work :sunny: !

[TOT_Princess_412]

Good Job!...And I freak out when i see spiders if there was in my food I would have been :guilty: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared: :eek: :crazy2: :sad: :mad: :( :worried: :scared: :scared: :scared: :tilt: :sad2: :confused: :sad1: :scared1:........................................ :teeth:

[rer1972]

EEEW EWWW EWWWWEEEWWWW a spider .. Kelly you poor thing.. I would have been jumping all around --I soo hate hate H...A...T...E... Spiders.. I think Kelly handled it pretty well. She seemed more bugged (bugged :rotfl: ) at the spider being in her food than the actual spider.

Thanks Ronnie - I needed that!!!! What fun we had - well, except that whole spider-wrap thing! I wish we could do it again this weekend!!!! I can get Teresa some REALLY shiny pennies, you can wear your new fip flops, Kelly can bring her insect repellant, and Kathy can give us the grand tour of ALL the liquor store in Richmond!!!!!! (And yes, please bring a picnic basket so I can put an extra order of that pasta in it - it was HEAVENLY!!!!)Keep up the good work !Hope you feel better soon. I am starting to get the urge to go in late August just so I can catch up with everyone. Hmmm, think I better really start saving. I got more trips planned next year than you can imagine.



Good Job!...And I freak out when i see spiders if there was in my food I would have been ........................................ Tanksss Ah, we all would have been there to flick it off your plate. Then you coulda resumed eating. :rotfl2:

[Va-bear]

Hope you feel better soon. I am starting to get the urge to go in late August just so I can catch up with everyone. Hmmm, think I better really start saving.


Ooooooooooooohhhh....... go w/your urges - you only live once!!! Well, except maybe cats? We'd all have SO MUCH FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :cool1: :thumbsup2 :sunny:

:bounce:

[kaw1218]

Good Job!...And I freak out when i see spiders if there was in my food I would have been :guilty: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared1: :scared: :eek: :crazy2: :sad: :mad: :( :worried: :scared: :scared: :scared: :tilt: :sad2: :confused: :sad1: :scared1:........................................ :teeth:
The only reason I didn't totally flip out was because it was dead....I am totally freaked about spiders...and if it was alive....well, I would have been waiting in the car :teeth:

[crossfamily]

I forgot all about the bug!! :rotfl2: Hey if you have little one's then you know what it is like to actually get to eat hot food. It happens once in a blue moon!! Start saving for August its a must!! I'll bring ya some lg jello!! :rotfl2:

[pixie dust 112]

Hey! i like m's crocs!

[dwheatl]

I'm gonna have spider wrap nightmares. I would have :faint:

[eemiles03]

Great report! Lots of fun involved!!

[crossfamily]

I do believe there was more to this trip RER why are ya slacking. You should get it over with and put it to rest before the year ends!! :cutie: Right sunshine?

[TOT_Princess_412]

Tanksss Ah, we all would have been there to flick it off your plate. Then you coulda resumed eating. :rotfl2:

OO thanks... I still wouldnt have ate it anyway...lol

[rer1972]

Okay, it’s been so long since the last edition of this :scared: TR that I’m gonna have to do a bit of a recap. Ready? (Wayne's World tuttle-la-tu tuttle-la-tu tuttle-la-tu here http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/seeingtwo.gif) The Limey’s (Kathy, Kelly, Teresa, M {a/k/a Godzilla, Mini-T, or Greenie Locks}, Virginia, and Me) just finished up a nice meal at Milepost 5, we’ve already filled up the mini-fridge from the hotel with a variety of adult beverages, and we are headed back there for some drinking and chatting (and as we shall see a bit of a surprise).

So, we all get back to the 2K’s and Teresa’s room. Everyone kinda settles in and starts talking :hyper2: about the boards, how things went the day before, and other chit chat. Then we get down to the nitty gritty; the reason we were all there-the Disboards:thumbsup2 . We got out the laptops again, and chatted online, pulled out some drinks (a bottle in the case of Virginia :teeth:), and chatted away online and offline.
I think she needed a little help from Teresa to open that thing up...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h010.jpg
It was really a lot of fun, and a great way to get to know some of the folks I chat with on the Dis all the timehttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/limeygrouphug.gif. I guess the five of us kind of have our own little “club” with our own stories and inside jokes (GRAPE, SEVEN, METAL PLATES, SHINY PENNIES, AND HOUCH FROM THE TRAILER PARK :WINK: :WINK: (I ran out of the number of images I could use)). I think it was a bit before we really got going that Kelly started to get sleepy (ya know those :crazy: work hours; here she is getting sleepy...),
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h012.jpg
and decided to go sleep in my room. I’m sure the ghost of Jefferson Davis walking around the place didn’t bother her as much as it did me :scared:.

Now on to that surprise. Let me go back, waaaaaaaay back. A meteor came through the atmosphere and crashed to the earth where it killed many dinosaurs…uh, not that far. Several months before the trip when Teresa was arranging everything :badpc: we had many other Limey Peeps who were going to be at the meet. For different reasons (many out of their own control) many of the Limey Peeps couldn’t make it. Before this happened Stinkerbelle’smom (Mary) and I thought it would be a nice idea to get the organizer of the meet (Teresa), and the hostess with the mostest :teeth: (Virginia) a little something. Mary thought this would make a great gift…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h021.jpg
…and I agreed (in a manly way of course. huh tinkerbell dressed bears). So, I ordered the bears online and got donations from many of our friendly Limey Peeps (ya know who you are). A few weeks later I received them in a huge box. Um, how was I going to get these to Richmond:confused3 ?

Side Note: I must digress again. There seemed to be a running joke about the size of my luggage :sad2: for this meet on the thread. Well, if it wasn’t for the size of my luggage :rolleyes1 those fuzzy tinkerbell dressed bears would never have made it to Richmond in one piece. So there!

Back to the story. So, I bought this monster rolling suitcase for two purposes (I like multi-taskers; that’s for you Alton Brown fans out there:thumbsup2 ).
First, the thing was gonna get the tinkerbell bears to Richmond. Second, I was planning to go camping at Ft. Wildernesshttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/REOutCampFire.gif, and since I have to (well I don’t have to, but it’s the best way to get there) fly the muddaland I needed a bag big enough to hold all my camping stuff. Before the trip to Richmond I neatly place the bears and their houses/boxes in the luggage, and then threw my two sets of clothing, a pair of shoes, a jacket, and some health supplies into the bag. I’m really a light packer. Honest.:confused3

Getting to the surprise again. As everyone was chatting I snuck down to the rental car, grabbed the tinkerbell bears, and came back up to the room. Well, I must say that both Teresa and Virginia were very surprised and happy. Here are the pics…
Here's Virginia opening her box...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h018.jpg
Here's Teresa opening her box...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h016.jpg
Here's the two of them posing with their bears...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h020.jpg

I do have to say that the bears were pretty cute...I mean neat.:rolleyes:

Side Note: Since we are talking surprises I do have to mention that I did bring extra surprises for everyone else. I had made some Secret Green Club Member Cards (laminated them even), and I brought those to the meet as well. I handed those out, and gave Teresa the one for Danielle. I have also mailed them out to all the other Limey Peeps out there who requested them or were willing to give me their addresses. I didn’t leave anyone out I still have several of your cards. If you want them just pm me, or wait till we meet.

Well, after the surprise everyone went on chatting some more (did I mention that Virginia finished that bottle? :teeth:), and we didn’t get finished up until really late (if you ignore the glare off the top of my head you can actually see that the bears where actually dising with Da'Bear herself...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/h.jpg
I actually think Kelly woke up and came back to the room (that’s how late it was!!). So, we all made plans to meet up the next morning to figure out what we would be doing, said our goodnights, and see ya tomorrows, and headed for our beds.

Okay, I finally got this part out. I’m going to get the final edition out before my next trip for sure.

So, join me for the Grand Finally Part 9 Huh, there’s a Haunted Mansion in Richmond too or I don’t care if you’re Owen Wilson’s long lost brother I need to get on that plane!!!!

[bigsis1970]

Awesome Rer!!! And CUTE Bears !!!! You a good guy!! Hum maybe I will get one of the Secret Green Club Member Cards in a few weeks??

[crossfamily]

I just sent Danielle's out since I couldn't make the meet with her.. So Danielle it is in the mail.. The membership cards rock... Now we need membership cards to the fmc club....
President: Michelle
vp: tbd
secretary: danielle
treasurer: RER

Ronnie you can work on this between now and August for out big meet then.. good job. Not much to add.. Just wanted to Thank everyone again for the Bear. It is so sweet... You guys are the best. Can't wait till August!!

[Va-bear]

Grrrreat job Rer!!!!! What a fun time we had - wish we could do it more often! Hey...August isnt THAT far away! (And for those wondering I did not finish that bottle alone ...KAt helped me some!! I might still be working on it if she hadnt helped.....I am tea tottler, really.......:angel: )

My Tinker Bear was so sweet too- I will alwys :love: and :cloud9: her!

[dwheatl]

A card for me? I can hardly wait!:jumping2:

[bigsis1970]

Hum Geez the Prez thread is following me over here.. Hey this is supposed to all about RER , the 2 K's, T and V isn't it...

[anut4disney]

As someone who was born and raised in Richmond this TR has been so fun to read. I lived in Richmond until I was 26 and married and moved to the then sticks of Mechanicsville, VA where I lived until it became a bustling little area and moved out even further to the sticks of King William County (just got a grocery store about 5 years ago, yes it is the sticks). Even though I haven't lived in Richmond for 28 years I think I could still walk anywhere in the city and not get lost, put me in a car though and I would get lost (yes I walked or rode the bus everywhere). :lmao: With all the one way streets and cars you did a great job if you weren't still looking for your hotel 2 days later.

What hotel did you stay at and what was the name of the restaraunt?



Side: Turns out Ukrops is owned by a super-conservative family (let me know if I’m wrong). So, they have a no-alcohol policy. Go figure :teeth:

I forget that Ukrops doesn't have alcohol, don't drink, but they have the best meat department and produce around and they still bag and take your bags to your car, also only store I know that has more then 2 cashiers open. I guess they do that so you forget they don't have the alcohol. :lmao:

Thanks for the TR and bringing back some memories.

[blue_river]

A spider in her wrap???? That's NASTY :eek:

Just found this trippie and I'm subscribing :thumbsup2

[rer1972]

Awesome Rer!!! And CUTE Bears !!!! You a good guy!! Hum maybe I will get one of the Secret Green Club Member Cards in a few weeks??
Thank you. You will get yours very soon. (that didn't sound right:rolleyes:)
I just sent Danielle's out since I couldn't make the meet with her.. So Danielle it is in the mail.. The membership cards rock... Now we need membership cards to the fmc club....
President: Michelle
vp: tbd
secretary: danielle
treasurer: RER

Ronnie you can work on this between now and August for out big meet then.. good job. Not much to add.. Just wanted to Thank everyone again for the Bear. It is so sweet... You guys are the best. Can't wait till August!!
Great! I'll work on FMC cards if the Prez says so.:rolleyes1 Oh, just blurt it out we know Mary should be VP.:teeth: Oh, and you're welcome.
Grrrreat job Rer!!!!! What a fun time we had - wish we could do it more often! Hey...August isnt THAT far away! (And for those wondering I did not finish that bottle alone ...KAt helped me some!! I might still be working on it if she hadnt helped.....I am tea tottler, really.......:angel: )

My Tinker Bear was so sweet too- I will alwys :love: and :cloud9: her!
It was lots of fun thanks to you guys, and the other disers too. Suuuure, I think you need to be on the FMC board more than me (how did I get put into that position;oh yeah):rolleyes1
A card for me? I can hardly wait!:jumping2:
I think you got it already (took me a while to write this).:thumbsup2
Hum Geez the Prez thread is following me over here.. Hey this is supposed to all about RER , the 2 K's, T and V isn't it...
You have to accept the good and the bad that comes with the office ya know.:confused3
As someone who was born and raised in Richmond this TR has been so fun to read. I lived in Richmond until I was 26 and married and moved to the then sticks of Mechanicsville, VA where I lived until it became a bustling little area and moved out even further to the sticks of King William County (just got a grocery store about 5 years ago, yes it is the sticks). Even though I haven't lived in Richmond for 28 years I think I could still walk anywhere in the city and not get lost, put me in a car though and I would get lost (yes I walked or rode the bus everywhere). :lmao: With all the one way streets and cars you did a great job if you weren't still looking for your hotel 2 days later.

What hotel did you stay at and what was the name of the restaraunt?



I forget that Ukrops doesn't have alcohol, don't drink, but they have the best meat department and produce around and they still bag and take your bags to your car, also only store I know that has more then 2 cashiers open. I guess they do that so you forget they don't have the alcohol. :lmao:

Thanks for the TR and bringing back some memories.
Okay, I can't remember the name of the hotel, but I'm sure it had to be 100 years old so it was there when you were (26 years not 100; i'm not trying to insinuate anything). Glad you like it. Hopefully if we do it again you can visit as well.
A spider in her wrap???? That's NASTY :eek:

Just found this trippie and I'm subscribing :thumbsup2

The spider was kinda bad, small, but bad. I've been told they taste like chicken...or was that turkey. No, maybe hard boiled eggs...with the shells still on.:teeth:

[rer1972]

Side Note: This part of the TR is gonna need a bit of audience participation. Seeing as I wasn’t around for whatever it was that Teresa, M, Kathy, and Virgina (I almost typed Hugh) were doing while I was exploring Richmond. So, I am expecting some input from my fellow meeters. Now to the TR.

I have to say that I’m a big History buff (watch too much Discovery and History channel), and I was looking forward to coming to Richmond so I could visit some of the historical sites. My time was really short (had to catch a plane later that afternoon or get stuck in Richmond one more day) so I had to choose carefully. So, what did I pick? The Edgar Allen Poe Museum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe_Museum_(Richmond)), and the Hollywood Cemetary (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe_Museum_(Richmond))(can you believe they both have their own Wikipedia page?). I know you’re thinking “A Cemetary!!! :scared1: What a nutso!!!”. Well, maybe I am nutso, but this was no ordinary cemetery as you will soon find out. The other part of choosing both places was that I knew exactly how to get to them and not get lost.

So, that morning I get up (without anyone's prompting I should add:rolleyes: )for my complimentry coffee and bagel with cream cheese on one side and peanut butter on the other. Luckily, Kathy came down as well. We chatted about what my plans were and what their plans were. We decided we could all meet up for lunch together before we all leave (Couldn’t have planned it better). I finished up breakfast, said catch ya later to Kathy and headed off down the road. Here is a nice view of the road…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06019.jpg

First stop, the Hollywood Cemetary. The neat thing about the day was it was really dreary and cool. Perfect cemetery weather. I pulled up next to what coulda been a great Haunted Mansion…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/Old-Entrance-to-Hollywood-Cemetery-.jpg

I also checked out the marble/granite map (pretty neat) to what section to drive through…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06002.jpg

This was honestly one of the nicest cemeteries I have ever been too. Lot’s of beautiful scenery, rolling hills, and a view of the James River…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06008.jpg
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06011.jpg...if this spot couldn't enduce a scary story or movie what else could.

Here are some pictures of the burial sites of two U.S. Presidents, and the only President of the Confederacy.

5th President of the United States James Monroe (his wives and daughers are next to him)
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06013.jpg
10th President of the United States John Tyler (also with family nearby)
President of the Confederate States of America Jefferson Davis(one of the figures near him is where his wife is buried; his little boy Joe Davis was buried there as well-he fell from the Confederate White House balcony)
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06015.jpg

Side Note: The cemetery has nothing to do with Hollywood, CA. It is named for the Holly trees all around it.

I pretty much stayed in the car through most of the cemetery since it was raining kinda hard and windy. If a good spot would come up I would get out and look around to take pictures. I really do recommend making a visit to the Hollywood Cemetary. In fact Virginia told me that it’s a good place for a picnic (without the rain and wind I’m sure). Just beware of the black clad teenagers that roam the place with their “I’m a Vampire” shirts (so I’m told). Here are a few more interesting pictures…

Here is the story of the iron dog in this picture. "The cast-iron dog at the grave of Florence Rees is a favorite with visitors, who leave tokens -- a dandelion, a few coins, a ball, a ribbon fashioned into a collar. The story goes that the dog once stood outside an area business and caught the eye of Florence's brother. Their father bought the dog and later moved it to the cemetery when the war broke out to save it from being melted down and made into bullets."-Susan Harb, Washington Post.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06018.jpg
This is a Civil War Memorial...
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/11-13-06016.jpg

Well, after I got rained on enough I decided it was time to head to the Edgar Allen Poe Museum.


Next stop, the Edgar Allen Poe Museum.
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/poemuseum.jpg
So, I get to the museum and park. Now don’t think this is some museum like The Louvre, The Guggenheim, or the Smithsonian. Nope it was an old little stone hose attached to some other stone buildings. I walk in from the rain, and there’s an old guy and a little girl behind the counter. I smile at them hoping for a hello or good morning, but I get…nothing.:confused3 Um, maybe they are part of the exhibits? The little girl finally blinks so I decide to speak up, “So, what’s the price for the museum?”. The girl tells me it’s six dollars (ah, I’m already here so I’ll pay it), and I pay the little girl (she must have been around 11 and she could really work that register). Apparently, the two have done this so many times that their parts are perfectly choreographed (or they’re really good animatronics), because as soon as the little girl gave me my change back the guy started up. He explained that a tour group had just started and I could join them. He did that walk this way towards one of the doors, and I entered. I joined a small group with one little chubby lady doing all the talking (I guessed she was the tour guide). She showed us a bunch of Poe’s furniture, told us this wasn’t his house (wha….?:confused: ), that the house belonged to a friend of his and he stayed here often. We moved on to a room with a large diorama of Richmond. The guide explained the history of Richmond and what part Poe had in it. Then we moved on to another building. This one was the best part of the tour. It had binders with his writing in them. I have to say he had some tiny handwriting. It was really pretty neat, and the guide told us about the problems he had with women and writing. It was about this time my phone rang :scared1: (um yeah, I probably shoulda put it on vibrate being I was going into a museum and all), and I got the funny looks :mad: from everyone else. I just smiled :) back at them and stepped out into the rain. The reception was really bad, but I did understand that it was Teresa and that they wanted to make plans for lunch. I tried my best to explain that I couldn’t hear too well, but that I can get back around where they were in about 30 minutes. I couldn’t hear much else so I hung up (sorry Teresa if I hung up on you, but I didn’t know what you were saying at that point), and just figured I’d head off and call back as soon as I could. So, I :tiptoe: out of there and headed of for lunch with the limeys. (Continued on Page 2):teeth:

[bigsis1970]

Yay ... The cemetery looks really NEAT.....

[rer1972]

e flight!!!

Side Note: I need to mention at this point that Kelly has already left. She needed to get up early (I think when we were going to sleep) so she could drive home for work that night. So, that would explain her being absent from this days events.

I am now headed back to where the hotel was, and decided to call back Teresa. I think she was on the phone so I left a message, and called Kathy. Kathy said we were going to meet for lunch and Arby’s. :yay: Great!!!

Side Note: I know whatever restaurant I put up here someone will say they don’t like it, but I am going to talk about Arby’s anyways. Every Arby’s in my location closed down just over a year ago, and I have to say that I do enjoy a good roast beef sandwich (they are not burgers!) every so often. So, getting a chance to eat a good Arby’s roast beef sandwich was a great way to end the meet.

I drive over to the Deluxe 5 Star Arby’s (it looked like a Applebees or Chilis from the outside), hand my keys to the valet :snooty: (I keed), and step inside. Very nice. I see everyone seated in the V.I.P. party: section and ask if I’m allowed in. (I keed again). So, I place my order, and the girl hands me one of those light up buzzing things that tells you when your food is ready. Hmmmmm, high class for sure.

I head back to the V.I.P. area to await the light show and buzzing. I tell everyone about my visit to Poe’s friend’s place, and the Cemetery. They tell me about their adventures in shopping, and how the Ski Shop place sucked cause they ignored :mad: Teresa (boy did they miss out on a good customer:sad2: ). At that point my personal light show and buzzer goes off:dancer: . I pick up my sandwich and eat and continue to talk about upcoming trips (like tomorrow for me:yay: ), maybe everyone meeting up in August, and free dining (pleazzzzzzzzzzzze I hope they have free dining in August). At this point I think M had finished up her food, and decided to start trying out for the U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Squad down the stairs (those classes are paying off Teresa:thumbsup2 ). Very soon we are all finished up, and it’s time to break up this party. We all give out hugs and best wishes http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/limeygrouphug.gifto each traveler, and I head off again to my aviation adventures.

Side Note: I am going to skip the driving to the airport part, and the turning the rental car in part of this trip as it really doesn’t add much to this TR. That and it was pretty dullhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleepyzzzz.gif.

Side Note: Please remember that I am flying standby all the way home as you read this next section. It will help you understand my grief more.

So, I finally get to the airport terminal with my hugea$$ bag. I have about 45 minutes before the flight I need to take starts boarding. That’s pretty good, and gives me plenty of time to check-in and all. So, I go up to the self check-in kiosk and scan my license. Um, it says I have no ticket. That is not good:scared1: . At first I figure maybe I’m doing something wrong. So, I go to the counter and ask if they could check my flight. Just so everyone knows who I’m talking about here is a picture of Owen Wilson…
http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/Virginia%20Meet/wilson.jpg

Now just imagine him with a buzz cut. Same crooked nose, same color hair, and the same freak’in slow interrupted talking!!!:scared: He explains that I’m flying standby (really?????), and that I am going to need to rebook the flight. This all took him 10 minutes to tell me. WTH? It only took him about a minute to look up that I wasn’t on any flights. Now I’m starting to sweat :scared: cause I’ve got 35 minutes to board. So I call my cousin (works for the airline and I fly free thanks to him) to see why. 15 minutes later he has my ticket setup on the system again. Cool, I’ve got my ticket and now I have to check my bag. I get back into line to get it checked, and guess who is taking his sweet time explaining weather and flight patterns to the guy in line ahead me? Yup, Slo-poke Wilson himself:scared1: !!!!

Side Note: Flying standby required lots and lots of patience and tact. I can’t just blow up at the folks at the counter or the stewardess. They are the ones I am relying on to get me on the flights. So, I got to be super extra with whipped cream and cherries sweet with these folks, and I am:teeth:.

It’s 10 minutes later and Slo is still talking. A skycap comes walking up, and I graciously :angel: ask him if there is anyway he could check my bag. I have my ticket, and all I need is to get my bag tagged and on the treadmill. He smiles, grabs the bag, tags it (the tag was printed and sitting there the whole 10 minutes:sad2: ), and throws it on the treadmill. I thank him a million times:hug: http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/prayingsmiley.gif, and run to security. Seeing as I don’t have anything else with me I make it through pretty quick.

Now comes the next hurdle. The gate. I get there, and they are already boarding. I ask the girl if there are any empty seats, and she says no. Okay, maybe someone won’t show up? So I sit and wait. Everyone boards and I’m just looking at the gate attendant as sad :sad1: as I can. She says there are two passengers who have not shown up yet. She calls them over the intercomhttp://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/coach.gif. 5 minutes later she calls again. 5 minutes after that she looks at me and says this is it buddy. If they don’t show up on this one you’re in luck. Well, nobody showed up, and I made the flight:yay: .

I knocked out http://i87.photobucket.com/albums/k127/rer1972/smileys/sleepyzzzz.gifas soon as the stewardess started talking, and woke up about 30 minutes before landing in Houston. Here we go again. This time wasn’t so crazy. I did get the last seat, but there weren’t any other passengers coming to worry about. I finally made it back to my house at around 11 at night:faint:.

I will now take this time to thank all of my limey peeps who were on this trip, and those who couldn’t make it. One day we’re going to have to have a Limey Convention. I do hope I get to see everyone again, and hope to meet you other Limeys out there.

[bigsis1970]

Great ending (well the writing part not the airport part) to what sounds like was A WONDERFUL TRIP.. Thanks so much for sharing .. Make sure to take good notes on your next trip so you can write one just as entertaining! :)

[crossfamily]

Well as everyone knows I was there with my dd2 Emily and we call her "M". Well she fell asleep at dinner last night and didn't wake up till early this morning... Ok so we were up early. Well since Kathy and I were sharing a room she doesn't get to sleep in much so "M" and I head down for breakfast. Ok well since there are 2 buildings in the hotel we were in the opposite building than the food... Well it was cold, rainy, and very windy... We run across to the other building and then catch the elevator up to the main floor or maybe it was down :confused3 I can't remember. Its been way too long..
We eat breakfast and head back to wake up Kathy. Kathy gets ready and heads over to grab a quick bite to eat and I pack up.. I call Virginia and we set up a time to meet at the mall. I would have loved to have gone to the cemetery with RER but if you can all remember my little :angel: doesn't like to drive in :car: So what else does a gal do when its cold and rainy out :confused3 we shop!!!

Kathy and I pack up and head out to the mall. I call VA (Thats what I call Virginia) and tell her to meet me at Old Navy... Oh how do I :love: that store.. I end up getting some great deals on some stuff and as I am shopping I see VA... Yeah she made it!!!! VA shops and then we head out and check out the mall. Well my little :angel: has no patience so I walk around and try and find her something to do. Va and Kat (Kathy) check out a few stores and then we find a coffee shop and I get a real cup of coffee.. :woohoo: We then find a play area for "M" to run off some energy.. Va said she wishes she would have brought her ds3 (at the time) with her so he could have played with "M".. Oh well for sure next time. Ok now I am getting hungry and so are the rest of the clan. I try calling RER and you know how that went and we head off to Arbys.

But first I want to stop by a ski shop I see the night before to get my ds9 a snowboarding outfit (yes the whole package) and my dh some ski stuff. I walk in and no one greets me... I walk around and walk around and walk around. Ok now I know I look young but come on give me a break.... Well when people walk in after me and get helped right away I get :mad: and walk out. Man did they miss out on a sale... :confused3 Their loss..

Ok I head to Arbys.. Like RER said it was very fancy. I think to myself oh man my dd is gonna :stir: up some trouble in here. Man I hope we don't get kicked out... Note to self: Just pass her off on RER!! :teeth: OK we will be fine.. We order and get out little coaster light up buzzy thing and wait. Well since my dd is potty trained she has to use every bathroom we come across... We get in the bathroom and of course our buzzer goes off. We finish up and get our food and get a table with everyone else... RER finally shows up just as we sit down.. I go and get our Arby sauce.. Side note:The Arby sauce in Michigan is hot and spicy well the Arby sauce in Virginia is sweet. YUCK!!! It ruined my sandwich... Oh well ate it anyways... As RER said my daughter broke in for the Olympics ( I was so glad the place was practically empty) and after while we all say our good byes and head out.

Well since I followed Kathy home from the airport I was so lost. I made Kat stay with me till I had to leave for the airport. Well we had some time to kill. Where else is a person to go when killing time????:confused3 WALMART.... Plus it was a super walmart. We don't have a super walmart anywhere near us so this gets me :) ... I wanted to get M a pair of jammies so she could sleep on the plane home... We find some warm Strawberry Shortcake Jammies and shop around with Kat... Ok its time to head to the airport. Kat and I say our good byes :sad1: and I follow her till my airport exit... I wave good bye and get off on my exit and head to the gas station.... We get gas and head to the airport.

Well if you have ever flown into Richmond you know how small the airport is.. The only bad part you have to go to a different building and drop off your car. Well I pull up and have an awsome attendant help me out.. M had fallen asleep and I still had to get all our stuff together. The attendant told me to take my time so I did and got all our stuff together and as my arms are very loaded I get a sleeping M up in my arms and try to juggle a duffle bag; a suit case; a carry on and a car seat and head off to the long walk to the baggage check in.... Ok I did not fly Continental but I swear I must of had the same guy at the counter that RER had... I stood there and stood there. Well since I didn't fly first class I had to wait in the regular line.... After a half hour I finally get some help... Now mind you the line wasn't long at all but I have that luck to go into anyplace and get that person in front of me. There was one person working the regular line (yep I swear the same guy as RER) and 2 people working first class. Ok since there was no one in line at first class you would think they would help out a regular person but NO I had to wait. No keep in mind M was still asleep and I had all my luggage that I was trying to keep track of... Well finally it was my turn. I try to push up my stuff and juggle everything and you would thing all the people standing behind me someone would have helped me..... Well a guy at the end of the line pushes forward and says out loud (and I mean pretty loud) here let me help you maam I can see you are struggling... I was so grateful... I could not thank him enough.. I check in and head to security.. Well they would not let me carry M through she had to walk....:mad: OK I wake her up (Thank You Mr. Security Dude) and she walks through and get really powered up!!! :teeth: we get our carry on and head to get something to snack on.... We get to our gate and find out most of the flights are already canceled due to high winds.... UGH Please not ours PLEASE!!!
After an hour delay we board and head home from our weekend away..

I want to say I was so glad I got to go and meet some of my really good Limey friends.. I had met Kat at DW this past August so it was so good to see her again... You chat with someone online and you have a picture in your head of what they look like and its so funny to see how off you are when you finally do get to meet them in person... I am so grateful to have met all my new friends... I will never forget this trip and I so hope we can all get together again this upcoming August...

Thanks guys for a unforgettable weekend...:grouphug:

[Va-bear]

.....you know I've been sitting back enjoying Rers trip report SO MUCH that never felt I should add anything...it's so good w/out my big mouth....but, since he asked I can add a few words. Lets see, first I think I should say how exciting this was for me!! I never expected, in a million years, to meet my friends from the DIS!!! When I mentioned Richmond as a great meet spot, I meant it, but figured everyone would think their hometown would be a great spot!! :) And, always the sceptic, I thought if people were interested that it never REALLY would work out....but it did!!

Meeting Kathy, Teresa, Kelly, and Ronnie was definately the bright spot in a pretty ho-hum fall. THough, they managed to pick about the yuckiest weekend we've had all summer/fall/winter! I had researched dinner places some - both on the internet and asking around. I trusted some of my best bear advisors who said 'Milepost 5' was the place to take these humans... good advice:thumbsup2 . As you can see from the pics the food was BEE-utiful and yummy..ofcourse, bears dont mind a few small spiders mixed up in their food - poor human Kelly....:sad2: (I was a few minutes late to dinner - it was my Uncle BARRINGTON's 75th birthday!!!!!)

As Teresa said, it was funny to finally see faces to go with the screen names....so THAT'S what a KAW looks like in person !!;) I think I was speechless for one whole minute, while I took in the new people. (I had met Kelly and Kathy for a short while the night before... ever run out of your house to meet total strangers in a dark parking lot at 10pm before?? Fortunately, DH is used to my odd sense of what to do in this weird world...)
Soo, we were all chatting like we do on the boards...making our inside jokes and learning that we are pretty much the same in person as we are on the boards... My story merges w/ Ronnies here. We ate, went back to the rooms, got our sweet sweet bears :cloud9: (THANK YOU!!!), and chatted online w/ our eager DIS friends who were waiting up on a Sat night to hear from us. We even chatted more after I went back to the den.

Sunday was shopping fun and lunch at the "Fancy Arby's" (as all the bears I know call it...when we go to a regular Arby's it's the "Normal Arby's." Just like Teresa when I dashed in the bathroom my fancy "your foods ready" thingie went off - SOOO....for your future reference, if you've waited a long time for your food at a Fancy Arby's try a quick trip to the restroom!:lmao:

Hugging all my human friends goodbye was sad - I just hugged and ran. Man, right when you feel like you're getting to feel comfortable w/people they have to leave!:headache: I wish everyone could have stayed for a week!! (And brought along everyone else from the green thread!! Heck, everyone from the DIS boards!!) I had a blast and cant wait to see you all again - and hopefully, meet a lot more of my human friends!!! Beehave and have fun!

[rer1972]

I loved all of your additions!!! You had me :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Like I said I really do hope to see you all again sometime soon.

Now if we can just get the rest of the limeys to go.:thumbsup2

[Va-bear]

I loved all of your additions!!! You had me :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Like I said I really do hope to see you all again sometime soon.

Now if we can just get the rest of the limeys to go.:thumbsup2

:thumbsup2 (you had me :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: too!!)

[kaw1218]

Let me first say....Ronnie, you are a great story teller! It was fun reading about our time in Richmond! Hopefully we can do it again!
(like NYC??????:teeth: )

Teresa and VA,
I love your additions!!! It was a good time, I was so glad I was able to arrange my weekend so I could surprise ya'll!!! :grouphug:




e flight!!!

Side Note: I need to mention at this point that Kelly has already left. She needed to get up early (I think when we were going to sleep) so she could drive home for work that night. So, that would explain her being absent from this days events.

.


I had to leave by 1am so I could drive the 4 hours home(which turned into 5 and a half, I sat on 95 for an extra hour because of an accident:sad2: ) to be there for my DD's 8th birthday party(on 2 hours sleep:rolleyes: ).

Let me take a moment to say thank you to my cousin April who helped me with 8 screaming, hyper girls:rolleyes:

[crossfamily]

Thanks April!!! :teeth:

[stinkerbelle's mom]

Great TRs ya'll!:thumbsup2 So sorry I couldn't make it, but I did love talking to ya'll on the phone. I am trying like mad to be at the mutherland in August so I am looking forward to meeting quite a few of you there. :grouphug: to all.

Hey Ronnie, I didn't get a card. :sad1: