2011/2012 Reunion Cruise?

[TheTXTaylors5]

Okay, I guess this is going to be a game of hide-and-seek. See how long we can go without seeing pink! :scared:

Back to reliving the Magic . . .

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

I'm here. It is a cold rainy, windy day here in Chicago. Oh to be on the Magic right now. A reunion cruise sounds good. We are cruising December 4, 2010. Our friends are cruising with us again. (Providing we all are able to keep our jobs to pay for cruising.)

[TheTXTaylors5]

:cool1: I can't believe this time next week, we'll be on the road to Disneyland. :cool1:

7 days until the Taylors hit the road to where it all started! :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[plutojudy]

You will love how easy it is to park hop at Disneyland. We were there in November and it was so easy to see everything.

[TheTXTaylors5]

Another Disney-related Sweepstakes ...

Celebrate Your Dream Sweepstakes (https://disneyshopping.go.com/disney/store/DSISweepStakesLandingFormDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10054&catalogId=10001&storeFrontId=10054&sweepStakesType=Celebrate)- sponsored by The Disney Store (March 2, 2009 - March 29, 2009)
Official Rules (http://aimg.dsi.go.com/content/misc/sweeps/Celebrate/rules.html)

FYI - Only one entry per person/email address.

Good luck DISers! :wizard:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[brack]

Okay, I guess this is going to be a game of hide-and-seek. See how long we can go without seeing pink! :scared:

Back to reliving the Magic . . .

:goodvibes Jennifer

Did I miss something? :confused3 What happened to the original thread?

[RBennett]

:cool1: I can't believe this time next week, we'll be on the road to Disneyland. :cool1:

7 days until the Taylors hit the road to where it all started! :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard: :wizard:

:surfweb: Jennifer

I am SOOO jealous!!! Tina and I have talked about going to Disneyland so that we can actually know that Walt was there. :sad1: My whole thing is we would have to fly out there and I don't know what else we would do to make a vacation of it. I don't know if I would need to spend a whole week just at Disneyland, and I don't know what else there is to see there. You'll HAVE to show us pictures when you get back!! :thumbsup2 As far as a reunion cruise, Tina and I are DETERMINED to get on the inaugural cruise of the new ship! Any takers??

[brack]

I am SOOO jealous!!! Tina and I have talked about going to Disneyland so that we can actually know that Walt was there. :sad1: My whole thing is we would have to fly out there and I don't know what else we would do to make a vacation of it. I don't know if I would need to spend a whole week just at Disneyland, and I don't know what else there is to see there. You'll HAVE to show us pictures when you get back!! :thumbsup2 As far as a reunion cruise, Tina and I are DETERMINED to get on the inaugural cruise of the new ship! Any takers??

I spent a week at Disneyland. You can make a vacation of it.

We too plan to be on one of the new ships for the first cruise somehow. :thumbsup2

[BethC1952]

OK, I'm here too!

We'd love to do an inaugural cruise, but can't make any decisions on that just yet. If circumstances allow, we'll be there!

In the meantime, I'm busy planning my 4-night cruise this May and starting to plan that December cruise. We'll be making the final decision on that one sometime between now and mid-May. It depends on a bunch of things, but right now it looks like we'll be doing it!

Beth

[RBennett]

Heck! Tina and I are planning vacations for the next 4 years!! :lmao: I know, we're hopeless! We are doing an Alaskan cruise in May with my parents, my brother, his wife, and daughter, and my grandfather. Then in December we're doing the western DCL. Next year we're looking into a week at Disneyland, and paying off some bills. Then, in 2011 the inaugural cruise with Disney's new ship(s) (speaking of, does anyone know the names?) and then in 2012 we're looking at doing 10 days in Europe through Virgin vacations! Whew!!!

So does anyone have any recommendations for hotel choices at Disneyland? Tina is looking into it as we speak (or type) and is looking off-property. She said that it's cheaper that way and there are so many close hotels, that there's not a huge advantage to staying on-property, unlike at WDW. :confused3

[plutojudy]

We stayed at The Candy Cane Inn in November. (The room was a little small and not much storage but we manged.) They have free shuttle to Disneyland. Free breakfast at the pool. It was the first time us Chicago people ate breakfast outdoors in November!:thumbsup2 They also had some indoor seating. Everyone there was very nice and they offer a AAA discount. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel once and know it is very expensive for the time we spent in the room, which was only to shower and sleep. Hope this helps. Ten year ago we stayed at the Castle Inn, it was okay at that time. Not sure about now.

[TheTXTaylors5]

Heck! Tina and I are planning vacations for the next 4 years!! :lmao:


Y'all sound like us! :rotfl:


So does anyone have any recommendations for hotel choices at Disneyland?

:wizard: We're staying at the Disneyland Hotel next week. I'll let you know how it is. Wendy stayed there recently and seemed to like it. I have been on the Disneyland threads a lot lately. They seem to favor the Howard Johnson's (http://www.hojoanaheim.com/)on South Harbor Blvd. I have also seen the Candy Cane Inn (http://www.candycaneinn.net/)mentioned with positive reviews. We may drive by HoJo's. Once we know the lay of the land, we may stay off-property next time.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Wendy,

:worship: You are the "Cruise Guru". Do you have any experience with NCL? We're thinking of cruising with them next fall. We'd appreciate any comments/reviews. :goodvibes

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Is it me or is something missing from the other thread? Is it safe to come out from our hiding place? ;)

:confused: Jennifer

PS - Thank you Moderator. :rolleyes1

[RBennett]

Is it me or is something missing from the other thread? Is it safe to come out from our hiding place? ;)

:confused: Jennifer

PS - Thank you Moderator. :rolleyes1

What do you mean? I haven't seen ANY activity since last Friday morning when Wendy posted about MNSSHP. Did a mod jump in there and say something to her? :confused3

[BethC1952]

Heck! Tina and I are planning vacations for the next 4 years!! :lmao:

I'd love to be able to plan that far ahead, but we just can't because of work schedules. I'm the only one who's guaranteed a regular schedule with regular vacation time approved when I want it. And I get an awful lot of it (not that I'm complaining, of course;)). But, because I get so much of it, I don't mind traveling without Jim sometimes, because I always have time to travel with him, too. In fact, if he can't make the December cruise, my friend Leslie is more than happy to go along instead.

We were originally planning to make the December trip a family vacation, but DS informed us over the weekend that he and DDIL are going to Las Vegas in November for their 10th anniversary, and they won't be joining us in December. They were married in Vegas, but DDIL wasn't quite old enough to enjoy all of the entertainment out there, so they want another chance to enjoy it all. So, that means that we'll have more money for our own trip. I may even consider bringing the older DGD along. I wouldn't attempt to bring the babies without their parents! So, as long as I get back home in time for Christmas, I think the December cruise will be a "go".

Beth

[RBennett]

I'd love to be able to plan that far ahead, but we just can't because of work schedules. I'm the only one who's guaranteed a regular schedule with regular vacation time approved when I want it. And I get an awful lot of it (not that I'm complaining, of course;)). But, because I get so much of it, I don't mind traveling without Jim sometimes, because I always have time to travel with him, too. In fact, if he can't make the December cruise, my friend Leslie is more than happy to go along instead.

We were originally planning to make the December trip a family vacation, but DS informed us over the weekend that he and DDIL are going to Las Vegas in November for their 10th anniversary, and they won't be joining us in December. They were married in Vegas, but DDIL wasn't quite old enough to enjoy all of the entertainment out there, so they want another chance to enjoy it all. So, that means that we'll have more money for our own trip. I may even consider bringing the older DGD along. I wouldn't attempt to bring the babies without their parents! So, as long as I get back home in time for Christmas, I think the December cruise will be a "go".

Beth


Whoo hoo!! The more the merrier! I know Tina will be excited to get on here and see what all's going on after Easter. This whole thing of giving up the DIS for lent has been TOUGH. But, I guess it doesn't help when your husband is sitting 3ft. away from you with the laptop looking at it. :rolleyes1

[plutojudy]

It's been a tough week for us already. My best friend's husband is dying and our son lost his corporate position with the "on every corner drugstore" chain. It's a horrible time to job hunt. So please keep my friend and our son in your thoughts and prayers.

[RBennett]

It's been a tough week for us already. My best friend's husband is dying and our son lost his corporate position with the "on every corner drugstore" chain. It's a horrible time to job hunt. So please keep my friend and our son in your thoughts and prayers.

Oh, Judy... I am SO sorry for both of them! I can't even assume that I know what you all are going through, but I will certainly say a prayer for everyone. Who knows; hopefully your son might be able to find an even better job and this will be a blessing. :grouphug:

[plutojudy]

Thanks, I told my son that maybe they did him a favor and he will find something much better.
One good thing happened this weekend, we saw two robins on the way to church Sunday, so that means Spring is on its way to Chicago. This winter was one of the worst I remember. Very, very cold and a lot of snow. We are ready for warmer temps and some sunshine.

[BethC1952]

Judy:

I'll keep your son and your friend and her husband in my thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations on seeing the robins--I know you've had a tough winter out there. We saw robins on our lawn right after the snow melted last week, so I guess we'll have spring soon too!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

FYI - Official D23 membership and merchandise is now for sale on Disneyshopping.com (http://disneyshopping.go.com/disney/store/CategoryDisplay?Nu=p_productID&Nty=1&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Nr=AND%28OR%28pStoreID%3A10051%2CpStoreID%3A10601% 2CpStoreID%3A10052%29%2CpPublished%3A1%29&langId=-1&Ntt=14479&categoryId=14479&catalogFromSearch=10002&N=0&Ntk=p_categoryID&lid=search_submit&Searchstr=D23&selectedOption=All+of+Disney+Shopping&D=D23&Dx=mode+matchallpartial&Dr=AND%28OR%28pStoreID%3A10051%2CpStoreID%3A10601% 2CpStoreID%3A10052%29%2CpPublished%3A1%29&catalogId=10002&Dn=0&storeId=10051)

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

Judy:

I'll keep your son and your friend and her husband in my thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations on seeing the robins--I know you've had a tough winter out there. We saw robins on our lawn right after the snow melted last week, so I guess we'll have spring soon too!

Beth

Thanks, Beth. When are we going to see some more baby pictures?

[TheTXTaylors5]

Judy,

I'm sorry to hear about your friend's husband. I am sure she will need you more than ever these next few months. She is in our prayers. :flower3:

:sad2: Sorry about your son's job. No job is safe right now. Big companies and little companies alike are cutting back. I wish him the best on his job search.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

What do you mean? I haven't seen ANY activity since last Friday morning when Wendy posted about MNSSHP. Did a mod jump in there and say something to her? :confused3

It looks like their posts have been deleted by a Moderator or my eyesight is going. :upsidedow

This whole thing of giving up the DIS for lent has been TOUGH. But, I guess it doesn't help when your husband is sitting 3ft. away from you with the laptop looking at it. :rolleyes1


Poor Tina. That is such a tease. At least you are keeping her informed. ;)

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:woohoo: The first ship is underway (or at least the metal is being cut). However, Disney is NOT allowing the ship's progress to be shown on their webcams. Bummer. At least those venturing to Europe next summer on DCL might get a chance to see the ship's progress. I heard rumors, they would offer a tour for those onboard.

The official names were announced today at the shareholders meeting ...

Disney Dream (2011) and Disney Fantasy (2012)

Both new ships will sail out of Port Canaveral at least through 2014.

:surfweb: Jennifer

FYI - Info obtained from the Orlando Sentinel (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/destinations/cruises/orl-bk-disney-cruise-names-031009,0,762379.story).

[plutojudy]

Thanks for the thoughts and prayers.
Dream and Fantasy, not surprised. I like those names. We have cruised on the Wonder and the Magic, now we just have to wait for Dream and Fantasy.

[BethC1952]

Thanks, Beth. When are we going to see some more baby pictures?
Well, I had planned to post baby pictures this weekend, and have them all set up to post.

THEN it seemed like suddenly my house went nuts. It's almost like it has a soul, and it's providing things that we've been wanting/looking for! Maybe apologizing for the fire?

Jim and I said late last week that we were going shopping for a new bed this week. Ours is 18 years old, and it's showing its age. This weekend, a friend called and offered us a brand new bed. He had bought it a while ago, never used it, and he and his wife just got divorced. We accepted his offer, and, strangely, that's just how we got our current bed, although not from the same friend!

Then a friend of my son's just bought a new house. They bought a portable dishwasher, not realizing that the house would be fully equipped with all dream appliances. We are now the proud owners of a brand new washer, dryer and dishwasher, along with a bread machine. We spent this weekend installing, connecting and hooking things up. The bed is still in parts in my bedroom, right in front of my desk. If I can ever get to the desk again, I'll post some more pictures. I have some cute pictures of them out in the snow last week.

Beth

[RBennett]

:woohoo: The first ship is underway (or at least the metal is being cut). However, Disney is NOT allowing the ship's progress to be shown on their webcams. Bummer. At least those venturing to Europe next summer on DCL might get a chance to see the ship's progress. I heard rumors, they would offer a tour for those onboard.

The official names were announced today at the shareholders meeting ...

Disney Dream (2011) and Disney Fantasy (2012)

Both new ships will sail out of Port Canaveral at least through 2014.

:surfweb: Jennifer

FYI - Info obtained from the Orlando Sentinel (http://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/destinations/cruises/orl-bk-disney-cruise-names-031009,0,762379.story).

That is some EXCITING stuff!!!!! :yay: :banana: :yay: So if you purchase even one share of stock, does that get you privy to the shareholders meetings and infortmation??? :confused3

[TheTXTaylors5]

That is some EXCITING stuff!!!!! :yay: :banana: :yay: So if you purchase even one share of stock, does that get you privy to the shareholders meetings and infortmation??? :confused3

Who needs to get info from the shareholders meeting when you have the DISboards and the Orlando Sentinel?!?!?!?! :rotfl:

:cheer2: Being a Cowboys fan, I thought you would appreciate this. Guess what I got Bill for his 40th Birthday present? I bought him a Legacy Walk (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=3039964D-D9BB-18D4-F2E44E9796D8A04A)paver for the new stadium in Arlington, TX. They sent me a replica and certificate to give him for his birthday. :woohoo: I can't wait for him to see it in June.

I wish Epcot would start up the "Leave A Legacy" program again. They have plenty of room to add more. Why did they end it? :confused:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[RBennett]

Who needs to get info from the shareholders meeting when you have the DISboards and the Orlando Sentinel?!?!?!?! :rotfl:

:cheer2: Being a Cowboys fan, I thought you would appreciate this. Guess what I got Bill for his 40th Birthday present? I bought him a Legacy Walk (http://www.dallascowboys.com/news/news.cfm?id=3039964D-D9BB-18D4-F2E44E9796D8A04A)paver for the new stadium in Arlington, TX. They sent me a replica and certificate to give him for his birthday. :woohoo: I can't wait for him to see it in June.

I wish Epcot would start up the "Leave A Legacy" program again. They have plenty of room to add more. Why did they end it? :confused:

:surfweb: Jennifer


Well, I've just always thought it would be awesome to own part of the company that we're so passionate about. :rolleyes1 That way we can always be a part of the company, even if we can't work there.

As for your birthday present to Bill.... WOW!!! :scared1: You are really going ALL OUT for this!! I mean, true... you only turn 40 y/o once but you're making sure it's going to be a vacation he never forgets. Can you talk to Tina about Birthday ideas???

Tina and I got to do a Leave a Legacy tile on our honeymoon, so it was neat to go and see ourselves from 5 years ago. I REALLY wish they would bring back the tiles outside the MK. :worship:

[TheTXTaylors5]

FYI - It is "rumored" that DCL will start taking reservations for 2011 (new ship) in November 2009. :woohoo:

We are pushing our current November cruise as far out and then change to a 2011 cruise. We want to keep our 10% discount and hopefully get on the new ship. We won't be trying for an inaugural cruise. We want the kinks worked out before we embark. Also, I am sure it will cost an arm and a leg. Good luck to those trying for an inaugural cruise on the "Disney Dream". :cloud9: The name is growing on me. ;)

We are cruising with Royal Caribbean this November. Our first non-DCL cruise. I am both excited and anxious. It will be a new experience for us. :upsidedow

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

We booked onboard for Feb 2010, so we will push that one back as far as we can. We don't have to be on the first cruise, any cruise on Disney Dream will be all right with us.
Can't wait to hear your opinion on the other cruise line. I'm afraid we are so spoiled with everything Disney, we are afraid to try another cruise line. :confused3

[TheTXTaylors5]

:banana: We head to "Walt's Place" tomorrow. The plan is to depart Texas around 5 am. After a night on the road somewhere, we should arrive in Anaheim around 4/5 pm on Sunday. :thumbsup2 I'll make sure to post a Trip Report when we get back.

Have a great weekend everyone! :goodvibes

:surfweb: Jennifer

[brack]

:banana: We head to "Walt's Place" tomorrow. The plan is to depart Texas around 5 am. After a night on the road somewhere, we should arrive in Anaheim around 4/5 pm on Sunday. :thumbsup2 I'll make sure to post a Trip Report when we get back.

Have a great weekend everyone! :goodvibes

:surfweb: Jennifer

Have fun and drive safe. :thumbsup2

We made that trip a few years ago from OKC and planned to stop at the Grand Canyon but a blizzard stopped us. :scared1: We did stop overnight on our way back. If you can stop there it is "GRAND". :love:

[brack]

I just looked back over the "old" thread trying to figure out the references (still clueless :confused:) and I did realize that the last thing I wrote about JoJo was that we were close to making "the decision". The update is that a miracle happened! :worship: He has made an astounding recovery. We took him back to his doctor a few weeks ago to refill some of his medicine and the doctor was astonished with him. :hug: He thought JoJo would not live another few days back in early January and told Annette we must pray alot. She said that we did and we had a lot of friends who did as well. He is still feeling his age but is doing really good at this time. Thanks for the wishes, hugs and prayers .... it works.

[BethC1952]

:banana: We head to "Walt's Place" tomorrow. The plan is to depart Texas around 5 am. After a night on the road somewhere, we should arrive in Anaheim around 4/5 pm on Sunday. :thumbsup2 I'll make sure to post a Trip Report when we get back.

Have a great weekend everyone! :goodvibes

:surfweb: Jennifer

Have a safe trip and a wonderful vacation.

Wish Bill a Happy Birthday from Jim and me!

Beth

I just looked back over the "old" thread trying to figure out the references (still clueless :confused:) and I did realize that the last thing I wrote about JoJo was that we were close to making "the decision". The update is that a miracle happened! :worship: He has made an astounding recovery. We took him back to his doctor a few weeks ago to refill some of his medicine and the doctor was astonished with him. :hug: He thought JoJo would not live another few days back in early January and told Annette we must pray alot. She said that we did and we had a lot of friends who did as well. He is still feeling his age but is doing really good at this time. Thanks for the wishes, hugs and prayers .... it works.

I'm so glad to hear that JoJo is doing so much better. The power of prayer is awesome!

Beth

[JsMom2]

Wendy,
:worship: You are the "Cruise Guru". Do you have any experience with NCL? We're thinking of cruising with them next fall. We'd appreciate any comments/reviews. :goodvibes
:surfweb: Jennifer

We were on the Jade in December, and will be boarding her again in a couple weeks. I think that NCL is more hit and miss then DCL, but we had a wonderful time on the Jade. The service was absolutely outstanding! And we really enjoyed the Freestyle Dining. If you eat early, you can just walk into any of the restaurants without reservations. But you can always make reservations for the time that you want to eat. Jasmine really loved the kids club onboard. The counselors all had names like, "Mad Dog" and "Chipmunk". The clubs are open all day at sea, like DCL, but they don't feed the kids. So you do have to pick them up to give them lunch. But in the buffet they have a kids area, which is pretty cute, and the kids are half price in the specialty restaurants. The entertainment isn't as good as Disney, but was still good. And they have Wii and all kinds of fun family things to do onboard. Over all I've heard that the newer NCL ships are better than the older ones. Check out the suites onboard, as their perks are awesome!

It's been a tough week for us already. My best friend's husband is dying and our son lost his corporate position with the "on every corner drugstore" chain. It's a horrible time to job hunt. So please keep my friend and our son in your thoughts and prayers.

Oh Judy, I'm so sorry to hear this. I'll definitely include all of you in my prayers!

FYI - It is "rumored" that DCL will start taking reservations for 2011 (new ship) in November 2009. :woohoo:

We are pushing our current November cruise as far out and then change to a 2011 cruise. We want to keep our 10% discount and hopefully get on the new ship. We won't be trying for an inaugural cruise. We want the kinks worked out before we embark. Also, I am sure it will cost an arm and a leg. Good luck to those trying for an inaugural cruise on the "Disney Dream". :cloud9: The name is growing on me. ;)

We are cruising with Royal Caribbean this November. Our first non-DCL cruise. I am both excited and anxious. It will be a new experience for us. :upsidedow

:goodvibes Jennifer


I wonder when in 2011 the ship will be ready? I also don't want an inaugural, as the price will be outrageous. I'm thinking about 6 mos after they start sailing.

Which Royal Caribbean ship are you on? We LOVED the Independence and Navigator last summer! We're booked on the Mariner to Mexico in December with my brother and sis. And then we're doing B2B Eastern and Western Caribbean cruises on Oasis for June 2010!!

After watching Madagascar 2 last week, we decided we want to do an ABD S. Africa trip. I think we'll try for the Christmas trip in Dec 2010.

I just looked back over the "old" thread trying to figure out the references (still clueless :confused:) and I did realize that the last thing I wrote about JoJo was that we were close to making "the decision". The update is that a miracle happened! :worship: He has made an astounding recovery. We took him back to his doctor a few weeks ago to refill some of his medicine and the doctor was astonished with him. :hug: He thought JoJo would not live another few days back in early January and told Annette we must pray alot. She said that we did and we had a lot of friends who did as well. He is still feeling his age but is doing really good at this time. Thanks for the wishes, hugs and prayers .... it works.

Brack, so glad to hear that JoJo is better!!

[BethC1952]

I still haven't gotten around to unloading pictures from my camera, but DDIL took these pictures on her phone on Saturday. They aren't the best pictures, but Keegan and Brigid were all dressed up for St. Patrick's Day. I know it's not until tomorrow, but the families of DGD Shannan's soccer team all wore their St. Patrick's Day finery to the game on Saturday for good luck. They beat their opponents 11-3, so I guess it worked!

Tomorrow I'll take some pictures of all three grandkids in their outfits.

Brigid's St. Patrick's Day outfit. You can't tell from this picture, but Brigid is also wearing green nail polish, which matched her sister and her mother. Grandma just doesn't do green nail polish!
http://www.bethc1952.us/DIS/brigidstpat.jpg

Keegan's St. Patrick's Day outfit:
http://www.bethc1952.us/DIS/keeganstpat.jpg (http://www.bethc1952.us/DIS/keeganstpat.jpg)

[plutojudy]

So cute! Thanks for sharing.

[BethC1952]

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!

I added a few more baby pictures to my Picasa album. Actually, they're more like family pictures, since the parents are in some of them, too!

They're here (http://picasaweb.google.com/BethC1952/BrigidAndKeegan?authkey=Gv1sRgCNH05tvitsLYeQ&feat=directlink).

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

:sad1: We are back home. :cool1: What an amazing trip!!!!!! :cool1:

Some Trip Highlights:
Seeing the light on in the Fire Station. (Thanks Walt!)
Seeing the fireworks from our hotel room (Disneyland Hotel - Magic building)
Eating riverside at the Blue Bayou.
Eating at the Storytellers Cafe - Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast @ GCH. Great character interaction. (We never made it to Goofy's Kitchen. I'll explain that in my TR).
Riding in the back and front of the monorail. (When it was working. ;))
Riding the "original" PoTC with my family. (Great ride. Definitely better than the WDW version. IMO)
Riding California Screamin' (Great ride! Loved it!)
Special "Fast Pass" card (I'll explain that in my TR).
Seeing the Grand Canyon with the children.
Seeing a wild coyote run in front of us at the Grand Canyon.
Driving through snow flurries in New Mexico. (We live in Texas. So, anytime we see snow is a treat.)

:thumbsup2 I will load the pictures onto the computer and then compose a Trip Report soon.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!
[/COLOR]


http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/StPatricks-Mickey-Mouse1.jpg Happy Belated St. Patrick's Day to all! http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/kt_Pooh-StPatricksDay.jpg

:woohoo:We were at the Disneyland park on St. Patrick's Day this year. I put everyone in our DISgreen shirts (to keep track of everyone in our party). Well, most people wore green that day too. So, we just blended in with the masses. :headache:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Beth -

:cloud9:The babies are adorable and GROWING. We watch the Food Network Challenge shows and the host's name is Keegan. :thumbsup2 Very cute name.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[BethC1952]

:sad1: We are back home. :cool1: What an amazing trip!!!!!! :cool1:

Some Trip Highlights:
Seeing the light on in the Fire Station. (Thanks Walt!)
Seeing the fireworks from our hotel room (Disneyland Hotel - Magic building)
Eating riverside at the Blue Bayou.
Eating at the Storytellers Cafe - Chip 'n Dale Critter Breakfast @ GCH. Great character interaction. (We never made it to Goofy's Kitchen. I'll explain that in my TR).
Riding in the back and front of the monorail. (When it was working. ;))
Riding the "original" PoTC with my family. (Great ride. Definitely better than the WDW version. IMO)
Riding California Screamin' (Great ride! Loved it!)
Special "Fast Pass" card (I'll explain that in my TR).
Seeing the Grand Canyon with the children.
Seeing a wild coyote run in front of us at the Grand Canyon.
Driving through snow flurries in New Mexico. (We live in Texas. So, anytime we see snow is a treat.)

:thumbsup2 I will load the pictures onto the computer and then compose a Trip Report soon.

:surfweb: Jennifer
I'm glad you had such a great trip! I was thinking about you while you were gone. I will gladly send you any snow that comes here to New Jersey. I can't stand the stuff myself!

Beth -

:cloud9:The babies are adorable and GROWING. We watch the Food Network Challenge shows and the host's name is Keegan. :thumbsup2 Very cute name.

:surfweb: Jennifer

It turns out that Keegan Gerhard (from Food Network) is where DS and DDIL got the name Keegan! They're addicted to ANYTHING that's on Food Network. I'm still not certain where Brigid's name came from. I do know that they wanted distinctive, Celtic-sounding names to go along with Shannan. They like to be a whole Irish clan.

I'm so glad you posted. I was beginning to think I killed the thread--or that everyone moved and forgot to tell me!

Beth

[WebmasterDoc]

Since this thread has nothing to do with our United We Stand Forum, I'll move it to the Cruise Meets Board.

[TheTXTaylors5]

:thumbsup2I've started my Trip Report. Check it out here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1933900).

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:cool1: How is everyone this fine Friday? All is well here "deep in the heart of Texas." (clap! clap! clap!) :rotfl:

Poor Bill has gone back and forth so many times figuring out which cruise will be best for us in November. We are currently booked on a Royal Caribbean out of Miami (Nassau and Cococay, Bahamas). Being my Mom's first cruise, I want it to be special.

:rolleyes1 We have changed our June WDW plans once again. We are using our DVC points and staying at SSR. As much as we stay there, we probably should have made that our home resort. Oh well. Also, we plan to purchase Annual Passes again. We let ours expire this past December. As much $$$$$ we spent last week at Disneyland, I wasn't sure we would be taking a WDW trip in June. We spent more money than anticipated. I can't wait for the DVC Villas to be completed at The Grand Californian. We ran out of time and never made it over to the new models. They were right there next to our hotel and we just ran out of time. We could see the construction from inside DCA. They will have a pretty cool view. Also, we always spend less money on food when staying in a DVC property. The food at DLR was outrageously priced. I'd heard about it. But, we experienced it first-hand. :scared1:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[BethC1952]

I'm home with the flu on a wonderful spring day here at the Jersey Shore. I've actually been sick most of the week, but had my huge annual report which had to get finished, so I just didn't have time to stay home. I finished it yesterday (three days early!), so today I'm able to stay home and rest.

I'm really getting excited about my trip in May. I haven't been on a cruise since the one we shared, so I'm REALLY ready for this one. My friend Grandma Bear has never been on a cruise, so she's starting to drive me crazy with all kinds of questions. It's going to be tough to be away from the grandkids for two weeks, but I think I'll survive! I'm hoping to take a few more pictures this weekend.

I'm glad you enjoyed your recent trip. We used to visit WDW very frequently when DS was little. We had our own tent and stayed at Fort Wilderness. Even with the cost of driving down to FL from NJ, staying there for two weeks was usually cheaper than a vacation at the Jersey shore. Of course, then we got smart and moved to the shore!

Beh

[TheTXTaylors5]

I'm home with the flu on a wonderful spring day here at the Jersey Shore.

Sorry to hear you are ill. I hope you feel better soon. :flower3:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[brack]

Been on the road a lot lately ... so this is a drive by posting. :yay:

[plutojudy]

How are you, Annette, and JoJo?

[TheTXTaylors5]

Been on the road a lot lately ... so this is a drive by posting. :yay:

Like Judy, I'm curious how JoJo is doing? Any updates? We are animal lovers and have always had a dog in our household. I am sure you and Annette are like us and JoJo is spoiled and treated like another kid and part of the family.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:surfweb: I am almost done with my Disneyland Trip Report. Check it out in my signature. There are lots and lots of photos to tie y'all over until you can get out there too. :thumbsup2 I highly recommend the trip to any Disney enthusiast. I am surprised we waited so long to make the trek. We plan on heading back west in two or three years. Until then ... :cloud9:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

It's almost time for the Easter Bunny to make his appearance. Here's Disney's version ...

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/TN_Easter-Pooh-Costume-Flowers.jpg

(Oh wait! Pooh isn't "technically" licensed by Disney is he? Let me find an "Easter Mickey". There has to be one out there somewhere ...)

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Here's Easter Mickey ...

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/clipmickbunny.gif

I found this one to be cute too ...

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/easter3.gif

:goodvibes Jennifer

[BethC1952]

I love the Easter Pooh! I'm going to show him to my friend Leslie--she's a HUGE Pooh fan!

In case I don't get back here this weekend, I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday--Easter, Passover, or whatever you're celebrating this weekend!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

I just called Disney to add some ADRs for our upcoming WDW trip in June. I was pleasantly surprised when I got the desired ADRs. :woohoo: Their new computer system is really annoying me. When I initially called to make our ADRs, I was on hold for 30 minutes and then transferred to someone who couldn't help me and then finally a CM helped me but their computer kept crashing (3 times!!! :headache::headache::headache:). So, they had to re-enter of ADRs a few times and by then some of the times had been taken. It was a very frustrating process. Maybe today's pleasant experience was to make up for the last one? :wizard:

Here are our current WDW ADRs for June:
Nine Dragons - Epcot (lunch)
Tutto Italia - Epcot (Bill's Birthday Dinner just the two of us!!! :banana: Got this one today! :woohoo:)
Sci-Fi Dine In - DHS (lunch - Got this one today! :woohoo:)
Crystal Palace - MK (breakfast - I got a late breakfast ADR. Hopefully, we will keep this one. I really want to eat with Pooh and Friends. This is on Bill's actual birthday.)

We're staying at SSR. Having the full kitchen will help with some of the meals too. Also, I plan to bake Bill's birthday cake while there. I'll just bring my cake pans. We plan to shop at the Publix or Wal-Mart once we get there to buy groceries. I'll sneak in some cake-making supplies too. ;)

After being at Disneyland, it will be nice to be back at WDW (a familiar place and larger space). We love the DVC Villas. I can't wait for the ones at GCH (California) to be completed. We know WDW like the back of our hands. I'm glad we changed our plans for Bill's birthday. Also, having Kids Nite Out on speed dial helps with Bill's birthday dinner. It is nice to have a childless meal every so often. We can actually speak with each other during the meal. :dance3:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Happy Easter and Passover to you and yours!

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/easter3.gif

[brack]

Like Judy, I'm curious how JoJo is doing? Any updates? We are animal lovers and have always had a dog in our household. I am sure you and Annette are like us and JoJo is spoiled and treated like another kid and part of the family.

:surfweb: Jennifer

JoJo is still hanging in there. He has his 17th birthday sometime this month. Some days are better than others. His joints are really beginning to bother him so I carry him up and down steps most of the time.

He has become very picky about eating so we will try almost anything to get him to eat and not upset his system. I still get up with him sometime between 2AM and 4AM for about 30 minutes to an hour for a trip in the backyard plus some water. Overall he is doing fairly well.

Thanks for asking.

[Pooh_Girl]

Hello Everyone!!!!!!! It's so good to be back on the Dis!!! I have to say that giving up the Disboards for Lent has been the hardest thing I've EVER done. I don't plan on doing it again!!!
I posted on the other thread last night so if you see that one, just disregard it.
I'm glad to see everyone is doing well.
Beth- I love the pictures of the babies!!! They are so precious!!! I'm so glad you are planning on joining Robby and me in December. I can't wait!!!
Jennifer-I'm so glad you guys had a good time in DL. I can't wait to read your TR. I will do that as soon as I get caught up on a few threads.
Brack-I'm SOOO glad JoJo is doing better!!! I actually thought about him the other night and was wondering how he was doing. We will keep him in our prayers.

[brack]

Hello Everyone!!!!!!! It's so good to be back on the Dis!!! I have to say that giving up the Disboards for Lent has been the hardest thing I've EVER done. I don't plan on doing it again!!!

Brack-I'm SOOO glad JoJo is doing better!!! I actually thought about him the other night and was wondering how he was doing. We will keep him in our prayers.

Giving up DISBoards for Lent! :scared1: I couldn't do that. :surfweb: Congratulations.

Thanks for the prayers. :hug: Today is a rough day for him. His hacking cough is back and he does not want anything to eat yet except the "special" treats. Maybe later.

[Pooh_Girl]

Jennifer-I just finished your TR. It looks like you guys had a GREAT time!!!! I can't wait to go!!! I got a little teary eyed when you were talking about the Train Station and walking down Main Street.

[BethC1952]

I am a very happy lady right now!

I just got my room assignment for my cruise next month, and, for the first time I got an upgrade!

OK, it's a little upgrade from a Cat. 12 GTY to an 11, but it's one of the sideways 11's on Deck 5. I've never been in one of those, so this will make for some different pictures to post! Now if only I could get ON the ship and into that room, I'd be really happy!

Tina and Robby: Jim and I are still planning on that cruise, and we'll be making the final decision really soon. We'll let you know!

Beth

[brack]

I am a very happy lady right now!

I just got my room assignment for my cruise next month, and, for the first time I got an upgrade!

OK, it's a little upgrade from a Cat. 12 GTY to an 11, but it's one of the sideways 11's on Deck 5. I've never been in one of those, so this will make for some different pictures to post! Now if only I could get ON the ship and into that room, I'd be really happy!

Tina and Robby: Jim and I are still planning on that cruise, and we'll be making the final decision really soon. We'll let you know!

Beth

We actually booked one of those two cruises ago but gave it up to go GTY Cat 12 and save about $800. The gave us a Cat 11 on Deck 5 but one aft and not sideways.

[plutojudy]

I know it is a long way off :cool2: but is anyone thinking of a December 2011 cruise?

[TheTXTaylors5]

I know it is a long way off :cool2: but is anyone thinking of a December 2011 cruise?

Every day! :cloud9:

We changed our December DCL for a RC cruise. So, we have money "on hold" with DCL. We plan to keep pushing the reservation out and use the deposit money for a December 2011 DCL cruise. I can't wait! :rolleyes1 It will be weird boarding a non Disney boat in November. I'll have to make sure to post back with the good and the bad. Wendy has sailed with RC in the past and seemed to have a great time. :worship: I hope we do too.

:banana: When we sail in 2011, we are hoping for a 7-night cruise. The longer, the better! Hopefully sailing in December, the kinks of the new ship will be worked out by then. ;) However, what happens if the new ship only does the 3 and 4 night cruises (as rumored)? Are y'all open to a shorter cruise (4-night)? :confused:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

I just got my room assignment for my cruise next month, and, for the first time I got an upgrade!


:banana: Congratulations!!!! :banana:

Wish we were boarding with you. Make sure to come back and report on your trip. So, we can live vicariously through you. :cloud9:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Jennifer-I just finished your TR. It looks like you guys had a GREAT time!!!! I can't wait to go!!! I got a little teary eyed when you were talking about the Train Station and walking down Main Street.

:hug: Glad to have you back on the boards Tina!!!!! You have more will-power than me! ;)

Thanks for reading my Trip Report. It was fun putting it together. Words cannot describe how amazing our trip was. I hope you and Robby make it out there. It was truly a magical experience. :wizard:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

Every day! :cloud9:

However, what happens if the new ship only does the 3 and 4 night cruises (as rumored)? Are y'all open to a shorter cruise (4-night)? :confused:

:goodvibes Jennifer

We could do back to back 4 day/3 day!!!!!!!!:thumbsup2 That would give us double Castaway Cay!

[plutojudy]

We have a Feb 2010 cruise to move back and we are thinking of pushing it back to Dec 2011, Western.

[plutojudy]

I am very interested in reading your trip report from the RCL cruise. I will waiting very impatiently.

[plutojudy]

Hello Everyone!!!!!!! It's so good to be back on the Dis!!! I have to say that giving up the Disboards for Lent has been the hardest thing I've EVER done. I don't plan on doing it again!!!
I posted on the other thread last night so if you see that one, just disregard it.
I'm glad to see everyone is doing well.
Beth- I love the pictures of the babies!!! They are so precious!!! I'm so glad you are planning on joining Robby and me in December. I can't wait!!!
Jennifer-I'm so glad you guys had a good time in DL. I can't wait to read your TR. I will do that as soon as I get caught up on a few threads.
Brack-I'm SOOO glad JoJo is doing better!!! I actually thought about him the other night and was wondering how he was doing. We will keep him in our prayers.

Welcome back, I missed you!

[BethC1952]

:banana: Congratulations!!!! :banana:

Wish we were boarding with you. Make sure to come back and report on your trip. So, we can live vicariously through you. :cloud9:

:goodvibes Jennifer
I will! I just bought a new digital camera on Saturday (an early birthday gift from Jim) so that I can take lots of pictures.

As for a Dec. 2011 cruise--we're still planning Dec. 2009, but Dec. 2011 is actually when my DS wants to bring his family on a cruise again, so we'll see what their plans are. By then I may even be retired so I won't have to worry about taking too much time off.

As for shorter/longer cruises, a short cruise is better than no cruise at all!

Beth

[Pooh_Girl]

I am totally up for any cruise you guys want to go on. Unfortunately though I don't know if we are going to be able to go on the one we have scheduled in December or not. We are thinking of building a house!!! We are going to talk to a mortgage officer tomorrow and see how much we can get pre-approved for. I am sooooo nervous!!! I'm just so afraid we are going to be totally denied or they will only give us a loan for like $20,000 or something. We are looking to stay around the $150,000 range, but who knows. If we start building at the beginning of next month, it will be done around the first part of December and we would need our vacation time for that. If nothing else we will transfer our deposit to the inaugural cruise and plan for that. It's crazy that we were thinking of moving to Florida a few months ago and now we are looking at staying here and building. The big thing that really stinks is that we are going to have to cut back on vacation planning. What would you guys do?????

[TheTXTaylors5]

What would you guys do?????

IMO. Definitely the house. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much you get approved for. The homebuilders are itching for new sales right now. You will probably have the upper-hand in this market. They may even throw in some free upgrades. When Bill and I built our first house in 1998, we thought there was no way we were getting approved for a home loan. He was a Teacher and I was a Receptionist = not too much money. :lmao: We were approved for well above the house value (We financed 100%. The house and closing costs). If we could do it, anyone could do it. ;) A home is an "investment" for today and tomorrow. I hope it all works out. Good Luck!!!! :goodvibes

:surfweb: Jennifer

[brack]

What would you guys do?????

The house is probably the way to go. :thumbsup2

[BethC1952]

Good luck with whatever you decide, but make sure you let us know. If you're not going on that cruise, Jim and I may change our plans and cruise a week or two earlier, or possibly wait until after the holidays! We want to make sure that we don't miss the babies' first Christmas. We're actually starting to consider bringing our older granddaughter along with us. She'd probably enjoy a week or two away from the little ones!

Beth

[RBennett]

IMO. Definitely the house. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how much you get approved for. The homebuilders are itching for new sales right now. You will probably have the upper-hand in this market. They may even throw in some free upgrades. When Bill and I built our first house in 1998, we thought there was no way we were getting approved for a home loan. He was a Teacher and I was a Receptionist = not too much money. :lmao: We were approved for well above the house value (We financed 100%. The house and closing costs). If we could do it, anyone could do it. ;) A home is an "investment" for today and tomorrow. I hope it all works out. Good Luck!!!! :goodvibes

:surfweb: Jennifer

That's what we're sweating right now!! [insert-smiley-that-looks-nauseous] I just keep thinking that on one hand, right now the builders are itching for new sales but the banks are more cautious than ever because of the economy and may not be willing to give us what we need. It's like, we know what we can afford and I have a raise coming up later this year, but just because we know all of that doesn't mean they'll GIVE us that. My stomach is killing me right now. And to top it off, we were told to bring our social security cards with us and I can't find mine!! :scared1:

[plutojudy]

That's what we're sweating right now!! [insert-smiley-that-looks-nauseous] I just keep thinking that on one hand, right now the builders are itching for new sales but the banks are more cautious than ever because of the economy and may not be willing to give us what we need. It's like, we know what we can afford and I have a raise coming up later this year, but just because we know all of that doesn't mean they'll GIVE us that. My stomach is killing me right now. And to top it off, we were told to bring our social security cards with us and I can't find mine!! :scared1:

:grouphug: It will work out in your favor. I always say "It's only money." How exciting to be planning a new home. Will there be a Mickey room?

[Pooh_Girl]

:grouphug: It will work out in your favor. I always say "It's only money." How exciting to be planning a new home. Will there be a Mickey room?

I'm sure there will be a Mickey/Disney themed room in there somewhere!!! :lmao:

[brack]

I'm sure there will be a Mickey/Disney themed room in there somewhere!!! :lmao:

If you need anything in particular just ask me. ::MickeyMo We are getting ready to put a bunch of our "Disney Museum" on EBay. :earboy2: When we move (it will happen one day) we do not want to move all of the things we currently have. :earseek:

[TheTXTaylors5]

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/4th-July-Mickey-Donald-Rocket-1.jpg
Happy (or unhappy if you had to pay the Taxman) Tax Day 2009!

:surfweb: Jennifer

[RBennett]

I'm sure there will be a Mickey/Disney themed room in there somewhere!!! :lmao:

DON'T BE SO SURE!! :sad2: I'm sure we'll have a spare bedroom in case anyone stays with us for a couple nights, but then the other room I'm sure will be an office/scrapbooking/photography room. However, with the house SHE wants, we won't be able to afford scrapbooking!! :yay:

[TheTXTaylors5]

I'm sure there will be a Mickey/Disney themed room in there somewhere!!! :lmao:

:lmao: I thought we were the only ones. Our home office has turned into our "Disney Room".

:worship: Brack - Please let us know too before you put anything up on Ebay. Also, if anyone ever has any pins to sell, we'd love to purchase them. Our kids don't trade their pins. They have really got into pin "collecting". I have their lanyards hanging in their rooms on display. I need to break down and buy them an additional lanyard to hold all the pins.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[brack]

Happy (or unhappy if you had to pay the Taxman) Tax Day 2009!

:surfweb: Jennifer

I mailed mine off at 7PM last night. :headache: That is about 24 hours ahead of when I normally send them. :snooty: I do not send them before I have to and I will not (so far) file them electronically. I want them to suffer like I do. :upsidedow I believe that everyone should pay 10% of everything they make and not have to file. We would save so much money in just printing the tax laws and paperwork! :idea:

[brack]

:lmao: I thought we were the only ones. Our home office has turned into our "Disney Room".

:worship: Brack - Please let us know too before you put anything up on Ebay. Also, if anyone ever has any pins to sell, we'd love to purchase them. Our kids don't trade their pins. They have really got into pin "collecting". I have their lanyards hanging in their rooms on display. I need to break down and buy them an additional lanyard to hold all the pins.

:surfweb: Jennifer

I have hundred's of pins that will definitely go up for sale. I have some from the cruise where they played the game show on stage as a panelist. If you have any in mind let me know and I will look to see if I have it. Make me an offer I can't refuse :thumbsup2 which could be almost anything.

[TheTXTaylors5]

II believe that everyone should pay 10% of everything they make and not have to file. We would save so much money in just printing the tax laws and paperwork! :idea:

:thumbsup2 That's the smartest thing I've read in awhile. I honestly don't know why the government tries to make things so difficult at times.

:surfweb: Bill used Turbo Tax and E-filed ours back in February. The refund (phew! we got a refund.) was directly put into our account about two weeks later. Technology is great! :guilty: That money is now long gone. Thanks to our Disneyland trip. :rolleyes1

:thumbsup2 That's another thing about buying a house Robby and Tina, you can deduct the interest paid. We always, always ended up paying the IRS come tax time when we lived in an apartment/rental property. Ever since we purchased our first house, we have always got a refund. With a few audits thrown in there. :rolleyes1 In the end though, the IRS was wrong and owed us more money. They should know NOT to mess with a Mathematician (Bill is my math whiz). ;)

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

I have hundred's of pins that will definitely go up for sale. I have some from the cruise where they played the game show on stage as a panelist. If you have any in mind let me know and I will look to see if I have it. Make me an offer I can't refuse :thumbsup2 which could be almost anything.



I honestly don't have any specific pins in mind. "How many" pins would $50 (+ shipping) buy? You can pick and choose and surprise us. ;)

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:moped: Bill and some buddies took a motorcycle roadtrip to Arkansas and Oklahoma last Saturday (day trip).

Tina and Robby (Being in Arkansas) - Did y'all hear anything about the tornado that hit Mena, AR? Bill and his buddies didn't know about it until they drove through and saw the devastation. I guess it happened a few days before they arrived. Bill said there were buildings with the roof ripped off. I guess the clean-up effort had started. Because, he saw "piles" of mobile homes and up-rooted trees (HUGE trees). He said it was very eerie.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[RBennett]

:moped: Bill and some buddies took a motorcycle roadtrip to Arkansas and Oklahoma last Saturday (day trip).

Tina and Robby (Being in Arkansas) - Did y'all hear anything about the tornado that hit Mena, AR? Bill and his buddies didn't know about it until they drove through and saw the devastation. I guess it happened a few days before they arrived. Bill said there were buildings with the roof ripped off. I guess the clean-up effort had started. Because, he saw "piles" of mobile homes and up-rooted trees (HUGE trees). He said it was very eerie.

:surfweb: Jennifer

Yeah, it was bad. Being in the claims department of an insurance company, we are aware of any bad weather hours before it hits us so that we can get prepared and be ready to be there for people. Also, one of our assistants here in the office went through Mena the day after it hit and reported back how bad it was. I feel so sorry for people that have to go through that. There's not anything you can do to your house to make it tornado-proof. :guilty:

[Pooh_Girl]

DON'T BE SO SURE!! :sad2: I'm sure we'll have a spare bedroom in case anyone stays with us for a couple nights, but then the other room I'm sure will be an office/scrapbooking/photography room. However, with the house SHE wants, we won't be able to afford scrapbooking!! :yay:

We'll see about that!!! I won't be scrapbooking as often because we won't be going on as many trips, but I will scrapbook!!! :thumbsup2:love2:

[RBennett]

Ok, so let me ask everyone here something. Tina and I have NO idea what to do about where to live. We have been looking for the past week or two into moving to the Vero Beach/Melbourne, FL area. We're getting really close I think to selling our house and know that we will have to find a place to rent regardless of what we do. On one hand, we have stable, secure jobs here in AR and we can build a new house with around 1800 sq/ft I think. On the other hand, we can move to Melbourne and be one hour from Disney or 20 minutes from DCL. If we do that, we can find a house for a cheaper price and maybe more sq/ft. The only problem is, finding a job in FL. We might be able to find a job and then be let go in 6 months and not be able to stay down there. There's also one more factor: I have a DB/DSIL/DNeice that may possibly move down there as well. They are absolutely the closest family members I have and would be heartbroken not to get to see my neice grow up. So we have the prospect of going to Disney once a month (if we can find/keep jobs) or stay here and build a house and go to Disney once a year. WHAT DO WE DO???? :headache: :sad1: :guilty: :sad2: :confused3

[TheTXTaylors5]

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/clipbirthday.gif

Happy 9th Birthday Will!

party: My "baby" turns 9 today. He's halfway out of the house and on his way to college. Where does the time go? :sad2:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

WHAT DO WE DO???? :headache: :sad1: :guilty: :sad2: :confused3

Last year I might have said "Go for it!". But, today is a different story. Job security is very scarce and I assume the housing market in Florida is more expensive than Arkansas (Have you priced the houses?) You wrote your family "may" move to Florida. Are they only going if you go? If so, what happens if they can't find a job or don't like it? Personally, I wouldn't want to have that responsibility on my shoulders. It may affect your relationship in the long run. JMO I thought y'all were thinking of having a house built in Arkansas? You sounded so excited. If you don't mind me asking ... What prompted the idea of moving to Florida again?

Bill and I (like most Disney fans) have talked about the Disney/Florida move. After numerous discussions, we decided to nix any future plans of working for Disney. We love all the magic and know working for Disney would ruin it for us. Happily, our children plan to apply for the College Program when the time comes.

Bill and I recently started pricing land further north for investment for the future. We have NO desire to move anytime soon. But, it seems a lot of farmers are selling off parts of their land for a profit. If we strike while the iron is hot, we may be able to find a good deal. Then in a few years when the housing market is better and we can make a better profit on our current house, we can move and have our dream house built on our acres and acres of land. We're looking at five to ten acres. That's the plan. We'll see how it works out.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[RBennett]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!!!!!

Well, as it so happens we've been looking at the houses in Florida and they are AWESOME prices!! We're talking more square footage (or the same) as here in Arkansas but for about $20k-$40k cheaper!! The reason for that is there have been some foreclosures, but also people have been building houses faster than others can move in and now they're stuck with them. Back when the housing market first went down, people tried to buy 2 or 3 houses to flip them real quick and make a profit but couldn't sell them. Now they're just trying to get out from underneath them.

As for the family bit, my brother and his family are looking to move down there as long as he can sell his house, transfer within his company down there, get his daughter into one of the private schools, and his wife can find a job meeting their criteria. They were talking about all of this and that is what prompted us to look into it and we saw what a great buyers market it is down there, so we started thinking about it again. It's not a "touristy" area, but still close to Disney and they may move down there even if we don't. :confused3 So we can buy a house for more money here and have secure jobs and go to Disney once a year, or we can take the gamble and get a house cheaper there hopefully finding jobs that won't lay us off and go to Disney once a month. I don't know. I'm sure Tina will be on here later to chime in. (By the way, you just made me break my promise to her not to think about Florida today! :lmao::thumbsup2)

[BethC1952]

Robbie and Tina:

It's a hard decision. Jim and I made the decision not to move to Florida when our DS was 4 (he'll be 34 on Monday!), and we still regret it. My brother moved down there 20 years ago (he retired from Merrill Lynch two years ago and now works for the city of Jacksonville, doing EXACTLY the same job I do here!).

You have to do what will make you happiest in the long run. Do you want to live in AR for the rest of your lives, or do you want to make the change now while you still can? Unlike many of the others here, I would say go for it. The economy is shaky everywhere, even in AR I imagine. You're both young enough to find some kind of jobs. Of course, I'm much more of a risk-taker than most people, but have rarely regretted my rather strange choices!

Remember, too, that if you move to FL, you may have lots of visitors--just PM me your new address!:rotfl2: I know that when we moved to the Jersey Shore we suddenly saw relatives that we hadn't seen in years!

Beth

Edited to add: I forgot--lots of new pictures of the grandkids here (http://picasaweb.google.com/BethC1952/BrigidAndKeegan?authkey=Gv1sRgCNH05tvitsLYeQ&feat=directlink)! I had to buy a new camera and tried it out the other day!

[Pooh_Girl]

Beth-The babies are so darn cute!!!! They are growing so fast!! Lovin the pictures!!

As Robby told you guys we are looking at moving to FL again. I don't know. I have mixed feelings about everything. Don't get me wrong, I would absolutely LOVE to move down there!!! I'm just so scared of the whole job situation. I mean, what if we do find jobs, get this awesomely cheap beautiful house, and then 6 mo down the line, we lose our jobs and now we are stuck. We really just don't know what to do and it's driving us crazy!!! (insert smiley pulling it's hair out) :scared1::scared1::scared1: I have been talking with a friend from the wedding boards that lives in FL, and she said that the area we were looking at was once the booming part of FL, but now it's starting to become a ghost area. She said that the jobs and the more stable part of FL is further south. I really don't want to move further south. I really don't want to live in Palm Beach or Miami. I know that DBIL is way more optimistic (for once) than we are, but if he can transfer within his company, he will have a job, whereas we can't just transfer, we will have to find brand new jobs. I really don't want to have to work 60-70 hours a week at the local McD just to be able to pay my bills. I mean what's the benefit of moving to FL with all the perks it has if we can't afford the gas money to enjoy it?? Whereas if we stay here, we can have a brand new house, and get to take a vacation once a year?? When you look at it that way, it sounds kinda stupid doesn't it?? :lmao:

[Pooh_Girl]

I almost forgot...
Happy Birthday Will!!!!

:bday:party::bday:party::bday:party:

[brack]

WHAT DO WE DO???? :headache: :sad1: :guilty: :sad2: :confused3

Listen to a couple of Jimmy Buffett songs like "He Went to Paris", "Son of a Son of a Sailor" or "One Particular Harbor" .... you'll know what to do! :thumbsup2

If I were your age it wouldn't be a very difficult decision for me. pirate:

[BethC1952]

I agree with Brack. If I were your age, I'd already have made the decision.

I'm not your age, but I can retire from this job with full benefits in another 18 months. With accumulated sick and vacation time, I really only have to work another 11 months---

And that decision is looming again. It would be hard to leave the little ones behind (thanks for the compliment!), but I think they'd be visiting quite often since DS gets a lot of vacation time. Don't limit yourself to Orlando. The Jacksonville/St. Augustine area is beautiful and fairly stable economically, and still has some change of seasons. That's probably where we will head if we go. My friend Leslie, who's cruising with me for our birthdays, is in the process of selling her house and moving there with her sister-in-law. She's thinking of opening a Teddy Bear and Tea shop in the area.

Don't overthink the decision. Sometimes your first instinct is the right one!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

My friend Leslie, who's cruising with me for our birthdays, is in the process of selling her house and moving there with her sister-in-law. She's thinking of opening a Teddy Bear and Tea shop in the area.

A Teddy Bear and Tea shop sounds so cute. I wish her the best in her business venture. It sounds exciting and right up her alley.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

I almost forgot...
Happy Birthday Will!!!!

:bday:party::bday:party::bday:party:

:hug: Awwwww! I will pass along the message. My "baby" is all grown up. When the time comes and you have a little Robby or Tina of your own, cherish the time they are little. The times goes by in a flash. :guilty:

:scared: I have been running around like a crazy woman today. Will's party is tomorrow. It is a "Weird Science Party". We're doing some experiments and serving lunch. I also set-up a candy buffet for the kids. Nothing like filling the kids up with sugar and sending them home. I am sure the parents are going to be thrilled with all the candy. :rotfl:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:scared1: Only 95 more posts until I hit the 5,000 mark. Phew! I have been a Chatty Cathy on here. I am sure 99% of those posts were to y'all. :rolleyes1

:surfweb: Jennifer

[BethC1952]

:hug: Awwwww! I will pass along the message. My "baby" is all grown up. When the time comes and you have a little Robby or Tina of your own, cherish the time they are little. The times goes by in a flash. :guilty:

:surfweb: Jennifer
It goes even faster when they started having their OWN little ones! My DGD Shannan will be nine next week:lovestruc. How can that be when I'm still only 39?:rotfl2:

I think I forgot, too...so better late than never...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!!!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

It goes even faster when they started having their OWN little ones! My DGD Shannan will be nine next week:lovestruc. How can that be when I'm still only 39?:rotfl2:

I think I forgot, too...so better late than never...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILL!!!

Beth

Thank you for Will's birthday wishes.

:banana: Emily lost her very first tooth last night. :banana:

It has been wiggly for three weeks. I even took her to the Dentist last week, because her new tooth was already coming in behind the baby tooth. They assured me all is well and her baby tooth would soon fall out. They were right. She was so excited to go to school and show off her missing tooth. :woohoo:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:scared: This swine flu is crazy. Living in Texas, a lot of people went to Mexico for Spring Break. Also, there are a lot of people going back and forth over the US - Mexico Border. I wouldn't be surprised if more cases popped up in Texas within the next few days. I need to get with Emily's school to make sure they are aware which students went to Mexico for Spring Break. I already know of one in Emily's class. Better to be safe, than sorry. :confused3

:surfweb: Jennifer

[brack]

:scared: This swine flu is crazy. Living in Texas, a lot of people went to Mexico for Spring Break. Also, there are a lot of people going back and forth over the US - Mexico Border. I wouldn't be surprised if more cases popped up in Texas within the next few days. I need to get with Emily's school to make sure they are aware which students went to Mexico for Spring Break. I already know of one in Emily's class. Better to be safe, than sorry. :confused3

:surfweb: Jennifer

Our DS and his wife are going to Mexico for vacation at the end of this week. :scared: His Mom is freaking out. :headache:

[BethC1952]

Our DS and his wife are going to Mexico for vacation at the end of this week. :scared: His Mom is freaking out. :headache:

Well, he should be fine, as long as he doesn't touch anything or breathe while he's there:rotfl2:!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

Even Carnival and RCL are skipping the Mexican ports for right now.

Did you read that in Japan they have sensors at the airport for travelers coming from North and South America? It can detect a fever. I guess with their scare on the bird flu, they aren't messing around with the swine flu too. :scared:

:sad2: Personally, I wouldn't be heading south to Mexico. I would be worried too if a loved one was planning a trip to Mexico. During the Sars scare, Bill was suppose to visit Canada on business. Cole was still so little that he opted out of the trip to make sure he didn't bring the illness back to a newborn. :love:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Well, he should be fine, as long as he doesn't touch anything or breathe while he's there:rotfl2:!

Beth

:lmao: So true!!!!!!

Before going to Mexico everyone was always warned about NOT drinking the water. Now, you can't eat the food or breathe the air. Crazy!!!! Why go?!?!?!?!?! :confused3

Brack - Honestly, I hope your son changes his plans. I'd hate for them to get sick while there. They're suppose to be relaxing and on vacation. Not worrying about an illness. JMO

:surfweb: Jennifer

[brack]

:lmao: So true!!!!!!

Brack - Honestly, I hope your son changes his plans. I'd hate for them to get sick while there. They're suppose to be relaxing and on vacation. Not worrying about an illness. JMO

:surfweb: Jennifer

I hope he does to but it may be out of his hands if the USA closes the border. :rolleyes1 BWI held up a plane coming in from Mexico City yesterday.

[BethC1952]

The janitors where I work spent the day sanitizing everything in sight. My office has never been as clean as it is right now! Of course, Long Branch has an enormous, fluctuating population of Mexicans, mostly migrant workers and day workers who are here for a little while and then go back home and come back again as soon as they can. We also have Monmouth Park Racetrack, which attracts a large number of migrant Mexican track workers, who will all be arriving within a week or so. Many of these people actually pass through my office, so I guess a little extra sanitation can't hurt. I don't want to catch this thing now that I'm so close to my trip!

Brack, I hope your son changes his plans. While I'm sure that common sense will keep him healthy, it's not worth it to take chances. I remember the LAST swine flu epidemic (mid-'70's). I have some foggy memory of going to the local high school and getting a free vaccine. Or maybe that was some other epidemic? Many of my memories seem to be foggy these days:rotfl:!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

Last night, the local news announced a major local school district closed (Fort Worth ISD - 80,000 students) for a week and a half. For our area, that is major. There is one confirmed case of swine flu in our immediate area (Denton County). I checked with Emily's teacher this morning and she assured me she has plenty of hand sanitizer for the students. Also, all High School sports have been temporarily halted. They want people to avoid crowded public areas. Emily has her last soccer game this Saturday. I may keep her out. I'm actually more worried for Cole than the other children. Also, Emily has a birthday party to attend on Saturday. I'm iffy on her attending that too. However, it is her best friend and it will be a small group of girls. We'll see.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[Pooh_Girl]

Jennifer-This whole swine flu thing has been really scary. As soon as we heard about it coming from Mexico, we thought of you guys and hoped you were okay. We'll keep you guys in our prayers, but if you need to get away, you are more than welcome to come to Jonesboro!!!

[brack]

As most of you know Annette and I are ministers in The Salvation Army. Since joining the DISBoards we have been stationed in Oklahoma City and three years ago we were moved to Baltimore. I have worked in the finance section of the Army for over 12 years with Annette working in Women's Ministry. Today we were called and told that we are being moved ......



to ......



:banana: TAMPA, FLORIDA! :banana:

I'll be doing program work with men's ministry and Annette will continue to do women's ministry work. More to follow: :thumbsup2

[Pooh_Girl]

Congratulations Brack and Annette!!!!!!!!
That is great news!!! I know you guys have been wanting to move down there for the longest time.

[TheTXTaylors5]

Today we were called and told that we are being moved ......



to ......



:banana: TAMPA, FLORIDA! :banana:



:banana: That is fantastic! I will chime in with a ... Congratulations! party:

:woohoo: No more shoveling snow for y'all and more trips "home". Keep us posted on the move. :wizard:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Jennifer-This whole swine flu thing has been really scary. As soon as we heard about it coming from Mexico, we thought of you guys and hoped you were okay. We'll keep you guys in our prayers, but if you need to get away, you are more than welcome to come to Jonesboro!!!

Thank you for your concern. We're fine. For the most part, our kids keep pretty healthy. Emily has a rule as soon as she gets home from school she washes her hands and changes her clothes. She has been doing this since the beginning of the school year. We call it getting the school germs off. She has been pretty vigilant about it. If we are forced to leave Texas, no offense, we're heading to Florida. Might as well get a tan and visit Mickey if we have to leave home. ;) Thank you for the offer though. :hug:

Brack - I was watching the local new last night and they were answering email questions and concerns on the Swine Flu. One viewer asked, "Should I cancel my trip to Mexico on Friday?" By chance, did your son send in a question to the tv station?

:surfweb: Jennifer

[JsMom2]

Hello all!
Yes, we are still alive, just busy.

Tina and Robby, I'd caution you against making any sudden moves in this economy. Especially if your plans depend upon someone else. At this point, why don't you think about what you'd need to do to sell your existing home, and then put it on the market and see what happens. That'd give you a better idea of what your options truly are. And you definitely don't want to build a new home unless you plan on being there for awhile. You're both young, and there's nothing wrong with just keeping your options open for awhile.

Jennifer, please tell Will Happy Birthday from us!!

Brack, congratulations on the transfer to Florida!

Wendy

[Pooh_Girl]

Jennifer-Florida is the first place I would go in that situation too. If you just "have" to get away, why not go "home".
That is such a great habit that Emily has of getting her "school germs" off. I wish more parents would teach their kids that. There would be less people getting sick all the time.

[JsMom2]

Our Egypt cruise on the Norwegian Jade was wonderful. Despite the crew turnover from our last cruise on her in December, the ship still had a warm, welcoming atmosphere. We did have the same butler though. He'd just returned from vacation and was surprised to see us again!

Since we've been back, the movers have come and taken the majority of our stuff. There's still lots to do before we move out completely in 2 weeks though. Then I go back to the states for 3 weeks for commanders school in Texas and house hunting in PA. I'll have another week to outprocess here before our ABD trip and then we leave for good a few days after that.

Can't wait to get back to the good ole US of A!!

[brack]

Brack - I was watching the local new last night and they were answering email questions and concerns on the Swine Flu. One viewer asked, "Should I cancel my trip to Mexico on Friday?" By chance, did your son send in a question to the tv station?

:surfweb: Jennifer

I doubt it because he so UNCONCERNED about the trip that this is bothering his Mom almost as much as the trip itself. :sick:

[brack]

Jennifer-Florida is the first place I would go in that situation too. If you just "have" to get away, why not go "home".
That is such a great habit that Emily has of getting her "school germs" off. I wish more parents would teach their kids that. There would be less people getting sick all the time.

Congratulations on snagging the trip from Photobearsam :thumbsup2

[Pooh_Girl]

We just found out a few minutes ago. I'm SOOOOOOO excited!!!! :woohoo::yay::banana: We really didn't think we would actually get it. Now to talk him into going to the Christmas party...

[BethC1952]

... We call it getting the school germs off. She has been pretty vigilant about it. ...

:surfweb: Jennifer
That's a habit I picked up when I was teaching kindergarten (rotten, germy, drippy little kids:lmao:) and I still do it, especially now that we have the babies in the house.

Brack and Annette: Congratulations! How exciting for you! When we were first married, Jim had family in the Tampa/St. Pete area who were members of the Salvation Army. That was a VERY long time ago!

Beth

[Pooh_Girl]

Beth-Robby and I just wanted to let you know that we're not going on the cruise in December. We just got a free week in November at a timeshare from a girl in the photo boards and so we're going to push that cruise back. We'll let all you guys know when that is so that maybe we can do another cruise together.

[BethC1952]

Beth-Robby and I just wanted to let you know that we're not going on the cruise in December. We just got a free week in November at a timeshare from a girl in the photo boards and so we're going to push that cruise back. We'll let all you guys know when that is so that maybe we can do another cruise together.
Well, congrats on the free week!

We'll miss you in December. Let us know when you're going to cruise again and we'll see if we can work something out. I'm going to try to book my December cruise when I'm on board in a couple of weeks. I think we might go a bit earlier so that we're sure to be home in time for Christmas. I certainly don't want to miss the babies' first Christmas. In fact, I don't think I'd be allowed to live at home any more if I did that!

Beth

[brack]

Brack and Annette: Congratulations! How exciting for you! When we were first married, Jim had family in the Tampa/St. Pete area who were members of the Salvation Army. That was a VERY long time ago!

Beth

Send me their names. They're probably still there or have family there. :grouphug:

[TheTXTaylors5]

Our Egypt cruise on the Norwegian Jade was wonderful. Despite the crew turnover from our last cruise on her in December, the ship still had a warm, welcoming atmosphere. We did have the same butler though. He'd just returned from vacation and was surprised to see us again!

Since we've been back, the movers have come and taken the majority of our stuff. There's still lots to do before we move out completely in 2 weeks though. Then I go back to the states for 3 weeks for commanders school in Texas and house hunting in PA. I'll have another week to outprocess here before our ABD trip and then we leave for good a few days after that.

Can't wait to get back to the good ole US of A!!

:banana: Where and when are you going to be in Texas?!?!?!?!? :banana:

:rolleyes1 Okay tell me the truth, how was the crew on the Norwegian Jade? In our research of non-DCL cruises, we had NCL on our list. However, we read numerous negative reviews on the staff. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that the tips are already included or what, but there were a lot of unhappy cruisers on the ships out of Florida. :headache:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Beth - I just looked at your counter ... 17 days and you'll be on DCL you lucky woman! :worship:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

FYI - :santa: MVMCP tickets went on sale today. Call (407) WDISNEY or (407) 934-7639 to order tickets.

The official dates from the WDW website (http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/parks/magic-kingdom/special-events/mickeys-very-merry-christmas-party/):

The event will be held from 7pm — 12am on the following dates in 2009:

November 10, 12, 13, 17, 19, 20, 29
December 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18

:surfweb: Jennifer

[BethC1952]

Send me their names. They're probably still there or have family there. :grouphug:
Their last name is Dodenhof. Charlie died within the last couple of years, and there's Carol, Mary and Paul. They would be in the mid-60's as far as Jim knows!

Beth - I just looked at your counter ... 17 days and you'll be on DCL you lucky woman! :worship:

:goodvibes Jennifer
I can't wait. According to the countdown timer here, I have 14 days and 20 hours until I walk out the office door. We leave the next morning by Amtrak, and will arrive in Port Canaveral sometime on Saturday, 5/16. We're staying at the Radisson at the port the night before the cruise. It's going to be really strange to cruise without Jim, but he's saving his days for a cruise in December. He only gets 10 vacation days a year and I get 25, and I have a few left over from other years that have to get used this year!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

We just got a free week in November at a timeshare from a girl in the photo boards and so we're going to push that cruise back.

:wizard: Did I read the word FREE?!?!?!?!?!?! :cool1: Congratulations! :cool1: How did that happen????? When will you be there in November?

:goodvibes Jennifer

[MrsMork]

Hi all! Just dropping in to say howdy to old friends. :grouphug:

[JsMom2]

:banana: Where and when are you going to be in Texas?!?!?!?!? :banana:

:rolleyes1 Okay tell me the truth, how was the crew on the Norwegian Jade? In our research of non-DCL cruises, we had NCL on our list. However, we read numerous negative reviews on the staff. I don't know if it has to do with the fact that the tips are already included or what, but there were a lot of unhappy cruisers on the ships out of Florida. :headache:

:goodvibes Jennifer

I'll be at Randolph AFB in San Antonio, you guys are near Dallas aren't you?

The crew on the Jade was absolutely wonderful!!! I can't say for the rest of the fleet. I was pleasantly surprised when we came back onboard, and we had the same service even with an almost complete turnover of personnel. I'd put her crew up against DCL any day. We booked a future cruise onboard and are planning on doing a Bermuda out of the east coast in the next couple years. I'm definitely going to book a suite again. Their Penthouse suites are quite reasonable, and the concierge service is top notch!

Hi all! Just dropping in to say howdy to old friends. :grouphug:

Hey Angie!
We thought you forgot about us!! How're you and Dr Hug doing these days?

Wendy

[JsMom2]

Tina and Robby,
Congratulations on your free trip, that is totally awesome!!

Hey, have you two ever thought about working for an organization that would let you move around? You seem like you're open to moving around and seeing new things (which I can TOTALLY relate to!) If you were to work as a Department of Defense civilian or for the State Dept or USDA, you could move around without having to find new employment each time. That's what I love about the Air Force.

Just a thought...

Wendy

[JsMom2]

Jennifer,
I also should've mentioned that if you look at cruisecriticdotcom, the majority of postings there ARE very negative. If you look at the trip reports most of them are fair and balanced. But when someone has a beef, they start a new thread and blast away. I take a lot of what I read there with a grain of salt. I truly believe that it's the attitude you take onboard with you that will make or break your vacation. You guys will have a great time no matter where you go or what you do.

[Pooh_Girl]

Jennifer-We are going to be at WDW November 6-14. We are so super excited!!! I can't wait to go!!!!
Angie-Long time no see!!! How are things with you and Dr Hug?? Anything interesting to tell us about your travels??
Wendy-It would be really awesome if I could get a job like that, but unfortunately Robby has a really good job. So no traveling job for us. :sad2:

[MrsMork]

Hey Angie!
We thought you forgot about us!! How're you and Dr Hug doing these days?

Wendy

We will never forget you! We retired last summer, sold our house in OR, moved to Montana and then took off last Nov for a 5 month tour in our motorhome. We were gone fo 5 months and went to 23 states. We had a ball! We started on the west coast with a week at Disneyland, headed east on I-8 and hooked up with I-10 in AZ. Then we followed I-10 into FL, spending a week in AZ and a couple of weeks in TX. We stayed in FL for a month and stayed at Vero Beach, Fort Wilderness, Saratoga Springs twice. We then went to GA, Hilton Head SC, (Disney Resort again there), back into GA, TN, KY and then headed west on I-40. We had more fun that two people should be allowed! :goodvibes Some nights when we went to bed I felt like we were two naughty kids skipping school or something because we were doing whatever we wanted. :rolleyes1 We got back to Montana April 5 and are planning to stay here (just short trips in the RV) until summer of 2010 and then we want to do the northern states.

[BethC1952]

We will never forget you! We retired last summer, sold our house in OR, moved to Montana and then took off last Nov for a 5 month tour in our motorhome. We were gone fo 5 months and went to 23 states. We had a ball! We started on the west coast with a week at Disneyland, headed east on I-8 and hooked up with I-10 in AZ. Then we followed I-10 into FL, spending a week in AZ and a couple of weeks in TX. We stayed in FL for a month and stayed at Vero Beach, Fort Wilderness, Saratoga Springs twice. We then went to GA, Hilton Head SC, (Disney Resort again there), back into GA, TN, KY and then headed west on I-40. We had more fun that two people should be allowed! :goodvibes Some nights when we went to bed I felt like we were two naughty kids skipping school or something because we were doing whatever we wanted. :rolleyes1 We got back to Montana April 5 and are planning to stay here (just short trips in the RV) until summer of 2010 and then we want to do the northern states.
What a wonderful trip!

Retirement is coming for me, too, in maybe two or three more years. I have to work another 10 months before I can retire, anything after that is because I like my job! I think Jim and I would love to be able to travel around like you did!

Beth

[Pooh_Girl]

Angie-I am SO jealous!! I would love for Robby and I to be in that situation when we retire. I hope you guys continue to do this and have fun!!

[MrsMork]

What a wonderful trip!

Retirement is coming for me, too, in maybe two or three more years. I have to work another 10 months before I can retire, anything after that is because I like my job! I think Jim and I would love to be able to travel around like you did!

Beth

Angie-I am SO jealous!! I would love for Robby and I to be in that situation when we retire. I hope you guys continue to do this and have fun!!

We have a copy of the sign that is above the bed on the ships in our bedroom of the RV.....A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.......anyone can do this if they hang on to the dream.

We also have the DCL ships whistle on our airhorn! :lmao:

Beth, we also have our son and DIL living at our house so they can watch it for us while we are gone. You could have the same luxury of not having to worry about water damage, breakins, etc while you are gone. It is good for the kids also, they just pay the utilities, we provide the house. They are getting caught up $$ and hopefully will save some to buy their own home in a couple of years......ideally here in this neighborhood so they can still keep an eye on the house for us.

[BethC1952]

We have a copy of the sign that is above the bed on the ships in our bedroom of the RV.....A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes.......anyone can do this if they hang on to the dream.

We also have the DCL ships whistle on our airhorn! :lmao:

Beth, we also have our son and DIL living at our house so they can watch it for us while we are gone. You could have the same luxury of not having to worry about water damage, breakins, etc while you are gone. It is good for the kids also, they just pay the utilities, we provide the house. They are getting caught up $$ and hopefully will save some to buy their own home in a couple of years......ideally here in this neighborhood so they can still keep an eye on the house for us.

That's our plan, too. We're now in the process of buying the house we all live in...and it's going to be a long process, but we held out long enough that the price came down to a little less than we expected to pay! So we'll have a bit more traveling money in a couple of years. I can't wait. I've been out west, but Jim's never been off the East Coast.

Beth

[MrsMork]

That's our plan, too. We're now in the process of buying the house we all live in...and it's going to be a long process, but we held out long enough that the price came down to a little less than we expected to pay! So we'll have a bit more traveling money in a couple of years. I can't wait. I've been out west, but Jim's never been off the East Coast.

Beth

The Grand Canyon is the most breath taking place we saw. It is an absolute must do if you make it out west. I was there as a child, but did not appreciate the awesomeness of it and DrHug had never been. We just stood with our mouths open going "wow! for a long time.

[TheTXTaylors5]

The Grand Canyon is the most breath taking place we saw. It is an absolute must do if you make it out west. I was there as a child, but did not appreciate the awesomeness of it and DrHug had never been. We just stood with our mouths open going "wow! for a long time.

:thumbsup2 We were there this past March. We finally made it out to CA and visited Disneyland during Emily's Spring Break. Of course, we had to stop off at the Grand Canyon on the way home. It truly is an amazing place. Pictures don't do it justice.

The happy family at the Grand Canyon:
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/STP61021.jpg

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Angie,

I am so glad you are enjoying your retirement. That sounded like an amazing trip. Bill still talks about when the time comes ... He wants to buy an RV like y'all and travel the country. It sounds like you are doing exactly what he has planned for his retirement (many moons from now ;)). I'm glad you sold the house and have moved on to greener pastures. Enjoy!

:goodvibes Jennifer

[MrsMork]

Thanks, Jennifer. We really did have a great trip, although there were some trials along the way too, of course. By the way, Texas is the friendliest state we visited. San Angelo is the nicest city in the world!! I like the signs entering the state that say "Drive Friendly". Real nice!!

[brack]

The Grand Canyon is the most breath taking place we saw. It is an absolute must do if you make it out west. I was there as a child, but did not appreciate the awesomeness of it and DrHug had never been. We just stood with our mouths open going "wow! for a long time.

:thumbsup2 We were there this past March. We finally made it out to CA and visited Disneyland during Emily's Spring Break. Of course, we had to stop off at the Grand Canyon on the way home. It truly is an amazing place. Pictures don't do it justice.

The happy family at the Grand Canyon:
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/STP61021.jpg

:surfweb: Jennifer

A couple of years ago while we were still in Oklahoma we also drove to DL. We were going to stop on the way and stay in a lodge but we were caught in a blizzard :scared1: and could not get to the canyon. We stopped on the way back though and it was great. We want to go back for a longer time.

I forgot to add that was the trip we first met Dennis and Angie at DL. :hug:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b144/brackjr/scenes/IMG_5915.jpg

[brack]

Thanks, Jennifer. We really did have a great trip, although there were some trials along the way too, of course. By the way, Texas is the friendliest state we visited. San Angelo is the nicest city in the world!! I like the signs entering the state that say "Drive Friendly". Real nice!!

I hear that Tampa can be pretty friendly too :rolleyes1

[MrsMork]

I hear that Tampa can be pretty friendly too :rolleyes1

Sorry, double post

[MrsMork]

I hear that Tampa can be pretty friendly too :rolleyes1

Actually, except for Disney, Florida was our least favorite. :sad2:A month there convinced us that we would not want to live there, but rather continue to visit the Mouse. No offense meant to any Floridians. :flower3: Just was our experience. There is no "Drive Friendly" sign when you enter Florida! :scared:

[brack]

Actually, except for Disney, Florida was our least favorite. :sad2:A month there convinced us that we would not want to live there, but rather continue to visit the Mouse. No offense meant to any Floridians. :flower3: Just was our experience. There is no "Drive Friendly" sign when you enter Florida! :scared:

I promise that it will be friendlier by the end of June and I will be sure to put a "Drive Friendly" sign in my yard. :flower3:

[MrsMork]

I promise that it will be friendlier by the end of June and I will be sure to put a "Drive Friendly" sign in my yard. :flower3:

:rotfl2::rotfl::lmao:We will look for that sign next trip. :rotfl2: In all fairness to Tampa, we drove to that area the day before the Superbowl. :eek:We did not get to go to the game, but we did get to enjoy the traffic! Luckily we were in our little tow car, not the RV.

[plutojudy]

As most of you know Annette and I are ministers in The Salvation Army. Since joining the DISBoards we have been stationed in Oklahoma City and three years ago we were moved to Baltimore. I have worked in the finance section of the Army for over 12 years with Annette working in Women's Ministry. Today we were called and told that we are being moved ......



to ......



:banana: TAMPA, FLORIDA! :banana:

I'll be doing program work with men's ministry and Annette will continue to do women's ministry work. More to follow: :thumbsup2

WOW, just a couple hours to WDW and Florida residence rates for cruising!:banana:

[plutojudy]

Angie, it is so great to hear from you again and know all is going well. Life is good.

[TheTXTaylors5]

:confused3 I got a call from Emily's teacher yesterday ... the whole School District is closed this week. I thought the Swine Flu (H1N1) was winding down? :rolleyes1 I slyly asked Bill how busy his work week is. :sad2: He can't go away. Too much going on. It never hurts to ask. ;)

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Bill works from home on Mondays. I popped my head in to see how his work was going and guess what was on his screen?!?!?!?!?! Hotels for WDW. :cool1: Maybe, he heard me afterall!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rolleyes1

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

We are on our way tomorrow afternoon to ...

Walt Disney World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:banana: We arrive on Thursday and leave on Sunday. I can't wait to see the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. We were there last year and it was beautiful. Nothing like a last minute trip! ;) This should tie us over until we're there in June for Bill's birthday. Bill told me this is my Mother's Day present. He got a really great deal at PO - Riverside ($90 a night). We plan to buy AP while there. So, we'll be back in the AP club again. :cool1:

Thank you Bill! :love:

There is so much to do ... I just hopped online real quick to stop our mail. So, I thought I would pass along the great news to y'all. I'll report back next week how the trip went.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

Have fun!

[BethC1952]

We are on our way tomorrow afternoon to ...

Walt Disney World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:banana: We arrive on Thursday and leave on Sunday. I can't wait to see the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. We were there last year and it was beautiful. Nothing like a last minute trip! ;) This should tie us over until we're there in June for Bill's birthday. Bill told me this is my Mother's Day present. He got a really great deal at PO - Riverside ($90 a night). We plan to buy AP while there. So, we'll be back in the AP club again. :cool1:

Thank you Bill! :love:

There is so much to do ... I just hopped online real quick to stop our mail. So, I thought I would pass along the great news to y'all. I'll report back next week how the trip went.

:goodvibes Jennifer
What a great Mother's Day gift! Have a wonderful time!

Beth

[Pooh_Girl]

Have fun!!!! Hope you guys have a good trip and have a blast. Hope to see lots of pictures when you get back!!

[BethC1952]

Have fun!!!! Hope you guys have a good trip and have a blast. Hope to see lots of pictures when you get back!!
There'll be tons of pictures. Jim's Mother's Day gift to me is a new digital camera! I think it will get a REALLY good workout.

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

There'll be tons of pictures. Jim's Mother's Day gift to me is a new digital camera! I think it will get a REALLY good workout.

Beth

:sad2: I have been instructed to NOT bring my camera on this trip. Bill and the kids refuse to pose for pictures. However, I will sneak it in my purse. ;) I want "some" photographic memories of this trip.

Thank you for the well wishes. Look out Mickey, here were come! :woohoo:

:goodvibes Jennifer

PS - Yes, I have been spoiled having such a "Disney" hubby. I was half kidding about going to WDW this week. Glad he took me seriously. :rolleyes:

[BethC1952]

:sad2: I have been instructed to NOT bring my camera on this trip. Bill and the kids refuse to pose for pictures. However, I will sneak it in my purse. ;) I want "some" photographic memories of this trip.

Thank you for the well wishes. Look out Mickey, here were come! :woohoo:

:goodvibes Jennifer

PS - Yes, I have been spoiled having such a "Disney" hubby. I was half kidding about going to WDW this week. Glad he took me seriously. :rolleyes:
A few years ago Jim asked me where I wanted to have dinner for my birthday. I told him Boma. He surprised me with a weekend at WDW so that I could have my dinner!

I solved the problem of Jim not wanting to pose for pictures this trip by simply not bringing him. I did threaten to send him tons of pictures every day, though, so he could see how much fun I was having without him;).

Beth

[brack]

:sad2: I have been instructed to NOT bring my camera on this trip. Bill and the kids refuse to pose for pictures. However, I will sneak it in my purse. ;) I want "some" photographic memories of this trip. :rolleyes:


Don't let them pose just shoot candids. :rolleyes1 With digital you can take several at the same time and junk the really bad ones. :thumbsup2

[MrsMork]

Angie, it is so great to hear from you again and know all is going well. Life is good.

Life is good! Thank you! :hug:


:confused3 I got a call from Emily's teacher yesterday ... the whole School District is closed this week. I thought the Swine Flu (H1N1) was winding down? :rolleyes1 I slyly asked Bill how busy his work week is. :sad2: He can't go away. Too much going on. It never hurts to ask. ;)

:goodvibes Jennifer

Drat! :sad2:
We are on our way tomorrow afternoon to ...

Walt Disney World!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:banana: We arrive on Thursday and leave on Sunday. I can't wait to see the Flower and Garden Festival at Epcot. We were there last year and it was beautiful. Nothing like a last minute trip! ;) This should tie us over until we're there in June for Bill's birthday. Bill told me this is my Mother's Day present. He got a really great deal at PO - Riverside ($90 a night). We plan to buy AP while there. So, we'll be back in the AP club again. :cool1:

Thank you Bill! :love:

There is so much to do ... I just hopped online real quick to stop our mail. So, I thought I would pass along the great news to y'all. I'll report back next week how the trip went.

:goodvibes Jennifer

Yay!! :yay::woohoo::dance3:

Don't let them pose just shoot candids. :rolleyes1 With digital you can take several at the same time and junk the really bad ones. :thumbsup2

That is what Dennis says....however, he has yet to junk even one of the "really bad ones", we just have literally thousands of photos from each trip!! :rotfl2:

[TheTXTaylors5]

:yay: We're backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! :yay:

:wizard: Another magical trip! I'm working on a "mini" Trip Report. More info to come ...

:surfweb: Jennifer

[MrsMork]

Welocme back! Glad you had a good time. :thumbsup2

[brack]

That is what Dennis says....however, he has yet to junk even one of the "really bad ones", we just have literally thousands of photos from each trip!! :rotfl2:


I haven't junked any either. :confused3 Even the really blurry ones have some value. :rolleyes1

[MrsMork]

I haven't junked any either. :confused3 Even the really blurry ones have some value. :rolleyes1

Yep, that's what he says too. :lmao:

[BethC1952]

:yay: We're backkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk! :yay:

:wizard: Another magical trip! I'm working on a "mini" Trip Report. More info to come ...

:surfweb: Jennifer
Welcome back! I'm sure you had a wonderful time! I'll be heading out on Friday morning for my trip, and can't wait.

As for junking the "really bad pictures"---maybe I should try it sometime. I have more than 30,000 pictures stored. One of my favorite "interesting" pictures is a picture of my thumb, taken from the inside of a mesh bag. I guess I must have snapped it when I picked it up. It took me days to figure out what it was!:rotfl2:

Beth

[brack]

As for junking the "really bad pictures"---maybe I should try it sometime. I have more than 30,000 pictures stored. One of my favorite "interesting" pictures is a picture of my thumb, taken from the inside of a mesh bag. I guess I must have snapped it when I picked it up. It took me days to figure out what it was!:rotfl2:

Beth

:lmao:

[TheTXTaylors5]

Does anyone plan to purchase an AP before July 31st? If so, I have four (4) AP discount cards (10% off AP). PM me if interested. I can put them in the mail tomorrow (no cost to you.).

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Someone followed me home from WDW ...

http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/CopyofDisneyTripMay2009105.jpg

:goodvibes Isn't he the cutest? This was my Mother's Day present. We got him at the Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. We had heard about the Mickey gnomes. But, had the hardest time finding one. Most shops were out of them. As we were exiting WS at the International Gateway, Bill popped into the store there and they had only two (2) left. The last two in the park that day. I assume they have more now, but it was a hunt to find them last week. Now, I need to find a safe place in the backyard to place him. For now, he sits on the hutch in my entryway. Cole was the cutest today, he looked up and said "Mommy, a hidden Mickey!" Yes, we've taught him well. He knows what hidden Mickeys are and FASTPASSes (I'll get to that one in my Trip Report. :lmao:)

:surfweb: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Bill just sent me a link he was forwarded...

disneystore.com (http://www.disneystore.com/disney-parks/c/70992/)now sells items you could once only get in the parks or on Disney property (ie: Mickey ears, autograph books, monorail set, etc ...).

Check it out and let me know what you think.

:surfweb: Jennifer

[BethC1952]

OK, everybody!

I'll be out of here first thing tomorrow morning, and should arrive at Port Canaveral sometime Saturday afternoon. I have my new camera all packed and ready, I have lots of batteries and three 4GB memory cards. I think I'll have a good time!

Beth

[MrsMork]

Bill just sent me a link he was forwarded...

disneystore.com (http://www.disneystore.com/disney-parks/c/70992/)now sells items you could once only get in the parks or on Disney property (ie: Mickey ears, autograph books, monorail set, etc ...).

Check it out and let me know what you think.

:surfweb: Jennifer

I wasn't sure what I thought at first....maybe takes away some of the magic if you don't have to be there to buy this stuff. Then I saw the home decor stuff!! I think this is GREAT! There are so many kitchen items I want, but we can't afford to buy them all when we are also spending $$$$$ traveling. I am happy to see some of these things available! :dance3::yay:

[TheTXTaylors5]

I'm working on a Trip Report. Check it out here (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2177183).

:surfweb: Jennifer

[JsMom2]

Well we moved out our house on Thursday, and yesterday I shipped the car. It was a huge relief to get my housing deposit back, as I'd had to put down 6900 Euros!

I leave for San Antonio tomorrow. And then after my course will get to visit Pittsburgh and my new home!

Take care everyone!

Wendy

[BethC1952]

Wendy:

Good luck with your new home! Don't forget, you have friends here at the Jersey Shore when you need a "beach fix".

I'm here at the Radisson at the Port, waiting to watch Magic sail away. Tomorrow I won't be looking out the window at the ships, I'll be on the ship looking back at the resort!

I'll be taking tons of pictures and will be posting a trip report once we get back on Thursday!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

Well we moved out our house on Thursday, and yesterday I shipped the car. It was a huge relief to get my housing deposit back, as I'd had to put down 6900 Euros!

I leave for San Antonio tomorrow. And then after my course will get to visit Pittsburgh and my new home!

Take care everyone!

Wendy

:wizard: Have a safe trip back to the states. Sorry, we'll miss you in Texas. I know they are going to keep you busy busy. Wave to us as you fly over Dallas. ;)

Definitely let us know when you get settled into PA. Welcome back to the states! :hug:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

Wendy:

Good luck with your new home! Don't forget, you have friends here at the Jersey Shore when you need a "beach fix".

I'm here at the Radisson at the Port, waiting to watch Magic sail away. Tomorrow I won't be looking out the window at the ships, I'll be on the ship looking back at the resort!

I'll be taking tons of pictures and will be posting a trip report once we get back on Thursday!

Beth

:boat:Bon Voyage! :boat:

You are going to have a WONDERful time. Please dip your feet in the waters of Serenity Bay for me. :cloud9: We never got down there on our last Disney cruise. :guilty:

I can't wait to see your photos and hear all about your trip. :surfweb:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

Well we moved out our house on Thursday, and yesterday I shipped the car. It was a huge relief to get my housing deposit back, as I'd had to put down 6900 Euros!

I leave for San Antonio tomorrow. And then after my course will get to visit Pittsburgh and my new home!

Take care everyone!

Wendy

Safe travels!

[Pooh_Girl]

Well...We leave for Alaska today!!! Yippee!!! No work for 10 whole days!! :banana::woohoo::banana::woohoo: This will be my first time flying ever, and I'm not excited. I just have this vision of us spirling down in a firey heap. :lmao::lmao: Hopefully everything will go okay though.
We have good news to tell you guys. We've sold our house and made an offer on another one. We are really excited!!! Now we just have to figure out what bank we are going to go with for financing. I work at a bank, but we are getting the run around with the mortgage girl from the main branch. Hopefully we will figure it out today because when we get back we will have 19 days before we close on our house. I hope we have a place to live!!! :rotfl::rotfl:
We will tell you guys all about Alaska when we get back!!!

[plutojudy]

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to hear about your Alaska trip.
Congrats on selling the house and good luck on getting financing for the new one. I guess this means you have decided not to move to Florida.

[MrsMork]

Well...We leave for Alaska today!!! Yippee!!! No work for 10 whole days!! :banana::woohoo::banana::woohoo: This will be my first time flying ever, and I'm not excited. I just have this vision of us spirling down in a firey heap. :lmao::lmao: Hopefully everything will go okay though.
We have good news to tell you guys. We've sold our house and made an offer on another one. We are really excited!!! Now we just have to figure out what bank we are going to go with for financing. I work at a bank, but we are getting the run around with the mortgage girl from the main branch. Hopefully we will figure it out today because when we get back we will have 19 days before we close on our house. I hope we have a place to live!!! :rotfl::rotfl:
We will tell you guys all about Alaska when we get back!!!

Your work reminds me of a commercial I saw for Lending Tree. "But, you work here?" :lmao::lmao: :rotfl:

[TheTXTaylors5]

Well...We leave for Alaska today!!! Yippee!!! No work for 10 whole days!! :banana::woohoo::banana::woohoo: This will be my first time flying ever, and I'm not excited. I just have this vision of us spirling down in a firey heap. :lmao::lmao: Hopefully everything will go okay though.
We have good news to tell you guys. We've sold our house and made an offer on another one. We are really excited!!! Now we just have to figure out what bank we are going to go with for financing. I work at a bank, but we are getting the run around with the mortgage girl from the main branch. Hopefully we will figure it out today because when we get back we will have 19 days before we close on our house. I hope we have a place to live!!! :rotfl::rotfl:
We will tell you guys all about Alaska when we get back!!!

party: Congratulations on the house!!! party:

Have a great trip! I can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. Bon Voyage! :boat:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[brack]

Our life is so hectic now a days :confused: Annette just finished her Women's Retreat at camp so now we are in full on packing mode! :sick: The PODS in the driveway. I can't believe how much stuff there is. :guilty: Most of its my Disney "museum". We have been selling and giving away lots of things that we have hauled around for years. I'll be glad when we are finished. Our arrival date is somewhere around June 21st. :cheer2:

[TheTXTaylors5]

Our life is so hectic now a days :confused: Annette just finished her Women's Retreat at camp so now we are in full on packing mode! :sick: The PODS in the driveway. I can't believe how much stuff there is. :guilty: Most of its my Disney "museum". We have been selling and giving away lots of things that we have hauled around for years. I'll be glad when we are finished. Our arrival date is somewhere around June 21st. :cheer2:

Okay, all you DISers are moving. Is there something in the water?!?!?!?! Good luck with the move! :goodvibes

My Mom is in the process of pricing movers. Do they move PODS across the country???? (VA to TX) We were planning on heading to VA to help her pack (when the time comes). I was curious if PODS would be an option for her. We could help move the items into the crate in VA and then help move them out in TX. She will be in town this upcoming weekend. She's coming to watch my nephews for my sister and hopefully put money down on a new house that will be completed in August.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:thumbsup2 Summer has arrived in Texas! We finally went swimming for the first time in our pool on Saturday. :banana: We had a perfect hot and sunny day on Monday (Memorial Day). :cool2:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[MrsMork]

Okay, all you DISers are moving. Is there something in the water?!?!?!?! Good luck with the move! :goodvibes

My Mom is in the process of pricing movers. Do they move PODS across the country???? (VA to TX) We were planning on heading to VA to help her pack (when the time comes). I was curious if PODS would be an option for her. We could help move the items into the crate in VA and then help move them out in TX. She will be in town this upcoming weekend. She's coming to watch my nephews for my sister and hopefully put money down on a new house that will be completed in August.

:goodvibes Jennifer

You will have to check to POD website to see if they will move the POD. They did not from OR to MT, from OR yes but no PODS in MT yet. We are a large but unpopulated state. Many businesses are not interested in setting up shop up here. That is okay with us though, we don't need to be highly populated. :thumbsup2

[TheTXTaylors5]

:banana: Doing a happy dance. I just booked Bill and I (:woohoo: no kids!!!!) on an Adventures by Disney trip. We are doing the DIS Unplugged ABD California Backstage Magic Tour on April 13, 2010. We will have a little under a year to anticipate this trip. With the price, I will need all the time I can to save to pay for it! ;) Disney sure is proud of these trips. This will definitely be a "Once in a Lifetime Trip". :cloud9:

Here's the itinerary:

Day 1:
Arrive in Los Angeles
The Renaissance Hollywood Hotel
Welcome Dinner at Trastevere Ristorante

Day 2:
Behind the Scenes at The El Capitan Theatre
Backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live
The Jim Henson Company Studio Tour and Lunch
The Stars of Hollywood

Day 3:
Walt Disney Imagineering
Walt Disney Studios
Drive to Disneyland® Resort
Disney's Grand Californian Hotel® & Spa.
Welcome Reception at the Wine Cellar and Hook's Pointe
Evening at Disneyland® Park

Day 4:
Character Breakfast at Plaza Inn
VIP Custom Tour of Disneyland® Park
Lunch at Café Orleans
Afternoon and Evening in Disneyland® Resort
Privately guided VIP tour to Walt Disney's Apartment.

Day 5:
Character Breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen
Privately Guided VIP experience of Disney's California Adventure™ Park
Lunch and Afternoon On Your Own at the Disneyland® Resort
Farewell Dinner and Surprise

Day 6:
Character Breakfast at Storytellers Café
Transfer to the Airport

:goodvibes Jennifer

[plutojudy]

Sounds like fun. I know you will both enjoy it

[JsMom2]

Wow, everyone's been busy!

Can't wait to see all the photos from the Wonder and Alaska! I've only been on 1 Alaska cruise, years ago. But I still remember how beautiful it was!

Jennifer, you'll love the ABD trip! I warn you now though, they are addictive! I'm pretty sure we're going to do South Africa over Christmas in 2010.

I'm in PA now. I was crazy busy in Texas between the class, meeting with my assignments folks, getting new uniforms, and then getting an official photo in my new uniforms. I also went out to Best Buy to look at TVs and bought one that I'll pick up here later tonight. Then tomorrow I'll get my cable and internet hooked up at the house.

I finally got a chance to see the place I'm buying. It's tiny, but we really want to downsize. It'll be a good chance to get rid of all the extra stuff we don't need. And since I'm spending less than half of my housing allowance each month, we'll have more money for vacations! I actually started renting the place from the current owner as of last night, and then will close on it on July 3rd. I need to wait until 3 years have passed since I sold my last home, so that I qualify as a "1st time" home buyer. :thumbsup2

I went into the squadron today, and met with the commander that I'll be replacing. I'll be taking over one of the best recruiting squadrons in the Air Force! I can't wait to get into the job! I found out we'll have to reschedule our Labor Day trip to AKV though, because our squadron will be at the big air show in Dayton OH that weekend! I already got a sneak peek at the cool trucks and trailers we have to take with us there! When I was in Texas I bought Jasmine a t-shirt to wear at the Air Shows. The front says "Got Liberty?" and the back says "Courtesy of my Mom in the United States Air Force." She can help us pass out brochures and goodies!

I'm going to double-check the calendar tomorrow, but I think we'll be moving our trip to 18-21 Sept. Air Tran has some non-stop flights from PIT. And we can leave at 4pm on the Friday, and be back by 10am on the Monday. That way Jasmine will only miss a few hours of school each day.

Well I better get to Best Buy to pickup my TV. Then back home to my air mattress.....

Take care everyone!

Wendy

[brack]

Okay, all you DISers are moving. Is there something in the water?!?!?!?! Good luck with the move! :goodvibes

My Mom is in the process of pricing movers. Do they move PODS across the country???? (VA to TX) We were planning on heading to VA to help her pack (when the time comes). I was curious if PODS would be an option for her. We could help move the items into the crate in VA and then help move them out in TX. She will be in town this upcoming weekend. She's coming to watch my nephews for my sister and hopefully put money down on a new house that will be completed in August.

:goodvibes Jennifer

We moved from Oklahoma City to Baltimore and now from here to Tampa. PODS is not in every city but does go to most good sized markets. It is the best way to move!

[brack]

:banana: Doing a happy dance. I just booked Bill and I (:woohoo: no kids!!!!) on an Adventures by Disney trip. We are doing the DIS Unplugged ABD California Backstage Magic Tour on April 13, 2010. We will have a little under a year to anticipate this trip. With the price, I will need all the time I can to save to pay for it! ;) Disney sure is proud of these trips. This will definitely be a "Once in a Lifetime Trip". :cloud9:

:goodvibes Jennifer

WOW! :worship: Can't wait to see the trip report. :surfweb:

[TheTXTaylors5]

We moved from Oklahoma City to Baltimore and now from here to Tampa. PODS is not in every city but does go to most good sized markets. It is the best way to move!

:thumbsup2 I'll check into it for her. Thanks!

My Mom officially put money down on a new house here in Frisco, Texas. It should be completed in August. It is a 55 and over community, which is like where she lives now. She has been dragging her feet on the move. It is very difficult for her as expected. My Step-Dad's gravesite is at Quantico. So, she won't get to visit him that often. Maybe, once a year now. Also, she is selling the house they lived in. So many memories.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

WOW! :worship: Can't wait to see the trip report. :surfweb:

:banana: I can't wait to go on this trip! :thumbsup2 I'll definitely be doing a Trip Report.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[MrsMork]

:thumbsup2 I'll check into it for her. Thanks!

My Mom officially put money down on a new house here in Frisco, Texas. It should be completed in August. It is a 55 and over community, which is like where she lives now. She has been dragging her feet on the move. It is very difficult for her as expected. My Step-Dad's gravesite is at Quantico. So, she won't get to visit him that often. Maybe, once a year now. Also, she is selling the house they lived in. So many memories.

:goodvibes Jennifer

Our best to your mom. :grouphug: Those life transitions are so difficult. It should help her to be near you and the grandkids though.

[BethC1952]

I'm back!

Just a quick trip report here....IT RAINED!!!!

Yes, my friends, it rained EVERY day of my two week trip:sad2:. Some days (including our Castaway Cay day) it rained all day. While the ship did dock at Castaway Cay, it was raining so hard that very few people even bothered to leave the ship. I've never seen anything like it!

The onboard activities were fun, though, and our sideways Cat. 11 room was great. I have tons of pictures to post, including some photos and videos of "the monsoon of the day" from WDW.

In spite of the interesting weather, we did have a good time. We managed to get trapped for an hour and a half on the boat dock at Hollywood Studios due to the rain, and the fact that we couldn't go back to the buses because we didn't want to chance taking Leslie's ECV out in that kind of rain.

Beth

[JsMom2]

Dear Friends,
I just found out from her Facebook page that Stacy's son passed away. He died a week after his 19th birthday.

I cannot imagine how devasting this would be. I wanted to let you know so you can keep her and her hubby in your prayers.

Wendy

[BethC1952]

Dear Friends,
I just found out from her Facebook page that Stacy's son passed away. He died a week after his 19th birthday.

I cannot imagine how devasting this would be. I wanted to let you know so you can keep her and her hubby in your prayers.

Wendy

How sad! I will keep them in my prayers.

Beth

Edited to add:
Here is the text of his obituary. I'm not sure if you can still send condolences through the website.

Nuccio, Damien A.
View/Sign Guest Book
(Asbury Park Press)

DAMIEN A. NUCCIO
AGE: 19 ISLAND HEIGHTS
Damien A. Nuccio, 19, of Island Heights, passed away Wednesday, May 13, 2009, at Community Medical Center, Toms River. Damien was a student at Ocean County College and worked at the Island café in Toms River and was an EMT with the Island Heights First Aid Squad. He was a 2008 graduate of Central Regional High School. He had earned his Black Belt in Karate. Born in Toms River, he was a lifelong resident of Island Heights.
He is survived by his parents, Andrew and Stacy of Island Heights; his brother and sisters, Zack, Victoria, and Brittany Mazen, all of Arizona; his maternal grandmother, Diane McColley of Toms River; his maternal grandfather, Rich McColley of Fords; his paternal grandparents, Andrew and Jackie Nuccio of Breckenridge, Colo.; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends.
Visitation will be from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, May 17 at Kedz Funeral Home, 1123 Hooper Ave., Toms River. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Island Heights First Aid Squad, P. O. Box 1027, Island Heights, NJ 08732. To send condolences, please visit the funeral home's website at www.kedzfuneralhome.com.

[plutojudy]

Oh no! How sad. I am so sorry to hear this news.

[TheTXTaylors5]

Dear Friends,
I just found out from her Facebook page that Stacy's son passed away. He died a week after his 19th birthday.

I cannot imagine how devasting this would be. I wanted to let you know so you can keep her and her hubby in your prayers.

Wendy

Wendy,

Thank you for passing on the sad news. I am honestly in shocked. I know Stacy is heartbroken. I feel for her. She had gone through so much with Damien's Dad. She and Damien had such a great bond. He was a really good kid with a bright future ahead of him. He will definitely be dearly missed. :sad1:

Beth,

Thank you for the Funeral Home link. I sent our family's condolences.

- Jennifer

[Pooh_Girl]

Hello Everyone!! We're back!!! Alaska was absolutely beautiful. If you ever have the chance to go there, definately do it. It was awesome!!! Our trip was the exact opposite of Beth's. We had maybe 15 seconds of rain the entire trip. It was really warm and sunny the whole time. We really lucked out with the weather. I'm going to try to post some pictures to photobucket sometime. I will say one thing though, if you ever do an Alaskan cruise, don't go with your inlaws and don't go on the Rhapsody of the Seas. It was very disappointing. We had some bad experiences with the service and the food was pretty bad. It was an older ship and it just wasn't layed out well. The rooms were tiny, there was only 2 places to eat, and you had to go out on a manhunt to find someone to get a soda after paying almost $50 for a sodacard!!! I know that Wendy has had some good experiences with RC, and I might try them again, but it will definately be on a newer ship. The ports were really great though and we made the best time out of the circumstances we had.

[Pooh_Girl]

Dear Friends,
I just found out from her Facebook page that Stacy's son passed away. He died a week after his 19th birthday.

I cannot imagine how devasting this would be. I wanted to let you know so you can keep her and her hubby in your prayers.

Wendy

Thanks for posting this Wendy. That is so sad for something like this to happen to someone so young. We will definately keep Stacy and her family in our prayers. :grouphug:

[BethC1952]

Hello Everyone!! We're back!!! Alaska was absolutely beautiful. If you ever have the chance to go there, definately do it. It was awesome!!! Our trip was the exact opposite of Beth's. We had maybe 15 seconds of rain the entire trip. It was really warm and sunny the whole time. We really lucked out with the weather..

So the next time I want a warm, sunny vacation I think I'll go to Alaska!!!:rotfl:

I just had someone offer to add us to a group booking for the new "Oasis of the Seas" on RC next May. The price is really good, the timing isn't really great, so I'll have to think about it. Jim is a little less enthusiastic...the group is a Police Officer group, and he has a big thing about not liking police officers (or any other authority figures). I think it's a left-over from growing up in the '60's!:lovestruc

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

So the next time I want a warm, sunny vacation I think I'll go to Alaska!!!:rotfl:

Beth


:lmao:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[Pooh_Girl]

Well...we are getting our house appraised in 7 minutes. Everyone please pray for us that everything goes okay and it appraised for around what we asked for it. This is the last thing we are waiting on and I am REALLY nervous about it. We've never done this before and we really don't know what to expect.

[plutojudy]

Well...we are getting our house appraised in 7 minutes. Everyone please pray for us that everything goes okay and it appraised for around what we asked for it. This is the last thing we are waiting on and I am REALLY nervous about it. We've never done this before and we really don't know what to expect.

:wizard: pixie dust.

[BethC1952]

Well...we are getting our house appraised in 7 minutes. Everyone please pray for us that everything goes okay and it appraised for around what we asked for it. This is the last thing we are waiting on and I am REALLY nervous about it. We've never done this before and we really don't know what to expect.

Good luck! I'm praying for you. Don't forget to let us know that all went well!

Beth

[MrsMork]

Well...we are getting our house appraised in 7 minutes. Everyone please pray for us that everything goes okay and it appraised for around what we asked for it. This is the last thing we are waiting on and I am REALLY nervous about it. We've never done this before and we really don't know what to expect.

Prayers, Pixie Dust, and crossing fingers and toes!

[RBennett]

Well... we haven't heard anything yet. We received a call from our buyer tonight at about 8:30 saying that the appraiser is needing to look in our shed for the rest of the appraisal. That kind of hacked us off because they were here at 9:00 this morning; why wait 12 hours to tell us??!! :confused3:mad: And then the other thing that is REALLY hacking us off is that it seems like everytime our buyer has an inspector or appraiser come out, they keep telling us "Oh, there are some other things that they found that have to be done before closing since it's an FHA loan." I'm starting to think that selling this as an FHA loan may have been a mistake. :sad2: And the thing is, they keep telling us that there are things that need to be done before we close, but we're scheduled to close in about a week and a half and they haven't told us ANYTHING really that needs to be done! And we can't push the closing back any more!! :headache: So now I'm worried that since they're doing this as an FHA, what if their bank requires certain repairs be made (like HUD does) before they can give the loan??? Then this whole thing could fall through! :guilty:

[MrsMork]

Make sure that any repairs are required by the lender, NOT wanted by the buyer!
We had a nightmare sale last summer. We accepted a VERY low offer and countered with, "ok, but for that price the sale is AS IS". They accepted that then we went back and forth to addendum J saying this and that needed to be replaced before it finally closed. I kept saying what part of as is don't they understand to our realtor. Besides, the roof they said needed to be replaced was only 3 years old, the heat pump was 4 years old, the deck and flooring 3 years or less. Just wanting to get an even lower price. None of this required by the lender. It didn't work, Dennis finally told our realtor to either get them to close or dump the deal. ARGH!! Then they closed. Good luck.

[TheTXTaylors5]

princess: Tina and Robby pirate:

Good luck with the "rest" of the appraisal. :flower3:

We're keeping our fingers crossed over here for y'all and sending lots of pixie dust your way! :wizard:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:surfweb: Checking in to see how everyone is doing.

princess: Tina and Robby pirate:
How did the appraisal go? We're still over here keeping our fingers crossed for y'all.

princess: Wendy princess:
I assume you are all settled into your new home and job. Keep us posted!

pirate: Brack pirate:
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for the package I received the other day (or rather the kids received ;)). Please PM how much I owe you and confirm a mailing address for the check. :flower3:

:woohoo: We head to WDW bright and early Saturday morning. This is Bill's 40th Birthday trip. My young whipper snapper is turning the BIG 40. Where does the time go? Bill and I were sitting on the couch the other night looking at Will (who turned 9 in April) shaking our heads at how big the kids are getting. Time goes by so quickly. :scared:

Speaking of kids ... Beth, how are those grandbabies? :cutie:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

:worship: I don't think we will ever venture away from Disney Cruise Line. Initially, we were booked with "another" cruise line for our November cruise. Bill informed me yesterday, we are now back with DCL for our November cruise. :banana: I honestly was not all that jazzed about the other cruise anyway. Also, not getting to visit Serenity Bay on our September cruise left us wanting "more". The "more" was another Disney cruise! ;) Cole will be old enough to be in the Oceaneer's Club full time. So, we won't have to mess with Flounder's anymore. Yea!!!!!!!! I can't wait! Stepping back on a Disney ship is like being home again. And they say ... "There's no place like home." :cloud9:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[Pooh_Girl]

Hey Everyone!!! :wave2: Sorry we haven't updated in a while. Everything has been just CRAZY around here. Well...We didn't get the house. It turns out there was a problem with the house we were looking to buy. Apparently when you get an FHA loan the house you are looking to buy can't have any transactions on it 90 days or more before closing. Unfortunately ours did when the builder bought it back from the guy that owned the house before. We found all this out this past Monday morning a week before we were supposed to close on everything. Luckily, the couple who was supposed to buy our house was old college/high school friends so they totally understood. I was just in shock that happened, but now all I feel about the whole situation is relief. This whole process was just a nightmare from the very beginning. I just told Robby that maybe that means bigger and better things are in the future (like Florida :thumbsup2). So now I'm in the process of unpacking everything. It just stinks that I had over half of our house packed up and now I have to put it all back, but at least it's giving me the opportunity to organize things a little bit better.
So thanks everyone for all the pixie dust!!! pixiedust:

[BethC1952]

:surfweb: ..... This is Bill's 40th Birthday trip. My young whipper snapper is turning the BIG 40. Where does the time go? Bill and I were sitting on the couch the other night looking at Will (who turned 9 in April) shaking our heads at how big the kids are getting. Time goes by so quickly. :scared:

Speaking of kids ... Beth, how are those grandbabies? :cutie:

:goodvibes Jennifer
See my new countdown! This will be Jim's BIG 60 birthday surprise! He thinks that I'm shopping around for a four night cruise and then going back to WDW for a night. He doesn't know that I've already booked the cruise and the night before at the airport Hyatt. We're obviously going on a seven-night Western cruise and then I think we'll go to WDW for three or four nights. I really thought about booking on Royal Caribbean. They sail out of Bayonne, which is less than an hour from home, and the price is significantly less. But at the very last minute, I decided that it isn't Disney, even though it would be a lot less money. You're right. There's no place like home!

The babies are doing really well--both teething, both starting to sit up and to crawl. I've got a few new pictures to post, but I haven't had time to download them from my camera! Thanks for asking about them!

Beth

[MrsMork]

Hey Everyone!!! :wave2: Sorry we haven't updated in a while. Everything has been just CRAZY around here. Well...We didn't get the house. It turns out there was a problem with the house we were looking to buy. Apparently when you get an FHA loan the house you are looking to buy can't have any transactions on it 90 days or more before closing. Unfortunately ours did when the builder bought it back from the guy that owned the house before. We found all this out this past Monday morning a week before we were supposed to close on everything. Luckily, the couple who was supposed to buy our house was old college/high school friends so they totally understood. I was just in shock that happened, but now all I feel about the whole situation is relief. This whole process was just a nightmare from the very beginning. I just told Robby that maybe that means bigger and better things are in the future (like Florida :thumbsup2). So now I'm in the process of unpacking everything. It just stinks that I had over half of our house packed up and now I have to put it all back, but at least it's giving me the opportunity to organize things a little bit better.
So thanks everyone for all the pixie dust!!! pixiedust:


I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you thought it would, but I'm glad that you are ok with the way it did work out. And, yes, you DO have better things ahead.

[Pooh_Girl]

I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you thought it would, but I'm glad that you are ok with the way it did work out. And, yes, you DO have better things ahead.

We did have some options to get this house, but we wouldn't be getting it at the 4.5% interest rate that we had locked in. Instead it would be around 6%, and we just couldn't justify that. So we decided to just stay where we are, have a really cheap house payment, and go on more vacations!!! :woohoo: I also told Robby that maybe our bigger and better thing later on WILL be moving to Florida. Not giving up the dream yet!!! :rotfl:

[brack]

:woohoo: I also told Robby that maybe our bigger and better thing later on WILL be moving to Florida. Not giving up the dream yet!!! :rotfl:

We'll be at our new home in Florida on Sunday :woohoo: I'll save a place for you! :thumbsup2

[BethC1952]

We did have some options to get this house, but we wouldn't be getting it at the 4.5% interest rate that we had locked in. Instead it would be around 6%, and we just couldn't justify that. So we decided to just stay where we are, have a really cheap house payment, and go on more vacations!!! :woohoo: I also told Robby that maybe our bigger and better thing later on WILL be moving to Florida. Not giving up the dream yet!!! :rotfl:
Sorry it didn't work out, but you surely have a good attitude!

We'll be at our new home in Florida on Sunday :woohoo: I'll save a place for you! :thumbsup2
Good luck with your moving!

I really dislike moving, so I'm glad we decided to stay where we are!

Beth

[plutojudy]

[COLOR="Blue"]We'll be at our new home in Florida on Sunday :woohoo: ]

How exciting, you will now live many of our dreams. One hour from WDW. Be safe!
How is JoJo?

[TheTXTaylors5]

How is JoJo?

I second that, how is JoJo the DISdog?

We dropped our JJ off this afternoon to the boarder. He had been "pouty" the past couple of day. Ever since I took our Disney luggage out. He knew he was off to the boarder soon. :guilty:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

I just told Robby that maybe that means bigger and better things are in the future (like Florida :thumbsup2).

:thumbsup2 I agree. Sorry things didn't work out. But, I believe things happen for a reason. Maybe, we'll all be knocking on your door in Florida one day ... ;) Keep the dream alive. :wizard:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[pfishgirl]

Hello Everyone...

I wanted to say Hi and Thank each and every one of you for your condolences on the loss of our son. It was sudden and unexpected and we are still in shock. I found him myself, in his room, but he was already gone. He was fine at 11:30am and when I got back from running errands at 1pm it was already too late. What makes it worse is, the autopsy reports take 12 weeks to come back.

I just got a copy from the funeral home of the obituary and the comments made by everyone.. Thank You.. :grouphug:

I did ask the Tag Fairy today and received a nice green tag, Damien's favorite color, and his picture is my avatar..

There is a Memorial Tribute Video on You Tube, it's called Damien Nuccio We Love You..

Again, Thank You,

:flower3:

I have a myspace and a facebook account account if you had one, feel free to add me..

[pfishgirl]

sorry, didn't mean to kill the thread :guilty:

[shoes99]

Hello Everyone...

I wanted to say Hi and Thank each and every one of you for your condolences on the loss of our son. It was sudden and unexpected and we are still in shock. I found him myself, in his room, but he was already gone. He was fine at 11:30am and when I got back from running errands at 1pm it was already too late. What makes it worse is, the autopsy reports take 12 weeks to come back.

I just got a copy from the funeral home of the obituary and the comments made by everyone.. Thank You.. :grouphug:

I did ask the Tag Fairy today and received a nice green tag, Damien's favorite color, and his picture is my avatar..

There is a Memorial Tribute Video on You Tube, it's called Damien Nuccio We Love You..

Again, Thank You,

:flower3:

I have a myspace and a facebook account account if you had one, feel free to add me..

Dear Niece Stacy, thanks again for the information. Our hearts are broken.
I'll check the Memorial Tribute Video
Aunt Michele

[JoiseyMom]

sorry, didn't mean to kill the thread :guilty:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug::grouphug:

[JoiseyMom]

Hey guys, really...thanks for letting me know where you went! (Thanks Beth!)

Things here are hectic. Kids just finished school...Hal started a new job in May. I am trying to find a job...not much around locally.. and I really don't want to do retail.

So...btw...since the posts from the pinkster are gong..what did it say?? Someone can pm me that info if they would like.

[BethC1952]

Hey guys, really...thanks for letting me know where you went! (Thanks Beth!)

Things here are hectic. Kids just finished school...Hal started a new job in May. I am trying to find a job...not much around locally.. and I really don't want to do retail.

So...btw...since the posts from the pinkster are gong..what did it say?? Someone can pm me that info if they would like.

Glad you found us!

It's tough trying to find a job around here right now. How far are you willing to travel? If I hear of anything, I'll let you know!

Beth

[MrsMork]

sorry, didn't mean to kill the thread :guilty:

Not at all, Stacy! :grouphug: And if there is anything at all that we can do to help you through this please, please don't hesitate to ask.

[pfishgirl]

Not at all, Stacy! :grouphug: And if there is anything at all that we can do to help you through this please, please don't hesitate to ask.

Thank You.. :grouphug:

[TheTXTaylors5]

Hello Everyone...


Stacy,

Thank you for posting. :hug:

We've been thinking about you and your family. Hearing about your loss was a shock to all of us. When you talked about Damien, your face would glow of such pride. I know your heart will always have a piece missing and that truly saddens me.

You and your family will always be in our thoughts and prayers. :grouphug:

With Deepest Sympathy,
:flower3: Jennifer

[TheTXTaylors5]

We are back from a hot and humid week in Florida. Note to self ... NEVER VISIT WDW IN THE SUMMER AGAIN!!!!!!! :scared:

I am working on a Trip Report and will post it soon. :wizard:

:surfweb: Jennifer

[pfishgirl]

It's still hot and humid in Disney.. :scared:

Andy and I and our son's 2 best girl friends, decided to drive from NJ to FL.. Well, in Virgina, we were in a car accident and my car was TOTALED!! :headache: Thank Goodness no one was hurt..

17 year old girl, sped up, switched lanes, didn't pay attention that traffic was at a complete stop and never even braked.. Slammed into the rear end of us sending us in the rear end of the car in front of us.. :mad:

Again, No one was hurt.. thank goodness

[plutojudy]

Wow, I am glad no one was hurt. Did you continue on to Florida with a rental?

[Pooh_Girl]

Jennifer-
I'm glad you guys had a good time. I'm sorry it was so hot and humid though. The very first time I went with Robby and his family, we went during the summer and I vowed to never go during that time of year again. I can't wait to read the TR!!

Stacy-
We have been keeping you in our thoughts and prayers. :grouphug: If there is anything you need, just let us know. I'm so sorry about your car accident. :scared1: I'm really glad everyone was okay.

[BethC1952]

Our very first visit to WDW was also our first trip to FL. We went the first week in July (1978). We never went in the summer again. Jim got heat exhaustion and was sick for the whole two weeks of our vacation. Now we're winter/spring people on the whole!

Beth

[brack]

It's not been hot and humid here in the Tampa area for several days. The nights have been kind of nice. :worship: It did rain like crazy today! :eek:

The news said that there was a "mini" tornado near here and the thought struck me that they should visit Oklahoma where that "mini" is just a stiff breeze! :rolleyes1

[Pooh_Girl]

I know this is early, but if I don't do it now I'll totally forget...
:jumping1:Happy 4th of July!!!!!!:jumping1:

[BethC1952]

Likewise, I'm sure!

I have to work tomorrow (fun stuff, but still work). I'll be on the boardwalk all day working with the Environmental Commission here in town.

Everyone enjoy whatevery you plan to do tomorrow, and stay safe!

Beth

[TheTXTaylors5]

Sorry it's late but ...

Happy Fourth of July!
http://i140.photobucket.com/albums/r23/TXTaylors5/4th-July-Mickey-Donald-Rocket-1.jpg

:flower3: I hope everyone had a nice 4th of July weekend. It was a beautiful day here in Texas on Saturday. The sun was shining and the pool was very inviting. :cool2: Bill and I host an annual bbq and swim party every 4th. He jokes with me that I had to get the "fake house" ready for the party. Don't get me wrong, I keep a clean and tidy house. But I have to admit, when we have guests coming over I go the extra mile for a spotless house. Just as he does with the yard. If anyone has seen Everybody Loves Raymond, there's a funny episode on this subject. Bill nudged me when we were watching it. :rotfl:

:umbrella: Sunday was a gloomy day around here. It rained pretty much most of the day. With the chaos in the house the day before, we decided to get out of the house and take the kids to the movies. We went to see Up in 3D. :3dglasses Bill made a very funny joke after paying for the tickets. It was three extra dollars per ticket because it was in Disney 3D. He walked away from the ticket booth and said 3D stands for three extra dollars in Disney's case. :rotfl2: Also, when the coming attractions were playing one of the announcements were that you could put your 3D glasses in a bin aftering exiting for them to be recycled. A man behind me shouted, "I paid three dollars for these glasses. I'm keeping them!" :lmao: Have any of you seen the movie Up? The beginning is sooooooooo sad. :sad1: There was a woman sitting next to me with her daughter. I could hear the Mom over there sniffling from crying. :confused3 I glanced down at Bill and whispered, "This is a kid movie?" It did pick-up and the beginning scenes were crucial to plot of the movie. It was a very cute and moving story. Definitely an adult and kid movie. However, I didn't see where the 3D enhanced the movie? Bill took Will to see Monsters vs Aliens in 3D and said that movie was pretty cool in 3D. I have to take Emily on a "girls day" to the movies before it is out of the theatres.

:goodvibes Jennifer

[JsMom2]

Hey all!
We went to see Up last weekend also. I'd been warned it was sad, so I was prepared for the beginning. I told Jasmine that the reason they're coming out with all of these 3D movies is to give people a reason to come to the theatres. Because most of the time, I'd just as soon wait and watch the movies in the comfort of my own home.

We're in our house, and got most of our Household Goods delivered. I'm still waiting for my exercise equipment to be put back together though, and I have more stuff that I left in storage when I went overseas. We're seriously downsizing here, so I've already gotten rid of about 500 lbs of the stuff we brought back from Belgium! But I love our little house, it's really a nice change. The area is beautiful, and our neighbors are all very warm and friendly.

Jasmine flew back to Belgium today to spend the next month or so with her Dad. So next week I'll be hitting the road to go out and visit my recruiters.

Well it's an early day for me tomorrow, so I better start getting ready for it.

Take care everyone!
Wendy

[brack]

Hey all!

We're in our house, and got most of our Household Goods delivered. I'm still waiting for my exercise equipment to be put back together though, and I have more stuff that I left in storage when I went overseas. We're seriously downsizing here, so I've already gotten rid of about 500 lbs of the stuff we brought back from Belgium! But I love our little house, it's really a nice change.

Take care everyone!
Wendy

Welcome home Wendy! :hug:

I understand the "downsizing" :thumbsup2 We are doing the same thing here in Florida. Annette and I agreed that we will put up in the house and office only the things we really want to keep. The rest is headed for Ebay! pirate:

If you all visit the "World" let us know and we'll see if we can meet up.

[TheTXTaylors5]

:banana: Happy Monday All! :banana:

We had another scorcher weekend here in Texas. It was well over a hundred all weekend. We attended a wedding on Saturday afternoon/evening. It was one of Bill's nephew getting married. You know your getting old when all of your husband's nieces and nephews start getting married. Since there was a dinner reception after the ceremony, all the boys were dressed up and in ties. I felt bad for them because it was still hot. Emily and I got to wear cooler sundresses. Sometimes, it pays to be female. princess:

We relaxed around the house on Sunday and swam for a bit. After lunch, Bill and I popped in a dvd from Netflix and sent the kids upstairs to play. We watched The Wrestler. Have any of you seen it? I could have done without the strip club scenes. It was still a good movie. Sad, but good.

My birthday is coming up next weekend. I don't know what Bill has planned. However, I do know there will be a cheesecake involved. He always makes my annual birthday cheesecake. I can't wait! :woohoo:

Have a great week everyone! :flower3:

:goodvibes Jennifer

[brack]

We're coming to see you in Texas soon! :yay: A friend is getting married on the 8th of August and we're staying with our son for a few days. :woohoo:

How about making sure it cools off a bit before we get there? :flower3:

[TheTXTaylors5]

We're coming to see you in Texas soon! :yay: A friend is getting married on the 8th of August and we're staying with our son for a few days. :woohoo:

How about making sure it cools off a bit before we get there? :flower3:

:cool2: Make sure to pack your sunscreen. As I am sure your son has told you, IT IS HOT!!!! :scared: The weather forecast has been well over a hundred degrees every day with no end in sight. It will only get hotter in August. You'll be begging to go back to Florida. How is the weather where you live? We couldn't stand the heat and humidity at WDW a few weeks ago. Do you live closer to the coast with some form of a breeze and air to bring down the humidity?

:goodvibes Jennifer