EWP group?

[IASW Rider]

Yes, Edcrbnsoul - wasn't it a perfect time to party - celebrating not only all of your arrivals at WDW, but also Castlegazer's very special upcoming "arrival", last night??!! :) We'll have to think of some more excuses to celebrate, tonight! How about a cruise on Bay Lake, including more "nightcaps", when you've all finished with your other evening adventures?

Hi Everyone!

WOW - lots of activity, here in the Suite! Thanks for telling us about your trip, Emily! And it's not "boring" in the least - we love to hear about everyone's trips! The Villas at the WL sound wonderful.........Frank and I dream that that will eventually be our "DVC Home"...........if ever we join.........! :) I'm with Linda - I don't think that I would "do" very well at Universal / IOA. I was at Universal once, many years ago, just after it opened (and way before IOA opened). I'm better sticking with IASW........that's more my "speed"! :)

Don't worry about "venting", Caroline - that's what we're here for - you can tell us anything, any time! I absolutely sympathize with what you and your track friends must be feeling, with regard to Mr. Lablanc and his other team. That doesn't sound very fair at all. Can he DO that - just make up a new team and "steal" many of your existing team's athletes??? Isn't there some sort of governing organization that should be regulating things like those?? I'm sorry that you're disappointed in a way that he didn't invite you to be part of his team. BUT you are loyal and you are strong in your convictions, and I think that you're absolutely right in saying that you wouldn't have joined his team even if he HAD asked you. You just keep running and working on all of your events and try to ignore all of the "politics" that this "split" has created. You obviously love your sport and are loyal to your team. So try as best you can to put aside the animosity and "weirdness" of the situation, concentrate on the sport that you love, and enjoy it! I know that that might sound "easier said than done", but it would be such a shame to have that situation put a damper on your upcoming season. Plus YOU know that you are a fantastic runner and athlete and you take pride in your work - THAT'S the important thing!

Linda - YOU'RE the great trivia champion - not me - my contest win was just a crazy NJ fluke! :)

I also like reading books over and over again, Elaine! That's why I tend to buy them instead of going to the library. Any time I find a book I really like at the library, I wind up buying it anyway! :) 75% off? I'm going to have to start tagging along on your shopping trips!

Hi out there, Colleen, Angie, Wendy, and Depply! :)

Not too much doing here - just finally "buckling down" and starting serious work on my grad school application!

Hope that you're all having a great day! The weather is very WDW-like, here, today - 85 degrees, sunny, and humid! But that's OK - again, it helps us to pretend that we are still on vacation! :)

[TalkisCheap]

Well, just another bad thing happened today. One of My best friends(I haven't talked to her in a few days) joined Mr. Lablanc's team. I cuoldn't believe it, but it really is true. I'm so disappointed in her. I'm really mad. I mean we both decided to do this together and I guess she would rather run on his team than with me, and I thought we were good friends. Apparently she'd rather be on that team, and I'm not alright with her decision. I don't know what I'm going to say to her when I do see her because I'm just so mad, and hurt right now. Mr. Lablanc is basically cutting our town down the middle into the 'good' runners and the rest of us. He is causing so many problems and it's all for his own ego. He is on a powertrip and that caused my friendship's break. But it isn't all his fault. Ifshe really was as good a friend as I thought, she would have chosen me over his team. I guess I'm just mixed up in something I don't like and now it really does involve me. Anyway...


I'm not going to let this affect me. I'm going to have fun with Matt, Shawn, Will, and Vicki who are doing track with me and not let them bother me. I'm going to do my best. It really would just give me so much satisfaction if he does ask me to be on his team next year to look him straight in the eye and say "No!"


It was VERY warm here, today. I'm not sure of the temperature, and it probably just felt so hott because we are in Maine and we're not used to it. But I didn't mind, I like summer, and this just makes it feel more like summer! It is cooling off nicely though, tonight so I like that. I just love sitting here with the windows open, a slight breeze carrying the scent of lilacs just blowing around. Ahh, this is the life!!

[helenabear]

Linda, I have a library very close by that I can go to. But honestly I don't mind buying books at this point in my life since we are young and don't have all that many (if you know what I mean). Some day I will get to your point I think. I also can sell some books back to Half Price later if I get tired of seeing them. I admit when I wanted to read Devil wears Prada, it was 10 PM on a Sat night so the only place to even think about going to was Half Price

I have to ask about the Davinci Code.... some one told me it was a murder mystery... is that right? I don't do those very well :o

Caroline... that sounds awful what that guy is doing!!! Aren't there other schools you need to be affliated with to run though? I am a bit lost because I had never heard of it outside a school (I knew some who went to private or home schooled who were able to run with public so that is where my thought is coming from). Sounds like he will be setting himself up for disappointment some day... But I am so sorry that your friend joined his team... just have fun doing what you do and I am sure all will work out for the best :hug:
I love the color you picked for your room! I really need to paint around here... only have two colors picked though. I should pick the rest of the house :eek:

edcrbnsoul, I have to thank you again for inviting us over. I am way busy at work lately but I'll have to stop in when I can :)

LOL, Lisa, feel free to come shopping with me some time. I get very lucky with some of my "deals" now and then. Really it does come from me being "cheap" so I find ways to stretch my money as far as it can go (and in reality DVC was one of those cases). So I am just not as likely to buy things when they are full price anyway ;)

[colleen costello]

DaVinci Code was what I read on this past trip to Florida. Don't skip it based on "It's a murder mystery" because it is fascinating and engrossing literally from the first paragraph. I HATE murder mysteries and I loved this book. I was an art history undergrad so it was especially appealing, but this book is not a huge bestseller by accident. SO clever and fun -- promise me you'll read it! :) I can't imagine anyone not enjoying it, except perhaps folks offended by it's critique of religious history.

I am starting on Harry Potter #4 with the kids, and then I want to re-read #5 myself. I read that one at Disney last summer, and always have a fondness for the books I read "on Disney property!" I am also trying to get into "East of Eden" (I usually love the Oprah's) and want to re-read the Hobbit. It's hard to make time so I often just read newspapers and magazines.

xoxo

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am forlorn. I bought myeself an early birthday present, a HP scanner/printer/copier combo. Works great but in the process of setting it up I managed to kill my poor little scroll mouse so now I am down to using a freebie I got somewhere and it does not scroll. Will have to go shopping next week as this will NOT do!! LOL

Colleen, you and your friend have been much on my mind and I completely left you off the last post. I am so sorry. I find it ridiculous that a country this wealthy should have to make its people beg for medical care and the money to pay for it. I was under the impression that transplant patients are carefully screened as to whether they have the finances and family support necessary to provide the best care of the donated organ. Has your friend contacted the drug company to see if she might qualify for one of their programs to provide meds for such cases? What a thoughtful and loving friend you are to have provided her one more day in Paradise. I hope it was all she had wanted it to be. I am sure that she had much expert advice from yourself to help along the way. East of Eden is a good book. I think I read it when I was about 10, I am sure that I did not understand it but I was a bit of a show off.

Helenabear, LOL I remember well when you bought your home and all the plans you had for it. It is so easy to think of doing projects and quite another to do them, especially after you have moved your furniture and such into the rooms. I did pretty well in remodeling this house way back when there were many empty rooms but now it is a different matter and I am much older and stiffer to boot. Check out the 'behr" website for a great program to help you pick colors. I have found myself duplicating my mother's library which was mostly comprised of her mothers books. Luckily both women had great taste in literature. I love Ayn Rand, Pearl Buck, Steinbeck, and many others. I will read almost anything except romance novels, unless they are feisty women who are not the blushing virgins of yore. LOL The DiVinci Code is much more than a murder mystery, is a very small part as a matter of fact. Much to do with religion and different points of view, interestingly enough since it was written by a man is that it is a female view. I agreed with much and not with some. Is what makes the world go round. It is the search for God that interests me and I believe is important, not the particular brand of church or whatever.

Talk, you are wise beyond your years to resent someone splitting your town in half. If I were you I would channel that righteous anger into being the best runner you can be. You cannot chose for others, you can only be true to yourself and you are doing that. Vent all you want. It is much cheaper to do that than to end up on a couch at some point IMHO. A friend who is a therapist told me that all she does is listen and let people make their own decisions. Heck, I do that all the time and don't get paid anywhere near the $200 an hour she earns. (smile) I will be rooting for you to cross the finish line first each and every time and show them what is right. I am sorry that your friend did not see the situation your way but I would not give up on the friendship because you disagree. I am sure that she would not want to hurt you but she might have other pressures on her that you do not know about. Healthy competition is good and coming in second against the best is much better than coming in first against the worst IMHO.

Rider, you are awesome. Hope I get to answer your email soon. Have been out and about all day. Finally got time to wash my car and it sorely needed it. Dalton even questioned why it was so darned dirty. I told him I had to chose between washing the car or taking care of him and he thought I chose wisely. LOL Poor dear had a terrible day yesterday. He managed to mash his thumb in my car door. I am grateful that I was not the one closing the door. He then got hit in the head at his ballgame. Am I the only one who thinks that it is too much for a seven year old to be expected to play ball from 6 until 10:30 at night? You can tell me that I am over protective, I already know. LOL

edcrbnsoul, I am so thrilled for castlegazer. Babies are wonderful reminders of the magic of life. Thank you for telling cause the link did not work for me last night and I was so curious as to what you were all up to. Seems that your group has added a new dimension to our environs. Is a lovely glow around the place.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Just a quick check in here....

Thanks Colleen and Linda for the Davinci Code info... I happen to enjoy murder mysteries but I do not like how "creeped out" I get after reading them. I love suspense and all that but, oh my, the mental 'trauma' is causes me is so not worth the rest of it. I am unfortunately, the same way with movies as well.

Linda, thanks for all the home advice as well... my problem right now is the time I have (or lack of) to get it all done. That's why some things won't get completed for a while.

Busy day at work. Have a wonderful day all.

[edcrbnsoul]

HI everyone the traveling Dis'ers are headed over to AK today we going to Breakfast and Donalds Breakfastsaurus, always room for more.

[SlightlyGoofy]

Helenabear, you can have a life or you can have a perfect house. Just do what you are doing, it works. LOL One of the few side effects of a bad economy is that it makes it much easier to find people to do chores at a reasonable price. Work some overtime, if you can, and hire the stuff done that you do not want to do. Of course, you could always spend the money on more points for the DVC. LOL I give the kids a three page rule on books, read 3 pages and then if you don't like it pick another book. I do a chapter myself. I used to read every single thing no matter what but as I age and have a lower tolerance for junk a chapter is just right. If it cannot interest me by then it is not for me.


edcrbnsoul, save some meat for me (South Beach) and I will be right over. BTW, might I inquire as to the meaning of your screen name? I am always interested in how people pick theirs.

SG/Linda

[edcrbnsoul]

No problem I get asked alot

Ed(my name) Crbn(Caribbean) Soul

Its a Jimmy Buffett reference a line from one of his songs

"I've got a Caribbean Soul I can barely control"

[TalkisCheap]

Good (almost) afternoon!!



This morning I babysat my neighbor which was a lot of fun, she's so adorable. I enjoyed it, but it was sprung on my last minute and they couldn't find someone else, since I am the only kid around out of school, so I felt obliged to help out, and I missed the awards ceramony at the middle school where I would have gotten my two ribbons. I told my friend Shawn to get them for me, so I hope she remembers, but it isn't only the ribbons, I would have loved to see my team again. And say goodbye to the 8th graders since I won't see them again...especially one in particular, we have a nice healthy, friendly competition when it comes to running, but she's a year older than me, so I was going to jokingly tell her to enjoy her one year without me there to beat her :p But oh well!


Well, I talked to my friend yesterday, and it seems her mom really pressured her into joining that team because you pay significantly less and their family doesn't have a lot of extra money for things such as this, so I can understand it. I'm still a little mad at her, and her mom, but mostly at the other coach for starting this split in our town in the first place. We sorta made up, I dunno what'll happen....I was just really mad when I said I didn't want to be friends anymore, I've calmed down now and I don't want to throw my friendship away over this man on a power trip. I don't know what will happen but I'll be sure to tell you :D


Well, I hope everyone has a great afternoon! I'm going to be busy painting my furniture, and then I have track practice tonight. I'll try and check in tonight or tomorrow!! :wave2:

[colleen costello]

Talk, you are dear to help out your neighbor. When I was a new Mom, the neighbor kids saved my life once in a while by babysitting when I desperately needed a break with hubby. It was sweet of you to help them in a pinch. As far as your friend and the "evil" team, I am glad it makes some more sense to you now. I guess it is a lesson to all of us to "wait and see" what motivates friends who we think have "done us wrong." I understand that you are still upset but am glad you have some clue now as to why your friend defected!

Hope all is well with the other suitemates. Ed, I love your idea of having a "Carribean Soul." I like to think I have an "Old Key West" soul! :)

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Just caught up on all of your recent posts! I wish that I had time to respond to them all, now (and to your e-mail, Linda!), but unfortunately I have a bunch of things to do since we'll be gone all day and evening, tomorrow (on our "mystery field trip" that includes the "Disney-historically-significant" place that I mentioned, a few posts ago!), and I wanted to be able to take the time to write some "real responses"! So for now, just wanted to say "hi" and to wish you all a great weekend! And Happy Father's Day to all of your DH's and / or Dads!

Will be in touch again soon, Everyone! :)

P.S. As for the "Traveling DIS'ers Tour", I am currently over in France in the World Showcase, wine tasting, if anyone would like to join me! :)

[TalkisCheap]

Hello everyone!!



Well, no one has posted in a very long time so I thought I would rescue us from whatever horrid page we had sunken too!! I hope everyone is well, just too busy to get on!! I've been pretty busy too, but I somehow always find time to get on here :D Sorry I haven't posted in a while.


Well, me and my friend have patched everything up. I basically decided that we're still friends and just to put that behind us. She came over yesterday to do the annual scavanger hunt that is part of the 'Summer Solstice Festival' a few minutes from me. We had a great time and it was like we never fought!! I'm glad everything is back to normal!! It's such a relief as well!! I'm glad to get along with everyone!


The scavanger hunt was a lot of fun! We spent three hours biking all over collecting the clues...and it paid off as we each won $50 gift certificate to quite a lot of local stores, as well as restaurants! We both bought a few small items, but still have money left over. We figured sometime this summer we'd go down to the nearby bakery or some other place and have lunch together!! It turned out we were the only two that did it, because it drizzled a few times and was cloudy, but in a few hours it cleared up and was beautiful out!! The drawing was at 3 and then we shopped around in the stores till about 5:30. Needless to say, I was exhausted after a full day of biking, walking, and shopping!! It was a lot of fun though, and it was something good to get our friendship back on the mend!!


Tennis starts tomorrow morning and I'm really excited. I have it twice a week in the mornings, and 2 of my best friends are doing it with me, so it'll be a lot of fun!! We have our first track meet on Thursday so I'll be busy getting ready for that, as well.


And it's finally beginning to feel like summer here. It's nice out, not hot, but warm. The windows are open and there is a breeze but it's quite comfortable and I'm wearing shorts for the 3rd day in a row!!


My family is also busy planning the trips we're going to take. We're trying to co-ordinate our summer schedules with my cousins, because my cousin and sister are the same age(going to be seniors) and are interested in a lot of the same colleges so we're trying to look together. Also, we're trying to plan a trip to see my new cousin in Pennsylvania.


I'm so excited for the first week in July, because my cousins are coming down. I only see them 3 times a year, and I'm really excited. My aunt and uncle and my three cousins are coming. All three are girls and we always have so much fun together. My oldest cousin is 19, my middle cousin the same age as my sister, 17, and my youngest cousin is 15 so we all get along really well. My youngest cousin and I are very close, and always have been, so we're most excited to see each other! Also, they live in a city, so they love coming here and going to the beach and walking around downtown just beacuse they don't really get a chance, living in a big city and not a small town.


Well, I hope everyone is well, like I said above, and just doesn't have time to get on. Have a great rest of your weekend, and I'll check in whenever I can!!


:D Caroline

[colleen costello]

Caroline, glad all is well with you and your pal. Sounds like the scavenger hunt was just the ticket! The visit with your cousins sounds great! I am sure they LOVE to visit Maine -- my parents never quit talking about how much they love it there. They like to go up in the fall, and visit Kennebunkport and Freeport and Bar Harbor, their favorite. They'd move there but it is just too cold. Now they are talking about retiring in FLorida, and that has me SOOOOO excited. If I can't move to Florida, having them there is the next best thing... I can visit for Thanksgiving or Christmas (or both!) and thaw out! :) Glad you are getting some time with family.

My friend Marla gets back from her big Mickey trip tonite. I literally can't WAIT to hear all about it! She and I plan to get together and talk nonstop about the wonders of the World. I am not sure HOW i am supposed to survive with no trip south 'til March -- I seriously am suffering withdrawal :)

Hope all is well with everyone in the suite.

[helenabear]

Hi all... been a bit busy lately but I have a total break in action here at work so I decided to stop on in :) My family is on their cruise to Alaska and I have been watching over the pets and houses for them :)

Linda, I agree... I would rather have a little more fun in life than to have a totally perfect house. It just isn't worth it to me to live in perfection if all I can do is sit and look at it after it is all done ;) I admit though, I am too cheap to have someone come in and do it for me. I also enjoy doing a lot of it myself, but I have to have the time and desire to get it done. I guess I trust my work more than others. I plan to try to do some sponge painting in the bathroom and maybe some other texture painting in the kitchen. Not sure what I plan to do in the living room yet and the other rooms I can leave be for a while :)

Ed, that is a great user name there!!! Very cool!

Caroline, that was so sweet of you to do the last minute baby sitting for your neighbors. I do hope they truly appreciated what you did :)
I am also glad to hear that your friend had a good reason to switch track groups. I know it can't be easy but at least there was a driving force for her to switch. Hard to go against parents when money is involved. It's great that you have patched up your friendship now too! Would be hard to lose a friend like that.
Sounds like you will be super busy this summer with everything!! I hope you enjoy it all!

Colleen, you made me smile with your OKW soul... I have to admit I was totally shocked when I found out how much I loved that resort. Somehow I thought I wouldn't care for it as much as I did :)
I hope your friend had a good trip with the Mouse!!

Lisa, I hope you had a wonderful weekend there!!!

I just realized I have just about a month to go before I head to LA... it will be neat to see Mickey there :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Heck I just lost the post. Will attempt to replicate it. (sigh)

Elaine, if you decide to do the sponge painting in the bathroom you might do a practice board first. I like to use plastic grocery bags wadded up. Very effective and just as good as the expensive things they sell to use.

Lisa, I hope you do not mind that I had a chocolate crepe instead of wine but I am allergic to sulfites. Works for me as I love chocolate more anyway. LOL Please let us in on what you did that was Disney significant as my mind is a whirl trying to contemplate what it might be?

Caroline, I am happy to hear that you and your friend were able to sit down and talk things out. That is a mature and wise thing to do. Friends are precious and it is best not to lose any along the way if you can help it. Just different points of view and circumstances. I had faith in you. I love hearing about your cousins by the dozens. It is a lucky person who is surrounded with such loving support. They are pretty darned lucky to have you as well.

Colleen, I can just see you and your friend chattering away the afternoon about all things Disney. I have a friend like that also. It is better for your parents to move to Florida than you since you will be able to visit in the depths of the Indiana winter and hide up here during the sweltering heat of Florida. I am sure they will move close to DW so you will be able to visit there more often as well, you lucky lady. If I find myself with a free day I will pm you and maybe we can get together for one of those fabulous Gnawbone tenderloins.

Ed, what a great name. Do you ever go to Jellyrolls at Boardwalk? They do a lot of Jimmy Buffet songs and my sister and I go over and howl at the moon when we meet at DW.

I need a bit of relaxation today so I am headed over to Animal Kingdom to do a stroll of the paths and watch the animals. Will cap the afternoon off with a showing of the Lion King, my favorite DW show.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

The whole idea of my parents retiring to Florida just THRILLS me. I can't/won't move there as I feel our current community is good for little kids. But Mom and Dad going would be heavenly. I have told the kids we could stay at Grammy's for Xmas and Erin was thrilled at the idea of a winter break in the 70-degree weather. Mom has a pal in Ocala who retired there about 3 years ago and LOVES it. This woman gardens and putters and has never looked back. I have a friend here whose Mom and Dad are in Leesburg, halfway between Ocala and Orlando. They also love it. I just saw her Mom last week -- they are up for a visit with the grandkids -- and she said all the "city" problems of Orlando can be ignored by living just 30 minutes out. So I am officially NAGGING my parents to GET TO FLORIDA like all the other east coast grandparents have done! :) I tell my Mom all the time that 90% of the population of the state of Florida has moved from NY/NJ so what are they waiting for?

Heleneabear, we will all live vicariously through you as you make your way to "the original" Disneyland. Can't wait to hear all about it!

Linda, you call me any weekend and we will do the tenderloin thing. I will save up my WW points... Oh, first week success... Lost 7 pounds, 6.5 of it fluid from too many salty goodies at WDW! :) I always return with puffy ankles! All that food and 2 days in the car... YIKES.

Hope all is well with everyone!

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Congratulations on that first week's loss, Colleen - that is fantastic! :) I'm sure that your success will just keep continuing! :) How was your friend's trip? I hope that she and her family had a great time! :)

So glad to hear that you and your friend worked everything out, Caroline. As everyone else has already said, it's not worth it to risk losing such a long and special friendship over something that could be talked out and reasoned with. So glad to hear that you had a great time at the scavenger hunt - that sounds like fun! How is tennis going? I took tennis lessons for years, during the summers and the winters and I loved it! I'm a bit rusty, now, though - we have courts in our townhouse complex - we really should use them! :)

How was your friend's wedding, Elaine? That was this weekend, wasn't it? I can't believe that it's just about a month until your DL trip - time flies!

Hi Linda! OK - here is some trivia for you (and for everyone else!), since you are the reigning QUEEN OF TRIVIA! Here are some pictures of where we were on Friday (ignore the stadium pictures at the bottom of the page, for purposes of this trivia question):

http://f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/lisaruthb6/album?.dir=/2863&.src=ph&store=&prodid=&.done=http%3a//f2.pg.photos.yahoo.com/lisaruthb6

1. What is significant about this location in terms of Disney theme park history?

2. Why would it be of particular interest to ME?

(These questions are very easy and the answers very obvious when you see the pictures - I'm sure that you'll all get it, right away! :) )

Have a great day, Everyone! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Rider, it has to involve Spaceship Earth or else my brain is on the blink. Did Walt get the idea from this edifice? I enjoyed looking at the pictures of you , Frank and your friends. I live vicariously through you and others. LOL I even did a bit of research to find out more about the globe. Thank you for lessening the strain on this old brain. LOL I am still shopping for a digital camera. Maybe a Nikkon Cool Cam. If you have any suggestions I would appreciate it. Us retired people cannot afford to waste money. I bought a new mouse today, optical with an extra button that promises to do amazing things, provided I can program it. Is not a matter of if but when. LOL

Colleen, expect a call one of these days but I will gladly meet you somewhere more WW friendly. Seven pounds is exactly what I lost my first week at WW. How I miss those good old days when I could lose easier. I sometimes dream of a Florida lifestyle also but mostly in the winter. I wish we had retirement friendly places around here where it would be cheaper living, less upkeep and planned activities to do. You are so right in that Bloomington is a great place to live. I hear so much about what my niece enjoys there. She is going to some kind of camp where she will learn to play golf, ride horses and all sorts of things for free. She has many tutors and they are all free as well. I would have enjoyed all that for my kids but was too far to expect Tom to trek to and from work. The traffic would be almost too much for me to handle some days and Tom could not drive it all. This would be one of the bad days for me as I am a bit wonky today. We all ate at Ryan's for Father's Day. It was a nice time and two of Tom's brothers joined us. I love seeing my niece as she is so sweet as well as talented and very loving. She is already a millionaire but she does not know it. They are keeping her unspoiled and training her up to be able to handle her money when she gets it.

Tom just got home from bowling so I had best get dinner on the table. I fix something simple on Tuesdays as that is my day off and I do TOPS and shopping then so I am a bit weary. Amazing how tired you can get just spending money. Got loads of good bargains as Kroger had a dollar special. The best thing was the packages of steaks for Philly Cheesesteaks. I bought 20. Lean and no carbs. With some onions and peppers they will make a good entree. They even had Dalton's favorite cereal on sale, huge boxes. The kid is set for life as I had 50 cent coupons so they were free.

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

:wave2: Glad to see everyone post! I'm young, but I worry....I know I didn't have anything to worry about, but I still do!! :teeth: Call me weird, but I like knowing you'll all just busy :D


Me and my friend just hung out again today. She's in my tennis class, and it's a lot of fun. We act like we never fought. It's a little weird if we mention something about track, but we usually just stay away from that topic. But basically everything is cool again, and I'm glad we worked it out.


Tennis is good. I have practice again tomorrow. I haven't played in a while, and I was a little nervous especially since I was in the advanced class, but I played pretty well so I was happy. I like most of the people in my class, so it's a lot of fun. Next week is basketball camp so I'm really excited for that.


I'm so exhausted!! In addition to all these sports, I've been on the go every day. Friends have been over, and I've never had a moment to just sit down and talk, until basically now!! I love summer, and I love my friends and sports, but I think I'm going to collapse!! Getting up early every morning, and then going all day...I'm not used to it. :D But I wouldn't have it any other way...I hate sitting around the house with nothing to do!!


Oh, could I possibly ask for some prayers/PD/good wishes for my uncle and aunt. They've been trying to sell there house, because he's in the Coast Gaurd, and he's getting moved to Detriot, but they can't seem to sell it. If they don't sell it soon, my uncle will have to move to Detriot, and my Aunt will have to stay with my two cousins and try to sell it. It's getting pretty close to when they should move, and we're all hoping it works out soon!!


Hope everyone is well, I'll drop by later!! :D

[SlightlyGoofy]

Caroline, I am of the opinion that people are born more or less the way they will be forever. Oh, you might tweak a bit here or there but we are who we are and you are a worrier. LOL I am one too. I figure that since 99.9% of what we worry about never happens if I worry enough nothing bad will happen. (grin) I am touched that you worry about us though. It gets quiet from time to time as life tends to overwhelm us from time to time but we usually find our way back to the Suite. It is our refuge from life and the storms that inhabit it.

I will be sending special pixie dust for your aunt and uncle to sell their home. It would terrible for the family to have to be apart. I cannot imagine how hard it is for them to even contemplate such a thing.

You are a woman of action. Keeping busy is one sure way to avoid trouble which seems to find its way to anyone with some idle time. LOL I do hope that you do find a bit of time to sit and just dream from time to time. Life is nothing without dreams.

Your friend, SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

:D I guess I'll always worry, because I don't think I'm going to change now!! My grandma, and my mom are horrible worries, perhaps its inherited :D Never the less, life is busy, and we won't always be able to get back here, but I care about all of you, you're like another family to me :D



Thanks for the PD for my family, I know it's horrible to think of them being separated. Especially since my cousins are so young --3 and 1. It would also be costly, my uncle traveling back to be with them on weekends. He loves being in the Coast Gaurd, but this is definatly a draw back, the moves. He's getting out after this shift though, so I hope they can sell this one quickly, and enjoy there last move. They plan on settling in one place after, and I know that will make my grandmother a lot happier. She worries, you know ;) :D



I do enjoy being busy, but I enjoy just lounging also. Nights are my definate down time. I can come on here, talk to all of you, and find time to dream. I'm a kid, so I want to enjoy this time while I have it before I get too much older and life gets too terribly hectic. I love being active, but I love being a kid more. :D


Well, I have to get up early for tennis tomorrow, so it's nearing my bed time. Have a wonderful night, and a wonderful day tomorrow.


Caroline :D

[IASW Rider]

Lots of PD coming your family's way, Caroline! :)

And we are always here for you, in the Suite! And don't worry about worrying............I'm a "worrier", too! :) Come on by and talk to us, any time - hopefully we can ease your worrying tendencies, at least a little bit! Everything will work out for your Aunt and Uncle, I'm sure! Glad to hear that you're enjoying tennis, too!

Nope, Linda - it's not Spaceship Earth.............think Disney theme park history.............here are some "clues":

"..........There's a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Shining at the End of Every Day..........."

"..........Meet me at the Tower of the Four Winds.........."

"Four Score and Seven Years Ago............."

Those clues probably gave it away! :)

Have a great day, Everyone! Sorry that this is so short, but I have to meet my father in 1/2 hour and haven't even taken a shower yet! Will post more later! :)

[colleen costello]

Linda, you are so funny. I also LOVE getting the bargains... I figure Kroger and Marsh rip me off so much that once and a while I deserve a break! Rider, Kroger and Marsh our our Midwest version of Shoprite... "The biggies" out here...

Caroline, your family's realty tales put mine into perspective. I couldn't STAND to be separated. It surprised me to hear they are moving to ... Detroit? Is that on an ocean? I have friends in the Coast Guard and they are in Texas... Evidently the Guard does Great Lakes, too. I will pray for your family that they are separated as little as possible!

We are going to Holiday World on Friday, not WDW by any stretch but a fun amusement park for the kids nonetheless. It represents to me all that is good about Indiana -- it's kinda corny but is clean, calm and staffed with kind people. My kids love it and we will have a fun day. My pal Tisha is turning 35 that day and we are going with her family. This will have to do until I can get back to Mickey!

My friend Marla had a wonderful trip and she and I have not stopped calling about all we did. Today she called all excited that her family has comitted to a big gathering next summer. Her Dad is a Korean War vet and therefore can stay at Shades of Green. They are going next June for a week and the rooms will cost then under $100 apiece. Pretty good deal for a deluxe property right across the street from the Poly! Marla is thrilled. She said she is learning that "planning the next trip" is the only way to get over having to come home! :) I told her all about HelenaBear's Disneyland plans and she is waiting for the full scoop on that! She and her husband and little daughter Anna stayed at Port Orleans. She enjoyed the new rooms but says she still prefers the grounds at Riverside (I agree!). They had lots of park time and also did swimming and relaxing. Marla's cousing loves in Florida and insisted on taking her to an Orlando theme park which recreates Jerusalem in Jesus' time... Can't remember the name of it but I have seen the billboards. Marla thought a "Jesus theme park" was a dopey idea, but she said the place was actually nicely done, evidently historically accurate. She did worry about terrorists, said she felt this place would be a target for them, but luckily all was well. Thank goodness there was air-conditioning (even though not historically right) but the funny thing was Marla's interaction with "Jesus..." Marla is very active in her church but couldn't resist teasing... Evidently he went by and said to her "Follow me..." and she pointed out her injured foot and crutches and said "Sorry!" Hahaha... Picturing her interacting this way with the actor gave me a good laugh. She said the park sure was different than the Magic Kingdom! :)

Enough for now... Gotta corral the kiddos and hit Walmart.

xoxo

[colleen costello]

I'm back... Took a minute to look at Riders' pics! Is that Flushing Meadow Park? Yikes... half my relatives are buried near there, in that giant cemetary. Lisa, it's not easy for the girls here who have never been to the Bronx! I think your pics are of the park with the remains of the site where the 1964 World's Fair happened. My parents have grainy, terrible super-8 home movies from that Fair... Mom was pregnant with me at the time! I guess from your clues that it must have been the world premier of the Carousel or Progress, although I never connected that fair to THAT ride... Yikes, you have brought back memories! You and Frank sure do get around! :)

Personally, I love the LATER song, "Now is the time, now is the best time, of your life..." That was MY original, the one I grew up with from all the trips to the MK. "Great big beautiful tomorrow" just doesn't do it for me! Whenever we visit the Carousel, I sing the other song ot the kids as we leave and they roll their eyes... Thanks for sharing.

[IASW Rider]

COLLEEN IS CORRECT! :) :) :) :) !!!!

The pictures were in fact taken at Flushing Meadows - Corona Park..........which probably means very little to anyone in those terms........except for the fact that it WAS the site of both the 1964-65 and 1939-40 NY World's Fairs! And in terms of Disney theme park historical significance, the 1964-65 World's Fair was the birthplace (and premiere location) of the Carousel of Progress, The PeopleMover, Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (which later "begat" The Hall of Presidents) and................It's a Small World!!!! :) :) :) :)!!!!!!!!!!!! What a cool place!!! I had seen it from afar many times in the past, as it's visible from Shea Stadium, where the NY Mets play. I had always been curious to see the place and the few remnants of the '64 World's Fair that still exist there, but never really had the time. But I finally got to see it, a few days ago! I had my trusty World's Fair map with me (copied from my 1964 World's Fair Guidebook, of course!), so that we could figure out what used to be where and the approximate sites of the Pepsi Cola (IASW) and GE Progressland (CoP) Pavilions, in particular. I had no shame in singing "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow" out loud there, either! :) I'm really fascinated by that Fair and have a small collection of its memorabilia, too. It's so wild to think that 150 huge pavilions once stood on land that is now mostly landscaped park, athletic fields, playgrounds, etc. But there is still some evidence of that Fair, there - the Unisphere of course (that was built by US Steel in 1963 to serve as the symbol of the '64 World's Fair), the ruins of the NY State Pavilion, several statues that were commissioned for the Fair, and some exhibits in the Queens Museum of Art, which stands on the land once occupied by part of the Transportation section of the '64 Fair. In case you're wondering what the Stadiums are doing in the photo album, I put them there because they are actually both part of Flushing Meadows, as well. The Park consists of the "regular park" area (where the icons and statues are), the Art Museum, the NY Hall of Science (which I believe is also left over, in part, from the Fair), the Queens Botanical Gardens, the World's Fair Marina, and the 2 sports arenas - they're all (sort of) in walking distance of eachother. The National Tennis Center (where the US Open is played) was built on part of the site of the State and Federal Section of the '64 Fair, and Shea Stadium was specifically built for the Fair and opened at the same time - it's featured in all of the Guidebooks, along with all of the other pavilions and attractions!

(Just a personal "aside" that you may find as ludicrous as I do - the main reason that we had trekked all the way out to Flushing, which is about 2 hours North East of where we live, was to meet a bunch of friends at the Mets game that night. Anyway, by "coincidence of invitation" (as we did not organize this little field trip - our friend Fred did - we were just "along for the ride") the evening turned out to be like a strange "This is Your Life" kind of experience for me: amongst other people, every man whom I dated in my adult life was also there! (Lest you should think badly of me, we're talking 3 people, here - 4 if you count Frank - not 300! :) I guess my ex-husband was the exception, but frankly it wouldn't have been so odd if he had been there, as well, as he was friendly with all of the people in this group at one point or another, too.) Quite surreal. I'm very thankful that Frank has a good sense of humor! :) ) )

I always liked the "Now is the Time" CoP song, too, Colleen, and remember it from my childhood trips to WDW! :)

So glad that your friend had a wonderful vacation and is planning her next trip, already - THAT'S THE SPIRIT, as I always say! :) Gotta plan that next trip ASAP! :)

You'll have to tell us about your trip to Holiday World, after you go - it sounds like a fun place!

Well, time to get some exercise, then think about what to make for dinner! Hope that you're all having a great day! :)

[helenabear]

Hi all... been busy here... I did look at those pics earlier and I rmemeber that being the site of the world Fair!! Carosel of Progress had its home there... and didn't IASW as well?

Okay now to catch up fully :teeth:

Linda, I am so sorry you lost your post. Very frustrating when that happens!! If I get around to sponging, I will probably just use some sponges we picked up from Florida a few years back. I will probably do the bathroom first and if I hate it, I won't care so much :p

Colleen, it would be great if your parents retired there... make trips so much nicer to FL I am sure. I will be sure to post all about my DL trip. I can't believe it has been over half my life time since I've been there so it will be exciting for me. COngrats on the weightloss too!

LOL, Lisa, no the wedding is *this* weekend. So I won't be around at all this coming weekend. I will try to post pics as soon as I get back. I did love your pictures though and as I said, caught at least some of the significance to WDW :)

Caroline, I am sure you will get to the point where talking about track won't be so odd. We all go through things with our friends and if it is meant to be it usually works out. Glad you are enjoying tennis though!! Oh and my prayers are with your aunt and uncle :) I hope they sell their house soon and have a safe move.

Colleen, I hope you have fun at Holiday World on Friday!!!! Your friend Marla sounds wonderful!!!! I'll be sure to do the best I can so she can enjoy hearing all about DL!

Oh wow, Lisa, I just read through your last reply... truly great history there and I do see that IASW did have it's history from there.

If I don't check in with y'all before I go, I hope you all have a great weekend. I will be off from Friday morning until Sunday afternoon :)

[IASW Rider]

Have a great time, Elaine! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding, when you return! :)

[IASW Rider]

Just wanted to say "hi"! You know, I could swear that I got an e-mail notification that someone else had posted..........then I looked and saw that mine was still the most recent post on the thread........very weird........maybe a ghost escaped from the Haunted Mansion and is posting here invisibly, or something! :)

We're finally going to see "Shrek 2" today, and I'm really looking forward to it, since everyone has been telling us how funny it is! Going swimming with our friends tomorrow and taking another friend and his new finacee out to dinner to celebrate their engagement, tomorrow night. And that's the "news" from the Garden State! :)

Hope that you all have a wonderful weekend! Talk to you soon! :)

[colleen costello]

Hi girls! I am not a ghost, but I'll post!

We had a great family day at Holiday World, in beautiful southern Indiana... Not WDW by any stretch of the imagination, but a fun place nonetheless. It was my Pal Tisha's birthday and we went along with her family. We met and spent a fun day. The weather was gorgeous -- about 78 degrees which Linda will understand is nothing shy of a miracle for this part of the world in late June. It's usually way hotter and very humid. We walked around and rode rides (or at least the kids and our friends did; Scott and I are chickens) and had a good time. There is a great water park - -again, no Typhoon lagoon-theme but fun anyhow) and my little son Ian was a real daredevil. He rode some family slides that I would NEVER try! We stayed til the place closed and they threw us out, and I am always impressed that one of the "higher ups" is always there to thank you for coming. I took the time to thank HIM -- this year smoking is restricted completely, to areas they have built that are sort of like patios. The smokers are corralled here and it was very nice. I told him they are ahead of Disney in this way... I think if Disney's designated areas were a bit more evident and "off the beaten path," then less people would "cheat" and smoke "wherever." The smokers certainly seemed comfortable... But I couldn't help but feel bad for the kids in there who were in clouds of smoke... My family ALL smoked when I was growing up and I hated it... Also blame a lot of my allergies on this! As my Mom says, though -- "We were stupid and didn't know any better!" I guess it's only a matter of time til MY kids are grown up and blame me for their various ailments! :)

Today we are cleaning house and getting started on a painting project. Of course people want to see the house in all the middle of this so we will do what we can tonight. The realtors want us to paint and spruce up but also don't want to miss showing the house. Oy. It's a big pain and it is hard for me to be positive. I still feel in my heart that the new house is meant for me -- got a real vibe from it -- but things are not working out so far. I hope one of the showings tomorrow goes well. I have said it before, but REALTY sucks! It's very stressful!

Hope all is well with everyone else. Hope the weather where you all are is as pretty as it is here! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, we have been going to Holiday World since it was called Santa Claus Land. It has grown wonderfully since then. I have wanted to go with the grands and stay at the new hotel across the road. One of the best things is the fact that you get free drinks, sunblock etc. with the price of admission. My heart went out to them when they had that accident a couple of years ago since they are such a family operation and seem so very nice. Nice touch in that they thank you for coming. They do not have much for me to do there but I enjoy it the same. Sure sounds as if you had wonderful weather. I am glad for you. You make a good point about having better marked and more comfortable smoking areas at DW. IMO if you make it easy for people they will usually obey the rules. Is there any way that you could hire someone to come in and paint your place to show? Even if, God forbid, you do not get a buyer it would be nicer for you. I watch the House for Sale show on tv and it is interesting how they can come in and for only a couple of hundred dollars change a house completely to appeal to a buyer. Seems that they do not have much imagination. I do, shows in that I have bought several houses that no one else wanted and managed to fix them up to sell later.

Lisa, my sil has already seen Shrek. He has a bus trip and went over to a movie complex while he waited. Afterward he had time and was tempted to just walk into another movie, honesty prevailed and the ticket taker told him to just go on in since there was such a dearth of business. This would never happen to me. LOL I have a feeling that is one that I will buy the video of. Dalton and I have agreed that I will buy Pirates but not Haunted Mansion. I spent an hour watching the Travel Channel today and they showed how they do the weddings at DW. Dalton and I watched the Animal Kingdom program last night. Guess DW has figured out that showing parts of the attractions attracts guests rather than keeping them away. I saw a "Best of New Jersey" show last night but was disappointed cause I did not see you anywhere. LOL

Helenabear, naturally you figured out the answer and of course, the answer was IASW. I may be a trivia queen but more on literature, history and such. You guys are the Queens of Disney trivia.


My little guy went home tonight so that his parents can see him before I take him over for the week. I have him saying "No, thank you" instead of "Yuck" and he even held the door for the other day. Who knows what I might accomplish this week? I clipped his nails while he was asleep. They were longer than mine. Wrote a stack of postcards to send to Austin while he is gone. His mom told me to as he will have to sing a song if he gets three or more pieces of mail. BTW, I wrote a stack for her too. Seemed only fair. LOL I am sooooo bad!

Dorthea is enjoying her birthday. She turned 85 the other day. So many people have visited her to celebrate. I took her shopping for the day since her son was gone and could not take her. Had a lovely visit and I don't think I wore her out too much. I got her a large button cordless phone with an amplifier so that she can take the phone in the bedroom and outdoors. It is hard to get her to try anything new but she is so polite that she will use it whether she wants to or not so she won't hurt my feelings. (smile)

There is a celebration on the town square tomorrow with some sort of surprise announcement. They just got a large grant to help with the renovations so I am thinking it must be something else. I hope it is a swimming pool as the kids in town need it so badly. It is right across the street from our home so it will be good for our property values as well.

Enough chattering, got to go back to work. LOl

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Girls, we painted today! It was not NEARLY as bad as I had thought. As I am a real panicky patient, NOTHING really ever is!We got a lot done. We did the entryway and hallway and by golly, if the house doesn't sell it sure looks good for me! Linda, I would have liked to hire someone but even "reasonable" painters cost a fortune. My hubby works for free! Neighbors loaned us a telescope pole that you can attach all the brushes to, and we went to town. Even the kids helped -- Ian was as thrilled with painting as with the Holiday World rides. Tomorrow two groups are coming to look at the house. We have therefore recieved a reprieve and will do no more until NEXT weekend. And if someone makes and offer before next Saturday, I am DONE!

Linda, I also rode NO rides at Holiday World and didn't even drink the free drinks due to calorie counting! But I had a ball nonetheless. Seeing the kids on the rides thrilled me. Ian tried so many new things and that made me really happy, because I was always the kid on the sidelines, watching, too afraid to try much of anything. I wanted to roller skate, ice skate, skateboard. Wanted to hang from up high on the monkey bars. But I was chicken! So I am glad that my kids are trying things. It makes me happy for them :)

The beautiful weather is still with us here in Indiana and I am sure enjoying it. So nice to have windows open. Linda, let me know what your town of Columbus is up to!

Love to all.

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi Colleen, I live in Hope, not Columbus. LOL We are having a picnic on the town square today to celebrate getting a huge grant to help with the renovation of the Community Center. As it is right across the street from our home it will be good for the town and good for our property values. Dalton moves in tonight for the week and that is about it around here.

Painting is not so hard, if you do not have to have a different ceiling color. I would rather paint than wash walls. It is easier and looks better. I work for free also. LOL My husband is helpful in that it makes him nervous to see me doing such and he will often leave the house or at least hide in his upstairs den which suits me just fine, if only I did not have to stop working to feed him. (smile)

You are a better mom than I in that you not only allow your kids freedom to try things you were afraid of but enjoy watching them. I used to stand there quaking in my boots while my dd rode every scary thing that she could find, many of them at Holiday World. Strange thing is that she does not like to ride such rides anymore. LOL The last time we were at the park they had the Chinese Acrobats and Tom and I enjoyed them so much that we went to each and every show. Each was different and very entertaining. Did they not have diet drinks or do you not like them? Iced tea is my drink of choice.

Too much dust around here to open the windows but I am surely enjoying the weather.

There is a small chance that I may get down to Nashville sometime this week if my sil decides to do something with Dalton one day or evening. I promised an old friend that I would go down to see her. She has even more fears than I do so it is easier for me to go to her. She works at the log cabin restaurant near Gnaw Bone and the candle shop out by you as well as Miss Betty's in Trafalgar. She is the sweetest thing and I have not seen her in years. She was my neighbor when we lived in Brown County.

Congratulations! I read where you guys can get to Bloomington easier since they opened the road.

I have to go fix a guitar and glue a couple of other broken things together so I had better run. Cannot get much done once Tom wakes up or Dalton arrives.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, I love the sound of "I live in Hope." How nice! I knew you lived on "outskirts" of Columbus but did not realize you were actually in a different town. I tell out-of-state folks I live in "Bloomington" because a few recognize the name, thanks to the infamous Coach Knight. Nowadays, our little Ellettsville is really part of Bloomington anyhow. Our elementary school has a Bloomington address! The mailman tells me it's all dependent on who brings your mail, not really where your house is.

Pray for me today, girls... My newly-painted house is showing twice! :)

The whole time my kids ride a scary ride I DO NOT look. I just people-watch til it's over! Too scary. I call the runaway train at WDW "Big ThunderMountain Railroad of Death" because it has had so many problems... Yet I just let the kids get on. We drive to WDW and are so much more likely to be flattened by a semi-truck around Atlanta than killed on a ride... But it scares me anyhow! It's tough to be an anxious Mom :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I really feel that you are going to get your dream house. With all the lookers you are having it is a sure thing. If you marked the house down a huge amount it might sell quicker but then you might not have enough to buy the other house. With all the interest you do not have to come down on the price, much if at all. I am sending wishes that you get two offers and they get into a bidding war and you get a "California" price. That is they offer more than you are asking. Hey, I dream big!!

Yes, I love saying I live in Hope also. On off days I sign off as "Hopeless". LOL I know Ellettsville well since we lived in the area. There was a drive in theater that I had to avoid in the evenings as the movies they showed were not only adult but visible from the road. Outskirts are the best, you avoid the worst of the big towns but they are still close enough to enjoy the good stuff. My bil lives on the edge toward Elletsville just over the train tracks as you go into Bloomington. It a great location as it is so quiet and private but my sil can still walk to the mall etc. You can see the backside of the student dorms from their backyard.

My daugher still gives me grief over making her wear a helmet when she played baseball but the child was blind (literally) in her left eye and had no depth perception and I was afraid she was going to get hit and lose her other eye. You can't win for losing, it is always the mom's fault. (sigh) Just keep on watching over those little ones. I tell my daughter that if I had not been so protective she might not be here to complain. LOL

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Girls, you will laugh to hear about the drive-in Linda refers to. Now it was before my time in Ellettsville, but evidently it showed only X-rated movies, on weekends. Our town is this little hick place and it is funny to think of giant X rated films! A Dad I know from PTO said you had to be 18 to get in so that's where all the local boys headed once 18. The property it was on is a nursing home now, and out back is cow fields. There is a rural road that bends sharply right near there, so kids used to drive out into the cow field sneakily to watch the movie. Now this Dad told me you could see the screen but not hear the dialogue, but I guess with X-rated the dialogue is of little matter. It just makes me smile to think of a 30-foot high **** and even worse... What genius decided to make an outdoor theater, visible from a fairly major highway, X-rated? The road is widened now and the screen is gona and only real "locals" can remember all the fun!

[SlightlyGoofy]

(chewing on a straw) Yep, them city slickers think us rubes and hicks don' know nothin' about reproductive activities. LOL

I might have known way back when but I sure did not want to have to explain them to my kids. (grin)

Glad to hear that the land has been put to a better use. I am against any form of censorship so it was not what they were showing that bothered me as much as the fact that you could not opt out of seeing it.

Ladies, it can get downright dirty down on the farm. (great big grin)

SG/Linda

Oops, almost forgot to say that I bid on and bought two quilts today. One was a white on white, very intricate design. Not sure where I dare to use it. I may just take it out to admire from time to time. The other is a blue and white pattern with lots of stitching that will make a nice throw for the guest room. Just found out that I am going to have a full house in September for a family wedding so I have at least one more bedroom and possibly two bathrooms to complete before then. (I am tired just thinking about it)

[colleen costello]

Linda, your quilts sound beautiful! Enjoy them.

You are so right about "the farm." My friend here in town has a little farm and she says telling the kids about "birds and bees" is a non-issue because they grow up seeing all sorts of animal intercourse, er, husbandry... I guess that is the only way to learn it here since they took away the giant screen! :) Truly, putting that on a highway MUST have led to a fender-bender or two! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I get sort of tickled when Austin is talking and matter of factly talks about animals coming into heat etc. I have told him to keep that in mind when he gets a bit older and he might avoid some potential problems. LOL

I imagine there were a lot of traffic jams in your area in the 'bad old days'. I cannot imagine what happened when out of towners happened through though.

Such would never happen here. They just managed to allow one store to sell a bit of liquor. My theory is that I would rather have them buy the stuff locally rather than having drunks driving all around the place hunting for or coming home after loading up. LOL

How did you open house go today? Have you had any people look twice? (always a good sign) You never know, if the people looking are not interested they can tell someone else who is.

I have to go check out DIY and see what I can do with a plaster walled bathroom. I do not want to wallpaper again. Maybe one of those fancy plaster techniques would work in there if it is no tooo textured.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Hi everyone! Very quick check in. I am uploading the pics to my computer currently so I want to get that done before I get all tuckered out :p The wedding was beautiful and I had a wonderful time!!!!! Everything went pretty much the way you would hope it too. Dawn is happy and we were able to tear down and bring everything back to Columbus today. All in all it was wonderful. I hope to share pictures later :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Elaine, I can hardly wait to see the pictures. Hope you and Luis did not show up the bride and groom too badly. LOL

SG/Linda

[FPgurl04]

:wave2: hey there ladies!!!! just dropping in to say hey! hope everyone's summer is great!!!!!! :teeth:

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hey Emily, we have been missing your sweet smile around the Suite. So glad to see you, even if for a minute. Hope your ball season is going better than Dalton's. LOL His team did win tonight and he got a couple of hits though.

Take care of that arm!

SG/Linda

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Glad to hear that the wedding was wonderful, Elaine! Can't wait to see the pictures! :)

Great to hear from you, Emily! :)

And I loved "listening to" (ie: reading!) your conversation, Linda and Colleen! It's so neat to hear about where you live, places that you've visited, things going on in your towns and communities! And I loved your stories about the drive in X-rated theater, too! Also, it's so neat to hear about your various home improvement projects (as I always say, I really admire people who aren't afraid to take them on and execute them, themselves - painting, plastering, tiling, woodworking, landscaping, etc. - I never had a talent for anything remotely inventive or creative!) and of course what your families have been up to!

Sorry that this is a quick one, again - I have a bunch of things that I'm trying to accomplish before my GRE review class starts next week, so I'm scrambling around, trying to get them all done. Nothing too "earth shattering" to report from out this way, anyway. We thought that "Shrek" was cute, we had a nice time with our friends at their swim club - just relaxing outdoors in the beautiful weather over the weekend, and we had a nice celebratory dinner with our friend and his fiancee on Saturday night, too.

Just wanted to stop in and say "hi" and "hope that all is well with all of you"! Have a great day, and will be in touch again, soon! :)

[helenabear]

Just a very quick check in to say hi to y'all and post some pics from the wedding :)

These are all from the grounds of the Glenlaurel Inn (www.glenlaurel.com) I had the MacGregor room in the Manor House. It was gorgeous. Everything was done with the Scottish influence and each room had a history! I also went for a walk in my lovely shoes (see the pic ;))

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this is the switch that controlled the music that could be piped into the room and bathroom :teeth:
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<br>Dawn up at top...
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[depplyinluv]

elaine those pictures are beautiful! Do you have anymore?:)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Helenabear, I loved the pictures. I think I was able to make out you in the pictures but not Luis. It was almost like being there. Might I ask what brand of digital camera you have and if you have any advice as I am thinking of buying one? I have been checking out a Nikkon Cool Camera which holds over 200 pics which should be more than enough for me. It seems to be idiot proof also which is important. LOL

Rider, it is not so much courage in doing my own household repairs as an economic necessity. You should have seen what all I did with our first home and how cheaply I did it. I won a Family Circle contest once on redecorating on a budget. I furnished the room for a mere $50 and won $50 for the contest. LOL Used to buy furniture etc at auctions and garage sales and then people would come in and buy the entire room. It was sort of fun but made for a lot of changes. I would often have an empty room while I searched for new bargains. Am too old and tired to do that now though.

Howdy there Depply! Any new adventures?

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

I also enjoyed the pics. The place and event look lovely. But which cutie pie are you? I am trying to put faces with names.

Took the kids to see Spiderman today, it was very entertaining. I don't like superhero stuff but this was a good one. Now we are painting again, this time the bathroom! My hair is gray from the whitish paint! :)

Two showings of the house tomorrow. I have taken stuff to the storage unit and now the hall, entry, living room and bath will be freshly painted. How can they resist? The goofy neighbors re-listed their house, but didn't lower the price a dollar and they certainly aren't painting, etc. YEAH! I am just praying that no one else recognizes what a "diamond in the rough" the place is, so it will be there when I am ready! :)

Thinking of WDW keeps my mind off realty. I check into the boards many times a day, just to see what is up. I guess it is an addiction, but a harmless one, I hope. The only thing it ever keeps me from is housework, and that'll keep! Somehow I always manage to get the toilets clean anyhow :)

Hope you are all ready for a nice, long weekend. Happy 4th!

[helenabear]

Quick check in here.

I do have more pics but I am out of web space to host them all. That was a lot of bandwidth I wound up taking up ;)

Linda, you couldn't make out Luis because he wasn't in any of them. He took some and I took the rest. None of him were taken that I recall though.

Colleen, I hope some good comes out of the showings!!! Wishing you all the best with that!

Off to read I think! Good night and ahve a wonderful weekend all!

[TalkisCheap]

Hey everyone!!



Wow -- this week has flown by!! Basketball camp was awesome, but I am bruised, and wiped out!! On top of everything with basketball, I had a cold as well, so I got little sleep on top of being exhausted from the games, drills, and contests!! Phew, but it was so much fun, and I really think I improved!


Nothing else really going on here...my cousins are coming for the week tomorrow so we're all busy cleaning. My room is finally done with everything up. The only thing missing is a low bench/bookshelf my dad is going to make me later. But for now, it looks great and I'll try to get some pictures up sometime!!


Oh yeah, I loved the pictures! Very nice!!


I'll try to check in with you guys, but the next week is going to be pretty hectic with my cousins here, and then going to Cape Cod for the weekend. So I'll try to drop by and see how everyone is, but if I don't, you'll know where I am!! :teeth: :wave2:

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Sorry that I haven't been in touch in awhile - busy week! I've been catching up on everyone's posts - glad to hear that all is well! Thanks for posting the wonderful photos, Elaine! You friend and her wedding party look wonderful! And YOU look great - I love your dress! That's a fantastic color on you! (I'll let you tell Colleen which person you are, in the pictures - we'll keep her guessing! :) ) And lots of good luck with the showings of your house, Colleen! I "escape" to the Boards to think of WDW and "get away from it all", too! Glad to hear that you enjoyed basketball camp, Caroline! And have a great visit with your cousins and a fun trip to Cape Cod, too! Great to see you, Depply! And thanks so much for your wonderful note, Linda - will write back as soon as I can! (I'm sneaking onto the computer while Frank has stepped away for a moment, again - need to "give it back to him" so that he can "go back to school" in a few minutes!) And I think that you should have your own Home Improvement show on HGTV or The Learning Channel! People could learn a lot from not only your artistic and technical skills, but also your ability to do such great work on a predetermined budget!

All is well, here. My big "accomplishment" of the day is that I finally completed my Grad School application! Woo Hoo! I'd been procrastinating about writing the essay for so long, but I finally got it done! Mind you, it's not even due until November 1st, but I really wanted to get it submitted now, so that it's off my mind and so that I can concentrate on spending the rest of the summer preparing for the GRE (and hopefully ultimately doing well enough to get me admitted for the spring semester)! I know that spending a gorgeous summer holiday weekend day working on an application doesn't sound like much fun..........but at least I drafted the essay while sitting outside on my deck in my bathing suit! :) No big plans for the rest of the weekend (which is good because our next few weekends will be very busy) - just going to my sister-in-law's tomorrow - I think that she's having a small get-together.

Will be thinking of all of the fireworks at WDW, tomorrow night - I'm sure that they put on an even more spectacular show than usual, on the 4th of July! And I understand that the EWP has a special show that they do (seriously!) on July 4th, too. Maybe we should take a Suite "field trip" out to our exclusive EWP Suite beach to watch the special edition of the EWP, tomorrow night - what do you all say? :)

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all enjoying the holiday weekend! Talk to you soon! :)

[angelina]

Hi, everyone, just stopping by to wish you a happy 4th! I have enjoyed reading and catching up on all the posts, and it's nice to meet those of you who've joined in.

We've been staying busy with basebal and softball, and trying to go to the pool in between rain showers. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm SICK of all the rain! We've gone from severe drought in the last few years to torrential amounts of rain for more than a month! Usually you can count on a thunderstorm in the afternoons a couple of times a week, but we go to bed listening to the rumbling, wake up with it, and then on and off thunderstorms all day! Enough already!!!

It sounds like there've been a couple of great trips to WDW since I checked in last. Would love to go again one day in the not too distant future, so I'm saving a little here and there!

Depply, I rented Secret Window yesterday, but haven't had a chance to watch it yet. I was hoping to later tonight when the kids get to sleep.

Colleen, I have had two friends in the last year who needed to sell their houses, one due to a job transfer and the other family wanted to move into a larger house a block away from their kids' school. I'm a little sketchy on the details, but they both buried a statue of St. Joseph upside down in their front yards, and said a prayer every day for a number of days, and were successful fairly quickly. I wish I could remember the details, but it really was remarkable. Good luck with your prospective buyers!

Elaine, the pictures from your friend's wedding were beautiful!
What a lovely place to hold the ceremony. My step sister was married at a beautiful bed and breakfast on the water in St. Petersburg several years ago and we stayed in the two bedroom carriage house. It was a lot of fun.


Ladies, it's been a long time since I've stopped in, but I'll keep in touch.

Angelina

[SlightlyGoofy]

Rider, my friend who bought a second home in The Villages will be at DW tomorrow, lucky duck. LOL She deserves such luck. She is Dorthea's daughter and loves DW even more than any one on these boards. Hard to believe, but true. When we get together we are capable of chatting for hours just on our favorite subject. I think she will be there for the Food & Wine Festival this fall and hopefully they will be there when we are so we can get together. Would be loverly. LOL Hooray for you finishing way ahead of schedule. You are a smart lady. While others will be frantically coming up with something at the last minute you will be sitting serene and satisfied. I are proud of you!!

Talk, are you attending or conducting the basketball camp? Dalton went to a camp this summer. Sounds as if you have a great week coming up. Bet you guys will have some memorable adventures.

Helenabear, I am surely glad that I have not forgotten what Luis looked like. I am truly terrible at remembering people and names but was sure I would remember you guys. One of the wonderful things about having such a small group is that we truly do get to know each other. I almost feel like you guys are family to me.

Colleen, you have been watching Sell this House and other H&G shows or something cause you have this house selling thing down pat. Only thing you have not mentioned is having a loaf of bread in the oven. You can put an onion in one low if you are pressed for time. A lot of buyers have no imagination and you have to beat them over the head to get them to see the potential. Hopefully you will NOT get any hard sells like myself as I notice every tiny detail and notice when they put a twin or toddlers bed in a room to make it look more spacious. LOL I was in your neck of the woods yesterday. Had to go to Ryan's to pick up that big prize that Tom won. (yawning) It was a rip off and not worth the trip but I made the most of it and went by to visit an old friend. I had not seen her in twenty years or so. She was a former neighbor. We had exchanged Christmas cards and occasional phone calls through the years but just had not gotten to see each other in person. A few years ago her daughter surprised me with a visit and threw me into an asthma attack from happiness. I thought of you when I passed by the Gnawbone Marathon station. LOL My friend works at the log cabin BBQ place right up the road. Maybe we might meet there as they have some pretty good sounding salads. Would be more WW friendly.

Lots of yardwork done here today. Where in the world do all those weeds come from? I pull almost everyday and still they take over the gardens.

We are going to Ceraland to see some bands and watch the fireworks tomorrow, weather permitting. I think dd and family are coming also. I hope so, fireworks are not as much fun without a child to watch them with. Santa Claus is the same.

I just watched the most awesome movie. It is an older one that I had missed along the way, "Artificial Intelligence". It was so thought provoking and I needed many tissues to get through. it. If I fast forward through a couple of tiny scenes it might be appropriate for the boys to watch.

Happy Fourth of July to you all!!

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

HI girls! Angelina, I have heard about St. Joseph. I was a terrible Catholic as a child and have NO idea who he is -- what he is "in charge of" -- but others have told me about him. I guess I need to call my Nanny, who is 84. She knows all the saints and their jurisdictions -- she can probably tell me why St. Joseph can help me. I have been trying to make the place smell good, too. I baked an apple pie for a 2nd showing but the darn people decided our woodsy lot would not help their allergies. As my eyes are glued shut today with allergy goo, I must admit that perhaps they were right :rolleyes:

Linda, I saw "AI" in the theater and it really disturbed me. Some scenes were just horrific and although Scott bought it on DVD, I haven't been able to watch it. I would like to, because I have a THING for Jude Law, especially when he is all dolled up as a sex-machine robot (what a birthday gift THAT would make!) but the movie just really rattled me. Seeing all of humanity ultimately perish was bad enough, but that poor little kid still waiting for his Mom to love him, well that just did me in. Too much for my sad heart. Anymore, I just like comedies. We rented "Fifty First Dates" and even THAT made me cry! :)

Girls, I was lucky enough to see the WDW July 4th fireworks from our beloved Poly beach 2 years ago. We had just got DVC and went for the opening of Beach Club Villas. It was VERY exciting. We went over to the Poly to eat and watch the fireworks from the beach. I see why this is now discouraged... All heck was breaking loose! People everywhere. The fireworks were the best I have ever seen. Now I remember -- vaguely -- the 1976 show over the Statue of Liberty, and those were pretty nifty, but no one puts on a show like Mickey. You literally did not know where to look. They were shooting them off from all over -- then castle, over by the Contemporary, over by the Grand Floridian -- one after another after another. It was amazing, and has ruined every fireworks show since, as none compare. Indiana U has them tomorrow night, and we'll go, but I am spoiled and will NOT be impressed :)

We have a BBQ at my Pal Tisha's house. I am bringing lots of fruit and "healthy" goodies for the Weight Watchers in the group. I fully plan on overeating, but at least it will be on healthy food! :)

Elaine, good luck on getting that essay in early. Your story brings back memories... I remember dreading the GRE and also the essay to get into IU. Luckily they accepted me and here I am almost 20 years a Hoosier! If anyone had told me when I was in high school that I would marry a boy from that school and live in Indiana, I would NEVER have believed it! Funny how things turn out. :)

I am off to clean up a bit in case some weirdos wand to look at my house tomorrow. I guess I'd better read up on this St. Joseph...

xoxo

[helenabear]

Just saw some fireworks and wanted to say hi to everyone!!

Caroline, I am so glad you had a good time at camp!!! Sorry you were bruised though! Enjoy your familiy while they are visiting!!!

Lisa, congrats on getting that application completed!!! I admit I had no desire to go to grad school so I am always impressed when I hear others do it!!! Good luck!

Angelina, it is always wonderful to see you again! Sounds like you have been very busy though. Oh and I bet your sister's wedding was beautiful. I love location weddings like that :)

LOL, Linda! I should have actually taken a picture of Luis, but by the time I really saw him that night I was beat from doing everything before hand for Dawn's wedding. I swear wedidngs are harder on the wedding party than the bride sometimes :p

Colleen, I bet watching the 4th fireworks from the Polynesian would have been wonderful! If I didn't intentionally avoid crowds in summer, I would go to watch.

[IASW Rider]

Happy 4th of July, Everyone! :)

Hope that you all enjoy your various fireworks shows and other outings, today and tonight! (Though it would be great if we could all see them from the Poly beach, tonight, as Colleen was describing...........WOW! That must have been wonderful!)

Great to hear from you, Angie! Thanks for stopping by! Glad to hear that all is well, down there! And you're welcome to come up here to escape the rain - our weather has been perfect, lately!

Hi Linda, Elaine, and Caroline! :)

Oops - here comes Frank to "go to school" for the day on the computer (isn't it sad that he's required to "check in" and post for his class on the 4th of July??? :( )!

Hope that all is well with all of you out there, Depply, Emily, and Wendy! :)

And hope that everyone has a great holiday! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

There we were sitting in and around the minivan waiting for the fireworks to start when I glanced over and saw both of my boys standing up, with their hands over their heart. My deaf ears had not noticed that the Star Spangled Banner was playing. I was so touched and proud of them. I am often the only one who stands when the flag goes past our house at the Heritage Days parade. I am only second generation and we do not take this country for granted. Just had to share that moment. I brought one home with me but was not up to both. I cheated on my diet and had two boneless pork chop sandwiches. Well worth it but did no damage that I have noticed. With my luck they will catch up with me just before weigh in tomorrow though. LOL

Helenabear, weddings are only harder on the bridal party than the bride when she is lucky enough to have such responsible friends as yourself.

Angelina, we must have been posting at the same time! Sorry I missed you. We have been getting some much needed rain so maybe we got some of that you did not want?? LOL How about planning your next DW trip in May? We already have a couple of people planning on a meet (including myself maybe). Just think of the bunch of us on the beach at the Poly after a delightful meal at O'Hana's? What could possibly be better? Those kids really keep you hopping don't they? Is a good thing, and it is so interesting to hear what they are up to. (hint) LOL I will have to remember your tip for when we decide to finally move. Hope your 4th was wonderful and looking forward to hearing more from you when you get a chance.

Rider, you are so kind to allow Frank to use the computer. LOL Bet you will be almost as thrilled as he will be when it is all done and over with. Does he like the computer classes better than the 'real' thing? He has to go in person to take tests?

Colleen, I cried almost throughout the whole movie of AI. It broke my heart to see that little boy hunting for love and not getting it. The scene where Jude Law is practicing his profession is the one I would have to delete for Dalton but am betting he would love the rest of the movie as it has so much of Pinocchio in it. He is a good one for noticing tidbits from other movies in other shows. Did any weirdos show up to look at your house? LOL Are you planning on having an Open House sometime? Is a good way to get lots of people in and even some of the lookers might tell someone else about the house.

Hoping to get some of my stuff upstairs today. It takes me a really long time to do this as I have to go step by step and rest. Dalton took two bags up at one t ime for me the other day and I was so grateful. I have a leak somewhere and need to find someone to help me look for it as it is in a place I cannot get to. Have not needed a plumber in years and have no idea who to call. It is the small things in life that drive me nuts.

Linda

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Hope that you all had a great weekend!

I loved your recounting of your Boys listening to the National Anthem with their hands over their hearts, standing at attention! That is so sweet - they are obviously very special people! So I guess that Jackie and Austin have returned from Church Camp? Did they enjoy themselves? And did they receive all of your post cards? Is Dalton still staying with you, or is he just visiting during the daytimes, now?

Did you have any promising prospective buyers come by to see your home this weekend, Colleen? I'll bet that they'll be lining up before you know it, if they haven't already!

I was also very touched by the film "AI". It was very disturbing and provocative, but I thought that it was a great movie and that Haley Joel Osmet did a fantastic job in it. And Jude Law was amazing, as well. I remember seeing it pretty late at night at my in-laws', a year or 2 ago, and kind of feeling "freaked out" while thinking about it, after we went to sleep! It was very affecting.

We saw "The Stepford Wives" on Friday. I expected THAT to be somewhat "freaky" (ie: scary) like the original film was, but it was actually pretty funny and light. The original movie and the book were real "thrillers", but this re-make was cute and entertaining. Bette Midler had all of the best and funniest lines, and Glenn Close was great in it, too!

You must really be counting down to your DL trip now, Elaine! :)

I agree with Linda, Angie - how does a trip to WDW next May sound to you? :)

How are you doing out there, Caroline, Depply, Emily, and Wendy? Hope that you all enjoyed the long weekend! :)

The rest of our weekend was pretty quiet.............because Frank spent most of it on the computer, finishing up his weekly projects for school! You're right, Linda - I will be as happy as Frank is that his class is ending in a few days.........because then I will have "free reign" over our computer, again! :) And Frank is not taking another class until September, so that he will have some more free time to enjoy the summer on the evenings and weekends. He does enjoy going to class online - as he commutes about 45 minutes each way to work, it would be harder on him to then have to drive somewhere to physically attend a class. And he can "sneak on" to the school's website at work and try to get some school work done there - when he has the time to do so. Otherwise, it's flexible enough such that he can "go to school" at any time that's convenient for him. On the "down side", each class is 5 weeks long..........so the amount of material that would be covered during a regular 12 week college class is "crammed" into a much shorter period of time, thus making for tons of assignments back-to-back. I'm glad that Frank is finishing his degree (and that his work is paying for it, too! :) ) and I know that he is, too, despite the long hours and all of the work that he's putting into it. It will be worth it in the end. And who knows? Maybe he'll continue on and do some graduate work via the University of Phoenix online, afterwards?

Speaking of "graduate work", I'm off to get my Application and Letters of Recommendation Forms in the mail, right now! Now I'm free to concentrate on studying my GRE stuff for the rest of the summer..............FUN! But at least I'll know that the only thing that the Admissions Office will be waiting for will be my test score, before they can make a decision.

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a great day! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Yep, my boys are sure special but then all children are. Some just get a better start than others but then some that are neglected thrive like weeds. Who knows? Just love them and help them along the way. LOL

Lisa, camp went well but Austin confided in me that some girl kissed him, three times. He atested that it was not welcomed but I know he is a fast runner so I have my doubts. Feel a bit jealous as he has only allowed me to kiss him on the top of his hairy head since he was a baby. LOL You saw the picture of the young man, with that face and dark eyes with long eye lashes and his manners he is a heartbreaker. I am glad that he shows some signs of being a bit smarter than his forebears. His mom is a bit freaked out as he wants to ask a girl to his 13th birthday party. I say, serves her right!!!! (great big mom grin)

Dalton was the star at the closing ceremonies as Jackie had him brought down to recite the books of the Bible and say some other thing that I have forgotten. He insisted on being first cause everyone else bored him. He is a pro with a microphone as he has had one here for years. He watches movies and then quotes vast passages. The bad thing is that his sense of humor tends toward the Dave Letterman variety rather than someone of more style and substance as I might prefer but Old Dave has not done so badly and by the time Dalton is ready Dave will be in a nursing home somewhere while his son rocks HIM to sleep.

I was elected Co Leader of the TOPS group today. No one else wanted it and I was guilted into taking it. Hope I do not get impeached.

Frank is wise in gathering all the knowledge and diplomas he can at his jobs expense. It will give him much more worth in the work place and if they have a big investment in him they are far more likely to want to keep him around for a long time IMHO. I would rather cram my lessons into less time myself. I am single minded and once I get started I am off to the races and like to get finished, fast.

Books and movies sure have the power to change lives and thoughts. I think of some of the books that did that for me "Anne Frank's Diary", "Gentleman's Agreement", "To Kill a Mockingbird", anything by Ayn Rand, Pearl Buck and so on and on. I want to see the new Stepford Wives as I just love anything that Bette Midler does. I have always loved her. I have a rather ribald sense of humor although many (locally) that know me would not know so. (grin)

Busy day today and am worn out. Found out that my friend, Mary, has been transferred to another nursing home, far away. Poor lady, now she has nothing. At least here she had a few people to visit her and the church picked her up for services and events. I am afraid that suicide is much on her mind and I am not sure I would blame her although I do try to tell her that she is here for a reason. Not sure I would be that strong myself but then I expect nothing and that is much better than the poor people who do. (sigh)

Thinking about May and keeping the gloomy thoughts at bay. I have never spent a whole month in Florida, should be interesting.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Somehow I am out of the loop. What's this about a month in Florida? Can I come? :)

Please, fill me in!

Linda, very sorry for your friend. Was she transferred against her wishes?

Colleen

[helenabear]

LIsa, sorry Frank had to "go to school" on the 4th. Seems odd that they would make them do it on a Holiday and a Sunday! Good luck to Frank as he finishes and I hope all goes well with your applications!

Linda, awwww... how precious that Austin got a couple kisses. I know probably not wanted but so cute at that age all the same ;) Sounds like you have been quite busy! I hope that you don't wear yourself out too much!

Like Colleen, I wasn't aware of a whole month in Florida! I am totally undecided about a May WDW trip. We might try a cruise to Mexico and if we do that, no WDW spring trip for me. I'll have to wait and see.

I should sign off soon! See y'all later :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi Coleen

I am sorry, maybe I had said something to Rider and not posted it here but we are contemplating renting a house at The Villages for a month next year. When talk of an EWP meet came up it occured to me that we would only be an hour away so it would not be impossible to slip over for a day or so, AP's or not. LOL

Yes, you may come to visit us if you want. It would be fun!!

My friend has no control over her life at all. Her son and dil "helped" themselves to her house, her money and everything. They took all her possessions and sold them at a yardsale and made her all sorts of promises if she would sign the house over. Medicare has caught up with them and is not paying for her nursing home care any more so she was transferred to a cheaper facility. If it were me I would jump off a cliff. I cannot think of anything more painful than to have your own child do this to you. I was her son's 4-H leader and he spent a lot of time here as he went to school with my daughter. I fear that a lot of dominos are going to fall - the son will be in big trouble and might go to jail or at least have to pay back all the money and he is not able to do that, his wife will desert the ship when he has nothing left (rats do that) and the poor lady who bought Mary's house might lose out as the house was sold fraudulantly. That lady is in bad health too. I am going to try to drive down to see her sometime this week. She is a year younger than I am. It is a very frustrating situation. Frankly she looks and does better when in a nursing home than when she was living with her family as they treated her so very badly. I am not fool enough to sign anything over to anyone though. I am packing it in the trunk and taking it with me. (smile)

Helenabear, you and Luis would be most welcome to visit me as well if you do get to Florida but I am guessing that since none of you are retired and do not have the time that us old folks do that it would be best for us to come over and meet you all. So glad that you think Austin is precious but I am afraid he is a bit precocious instead. His dad was showing him pictures of bathing beauties at a very young age (not a good thing to my mind) and he was showing a very mature interest. He seems to be quite a ladies man but in a good way as he is very mannerly but he is darned good looking and they chase him a lot. I hope he is able to keep his cool and not get married young or foolishly. He has enough problems. You should have seen him dancing at a family wedding, two girls at a time and so very coooool. (shivering with grandmotherly fear) I would just love to have one non redneck wedding in my family before I die. In my family formal means white shotguns. LOL

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

Hello everyone!!


Well, a few posts to catch up on, but I'm done. My family left earlier this morning for massachusets, where we'll be joining them friday morning at my gradnparents house for the weekend. I had a wonderful time with them, as I always do! We're all very close, since we grew up together, and close enough in age to share the same girlie interests!! It's really great how it works out though, with my sister and my cousin both 17, then I'm 13 and my cousin is 15 and we've been inseperable since my birth, really. And then my older cousin is 19 and so usually is with my sister and middle cousin, but we all watched chick flicks, and went shopping for clothes and ate lots of junk food while telling stories about friends/boys and playing games. I'm so thankful our parents went through the trouble of traveling with three small kids each to get us together as much as possible. I see my friend's families who were never together when they were younger, and so barely know their familes now. My cousin is my best friend, and we can always talk about everything. And unlike friends who move away and lose contact, we'll always be there for each other.


Because my family was here, not much has happened besides that. I missed tennis and track Monday because they were here, but I have track tonight and my track meet tomorrow. Probably my most exciting news is us going to New York not this weekend, but next weekend which will be fun. Especially because we'll be staying in the same hotel as my cousins who are going also, so that will be fun.


I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July. We did. After church, we spent the day at the beach, and then went to the fireworks later. It was also my Aunt's birthday so we had a little party after the fireworks. It was a wonderful day, one of the best I've ever had!


Basketball camp was given by our high school, and I participated in it. I'm steal feeling the bruises, but for the most part I'm recovered. Tired, but that's because I never got a chance to catch up on sleep with my cousins here and staying up till 2-3 in the morning. Now going away this weekend, and coming back late Sunday night just to wake up early Monday for another week of basketball camp will be a little exhausting. Especially since this weekend I'll be chasing around a 3 year old and 2 year old, since my aunt and uncle always leave that to the 5 girls. I love my little cousins, and I don't see them alot, but I have a feeling by the end of basketball camp, I'm just going to collapse!! :D


I don't really think there is much to comment on -- Rider, that's wonderful your husband is finishing his degree. Colleen, have you sold your house not?? If not, P& PD you will soon!! My aunt and uncle still haven't sold theirs...we're very nervous, and our fingers are crossed for them as well!! SG, you lucky duck, going to Florida for a month!! :D My grandparents go for a few monthes every year, and always invite us down, but with my sister in school, and then working on weekends, it's always too much to find a time to go down. But, march will come soon enough when I'll be back, and I'm so excited!! :D


Well, I hope everyone has a great afternoon!!


:D Caroline

[colleen costello]

Hi girls. Caroline, no news on my house yet. Every day I do something to make it look nicer. Today I went out and washed windows with a snazzy new squeegie-thingy I bought at Lowe's. This would have been painless except for the mosquitoes dive-bombing me (in broad daylight!) and the discovery of a TARANTULA living under the eaves just outside one kitchen window. I will not be opening any windows on that side of the house until after the first frost! I am praying for your Aunt and Uncle so they don't have to be separated. Nowadays I pray realty prayers for everyone as I have learned how stressful it can be.

Linda, now I understand your "month in Florida" plan. I was confused, and things were complicated by the fact that here in Bloomington, "The Villages" is an organization that runs group homes for the developmentally disabled. I thought perhaps you were having Tom committed... ;) Your plan sounds great. Please let me know where this is located? I think you have said an hour from WDW, so my guess is down toward Tampa? Wherever it is, it sounds wonderful. May is supposed to be a non-crowded time at WDW so you'll have to make some road trips! Someday our paths will cross in Orlando!

My friend Jenny is down at WDW now, at the Boardwalk Villas. She will Email me with good details once she returns. Then we can wait together as her next trip will be for Spring Break in 2005 March, like mine. She teaches 4th grade at our school so we typically do some trips at the same time. She photographed me flying out of the mouth of the evil clown slide at Boardwalk last summer. I was terrified and will NEVER do that slide again. She has promised not to reveal the photo to anyone unless I run for president someday! :)

Hope you are all doing well. I am off to search for kids' clearance clothes at LandsEnd.com, one of my favorite pastimes... I love bargains! :)

[TalkisCheap]

Originally posted by colleen costello
Hi girls. Caroline, no news on my house yet. Every day I do something to make it look nicer. Today I went out and washed windows with a snazzy new squeegie-thingy I bought at Lowe's. This would have been painless except for the mosquitoes dive-bombing me (in broad daylight!) and the discovery of a TARANTULA living under the eaves just outside one kitchen window. I will not be opening any windows on that side of the house until after the first frost! I am praying for your Aunt and Uncle so they don't have to be separated. Nowadays I pray realty prayers for everyone as I have learned how stressful it can be.


Well, I'm sure those extra clean windows will attract lots of buyers ;) :teeth: :teeth: Good luck, I'll pray for you! Thanks for the prayers for my Aunt and Uncle. No news yet. They've had plenty of lookers...but not many takers. We're all very anxious! I myself don't know how stressful it can be, at the age of 13, but I know it is stressful for my family to sit as no one buys my Aunt and Uncle's house and the moving date looms closer!


:D Well, not much to comment on, as only Colleen has posted, and that's good because I have to pack and get ready before my track meet. If I don't get on before I leave, I'll talk to you all Sunday or Monday night!! Have a wonderful weekend! :D

[helenabear]

Hi all, quick check in from work... I have a meeting to go to in a few :)

Linda, if I make it down to Florida when you are there next May, I will definitely try to meet up with you. That would be neat! And yes, it would be easy to come over and not even have to spend any time in the park at all.
How old is Austin? I was picturing a (probably way too) young boy running around being silly. Not quite what you had painted just now.
And I think that is awful about your friend and how she was treated!!!

Caroline, it sounds like you have managed to keep yourself very busy (even if only with family) lately!!! Are you enjoying the summer months so far? Enjoy your trip this weekend.

Colleen, I am sure all the little things will help you sell!! But that icky thing would have given me a heart attack I think! I would have had someone out to kill it asap!!!

Well I just got notice my meeting was canceled. But I hope you all have a great day :)

[colleen costello]

Helenabear, it will be so nice if you and Linda get to rendezvous in FLorida! It's fun to meet pals there, kind of "extra special." I can't even imagine how over-the-moon I will be if my parents finally retire down there...I am already planning my Florida Christmases!

Don't worry; the tarantula can't get inside. And I know that at least in Indiana, the big scary guys aren't poisonous. The only venomous one here is a tiny brown one we rarely see, thank goodness! :) I try hard not to squish anything unless I REALLY have to. Anything that could sting my kids is a goner, and if a roach from the landscaping gets in, they are also flattened and flushed. But anything else we try to catch in a cup and release. It drives my husband nuts -- he just wants to squish them!

When I was 12 my grandfather, who lived in the apartment downstairs, was diagnosed with advanced cancer and was dead within 3 months. The time he was dying was very surreal and hard for me to understand. I remember wondering about life and death and how we really don't understand very much! I would look at little bugs, and think "They are alive, and healthy, but he is going to die." To this day it bothers me to kill anything. I know it's silly but I can hardly bear it. I think my Pop's death made me wimpy for life. I can't bear the news from Iraq -- I start bawling every time someone is killed. Overall I am just very squeamish about death and even a smushed possum on the road upsets me! So THAT is why I guess I will just keep away from that dopey stpider til October! :)

I am determined to get the kdis out to do something today. Yesterday we hung out and they fought too much. Might go up to the closest Disney Store and shop. That'll do ME good! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I am strange, I am terrified of dogs but not of snakes or bugs. I used to collect bugs when I was a kid, did not have any toys so I had an active imagination. Still do. LOL I take the harmless bugs outside as well. They have very short life spans and it would break my heart to take that little bit away from them. Roaches and such are another matter though. Ugh!! Dalton will be so jealous when he hears about your tarantula. He wants one in the worst way and is most disappointed that we do not have one in the garage doorway. There is a spider's web there and I am leaving it as we like to look at the design. He loves animals and is most distressed that his farmer dad and brother do not feel as sentimental about them. They run over so many dogs and such that they are hardened. I think I cry more over them than they do. Austin bawled when his first dog was killed but no more. Life is precious for anyone or anything IMHO. By the time you get done fixing that place up you might not want to leave it . Well, maybe? LOL Watch out for the Brown Recluse!!! Copperheads abound in that area as well.

Helenabear, I am appalled at how my friend is being treated too. Am hoping to see her tomorrow. She is down nearer Colleen than me now, Martinsville. I will try to send you a picture of my grandsons if I have one scanned in. Austin will be 13 this week but is a very mature and handsome boy. Dalton just turned 7 and is both immature and mature, just as he should be. One of his words for the week was incorrigable. He gives me a regular word or phrase and I give him a fancy word to fit it. He speaks very well and remembers each word and the meaning and uses them to good advantage. He taught himself multiplication in a few minutes while I was fixing lunch. Not used to working with the gifted but I will attempt to adjust. LOL I am going to do some white on white sponging in the bathroom and got the idea from you, thank you. The walls are in pretty good shape but there are a couple of wavy spots and I think that will hide them somewhat and look elegant to boot.

Talk, you are as lucky to have your family as they are to have you!! Would you believe one of my sisters will be in NYC next week as well? She will be at the Pennsylvania Hotel, just in case miracles would happen. It sounds as if you are having a dream summer vacation. These are times that will stay with you forever and warm the cockles of your heart when you get old and grey, like me. (smile)

I installed a new optical mouse on my computer today. Not sure what all it will do but will check it out when I get a chance. Have been dealing with a water leak of some sort. Cannot figure out where it is coming from. I spread a tarp in the basement so I can at least figure out if it is from below or above. We have a wonderful basement so it is not a real problem except that it is running up our water bill. I have been turning off the water main overnight and for part of the day. Really makes you appreciate such a taken for granted utility. I do not care to pay a fortune for someone else to figure out what is leaking and there is a good chance that I can fix it if it is something simple. No big problem , just a small pain. Thank goodness for my friend who put in the hand rail or I would be having a lot more trouble.

County fair this week so we will be out there a lot to see the boys show their animals and look at their 4-H projects. I was a 4-H leader for years but neither have ever asked me to help. I was a judge too. A prophet is without honor etc. LOL

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Colleen I know exactly what you mean about meeting up with friends down there. It really has made my last four trips extra special to go there and to even "room with" friends. Truly a magical experience :)

I remember about tarantuals here in Ohio as well. I don't think we have the poisonous kind around here (and if so they would be rare) but all spiders give me the creeps! I just shudder thinking about it all.
I am a bit like you with some of the living creatures, but unfortunately spiders aren't one of them :o I do become upset when I see any sort of roadkill around here... I sort of say a prayer every time I pass by one on the road. Strange I am sure.

Oh wow, Linda, I guess I didn't realize the boys were getting that old. I suppose I hear about them at an age in the beginning and then forget they grow every year ;) I am sure with a little guiding from all the family both will grow up to be wonderful people :)
I hope you are also able to visit your friend soon. I am sure she would love the support!

I have to admit I love optical mice! I really ought to bring mine into work, but I haven't yet. They just run better for longer amounts of time.

Oh and since y'all love pictures... here's some of my furbabies. I just got a new camera so I have been playing with it quite a bit http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/cleo1.jpg

http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/gwen1.jpg

http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/cleo2.jpg

http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/gwen2.jpg

[SlightlyGoofy]

Helenabear, I am only going to start worrying when Austin starts kissing back! LOL He is so grownup in so many ways and still a sweet child in others. He still sits on my lap and calls his parents Mommy and Daddy. I will hate it when that changes.

I see you sent pictures of your 'children' as well. Bet they are better behaved than mine. (smile) Every living creature should be lucky enough to be cared for as they are.

Without spiders we would be overrun with so many other bugs that we would soon wish them back. Is hard to understand why some creatures much exist but there it is. Bet they wonder why we are here also. LOL

Colleen, I just finished reading all your restaurant reviews. I bet I could tell which ones you wrote first since some were far more wordy than others. I took note of what you liked, although you seemed to love everything. LOL

Rider, does Rutgers rule the world? Everywhere I look I see someone from there on tv. I guess I just pay more attention now that I have a dear friend from there.

The county fair started Friday so we will be there most every day for the next week and a half. Have to support the boys. Doubt that either one will do very well but those are the ones who need more support. I hope we do not have a rerun of the year that the steer tried to stomp Austin to death. Even his hard hearted mother was scared looking. I was about to jump in the ring myself. More grey hairs for me. LOL

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Linda, sounds like Austin is a wonderful boy at heart! Hopefully he will refrain from kissing back for a long time to come ;) I have to laugh though... not sure if my cats are very well behaved or not. I was on the phone with friends twice this weekend and both times my Gwenie was misbehaving! Shame on her ;)

I do hope you enjoy your time at the fair. Ours won't be in town until August :)

[FPgurl04]

oh wow, i haven't been here in forever!!!! :teeth: how is everyone? what's new? hope everyone's summer is going well...mine is pretty good. i've played a ton of softball (not that that's a bad thing! :teeth: ) i've had tournaments almost every weekend, and practice 2 nights a week. it's so much fun though! i am having a pretty good season too, so i'm happy!! yay!! :teeth: what else....i had to take two weeks of high school P.E. class because i would like to be in this rigorous honors program, and if i do end up doing it, i won't have time to fit P.E. into four years. so i took it this summer. otherwise i've been hanging out, finishing summer reading (boooooring), staying up late, sleeping late, and missing disney!!

see y'all later. have a great end of weekend!! :teeth:

[helenabear]

Emily, long time no see!! Glad you popped in again :) Glad to hear that your summer is going well so far! I used to take PE as well, during the summer. It really didn't always fit into my schedule so summer was easier (and more fun). Don't be such a stranger now :)

Oh I have to say, your sig pic is great! Very good to look at ;) But I am curious, who is that? I am not sure I've seen them before.

[FPgurl04]

helenabear--hey!! it's good to be here. i'm grounded :( that's why i havent been on much. i get to pop in once and a while though!! and if you're talking about my siggie, that fine man is alex rodriguez--3rd baseman for the yankees, very good looking guy. i'm depressed though now--i just found out he's married and is (or is going to be) a daddy. but there's always the (as far as i know) single guy a couple feet to the left of him on the baseball field who is in my avatar!! :teeth:

[colleen costello]

EEEEEEW! FPGurl! Gym class! At least you were able to get it over with in the summer. When I was in high school, in the 1980's, we still had to wear dorky gym suits and take gym every day of our high school lives. All it did for me was make me hate sports -- and the athletic kids in my school, for that matter -- even more! :) I clearly recall doing square dancing and badminton. Thank goodness I learned those skills!

Linda, are you talking about my restaurant reviews on the DIS? They sure are fun to do. Yes, I like everything. I am a poor reviewer because I am on such a high at WDW that everything is good. I also love food and meet few meals I dislike! I think the ones that are shorter are unfortunately not me realizing good editing; they mean I tried to post, screwed up, got frustrated and re-posted with less detail! So much for "effective writing!"

The weather is icky here. Hot as heck and thundery too. I need a Florida fix! My friend Jenny will be home any day now and she'll have juicy details, thank goodness. I love hearing about pals' trips. Hey, I will befriend people on the street if they will tell me about their vacation...

We drove to Indy yesterday to go to a Disney store. SO much fun. I cashed in a whole year's worth of Disney Visa reward dollars, and was able to buy Erin an annual pass for only $80. That just made my day! I am one fourth of the way to having next year's tickets bought! :)

Hope all is well with everyone. Love those cat pics.... Our felines are the subject of many photos... The kids think everything the cats do is "adorable" and snap photos... Thank goodness for digital or I'd go broke on film :)

[TalkisCheap]

Hello ladies!!!



Well, I'm back from Cape Cod. I had a wonderful time!! Took lots of pictures, so I'll try to post some later!! :D


This is really a pretty quick check in because I should be in bed soon, because tomorrow starts my second and final week of basketball camp. I'm exhausted now, I can't picture myself friday. Especially then leaving EARLY the next morning for New York.


Well, I hope everyone had a great weekend! I'll be in for a longer check in tomorrow or the next day, with pictures!! :teeth: Have a great couple of days!!

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

So sorry that I haven't checked in, in awhile! Just caught up on all of your posts! I'm glad that I missed the discussion about spiders and tarantulas, though! :) I would have had a heart attack if I discovered one in my home, Colleen! But as you and Elaine and Linda were saying, I too take insects outside, if we find any in our house. I used to be petrified of spiders, but now I've learned to even catch them and take them outside, too (I have to move fast, though - they move quickly with all of those legs! :) )!

Glad to hear that you had a great time in Cape Cod, Caroline! It's so pretty up there, over the summer - we used to go there often when I was younger. Have fun in basketball camp, again!

Great to see you, Emily, and glad to hear that you're having a nice summer, so far! How has your summer softball season and the tournaments been going? Have you made it out to Yankee Stadium at all, this season, or are you planning to come out at all? We went to see the Mets demolish the Tigers at Shea, a few weeks ago! :)

Loved the pictures of your furbabies, Elaine! They are so adorable - I love when you post pictures of them! :)

So sorry that I've been such a horrible correspondent, Linda - will be in touch ASAP! And that's so neat that you've been seeing things about or people from Rutgers on TV..........as long as it's good news! :) How is the fair going? What events is Austin competing in, this year? And is Dalton competing in any events this year, too?

We also had to wear gym uniforms in high school, Colleen! Ah, yes..........those were the days...........NOT! :) And I didn't know that you have written restaurant reviews on the DIS! I will have to look out for them, now (but I'll look at them at a time when I am not hungry.......otherwise, it could be dangerous! :) )!

Hello out there, Angie, Depply, and Wendy! :)

Again, sorry for my long absence - I started my GRE review class last week and have been inundated with homework. I know that this class will involve my having to totally immerse myself and continue to drill myself over and over again for the training to be effective. I got the results of my diagnostic ("baseline") GRE test back........and I did EXACTLY THE SAME as I did on the SAT! Wow - maybe those tests really DO predict aptitude, or whatever, because I got the exact same scores as I did years ago, with no preparation (and I'm not exactly thrilled with those scores - have to bring them up!). Anyway, I will try to post as much as I can!

Especially THIS week...........it's a very special week................does anyone remember what this Friday is????? Let's grab the Suite boys and start getting ready to celebrate..............! :) :) :)

Have a great day, Everyone! :)

[helenabear]

I was just lurking as I was waiting on something to load on my computer at work, and all I just have one quick thing to say...

OH MY GOODNESS!!!! WE'VE BEEN HERE ON THE CB FOR THREE YEARS!!!!

I have a very busy day here at work and maybe week as well, but let me tell you by the time Friday comes, I will be soooo ready to party :teeth:

:wave2: I'll check in later :)

[IASW Rider]

:) :) :) HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, EVERYONE!!!!!! :) :) :)

Yes, today marks the 3 year Anniversary of our Suite! Can you believe that we have been living here for so long????!!!! :)

Here's to many more years of fun and special friendship! :)

And here's to the EWP! :)

Let's Celebrate! :)

Thanks for 3 wonderful years of great correspondence! Looking forward to many more! And looking forward to our ultimate, eventual EWP SUITE MEET AT WDW! :)

Happy Anniversary, Everyone!

Love,
Lisa :)

[helenabear]

Awww, Lisa, you always have such a wonderful way with words!!!

Here's to 3 wonderful years together... and the hope for many many moe :)

[helenabear]

I forgot to post this earlier this morning for you all... but I often think of this poem when I think of y'all

I never came to you, my friend
and went away without,
some new enrichment of the heart
More faith and less of doubt,
More courage in the days ahead
And often in great need
coming to you, I went away
comforted indeed.
How can I find the shining word,
the glowing phrase that tells
all that your love has meant to me,
all that your friendship spells.
There is no word, no phrase for you
on whom I so depend.
All I can say to you is this,
God bless you precious friend.
Grace Noll Crowell

[IASW Rider]

That was beautiful, Elaine! Thanks so much for sharing it with us! :) So, where are Bo and Don and the rest of the boys? They should be fanning us, feeding us grapes, and catering to our every whim, today! :)

[colleen costello]

I sure look forward to time here, and thanks to Linda for inviting me to visit with you wonderful women. Thanks for all the kindness and support. There is always a positive word here!

Love to all --

Colleen

[IASW Rider]

Well, we're so happy that you came to join us this year, Colleen! :) It's wonderful getting to know you, my fellow Jersey friend! :) And we're so happy that Caroline, Emily, and Depply came to join us this year, too! :)

I don't know if I'll be able to post again for the rest of this weekend - we're going to see THE GREAT PURPLE ONE (Prince! :) ) in concert, tonight (my friend with whom we're going saw the show in NYC 2 nights ago and said that it was amazing!) and then tomorrow morning, we'll be heading down to South Jersey again for Frank's 25 year high school reunion!

So in case I don't "speak" to you all again for a few days, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! (And I'll meet you all on the waterfront, tonight, for our special Suite dinner cruise and private viewing of the EWP! :) )

[SlightlyGoofy]

What would we do without Miss Rider to keep us up on all the anniversaries and such? Lisa has such a way with the small details of life that make it well worth living. Three years?? Time flies when you are having fun. The Suite has been such a wonderful addition to my life. A place to go and just do nothing but enjoy the company and meet such interesting, accomplished and just plain nice people. I am grateful for the friendship and smiles I get here.

Rider, I have to confess that I had never really paid much attention to Prince but recently saw him open some award show where he did Purple Rain. I was blown away! I tend to be a bit of a snob about some things but am trying to change my ways in my dotage. LOL Being around you youngsters will help immensely. When the boys showed up they sure put on a great show. I could not believe it. The food was all our favorites from around the World Showcase complete with entertainment from Off Kilter (love those kilts, hairy legs and all)!! The sight of the EWP with Magic in the background will not soon be forgotten. How in the world did they manage to get the beach at the Poly reserved for us alone? I felt a tiny bit guilty for all the others who were not able to enjoy the sight. The Kona desserts were a perfect topper to a perfect evening. Colleen and the young ones were overwhelmed but then they had never been able to attend one of our celebrations before. Get used to it girls, more to come!!!

Colleen, WTG with the annual pass at a bargain rate! I could never enjoy a trip to DW or anywhere if I had to worry about how to pay the bill when I got home. I have over $200 in my Disney rewards so far and have not gotten my double points for the last promotion yet. I got a card offering me double points for the next year for everything over $150. I will continue on for a bit but not really planning to go to DW next year. Might keep it up in case we want to use the rewards to pay for a night or two if we get a meet figured out though. Now that I think of it the rewards could be used to help pay for our next AP's as well. I am not used to using a credit card much so it has been strange for me to whip it out to pay for just about everything. Takes a bit more bookkkeeping though. We pay the bill in full each month so no pesky interest fees to ruin the fun. Any news on the house sale? There will be many in a rush to buy and move before school starts so maybe someting soon?? You are most welcome. We only invite the nicest people to join us and we sure hit the jackpot with you.

Helenabear, what a wonderful and so fitting poem. As we pass through life we meet so many people, some become friends. Some are fleeting but others are longlasting. All are precious and even those that have moved on elsewhere leave such wonderful memories and lessons on life. I am so happy to count you among my bouquet of friends. (from your blooming idiot friend) LOL BTW, I enjoyed the pics of you and Dan on the Wedway. I think it was you.

Talk, it wears me out just hearing all about what you are up to. You have a busy but wonderful life. We often do not appreciate what we have since we know nothing else but you are one who is wise enough to know how great you have it. LOL It is so flattering that you youngsters would grace us with your presence and we are grateful for your friendship and youthful outlook. Keeps us young also. (smile)

FPGurl, Angelina, Dan the Man (our favorite feller) and others (lurkers included) we are grateful for whatever time you have to share in your busy lives and look forward to each visit. Hoping that you are able to join us in the celebration of our 4th anniversary and possible May 2005 get together (dreaming and hoping).

Have been extremely busy with the fair. Austin came in second with his barrow and got Reserve Grand Champion with his steer and got the Safety award for driving the big tractors. Dalton came in second in the pedal tractor pull contest and got a participation ribbon for showing his hog as he is too young to be in the competitive class. The livestock auction is Saturday and Austin is hoping for a big payday for his award winning animal. We are going out to eat Saturday night to celebrate Austin's and my birthdays.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, you can get used to "whipping out that credit card" quite easily. I use the Disney Visa for EVERYTHING -- I have even started to pay my cell phone bill online, and use the card. It is working well. The only thing I have to be careful about is not to "go crazy." I have been the family bookkeeper for a lot of years now, and I kind of have "radar" about when I am overspending. I use this radar instead of a budget. I do NOT want to pay crediti card interest! All of these rewards are really just a lure. They want me to overspend and then kill me with interest payments... but they haven't gotten me yet! It's me against Bank One! :) I do have a mild panic attack when I am opening the envelope to see how big the bill is! One month the bill was $2800 and I almost died -- but it was due to the DENTIST... no helping that! :) So at this rate I am earning about $20 per month in reward dollars, and that is a lot at the end of a year. There are rumors all over the DVC Board about a DVC ticket discount. I am holding onto hope that Mickey may cut us "regulars" a break!

My crazy family is changing travel plans again. My Dad's knees are killing him and he is planning on a knee-replacement surgery in January, when his business is real slow. Mom thinks he will travel in March, but we may need to stay at OKW again as the parking is really close... All this would matter less if my Dad would get a scooter but he WON'T... He is a man and "too proud." I was really drooling over the Wilderness Lodge, but OKW is great too. Plus it'll save enough points for a whole separate trip in July! :) So hopefully our pitiful little group will be at WDW the week of March 17th SOMEWHERE, and one of us will have a new knee!

Had some nibbles on our house. A nice woman can thru earlier in the week, and LOVED it. All my painting ain't for nothing! :) If her hubby gets the job she expects he will (at Crane Naval Center, Linda, over in Greene County) they want to buy our house. So I spoke with Saint Joe out in the yard and asked him if he could direct his energies to helping this man's job offer. I imagine that little saint is getting tired of my ever-changing requests, but I have also asked him for patience! :)

See you all soon on the Poly beach in the suite. :cool:

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I hereby bequeath my credit secret. Whenever I use my credit card I enter the amount in my check register, keeps me honest. LOL I started using Money when Tom retired as it was a whole new life. I love it. Takes a bit to get used to entering everything but well worth it. With one click I can instantly see just where I am and if I am on, over or under budget. I reccomend it highly.

I am sure that Saint Joe will come through for you. As far as your ever changing requests, just remember he cannot mind as he is so very 'saintly'. LOL With all the activity going on I bet that nice lady's hubby will get the job. You must make sure to sell to only nice people since they will be your neighbors.

I can understand your dad in not getting a scooter as I refuse to get one also. My feeling is that once I sit down in one I might never get back out. I can understand how much easier it would be for you all too though. I refuse to take my grands certain places as I would slow them way down and would hate that. Any trip is better than no trip but I was so hoping you would be able to make it in May. As soon as school starts we should make a date to meet somewhere. I will need a break after a summer with Dalton. He is a sweetheart but takes a lot of energy. We studied Pompeii and Vesuvius today. He loved it. He loves natural disasters which explains why he loves this old broad so much. LOL

I hope you get a DVC discount of some sort. I think us DW junkies deserve a break. We tend to come in off seasons which keeps the place going and heaven knows we stay long periods of time and spend mucho bucks while there.

Good night and hope you have a great weekend.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

Hello Everyone!!!


First of all, congratualtions on your 3 years!!! I know I haven't been here for all three, actually less than one, but I love coming here and talking to all of you! :D Heres to definatly many more fun years to come!!!! ::yes:: :teeth:


Wow this week has flown by!! I had another week of basketball camp. It was a lot of fun, because I got my best friend to do it with me, and I think I definatly improved. The one bad thing is, I think I may have a new enemy. A girl on the other team decided to start threatening me today, saying she would bunch me in the face and swearing at me. I really haven't the slightest idea why, other than we beat their team yesterday...and I play pretty aggressively. Something she isn't used to because she is quite big and intimidating. Needless to say, instead of getting into trouble with her, I talked to my coach about it and they spoke to her. I wasn't really scared, because I didn't think she would do anything, I was more nervous that she would spread rumors about me. And it turns out she did. But, it's behind me. I let it go. I think she blew it way out of proportion. It's a game, and should remain that. Threatening, violence, enemies...over a meaningless game. I like to think I'm a little more mature than letting pety things like losing a game, make me turn to threats and violence, and rumor starting as my way of making myself feel better. Oh well, it's over and I probably will never see her again. Camp for the rest of the week was good, and I definatly feel more prepared and confident in my game. Something I need for tryouts come this winter!


Colleen, what wonderful news about your house!! I hope everything works out for both you, and the hopeful buyer!! Still no word for my uncle and aunt's house...I guess no one is looking for a house where they live! My grandmother is getting quite worried...I hope it works out soon for them!! For now all we can do is hope and pray! I'm not sure when the moving deadline is, but it's soon...we're still keeping our thoughts optomistic and bright!


Well, my main reason for stopping in is to say goodbye for the weekend. I'll be in New York for tomorrow and return Sunday night. An old friend of my mom's recently got married, and this is their party, as many friends and family could not attend because it was a small ceramony in her mother's hospital room before she died. I'm looking forward to seeing my cousins again, and it's nice to just be able to get away!!! :D


Well, have a wonderful weekend ladies(and occasional men!)! I'll be sure to stop by when I return!! :D


Caroline

[colleen costello]

Caroline, my GOSH, who is that MAN???? Is he the new studly swimmer who is supposed to be the rage at the next Olympics? I say "give him a gold medal for looking like that!" WOW! I am an old bat of 39 but I sure noticed HIM!

Hang in there with your relatives' home. Sooner or later, they all sell, as my realtor is find of saying. They sound like a tight family and will survive "commuter marriage" for a bit. Hang in there! They are lucky to have so many who love and worry for them :)

Linda, May won't work for me til my kids get out of school. For now I am stuck with summer and Spring Break. Want to do Xmas but the kids will need to be older. We are INTO Xmas in our house and taking the whole show on the road (to Orlando) would stress me too much. Once they are a bit older we can do December. So when you are there this May (for a whole MONTH!) I will just be back home in Indiana, JEALOUS!

Rider, I am jealous of you at this point... Missing the Jersey shore this summer. Where is hubby Frank's reunion? Drive carefully; my parents tell me the southern part of NJ is under water this week!

Linda, I hear you on the scooter. My Mom relies on hers too MUCH at WDW and gets little exercise, which is trouble on vacation when we all eat so much! I can gain weight by breathing, but at WDW I do OK because of all the stampeding we do. I nag Mom to WALK a little and she takes it personally... So I have two crazy parents with opposite issues... What can you do?

Love to all!

[TalkisCheap]

Hehe!! That's Lenny Krayzelburg. He's not new -- he won 3 golds at the last olympics. He's out for now, because I'm making it smaller to fit. But yes, last olympics, we watched a lot of the swimming because we know Ian Crocker(he went to my brothers high school) and I of course saw a lot of Lenny as well...and I fell in love :teeth: ::yes:: :teeth:

And 39 is NOT an old bat!!!! ::yes:: :teeth: :teeth:

The change of commands is next week....not even any nibbles on the house. We're getting anxious...it'll happen soon, I hope!!

The weekend in New York was good. My mom enjoyed seeing old friends from 20someodd years ago. We got a tour of her old home, it was very nice. I could tell she enjoyed it, so the 12 hours drive in 2 days, was worth it.

The weekend was bittersweet though for my grandparents, as my great uncle(grandomther's brother) died the day we arrived. We got word, right as we pulled in. Needless to say, she was very grieved. I only met the man a few times, as he was not a good person, and my grandparents and parents did not want us around him. He tried to clean up his act in the past few years, but he was never in good shape. The damage he did to his body earlier in life, and not taking care of himself, and excessive drinking, and substance abuse, caught up with him, and finally ended his life. He died in his sleep, which my grandparents were thankful for, as he drank often, it was better than being behind the wheel and taking others lives as well. I'm not sure when the funeral/wake will be, but sometime this week. It's quite odd/lucky for me though, I've been to perhaps a dozen funerals but I haven't lost anyone really close to me.

Well, it's pretty late, and I had a long weekend, so I'm going to check in on some other threads, and get to bed early. Hope everyone had a good weekend, and I'll check in tomorrow or so!

Caroline

[SlightlyGoofy]

I have been up since nearly 5 this morning. Tom fell about a week ago and I had to try to make an appt since his foot is still swollen. He did not tell me until last night. I was not home when he fell. He reclines on a folding chair in the kitchen for hours each day as he watches tv and his foot fell asleep. When he got up he fell, hard. Could not get an appointment until tomorrow morning. Should be interesting since the appt is for 8:30 and he does not wake up until 10 or 11 each day. He and Austin are both asleep this morning. Austin has been at the fair all week and is worn out. Hope I fall alseep early tonight as I have eaten far too much for this time of the day. (smile)

Caroline, I am so sorry to hear about your uncle. It is a sad thing. My grandmother was an alcoholic and it is a terrible disease and affects everyone around them. Such a waste of life also. I am grateful that I was not so afflicted but I have siblings who are. How wonderful to have been able to tour where your mom grew up. Bet she enjoyed sharing it with you. Hard to believe she was once young huh? LOL BTW, is nearly 56 (this Sunday) an old bat? I only ask cause I know you are far too kind to say yes. LOL Actually I often refer to myself as an old broad. I like the term broad. To me it means someone who has seen it all and is still standing. Yeah, for me!!! (grin)

Colleen, May is a great time to go to DW if school lets out early enough to allow it. We often go then. The weather is usually great (too hot this year though) and the hoards have not mustered up their strength yet. Yes, any house will sell eventually but unfortunately it usually entails lowering the price. I have had friends who bought another house and were forced to sell their old home for far less than it was worth. Not a bad thing IF you can buy the new home at a similar discount though. I keep telling Tom that the only thing that matters is the price difference between this house and the new one, not the actual numbers of the selling prices. Quality of life is well worth something. You can spend $20,000 or more for a car that is worthless after only ten years or so and a home lasts much longer and generally appreciates in value. IMHO your mom gets mad at your nagging her to exercise cause she knows you are right. Could you find an activity that she enjoys that would make exercise more fun? Walking at DW is a whole bunch more fun than walking round and round at the mall.

I just heard the bathroom door close so someone must be up. Time to feed whomever and get my day started for real. If I could just have one day when I could sit down and have someone to wait on me. I dream a lot.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Quick check in here... it's been a while so forgive me if I miss something.

Lisa, I do hope that you had a great tiem at the concert. I admit I am not so much of a Prince fan, but a frined of mine loves him and says he puts on one amazing show!!

Linda, you have me curious, which pictures were you speaking of? I haven't been on TTC with Dan in a long time... maybe since before December (could have been the year prior).
Congrats to Austin though! That is great!
Wishing your DH all my best as well :)

Colleen, I am much like you. Everything goes on my Disney Visa, but I am always careful not to over spend. I also have a bit of a radar up when it comes to that as well. But the cash sure has come in handy at WDW and will at DL as well!

Caroline, I am so sorry about that girl you ran with. That is awful that she would do all that. I am also very sorry to hear about your great uncle.

Luis just came home from work so I had better go. Have a great day everyone!! I am just busy trying to get ready for my trip on Sunday :)

[depplyinluv]

<font size=6 color=red>HAPPY BELATED ANNIVERSARY, EWP GROUPIES</font>
Im actually feeling very guilty because I have not posted in months...:(


lisa- i hope you had a wonderful time at the concert. I've heard a lot of good things about it...i'm very jealous;)

elaine- where are you going sunday? that's the day i leave for WDW:)

linda- I hope tom is ok! and I hope his appointment goes well:D good luck with the sleep:D

colleen- you have good taste;)


as for me...i've been packing for moving...i guess my mom and stepdad pass papers on the 9th of august(my b-day :)) ....im not thrilled about the new house, but im lucky i have my own room:D

im going to disney this sunday 25th of july, and im coming back on the 30...

well that's a good update i think...im just extremely tired because i slept over a friend's house, and i was up all night because i couldnt breathe...it was terrible...:rolleyes:

well i'll talk to you gals later:wave:

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

BON VOYAGE, Elaine and Depply! Hope that you both have wonderful trips! :) Can't wait to hear all about them..........and see pictures, of course! :) We will be there (on both coasts!) with you both "in spirit", living vicariously through you both! :)

How is Tom feeling, Linda? I hope that he is all right and that everything went well with his doctor's appointment. And I hope that the swelling has gone down and that he is not in pain.

Congratulations to Austin and Dalton on their successes at the Fair (I still can't picture Dalton pulling a tractor, though)! And belated Happy Birthday to Austin...........and EARLY Happy Birthday to somebody else...........! :) But we'll be getting back to you with details of our weekend Suite celebration, soon! We will have to hold it on Saturday night, so that Elaine and Depply can join us before they blast off for their respective trips!

Lots of good luck with your home buying prospect, Colleen! Please keep us posted! :) And I'm with you and Elaine, too - I also use my Disney VISA for everything! Those Dream Reward Dollars sure came in handy at WDW! :)

So sorry to hear about your Great Uncle, Caroline. Even though he was obviously a troubled person, I'm sorry to hear that news. And I'm sorry to hear about that girl who threatened you - that is awful! But you did the absolute right thing by talking to your Coach about it and by not worrying about it afterwards. You have a great outlook and a great "head on your shoulders", as always!

The Prince concert was fantastic - probably the best show that he's ever done! He performed a nice mix of his old, classic hits (though nothing with explicit lyrics, as he apparently no longer curses or sings about "intimate topics") and songs from his new album (which everyone received upon presenting their ticket at the entrance of the arena!). He was just outstanding! Frank is not a long-time Prince fan like my friend Gary (whom we went with) and I are, and he was very impressed!

Frank's Reunion was a lot of fun, too. It was held in a beautiful, brand new country club, down by his home town (Frank is originally from Cumberland County, Colleen - directly due West of Atlantic City - right on the border of NJ and DE. Or.........as we NJ people phrase everything in terms of Turnpike Exits.........about 20 miles East of Exit 2! :) ). They had a fantastic DJ, who mostly played 70's disco music (my favorite type of music! :) ), as was appropriate for a reunion of the Class of 1979! And we had a lot of fun with Frank's friends. The ones who live "up here" and we all stayed in the same hotel, got together after the reunion, and had breakfast together the following morning. The few of Frank's friends who still live in South Jersey came over to meet us for breakfast, too, which was nice. It was a fun weekend!

And now it's back to studying, for me! Boy, working on all of that arithmetic-that-I-haven't-looked-at-or-thought-about-in-over-20-years is taking its toll on me - very discouraging! I haven't divided fractions, done word problems, or worked on geometry by hand in a million years! I much prefer studying the verbal stuff - the antonyms, sentence completions, analogies, etc. Oh well - back to the drawing board (........or the scratch paper, as the case may be!)!

Hope that all is well with all of you! :)

[TalkisCheap]

Good evening!!



Linda, I hope Tom's foot is all right, and the appointment went well!! I may be kind, but I still do not find (almost)59 old! Especially as you do not seem near as old, and you're only as old as you act/feel!! :D When is your birthday? :D


Amanda, you must be very excited -- 5 days!! :D I'm horribly jealous, but I'll live through you and pretend I'm there again ;) :D Have a wonderful trip, but I'll probably talk to you before then!!


Well, it must be dinner time soon, because I smell something wonderful, so I guess I better get going! :D Have a great night and next few days, everyone! :D


*Caroline

[SlightlyGoofy]

Whew, sure glad that this day is over. Not the one I had planned but I made the most of it anyway. Took Tom to the doctor, he does not feel that any bones are broken but sent him for x-rays to make sure that there is not muscle damage. I would prefer broken bones as they are easier to heal. Will let you all know more when I do. The doctor told him to 'take it easy". Our friends and relatives are amused at that. I kid you not the man is so lazy that he will not drink his favorite OJ unless it is in the front of the fridge. (sigh) LOL

Caroline, I sure hope you told the cook how good it smelled. I sort of bet you did, you are just that kind of kid. Your parents lucked out in the lottery of life. LOL Thank you for comment on my acting young. Is a nice way to say that I am immature. Is true and I are proud of the fact. I do not intend on ever growing all the way up. Would be far too boring. I think that is why I work well with children, we are at the same stage of life. LOL

Amanda, I am excited for you but I am not quite ready for another trip right now. I am still worn out from the last one. You will understand when you reach the level of decrepitude that I have. :hyper: I am so pleased that you will be in my favorite place on my birthday. I am going to a local dinner theater tomorrow to see "Swing" and that is how I am celebrating. We understand how busy you can get and forgive you for not being around much. We are much delighted to see you whenever you can spare the time. Sounds as if you will be busy for quite a while. Hope your parents do not suffer too much while "passing' those papers. Sounds painful to me. (grin) What color are you going to have your room? I was behind some young ladies who were buying paint the other day and they had picked bright lime green and a bright hue of blue. I would love to see that room. They will save much on electricity as I think those colors will glow in the dark.

Lisa, my dear city friend - Dalton does not pull the tractor he rides the pedal tractor and they pull heavy weights behind. LOL I can't wait to see what you think up for my birthday celebration (Sunday). I am sure it will be a doozy. I am easy to please. Simple, just like meself. LOL You got a free copy of Prince's album for attending the concert? Did ya know that the performers make the vast majority of their income from the concerts rather than from record sales? You should see Dalton do his John Travolta Saturday Night Fever imitation!! He was sitting next to me the other day and asked me "Grandma, do I offend?" He gets a lot of this stuff from Sponge Bob Square Pants. I love the show also. It is very erudite, informative and funny as all get out. :hyper:

Elaine, while I was in the waiting room I was reading a financial magazine and they had an article on the credit card rewards programs. They said that the Citi Bank Platinum was the one for those of us who do not spend vast sums of money and do not carry a balance. You can earn up to $300 a year. I am going to check it out when I get done with the Disney card one. I would rather have the cash to use anywhere I want anyway. The pictures of you and Dan might have been older ones as he had several links on his recent post and I was enjoying them all. I swiped lots of them for my files and have made a great screensaver to replace the World Showcase one I had been using.

I have to get directions for my trip tomorrow. I hate driving in cities and have to get on 465 which is a horror anyway. Mapquest, here I come!! I take a good map too. I can get lost going around the block.

SG/Linda

[FPgurl04]

oh wow i feel terrible. i haven't been here in forever!! i do have a good excuse though! i have just gotten off being grounded and have been playing a ton of softball!! someone please tell me what's been happening. i promise i'll be back with news and responses!!!!! :teeth: :teeth: :wave2:

[SlightlyGoofy]

Caroline, I was just thinking of you today because I heard that they were holding a major Softball Fast Pitch contest locally. It was a national one too. Would that not have been great if you had been coming here? LOL

Might I inquire as to what you did to get grounded for? Just curious as you seem too darned perfect to me. My dd was grounded for years at a time for infractions that would have been jailable if she had been older and not under my careful watch. Since she has since developed into a fine responsible woman I guess I was right. Was painful at the time though. When she was grounded so was I. Being a mom is a major pain at times. LOL Do ya know what grandchildren are? They are my reward for not killing their parents. (evil smile)

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

Originally posted by SlightlyGoofy
Caroline, I was just thinking of you today because I heard that they were holding a major Softball Fast Pitch contest locally. It was a national one too. Would that not have been great if you had been coming here? LOL

Might I inquire as to what you did to get grounded for? Just curious as you seem too darned perfect to me. My dd was grounded for years at a time for infractions that would have been jailable if she had been older and not under my careful watch. Since she has since developed into a fine responsible woman I guess I was right. Was painful at the time though. When she was grounded so was I. Being a mom is a major pain at times. LOL Do ya know what grandchildren are? They are my reward for not killing their parents. (evil smile)

SG/Linda


I believe you mean Emily ;) :D I've never been grounded in my life....:D


Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful day. Mine was. I had a wonderful time at my friend's house, and then we had track practice. It was fun, despite becoming dinner for what seems to have been hundreds of hungry mosquitoes. :mad: Evil bugs ;) :D


Tomorrow is another track meet. I was persuaded to do 4 events, so I'll be quite busy!!! ::yes:: :D Also tomorrow is my great uncle's wake(they're not having a funeral, as he was not religous, or are his children, and I also think it may be something about money)My parent's are going, but because I didn't know him well, and it is only a wake, and because I would miss a track meet(I've only been to 2 out of 5 all season), they're letting me stay home for the meet. I feel bad for not going, but it would be only for a few hours, and I only met the man 2-3 times. Am I wrong for not going? I was prepared to miss a track meet for it, but my parents informed me I didn't have to. :D


Caroline*

[helenabear]

Hi all! Just wanted to say hi and I have been following. Not quite as much time to reply the way I wanted to.

Linda, without saying much, I already get at least $300/year back from my Disney Visa, so I am not sure I am who they are speaking about. I don't carry a balance but I am sure able to rack up the points ;) I have looked into the rewards other places and they never appealed to me, but thanks for telling me about it.

I need to run but I wanted to wish you all teh best... I may not be on as much as I try to get ready for my trip.

[FPgurl04]

SG--i am FAR from perfect (though i usually like to think otherwise :teeth: ). it is a long story, of which the details i would prefer not to go into in great depth. basically i was in target with my mom, we were in a hurry, i saw a shorter line and offered to go stand on it, but when i was there i accidentally got out of line because i was talking to a friend. my mom got mad at me because it was like the second senseless thing i'd done that day. when we were leaving the store i tried to apologize but ended up defending myself when she was lecturing me. so she got even madder because i didn't apologize. (and i'm sure it didn't help since we were both in "that time of the month" :eek: and grouchy as it was) and so she grounded me from the computer. and that's my story in a nutshell. what you said about being a mom--i've heard it many times before. i actually have a really good relationship with my mom. we don't fight nearly as much as a lot of my friends do with their moms. our only problem is commmunication--i don't really tell her very much. :( i am regretful of that sometimes.

so what's new with everyone else?

[SlightlyGoofy]

Senility is setting in. I knew it was Emily and not Caroline but my typing fingers just did not get the message. LOL

Emily, you are wise beyond your years. You are so right about the communication thing. Us parents worry more about what we do not know than what we do and if you keep us in the loop we are not as apt to let our imaginations run free. A brain can be a very dangerous thing. LOL My dd decided that I was dumber than a box of rocks about the time she turned ten and there was little I could do to convince her otherwise. It was difficult watching her go through so much and not be able to help her. As frustrating as it was for me I felt more for her since I had been a teen too and it was a hard time. My grandkids and I get along great and I am grateful. Young people sometimes apologize to their parents? Who would have thunk??? LOL

Caroline, I am sorry I got the names mixed up. You are absolutely right in going to the track meet. I am sure that your family did what they could for the poor man while he was among us and that is really what counts and missing the track meet would not have changed anything one little bit. Your parents are awfully special for deciding what was best for you versus what someone might think or say because you were not there. Those people are not worth worrying about anywho. Bugs don't generally bother me but I found a tick on me the other day. One of the kids at the Center complained of a tick in her hair and I did not find one. Must have transferred from her to me. If I come down with some strange disease I hope someone remembers the darned tick. LOL

Elaine, I do not charge a whole lot as I do not tend to spend much. I furnished most of this house from yard sales and auctions and such and having been married for so very long we pretty much have everything we want so getting $300 back would be peachy for me. I like the idea of having the money to spend wherever I want rather than just Disney though. Not planning any real DW trips for next year and would hate to rack up bunches of credit and have to spend it on things I do not really want. What do you save your reward dollars for? I am thinking of adding days to our next trip since the AP's are paid for and food would be the only added expense.

Lisa, what am I going to do with you? I will write you a personal emal and give you heck. LOL Still no news about Tom's foot. Probably good news cause if he needed surgery they would be calling fast so they could get their money. LOL "Swing" was awesome. My mom and grandma were singers of that era so I knew most of the music. The food was so so which means it was easy not to overeat. I have to do another shop Saturday so that means I ate out four times this week. The scales are behaving though. Maybe I will give up cooking and just take a shop a day instead. Works for me!!

SG/Linda

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Are we all ready for Linda's gala Suite Birthday Party / Elaine and Amanda (so THAT'S your real name! And I've been calling you "Depply", all this time! :) )'s Bon Voyage Party, this weekend??!! It's sure to be a hopping weekend in the Suite with so much celebrating going on! We've got Bo and Don making all of the arrangements for some very special events! We'll start off with a sunrise safari in the AK, followed by brunch in the World Showcase. Following afternoon tea at the Grand Floridian, we will head back to the Suite for cocktails (of the non-alcoholic variety, as well, for those who choose not to indulge!) and hors douerves. We'll then move on to an early evening cruise on the Sassagoula River and a dinner party at the Downtown Disney restaurant of Linda's choice. Then it's back to the Suite for our traditional Birthday private EWP and Wishes viewing, a dessert buffet (featuring a huge Birthday cake for Linda, in the shape of the "Millionaire" logo........with her picture superimposed next to it! :) ), and lots of streamers and confetti to throw at Elaine and Amanda to wish them well as they embark on their trips! :)

(Uh..........what did I do to deserve your "giving me heck", Linda????? :( ) Any news on Tom's foot? I hope that he is all right! OK - I feel better knowing that Dalton doesn't actually PULL the TRACTOR! :) And glad that you enjoyed "Swing" - we long that music, too - we were lucky enough to get to see the (regrouped) Glen Miller Orchestra in concert, a few years ago! We just wish that we knew how to really dance to swing music - I love watching people who really know how to do the lindy, etc. We didn't get to see "Swing" when it was on Broadway.........though I remember seeing musical numbers from it on the Tony Awards broadcast, when it was nominated for Best Musical, that year (I think it was 1997?).

Glad to hear that you are "ungrounded", Emily! Welcome back! How is softball going? I'm sure that you're doing wonderfully, as usual!

And how was your Meet, Caroline? I'm sure that you did an outstanding job, as always!

How's it going, out there, Colleen, Angie, and Wendy?

Wishing you wonderful vacations, Elaine and Amanda!

And Happy 2-Days-Before-Your-Birthday, Linda!

See everyone back here, tomorrow morning, for the beginning of our weekend Suite Celebration festivities! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Here comes the 'old broad'! LOL They call this middle age but who the heck do you know who lived to be 112? LOL

Lisa, good grief what are you trying to do to my diet girl? How did you know I always wanted to do the afternoon tea thing? It sounds lovely and I am an Anglophile from way back. The only downtown Disney restaurant that I can abide is the RFC. Maybe you can get them to tune down the noise. You know it is bad when a hearing aid woman complains. Right next to the aquarium please? I have a china cabinet full of cards, a sore ear from phone calls and and a small pile of presents that I am waiting to open tomorrow. (shaking a finger at you and smiling) I plan to start the day with a leisurely walk around a local park. Tom does not get up until late and I am going to skip my usual morning routine. Might go get my hair done as well. For some reason I love having my hair messed with. Have often used that as therapy rather than overpriced and unknowledgeable shrinks. LOL There were a couple of songs in "Swing" that I had never heard of and it was awesome!! Dalton would rather pull the tractor than pedal the darned thing. Hardly anyone makes the finish line.

I will be reclining on the deck chair until you all arrive. I feel like I should be up and doing something but Bo has threatened me if I lift a finger. Who am I to argue with a man, especially a good looking one. (grin) Might be old, but I sure ain't dead.

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

Of course you're middle Aged!!!! :D And, perhaps you'll be the first I know! :D

And happy night before your birthday. I'll post again tomorrow, but just thougt I'd say it now, as well! :D

My meet went well, better than the others so far. It's quite odd, how I go from winning events in school track, to doing like I do now. I finally came to the conclusion that it is 1) because I'm competing against more people(and better people, I never see any of them during school track) and 2) I have to compete against more girls, because they combine 2 age groups, 13 and 14 in my case. I came in 4th in the 100(which is odd, because I'm not a sprinter) 3rd in the 400(and I have a new personal best, 1:10!!) and 4th in the mile(a personal best so far this season, 7:32). :D

My parents said the wake was allright. As good as a wake can really be, I suppose. I still feel a little guilty for missing it, but I didn't know the man well, and my parents said there were no children there, anyway.

Today was fun. I spent the morning at the mall shopping with my friend. Then we came home and watched a movie and playing some games, and just talked because it was raining out.

Tommorow after church, we're having a little 'party' for my brother. Wow, I just realized Linda and my brother have the same birthday!! He'll be 19 though. :D So that should be fun, as my family is rarely all together anymore, with my sister 17, and me 13, we're always in different places.

Well, I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow, especially you Linda, on your birthday!!! :D

Caroline*

[IASW Rider]

:) :) :) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!!!!!!!! :) :) :) !!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope that you've enjoyed the beginning of your Suite celebration and hope that you are having a wonderful day!

Bon Voyage, Elaine and Amanda! Wishing you both wonderful and very magical vacations! We'll be thinking of you both! :)

OK, Linda, for the actual day of your Birthday, the Suite Men are at your disposal.........they will drive or sail you wherever you'd like to go, present you with whatever culinary offerings you might prefer, and otherwise cater to your every whim! This evening, along with our traditional private EWP viewing (the EWP "pilots" have offered to have you ride with one of them, this evening.......but I don't know if you would want to do that! :) ) the Poly has offered to co-sponsor a private Luau with our Suite Beach. So we will be having a Luau, with all of the "trimmings", including live entertainment, just before the EWP! And - I know that we shouldn't tell you this, but - we have arranged for Off Kilter to stop by and perform a few numbers as we are having dessert and coffee! :) Bo will be leaving milk and cookies in your room so that you will have them before you go to sleep, and Don has selected a variety of interesting novels for you to choose from, from our EWP Library, so that you will have some "pre-sleep entertainment"! (I don't know about you, but I always like to read something before I go to sleep! :) ) Hope that it will be a very special Day!

Hi Caroline! Hey - don't even try to compare your "regular season" meets to the ones that you've been participating in over the summer. As you said, these are structured completely differently from your traditional ones. So you can't really compare your results from both. I think that your record sounds great! Just view it as "additional practice" for your regular season! You are doing no less amazingly than you ever did and you will continue to do fantastically now and in the future! In fact, I'll be thinking of you in a few weeks, when the Olympics begin.......because I'll bet that we'll see you there next time around (along with Emily and Amanda, on other events! :) ).......and we can all say "We knew Caroline, when......." :) !!!!! Just don't forget us "little people" when you win the Gold, please! :) And hope that your Brother has a wonderful Birthday, tomorrow!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all having a great weekend!

And again..............HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!!!!!!!!!! :)

[TalkisCheap]

:teeth: Happy Birthday Linda!!!!!! :teeth: ::yes::


Hope you have a wonderful day!!


Rider. Your post made me laugh. I know I dream now of being in the Olympics, but it's all fantasy! But, if I ever do, believe me, I won't have forgotten you guys!! ;) :teeth: ::yes::

Well, I hope everyone has a great day, Especially you Linda! :D


Caroline*

[colleen costello]

Linda, I forgot today was your birthday... Scott's is tomorrow. He has the day off and I guess we'll go to lunch then the county fair.

Hope all is well with everyone and I hope today was a special day for dear Linda.

[IASW Rider]

Now that we have enjoyed Linda's Birthday celebration and the Bon Voyage celebrations for Elaine and Amanda, the Suite will have to celebrate Caroline's brother's Birthday, and tomorrow, Scott's! Happy Birthday to Scott, too! :)

We won't let you forget us, Caroline - we will be there, cheering you on, from the stands of the Olympic Stadium! You'll recognize us from afar because........we will all be wearing lime green T-shirts and mouse ear hats! :)

Speaking of county fairs, Colleen, did you ever go to the NJ Balloon Festival in Readington (near Flemington) when you lived in NJ, by chance? That's where we spent today, and it was a lot of fun! Such a great, sunny day to spend outside walking around (especially after all of the rain that we've had lately!)!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all having a good night! :)

[colleen costello]

I never went to the balloon fest but always saw pics in the local paper. My father-in-law loves balloons and I bet he went... they live in Milford.

We see lots of hot air balloons in Indiana. I always cringe -- I am SO afraid of heights! Love to watch them from the safety of the ground, though!

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am either a nice person or have the extremely good luck to have found a special group of friends who are very tolerant. LOL I was overwhelmed with such an outpouring of love and support for my birthday. I could not possibly list all the kindnesses I received. I used many a Kleenex. I spent the morning watching a video that just blew me away.

The EWP activities were exactly right and in keeping with who I am. So many old favorites and a sprinkling of new experiences and the company was the very best!!! Thank you all. I am grateful to have met you all and am looking forward to many more years with you all.

FPGurl, the softball contest is a 75 team softball tournament in
Columbus, IN for The United States Specialty Spports Assoc. Under 16 Girls FAst Pitch World Series for 2004. It begins tomorrow and ends on Aug 1st. I have a sil who is an excellent FP player as well. I have gone to watch her play many times but she is waaaaay over 16. LOL

Colleen, I love to watch the balloons as well but would never, ever be caught dead in one. Well, that might be the only time I would be able to get into one as I am terrified of heights. LOL Please tell Scott happy birthday from a fellow Leo. Hope his birthday is as wonderful as mine was. Bet I can guess what his birthday wish would be. (sell the house)

Caroline, happy birthday to your brother! Please do not wish extreme old age on me. The best wish you can have for anyone is that they live as long as they are viable and happy. I see far too many people sitting around in pain and waiting and hoping to die. As you get old death is not what you fear most. Thank you for your kind intentions though. (smile) It is my opinion that it is far better to come in second or wherever against hard competition than to come in first against less than the best. Competion is what we whet ourselves against and it makes us stronger and better people. I am proud of you and how hard you work to get to where you want to be. It is an awesome achievement.

Lisa, I loved every minute of your birthday preparations but especially loved being catered to by the fellows. I just want to sit down once in awhile and have someone wait on me for a change. One of my favorite sayings around here is "How many grandmas do you see". I get pulled in several directions with everyone wanting me to make their every whim come true and it is just plain impossible. I try. Some say I am very trying. LOL

I am off to write a special message to someone who made my day so I will see you all later.

It is getting closer and closer to the time that the codes will come out for our upcoming trip and I will be able to have a set date to work toward. I am looking forward to that.

SG/Linda (who sends lots of love and great big fluffy hugs to you all)

[IASW Rider]

Glad to hear that you had a special Birthday, Linda! Hope that every day of the coming year is as special! :)

How was Scott's Birthday, Colleen? I am petrified of heights, too (.......with the exception of Splash Mountain, of course! :) ) - I would never actually go up in a hot air balloon, either! I just like to watch them float by! :)

Sorry that this is such a quick post, but I need to get back to studying - I am so pathetically behind in math that I'll be surprised if I ever understand any of that stuff well enough to catch up!

Just wanted to say "hi" and hope that you're all having a great day! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hey there Lisa!! If you did not spend so much time on that lovely deck of yours you might not be so far behind. LOL I don't blame you guys for doing so and it is important to spend some time together at the end of a long day and reconnect. I am tenacious and will try try again when I get a moment. (smile)

When I passed the school ball diamonds and saw all the young ladies and their families I thought of our own FPgurl. The nearby church had set up a BBQ tent and the weather was delightful, cool but not too. Looked like everyone was having a ball, literally.

Dalton is here today. He was up most of the night watching tv so he is lethargic and not likely to do anything except nap and watch tv. They go on vacation next week and I am going to try to send Tom to his brothers so I can get some very important projects done before the wedding guests arrive. I found the greatest stuff that promises me that I can put on a coat over my gloss paint without sanding. One less step to do. Hope it is not lying to me. I need a break. Got the stuff to fix the upstair toliet also but have to take some more measurements for the basement project. It is mended but is awaiting a permanent fix. I am grateful that I will not have to hire this stuff done. Goes against the grain to pay $70 just for them to ring the bell and often they do not know what they are doing once they get there. You youngsters can pine over all those hard bodies hunks all you want, for me I will take Ty Pennington. I guess he is all that AND a bag of chips. LOL

Thank you all again for the wonderful birthday. Have to go check my mail as I am expecting a special card from an email pal. She is 5. Love it. (grin)

SG/Linda

[castlegazer]

SPECIAL DELIVERY FOR THE EWP GROUP

http://www.fergusonflowers.co.uk/images/romance/flowers%20belfast%20rose%20bouquet%20full.gif

Card reads:
Dear EWP group,
Please accept these very belated tokens of our appreciation for your generosity and hospitality while the Traveling DIS'rs were in WDW. Please feel completely free to join on at any time (we have special ways to bring you to us) during our jaunts around the world. We are currently pulling pints in Ireland for Linda and Goofy4Tink's birthdays.
Sincerely,
The Traveling DIS'rs

[FPgurl04]

SG--i didnt know that was where the 16U world series was. the 14U world series is in orlando. :( they actually play in the wide world of sports. i'm so jealous. i think the tournament is this weekend actually, but i'm not sure. :confused: hm...well i have to go. softball practice (what else is new?? :rolleyes: )

:Wave2:

[angelina]

Happy Birthday, Linda! I hope you had a terrific day in the suite. You're a sweet, wonderful person, and are very much loved.

I have been busy much of the summer, and we've spent as much time as possible at the pool now that the rains seem to have stopped for a while. The kids go back to school on the 17th, and my 5 year old found out yesterday that she didn't get the teacher she was hoping for and is very sad. Her PK teacher is moving up this year to replace a young lady who didn't do a very good job getting her students ready for "big" school, and dd was hoping to have her again. Instead she got the teacher who may very well prepare her students, but carries around a bull horn, won't let them talk during lunch, and is the last kind of teacher you would want for a 5 year old. I'm trying to leave it in God's hands, but we're sooo disappointed!

My oldest dd has been away for two weeks now- first at Girl Scout Survivor camp, and now in Destin, FL with a friend and her family. I know a lot of kids go off for months to camp, but this has been long enough for me! Can't wait 'til she comes home tomorrow!

I have been cleaning like a mad woman for the last week and am now 1 room away from having EVERY ROOM IN MY HOUSE clean at the SAME TIME! I have been throwing out old clothes, cleaning out drawers and cabinets and closets, and shredding old bills and papers, and generally ransacking every room in our house for days now. This was my goal when I quit my job almost 6 years ago, and I thought it would be a piece of cake--little did I know that it would take this long, LOL. Just wanted to share that with you. :Pinkbounc :bounce: :Pinkbounc :bounce:

I hope everyone is enjoying their summer. It's hard to believe it's almost over now. I have a lot of catching up to do on the old posts to see what you've all been up to, but hope it's all good news. Take care.

Angelina

[SlightlyGoofy]

Angelina, STOP!!!! If you get that final room clean you will disturb the world order and I cannot be responsible for the reprecussions. It is not a natural or normal thing to have your entire home clean at one time. At the very least, if you accomplish this task, your family will expect it all the time. The neighbors will notice and marriages will falter as husbands point out that you did it. The wives will turn against you and with your delicate sensiblities you are sure to suffer a mental breakdown. Please? I beg you, sit down, put your feet up and dream Disney dreams. Whew, close call. Glad to have been of service. Yep, I are sweet and wonderful. (modest also) You left out ornery though. Love? Yep by strangers. acquaintances and internet friends. If I were of a mind to contemplate on the visisitudes of life I might wonder why those who know me the best do not seem to be that enamored of me. Nope, I will think about that tomorrow ala Scarlett. (grin) If my precious five year old was in danger of being taught my Colonel Klink I think I would go to the school and raise a ruckus. Can you get other parents to stand with you? Why is such a person allowed to teach children? I might see where she might be effective with teenagers though. LOL Bet your daughter will be every bit as happy to see you but she might not show it overtly. Being cool is everything at that age. LOL

FPGurl, we had one team from Alasks come. Alaska Heat was their name. I don't blame you for wanting to participate in the group at DW though. It would be wonderful to have you in my area though. I have a dearth of girls in my life and would greatly enjoy showing you around my neck of the woods.

Castlegazer, what a lovely surprise to see you and you even brought roses with you. We are most honored and it was so much fun to meet you all while you were visiting. I hope that you will return when you can. Thank you for the birthday greetings. I will have to visit you and see what you are up to now. I am sure it is something exciting.

My little guy just left for the day. They are going on a mini vacation next week and my bil has offered to take Tom for a few days so that I can catch up on my projects. I hope to finish the bathroom, paint the garage and find that darned leak. I have repaired two of the bathrooms and have the water turned off in the third. Fixed the a/c leak, it was harder to figure out what it was than to fix. Am worried that it might be the ice cube maker and I cannot get back there to fix that one. If I am lucky enough to accomplish all that, without passing out, I am going to do something that I have never gotten to do. I am going to sit on the back porch and read a book.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

This will be quick, but I realize I was late in doing this so better now than never...

Happy Birthday Linda!!!

I will try to take the time tomorrow to read up on eveyrthing I missed while I was gone. I had a wonderful time and I am so glad I headed west... but I know in my heart WDW is my "home" more than DL ever could be

I'll check in tomorrow :wave2:

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Elaine!

Sure glad to hear that DL is not the place that DW is as the chances of me ever getting there are extremely slight. LOL

I have not had any interest in going to any other theme parks since I first set foot in DW. It is an awesome place, even when it might not be at its best.

I am starting to make definite plans for our next trip. Sure hope the codes are good since it appears that we will have to spend 15 days (a personal record) in order to see the groups I want to see. I am sure Tom will not mind. All it takes is for me to figure out where I can squeeze the money from to be able to afford it. LOL

Was there any area that DL impressed you with? Have heard that some of the rides are different there. Have also read that the lack of space is a big problem. Where did you stay?

Thanks for the birthday congrats. I am having lunch with some friends today and that should be the end of celebrating for this year. At my age the years whirl past so fast that it will not be long until I am yet another year older. (smile)

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

Hi Everyone!!!


Well...not alot to say.

Yesterday I babysat all night, which was good, the kids were perfect, and I can always use some extra spending money, especially with a whole bunch of my friends/families birthdays coming up!!!!

I also spent the day at the beach with some friends which was a lot of fun. I'm not usually a very big fan of the beach, as I hate to be sandy, but when you have friends to take your mind off of the sand/seaweed, it's quite fun :D

Well, I can't believe I only have one more month of summer. It's amazing to me, that it went by so quickly. Track is also winding down. This Thursday is the qualifying track meet. And two weeks from today is the State Meet!!!!!!! I'm surprised how fast this season has gone by. I've been spending my days at the track, as I've been there every day this week. Tuesday and Friday, my usual days off, were spent high jumping with my coach to prepare me for the meet....I have this mental block when it comes to jumping 4'2...perhaps I should say I usually do, as in practice yesterday, I cleared that easily, and made 4'4 as well :D I also learned a lot of what my problems are, so now I know what to focus on when I'm doing the actual event.

Well, I'm not sure what's on the agenda for today...but I better go get ready for whatever it is I'm doing today! :D Have a wonderful weekend!

Caroline*

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Boy, I miss a few days of posting and I missed so much! :)

First of all, don't stop celebrating, Linda! As I always say, celebrations should last at least an entire month, so you should continue celebrating your Birthday throughout the summer! Then (if I am not mistaken), Tom's Birthday comes up, so you can celebrate his throughout the fall! :)

Welcome back, Elaine! We're dying to hear all about your vacation, so please stop back in when you have a chance and tell us all about it! (And..........you know what I am going to ask, don't you????............Please post pictures, when you have a chance, too! :) )

Hi Angie!!!!!!!!! So great to hear from you! Glad to hear that all is well with you and your family!!!! Please come back again soon and give us another update!

How is softball going, Emily? What's your record like at this point in the season? I'm sure that you're doing great! :) Does your league have a World Series, too? If so, are the playoffs coming up soon? You'll have to let us know when you walk away with the MVP award, so that we can start celebrating for you in the Suite! :)

It's so neat that your State Meet kinda coincides with the beginning of the Olympics, Caroline! As I said before, I don't think that that's a coincidence......I think it's a "sign" of things to come in the future.....and the fact that we'll be seeing your face on a Wheaties box before long! :) Congratulations on making that 4'4 jump, too! :)

Well, sorry that this is so short, again - I have nothing earth shattering to report - just studying, as usual! We're going to see our minor league baseball team, the Somerset Patriots, play tonight (it's so neat having an actual baseball stadium just a few miles from our house!), and I'll be working on algebra for the rest of the weekend. UGH.

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a great weekend! :)

[colleen costello]

Hello all! Sharing good news -- we got an offer on our house today! I can't help but believe that good old St. Joseph -- who we buried a few weeks back in the front yard -- had something to do with it! :) If all goes well, we can agree on a price with this buyer and get moved by mid-September. VERY exciting. I was trying to keep up hope but it was getting harder to do...

Helenabear, can't WAIT to hear all about DisneyLand. I hate to fly so Florida is all I have. I have heard that those of us "raised" on the WORLD are usually a bit "disappointed" in DisneyLand, as they are such different entities. I think now that there are new hotels plus the California Adventure, DisneyLand is a real destination itself. Please share all the juicy details when you recover from travel... I think you stayed with DVC points, yes? DVC rocks! :)

Hope all is well with everyone else. I am dizzy from planning how I am supposed to pack up a house after 12 years with a hubby who never throws ANYTHING out... We still have some unopened boxes from... NEW JERSEY! I haven't lived there in 18 years! The man is CRAZY!!! Linda, you are such a go-getter. Maybe I can ship Scott to your place so he can babysit Tom and then can wallow together and you can come here and help me PACK? :)

Love to all.

Colleen

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hooray Colleen! I am not at all surprised that things worked out for you. I always knew they would, one way or another. Believe me you would not want me to help you pack. It just sounds like I get a lot done. I do a little, rest a bunch and so on. Going through a rough patch right now and am going to dig out some of my prednisone so that I can try to get the chores done before Tom comes back. Hope he stays gone for several days so I might get a mini vacation in. I can drive down with my pick up and haul some stuff from one house to another if it would help though. Prayer always works whether we know it or not. LOL If your hubby is a real packrat maybe you could put some fear in him that you might 'forget' to pack some of his 'stuff' and he will pack it himself to make sure he does not lose anything. Would not work with my husband but then you have a newer model. LOL

Rider, me, stop celebrating? Nah, I always find something to celebrate. We are going to NC shortly after Tom's birthday so that will be his celebration. I am going to meet my trivia buddies face to face. I am afraid I will disappoint them as they are planning to play trivia there and since I cannot hear worth a hoot I am not sure how well I will do. Will be fun anyway. Went out to lunch with my friends today and I asked a kindly looking man to please take a picture of the three of us together. We have been getting together for our birthdays for close to 15 years now. If you should hear that I was seen kissing a man, other than my husband in Cracker Barrel it is true. We ran into a neighbor and he called us girls. I told him that if it were not for the fact that his wife was with him I would give him a kiss and he took me up on it. That is the first guy over 13 and under 80 I have smooched, other than Tom, in over thirty years. I think I am getting odder in my second childhood. LOL His grandson and mine are best buddies. As far as algebra goes this is the only help I can give you. No matter how many times they tell you that pi are square they are wrong. Pie are round. If it are square it is cobbler. Hope that helps. LOL

Caroline, do you only babysit the easier kids or are you just so talented that you can tame those savage beasts? If it is the later I could use some advice. My grandsons hid out here last night because of tornado warnings and were junping on the bed, sitting on my kitchen counters and all sorts of things that I do not allow. Their mom is a bad influence I fear. LOL Yes, I do believe that it is a mental thing about being able to jump past a certain point and such. Think light thoughts and if you need a bit of extra push just ask and I will come and stand with fingers crossed and sending good thoughts for that little bit of an extra edge. If you can do it once, you can do it again. I love your attitude.

Going to tape the bathroom tomorrow and get the equipment upstairs. It takes me fifteen minutes each trip. Sure you want me to help pack Colleen? You would at least figure that I would lose a bunch of weight with all the exertion. Nah!!

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, you are so funny calling your time away from hubby a "vacation!" It makes sense to me... I was sad to not get to move over the summer break, but Mom talked sense into me. She reminded me that once I drive the darlings to school, I will have 7 hours of FREE TIME in which to unpack, organize, paint, etc. It will be HEAVEN! I also move slowly. I am too chubby anymore for real fast action... I do a bit then rest -- I either read or do computer stuff. This "ebb and flow" works for me. I have a pal whose hubby is a contractor and he has a giant flatbed truck. She has offered to loan it for the move. It will be fun driving the truck up and down our street.

I am quite anxious this evening. I know I am upset when I can't eat -- this rarely happens! I am worried about being able to come to an agreement with this buyer about the price of our home. Haggling is NOT for me... In any case, the internet never ceases to amaze me. We saw this guy's name on the written offer, and took a chance that he worked at the University. He does. So we found a whole website with his background, history, etc -- pics of friends, family, the whole 9 yards. It is interesting to learn about folks before you even meet them... I often wonder how we survivied without the internet! :)

I will keep you all posted.

xoxo

[TalkisCheap]

Wonderful news Colleen!!! I knew all your work would pay off eventually!! :D


Haha, Rider!! I did not know they started the same time, I keep asking when the olympics start, but no one knows. That's quite exciting!! Thanks for the congrats. :D It felt good knowing I could do it...doing it in the meet is my new challenge. I'll be needing plenty of PD and prayers on Thursday!!! Regaurdless of how I do, I have a relay at the state meet, so I'll be up there for the 14 hours reguardless of how I do in my other 3 events. :D I'd like to go up for more than just the relay, though.


Well, I only continually babysit 2 families of children. Both have perfect children. The two I babysat last night were 1 and 1/2 and 4. They're so perfect, and this is the 4th time. They love me, and I love them. They're too cute. When I see them, it reminds me why I want to have children when I am older, and married. The kids are very well behaved, always polite, and argue when I say it's time for bed. I was a little worried, as this was the first time I had to put down the little one, but he was perfect as well. At first he wouldn't let go of me so I held him while I read to the older girl, and after that he went down easily. :D My sister has babysat some terrors in her days, so if I ever have roudy children, I'll know how to keep them in control. I may have a bit of a harder time though, because I don't like to yell, and my sister is much more stern and can get scary when mad. I find it hard to yell, as I said, especially at children. Perhaps I'll have to take some toughening up lessons from my sister on how to disciplin children better :D ;)


Well, I really shouldn't still be on here. I've sat here for a while posting on here, as well as talking to friends. But, I should go and continue to read Emma. It's a tad overdue, because I haven't been reading as much as I was before. I suppose I'll have to try and renew it on Monday. :D Well, have a wonderful evening, and a wonderful Sunday!

Caroline*

[SlightlyGoofy]

Caroline, are you reading Jane Austen's "Emma"? I am impressed. The kids around here are lucky to be able to read the comics by the time they graduate. I always loved Austen and Bronte and such. I love anything about a woman in peril who saves her own self. LOL Don't worry about behaving anyway other than your own self with your future children. You can discipline without hollering, I have heard. Most important thing is to have children that listen and are as smart as you are. LOL

Colleen, I wonder if the buyer has looked you up as well. LOL It is scary what you can learn about people on line. TMI sometimes. Will your hubby and kids help with the packing any? One good thing is that you will not have much Spring Cleaning to do this year as you will not be in the house that long. Do you have any painting and such to do in the new house? Bet you could hire some college students to come in and help for a reasonable price. You are like me, you are built for comfort rather than speed. Speed is over rated anyway. LOL

We may have a visitor in here, if I gave her the right directions. Her name is BaileyBelle and will be at Disney when I will be. She was a big help to me recently and I thought such a nice person would like to meet some other nice people. I am sure everyone will make her welcome. She is from Maine.

SG/Linda

[baileybelle]

Hi everyone... Linda thanks so much for inviting me into your group. I have a lot of catching up to do on all your posts!!! Thanks again and I'll be talking to you all soon

BB/charlene

[colleen costello]

Welcome BB! Now we have 2 from Maine as well as 2 from Indiana. This is a fun suite full of nice folks. Unfortunately, we are not TOO exciting... reading old posts might help if you have insomnia! :)

And Linda, my family will darn WELL help pack... I also hope to get some painting and carpet-cleaning done before we move. after that I will "work cheap!"

[baileybelle]

Thanks Colleen, I look forward to getting to know more about all of you.

BB/Charlene

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there BaileyBelle. I am surprised that you could find your way here with my pitiful directions. I am awful at directions. I will let everyone introduce themselves to you so that you will not be forced to give up your life in order to read the past posts. LOL My name is Linda, I am grandma to 6 and have a retired hubby who takes it far too seriously. I am considering getting him a breathing machine so that he does not have to do that for himself anymore and he is very excited and happy at the thought. LOL I tutor children in how to read, do household repairs, garden and plan Disney vacations. I play trivia on the Internet and read, when I find time.

Colleen, I love your attitude. My dh is too smart and would just break a bunch of stuff to get out of packing. Sad, but true. He is much smarter than I am. Have you gotten the new house decorated in your dreams? I love decorating and fixing up things. I remodel houses in my sleep. Wish I had the talent to go with it.

Going to watch the end of Big Brother and head to bed. Good nite ladies!

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

Yep, Jane Austen's Emma. I finished Pride & Prejudice at the beginning of the summer, and now I'm in the middle of Emma. After, I want to read Sense and Sensability. Those are my three favorites. I've seen all the new movies of them, and own them all as well, so I decided to read the books as well. I love to read, and what better than books I enjoy!


Welcome BaileyBelle. Another Mainer, how nice! :D Well, a little about me. My name is Caroline, and I'm 13. I'm going into 8th grade. I play a lot of sports, and enjoy watching them as well. I'm a big red sox, and patriot fan. I am the youngest child of three, my brother is going to be a sophmore in college, and my sister a senior in high school. I love everything Disney, even though I've only been to WDW once, and that was last March, but now I'll be going every year, so I'll catch on soon enough :D My favorite sport is track and field, and I'm on a track team right now, so if I start talking about track, it's for that :D


Well...it's pretty late. I suppose I'll finish watching the movie I started, and then make my way to bed. :D

Caroline *

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am thinking of all our EWP youngsters this morning. We had a young lady go missing here a week ago. Investigation showed that she had met someone on the Internet. The man even removed the hard drive from her computer when he came to pick her up. The good news is that she was found alive yesterday. Please be careful. It can be a scary world out there.

Caroline, I have such a hard time convincing my young students that older books are fun to read. They are often unattractive to look at (covers) and have few pictures and lots of words and they are frightened. When a book has stood the test of time it must surely have something to reccomend it IMHO. I have run out of things to read at the local library and am going back and reading some old favorites. I love biographies and autobiographies right now and they are not stocking them. Lots of romances and self books, is what the local librarian likes. I miss my old friend who was librarian here for years. Her reading tastes and mine were similar. LOL I am glad to hear that you enjoy the books. Is a different genre but you might check out Pearl Buck. Remarkable woman and great writer. I visit famous authors homes. Is a quirk of mine.

SG/Linda

[FPgurl04]

:wave2: hey everyone!!

i'm really touched you all are so interested in my softball. :) we are actually a pretty good team. we placed 2nd in one tournament and have come in the top 4 or top 6 of several other tournaments. sure we've had our bad games, but overall we're doing really well. we play hard against good teams, and on some of those teams' websites we're mentioned as being 'tough' or 'a hard team to beat'. our coach is always telling us we're better than we think we are. sadly we only have 2 tournaments left--this coming weekend in richmond, ky and then 2 weekends after that in fort knox. our coach may try and get us into one final tournament in october just as a wrap up and to say good bye to the players who can't come back next year. as an individual i have been having a pretty good year. i think i have like 2 or 3 fielding errors and i have the highest on base percentage on the team (mainly because i'm walked so much!) and last tournament i hit a triple, which was pretty amazing for me considering i'm not really the biggest girl around! :teeth: otherwise it's been a great year and i'm having a lot of fun. sadly we don't have playoffs or a world series. there are some world series and things, but we're not in any of them. :teeth: thanks again for the concern and support!!!!!

so what's new with everyone else? how are you all?

SG--it's so depressing hearing about people going missing. i feel really bad, and it does make me more cautious--it's pretty scary out there.

well i'd better go!! big day of shopping tomorrow!! me and mom are hitting the mall--fall clothes are out!! woo!!!

:wave:

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Welcome BaileyBelle! Glad to have you join us! Looking forward to getting to know you! :) I'm 37 years old and live here in Central NJ with my husband and 5 cats! I worked in the field of Finance for 15 years and am in the process of (hopefully!) making a career change, now - I've gone back to school to study Nutrition and Public Health. I'm a lifelong WDW fan and will be making my 15th trip there, next May! :)

Congratulations, Colleen! That's wonderful news about the offer on your home! I'm sure that you're very busy packing, now, but just think about how much fun it will be to UNpack everything in your new home! :)

Loved your pi and square analogies, Linda..........but they made me hungry! :)

Of course we're interested in your softball "career", Emily! Keep us posted about your standings! It sounds like you're having a great season! :)

Sending lots of PD your way for Thursday, Caroline! You had better keep us posted and let us know how everything goes, too! :)

So sorry that this (and all of my recent posts) is so short, but I'm really trying to discipline myself and control my computer time, since I only have 3 weeks until my exam, now. But all is well, here. Had a nice weekend - saw our local minor league team, the Somerset Patriots, play (and win!) on Saturday night. We went with my best friend from high school, her husband, and their 2 year old son, and it was their son's first experience at a baseball game, which was neat! :) Visited with some friends yesterday, then spent last night watching the news and freaking out over the latest terror threats. UGH. I doubt that anything will happen......right now, anyway........but I'm petrified that something will eventually happen. The recent news was especially upsetting, since I have 2 friends who work in the Prudential building in Newark and several other friends who work in the Wall Street area. Oh well - there's nothing that we can do about it, so I try not to think about it too much. Even my friends who work in those areas all went to work today and are trying not to think about the possibility of an "event".

Anyway...........I don't want to end on THAT note, so I'll just say "hope that all is well with all of you" and "have a great day"! :)

[helenabear]

Hi all... never got a chance to stop in like I had hoped to this weekend. Went to a friend's house for a cookout on Saturday and Sunday we were shopping and cleaning most of the day.

I'm at work so I feel awful for not being able to take the time to reply to everything, but at least I am all caught up with the reading of what y'all are up to!

Colleen! I am so very happy for you!!!

Welcome Charlene! Always good to see another stop in. My name is Elaine. Married and my husband will be found on the DIS now and then as coqui. I live in Ohio and try to travel when I can.

Making it brief... I cannot say I was disappointed in DL, but it is smaller there. I do feel a bit more cramped (actually a lot more) and I am not much for that. DCA is better in that even when there are crowds it doesn't feel near as crowded. A couple of the rides at DL are far superior to WDW and a few at DL don't even exist at WDW. It isn't a trip I would rush to do again, but I am so glad I was able to go back.

We did get on Splash Mt 6 times thanks to the single rider line and went on Grizzly River Run (the rapid/raft ride) 4 times for that reason too. The standby wait for Splash was 120 minutes a couple of the times we looked :eek: Pirates is FAR better at DL and I wish they had done half as much at WDW as they did there. IASW is also far far better there. I loved that one so much! I wish they would make WDW's more like that one as well.

The rest of the rides were comparable or nothing that I would terribly miss at WDW. The landscaping at DL is okay, but I find far more natural beauty at WDW and that speaks to me.

Well I have rambled on, and feel free to ask questions. I am trying my best to catch up here at work so the rest of the week wont' be too bad for me.

:wave2:

[baileybelle]

Hi everyone...I guess I'll let you know a little about myself. I'm 50 years old, married 26 years, and have 2 children . DS is 22 and DD is 20. I'm from southern Maine and work at Walmart. I used to be a school teacher when I was younger, but decided to be a stay at home mom when my kids were born. Now I'm working at wally world and buying up Walmart stock for my retirement to the Orlando area someday soon.

Emily and Caroline I love hearing about your sports stories because my son ran track and my daughter ran track, played basketball and softball. As a matter of fact, my daughter and her high school softball team got to play at Disney's Wide World of Sports in the spring of 2002. What a blast that was!!! Sixteen teenage girls and their raging hormones...Yikes!!! It must of been a good luck charm going there because they got all the way to the state championship game that year.

Linda can't wait to hear when your disney dates are. Mine are 10/17 - 10/27. Did you check out that Lake Buena Vista map from your "Crossroads post?" You can also check out maps for Kissimmee and International Drive using that site.

helenabear... glad your trip to DL was fun. Did you go on the Indiana Jones ride? I hear that's a good one.

Good luck Colleen with the house. Now the fun begins!!!

Rider ... I'm also freaked out about the new terrorist threats. It's so scary not knowing from day to day what these lunatics are up to. I'm just waiting for the day they hit somewhere around or near Disney. What a perfect place to murder hundreds of people from around the world... It gives me the chills just thinking about it. My husband works a navy shipyard that works on nuclear submarines. Another perfect target.

On that note, I'll say goodnight and sweet dreams to everyone. Talk to you all soon.

BB/Charlene

[IASW Rider]

Hi Charlene! Again, we are so happy that you've come over to the Suite to join us! Nice to "meet" you! :)

I'm also frightened that those terrorists will eventually choose WDW as a target......if they haven't already. I'm sure that they have plans to strike places other than just the ones that have recently been uncovered. I guess that all we can do is just live our lives and go about our business and have faith that nothing bad will happen. At least it doesn't seem like the buildings in NY, DC, and NJ are in any immediate danger (or at least no more immediate than at any other time)..........

Anyway, on to more pleasant topics! Where will you be staying when you visit WDW in October? It's so nice that you will be there during the Food and Wine Festival! We're hoping to get there at that time of year, some time, because we've heard so many good things about it! Also, I guess that MNSSHP will be going on then, too!

Hi Elaine! Thanks for the update about your trip! So happy that you got to ride the real, original World's-Fair-Version of IASW! :) I'm hoping to do that myself, some day! And I've also heard such amazing things about the original PoC, too! Is DL's Splash Mountain pretty much the same as WDW's? How about their HM - did you ride that, too? Aside from the queue and the entrance scenes and stretch rooms, is it pretty similar to WDW's? What's now in the building that used to house CoP and America Sings? I think that it used to be some version of Innoventions - is it still? Did you go into any of the "classic dark rides" that are unique to DL like Pinocchio or Alice in Wonderland? And see the Dioramas and Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln? Did you get to see any of the shows or parades there? That's neat that you were able to spend some time in DCA, too. Did you ride their new ToT? Or see the Aladdin or Snow White shows that I've read about?

Not too much to report from here. I have my last GRE review class tomorrow. Yesterday's session was absolute torture for me: one word: GEOMETRY. I was so lost that I thought I was going to cry! I've decided to give myself a break and figure that I'll just do as well as I can on the math section and not kill myself over it. I'll practice as much as I can between now and the 25th, absorb whatever I can.........and guess on whatever questions / problems I can't comprehend! I'll just concentrate on my strength - the verbal stuff. Anyway, back to the books!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a great day! :)

[helenabear]

Charlene it is a true pleasure to get to know you better. I am so glad you stopped in :)

I have to admit, I am not very fearful of terrorists... mostly because I believe things can happen at any and all times (not just that, but life in general) so I won't let myself worry about an attack or anything else... I just go out and enjoy life. But think about it, if WDW was a target, at least I would be happy if something awful did happen ;) I know I sound so light hearted about this, but I try not to let anything phase me and keep me from living and having fun :)

Lisa, I do hope you get to ride the original IASW... you would be so impressed with it!!! Pirates is totally amazing... 20x better than WDW version!!! HM is mostly the same... minor minor differences that didn't affect me one way or the other. The stretch room is a huge change only because you *can* feel it unlike WDW you are clueless (unless you know). CoP is now Innoventions (we didn't bother going in there) And we made it on every single Fantasyland ride except for Dumbo and the Teacups. That means I got on my beloved Mr. Toad again for the first time in many years!!! Pinnochio and Alice are both very cute :) I am not a show person at all and the only parades I like are hte night ones now so we skipped all that.
I did go on the ToT... pretty cool. I haven't been on the one in MGM in many years (mostly due to back issues, which I think are okay enough to try this out... but I will again when I go back in Dec I think). It was an okay ride... the neatest part of it was you couldn't always feel if you were going up or down. But, along with M:S I think it is a bit over rated and not really worth spending a lot of time waiting for. The queue is wonderfully done and it would be worth to go through and check out for that (and chicken exit if you like).

Good luck with the GRE review and when you take the test Lisa... I am sure you will do great!

[baileybelle]

Hey Rider... We will be staying off site this time. We have five adults DH, DD, DS, DSGF, and me. We rented a 3bd/2ba condo in the Windsor Palms development off of 192. We really need the space.

We're also driving down for the first time on this trip. We're driving straight thru from southern Maine. We estimate it will take us about 22-23 hours with only gas, bathroom, and short eat/rest stops. We have a cooler that plugs into our cigarette lighter in the van so we're bringing sandwich fixings and other perishables to eat along the way. We also have a car dvd player to keep the "kids" occupied. We will have three drivers so we should be all set. Driving down will be the easy part because we'll all be so anxious to get to WDW we won't be able to sleep anyway!!!

This will be our first time at F/W Festival. Really anxious to check out all that glorious food.

Won't be going to MNSSHP though. Have so many other things we want to do we just can't fit it in.

We'll be doing 5 days at WDW, Seaworld, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center and of course one day to shop till we drop!!! My DH and DS can't wait for that day...LOL

Good luck with the Math!!! That was always my worst subject in school.

Elaine...I went to the 1964 New York World's Fair when I was 10 years old. I'll never forget going on "Small World" for the first time. It was magical. It wasn't until 1990 that I finally got to ride "Small World" at WDW and I cried like a baby thru the whole ride. My kids who were 9 and 6 at the time thought I was a total nutcase. The Carousel of Progress was also at that fair and I love riding it at WDW when it's open. I hope it will be open this trip, it all depends when "stitch" opens.

Well I guess that's all for now. It's my day off from Wally World so I need to get some housework done. talk to you all soon.

BB/Charlene

[SlightlyGoofy]

Whew, ladies, I sure wish I could actually move into the Suite. Life is rough here in the real world. Not big stuff, thankfully, but lots of little stuff that is about to do me in. The grandkids are on vacation until Saturday and I took my dh to his brother's. He will return Sunday. I managed to get the bathroom primed and the ceiling done today. Not an easy task for someone with COPD but I dug into my stockpile of prednisone and am making the most of it. LOL I am going to work on the garage Friday and hope to get some yardwork done done on Saturday. Oh, did I mention that I have not had any water for the past five days? (sigh) A plumber has finally agreed to come tomorrow. I have decided to let him do what I need done and if he has the time I going to let him do the other smaller jobs that I would usually do. I deserve a break!!! As soon as he leaves, I am going to lock all the doors, wash my hair a half dozen times and shower for at least an hour. I can get a few buckets of water for the absolute necessities but it just is not the same. I miss the modern world. Of course you can guess what the dish and laundry situations might be. Just a few other chores to add to my little mini (vacation). I bought one of those Asian Chicken Salads from the WM deli area. Only 7 WW points and is huge. Yummm!!! Got a gallon of blackberries from my supplier and am set for food. Too busy to cook. Hopefully I will have a big loss at weigh in this week. If not I am going to cry me a river.

Baileybelle, so glad to see you in the Suite. I have not made our ressies yet as I am waiting for the codes to come out but right now I am looking at Oct 11th thru the 16th with a break to go to Clearwater to see my sister for a couple of days and then back from the 19th thru the 27th. Will tie for our longest stay I think. We only have one driver and even though we will only be driving 1,000 miles it will take me about one and a half days to go. I do not drive after dark. I can't see. Not a good idea. LOL Math was my worst subject as well. Some people are word people and some are numbers people. Not many are both as Rider but then she is special. It is so funny cause Rider had just posted a quiz on IASW and Carousel and there you were there. You were fated to join us!!

Elaine, thank you for the report on DL. I had heard some but not all of the info. I am such a worrywart about so very many things but do not worry about terrorists. Might be because we live in the Midwest and do not have the constant barrage of threats that our dear city friends do. If I have to go I would not mind going at DW. I feel safer there anyway. When we were there they were installing some sort of safety gates at the service areas that are used at the Pentagon and such. After 9/11 I believe that Americans are on the alert and will be more apt to step forward to do something instead of standing for any nonsense. We might be thought of as spoiled but if you get our dander up we are not to be messed with.

Rider, please do not obsess too much over your grades. I think you have a straight A thing going and if you should slip to an A minus or even a B in math you should still be very proud of yourself. My dd has refused to finish her degree because she has A's going and is fearful that she cannot hold to that standard for Algebra. I am sad about the fact. She is an amazing worker and so talented and could earn so much more if she had the paper IMHO. Maybe I am wrong. I do not voice my opinions to her though. How far away are you guys from Prudential and such? Geography is not my strong suit but my ears perk up whenever I hear anything about NJ.


I am sorry I do not have much more news and have not been here too much lately but I am an old lady and slower than molasses in winter. (grin)

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

:wave2: Hey everyone!!!


A quick check in, for now. Hope everyone is well. I'm fine, just very busy. I've been high jumping every day since last monday, and I think I'm improving. Tomorrow is the qualifying meet, and I'm not afraid to admit, I'm nervous and scared to death. But, I'm also anxious for it. I'm doing the 400, 800, and HJ. I'm not really confident in my 800 because I haven't been running it alot, I'm focusing more on my 400 and HJ.


Well, I should be going. Sorry this is so quick, all read through the posts and comment on anything tomorrow, and also tell you about how the meet goes. Have a great day. :D


Caroline

[helenabear]

Charlene, what days are you going down to WDW? I think I heard that somewhere around end of October, Stitch should be finnished. I love CoP though... so I hope they have at least limited running hours for it!! I do hope that your drive will be a good one. I admit you are brave (in my eyes) to drive that far. I'm not the keenest on flying, but a 2 hour flight will be a 16 hour drive in my book. Usually it is just me and maybe Luis though :)

Linda, you have a point about the mid-west thing. However after the poweroutage that started in Ohio and caused that massive black out, they realized very quickly that Central & Northern Ohio is a "good target" because they can wipe out a lot more than they thought. Apparently not just big cities are being looked at anymore. At least that is what the news people say. I suppose though, that even my brother in NJ and I think alike... nothing in life is ever fool proof or safe... so why worry. Not to be ignorant, but don't be overly scared... no point in living if all you do is fear death.
Silly rambles of mine, I know ;)

Caroline, I wish you all the best with your qualifying meet!! I am sure you will do wonderfully, but remember the stresses of track when I did it myself! Do let us know how it all went for you!!!

Back to work for me ;)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Tom will not recognize the house when he gets back. I not only finished the bathroom (looks wonderful) and the garage but things worked out that the front sidewalk and crumbling step are being replaced as well. Very long story, won't bore you will all the details, but instead of the expected $1500 it is only going to cost $300. That will more than make up for the plumbing bill that is yet to come. That first shower was fantastic! I was going nuts as I grew up dirt poor, literally, and did not have a tub or shower and cannot live without such things now.

I think my daughter and family get back from vacation today. The boys called the other night and everyone was amazed cause Dalton decided to conduct a tour when they visited some caves and impressed everyone by knowing what stalagtites and stalagmites were and which were which. That's my boy!! Sounded like they were glad that they went on vacation instead of staying with grandma. I am happy for them. Corvette factory, Holiday World and lots of motels with swimming pools. They might have even gotten some sleep!

Helenabear, I am hesitant to say this, out loud, but my devious mind says that they could cause more terror by striking less well known targets as a lot of people feel safe cause they are not near anything famous and if they struck out of the way no one would feel safe. Saw a show where they were saying that people in some areas are much more on the alert and are good at notifying the authorities of things than before. I totally agree with you and to quote Roosevelt - "The only thing we have to fear is fear itself".

Talk, IMHO there are two kinds of nervous energy, the kind that keeps you from doing what you want and the good kind, that spurs you on to better things. I am hoping for the later for you at your meet. If you think you can, you can!!

I have some gardening to do now so I will close and check in later.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Hi girls, just a quick hello. All is moving well and fast now. I move on September 10th and 11th. We are cleaning out the attic and basement, going thru stuff my dopey hubby has kept since Jersey (1987!). Yikes. Very exciting and overwhelming all at once. You have all listened to me gripe long enough... I am very happy but really too busy to realize yet how wonderful it will be in that great big house!

Linda, sounds like your remodel is going great. Good for you. Hope everyone is enjoying the nice weather. It's been gorgeous here in Indiana, very cool. Today I took a break from packing and took the kids to the park. When it's 75 degrees out you have to be outside!

Love to all.

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, what wonderful news. Sounds as if your family is helping out. Great!!

If you have not unpacked something from your last move there is a good chance that you will not need to unpack now either. LOL In a larger house you will have a lot more room to put those unopened boxes. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I would tell you to mark or number the boxes by room but I am sure that a professional mover such as yourself already knows that. Do you have any overlap between when you move into the new house and have to be out of your old home so you do not have to rush so much?

I will be heading to North Carolina while you move.

When you live in a huge house like this it is not so much remodeling as constant care. By the time I finish with the last room it is time to do the first one over again. Counting bathrooms I have 18 rooms and then I have four rooms in the basement and a couple of hallways, one is a doozy.

Get some rest and don't let those dreams of your new home cause you to stay up all night decorating. You have plenty of years ahead of you for all that. Bet the kids are excited.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, 18 rooms? I thought of my new house as big -- but 18? How did you find yourself in a 18-room house with a man who doesn't do repairs? No wonder you are busy...

The kids are excited, yes. We all are. Even cranky hubby is starting to realize "Wow, we are going to move." I am also sad. This house we are in now is where my children were conceived... Where my babies came home from the hospital. There was lots of happiness here, and sometimes when I think I won't sleep here anymore, my throat gets a lump... I told the kids right before we move we'll walk through with the video camera and make a tape for later. That will help. They are NOT misty at all -- last night Erin said "Oh Mom, it'll be fine... the new house is better!" The kids have little time for my nostalgia.

We have about 6 days to move. The moving men will take all the furniture and we'll take all the stuff. I want to clean good before the new guy comes and I may actually hire a cleaning lady who was recommended to me. I will be busy at the new house and for $100 she says she will "make the place shine." Sounds good. I am labling boxes with what is in them, plus where they will go ... does that sound good?

Any tips are appreciated!

Colleen

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone! :)

So glad to hear that you have your water back (wow - that must have been such a pain to be without it! :( ) and that you made so much progress with your home projects, Linda! Was Tom surprised when he returned home? Also, glad to hear that your DD and her family had such a nice vacation! And that Dalton gave such a knowledgable tour of the caves! :) Also, glad to hear that your fall vacation plans are coming together! Definitely something fun to look forward to, especially after all of the work that you've been doing in your home!

And glad to hear that your moving plans are coming together, Colleen! That is so exciting! It's nice that it's coming up soon, but that you have enough time to pack and organize everything. And I can imagine how bittersweet it is to be leaving the home in which so many special things have happened, for your family. But as your DD said, you're moving on to bigger and better things and a wonderful new home in which to make new memories! :)

How did your qualifying meet go, Caroline? I'll bet that you did an outstanding job! You'll have to let us know all about it! Also, love the new photo in your signature! :)

Thanks for your kind words, Elaine! And for all of the information about DL! It must be so neat to see the original versions of so many WDW attractions, and the ones that were adapted to DL / DCA from the WDW parks, too. That's so neat that you got to ride Mr. Toad again! It's nice that it still exists somewhere at a Disney park! Are there still submarines at DL, too, or were they taken away there, as well? Did you ride the Matterhorn? How does that compare to BTM / Space Mountain?

That's so neat that you went to the 1964 World's Fair, Charlene! Just before you joined our Suite, I was boring everyone here with tales of my DH's and my recent visit to Flushing Meadows, where I finally got to see the site of the World's Fair(s). I'm a lifelong NY Mets fan and had always seen the park from afar, when we would go to the games. I was always dying to go over and see the remnants of the Fair, but my parents always said "there's nothing there to see". When DH and I went to a Mets game last month, we purposely went over a bit early and walked around the park and took pictures of everything from the 1964 Fair that still remains there. I was singing "Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow", shamelessly, out loud! It was so neat to see the Unisphere and to know that I was standing on the ground where IASW and CoP first premiered! :) Your upcoming trip to WDW and the other parks sounds wonderful - it sounds like you and your family will be "accomplishing" a lot, while you're down there! And that's such a nice time of year to be down there, too - not too hot or cold! I'm sure that you all will have a wonderful time! :)

All is well, here! We spent yesterday visiting my Aunt, cousin, "niece", and "nephew" in Connecticut. It was unseasonably cool, here - in the mid- upper 60's - and even cooler by the water in Stamford, where my Aunt lives. We went for a long walk on one of the beautiful beaches off of the Long Island Sound.......which was great, but I froze because I was dressed for "traditional August weather"! :) But it was a nice visit and it was so great to see the kids (ages 3 and 4), who are getting bigger and brighter every time we see them! It was also nice 'cause we took my father, and he loved being with the kids and seeing everyone and having a nice change of scenery. And that's about all that's new.............back to the books for me!

Hope that you're all having a great weekend! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Tom came home early instead of this afternoon as was planned. My bil missed out on a homemade rhubarb pie as I was getting ready to make him one. Dalton is scheduled to spend the night so things are back to normal around here. I got kudos for the bathroom. Jackie said it did not look like me, I guess that was a compliment? LOL Actually I like understated and simple and elegant things but always considered Tom before. Now I have to consider potential buyers.

Colleen, maybe the new owners will become good friends and you can visit the scene of conception often? That can be a good thing or a bad thing. When they start changing things it can be disturbing. I did not miss my other house at all but this one will be a different story. Before you think I live in a castle you must know that we bought this place in the midst of the energy crisis of the 70's when no one wanted big old houses and this was an apartment house at the time. The price was so ridiculously cheap and it was across the street from the school that we decided to go for it and live on one floor in the winter if need be, never was. I did not know how to fix things when we got married but not having any money at first and wanting running water and other luxuries I had to learn and fast. I wish I were more handy but it is hard for me to move around nowadays and I can do less than I used to. Only hint I could give is to have one or two boxes with the basics needed for your first couple of days, coffee, toilet paper, bedding, etc.) $100 and she will clean it from top to bottom? Sounds like a great deal to me. Wish I lived closer and maybe I could hire her to do some of the high stuff around here. Will she go into the new house and perform the same (paid for by the sellers or even yourself)? Delegate!!

Rider, Tom is seldom surprised by anything I do anymore. When we first got married he was blown away when he found out that I knew how to cook, clean, read, write and all sorts of things. I am taken aback by the reasons he must have married me. Neither one of us knew what we were getting but then I doubt that many do. I love hearing you youngsters stories of two year engagements and such, it is such a great idea and so smart. I think all potential couples should spend a month together before getting married. Whoa, you teens should let me finish that thought! LOL Spend a month together renovating a house while babysitting for at least three children. If you can survive that, with sense of humor intact, you are then fit to enter the maddening maze of matrimony. (smile)

Caroline, did those light thoughts I sent you arrive in time to help you soar over your goals? I hope so. I know you did well no matter what. We are your biggest cheerleaders, ya know??

Helenabear, are you getting some of this great weather as well? I love it when it is too cool for the ac and too warm for the furnace. New codes came out and the old $49 rate is back for Spetember. Hopefully they will stick around for my October dates.

Just a reminder that our dear Angelina has a birthday coming up on Saturday. Dixie Landings seems like a perfect site for something for our Southern Belle but she might want something a bit more exotic. Will let you guys decide on the venue and I will just show up in time to celebrate. LOL

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Things are moving along here. Linda, I like your idea about transferring "basics" first... Luckily the two houses are just a few hundred yards apart. In a true toilet paper emergency, I suppose I could tell someone to sit tight while I ran back to house #1 for the tissue! :)

I am packing every morning, then taking a break to keep up with housework/laundry/Mommy stuff, then doing more in the evening . It doesn't seem like I am moving fast enough but I have done so much in just a week or less and I have another month. As an anxious person I just have to keep insisting to myself that all is well and one way or another, this will work. I have thought a lot about David since his death and I have unearthed quite a few photos of him in my packing. I am shocked at how skinny I am in the photos -- actually looked like I could have used a good meal, not the case now! -- and I look at goofy Dave with his big smile and I can't even imagine that somehow he is dead. So all this reminds me that time is short, and advice about "not sweating the small stuff" is so important. I am MOVING -- it's exciting! No one is sick, we're not bankrupt, there hasn't been a flood. No crisis here! Such are the things I keep telling myself! It's going to take a lot of self-talk to get through this giant project, though... As I am fond of telling my hubby, being this nutty is NOT easy!

Hope all is well with all of you. Caroline, any news on your aunt's house yet? Now I am convinced that all homes do, sooner or later, sell!

Love to all.

[colleen costello]

Well, I guess my last post made little sense as it seems I never told you all about the loss of my dear friend David. I got a call a while back that a dear friend had died. It was a shock and of course quite upsetting. David was my best friend in college and the best man at my wedding. He was a crazy, fun, wonderful person and leaves behind a wife and two little ones. His son is almost 8 and his daughter almost 5. I can't even imagine his poor wife a widow at 39.

David had some immuno-deficiency problems. Nothing life-threatening but he could take sick easily and had lots of allergies. In the 1980's he started taking plasma therapy every month. He would set up an IV and the "medicine" would boost his immune system. He was very excited about this "breakthrough" that would improve his health overall. Unfortunately as is the case so often in America, precautions were not taken until "too late." David was ill some years later while in medical school and discovered that the product he trusted to help him was "tainted." He contracted Hepatitis C because no one bothered to screen the blood from which his IV's came.

David's liver progressed into liver failure and in mid-July he had a liver transplant. His family had high hopes as he had evidently become quite ill and had to stop working as a physician back in the spring. He had gone downhill so fast, though, the transplant was a failure. He never really "recovered" from the surgery and died a few days following. Lisa was understandably distraught when I spoke to her and said they had expected him to recover from the transplant.

Of course this tragedy has been mind-boggling for me. This guy was a smart, funny person who worked SO hard for so long. Medical school was extremely stressful but he made it through successfully. He was quite popular with his patients and focused on rehab, seeing patients after strokes and car accidents. To think that he died two days before his 40th birthday because of what I see as negligence in the medical community, is hard to handle. So I have been thinking a lot about him lately, and of his family, and about mortality... In all the pictures he has his crazy grin. It's hard to believe he is not alive anymore. It seems unfair to me, and hard to make sense of. I am comforted by the fact that he left a son and daughter. They look like him!

I guess I didn't know how to explain all this. It occurs to me that this forum can be very therapeutic. We are a small cast of characters, and we haven't even all had the chance to meet face-to-face. But telling you all things can really help. There is a nice "circle of friends" here.

[TalkisCheap]

Hey everyone!!!


Sorry I haven't posted in so long. After the meet, I went to my friend's house and ended up staying the night. Friday I had to babysit again, when I got back from her house, and then I left for my cousin's baptism, and got back late Sunday night. Monday after a full day of tennis, shopping, and track, I spent the night at my friend's for her birthday, and spent ALL of yesterday at an amusement park with a bunch of my friends. It was a lot of fun, but I'm SO tired right now, even though I took a 3 hour nap today. :D

The qualifying meet, was OKay. My least confident event, was the only one I qualified in...the High Jump :teeth: It's wonderful, but I know there are a lot of very good jumpers. At another meet, a girl jumped 4'10 :earseek: But, I'm just going to do my best. I haven't jumped since the meet though, because I wasn't here all weekend, then Monday, at practice, I went to jump, but someone stole one of our mats, and I jumped over the two mats, and onto the ground :eek: ::yes:: . I was alright, except for a bruise. Then yesterday I was gone all day, and tonight it rained, as it is supposed to tomorrow and friday, but be nice Saturday :( I guess it's good I won't be sitting in the rain for those 13 hours, but it would help if it was sunny the days so I could practice. I'm hoping it turns out to be nice ::yes::

I'm so sorry about your friend Colleen.

My uncle and aunt's house has not sold yet. My uncle has been commuting back and forth 2 hours each way, every day, so as not to leave them. It's really a mystery, there house is very nice, and in a great neighborhood, and it's very reasonably priced because they just want to sell it. I really don't know what they're going to do. :(

Well, I hope everyone is well. The state meet is Saturday, so I'll be sure to tell you how it went Sunday. :teeth: Have a great couple of days. :wave2:

Caroline

[SlightlyGoofy]

I just read where DW is closing down after noon today. I am sure it is for the best to protect everyone but I feel for those who have saved long and hard to spend a few days (on what might be their only trip) to have this happen. I am hoping that it will be a small memory and not a major one though. We have been down there during other storms and other than rain we never had anything like this happen. I have a sister in Clearwater so I am worried about her.

Colleen, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your dear friend. When I had my last surgery I insisted on having donated blood. I was told that it was not safer ya da ya da but I did it . I figured that it was better to take from people I saw everyday so I would know if they got sick instead of wondering. So very many people offered and it was hard to find a nice way to say ,"No thank you" though to some of them. There is no reason for them not to screen blood more carefully nowadays. Have you ever seen some of the blood donation centers in big cities and the people who are donating? Until mainstream people start donating (I can't) it will ever be thus. I am sure it will be a comfort to his wife and children to know that he had so many wonderful friends like yourself and may the happy memories be of some comfort during these days.

Caroline, do you think that the reason you qualified in the one event was because you did not think you would make it and so were not worried and burdened with negative thoughts? Just an idea. You are forgiven for not posting since you were out and about having fun. LOL That is what life is for. Cyber world is good but real life is much better. Do your aunt and uncle live in an area where it might be worth it to have the house 'staged"? There is a show on cable that shows houses before and after such and gives many useful hints on how to improve a house, cheaply, to sell. I see houses as challenges and the worse they are the more I love them but some people cannot see beyond a wall color. If all else fails I hope that burying the saint will.

Have to go do some more painting. I am almost done, for this season.

Linda/SG

[TalkisCheap]

:teeth: :teeth:


Well. I just wanted to say hi, and wish me luck. I'm going to bed very early, as I must get up at 530 tomorrow for the meet :( ::yes::

SG, Hmm...I never thought about that. Probably, as I went in thinking, "You know, I probably won't qualify, I might as well just try my best, and have fun" And, high jumping is fun for me...probably the most fun thing I do. :teeth:

As for my aunt and uncle...I've seen the shows. Their house is really cute, they didn't do a lot to the house, though, because they're a coast guard family, and knew they wouldn't be there long. The carpets are all beige, and the walls mostly white. The bathrooms are all in wonderful condition. The only really thing I can think of paint wise, is a mural my uncle painted for my niece before she was born. :confused: I'm just not sure why it isn't selling. My mom sent them one of the kits with the prayer, and the statue in it..I wonder if they've gotten it. Hopefully that will work, if nothing else does! :teeth:

[SlightlyGoofy]

Caroline, I think you are onto something. Worries weigh you down and if you are not sweating (sweat is very heavy LOL) it is easier to soar. Maybe you are just too darned hard on yourself. Life is a series of balancing acts and it is hard to stay even. I applaud your work ethic and high standards but I hope you are proud of yourself in the process. Not too. LOL (BTW, I am still a work in progress and have had many years of practice)

I am watching the damage reports from Orlando right now. Saw where the top of the Cirque was partially blown off and AK is closed today. Lots of people are worried about the animals but I am hoping that they are just letting them rest for the day. It must have been very tramatic for them. Animals are more in tune with nature than we are. I will have a lot of 'splaning to do to Dalton as he is a weather nut and wants to understand it all. Will have to do some reading up soon as he asks smarter questions than sometimes I have answers for. You learn as much from kids as you teach them. Is a wonderful thing.

When the time is right your aunt's home will sell. Is just the way things work. Who knows they may end up getting a better offer or something. I do hope it is soon though. We had two houses for three years once and it was awfully stressful. I hated having to pay money out for renters when I could not do repairs that we needed. The only time we made money on the deal was when the house was empty. I will never do that one again. This house is so big that I could easily make two or more apartments out of it and make some big money but is not worth the headaches. There is just so darned much I love about this house it is hard to think of leaving it but I know I must.

I hope the storms are not headed toward any of our Suite mates. Please remember that today is Angelina's birthday. She lives on the gulf and may have had some bad weather her way although I do not believe it was major weather.

Took Dalton to see Two Brothers last night. We had a lovely evening and stopped by White Castle to take home burgers for granddad to assage his grief at being left home. He did not mind. He got to watch people play poker for hours without any distractions.

SG/Linda

[SlightlyGoofy]

Just heard that a tornado warning has been called for where Colleen lives. Sending lots of pixie dust her direction and hoping that it is much ado about nothing signifying nothing etc.

It has been awfully quiet in here. Guess the storms have kept everyone away from the Suite. Did you not know that it is specially reinforced to withstand anything the weather can throw at it? Heck, there is even a moat to keep everyday worries and cares from entering the edifice. LOL

I am so looking forward to my next trip and cannot hardly wait. A dear friend and neighbor of mine will be coming to see the Beachboys also. Will be the first time we have been together there. She is the daughter of my bestest pal, Dorthea. I took her and some other older friends to a nearby town for a lunch today. It was lovely all of us being together. A few have passed from our group and it makes each get together that much more precious. I am about 20 or more years younger than the rest of the group and while I would not have missed knowing them for anything it is most painful to watch them age and acquire aches and pains that flesh is heir to.

I have been asked to come in and read to yet another group. They are impressed at my strange ability to be able to read upside down. It is a useful skill when reading to small children who want to see the pictures. LOL

Take care dear ladies and hope to see you all relaxing in the Suite soon. I will throw out a topic for you all. - I will be spending about 16 days on this upcoming trip and would appreciate tips on things I might not have already done on our many other trips. Night monorail trips are on the list. I may even be brave enough to sit in the front of the monorail at night since I will not be able to see the ground and my fear of heights might not be as bad then. Heck, I am such a chicken that I have never been on Peter Pan's Flight. LOL cluck,cluck, cluck LOL

Slightly Goofy/Linda

[helenabear]

Hi all!! Between the boards being slow & down and busy work/home life, I admit I just haven't been able to take the time to catch up with you all. They just have pounded us with work and unless a reply on a thread can be short, I just haven't found the time to do much else.

Linda, I quite agree with you... the only thing we do have to fear is fear itself. Might be why I am not all that worried. After living on campus for over 4 years I am always alert, but being alert and fearing are two totally different things in my mind.

Collen, I do not envy all you will have to do before you move. I hated moving and if I never have to move again, it will be too soon ;) Good luck with that all!

Lisa, I am always happy to share my trip experiences with everyone. I did get on the Matterhorn and I must say, I was rather disappointed. I remember that as a kid and somehow it seemed so much more interesting. It is cute but it is even more of a "kiddie coaster" than BTM or SM.

Linda, we were getting some of that cooler weather as well... you might want to shoot me for this ;) but I love the heat... I really wasn't too happy when it got as cool as it did. Even with highs in the low 80s, I am wishing for the sweltering heat now and then.

I am so sorry that I missed Angelina's birthday!!! I hope you had a wonderful day!!!

Colleen, thank you for taking the time to share David with us... I am so sorry he had to go through all that... you are a wonderful person to share him with us :hug:

Caroline, sounds like you are very busy lately! I hope your uncle can get his house sold very soon!! Oh are you back at school yet? If not when does that start?

Well I should get back to work, but I really wanted to come in and say hi since it had been so terribly long. Nothing exciting going on here... just had been busy with a lot of family and friends lately.

[colleen costello]

HI ladies. I am taking a packing break. The kids started school Tuesday and so far so good. Everyone has pals and nice teachers and poor little Ian seems to be OK despite having to get up early.

We did have tornado warnings last night. As I did not grow up in a tornade-state, I refuse to live in a house without a basement. When they issue the warnings, we get the cats and go downstairs and it's not scary at all. Luckily the warning was over by 8:30 so I could get the kids to bed without much fuss.

Linda, I am envious of a LONG trip to FLorida. We usually stay 8 nights which is great but I always want more. I suggest you go over to the Polynesian on a nice evening and follow the signs to the Grand Floridian. You walk along the beach and it is GLORIOUS. You pass the Luau cove and come out near the wedding pavilion... It's just blinding bright white clapboards against the tropical colors and with the water and the castle in the distance, it is heavenly. Then you can stroll around the GF, and end up in their lobby. The pianist was there when we went, and a Dad and his little girl even entertained us with a brief waltz. One of my best "Disney evenings" ever was this itinerary in June. When you have had enough, you can ride the monorail back to the Poly, as we did, or stroll back along the path and catch the EWP.

I called DVC today to make reservations for the WILDERNESS LODGE! I am very excited. My parents have never stayed there and I know they'll love it. I keep reminding myself that after all this stressful packing and miving, I will have WDW trip to look forward to in March!

xoxo

[SlightlyGoofy]

Helenabear, I know where you are coming from. I drop by to read messages sometimes and do not post cause I just do not have time to reply to all. I guess I had better at least say hi as I wander through and catch up at another time. You would not think I could be that busy as I do not hold down a paying job with everyone else in the world doing so there is a severe shortage of volunteers and so many needy situations. Why would I want to shoot you cause you like it hot? We will make a deal, I will send all hot weather your way and you can send the cool to me and we will both be happy campers. LOL It ia always a good idea to be aware of your surrounding, terrorists or not there are always people looking to take advantage and they prefer an easy target. Glad that life is boring for you, means that all is well in your world and I am happy for the fact.

Colleen, I am older than you and have lived in Indiana longer than you and I have never even seen a tornado. One time I stood at my front door and saw trees across the street being blown down but that was a very high wind. Have done much studying about tornadoes becasue of Dalton and if you stick a straight pin in a map you will see that you will hit water more often than not and when you do hit terra firma it is such a very small spot. You almost have better odds of winning the lottery so don't sweat tornadoes. Pay your insurance on time and your chances of having problems is even less. LOL I cut and pasted your idea for an evening at WDW. Sounds lovely and not something I would have thought of. Might watch EWP from the beach at the Grand Floridan though as I would be hard pressed to make the walk once. LOL We had planned to eat at 1900 Park Fair once anyway. Would you take the monorail back to transportation to catch a bus to our resort? Not sure how late the buses run from there but know they take a long while from the GF. We meet the nicest people while waiting for buses and riding them though. I consider that an added attraction.

Have to drive Tom to bowling today. With gas prices being so high I combine a shopping trip with his bowling now that I have no little critters around . Have to shop for some new shoes for DW. I always make sure I have comfortable shoes well in advance. Many a vacation has been ruined by bad shoes.

Take care everyone and see you all soon, for a brief moment or extended stay, anything is welcome!!

Slightly Goofy/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, is this the May trip you are planning or are you going sooner? I am curious. I don't head South until March so please let us all live vicariously though you with details. Where are you staying and with whom are you traveling?

We had good luck with getting transportation at the Magic Kingdom. The buses to the resorts are all neatly lined up there, and it seems less chaotic than the Ticket Center. If I was at the GF, I would ride the monorail to the Magic Kingdom. Then I'd head down the ramp and over to the side where all the resort buses were. You could even take a boat to the MK if you like. This plan works well unless it's "closing time" at the park. At other times the buses are not usually crowded and they are under a roof in case of bad weather. From the MK you can go just about anywhere in the World.

PS: the walk from the GF to Poly is not too long. Mom had her scooter but the kids and I walked it and we did fine and we are by NO means athletes! There were benches along the way, I think. If you don't want to go all the way, I would recommend starting at the GF. That whole wedding pavilion area has to be seen to be believed. And while I will probably never STAY at the GF -- way too expensive and the Poly is my favorite if I am splurging -- it is a real treat to visit there. The lobby is an oasis of elegance and tranquility and well worth a visit. I guess I will rethink that... If I ever find myself with DVC points I am not using, I could "blow" some points on a night or two at the GF. Who knows? Stranger things have happened!

[colleen costello]

PS: Caroline, tell your aunt and uncle to hang in there! A week or two after we buried St. Joseph, my house had a buyer. I had also painted the front porch and gotten the storage unit but it is much more fun to credit the saint with the sale... In any case, sooner or later it will sell! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi Colleen, it is our October 2004 trip I am planning. I have a couple of weeks until things get really hectic. We are going to North Carolina to meet my trivia group mid September and will get home in time to host a bunch of family coming in to attend a family wedding and then we leave for Florida and a very long WDW trip (16 days or so) in October. If we rent a home in Florida next year we may meet Lisa and Frank at DW for a day or two but are not planning to buy an annual pass next year. Never know things might change. We usually buy an AP every other year and squeeze three or four trips out of it. I would love to see the Osbourne Lights again and each trip is always possibly our last trip as I have some health issues and when I cannot drive long distances we will have to stay close to home. It will be just Tom and myself but we are meeting some friends and neighbors for at least one concert. They bought a place at The Villages a year or so ago and love Disney as much as anyone on the boards. My best pal is 85 and this is her daughter.

It would be late when we leave the GF so we would not want to go to any parks to catch the bus. We usually go to DTD and catch a bus there. I prefer to stay at one resort for the whole trip as I hate the packing and unpacking thing. I have it down to a science now. We spend very little time at the resort, neither of us swim or whatever so we are just fine at the AS Sports, besides I have friends who work there and love catching up with them.

Glad that the storms passed you by and hoping that they continue to do so. We need some rain but am hoping that it is not too severe.

I would give all credit to the Saint as the storage barn would not appreciate any. LOL

Getting ready to play trivia so I must study up. Who knows what Darth will ask but I want to be ready. Only have three volumes of the encyclopedia to read before game time. That is the easy part, remembering it is the hard part. ROTF

Anyone want to hear about some special pixie dust? Rider received an email from an old family friend and happened to notice my name on the header. Turns out that she and I are friends as well, although cyber ones. As Rider says "IASW!!!!"

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Isn't it fun when you find out you have pals in common? It IS a small world... I must take a lesson and remember this is a PUBLIC forum and must promise not to badmouth my crazy in-laws here! :)

Linda, October sounds wonderful. With just you and Tom the AllStars room will be plenty big and what fun you can have with all the money you save on lodging. I would LOVE to go this October but with the move it is not to be... I will also be downright depressed when November 9th rolls around and I turn 40 here in Indiana. I am silly but I had grand ideas about hitting middle age on Main Street. As the kids have school then, Fall Break in late October was our backup plan. But it's hard for Scott to travel then. My Mom would meet me in Florida with the kids, but I am terrified to fly. I suspect that with a non-stop flight and LOTS of Xanax, I'd do fine...But I am still chicken. So for now, planning Spring Break will have to do.

If you are moving about at closing time, going near the MK is not a good idea in terms of catching a bus. Just remember this option for slow times... Thos MK buses come regularly. I never thought about doing the switch at Downtown Disney. We usually park close to the big Disney Store, shop, then leave before we lose a kid. When mine are older, DD will be FUN again. Right now it's just a chaotic maelstrom where children seem to disappear. We lost Ian there once, near the Lego store, when he was only just turned 4. Worst 10 minutes of my life... He didn't even realize he was lost but I guess I still have not recovered! I have been going to WDW for so long that I clearly recall when DD was "Lake Buena Vista" and quite empty. They had wonderful craft shops and I can remember the candle shop and the pottery shop. I thought being a potter looked incredibly cool. We always would have lunch and shop there on our last day before driving home. The boat was the Empress Lilly but we never ate there because you had to wear dressy clothes. WDW was really very different back then!

Having you go in October will be wonderful. Hearing all about it will help me make it through until March! Today I headed out to run errands and the public radio station from Indiana U was playing, for who knows what reason, the music from the Wilderness Lodge... I guess the song is actually a classical one; I just know it as a theme, either from "Big Valley" or "Bonanza" or one of those. In any case, it made me smile as I had just completed making my reservations for the Lodge in March. So in 7 months exactly, I will be hearing that music in person! Linda, make time to hang out a bit at the Lodge, even if it means 3 buses to get there. It's a wonderful resort! Just sitting in the lobby is a treat!

Love to all.

[helenabear]

Linda, I think you are right... I will have to at least wave to y'all when I come in and say hi... whether or not I have the time.
Some people think I am crazy because I love hot weather more than I used to. I still do okay with the cold, but really miss the heat of the summer a lot of the time. But I will be glad to send you our cool weather! And you are right, boring is good... at least nothing terribly exciting happens!

Colleen, I am also a Polynesian lover myself!!! If I could afford to stay there, I would. I try to visit it as often as possible. I do remember that walk not being too terrible as well... it is a comfortable stroll if you want to take the time... I think 15-20 mins tops at a slow pace.
And just because I am young doesn't mean I can run around... sadly quite the opposite ;) but I do remember that being a nice walk :)

Linda that is so neat about knowing that person... it is amazing how small this world can really become!

Colleen!!! Oh my goodness, we have pictures of us at the Empress Lily!!!! We ate there one Sunday morning for brunch in our Sunday best... amazing how WDW has changed!!

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Sooooooooooooo sorry that I haven't been here in so long. I've been desperately cramming for the GRE, which I'm (finally!) taking on Wednesday. I will be back to catch up on everyone's posts next week! Just wanted to say "hi" and that I'm thinking of you all! I made the "mistake" of briefly glancing at the few most recent posts and as soon as I saw the word "Polynesian", felt compelled to enter the conversation.........but I won't "allow myself" to do so.........or else I'll never get back to work! :( So for now I'll just say "have a great weekend" and "see you all, back here in the Suite, next week"! Take care. :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Rider, we promise to be good,. We will only discuss off topic things like income taxes, hemaroids, gout, invasive surgery, and death so that you will not be tempted to stay too long in the Suite. However, after Wednesday all bets are off cause we are having a great big celebration to honor our student of the year, you!! LOL

Helenabear, we ate at the Empress Lily one time many, many years ago but I must have been underwhelmed as we have never returned. Probably was something the kids wanted to do. Only places I enjoy eating at DTD are Rain Forest and now Earl of Sandwich. We prefer McD's over many of the other choices and I do not care for them in the real world at all. There is a theory that any two people in the whole wide world can sit down, start talking and come within six or less people to someone they have in commmon. I believe it to be true, at least for people who are out and about in some way.

Talk, you are such a stinker. Being a motherly type person I was worried when I found the pm as I thought surely something was wrong with you. Sure glad I was wrong. LOL I will comply even though I do not know all that many DISers that well.

SG/Linda

[FPgurl04]

hola! i haven't posted in forever because i haven't been online in forever!! i started high school last monday and was swamped during my first week! it is a lot of fun in school (i'm attending an all-girl's high school) and i'm really enjoying it. i'm in all honors classes, so there's a lot of hard work. after school almost every day last week i had a lot of homework and softball. 1 day i had practice, 1 day i had a softball meeting AND practice, and 1 day i had to work at the ky state fair handing out free newspapers for softball fundraising for high school softball (i haven't made the actual team, but i was asked to play fall ball for my high school!! i get to play for my travel team coach!! woo!!! :teeth: :cheer2: ). and this weekend i was in fort knox at a tournament. it was our last one for the summer season (we may play one last one in nashville in october but it's tentative) and it was a wonderful way to end. the tournament before this one is one to forget, but this one was great! we all played well and solidly. our record was 3-2. we lost to a really good team in the final-four (i belive) of the tournament. we played a scorless game so we had to go into the international tiebreaker and ended up losing 1-0. it was one of the best games (if not the best) we;ve ever played. even though we came out on the bottom, it was a lot of fun and we played hard and well. it was a great weekend!! so tomorrow i go back to school and back to the grind. i figured i'd update you all so you didn't think i was ignoring you all!! :teeth:

has anyone been watching the olympics? i've been following it. the softball team is GREAT! they've only let up i htink 14 hits in 6 games or something like that. maybe it was 8 games. hm...i'm not sure. but anyway, they haven't let up a single run the whole time!! they're great. now our men's basketball team (or rather group of individuals) is another story...:rolleyes: but i won't get into that...and michael phelps! he's great and hot too!! LoL!! :teeth: the gymnastics, swimming, and diving are my favorites. they've showed the softball games at like 2:00 and 4:00 in the morning!!! :earseek: i was so bummed because i really want to watch them!!!


well i'd better go. early morning tomorrow!! sending love like always to my fellow ewp groupies!! :hug: :teeth: :wave2:

[helenabear]

Hi all, it's a little slow here at work so I decided to pop in and say hi to y'all.

Lisa, wishing you all the best this week as you take the GRE! I am sure you will do great though :)

Linda, I only remember the Empress Lily because we had to get all dressed up and we had a good character experience. Of course I haven't gone back since, and now that it is Fulton's I doubt I will ever return. One of my favorite places to eat at DtD is Bongo's Cuban Cafe... especially for lunch. A good amount of food for your money there!

Emily, so good to see you! Sounds like you have been really busy with school and all that! Congrats on making the team as well! I admit I havnen't been watching the Olympics much. Never was one to watch TV much and I do much prefer the winter games to the summer.

I hope all is well with everyone :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Just sitting here thinking about Rider and hoping that she does not get brain strain from all those tests she is suffering through today. The youngsters among us do not realize how much harder these things are on us older ones but thankfully Rider is nowhere near as ancient as I am. LOL

Emily, I was thrilled for the Olympic Softball team as well and thought of you while I watched them compete and win! Maybe one day you will be there. Saw where you thought you might be in Nashville in October. If I were a braver person I would see if I could stop by and watch you play. I get lost when I exit into a congested area. LOL

I am so sad this morning. I found an email offering a $49 code for AP holders and the code, believe it or not, is EWP. I saw that as a definite sign. Called, no waiting and the days were available. How lucky could I get? Alas, the small print offered that rate for after our wanted days. Hanging in there and hoping for the best later. Maybe I should have grabbed the ressie, just in case, and then could have changed the rate if something came out but I was distracted as my grandkids came in the house and I was not expecting them. Seems we have no water in town, (I do though) so there is no school today. I plan to call back tomorrow when other codes are rumored to be out and will take what I can get. It has been so long since I have had to worry about rooms being available that I just plan forgot.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, hang in there. The codes always come, just not as soon as we'd like. I remember you are looking for a reasonably priced room. With all the rooms at the 3 AllStars plus Pop Century, surely there will be room for you and Tom!

Hello to all and good wishes. I am packing and gone brain-dead from it!

Colleen

[TalkisCheap]

Hey!!!


Wow. It's been awhile!!! I promised to post, right after the state meet, and here it is like 2 weeks later. Sorry!!! I've been pretty busy!!


I also just got home yesterday from a 4 day trip to Pennsyalvania to look at colleges for my sister, and drop my brother at Villanova. I'm colleged out. I never want to see one again, good thing I have 4 years to recover till it's my turn, LoL!! :teeth: We looked at Villanova, Lehigh, Lafayette, and UPENN. My sister liked 'Nova, Lehigh, and UPENN. We couldn't get a tour at the right time, so we drove around it, and she didn't really like it. My parents didn't like UPENN, as it's RIGHT in Philly, and you're only gaurenteed housing on campus, ONE year!!! SO, after that she'd have to go and get a house off campus, in the heart of the city. Also for other reasons. I think she'll probably end up at BC, or Lehigh. ::yes::

We also took the time to visit with my uncle, aunt, and 2 baby cousins{well, 4 and 3 monthes}. That was fun, and enjoyed the visit!!

About the state meet, I got 9th in the high jump. I jumped 4'2 which tied my best in a meet, but I was very disappointed. It wasn't so bad, as that was out of 17. :D But, my relay got 3rd, so we got a bronze medal, which is good. I'm looking forward to next year, where the competition will be much easier, as I'll be the older age group, and the 12 year olds coming into the 13-14 age group, arn't very good. I have a better feeling about next year.

I have very good news!! My Uncle and Aunt received an offer for their house, and so far so good!! They had the inspection, and found only a few very minor problems, resulting in only a few hundred dollars in repairs. The offer was the asking price, and it looks to be going well. I'll be sure to tell you what happens, but right now we're all very optomistic. :D

Sorry, Linda!! I didn't think of scaring you!! LoL!! I got tagged a few times, so I decided to send it to you, as it says to pass it one of your DIS friends, and you are certainly one of them, LoL!! :D

Well. I just wanted to say hi. I hope everyone is well. Good luck with the GRE Rider. But, perhaps you've already taken it?? :D

Oops, there goes the timer on dinner. I promised to make dinner while my mom is at...um...that thing to lose weight...ah what's it called? Well, anyway, it's done now so I should go take it out. :D Have a great rest of your week!!

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I went ahead and booked the rooms even at the higher cost so I would be guaranteed a place to stay. I did not really want to change my dates to the cheaper ones as our AP's run out November 7th and I really want to see certain bands. Hopefully a better code will come out and I can switch, otherwise we will be eating at McD a whole bunch. (Youngsters, that is what happens when you do not get a good education and save for your old age. LOL) The way Tom. was and is, it was a miracle to get him to go to work at all. Luckily he had a great place to work, he was able to call several times a day and talk at length. I have a 30 foot phone cord for that reason. Had to go to the bathroom sometime. LOL How far have you gotten with your packing? Is there a chance that you could have use of the promised truck a couple of days in advance so that you could pack a bit at a time? Are your kids the useful kind?

Talk, as long as you are alright it is alright to scare me. I scare easily anyway. Congratulations on the medal!! There are many others who wish they were you. I am thrilled for your aunt and family. I am sure they are greatly relieved. Downtown Philly is not a great place for a young girl to be wandering. My nephew went to school there for a bit and had a fantastic place to live. It looked like a dump downstairs but was awesome inside. Many parents here buy a condo or something when their child goes to school and then sell it at a profit later, especially if there are younger siblings who will be needing housing later also. Might your mom not be at Weight Watcher's? They just started a new plan and there is a lot to learn. It is ten o'clock, do you know where your mom is? LOL What did you make for dinner? My oldest grandson only knows how to grill cheese sandwiches cause that is what he likes to eat. Sad.

Rider has finished her test and I will let her give you the results however I will say t his - her verbal skills are excellent and the ONLY way she could have done less than perfect on them was if she got fixated on the first question got into too much interesting detaill LOL

SG/Linda who just found two boys on her back porch trying to hide out from church. I let them in. LOL

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

I HAVE RETURNED! (Well, my brain is still vacationing, but the rest of me is here, anyway! :) )

Thanks so much for all of your kind words and thoughts and pixie dust and for thinking of me! I survived the GRE yesterday - at least it's over. I was a bit surprised / disappointed with my verbal score - but then again, I ran out of time just before the end of the section, and the computer stopped me from answering the few remaining questions. I thought that I would do much better with that section. Oddly enough, though, I scored 90 points higher on the math section than on the verbal section - a first for me! I guess that that review class really did help! All in all, I guess I did a respectable job...........though I might freak out and take the test once more in September, in the hopes of getting that verbal score up, a bit. Will wait to find out how I did on the essays first - those scores should be mailed to me in a few weeks.

Anyway..............I see that everyone has been busy, in here! Nice to hear from you Emily and congratulations on making the fall ball team, and on your great summer season, too! It sounds like you had a great time at the tournaments and that you all did a great job! I have definitely been following the Olympics - I am totally "addicted" and I watch it every night into the wee hours. Gymnastics is my favorite, though of course I follow everything else, too! Was thrilled for our softball team, our beach volleyball team, our swimmers (of course) and gymnasts, and I was really touched to see the first Israeli ever to win a gold medal, last night, too!

Glad to hear that the packing is coming along, Colleen! How much more do you have to go, at this point? You will definitely be all ready to go, well in advance of your move date!

Hi Elaine! I've been meaning to try Bongos, but we never seem to find ourselves in Downtown Disney! The last time that we were there was in 2000, when we went to see "La Nouba", and we had dinner at the House of Blues that night. We'll really have to try to make it over there - especially when we stay at POR and can just take a boat there!

Congratulations on your medal and on completing your State Meet, Caroline! I've been thinking of you while watching the track and field Olympic competitions! And that's wonderful news about your Aunt and Uncle, too! I definitely remember the days of looking at colleges - I looked at UPenn, too (that's where my father went to school)! My high school boyfriend (who was a year ahead of me in school) went to Temple University, so I had originally had my heart set on going to school in Philly. But I'm happy that I ultimately wound up at Rutgers - looking back, I wouldn't have wanted to go anywhere else!

Hi again, Linda! Glad to hear that you made your fall WDW reservations! That is so exciting! Now, where will you be staying? You and Tom must be getting so excited! :) Please think of us if you find yourselves wandering over to the Poly! :) And thanks again for thinking of me, too!

This is the first time in a long time that I haven't been working or in school - will give myself a break before I figure out what new projects to work on until I get my whole graduate school thing nailed down. In the mean time, I'm going to spend the afternoon cooking (nothing special - just getting ahead on a few night's dinners so that I don't have to worry about them later)! My father wants us to go and see my mother's headstone at the cemetary, tomorrow, as it was just put up and we'll be having the unveiling right after the Jewish holidays. UGH. Should be kind of a somber experience, so we're taking my father out to lunch afterwards, at the restaurant which caters our holiday meals (and so that we can pick up the Rosh Hashana menu to see what we're going to order this year, too!). All this to say, I doubt that I'll be in the mood to cook, tomorrow night, so might as well get a head start, now!

Hi out there, Angie, Wendy, Depply, and Charlene! :)

Hope that all is well with everyone and hope that you're all having a good week! Talk to you all soon! :)

[colleen costello]

Gosh, I am a fossil. When I took the GRE, it took WEEKS to get your results. You had to sweat it out, then practically faint opening the long-awaited letter. Computers sure have changed the world. Rider, glad you did well.

Linda, I read today on the Boards that some additional codes have come out... Hope these can help you. It is just too painful to pay full price for Disney rooms... Your comment about the boys hiding out from church made me laugh. Back in the 1970's I pulled that a few times myself! Perhaps times have changed, but when I was a kids I swear there was no greater form of torture than the Catholic mass. Adding to it was the fact that most of our priests were about a zillion years old. You couldn't even sit there and zone out (which I am prone to even today when life gets slow) because Catholic services require you to kneel, sit, stand, and keep changing these positions every few minutes. UGH. I applaud you for harboring those refugees!

I spent today packing Ian's room. Lots of boxes and lots of dust in a small space. I keep thinking about how if I were famous or rich, I could pay some other poor slob to do this miserable task for me! :) Alas, I am a plugging along, taking lots of allergy medicine as I go. How exactly does so much dust accumulate in closed closets?

Mom arrives Labor Day weekend and my pal Tammie will be here with a large vehicle of same sort -- whichever her busy hubby can spare that day -- on September 10th. The movers come September 11. I am still a little squeamish about doing anything that weekend except sitting in front of the TV crying, but hubby says being busy will keep my mind off all the sad stuff that will be on. Every year around 9/11 I get depressed and all the TV stuff makes it worse, yet I feel compelled to watch it, as if it might suddenly make some sense... Then I get nervous about more terrorism.... I guess keeping busy that weekend probably IS a good idea.

Hope all is well with everyone.

[SlightlyGoofy]

Yesterday was a totally wasted day. Was not feeling my best, fever, sick to stomach etc. Ugh!! It was Tom's birthday too so that made it even worse. I did manage to cook him a special meal complete with cake (one that would not tempt me). I hope to make up some today. Have much to do in the next two weeks.

Colleen, had to laugh at your church description. I was Catholic for a minute and half once. Well, sort of. When I was younger I visited a lot of different churches in search of where I belonged. Still looking. Tom once told me that he would rather see me in a bar than a church so we have not attended church all the years we were married, not my choice. When our dd joined the church I was able to convince my husband to start going to the church and we went for about a year. Was not a good fit as I felt uncomfortable sitting there hearing them say things that go against the grain for me (such as the fact that ONLY people in that particular brand of religion were going to heaven). IMHO believing such a thing would probably be a reason why someone would NOT enter the pearly gates but that is just my opinion. It got harder and harder to get Tom to go at all and I was not really too enthralled either but was hoping for a closer relationship with dd so I hung in until ---- Get this one------- I had been caring for my oldest grandson for a week.(nite and day) When the grands are sick they stay with me cause I am obsessive and will sit up with them all night. DD has to get up and go to work and cannot do so. Poor boy had been so sick he had been to the doctor twice and I was extremely worried about him. The 'Committee" from the church dropped by, unannounced, as is their wont and insisted, over my protests about having a sick child on the couch, on coming in. One member was the dil of my friend who has been robbed and thrown into the nursing home. (grrrrrr) They proceeded to inform me that I was not being fair to my dh in insisting on moving to a smaller home and that I should take his wants and needs into account and do what he says as he is the 'man'. That is the short version. After they left I considered carefully what they had said and since Tom did not want to go and it was my money going into the collection I decided to take their advice and do what Tom wanted. (grin) I could not see myself belonging to a group that might require me to visit people and tell them what to do anyway. I am now officially a heathen, I guess. I do for others and donate to worthy causes, just not an organized religion. I am a rebel without pause. Guess I was spoiled as a child when I had the good fortune to have had a minister who taught me the love and grace of God rather than the fear and bigotry. Hope this does not offend. God did not call everyone to build an ark and it is fine with me if someone else is called to whatever, I am having a hard enough time figuring out what I am called to. (smile)

You know, if you paid someone to pack that stuff you would have no idea where everything was once you got moved. Got to think positively. LOL It is amazing how much dirt you can find in a clean home when you get to moving things around.

Lisa, all that hard work sure paid off for you. I am not a bit surprised that you did so well on the math part. I still think you probably just got carried away with some of the verbal questions and just plain ran out of time. Verbal skills are your long suit. LOL We usually eat at HOB before LaNouba as well but will have to check out Bongo's next trip. I like flavorful foods. Speaking of food, what kinds of things did you whomp up? Have you ever heard of or tried the thing where you cook up a month's worth of meals and freeze them? I do that on a smaller scale. I call them planned leftovers. LOL We will be at AS Sports as usual. It is just the perfect place for us for so many reasons. I get to see my friend who is charge of housekeeping as well and that is always wonderful. She is special person and I am enjoying watching her work her way up at Disney.

It is wonderful that you are getting a bit of a break at this time of year. I know that your dad will appreciate your support when you have the tombstone put in place. It is a bittersweet moment. I had to pick out and pay for my mom's as my dad would not. She had to wait for so much in her life that I did not want her to have to wait for that. It has a yellow rose on it as that was her favorite flower.

I love the idea of being able to order a meal delivered for the holidays. I have a lot of cooking to do next month as we are going to have a houseful of company and with Hope Heritage Days coming up I always have an Open House. I am bringing Mary from the nursing home to spend the day. She can sit in the LR and then go out on the porch when the parade comes through. She does not go to church anymore because it hurts her too much to see the grands and not get to talk or touch to them. She was told that she holds them too long. Our next door neighbors are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary next weekend. They have a lovely patio and yard area so we got them a sundial, to measure the hours they have spent and look forward to many more. They are a special family. I have their blood in my veins as they all donated for my last surgery. I am blessed to have such wonderful friends and neighbors.

I am so looking forward to October when I can live the life of Riley and enjoy each and every special moment. Even can eat what I want cause I walk so much. I walk twice as much as most cause I get lost twice as much. LOL

Hope that everyone is having a wonderful Sunday and getting some rest for the busy week ahead.

Love, SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Just checking in very quickly... busy doing things today and I have some calls to make before I head out again.

Caroline, sounds like you did great in the meet! I am envious that you can jump that high though... never been good at it whenever I tried it.

Lisa, sorry you were a tad disappointed with your score... I am sure it was still good and you are right, you can always try again :)

Well I suppose I should go say hi to acouple other groups and get moving. Enjoy the day all!

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi Elaine

Sure was nice of you to drop by. You are one busy lady. Make sure to stop once in awhile and dream a little dream. Makes life worth living. See you later!

SG/Linda

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

How have you all been doing?

You know, Colleen - I have wondered about how dust gets into closed closets, myself! :) How is that packing coming along? Slowly but surely, you're getting there! And I agree with Linda - if you DID have someone come in and do the packing for you, you might not know where everything is when it comes time to unpack........so it wouldn't be very practical, anyway! Besides, as you pack yourself, I'm sure that you're coming across lots of interesting things that you may have forgotten that you have, and get to appreciate them all over again!

And I agree that it's probably good to keep busy on the weekend of 9/11. We've decided to have my mother's unveiling ceremony on the 12th, so I know that we will be busy that weekend, which is good. I'm also prone to sitting in front of the TV and watching all of the coverage. Did anyone happen to see the 3 ladies who are relatives of 9/11 victims on the Republican Convention coverage last night? Just listening to their stories made me cry.

That's an unbelievable story about the people from your former church, Linda! You were more of a lady than I would have been - I would have thrown those people out and told them that the decisions that my husband and I make are none of their business! Well, at least you found out what sorts of people were in the congregation and what sorts of behaviors the congregation found "acceptable", anyway!

So sorry to hear that you weren't feeling well - especially on Tom's Birthday! Please wish him a belated Happy Birthday for us! How are you feeling, now?

Now that I have a little more free time, I just might start cooking "in bulk" and freezing things, so that I won't have to worry about cooking every night. I didn't make anything unusual, the other day - just the "old favorites" - a regular lasagna for Frank, my father, and my uncle and a cabbage version for me ( :) ), a crock pot full of salsa chicken, and a turkey meatloaf!

Actually, it's kinda neat that I have some more free time - I can work on some silly projects that I usually wouldn't have time to do. I'm in the process of making a little scrapbook for a friend whose birthday is this weekend. He's an old friend from ML and we've recently gotten together with him and his wife a few times, and he was getting all sentimental, thinking about how long we've known eachother (15 years). So I'm making a scrapbook kind of "chronicaling our friendship" for his birthday - I thought that he might get a kick out of that. It was a big project going through 15 years of photo albums to pick out pictures for it, yesterday, but I like doing that sort of thing when I have the time (and you can imagine how many photo albums I have from just the past 15 years.........I've always been a "picture freak"! :) ).

That's great that you'll be staying at All Star Sports again, Linda! It's nice that you get to visit your friend who works there, and you've always said such great things about it in the past, too! And it's so great that you will have so much time to spend there, visit with your family, etc. And it's coming up in just a few weeks, now that it is almost September!

How are you doing, Elaine? How are you, Luis, and the kitties doing? Did you post DL pictures somewhere and I missed them while I was "in hibernation"????

How are you all doing out there, Angie, Wendy, Caroline, Emily, Depply, and Charlene?

I can't believe that it's almost time for your Heritage Days celebration, again, Linda! That's when I realize how long we've all "been in" the Suite - when you start talking about Heritage Days or Angie tells us about Mardi Gras, I just can't believe that another year has passed so quickly! And we're all still here in the Suite! :) So glad that they haven't "kicked us out" yet, after all of these years! I guess we must be good "tenants"! :)

Have a great day, Everyone! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

After living for so many years there are many days that are memorials for me, some happy, many not. I have found that going out and doing something useful for someone is a wonderful way to remember a sad occasion or dear departed one. Instead of leaving flowers at a grave I give books in memory of my mother. She gave me the love of books and would heartily approve. I bet there are an awful lot of people around who wonder who Jackie A. is or was. LOL September 11th would be a great day to protest or applaud something, sign up someone to vote, read a book about the history of our country, all sorts of wonderful things. This country may not be perfect but it is as close as they come in this world, IMHO. I rejoice in being grateful to be born somewhere that others fight to be able to come to. The fact that we often disagree, and are allowed to do so, is what makes us the unique society that we are. Those disagreements are what keeps us on an even keel, over a period of time. I will defend to the death your right to disagree with me. LOL

Rider, I never imagine you having any time other than busy. Sounds like you will have a family filled weekend in September and being surrounded by love, you can cope with anything. I actually find the church story funny. My sense of humor is a bit off and I can find humor in almost any sitaution. Has been my saving grace many times. There are many wonderful people who go to that church as well, is what kept me going for long. IMHO, if you have to tell everyone you are a Christian (or whatever) you might not be. I never do business with anyone who uses their religion as a selling point, seems terrible to me. I am afraid that I take my religious views seriously enough that I could never belong to a church for purely social reasons. Life would be easier if I could but then I have never done things the easy way. LOL I am sure that the committee felt that they were doing God's work. A Bible verse kept going through my mind while the man was berating me. "Father, forgive them , for they know not what they do". LOL I had to run screaming out into the backyard the other day as Tom was attempting to stick his foot under the safety shield on the back of the lawnmower. Heaven help me if a church member heard me as I am sure I sounded demented. If please would work I would use it. Does not. In cases where he is walking out in front of a truck I am forced to use a rhyming word to get his attention. Is only attention worthy as it is not a word I use lightly. (smile)

One of the best presents I ever received in my life was a scrapbook like you are making. The investment of time was precious to me and I keep it on my desk at all times along with a Jersey Shore magnet and small photo of a very nice couple I know. Doubt you know how very special you are since you seem to take for granted the things that you do. Just because you enjoy doing something and it comes easy for you it does not make it less special. (you may quote me)

Still not feeling too well. Am thinking I had better start taking some prednisone but I really want to wait until NC so I can enjoy my friends and then I would need another course for DW. The stuff is dangerous and should not be used more than necessary. Am going to give it two more days and then see. Some might be nerves. I wrote my dear son a letter the other day and mailed it to him at work. I have scant hope of a reply but will have some comfort in knowing I am not giving up and still trying. I want my words of love to be the last thing he thinks of me in case either of us slips the bounds of this Earth.

Had to forget the idea of a sundial. None to be found anywhere in the area. I went to every single store and hardware that might have sheltered one to no avail. I did find a beautiful handblown green and orange hummingbird feeder and a garden cross. They have a lovely patio area with various and sundry oddaments. I think I will go over and install these items and see how long it is before they notice them. They are on a trip to Texas right now and I am watching the house for them. One day instead of walking I raked their yard of twigs. I would rather exercise with work than boring walking.

There is site for Once a Month Cooking somewhere and you might find some great things there. I wish that they would make more prepared foods at reasonable prices without all the bad stuff in the stores. So much fast food is bad food and it is not necessary. Our Wal Mart has started stocking premade salads in the deli that are awesome. I love the Asian Chicken with assorted greens and lite dressing. Is about 350 calories for a huge bowl.

Someone. at lunch, told me that I should write a book and I think I just did. (grin) Better go before we have to have it bound in leather.

SG/Linda

[TalkisCheap]

:wave2: Hi!!


Well, I haven't really caught up, because I haven't been on here much. I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday. It's pretty painful but nothing like looking at myself in the mirror, LoL!!! I'm pretty swollen, and I can't do much of anything. It's the worst not being able to smile or laugh, because I usually am always doing both. :(


Not much else to say here. Oh, my Aunt and Uncle's house sold, no problems, and they've already bought another house! They're very excited, not sure when the moving day is, but some time soon! :D Also, school in my town starts tomorrow. I'm not sure when I'll be starting...when I feel up to it!!


Well, I hope everyone is well. I'll be sure and comment once I catch up when I'm feeling a little better. Until then, have a good few days!


Caroline :D

[SlightlyGoofy]

Caroline, how are you feeling? I hope not too badly. Were your teeth impacted? There is always some good in any bad thing and the reverse applies as well. Only good thing I can think of is how nice your profile will be with those pesky back teeth out. Is a bit of a reach but that is all I could think of to cheer you up.

It is so much easier to buy a house than to sell one. I am so happy for your family. You are a great person to worry about them the way you do.

Isn't it great that your schooling can conform to your life rather than the other way around. Hoping that you are back to your sweet smiling self soon.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Still keeping very busy lately... been putting in over time at work and my weekends are far too busy.

Linda, I do hope you are feeling better soon. It has been so beautiful lately, that it is a shame you'd be sick instead of being able to enjoy it all.

Lisa, what a wonderful scrap book you are doing!!!! Nice to have the free time to do it! I have not done anything with the DL pictures... I honestly have hardly looked at them myself.

Caroline, do take care of yourself. I was lucky and had an easy time of it with my wisdom teeth, so I hope you are feeling better soon.

Well a friend just came over, I had better go.

[colleen costello]

Hi girls. Today was a busy day. We closed on two houses. Mine is sold and my new one "bought." The kids are having a hard time understanding why we can't enter our new house yet! 10 days is a lifetime to them. Erin made a paper chain to help her count the days. She cuts off a link every day.

Caroline, hang in there with those teeth. I had a terrible time with my wisdom teeth. I tell everyone that after LABOR PAINS, those darn teeth were the worst. Now that the trauma of labor has faded -- Ian is 6! -- I actually think having the wisdoms out may have hurt worse than labor... Once the baby comes out, labor is done -- but those teeth (or lack thereof) hurt for a week! If you are still bad in a day or two, make your Mom haul you back to the office. I had a nasty case of "dry sockets," where the wounds don't properly close, and after a week I finally went back to the doc. I was miserable. Once he cleaned and packed them with surgical gauze I was a new woman. :) ALso congrats on the selling of the house... I guess it is true, "sooner or later they all sell."

Linda, I am so sad to hear of your troubles with your son. being relatively new to the suite, I had no idea there was a problem and my heart goes out to you. Of course you should try to keep up contact. I will pray it all works out somehow. Thank goodness you have your grandkids to console you. :)

HelenaBear and Rider, hello. Sounds like you are busy girls. Hello to everyone.

Back to packing...

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Helenabear! Just hang onto all those photos and someday when you get ancient like myself you will have all those memories to dream of. LOL Seriously, at least put them in an envelope by year. Will make it much easier if and when ever do get around to organizing them. Hope you had a nice visit with your friend.

Colleen, gee it has been a very long time since ten days seemed like a long time to me. Great idea with the chain otherwise you would be answering questions every minute instead of every hour. (grin) I had such a terrible childhood that I was determined that my kids would have better, in every way but it sure does not seem like they feel that way. I have asked them why they do not take it out on their dad but the answer was that he would not care. Guess I am elected. Have hunted for the love off button to to no avail and I guess I do not try very hard anyway. Love is a gift, not something to be earned so I give it until it hurts. Ouch!! I am lucky to be close to two of my grands but I have four others that I do not see. Neither does their other grandma and she is a lot older than I am.

I disagree with you about the pain being over after you deliver the child. Maybe for you, but my pains got worse the older they got. Could be so much worse though. I believe I am the only mother who gets grief because I did NOT work outside the home. It was not exactly like I was sitting around eating bon bons all those years.

Congratulations on getting all the paperwork done. Are you decorating in your dreams? Now for the hard part, paying for all this. Even moving from one place to another in the same price range it is amazingly expensive. But well worth it for quality of life. Got any pictures of the new house to share with us?

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, your words make me so sad because you always seem so wise to me and yet you have problems you can not solve. That's the hard part when others are involved... You an't control how unreasonable the other party can be. Again, I will hope that somehow these issues with your son can be resolved. My kids are my life right now, at this stage of our lives. Thinking that someday they might decide I "did it wrong" and decide to end our relationship is too devastating to even consider. I am doing my best. I often worry about their perception of me as "jobless" too. I keep so busy it's hard to figure out where I'd fit in a paying job... Maybe I am just disorganized!

Yes, I am planning my decorations. Little dollars left over but paint is cheap and my hubby works for free! All the space will be wonderful and immediate and the prettying-up will come in time. For now I just have to focus on getting there! I do have 2 pics I can try to post tonite. We took one of the kids in front of the "sold" sign and one picture of the new house. It was a beautiful day yesterday and the house looked so nice. My neighbor watched the kids during the closing, and when we picked them up we sneaked a photo -- her house is right across from our new one. I just can't WAIT!

I will keep you all posted... Have to go pack.

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Congratulations on your closings, Colleen!!!!!! That is wonderful news! Things are really rolling along, now! And please post those photos, when you have a chance - we'd love to see them! :) And please don't worry about your children's prospective perception of your being "jobless" - I'm sure that they don't think about it that way. My mother didn't really work outside of our home (with the exception of occasionally going over to my father's / grandparents' business and helping them with the accounting / paperwork) and I certainly did not perceive her as "jobless". I'm sure that your children appreciate all that you do for them and for your family, friends, and your home!

I actually worry about that in a way, too. Of course I don't have children - and I understand why one's children's perception would be much more important than this. But lately, I've been having the same conversation, randomly, with people:

Them: "So, how is work going?"

Me: "Oh, I'm not working right now."

Them: "That's right! You're in school. So, how are classes going?"

Me: "Well, I'm not taking classes right now - I'm taking the semester off".

Them: "Oh. So what are you DOING? What do you DO??"

Me: (This is where I'm stuck. I'm trying to formulate a stock response to give to people when it gets to this point in the conversation, that illustrates that it's "OK" NOT to be "DOING" anything, per se, and that one doesn't have to be labeled or defined by what they "DO" or don't "DO" or where they choose to "DO" it, you know? Occasionally, when it gets to this point in the conversation, if the person is really dense / thick / uncouth / ignorant, they occasionally say "Well, maybe you should have a baby, then!" As if having a child is some sort of casual thing that one does "for lack of anything better to do". I REALLY get mad when presented with THAT sort of response!)

ANYWAY, I try to concentrate on not caring what other people may "think" about what I'm "doing" or not "doing" and knowing that the only people to whom that is important are Frank and myself. To be honest, the past year has been such a whirlwind - just starting school and then having my mother and my cat pass away within the first month.......barreling through and continuing a full course load for the past year, while simultaneously dealing with / helping my father and his adjustment to the situation........I haven't really given MYSELF time to adjust / grieve / whatever. Maybe in a way, that's what I'm "doing", now - giving myself a break to kind of "regroup" and "reinforce" before I begin some new venture........

ANYWAY..........enough of that! I didn't intend to go off on a tangent and bore or depress everyone!

Hang in there Caroline! I understand your pain! I had the exact same situation that Colleen did - I had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed at the same time (2 were impacted) and wound up with those improperly healed "dry sockets", as well! It was HORRIBLE! But I made it through! And don't worry about the swelling (I looked just like Fred Flintstone right after I had mine extracted!) - that goes away in a few days, too! Just be happy that you "got this over with", now - you'll never have to worry about it again!

Hi Elaine! I say you send your DL pictures to me and let me organize them into an album for you! I seem to be doing a lot of that sort of thing lately! :) Any DIS Meets coming up? I don't know if you've happened across the thread on the Community Board, but a HUGE North East DIS Meet is in the works for next summer (July, I believe). It will be taking place in Pennsylvania, not far from the NJ border, and will involve DIS'ers from NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, DC and maybe even some from farther reaching areas! You should come and visit your brother, then come over to the Meet! :)

Hi Linda! Thanks as always for your kind words! But perhaps YOU don't realize how special YOU are and how much appreciated all the things that YOU do for people are to them! Look at the beautiful, thoughtful things that you have been doing for your neighbors / friends while they have been away! I'm sure that they will be so happy and surprised when they see the work that you have done in their yard and which ever special gift you decide to give them and leave for them, there! And of course all of the things that you do for Mary and your other friends, as well as for the children of your community! And, needless to say, for your family! And of course for all of us here in the Suite, as well! You always have a thoughtful word, a special thought, an amusing anecdote, or a great philosophy to share, which really cheer us up, make us think, or put things in perspective for us (depending upon the topic / situation), or just give us a much needed laugh! :)

I think it was very special that you wrote to your DS and will hope and pray that he responds and that all is well with him and your Fab Four.

I hope that you are feeling better, too! I understand why you want to hold off on taking your medication unless you feel that it is absolutely necessary. But I hope that you feel better on your own well before you blast off for your vacation!

Hi out there, Angie, Wendy, Depply, Emily, and Charlene! :)

What are everyone's plans for the holiday weekend? We are having my father and uncle over, later today, for a little "pre-Labor Day barbecue". We thought that that would be fun (and give us a chance to try out our new, indoor / outdoor "Big George" George Forman grill!) and would distract my father from obsessing about the unveiling next weekend and would distract my uncle from thinking about getting the results from the Parkinson's-related MRI that he had last week. We have a friend's Birthday party to go to, tomorrow night (the friend for whom I made the little scrapbook) - lots of old Merrill Lynch pals will be there. And then Sunday, we're going to the annual "blowout" that some friends of Frank's and his sister's have every year. They literally open their home to approximately 200 people (adults and kids) and have a huge indoor / outdoor party / barbecue, etc. every Labor Day weekend. Their basement has been converted into a wet bar / "theatrical space" and the band of the husband (of this couple) plays there on their built in stage. And the party lasts all day and night - it is legendary! And Monday.........we will just "collapse" and "recover"! :)

Anyway, hope that you all have a great, fun, and safe Labor Day weekend! :) We'll keep our thoughts and prayers with the people in Florida and the Bahamas and for WDW itself, too!

[SlightlyGoofy]

My heavesn, I do believe I shall just move into the Suite on a permanent basis. Is ever so much better than my real life. (smiling wide)

Colleen, if I do seem wise it is because I have made every possible mistake that a person can make in life so I am always hollering - Do NOT do that!! I did it and it did not turn out well. LOL I am also the old lady of the suite. (grin) Actually I like the term 'broad". I have my own definition and love it and fit it pretty well IMHO. It makes my blood boil when some people have the preception that SAHMs do nothing all day long. If we did in fact do nothing then people would see what it is that we do. Have you noticed that people expect you to be able to do all sorts of volunteer things cause you are not 'working". Lots of pressure to say yes. I not only raised my kids but many others because their parents were busy working. BTW, Rider and Colleen, my dd actually did call me a 'professional woman' once because she said that is what I did to earn my living. Gee, I must have done a good job as I 'earned' her and her brothers living also along with doing the housework, yardwork, running an at home business, 4-H leader etc. etc. Guess I am bitter rather than better today. I always get this way when I am not feeling well and thinking I am going to die soon without having accomplishing the most important thing in the world, creating a family. Breaks my heart that my kids do not even see each other often.

On to some good news. I am so happy and relieved that you are getting your dream house. More room for your growing children is an important thing. You need the room for all the activities and friends that they will need as they go into their teens and you parents need a place to hide while they are doing those things. LOL Are you going to start a scrapbook? I have one with all the changes this house has gone through. It is fun to look through. A husband who works a job and still does things around the house? Bet he even knows the kids names and bithdays. You are blessed among women. (smile)

Rider, you have the right idea that it only matters what you and Frank think. My take on the whole unemployment thing was that as hard as it was on you at the time it was coming at a good time at the beginning on your marriage as it is giving you so much needed to time to adjust and figure out where you want to go as a couple adn with your mom being sick and your dad needing help.You are such a people person that I know there is something more than numbers in your future and whatever it is I am sure it will do much for others as well as yourself. (yes, I know how to use commas, just not in the mood today):hyper: We only get one life to live and we need to do it according to our own ideas, after all we are the ones who have to live with with the consquences. What works for one will not work for another. Another possibility is that you might be thinking others are thinking one thing when they just might be jealous and wish they could be doing what you are. LOL People should only have children for one reason, love. It is hard enough a job to do when you love the critters /cannot imagine what it would be like to do if you did not love them, BTW, you already have great training in raising your cats. Raising kids is much the same, lots or work and not much gratitude. (I am soooo bad today)
How did your dad's tests come out? Some diseases are much better later in life as they are slow progressing. What a wonderful way to spend Labor Day. Sounds as if your bil is almost as great as Frank. I always think that people who decorate heavily are generous to spend so much time and money for others pleasure and your bil's home seems to be much in the same spirit .

We are going to our neighbor's 50th anniversary party. Jackie asked me to babysit at the last minute and I told her we had plans. I think she was a bit surprised. We could have gone to meet Davy Jones as well as I have been invited to a reception for him because of my involvement with the Hospice locally. I do not care for such things too much. Austin called me last night and asked if he could go to the party with me so we are taking the boys with us. Hope I can take them to see the Harry Potter movie this weekend too. Have a lot to do before we leave for NC on the 16th and have wasted the morning so far. Maybe I will pick up steam later in the day??

Doubt it as there are many family crisis' going on and I am attached to the phone a lot lately. Wish I could win the lottery as so many of these things could be fixed with money. One brother is seriously ill and has no insurance or money. He has a son and I am not sure what is going to happen to him. I will take him if no one else does but it will not be pretty as Tom will not be a happy camper.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Hi all... watching some college football today and taking it easy. Not doing much of anything this weekend and I have to admit I am very glad about it.

Linda, I have all my photos in digital format so I do have a CD made up of them all. If I had to develop 900-1000 pictures I think I'd go broke. I just havne't really looked at them to see waht I have and what's good to share. I really should do that this weekend. I do wish your family all the best... sounds like a lot going on.

Colleen, I am so very glad that you are getting your dream house! Congrats on everything and I hope the move goes smoothly!!!!

Lisa, sorry you have to deal with people like that... I would most likely ignore them. It seems my job will be ending (most likely) by spring next year and I plan to cut back and not work so much. I think if you want to stay home and just keep the house in order, well that's work to me!!! I'd rather be able to do that right now. That's why there is laundry to do and other such stuff to do.

I did see the meet and honestly, I will admit, it didn't appeal to me. A large formal setting like that makes me shy away. Also it seems I will visit my brother in the spring (maybe fall this year, not sure)... we kind of want to go when it is cooler so we can enjoy Philly if we go there.

Well I suppose I should get to some work around the house. I hope you all are enjoying the weekend!

[IASW Rider]

Oh well, Elaine - it was worth a try to try to "lure" you to the Meet! :) But that's great that you may be coming out East next spring, anyway! The weather should be more comfortable for exploring the City of Brotherly Love, then!

How are you feeling, Linda? And I'm sorry to hear that your brother is not well and that there are other crises happening in your family. I hope that everything will be all right.

On a happier note, how was the Anniversary party? Did Austin and Dalton enjoy it, too?

It is definitely nice to be able to cut back a bit after years of working long hours, Elaine. If you decide to do that when your job comes to an end, I'm sure that you will enjoy and appreciate it. It is nice to have some time to figure out "what comes next" and to just have a break from the hectic pace.

And I like what you said about our only having one life to live and our having to live with the consequences / benefits, too, Linda!

Just wanted to check in and say "hello", quickly! We had a nice time at the party last night and are now getting ready to go to that annual extravaganza / party with the band, that I was mentioning. As I write, Frank is baking his world famous Peaches and Cream Pie, for it (yum, yum! Too bad that I won't allow myself to have any! :) ). I'd better get going.

Hope that you're all having a great weekend! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hello there people! I am sorry I have not been around much. Seems everyone around me is falling apart and I seem to have the only tube of Super Glue. I am fast running out. Winning the lottery would not cure everything but it sure would help. I am going to see my brother in Cincinnati tomorrow. It is a sad situation and am doubtful that anything I say will help so I will just go and hold his hand and pray.

Rider, Dalton got beaned at the party and almost had to go to the emergency room. Poor dear had a goose egg and a half. Grandma had to use frozen pops and they kept finding their way down into his mouth. I did not have the heart to say no but did tell his mom that if he complained of a stomach ache it was not from brain damage but brain freeze.

Wonder if that Peaches and Cream pie is anything at all like the diet recipe one that I have? I have not made it yet, diet or not I would still eat far too much.

I am the oldest of eight and have mothered everyone I ever met so sometimes I do come up with a bit of wisdom but that particular one is so very true. I have never been able to get a sibling (hardly) to do a darned thing I wanted but I have learned not to dig them out of every problem that they managed to get themselves in and sometimes that has taught them something. Sad it has to be that way though. Our mom died years ago and she was not the most maternal person around so I just flit from disaster to disaster trying to keep people from even worse problems. I am getting too darned old for all of this though.

My sister in Florida has been in Las Vegas. She called and told me that she was being forced to spend an extra day because of the weather back home. LOL

Elaine, it sounds as if you have plans for your forced semi retirement. I know it will all work out for you. I do not like large formal things either. Believe it or not I am quite shy. The kind that acts a fool to cover it up too. (sigh)

Hoping that the bad weather does not darken in Angelina's door.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, I will pray my non-denominational prayers for you and your brother and his son. St. Joseph is still in my yard under the birdbath; keep forgetting to dig the poor guy up. As he is in residence anyway, I will ask him to keep you safe on your trip to Ohio.

Elaine, I have not had a job in 6 years, since Ian was born. I keep quite busy. I have found that if you are a "busy" type person, you stay active, job or no. Between activities at school and errands and projects at home, I rarely sit. You may find you enjoy your "unemployment." It does take some geting used to. When I first stayed home I thought I'd go nuts, but then I settled into a different (slower) routine. Good luck! The hardest thing may well be the kind of nonsense Rider mentioned -- other people looking at you like you are an alien when you admit you "don't work." I am not that old and when I was a kid, lots of women worked at home. It is amazing to me now, 30 years later, that if you "only" work at home you are considered kind of a loser! I have started to tell people that I work at the school, I just don't get paid. Unfortunately, I can not think of a "good" job -- by that I mean one using my schooling -- that works around the kids' schedule. So for now, I am a card-carrying member of the "unemployed losers" group -- WELCOME! You might just enjoy your (temporary) membership! :)

We drove to Indy tonite and picked up my Mom at the airport. She brought a bag of goodies for the kids and they are in hog heaven. I can't believe I am moving in 5 days! Thank goodness my Mom is her to calm me down!

Hope everyone is well.

xoxo

[IASW Rider]

UNEMPLOYED LOSERS RULE!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) I will be marking my 2 year anniversary of unemployment next Monday. Even though I don't know how realistic it is for me to go on like this indefinitely, I have to say that I don't miss working AT ALL! (At least not in the sort of environment in which I used to work). And I certainly keep busy during the day - I don't even turn the TV on until it's time for the 5:00 or 6:00 PM news. I do miss being in school, but we'll see what happens with that, over the next few months.

In the mean time, I've been busy helping my father get ready for the unveiling, this weekend, getting the food together, planning the details, etc.

I've been thinking of you, Colleen, because I know that your move is just a few days away! That's so exciting! Are you all ready to go? Or do you have a little last-minute packing to accomplish?

So sorry to hear about your brother, Linda. I'm sure that he appreciated your going to be with him and offering your support. I hope that everything will be all right. Your family is very lucky to have you to help them, put things in perspective for them, offer them your wisdom and support and encouragement.

And I'm so sorry to hear that Dalton got hurt! Is he all right, now? Thank God it was nothing worse, but I'm sorry that he was accidentally hit at the party! :( Good idea with the ice pops - they probably helped to make him feel better - and getting to eat them probably took his mind off of the pain!

Hope that you're all having a nice week! Talk to you soon! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Not unemployed, just unpaid ladies and trust me we are greatly needed. If I were working a paying job there is no way I would have time for the small things that I do in life and if I did not do them the paid people would not be able to hold down a job. Is my thought and I am sticking to it. We are enablers. We enable other to do what they do. I drive the sick and infirm, teach the young to read am vice president of almost every organization I belong to (VP fills in when someone else does not show up and someone is always gone). Having suffered through years of abuse at the hands of my own family not to mention strangers I am revolting. OK, maybe just a tad bit ugly and not totally revolting. LOL If all of us 'unemployed losers' stayed home for a week and did nothing we could shut up the naysayers as well as shut down the economy of the world. (smile) The unemployed people who are sitting around eating bon bons and watching soap operas would be doing similar things if they were on the job. IMHO

Colleen, it is getting so close to moving day. How exciting. Make sure you have enough film so you can go through the rooms before moving so that you can have 'before' pictures. I am looking forward to hearing some of the home improvement things you will be doing. I love stuff like that. Check out diy.com for lots of ideas and they even walk you through things. I have gotten confidence there many a time to attempt something. I will take any prayers, any denomination, for my poor brother. He is in a pitiful shape. They are going to do a trach on him sometime today in an effort to help him breathe. He is huge, part weight and part fluid. He looks exactly like Mom did when she got sick. I have the same diseases but have managed to forstall the worst of it. Am having some troubling symptoms though that lead me to believe that bad times might be coming. After seeing Steve and I have a much younger sister (age 34 and also suicidal) in the same shape I am more committed than ever to keep moving (moving targets are harder to hit) and watching my weight harder. His wife has come back and says that she will stay but I am dubious. They are dysfunctional to the nth degree. Their son suffers greatly from it also. The sins of the fathers are being carried on to another generation. I made a conscious decision to NOT do what was done to me, did not seem to have worked out but I did manage to concoct a whole new bunch of problems. Leave it to me. Tom is in no way guilty as he did not barely speak to the kids, is his words. (sigh)

Lisa, Dalton is just fine. Someone told me that when it swells up huge it is better than being bopped and not having a swelling. How many people will you have at your party? I would be all a flutter and totally useless in planning something so special. I am just having company for a couple of days and am going nuts. We leave for NC a week from tomorrow. You have more faith in me than I deserve. I am present for my family but there is little I can actually do. No one in my family has an IQ less than 140 (genius level) however we are sometimes mentally impaired and have no common sense. I think I have common sense in spite of being awfully dumb when I was younger. No one in the family has graduated from college, many are not capable of holding a job, a few are so dysfunctional that they literally do not have a place to live sometimes. The older ones, who suffered from the most abuse, have managed to live somewhat liveable lives but the younger ones who were spoiled IMHO are and have been falling apart for years. My brother has no money and no insurance. He needs money for a bed as he does not have one. If I give them the money for a bed it will be spent elsewhere. I am going to go and pay for one and have it delivered. Actually two box springs and one mattress as a normal bed will not hold his weight. There is nothing to say that it will not be sold the day after it is delivered though. If I gave all I have accumlated it would not work as then when they need something I would not have it to give so I have to be very judicious about doling out my 'help'. My step daughter gave away all her furniture and took what little money she had, hopped a plane for OK and is now asking us for thousands so that she can enroll in a Bible College. Putting a major guilt trip on us too. We have been through such with her before ie, the time she wanted thousands so she could take acting lessons as she had the role of Catwoman in a major movie. (sigh) My life is in a total turmoil right now and for someone with much "wisdom" I certainly am not coming up with many answers.

Hoping I have something good to say sometime soon. I keep hanging on as things have to improve, not much further down they can go, I hope.

Slightly Goofy and morose

[colleen costello]

Hi ladies, just checking in while taking a breather. I am not NEAR done packing and I move the day after tomorrow!

Linda, your posts are heartbreaking as they are so honest. Hang in there. Your family makes mine look Ozzie and Harriet! They are lucky to have you. I think there is more grief for you as there are more of you. We are a crazy show but a very small cast of characters so things can actually settle down for long periods. Mom is here now and we are all getting along OK. Bless her heart, she is scrubbing everything in sight. The guy who moves in will owe a huge debt to Mom as I am learning that my idea of "leaving the house nice for him" is not the same as hers... He will move into a cleaner home than I EVER lived in! :)

I will be posting again after all the computer-stuff is done and hopefully a connection is installed in the new home. Love to all.

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I understand what you mean. My older friends have far better ideas of perfection than I do even. I could never live up to their expectations. Even in their 80's they manage to do things that I could not even contemplate. I bet your mom is having a wonderful time helping you out. One thing about most mom's is that they like to be needed. LOL You are gracious in letting her help and I know you are appreciative as well.

The only difference between classy families and mine is that they hide it better than I do. I cannot vent anywhere else so I am afraid I take it out on all of you. I honestly do my best not to intrude my feelings upon my kids. I am so thrilled that both Austin and Dalton have asked about my brother. They do not really know him but are concerned about me. Is a new experience, coming from family. LOL

BTW, if your family seems normal you just might need to look at yourself as EVERY family has one oddball. (grinning and running for cover)

I have seen so much in my life that I know to hang in there. Is like the Indiana weather, constantly changing. I have two sisters who are pros at working the system so I feel that they will get him on some programs that will allow him to have a place to live and such. It will be very hard for him though as he is not one of my family members who likes the word 'welfare'. I am trying to convince him that he needs to get well and then he will be able to repay the system. Truthfully I have doubts about his survival. I have never contemplated outliving any of my siblings, let alone the much younger ones. It is scary for me and I have forbidden them to do such.

Had a wonderful time at the Community Center. The kids seem as happy to see me as I am to see them. For some reason I like the hard cases the most. I will be teaching some their alphabet, how to write their names and tie their shoes and such this year. The new lady is big on manners and has really improved the place versus the way it was this summer. Instead of the tv being the centerpiece the reading center, with comfortable seating, is front and center. I approve!!

Have to wonder, is your mom going over to the new house before you move your stuff to perform the same miracles there? You are blessed among women and I know one day you will be doing the same for your children. There was a saint of a woman I knew once who spent six months with one daughter, in a beautiful home in Ohio, and six months with her severely mentally messed up daughter and family here. That family lived in very poor circumstances and with many needs and a vastly different style of living. I always admired her so much.

Wishing you an easy move and enough rest so that you can enjoy the move. See ya when you get connected again but will miss you in the meantime.

Slightly Goofy, and in a better mood (kids do that to me)

[SlightlyGoofy]

I just got a phone call and learned that my brother refused to have the trach so they sent him home. Is doubtful that he will last much longer without the operation. Got another call that one of my sisters went to the emergency room last night and was admitted. She is the one who had the weight loss surgery, seems there are complications. At least she has insurance and a good husband to watch over her. Good days have to come soon.

When I was a child if one of the kids did anything my dad beat me on the idea that it was my fault. Guess that is why I still feel as if I should be able to correct things.

Barely hanging on and more than Slightly Goofy

[helenabear]

Hi everyone... been busy at work and kind of at home too... just resurected an old computer and have been busy loading things onto it.

Lisa, you touched on exactly why we were looking to go in the fall or spring... we would love to have "perfect weather" for our visit. I have been to Philly before, but not in about 13 years. And I think you should stay home and do what you like as long as it works for you and Frank! Running a house is a job in itself... Luis and I realize I ma not cut out to do both full time work and running the house. I envy all who can!

Linda, I am so glad that Dalton was okay after all. Must have been a scary sight to see though. I am so sorry your family goes through all that, but I must say I am glad we are here to vent to. SOmetimes it really does us good!

Colleen, thank you for those kind words there... I am not sure when/if this will happen, but we just will not rely on my job being at all stable anymore. I hope all is going well with your move!!!!

[colleen costello]

Linda, my thoughts are with you. Family makes things hard sometimes. We can't control what they do, yet their problems become ours. It makes is hard because they do as they will and yet we suffer the consequences with them. That's one of the bad things about loving people, we really are at their mercy! Yet what would our lives be without this? I would rather be miserable from worrying about loved ones, than miserably lonely!

I believe there is a point at which you just have to say to yourself "What will be, will be." For some this is a religious thing -- "God's will be done" -- and for others just a simple accepance that we can't change things. The most realistic among us note, rightly, that "**** happens." I think we can always count on that!

My thoughts are with you and your family. I feel in my heart that no matter what befalls your family, you will do your best to make is better. Peacekeepers are underrated and I identify as I have been one myself in my family.

I was sad to read today that a regular poster on the DVC boards has died. Forty-two years old and now with a widowed wife and teenage daughter. How sad. Things like this upset me, as I felt I "knew" this gentleman as we here feel we know each other. Such sad things -- like the death of my friend earlier this summer - always remind me to count my blessings.

I am glad this is a place you feel you can vent.

Back to packing.

[helenabear]

Linda, I didn't see your post last night... my prayers are with you all. I am so sorry that so much is happening.

Colleen, I was just reading the obit about Rich not too long ago... it is so very sad :( So young, so much fun and most definitely will be missed. The DIS isn't just a group of people to me at this point... we are friends and family... so sad when we lose ones we care about...

[IASW Rider]

I echo what Colleen and Elaine just said. I'm so sorry to hear that all of these things are happening at once, Linda. I can imagine how distressing this all must be for you and your family. I hope that your brother and your sister will be all right, healthwise, and I hope that everything works out for your brother. I know that it's in your nature to not only find the right solutions but to also help and "implement" them (for lack of a better term) - that's why your family members and friends rely on you so much, because they know that you're always there to support them and find the best way to help them. But as Colleen said, there is that point at which one must say "what will be, will be", even if it's just for the sake of keeping ourselves "sane", when everything and everyone around us seem to be falling apart. And as Elaine said, we are all friends and family, here in the Suite, so you know that you can "come" here and talk / vent / share anything with us at any time. We are all certainly thinking of you and your family and will continue hoping and wishing that everyone is all right and that everything works out well.

I'm glad to hear that your job is not definitely in jeopardy, Elaine. Hopefully, you have nothing to worry about. But as you said, unfortunately in this unpredictable economy, it's best to sort of be wary, look for "signs", think of alternatives, etc. Hopefully, you'll never need to use those alternatives (unless by choice!), but it's always good to have a "Plan B", just in case! I didn't.........I just "made one up" when I had to! :)

Hope that your packing is continuing to roll along well, Colleen! We understand that at some point, you will have to disconnect your computer, so in case this is the last time that you're looking at the Boards before your move, lots of good luck! And congratulations, again!

Take care, everyone.

[IASW Rider]

Hello!

Just wanted to wish you all a nice weekend!

Linda, we are thinking of you and your family and praying that everyone and everything will be all right.

Colleen - lots of good luck with your move! Can't wait to hear all about your adventures and about how much you're enjoying your new home!

Hope that all is well, Elaine, Angie, Wendy, Charlene, Caroline, Emily, and Depply!

Not too much to report, here. It's an absolutely gorgeous day in the Garden State! Sunny and perfect! The remains of hurricane Frances blew through, over the past 2 days (with flooding that literally halted the NYC subway system!), but now it's beautiful! Which is a good thing, because we're going to see our local minor league baseball team, the Somerset Patriots, play again, tonight! The weather is looking good for the unveiling on Sunday, which is good. And it's also supposed to be nice on Tuesday, when we're planning to sneak in one final day at the shore before the holiday on Wednesday!

Talk to you all soon! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, you said exactly what I have always said about love and pain. Opening yourself up to accept and give love makes you so vulnerable to pain but is well worth the cost. I cannot imagine running through life just thinking of myself. I do not interest myself that much. LOL

Rider, I had heard about the NYC subway floods. That must be awful for them. I cannot imagine how anything would get done under such circumstances but NYC people seem so resilant and inventive not to mention downright resourceful and stubborn, in a good way. LOL Glad to hear that your weather is nice, for a moment or two, between storms. The newest one is headed toward my poor sister. She has ducked two but you know what they say about the number three.

Helenabear, I think we posted at the same time the other night. Great minds and all that. (smile) The only downside to the Internet is that we find even more people to care about and miss. I am sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. I have found comfort in the knowledge that, however a short a time I knew someone, they added much to my life and I would not miss that experience for anything.

My sil drove to Columbus, Ohio to pick up a C Pap (sp) machine for my brother yesterday. The sister who is in the hospital does not need it anymore since she lost 125 pounds. She did not sound good last night and they had found some polyps but that cannot be the reason for her distress. I am hoping to hear that my brother is doing better with the machine. It will be so hard for him to lose weight as he cannot move very well. Sure makes staying on my diet much easier nowadays.

Went to the nursing home for a picnic last night.. It was family night and Mary did not have anyone. I took Tom so that he could keep Jerry, another Cummins retiree, company. I had to stop by the store and pick up some food as I literally did not have time to cook anything. The fried chicken sure did go over well though so I guess no one minded.

I am going to a program at the Community Center today. They are singing for local firemen and policemen today. No parents were invited so I was hesitant when Dalton invited me but he told me that even tho I am his real grandma he is sharing me with the other kids and I am their "Reading Grandma". LOL How can I refuse that?

Thank you all for your kind words, thoughts, prayers and even cyber cards. They are greatly appreciated. Please pardon me if I cannot get in too often but I am on the phone an awful lot lately. My ear has calluses.

SG/Linda

[IASW Rider]

Hi Linda!

I also hope that your brother's health improves with the assistance of the machine that you mentioned. And I hope that the true cause of your sister's distress is determined, as well. Are the polyps dangerous ones? I hope not. I hope that everything will be all right.

It's so kind of you to attend the nursing home picnic and the Community Center event, today, amidst everything that's going on in your family. It's so thoughtful of you to think about and support others and make them happy, even when there are so many important things and worries on your mind. But that's the sort of person whom you are - giving of yourself even when you have already given so much of yourself in so many other "directions"! We'll be thinking of you. Please don't worry about coming into the Suite often - we understand - please just keep us updated, whenever you're in the mood or have a chance.

Hope that that moving is going well today, Colleen! :)

I have an amusing story to report, today. I mentioned that we were going to see our local minor league baseball team play, last night. Well we did, and guess who threw out the first pitch? DONALD TRUMP! It was the wildest thing - he arrived in his personal helicopter (with his supermodel fiancee, Melania) and landed right in the outfield! What an entrance! I took some pictures, but they didn't truly capture the moment. However if you'd like to see a good one, please see:

www.somersetpatriots.com

Anyway, he was there to promote a new golf club that he recently opened, in our county. He threw out the first pitch and it didn't quite make it over the plate, so everyone in the stands yelled "YOU'RE FIRED!" It was very funny! We saw him and Melania up in the owner's box for most of the game, then around the 6th inning or so, his helicopter lifted off from behind the Stadium, circled once while everyone waved "goodbye", and then it flew away. Our team won (with 2 home runs!) and there were really impressive fireworks after the game - it was a lot of fun!

Anyway, hope that you're all having a nice weekend! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Lisa, you are always in the middle of the action no matter where you go. I love the "You're fired" thing. LOL Glad your team won. I am sure it is because of your support. (smile)

I am no saint. Being the oldest of a large family I just am a caregiver type person. Most of what I do I do for extremely selfish reasons. I do what I would want done for myself. Seems to be a simple rule to live by. (come to think of it -might name it the Golden Rule. LOL) I just get overstressed sometimes. When I went to the Community Center party (wish you all could have heard Dalton and his gang sing "God Bless the USA") the director took me over to the table to show me the desserts. Out of almost 40 parents only 4 sent cookies and out of them only one made cookies rather than bought them. I am proud to say it was my dd. She made a beautiful platter of red, white and blue stars with one huge heart in the middle. I ate one cookie. I could not resist.

My brothers machine needs to be calibrated to work. Do not know about the polyps yet. They are both out of the hospital now but neither one in good condition. My sister has a good husband and is able to pay for her medical care and afford more as needed so that is a comfort. Another sister has promised to see a doctor next week. I will have to pick up the tab for that one but once she has been seen she might be able to get other help. I could spend myself broke and still not be able to do everything. It is difficult to decide what is enough though.

I was able to fix the bathroom fan and get the light lit up today so that helps. Of course, now that you can see, the room had to be cleaned. (sigh and laughing) I may be rushing to get all this work done for naught as NC might have to be cancelled if Ivan decides to go up the coast after landfall. I was so looking forward to meeting these people in person and will probably be my only chance to meet the guy in charge as he is not in the best of health. He is quite a character and extremely nice.

I have to recaulk a bathtub tonight. My life is just sooo very interesting. (could be worse, I could not HAVE a bathtub) ROTF

I think that Colleen is having wonderful weather for her move, overcast but dry. Plenty of pizza deliveries in her area so supper should not be a problem. Wonder if they will sleep in the new house or the old one tonight? Wherever, I wish them Disney dreams.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Hello everyone... been putting in a fair amount of time at work. Came in for about 6 hours today. I am caught up and then some on everything I needed to get done, so hopefully I won't have to put too much more time in this week to get everything done :)

Lisa, I have to admit, it is far more likely I will be w/o a job next year sometime, but it isn't terribly scary for us at the moment. We will more than survive it and will probably enjoy it quite a bit if it does happen :)
I do hope you get to enjoy the beautiful weather you said you were having. Even after going into work today, I managed to spend quite a bit of time outside just taking it all in :)

I loved the Donald Trump story... espeically the part about him being yelled at "You're Fired!" That is truly great!

Linda, my continued prayers and good thoughts are with you and all in your family. I cannot say that is totally selfish to do as you would hope others to do to you... that is usually a great way to live. I try to do that often myself.
Oh and it is undertsandable that you won't be in near as much... whether you are physically here or just thinking about us... just know we are thinking about you as well.

I think I am going to go enjoy the quiet of the house for a while. I started some laundry and since Luis is at the game, I have a chance to relax and do what I want, when I want :teeth:

[SlightlyGoofy]

Helenabear, it is all too true that unless you are highly paid it is often not worth it for a second income. You tend to do a lot more expensive things like eating out and hiring small chores doen when you have to put in hours at a job. With children and daycare it is even less likely to be worth it. If you have put in enough quarters to be eligible for SS and such you will not be in the quandry that I am though. I am at the mercy of my employer/husband and that is not a good place to be. Maybe just a break is what you will need. I am sure that you and Luis will do whatever is best for yourselves though.

The world would be a paradise if everyone would treat others as they would like to be treated. If only it would happen. I think that DW is one place where that happens more than not though. I have been impressed in Branson though as there are so many four way stops and people are so wonderful about it. Loving certain things sure does bring out the best in people.

At the Community Center the new director is big on please and thank you and I like that. If you can do the small things the big things will often take care of themselves. I was appalled to hear that Dalton was caught, by his mother, cheating. Sure was not something I have expected from him. Was not something he needs to do either. His best friend is not a good role model but the poor boy needs friends so I am not sure what to do there. Hopefully he has learned his lesson.

I have the trunk filled with stuff for San Souci. Hope they take pillows. I washed them and they are in good shape. I am clearing out so much stuff and it is making me happy.

I am hungry and I have one of those WM Asian Chicken Salads calling my name. Enjoy your peace while you may and I am sure you will be glad when Luis gets home but how in the world can you miss them if they never leave? LOL

SG/Linda

[angelina]

Hi, everyone. I have been catching up a little this morning, and hope everyone is well. I miss hearing about all of you, but have not been able to be online as much as I used to because dh works from home more often these days, and uses my computer.

Please keep us in your prayers because unless we get a miracle (and I know they happen,) we are going to go through a terrible storm by tomorrow. I try not to scare my children, but they know I am very worried. I have been trying to make reservations north of here with no luck. Ironically, I was able to get ressies for this week at ASM and DxL, but would have to drive through heavy rain from the "feeder bands" to get there. What a way to get to WDW. May wind up in north Georgia by tonight. My sister is expecting a baby any day and we have not been able to convince her to evacuate to a safe place. My mom and I are taking all of the children and my grandmother away as soon as we can get out. Linda, AL Roker is in Point Clear today which is just down the road a mile or so from Fairhope. I wish you had been able to come in May, because it will be severely damaged by the end of the week. :(

Forgive me for popping in with sad news but I wanted to ask for your prayers.

Love to all,

Angie

[IASW Rider]

Hi Angie! Great to hear from you but so sorry to hear from you under these circumstances. We have certainly been thinking of you as we've been watching the weather reports constantly, lately, between Frances, Ivan, and the new hurricanes that seem to be forming, too. So glad to hear that you and your family have plans to get to safe places. I understand why your sister would be reluctant to leave, with her baby expected to come so soon, but I hope that she is careful and that she and her family are safe, too. We'll be keeping you and your family in our thoughts and prayers and hoping that you get to your destination well in advance of the storm. And we'll also be hoping that your home and property are affected as little as possible. Please check in with us again, if you have a chance, to let us know that you are all all right.

And I hope that you are able to take your trip on Thursday, Linda! I know how much you were looking forward to your Trivia Meet! I hope that that storm stays away and that you and Tom are able to make it there safely and have an enjoyable weekend! Also, hoping that your brother and both of your sisters are doing well / recovering well. I think it's wonderful that you care for them so much and "look out for them" and try to ensure that they get the care that they need.

Quick request, if I may - would you mind please either posting or e-mailing over some of the web sites and online groups from which you get those great recipes, Linda? Saw Helene on Sunday (she says "hello"!) and she asked me if I had any healthy recipes to share with her. I told her about the cookbook that I've constructed from all of the great recipes that you have sent me through the years. But I didn't save all of them online - many, I just printed out and bound in the cookbook. So if you wouldn't mind letting me know some of your "sources", I will pass them on to her so that she can peruse them at her leisure! Thanks!

I think that you have a great attitude about the possibility of not being in your job at some point next year, Elaine. You have the right idea - enjoy the time that you may have "off", and no need to worry about it! (Worrying is all I do and it doesn't get me very far! :) ) Your great attitude is also evidenced by the fact that you would take the better part of a weekend day to go into the office and catch up / get ahead. I'm sure that your bosses and colleagues appreciate you and recognize all of your efforts!

All is well, here. We were hoping to spend one last day "down the shore", today, but unfortunately it's pretty gray and windy out. We figured that if it was as windy as it is at our house inland, it would be even moreso at the shore, and we wouldn't be able to enjoy walking and sitting outside as much. So we're hoping that this weekend's forecast is wrong (they're predicting rain all weekend) and that we'll get at least one nice, sunny day on which to reschedule our little excursion! :)

Anyway, at least being home gives me more time to start getting ready for the holiday, tomorrow night. I took out all the dishes, serving pieces and serving dishes, and will get all the pots and pans that we'll need out, tonight. It's amazing how much "stuff" one needs to lay out for just 5 people! :) but we're looking forward to the holiday and we always enjoy having an excuse to entertain, a little bit. My father is coming with us to our synagogue on Thursday, for the first time, which should be nice. (actually, this will only be our second time there for the High Holy Days, since we joined right after we were married in 2002, and my mother was so sick at this time last year that we didn't go at all.)

The unveiling went very smoothly, on Sunday. My father did a great job conducting the service, and everyone told him so. It's actually not a "requirement" to have an unveiling - it's just a tradition. But my father really wanted to do it, so we designed the service together. Afterwards, the 12 relatives and friends who came went back to my father's house for a little "reception". It was actually very pleasant, and I know that my father enjoys being around people whom he usually doesn't get to see, and to have people over, in his house. He had lots of family pictures and all of my mother's needlework on display (actually, it's always on display - he just displayed it more prominently!). Although it was under sort of somber circumstances, it was actually a very nice day. The weather was beautiful and we had a chance to sit out on my father's deck, which was nice. Hopefully he will come to associate that deck with lots of supportive people gathering on it, instead of remembering that he had had it built so that my mother could get outside in her wheelchair (which she only had the chance to do a few times).

ANYWAY..........enough of that depressing stuff! We just got our copy of "Home on the Range", so we'll be watching that tonight! :)

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're having a nice week! Hang in there, Angie - we're thinking of you!

[SlightlyGoofy]

Angie, I am correct in assuming that you are on your way to DW now? I hope you are ahead of the storm and will be safely in your room before it hits. On the upside you will have the parks to yourselves from what I have seen. One family took a picture and they were the only ones on the entire ride. The poor CM's are taking the brunt of it, trying to work and worrying about what is going on at home. I read that Disney gave a substantial amount of money to each employee according to what losses they had. Good for them! If your kids are like me they will breathe a sigh of relief when they see those red and purple signs and know that they are 'home' and safe from turmoil.

Rider, I would be glad to send Helene anything she would like, even my entire diet recipe file if needed. Just ask her to email me and request whatever and I will send it. Might be a bit though as I will be packing and stuff tomorrow and we will not be back until next week, God willing and the crick don't rise. LOL

My mom was not too maternal so I sort of raised my siblings, even the ones born after I left home have spent time with me. I tend to mother everyone, wanted or not. LOL

I will thinking of you, in the sunshine, this weekend. You deserve it. Bet the meal is a wonderful one. You said that you had it catered? You have to provide the serving dishes?

The dedication sounded lovely and I bet it was very comforting for you all. I hope that the deck reminds your dad of what a good husband he was to her, with the deck and everything t hrough the years. It will be a great place for him to sit and look back upon his happy memories and look forward to many more.

I have a cold so be careful in handling this message. Would not want anyone to get my germs.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

HI everyone. Just a quick hello. All is well, my parents are here, the move went fine and I have a big enough mess to last til Xmas... of NEXT year. We are pleased with our new home. Lots to do, though. The other owners were NOT the "home improvement" type!

Glad all seems well in the suite and I am hoping we hear soon that Angie's neighborhood is safe.

xoxo

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hope that you had a wonderful and safe trip, Linda! And hope that you enjoyed your Trivia meet and meeting all of your online friends in person! Hope that you're feeling better, too, and that that cold is gone! I will e-mail Helene and ask her to be in touch with you about the recipes - thanks so much for offering to do that for her! We did provide our own serving dishes for our Rosh Hashana food, but they provided the containers in which to heat most things up - very handy! This restaurant - a very elaborate deli and sit down restaurant - really does a good job and specializes in "Jewish holiday food". The place is absolutely PACKED right before Rosh Hashana and Passover, with tons of people picking up their orders at once! We also used them to cater the post-unveiling gathering, as well as my mother's shiva last year (they do amazing platters!).

So glad to hear that you are all moved in, Colleen! Congratulations to you and your family! Even though you may feel overwhelmed with the unpacking prospects, now, you know that you can take your time, get settled in, etc. It doesn't all have to be done in one day (or even one month! :) ). The important thing is that you're all moved in and can now start enjoying your new home and making new memories in it!

Sorry that I haven't been in touch in a few days, but we got busy with Rosh Hashana. It was a whirlwind week, getting ready for our dinner on Wednesday night, going to temple with my father on Thursday, getting ready for our dinner on Thursday night, then visiting with some old family friends for the second day of Rosh Hashana on Friday and having dinner with them! We basically just "collapsed" on Saturday, then finally got in our one final shore day, yesterday! The remains of Hurricane Ivan blew through on Saturday (we seem to live in one of the only counties in NJ that was not left completely underwater due to the flooding of the Delaware River!), dropping our temperatures significantly. Whereas it had been 80 degrees and very humid on Friday, it was barely 65 degrees and very windy here, yesterday. Still, it was sunny and clear so we decided to head to the beach! It was pretty cool down there - I thought that I had dressed warmly enough, but after a few hours, I found that I was wrong and we had to get off the boardwalk before I froze! Still, it was so nice to see the ocean (it was such a beautiful shade of blue, yesterday) and those crazy NJ palm trees one more time before it becomes too cold to sit outside! I'm glad that we got to go. It's pretty cold again today - we actually had to put the heat on last night! But it's supposed to go back to 78 degrees tomorrow - thankfully - I'm not ready for summer to end! :(

Anyway, hope that all is well with all of you! And hope that you and your family are doing well, out there, Angie! Take care and talk to you all, soon! :)

[TalkisCheap]

Hi Ladies!!


Wow, it seems like forever since I've been on to say Hi! And it really has been. Sorry I haven't caught up, but while I'm on now I thought I'd say Hi. I'll catch up tomorrow, or whenever I have the time to really sit down and find out how you all are!

Life around here has been pretty busy. My teeth healed, and the swelling finally subsided as well. Cross country started, and Wednesday is our first meet. I'm in better shape than I thought I was, and it's going pretty well. It's a lot of fun with my friends, and I'm really enjoying it. Besides that, school is alright. I'm not really having trouble with anything, but I've started getting into the habit of taking notes and preparing myself for tests like I will have to next year, and it's taking a long time to get used to, and find out the best way to organize things and all. It also takes along time to take notes on important things, especially in history and science where I read a lot of pages. Algebra is easier than I thought, and I'm having no trouble with that. I love the book I'm reading right now in reading, "Johnny Tremain" it's really interesting. For pleasure, I'm reading "Gone with the Wind" which I also enjoy.

Yesterday I got home from a weekend in Pennsylvania visiting my brother and cousin at college. We stayed with my aunt and uncle, and my 4 year old and 3 month old baby cousin. That was a lot of fun, and I only wish we could have stayed longer. We skipped the football game because it was POURING with the effects of Ivan. That night though, we went to a debate between Bill Bennet and Howard Dean. I'm not much on politics but I enjoyed it well enough.

Tomorrow we don't have cross country and I'm doing the 8th grade bike trip with my friends. Then there is a pot luck after that, so that'll be a lot of fun.

Well, it's finally dinner time, and I should go. I hope everyone is well, and I'll definatly catch up soon. :D Have a great week!

Caroline

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi everyone, I am dead dog tired so this is just to let you all know that we are safely home. That is saying something as the remanents of Ivan chased us down the mountains and we had to return an alternate route as 40 was decimated. Will write more details later and catch up with you all but I need some sleep. Drove over 600 miles today and all of me is wiped out, one part is a bit more tired than the rest though. :teeth:

SG/Linda

[IASW Rider]

So glad to hear that you and Tom made it home safely, Linda! Your drive home certainly sounds like an adventure! It was very nice of you to check in with us and let us know that you're all right, especially after such an exhausting trip! I think it's very admirable to have driven that 600 miles, by yourself! Now you can take a nice rest...........before gearing up for that trip to THE LAND OF MAGIC, next month! :)

Hi Caroline! Great to hear from you! We figured that you were probably busy with school and sports, and that's why you haven't been able to stop by for a bit. Glad to hear that all is well, though! It sure sounds like you've been keeping busy........and the school year has just begun! You'll have to keep us posted about your great successes in your upcoming Cross Country Meets! How long (in miles) was your bike trip, yesterday? It's so funny to hear you talking about algebra, since I spent the better part of my summer re-teaching it to myself from scratch! But I'll tell ya - I'll NEVER forget how to do quadratic equations again, now! :)

Speaking of which, I got my official GRE score report in the mail, a few days ago, and found that I wound up doing better than I thought I did. Just looking at my scores out of context, they seemed a bit too "average" to me. But the official report reflects the percentage of people who scored below me in each category.......and those percentages are a lot larger than I would have predicted! I also scored one-step-below-perfect on the analytical writing (essay) section! So, hopefully that means better news than I'd originally thought! I guess all of that studying paid off more than I'd thought it did!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're having a nice week! :)

[angelina]

Hi, everyone. Just wanted to let you know we survived Ivan the Terrible. Just got our power back this afternoon. School was back in session for us today, but most schools will go back next monday. No real structural damage, but LOTS of trees down. Unfortunately, Gulf Shores, Pensacola and beyond are just destroyed. It's impossible to go east on I-10 past pensacola, for at least 3 months, becuse the bay bridge collapsed into the bay.

No, LInda, we didn't go to Orlando, we ended up in North Georgia, a normally 6 hour trip that took more than 12 hours, and we STILL got part of the storm, as you all know. Thank goodness we didn't go to WDW, because we'd have had a terrible time getting back. There was just something not right about going on vacation while things were so bad here. FOX10TV.com has pics of the damage to the Gulf, if anyone is interrested.

It sounds like everyone is getting back into the swing of school and everything that goes along with it. I am still catching up on old posts whenever I can.

Take care,

Angelina

[SlightlyGoofy]

I am so sorry to be just getting back to you all. I had a TOPS meeting yesterday morning (down 1.75 pounds) and did not even take my friend out to eat before I took her home. She was nice enough to allow me to run into the store to get some basics while she waited. She is uses a walker and her husband will bring her to town for the meetings but will not wait to take her home so I and another lady take turns taking her home. I did take her through the drive thru to get an ice cream cone. Such small pleasures are important when you are housebound, for the most part. I put away the cold stuff and pretty much spent the rest of the day in bed. I was sound asleep by 8 last night and was up at 3 this morning, will throw my whole schedule off but could not be helped. Us old folks need our rest.

Angie, I understand how you feel about being on vacation while the world is falling apart. I was on a cruise when the big earthquake hit California and was at Disney right after 9/11. It is a strange feeling. I am glad that you were able to be in a safe area though. I was very aware of how lucky we were to have gotten through the destruction in the area we were in. I have a sil in Pensacola and have not heard how she is as yet. I am just waiting until it is later in the day to call and check on people.

Lisa, you were surprised to find yourself in the top of the essay part of the test? I am not in the least bit surprised. You are a wonderful writer and so much more organized than I am. (scattered brained is what I am) It is not bragging when it is true and you are one smart cookie. I have found that many inferior people get ahead solely on their false impression of their wisdom while better brained people sometimes do not have the confidence in their abilities that enables them to get to where they should be. Please see that your friends and many others are not wrong when they say that you are smart, capable and should rise to the top, like cream. LOL BTW, you WILL forget quadratic equations or whatever else you learned if you do not need to use it in your life. Our brains only have so much memory and they kick out that which we do not use. (grin) Is the nature of the beast.

Caroline, maybe you will come to Hope to ride in our bike ride some year? We had hundreds participate this year. Some famous (I had not heard of him tho) country singer and his band participated. Guess they were in the area for a concert and heard about it. 100 miles is our longest ride. The people of our town make homemade goodies for the riders to snack on. All the money goes to the Food Bank. I will keep a room open for you.

I have some other good news. My friend, in the nursing home, might be getting out. Her brother from Alabama is coming to pick her up and take her to Florida to live with another brother and his wife. They are fixing up a room for her and hope to get a few pieces of what is left of her furniture from the son and dil. They did not show up for the last court hearing and I am worried that the son will get in big trouble. He is currently in FL working on restoring power and working 16 hour days as the wife has gone through the money. My bet is that when it hits the fan the wife will leave and he will end up broke, in deep debt, owing massive child support while she goes on to sucker some other poor slob. Hope I am wrong but doubt that I am. I am picking up Mary and bringing her to my house for the parade on Sunday. She can sit in the LR and then go out on the porch for the parade. Hopefully another older friend in another nursing home will be able to come too but her family has to bring her so I am not sure about that one. Hope so though. It is sad to be put away after working your whole life to take care of others.

My trivia meet was wonderful. It was to have rained the whole time but it did not. Everyone was just what I thought they would be. Seeing the faces of dear friends was fantastic. When I got there they were waiting outside for me and made me feel so darned special. We had two trivia games and I am proud to report that I had the good luck (it is all in the questions) to win both matches. They ate out about five times a day but I did well (as reported earlier). Only junk I ingested was one piece of New Zealand candy, could not resist trying something new but I avoided my 'twins" homemade chocolate chip cookies. LOL The hardest part of driving 600 miles in one day is trying to keep an eye on my passenger who has strange habits. He has been known to shift gears while in motion and almost decapitated a poor man who was leaning in the car to give me directions. He was only a few inches from Tom's face and Tom said he did not see him. Has always been thus. The trivia team gave Tom a question to answer "What cigarette is named after an animal". I had to give him clues and he smoked that brand for 54 years.

When we returned home our daughter and grandsons were at our door. Dalton jumped up and down when he saw me pulling into the drive. I was hardly able to get out of the car and Jackie helped to unload the car. I was most grateful. Manged to crawl into the living room and sit for a few minutes and then the door bell rang. It was the church group for another surprise visit. I was just too darned tired to care and even though these were people I knew I told them that I was not able to have company, they only stayed about a half an hour as opposed to their usual couple of hours. (sigh) One good thing is that dd was forced to allow me to hug her as she left cause there were witnesses. I took full advantage and even planted a kiss on her cheek. Goes to show that you don't mess with tired old broads. (grin)

Remember my friend who is over housekeeping at AS Sports? I emailed her to see how she survived the storms and was glad to hear that all was well in that area but was shocked to learn that she had had some severe health problems and is on a leave of absense after needing emergency implantation of a pacemaker. She is a tiny little thing and such a special person. I hope to be able to see her if we get to go in October.

So much news and I do believe I might be running out of 'paper'. Wonder if that is possible? If it is, I will do it. (smile)

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Hi everyone! Been a bit buys at work, and can't ever seem to get on long enough to do a good catch up at home.

Linda, you are right... a lot of the time it isn't worth the extra income for a family. However, with my income we can't give it up just yet... we hope to pay down some things like student loans before I totally get out of the work force :) With kids though, it becomes really hard since most incomes barely cover the extra expense of daycare and the like.
Very glad that you made the trip home okay, despite the bad weather!

Angelina, I have a good friend who lives in Alabama, so my prayers were with y'all down there. He called me twice last Thursday to keep me posted on the storm. I am glad you finally got power back. He was lucky and only went w/o power for 2 days. Good luck with all the cleanup... I did see about I-10 and that was so sad :(

Colleen, good luck to you with all the unpacking and moving stuff. Our previous owners were the worst type of "home improvement" people... they did it, but were clueless on how to do it all correctly. We have a lot to fix due to their mistakes.

Lisa, even with teh cold, sounds like you had a nice weekend! Ivan caused the drops in temps on Friday like you had on Saturday... wonder if it was the reminants of the storm passing through. Actually Ivan caused some bad flooding in OH, TN & PA :( That was not a very good storm to deal with.
Congrats on the good percentages on your GRE!!! Sometimes things like that really help put it all in perspective!

Caroline, always good to see you! Looks like you have been keeping busy! Glad your teeth healed and more os that you are in better shape than you thought. It was always hard for me to get back into the real runnign when school started in the fall after a summer off.

Nothing terribly exciting with me going on at the moment... which is probably a very good thing :)

[colleen costello]

Hi ladies. Well, everyone sure is busy lately. Hello to all. I am glad everyone is home safe and sound despite the "Armageddon" weather we have had. My parents flew home to Allentown PA on Saturday evening and were greeted with the worst flooding the Lehigh Valley has seen in a long time. Mom said they missed the worst of it on Friday, was glad they were safe here in Indiana, but Ivan was truly a baddie even in Pennsylvania. Mom's neighborhood is fine but lots of roads very close by are under water. She said the Delaware flooded the whole downtown area near where they live, and the McDonald's down there was under water but for the roof and yellow arches sign! Yikes!

We are busy unpacking daily. I keep finding more things to do and slowly this is becoming "our" house. I got a nice picture of the kids on the porch with my parents and have to figure out how to post it here. The carpet man is coming today and I have told him I expect miracles! Once the boxes are all unapcked we can start to paint. Ian wants his room blue so I guess I will do that first. Going to go to the "DIY" site I heard about here. "Do it Yourself" isn't always the easiest, but usually the CHEAPEST! :)

Love to all.

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

So glad to hear that you and your family made it to and from Georgia safely, Angie, and that your home and area sustained no significant damage. Thank God. So great to hear from you and so glad that the storm is over! And glad to hear that your power has been restored and that schools are beginning to open again, too.

How are you feeling, Linda? You're so busy - you need to take a tiny bit of time to rest and recuperate from your exciting trip! Great to hear that you received such a warm welcome from your Trivia Group upon arrival.........AND from your family upon your return home! That is wonderful! And CONGRATULATIONS on winning those matches - we had no doubt that you would be the champion, once again! I hope that the folks at Millionaire are getting ready for your arrival and your ultimate triumph there, next month! :) And that's great news about your friend in the nursing home, hopefully being able to move in with her brother. That sounds very hopeful. I'm sorry to hear about her son's predicament, though - that sounds awful. His wife sounds like a real "piece of work". So nice of you to host your friends for the parade! AND to spend time with the Church Group, even though you'd practically just gotten out of your car, after that long trip! And thanks so much for your wonderful, supportive words as always!

Thank you, too, Elaine! And hope that you're hanging in there at work! Is this just a busy season in general, or are you working on some special projects?

Lots of good luck with your carpeting today, Colleen! As you complete each one of these "pieces" (carpeting, beginning to paint, etc.), I'm sure that your new house will feel more and more like home! Just take it one day at a time - it will all get done! And please post that picture, if you have a chance - we'd love to see it! :) Glad to hear that your parents made it home safely. I can definitely believe the extent of the flooding, there - we keep seeing news reports about the flooding in Western NJ - unbelievable. We live very close to the Raritan River - I'm sort of surprised that the Delaware flooded but the Raritan didn't! Glad to hear that your parents' neighborhood was not badly affected by the storm or the floods!

Not too much to report, here! Just catching up on a bunch of things around the house before Yom Kippur, this weekend! Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a great day! :)

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to wish you all a great weekend! We have Yom Kippur tonight and tomorrow, so I probably won't be able to get back here for a few days. But just wanted to stop in and say "hi" to you all! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Lisa,
One of the many things I admire about the Jewish people is their traditions and close family ties. I know that all your hard work will be greatly appreciated. I just heard from Helene, the coincidences just get to be more and more as her daughter and family were at DW when we were last there. I am going to send her my diet recipe file and hope that she can find some help in there. My response to how I am feeling is that I am dead dog tired. When my breathing gets bad it wears me out. So much to do right now also. If I can make it until Monday I might survive. LOL

Colleen, sounds as if you are getting your house in liveable condition. I hope to be able to see it one of these days. Glad to hear that your parents made it home safely. I am sure you were worried.

Helenabear, I truly believe that the high cost of daycare has done more to keep down the amount of children people have today more than anything else. The birth control pill is the wonder drug of the century IMHO. I well remember my mom getting pregnant almost every three years, and there were plenty who did so more often, and what a strain it was on our family. Being the oldest I can feel that way though. (smile) It is dangerous for a woman to drop out of the workplace as she loses out on so much and puts herself in great risk, even if there is no divorce and if there is, whoa Nellie!

Caroline, I hope this thread can continue for another decade or more. I just have to find out what you end up being. I am always in awe of your many interests and accomplishments. GWTW is one of my favorite books also. Some dismiss it as light reading but there is a lot of historical information in there and I just plain love stories about strong women who survive against all odds. I hate those romance novels where the heroine gives up all to 'save' the man. Has been the downfall of many a young woman IMHO. So algebra is easy for you? I could "almost' hate you for that thought. I had to study long and hard to get good grades in math. Still hate it. Grandson called me up the other night with a math question and I told him that asking me such was not a wise idea. English, Literature, History, Social Studies etc. are my strong points. We always do well at things we enjoy. Politics as well? Which one did the best IYO?

SG/Linda

[SlightlyGoofy]

Seems like the Suite Ladies are happily distracted (for the most part) with celebrations and moving into new digs, settling into new school routines and all.

Thought I would stop by and sweep the cobwebs from the corners for when everyone is able to return.

Our family wedding went well. It was just perfect. I met so many special people and got caught up with others that I have not been able to see for a bit. Had many offers to sit at different tables (I left dh at a table with his brothers) but I guess you can guess who I decided to sit with. If I had not, they would have followed me anyway. LOL (my boys)

My sil, bil and nephew came back to spend the night and we were able to chat a bit. They stayed until after lunch the next day but left before the parade. Several people came by to watch with us though. One dear friend came with her granddaughter. I think I had told you all about her. Her daughter was very sick and still refusing to make peace with her. The daughter passed away the other day without any closure. I cannot imagine the mother's pain. To lose a child would be more than I could take let alone the rest.

My Disney nutty buddy and her hubby sat on the swing with me and we made plans for our upcoming trip. We will be sitting front and center at the Beach Boys concert on the 12th of October. She has even convinced me to give the Boardwalk/International gateway thing a try. Does not seem as it would be more walking and while I can walk I cannot stand for long periods and will avoid having to wait for several buses. If I were just trying to get away with something I would not but it is a physical fact for me so my conscience is pretty clean. Sitting on the Boardwalk at the end of a park day, snacking and taking in the scenery seems like a great way to end the day. I would be able to drive to all parks but MK that way.

Everyone always says how busy I am, LOL, I am sort of taking the day off today. Just puttering around and even watching a few tapes off and on. Khaos trivia tonight and leftovers for dinner, almost on vacation I am. (smile)

I hope that Angie is safe and sound, back at home and her home was intact and waiting to welcome them back home. My heart goes out to all who have been evacuated over and over again causing great damage to their bank accounts and strain to their dispositions. Surely this has to be the end of the turmoil in Florida? I am hesitant to voice that thought for fear of bringing down more wrath but am so hoping that things calm down for everyone. I am so grateful for my own good luck and am hoping that others so blessed will share, as I intend to do, a bit of their fortune with those less fortunate. Small acts of kindness are usually the best and they sure do add up when multiplied by millions.

Guess I will go back to laying on the couch, rotting my brain with some television. Please do not tell my little guy, would be a bad example.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Hi all. Glad to hear things went well, Linda. And yesterday I was the recipient of a great card and postcards from Rider. I haven't been home to NJ in way too long, and she sent me a postcard that gave me such a lift! One was an aerial shot of the Point Pleasant Beach, NJ, boardwalk, one of my favorite places in the whole world. Lisa, thanks so much! Things have been stressful and your cards cheered me up. I haven'f forgoten to post a picture here, just can't sem to figure out how. I will probably add one to my website then post the link here when it's done.

Love to all, and Rider, thanks again. you are a doll!

[IASW Rider]

Hello Everyone!

How are you feeling, Linda? It sounds like you're definitely in need of a little rest and relaxation! It's good that you took time the other day to just take it easy and watch some TV - you're on the move so much that sometimes a little mind-numbing TV watching is necessary! :) I didn't realize that your family wedding was this past weekend! Was this your nephew's wedding? Glad to hear that you all had a nice time and that you had a chance to catch up with some people whom you hadn't seen in awhile.

I am sorry to hear about your friend's daughter, though. It's so sad that they weren't able to make peace before she passed away. But it's nice that she is obviously close with her granddaughter and that she brought her to watch the parade and to be with you all.

I'm sure that Helene will be thrilled with all of the recipes that you send her - it's so nice of you to do that! I wish that I had saved all of your recipes online, but I printed them all out and bound them and only have a (relative) few on my hard drive! (Which may be a good thing because our hard drive seems to be running out of space very quickly.......we're going to need to expand our memory very soon.......it seems like overnight, our computer has slowed down significantly. :( )

Also, glad to hear that your plans for your upcoming (very soon! :) ) WDW trip are falling into place! That is so exciting! When are you actually leaving? I didn't realize that other friends were going down with you - are you all traveling together, or are you meeting down there? I'm sure that the Beach Boys concert will be great (I've seen them in concert a few times before)! And we walked from the World Showcase through the International Gateway and to the Boardwalk when we were down there in May - it was a nice walk - not too far - and it was neat to see Boardwalk - we'd never been there before!

Speaking of "Boardwalks", thanks so much for your kind words, Colleen! Glad that my correspondence brightened your day! :) But watch out - now that I have your home address, you're "in for it", now - just ask Linda, Elaine, and Angie...........you never know when you might open your mailbox to find some random Garden State-related memorabilia or souvenirs inside! :) Hope that your painting and carpeting went / are going wonderfully and that your unpacking is moving along smoothly, too!

Wish that I had some interesting news to report, but things are pretty quiet, here. Yom Kippur was pleasant and our "break-fast" (even though none of us fast) dinner went well, too. The remains of Jeanne have rolled in, today - just lots of rain and humidity, and they're predicting stronger winds followed by a cold front, tonight. I'm not ready for summer to end! :( I don't like the words "cold front", even if that just means temperatures in the low 70's and high 60's! :(

Hope that you're all having a nice day! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Howdy there Lisa!

Feeling a bit wonky today but nothing new. I have been hoarding my prednisone for the upcoming trip. We leave on the tenth. My friend is leaving this Sunday but they are going to Maryland first and then to their home near Ocala before going to DW for a few days. Had a small again today but am down 4 pounds for the month. Not new pounds so it is nothing special. Helene has not gotten back to me to tell me which recipes she wants. I will gladly send you my entire diet files anytime you want. Have you considered saving some of your pictures and such on disks to empty up some space? I am considering buying an external hard drive so that I can automatically keep a copy of everything. I might not have to buy a new computer as often then as the main reason I buy new every three years is to avoid losing everything. Does not always work that way though. I always have a book in my hand, whether the tv is running or not. Little on tv interests me enough to put a book down.

About how long did you take you to walk from the gateway to the Boardwalk parking lot when you went? I am guessing it is similar to the walk from Mexico to the bus stops and a whole lot less crowded. I would give almost anything if temps were in the 70's when we go to Florida.

Some interesting news. My dd told me that a few of their friends and themselves are possibly planning a 2006 trip to DW. What I would not give to be able to be there and have each boy to myself for a day or part of day. I am going to wait and see if she might welcome my intrusion. I can pay my own way and do not want to stay with them so I am hoping it might happen. Will see. I know that the boys would love it as they talk about it all the time.

How did your celebrations go? Were there a lot of guests or just your immediate family? Are there foods that you only have at this time of the year? What is the best part for you?

I am calling all Suite Mates to help me out. My 13 year old grandson has informed me that he is hunting for a girlfriend and possible future mate that does not require much as he does not plan on being able to earn much and likes being able to not work hard. (I am soooo proud, sigh) I figure that an anorexic nudist who prefers to camp out would do just fine. If he does not have to provide food, clothing or shelter there is not much left to worry about. I dislike women who constantly badger their hubby or wh omever to provide massive quantities of material goods while doing little or nothing themselves but this seems to be the other extreme. I am saying prayers that he falls madly in love with a woman who will stand side by side and force him to do something of value with his life. I may buy the bride a big club to use if necessary. (smile)

Colleen, I know how you feel as I have gotten many of those famous postcards as well. I am always honored, awed and deeply ashamed that I cannot repay such kindness. Indiana is a great place to live but too darned exciting. I am considering hijacking the checkered flag from the next 500 mile race. I know that Fran would appreciate that.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Hello everyone! Been a bit busy with work and stuff at home, but nothing too bad or too pressing. Life, otherwise, has been fairly good :)

Colleen, I knew of some people in Pittsburgh who also had the bad flooding like that. Seems Ivan reaked havoc there as well. Good luck with all the unpacking and cleaning though. That is always the hardest part of moving I think.

Lisa, it just is busy for no real reason lately. We dont' usually have much of a "season" for busy or not. Well around the national holidays, it gets that way since a lot of the companies we work with have time off then.

Linda, I chuckled a little at your comment about the costs of children... but I realize in this day it is so very true. The more reliable b/c out there really helps many families (IMO). I knew of a lady who had about 9 or 10 children... we swore she was always pregnant or holding a newborn. I couldn't imagine that. So far, all the children have made it to or through college!!! How they can do that, I am not sure!
I saw your post about your small "dilemma" I wish I had some solid advice. I do know that if you offered to go to watch the kids a day or two, I'd be thrilled... actually I truly believe WDW is a place to share with loved ones (whether family or friends) so I am always happy to share time with others while there :)

[colleen costello]

Hi girls. All is well here. Same old same old, unpacking and more unpacking.


My Mom told me yesterday that she had a long talk with her friend Marion, who worked with Mom for years. Marion sold her Jersey home for about a gazillion dollars -- she lived near Lambertville and I guess that area is very expensive now. In any case, she took her pile of money and she and hubby retired in a gated community in Ocala, Florida. Mom got the whole scoop, and thank goodness Marion LOVES it there. They actually saw very little trouble from any of the hurricanes, and loves the area completely. She told Mom there are zillions of retirement communities and you pretty much just need to visit and pick one that suits you. She even mentioned a new community that is being built, closer to Orlando, "Celebration-like" with it's own shopping and hospital. My Mom is kind of a hypochondriac so I know "your own hospital" was probably magic to her ears! :) In any case, I am thrilled that my parents are starting to seriously consider retiring in Florida. The winters in PA are getting nastier and my Dad is realizing his body won't let him do physical work forever. They have enough money to retire comfortably and I am now officially nagging them! We are used to living apart -- it's not like they'd be leaving the grandkids to go to Florida, which is such a dilemma for so many grandparents. We'd just drive south instead of east! The thought of them living an hour from Orlando is SO exciting. We'd have Xmas there and Spring Break and spend time in the summers. The thought of being able to just go for a meal and spend an evening at WDW sounds so amazing. Mom and I get excited every time we talk about it! So all of you cross your fingers that it works out, and our chances of meeting at WDW will get better because I will be down there MORE OFTEN!

Lisa, I am glad your family holiday went well. I am terrible about keeping holdiays straight, and what they mean, but I think at this time of year you are supposed to atone? It made me smile to realize that you are so dear I can't imagine you having to atone for anything! One of my favorite holiday jokes involves the hiring of a new priest from a field of terrible applicants who don't even know what the Christian holidays represent. One applicant finally gets it right and knows that Christmas is the birth of Jesus. When asked for more info, though, the applicant adds "And if Jesus sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter!" That one always makes me laugh! :) Somehow the combination of Jesus and the groundhog always get me giggling and I am quite sure this is directly related to my disastrous term as a Catholic!

Linda, I am also going to offer unsolicited advice about the grandkids' Florida trip. This is no time to be subtle. Sell your daughter on your value as a babysitter and tourguide and see if it works. She'd be crazy to turn down the help of a grandma who knows her way around WDW. The worst she can do is say NO, at which point you can decide if you want to go down anyhow. It IS a public place! Also, the walk from Boardwalk or Beach Club to the International Gateway is under 10 minutes. There are benches to rest and bathrooms at the Gateway. Once through the gate it's a bit further to the back of England. The walk is a pretty one and again, lots of benches to rest on.

Better get cracking on today's errands and efforts. Love to all.

xoxo

[IASW Rider]

Hello!

I agree with Colleen and Elaine, Linda - I think that you should definitely start encouraging Jackie to let you tag along if they go to WDW in '06! In addition to "selling" your "grandma-tour-guide / babysitter" skills, you could package it as a "Magical Gathering" and maybe wind up actually reserving the trip as a package for the whole family, that might even yield some good discounts, too! It would be so great if you could all go down there together! Or maybe you and Tom could surprise them, the way that Colleen's Dad surprised her family at the Poly! :) I hope that that works out for all of you - I'm sure that you would all have a great time down there together!

And it would be wonderful if your parents decided to retire in Florida, Colleen! Hurricanes notwithstanding (heck, they're not too much different from the nor'easters that we get here, so it wouldn't be that different!), I'm sure that they would feel much more comfortable down there, not having to deal with the nasty winters, and being able to enjoy the sunshine and outdoors all year long! And it would provide lots of great excuses for you all to go down there and visit, as you said! I hope that that works out for them! As you said, I've read about many great new retirement communities that are being established, down there!

I loved your joke about the Priest and seeing Jesus's shadow! That was very cute! :) You're right - this past holiday that we just celebrated, Yom Kippur, is The Day of Atonement (that's what "Yom Kippur" means in Hebrew). It always immediately follows Rosh Hashana, which was the week before. Rosh Hashana (literally translated from Hebrew: "Head of the Year") marks the New Year on the Jewish calendar (which is a lunar calendar). On Rosh Hashana we celebrate the New Year and start to reflect on the past year, how we conduct our lives, etc. There are no real traditional foods associated with the holiday, Linda, with the exception of sweet things - particularly apples dipped in honey - to signify wishing everyone a "sweet New Year". We go to synagogue on Rosh Hashana for a special service that includes a reading from the Torah (the Old Testament) and listening to someone blow the shofar (a ram's horn) which heralds the coming of the New Year. It is said that on Rosh Hashana, God opens the Book of Life and reviews how everyone has conducted their lives over the past year. The week in between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur is called "The Days of Awe". During that time, we're supposed to reflect and think about things that we did wrong, over the past year, and how we can be better in the upcoming year. On Yom Kippur, we attend synagogue and atone for our sins of the past year in the hopes of "wiping the slate clean". It's said that on Yom Kippur, God inscribes those who will live for the next year in the Book of Life and then closes the Book: "On Rosh Hashana it is written, on Yom Kippur it is sealed". So some people greet eachother at this time of year with "May you be inscribed for a good and healthy year", or something like that. Yom Kippur is traditionally a fast day - one must completely fast (not even any water!) from sundown the night before 'til sundown the night of the holiday. My family never really did that, though I did when I was a child and attending religious school. My theory is that one doesn't need to fast in order to meditate upon their lives and what they want to do better - the fasting is just symbolic of taking something away so that one can concentrate on atoning for their sins, etc. I've found that fasting only makes me think "gee, I'd really like to have a Diet Coke!", rather than what I'm supposed to be thinking about, so I don't do it any more! But we still have a traditional "break-fast" dinner on the night of Yom Kippur, even though none of us actually fast! That dinner is traditionally light foods, since it's assumed that this is the first meal that one is eating in 24 hours. So we have bagels, lox, whitefish, tuna salad, etc. And we just had my immediate family over, Linda, since all of our cousins live so far away. It was just Frank, my father, my uncle, and me for both holidays, and my sister-in-law came on Rosh Hashana, too. I think that the best part for me was just having everyone together............and eating lots of great food! :) Also, it's fun using our dining room, which we only really use when we entertain. My favorite of the Jewish holidays has always been Passover, because it falls in the spring (with hopes of summer and nice weather to follow!) and because of the traditional foods and customs that go along with that holiday and the customary things that we do at the meals ("seders").

There are actually 2 more Jewish holidays that immediately follow Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. We don't really observe them, but I'm very familiar with them from religious school and there are special synagogue services that honor them. They sort of continue the story of Passover (which we're all familiar with from our various religious schools.........or from watching the movie "The Ten Commandments!"). After the Children of Israel were freed from slavery by the Egyptians (Passover), they wandered through the desert for 40 years. During that time, they built little temporary huts to stay in, that had thatched roofs so that they could see the stars through them. At this time of year, very observant Jewish people commemorate that time by building little huts behind their homes and eating all their meals in them (some people even sleep in them, if the weather permits!). The holiday is called "Sukkot" (literal translation: "tabernacles" - "Sukkot" is the plural of "sukkah", or "tabernacle"). It's neat - when I was in religious school, we would walk from the school to local classmates' homes and eat in their family's sukkot. They are usually decorated with artificial fruit hanging from the bamboo roof, to symbolize the fall harvest. And every family decorates their sukkah with something that is personal to them. It's sort of like a little "clubhouse" with a table and chairs inside. 2 of my father's observant neighbors have invited him to have dinner in their sukkot, over the next 2 nights, which is very nice (I just hope that the post-Jeanne-wind dies down before tonight, or else they'll be having a very windy dinner!)

Sukkot lasts until October 8th. Then immediately after that comes the last holiday of the season, "Simchat Torah" (literal translation: "Happiness about the Torah"). After the children of Israel wandered in the desert for 40 years with Moses as their leader, they proved that they were devoted to God, would not worship idols, and would accept God's laws (the 10 Commandments) and honor them. So then God bestowed upon them the Torah (which is the Old Testament - which obviously had not fully been written at the time - so I interpret it as God gave them the 10 Commandments at that time), and the people rejoiced. This holiday is celebrated by going to synagogue, and then after the service the streets around temples are usually closed off, and the Rabbi's take the actual Torah scrolls out into the street and everyone dances outside and rejoices and holds up the Torah, etc. (They have to be very careful, though, because if one drops a Torah scroll, the custom is that s/he has to fast for 40 days!) It's a very nice holiday, but it's one that's usually observed by more observant people than we.

OK - now that I've bored you all to death with the "Jewish Fall Holiday Lesson"...............! Hope that I didn't ramble on for too long!

ANYWAY...........so your grandson is thinking about marriage at 13, Linda?? Very advanced fellow! :) I'm sure that he will follow the great examples set by you and Tom and his parents and that he has wonderful values and priorities. He'll just grow into his responsibilities, that's all! He's coming into that crazy adolescent age, which always tends to be a bit turbulent, but I'm sure that he'll come out of it with a great sense of direction and purpose! :)

I can't believe that your trip is coming up so soon!!! Just a little over a week away!!!! I was watching some of the video footage from our last trip, last night............we have just 7.5 more months to go, until we return to WDW / DCL! :)

Thank you both for your kind words! I just like to send little things that I think you may find amusing or sentimental, to let you know that I am thinking of you, every now and again! :) And I'm sure that Indiana is a very exciting and beautiful place! :)

Hi Elaine! How are you, Luis, and the kitties doing, out there?

I think that you're right, Linda - an external drive might be the way to go. We actually have 2 hard drives in our computer, now. I moved most of my pictures onto the "secondary" one..........and now I can't access it at all! UGH. I do have many of the pictures saved on CD (I've been too lazy to do a "back up" recently - plus, for some reason, our CD writer tends to stop in the middle of saving pictures, claiming that it doesn't "recognize" some of them as valid files, so then I wind up having to save some individually, which takes forever............). Anyway, I think that our problem is that Windows and Verizon keep sending us updates that eat up our memory when we download them. It seems like overnight, our computer got much slower and all of a sudden we barely have any memory! As soon as we have this memory issue rectified, I will bother you for your entire recipe file! :)

OK, now that I've probably completely put everyone here to sleep........time to go and get some things done, around here! Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're having a nice day! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Lisa, I concur with Colleen in that I cannot imagine you having a thing to atone for. I love the idea that you have to yearly account for yourself. The Christian view that you account at the end of your life might make many put off cleaning up their act. Sort of like waiting to weigh in once a year or decade would allow you to put off eating right until it is far too late. Hope I did not offend anyone with the analogy. I just think differently. Everyday, for me, seems to be a maze of difficult decisions and laying awake at night fretting over what I did not do or did and regret. I am much more forgiving of others though. I am going to 'save' your missive as I am sure I will want to reference it from time to time.. I have read quite a bit about your religion in years past but it is better to hear from someone who lives it. I seem to remember that my old Commadore 64 had a floppy and you automatically backed up everything, I do not understand why it could not be so with current computers, seems simple to me.

Colleen, you and I seem to have the same warped sense of humor. I love the groundhog joke as well. I firmly believe that God has a sense of humor (figured that one out while looking in the mirror once LOL) Thank you so much for the info on t he walk between Gateway and Might it be The Villages that your mom's friend moved to? If so, it is an awesome place and my friends are headed down to their home this weekend before they meet us at DW. There is a weekly plan where you can go and check it out. It is for the people who yearn for perfection and was built by people who did DW and Universal. All sorts of price ranges also. It is pretty close (about an hour or so) from DW. Don't unpack too fast, you will find a lot of 'stuff' that you do not really need and will grealy cut down on future house cleanings. I am giving up dusting for Lent and any other holiday that I can think of. Waste of time, it keeps coming back.. LOL

Elaine, I will take advice from you any old time. My dd is a bit unusual. We were very close when she was small but about the time she turned ten she decided that she had no use for me at all, nor for most other people either. It did not help matters that she was involved in many scary situations and I was forced to keep an extremely close eye on her during her teens. Having to choose between being her friend or her parent was a hard one but I still believe I chose the right course in forcing her to get back on track. I never throw any of her past back at her as she has outgrown such and I am extremely proud of her but she has never forgiven me for being so strict with her. If I even requested a TY from her for some of the things I do for her she would never 'allow' me to do anything again and it would be sorely hard on the boys (and I feel her also).

Lord help me if I would turn up uninvited. My dd and her family are planning a trip with some other couples that they are close to here. Several of the couples are friends of mine also as they have either grown up in my house as kids or I have tutored their children. One young woman in particular would welcome me but would cringe if her mother wanted to come. LOL I fully respect that they would not want me tagging along nor would I want to. I move too slowly and would hold them back and would not do that to anyone let alone my loved ones. Austin is already asking me if he could ride down in the car as he is afraid of flying. I told him that I had not been invited and he was adamant that he wants me to come along. I figure the sil would enjoy it also since it would give them some alone time as well so it is just my dd. Maybe I am too thin skinned but I could not go if I did not feel she wanted me to come. They would probably only be able to afford a few days and my sharing the boys might cut deeply into that time. I would love to be able to have a grandson, one at a time, for a few hours or a day to show them things that their parents might not have the time or money to do with them. We are not wealthy enough to be able to afford to pay for everyone so that option is out. I wish it were true that our grands would be able to learn from our good examples in marriage or in life but unless they learn from mistakes they are doomed to continue our families less than perfect record. I enjoy reading about how you all got good educations and are living lives full of promise and with options but it is not so for many.

I am not in great health and will never be able to drive down with my grands for a vacation alone nor would I be able to physically care for them in the parks for more than a few hours. I look a lot sturdy than I actually am. Not even sure if I will be in any shape, healthwise, in 2006 to go to DW even if wanted. With my family history I well know that the heart attacks and strokes are looming on the horizon. I am doing my best to put them off as long as possible though.

Elaine, you youngsters have no idea of what life was back before birth control. I saw so many women being worn out in their youth and families brought to their knees with poverty. My mom died in her early fifties and having a baby every three years was not helpful. Having those kids grow up and lay around doing nothing while she did it all was not a help either. Sometimes I believe she sort of committed suicide to get some rest. (not kidding) I love the fact that your generation can choose when to have and how many to have, children. Every child has the right to be a wanted member of a family. Sounds as if your friend's family was blessed with love, ambition and ethics that made them thrive. Good for them!!

Here I am, writing a book again. TY for putting up with me.

I am taking Tom and I to get our flu shots tomorrow before we leaver for FL. Then to the dump as I cut back the flowers today then drop him off at bowling while I get some chores done. I finally qualified for the quarterly trivia game so I have to be back for that. Going to the Community Center in a bit and that is all that is going on around here. Looking forward to the red and purple signs, taking some Calgon and taking a rest when I hit the room. LOL

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Lisa, I will re-read your wonderful primer on Jewish fall holidays. Thaks for the scoop. I hate how ignorant I am of other religions. I took a great course in college but somehow the info fell out of my head. Most of what I recall is the Buddhism, go figure. I am impressed with your knowledge of the holidays and when you have time one day, please share what religious school was like. I can only imagine. When I was a kid, Catholic School was sort of a vague threat (like "military school") where you'd go if you were very, very bad. My Dad had been terrorized by nuns as a kid (so many Catholic children were, evidently) and always told us horror stories. I feared nuns more than anything! Luckily by the 1970's there were few of them left, or perhaps someone wised up and started keeping them away from the kids!

Oh, I forgot to tell you... When I visited dear David years ago, when he was in medical school, I remember when we got to his apartment there was a little thing on the door. He explained it as a "good luck good health" thing, and I have since learned it is called a Mezuzah. It occured to me we should have one in our new house. It will make the house seem nice and safe and remind me of David. Now here in Indiana we are not chock-full of Jewish friends "on call" to let one know where to GET a Mezuzah... So Scott works with a nice gentleman (from NJ, of course) who is of the Jewish faith. Mark was surprised that I was wanting a mezuzah, but kindly offered to get us one soon. He says they should be gifts... So when I get one, I guess I will stick it on the front door frame and hope it brings good luck and health. Any info would be appreciated. I am still convinced St. Joseph might have sold my house for me... So maybe I am getting religion -- although who knows what one? - in my middle age!

Linda, I will pray for your good health and your daughter's good sense, and somehow you may wind up in WDW with your grandkids. Not sure of the name of the community Mom's friend lives in, but I will find out. Small world!

xoxo

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Linda and Colleen! You both are way too sweet - BELIEVE ME, I have things to "atone for"! Although I (hopefully!) do not do things that hurt people unintentionally, I certainly do think "evil" thoughts in my head - particularly about people who have hurt me in the past, both professionally or personally. I feel badly when I hold grudges - so that's one of the things that I "atone for" or try to improve upon. As they always say (whoever "they" are!), "it takes more energy to hate someone than to not think about them at all"!

I definitely understand your predicament, with regard to the prospective WDW trip in 2006. Hmmmmm...........maybe you can wait for a time when you think that your DD and DSIL would be most likely to say "yes" and then spring your request to join them, on them? :) I understand now why you wouldn't want to just show up as a surprise (though I'm sure that Dalton and Austin would be thrilled to see you and Tom, as a surprise!). You never know - 2006 is still a ways away..........you might be pleasantly surprised by the response that you get if / when you ask / hint / otherwise that you'd like to join in their trip! Do you know - are they getting ready to make their reservations, now? Or are they just in the "preliminary planning stages"? If they're not ready to actually commit to dates now (I think it may be too soon to do so, anyway), then you definitely have time to "hone your strategy"! We, here in the Suite, will see if we can come up with some more creative ideas for you, in the mean time! :) AND, in the mean time, you must concentrate on YOUR OWN upcoming trip - just 10 days away! :)

So glad that I didn't bore you both to sleep, with my little explanations, yesterday!

From Kindgergarten through 8th grade, I went to a Hebrew Day School, called a "Yeshiva". It's probably very similar to what Catholic School is like..........minus the nuns! :) (Frank went to Catholic School for all of elementary school, so I'm definitely familiar with frightening nun stories, from his experiences! :) ) My family is not as observant as most of the other families who sent their children to this school. But it was very close to our house and my parents didn't like the public schools in our area. Plus they wanted me to get a Jewish education anyway, so they sent me to Yeshiva until high school. We had half a day of religious subjects (taught almost entirely in Hebrew, mind you!) - Torah (the Old Testament portion of the week), Prophets, Jewish History, interpretations of the Old Testament, etc., and we had mandatory prayer services first thing, every morning. The second half of the day was devoted to all of our "secular" subjects - English, History / Social Studies, Science, and Math (UGH.). My mother always blamed my intimidation by algebra, etc., on the fact that she felt that not enough time was devoted to it when I was first learning it, since we only had a half day of secular subjects per day in my elementary school. Even though I (and the people whom I was closest with - who are still some of my closest friends) was different from most of my classmates, in that my family didn't keep kosher, observe the Sabbath, or observe all of the holidays, it was still a great experience and I learned many valuable things there.

We have several Mezzuzot (plural of "mezzuzah") in our house, Colleen! We have some really neat ones that friends or family have brought back for us from Israel, too! In traditional mezzuzot, there is a tiny prayer scroll inside, which contains the prayer "Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One" (nothing I believe that would go against your religion or offend you in any way - it comes directly from the Old Testament). It is traditional to have one on the door post of every room in one's home - but particularly the doorways that lead outside (we don't have them on every door post!). And it should be hung on a slant, with the top of the mezzuzah pointing into the room (as opposed to away from it), to sort of bring good luck / good health / good things inside that room. The tradition of the mezzuzah also has its origins in the Passover story (the good old "Ten Commandments" film, again!). When God sent the Angel of Death to the Egyptians, because the Pharoah was so evil and because they refused to believe in God, the Children of Israel were instructed to stay in their homes and put lamb's blood around their door posts. That way, the Angel of Death would PASS OVER their homes (hence, the name of the holiday!) and they wouldn't be subjected to the 10 plagues that were brought upon the Egyptians. The mezzuzah is also a marker / reminder of that time, and so it sort of "guards" the house and keeps good things inside. And the prayer inside confirms that we acknowledge God as the one, true God.

OK - forgive me - I'm rambling on and boring everyone, again! :(

Sorry that this can't be longer, but A) I have nothing very interesting to report - today was a pretty quiet day and B) the debate is starting soon and I've been dying to see the debates! So curious to hear what the candidates will say and how they will interact with one another!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all having a good night! Thanks so much again for all of your thoughtfulness! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Wow!! This Suite h as always been entertaining, relaxing and full of love but now it is educational as well. Lisa, I am enjoying learning more about your religion. I have read several books on the subject but there is nothing like hearing about the actual practices. I am not worried about the state of your soul, even with occasional "bad thoughts". You acknowledge them and strive to be the best you can be and I doubt that any of us can do better.

Colleen, I think having a Mezuzah and a Catholic saint in the same house is a wonderful idea. I would even add a Buddah. We are all striving toward the same goal IMHO and understanding others is a wonderful thing.

On this subject, sort of - something wonderful happened tonight. My daughter and I actually had a phone conversation where she did not end up telling me how stupid or whatever I am. I am writing this down in on my calendar. LOL She even admitted that I did right in being hard on her when she was growing up as it was my Christian duty. Hey, whatever, I'll take it. I even got to tell her how proud I was of her. If it had been person to person she might have even let me hug her. (smile) I am a simple woman with simple wants and needs and this has thrilled me to the cockles of my heart. May change tomorrow but for tonight I ar a happy woman.

Dalton is coming to spend the weekend with me so I had better get some rest. His report card was all great except for paying attention. LOL

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, I can't tell you how happy it makes me that you had a good conversation with your daughter. I am thrilled for you.

Lisa, I love learning all this stuff from you. In fact, Mark, Scott's coworker, has secured a Mezuzah for us and is going to deliver it personally. He insists it must be "installed" properly and is even bringing wine! I guess he will do the prayer. I never connected the Mezuzah to the scene from "The Ten Commandments" where the angel of death passed over Jewish homes. My family was marginally Catholic, and I often laugh to friends that any biblical knowledge I have comes from Cecil B. DeMille... Anyhow, when I was a kid, "The Ten Commandments" literally scared the crap out of me. I had NIGHTMARES about that creepy green fog coming to get me. I know it sounds silly, but that movie terrified me. It was one of the things that made me think about life and death and all the unknowns in the world, and I was a very anxious child in general. It also taught me that the Old Testament is NOT for the faint of heart. I have a hard time appreciating a God that would kill children, albeit Egyptian-oppressor ones. So this whole story is very relevant for me, and now as an adult, I will completely appreciate that I will have a mezuzah to "ward off that scary Hollywood cloud!" :)

Busy weekend coming with lots more unpacking and organizing. Time is flying. Can't believe it is October already! Hope you all have a great weekend.

xoxo

[IASW Rider]

Hello!

Sounds like you had a great conversation with Jackie, Linda! That is wonderful! Especially just before Dalton comes to spend the weekend with you! That certainly gets things off to a good (and very special) start! :)

I was also afraid of "The Ten Commandments", Colleen! :) Especially the scene where the sea swallows up the Egyptian army. And - corny as it sounds - the image of Moses going up to Mount Sinai, seeing the burning bush and then receiving the Ten Commandments from God (after He wrote them with fire) was a pretty powerful image (though now I can't get the image of Mel Brooks's version of that scene from "History of the World - Part 1" out of my head "........God has given you these 15.......OY..........10! 10 Commandments......!" :) ). I think that we had the imagery of those biblical stories so drummed into us for years, in school, that seeing them depicted in that film made them all the more memorable / dramatic. Another Passover tradition that we learned about in school was that on Passover, the Prophet Elijah passes over everyone's house (it is customary to leave an extra glass of wine on the table for him and to leave the door open a little bit for him to symbolically enter). He looks inside and if everyone is having a seder (Passover meal) and observing properly, then the Messiah will come and the dead will become alive again, and the Children of Israel will return to the homeland "on the wings of eagles"...........WELL! Let me tell you how frightened I was, every year, picturing huge eagles swooping down, picking us up with their talons, and carrying us all the way to Israel that way! Seriously - that's some pretty scary stuff! :) Anyway...............sorry, I'm rambling again!

That's so neat that your friend has gotten a mezzuzah for you and will be coming over to install it with the traditional prayer, etc., Colleen! My sister-in-law (who is Catholic) has been hinting to me to do that for her relatively new home for the past 2 years. I would do it, but I want to make sure that she is serious about wanting one and is not just "humoring me" - I wouldn't want to force something on her that she might just be talking about to be polite / respectful / curious. If she comes right out and asks me to get one for her and to say the prayer, etc., then I will!

Well, Frank and I are off to see "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow", now! He's been dying to see that movie, and we finally have a chance to do so, today. Hope that you're all having a nice day! Have a great weekend! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I knew that everyone would be happy for me that is why I felt safe in celebrating such good news. Is such a small thing to many but to me it is a joy. I have somehow turned out to be more liberal than my children. Is a strange thing. LOL Guess that is what I get for teaching them to think for themselves.

I was so lucky to have been instructed in religion by a wonderful woman. She was the first woman minister in my small community. It was a measure of the woman that in spite of wearing shorts AND red lipstick she is still a legend around those parts. My father was a very disturbed and ignorant man and he once threw us kids in the car and drove across the street to the manse where he threatened the minister with a gun just because he dared to stop by our house and invite us to church. My father thought he was hitting on our mom You would have had to know our mom to know how very ridiculous that was. When Rev Jones arrived in our town she made it a point to seek out my father and butter him up but good and so we were allowed to attend church. There is more than one way to skin a cow. LOL I still remember and quote many of her sermons. I bless the day she came into my life and give her much of the praise for me NOT turning out to be a racist jerk. I was lucky to learn of the love of God and not the fear. Still gets my hackles up when I hear people trying to scare kids into behaving with such teachings. What frightened me was the MGM lion at the movies. LOL

Lisa, you are so thoughtful and kind. I am sure that your sil is not humoring you at all. How could anyone not be interested in your religion when confronted by the end product such as yourself? It may have started out as making you feel a part of the family but I am sure it is far more than that. No one would install a permanent household item for less than a good reason. I absolutely love Mel Brooks and Monte Python BTW. Hope you enjoy the movie. I have not even heard of it. I am due to pick up Dalton in a bit and he is going to be so disappointed because Alien versus Predator has left the movie theater and he was looking forward to it. I am sure we can find something else to do. Maybe look at the Disney videos and make some plans??

I doubt that one conversation will a relationship make but one can always hope and pray. (smile)

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Lisa, let me know if Jude law shows up naked in the film, and I will GO IMMEDIATELY!!!

Seriously, I saw Gwyneth on Oprah talking about the movie. It sounds cute. My Scott is a real sci-fi geek and we may also get to this one. I'll have to see what it's rated and maybe we can go as a family.

I have to agree with Linda about your sister-in-law and the Mezzuzah. Why would she joke about wanting one? What does Frank think? I always hope my hubby will have insight into HIS crazy relatives, but often he is as confused about them as I am... But I think the idea of a physical reminder about keeping a home safe sounds like a wonderfull thing that transcends any religion... I also forgot, and this discussion reminded me, that my Mom's friend Marsha swears we are actually Jewish... She saw photos my Mom had of my maternal Grandma, and my Mom told her how that part of our family came from eastern Europe (Russia somewhere). Well Marsha claims that as a practicing Jew she can spot other Jews, and is convinced that my Mom's family was probably Jewish but got converted/coerced to the Russian Orthodoxy that my great Grandma had by the time she arrived in Brooklyn. This thrilled my Mom as she has many Jewish friends and is quite the fallen Catholic. So Mom and I have talked frequently about how seriously people take religious differences, when in fact we may all have been a different religion had things gone a bit differently for our great, great grandparents. I am actually glad I was raised Catholic because being part of a religion your disagree with can be as character- building as belonging to one you love. A big part of who I am today is NOT being what I was taught at church as a child!

Linda, your minister friend in her shorts and lipstick sounds like quite the woman. I am glad she was there for you!

I will let you all know when the installation of the Mezzuzah is planned. Maybe I can get a picture, too!

xoxo

[helenabear]

Wow, a few of you have been really chatty over the last couple of days. I have small cold that I have been dealing with, and that's the most exciting part of my life ;) Tomorrow I have to sing at an ordination at church and then have to go check on my sister's cat as she's out of town this weekend.

Colleen, good luck to your parents as they decide what they want to do. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for them to move south!!! I wish my dad would do that (and I would follow ;)) but I don't see that happening. It sounds perfect for them :)

Lisa, I have to say, I really enjoyed reading all about the holidays. I love hearing all about different religions, holidays and other such things.

Linda, I cannot imagine how hard it would be to parent your daughter. It really saddens me when I hear children treat their parents like that though. I am sure you did the best you could. I do hope something will work out with the upcoming trip. I believe everything works out for the best of all involved... fortunatley you will have time to work on that trip. Good luck :)
Coming from a very Catholic background, I was used to large families ;) To this day may do not believe in birth control. But when a family does have so much love, it does work out for the best. They did all work together as a family to make it work :)

Oh shoot... I have to cut this short... dinner is ready :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, I went through quite a sci fi phase at one time. I have gone through lots of phases though. When I find something I like I tend to do a lot of it and then go on to another thing. At my time of life a naked man does not much interest me unless he has a sense of humor and brain as well. Then, watch out!!! LOL From what I have read all religions came from Judism originally anyway. There are so darned many Protestant sects that I could not shake a stick at them nowadays. I just get fed up when people insist that their particular brand of religion is the 'only one'. I am sure not smart enough to know what the right way is for everyone, having a hard enough time figuring out what is right for me. Don't think that going to church makes you any more religious than standing in a garage will make you a car either. Is a big issue with my dd. It really hurts me to hear her tell me so many things that go completely against the grain but I tend to keep my trap shut as she has always enjoyed going against anything I think. Sometimes, just for fun, I throw out an opposite opinion just to get her to do something sane. LOL I am not much good at playing games though.

being part of a religion your disagree with can be as character- building as belonging to one you love." Never a truer word was spoken. LOL It is not only what happens to us that shapes us BUT how we take it.

Helenabear, how wonderful it would be to hear you sing in person. Who knows, maybe someday we could have a get together in Columbus and do that. Hope your throat gets to feeling better so it will be easier for you. I am from a large family and I imagine that having love would make all the difference in the world in whether you would be happy, or not. My oldest sister was talking to me tonight about one time she thought that dad was going to kill me. I guess I have blocked most of that out as it does not seem as bad as she says it was. Having so many kids was physically hard on our mom and fisically hard on my father and neither coped well. Growing up in a large and poor family did shape me for the best in some ways though. Where were you in the birth order of your family?

Parenting my daughter was not possible. She was the sweetest little girl but something happened. I do not know what. It was painful watching her suffer. As much as I suffered she suffered more. Was sort of like riding a roller coaster, I just hung on and screamed from time to time but I never let go. Has been the bane of my life that I have been able to help so many other children but not my own. My son and I were always so much alike and he was so loving and did well in school and such that I just did not worry about him much.

Dalton is here, watching Brother Bear and playing with his Lego's. We just finished watching Cheaper by the Dozen. Maybe I can get him to watch the old version one day. It was written by a fellow Hoosier. True story also. Some of you youngsters might not know that one. LOL

Lisa, hope you and Frank are enjoying a relaxing evening to celebrate the end of the work week and looking forward to a fun filled weekend.

SG/Linda

[helenabear]

Linda, I have to agree with you on some of your thoughts on religion and spirtuality. I am kind of open to everything... I have my way of worship and it works for me.
As for my family, I am the youngest of three. My parents were not "blessed" to have quite as many kids as they wanted to ;) I just saw from my friends how their families did it.

My throat today felt better... my head is congested, but nothing really to get in the way of singing. I admit, I am normally a very shy singer. I can do it at church and that's about it. Makes it hard for my friends who wish they could hear me. Some day, maybe I'll get nerves, but I doubt it ;)

Feel halfway restless tonight.. not sure why either. I hope y'all are having a wonderful weekend!

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Elaine

I used to sing at church also but nowhere else. Could have been that was the only place that could withstand it though. LOL I love church songs.

Guess your family went for quality rather than quantitiy as mine did. My whole family is falling apart right now, mostly medical problems but many do not have any money or insurance and that is another whole problem in itself. Wish I could win the lottery, now!!

Restless? That is just your youthful energy. By the time you get to be my age you will too worn out to be restless. LOL

I am having a fun evening. Making my final DW plans. So much to remember, do not want to forget anything.

Had Dalton from yesterday afternoon until this afternoon. He cried cause he did not want to leave. I do not blame him, I would not want to leave where someone waits on me hand and foot either. LOL

Sg/Linda

[SlightlyGoofy]

OK, I give up. I am trying to find information on how you get from Boardwalk to MGM walking. I think I understand the Int. Gateway to Boardwalk thing. At least I know where the Gateway is so finding the way from Boardwalk should be doable however I cannot find where I go from MGM to Boardwalk or the reverse.

Please keep in mind that I am the lady who drove 550 miles to Charlotte on the interstates with nary a bobble but took at least 150 miles to drive the final 50 miles as I ened up driving round and round Charlotte looking for the hotel. I am directionally challenged and Tom is even worse cause he is too but will NOT admit it. LOL

I printed out a bunch of Cast Member appreciation cards this morning and am looking forward to passing them out. I wish that the pins had a cheaper version for those small occasions. I think the pins ar 6-7 dollars and as many as I would want to hand out would severly crunch my budget. LOL

Back to work. Am headed to work in the museum this afternoon. Will take something to work on as we seldom has visitors at this time of the year but if I do not work Dorthea will insist and she is getting frailer day by day. She has recently started referring to herself as an 'old lady". I will miss her but plan to enjoy her as long as I can. Her daughter will be joining me at DW for the first few days and we will be at the Beach Boys concert on the 12th.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend and hoping it is warmer than it is here. Brrrr! We had our first frost. Sure glad I picked the melons yesterday. They were so sweet tasting. Yum!

SG/Linda

[SlightlyGoofy]

Where has everyone gone? Here I am wanting to do a happy dance I will have to dance all by my lonesome. Well, maybe with Bo and some of the fellers but it is not the same. LOL

I just got a new code and reduced the cost of our room from $77.97 a day down to $62.13! That a total savings of $221.44. that is our gas money right there. Who knows we might even add an extra day or two. (greedy aren't I?)

If I do not get in touch with you all before I leave Sunday morning I want you all to know that I am taking you all with me, in spirit, and will think of each of you while I am in our favorite place.

On October 20th I will be at the GF watching the EWP parade. No fireworks that night though. :(

Our anniversary is the 13th and I am hoping that will bring me luck as I will be at MGM playing Millionaire that day.

Take care and hope the suite is full soon.

SG/Linda

[colleen costello]

Linda, don't you dare leave without me wishing you a marvelous trip. Great news about your discount. Aren't those codes the BEST? I hope you have great weather, lots of stamina and loads of fun. Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back!

When I was at Boardwalk last year I swear I saw the sign to MGM out past the pool, on the Villas side, toward Swan/Dolphin. There is a canal there with a lovely walking path that we took and I think that very path was the road to MGM. Don't let anyone claim it doesn't exist. When we went to MGM one evening we thought of walking over to the Boardwalk area and finding a bus home (Old Key West) from there. The cast member I spoke to looked at me like I was nutso when I asked how to find the path. I just shrugged but I was thinking "You idiot" because I knew the path existed and he promised it did not. Just keep asking til you find someone who knows the scoop. If you do wind up at Baordwalk, blow that diet and go to Beaches and Cream -- it's as fun as everyone says it is!

Can't remember if I told you all (old age) but my sister has agreed to come for Christmas. Just for 4 days, which means when she gets sick of all our company (she is single and values her peace) she'll fly home. My kids are thrilled and I am too. My Mom is so happy we'll all be together. Having a loved one in Alaska sucks. Too many planes to get together regularly. I am hoping she will have a great time and consider coming regularly. And we have so much room now that no one needs to stay in the hotel!

Back to unpacking. Love to all.

[helenabear]

Linda, I am so very happy for you with your codes!!! That is wonderful!!!!!! And I hope you have a wonderful trip!!

I am pretty sure Colleen is right... the path is on the BWV side and you should be able to take it all the way down to MGM. You could always ask someone at the BW and I bet they will know for sure.

Colleen that is so great that your sister will be there with you for Christmas. I love it when all my family can be together :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

Epcot is a pleasant 5 minute stroll from the Boardwalk Inn. Or if you choose you can catch a Friendship boat from the boat dock right outside on the Boardwalk. The boats leave every 20 minutes and those on the right side of the dock will bring you to the International Gateway, right at Epcot's ticket gates. I highly recommend walking to Epcot. Nine times out of 10 it is much faster than taking the Friendship boat.

To reach the Disney-MGM Studios you have two options. You could take a leisurely 15 to 20 minute stroll along the approximately one-mile long path along the waterway connecting the Epcot resort area with the Disney-MGM Studios. Or you can take the Friendship boat from the left side of the boat dock on the Boardwalk, making stops at the Yacht and Beach Club dock and then the Swan and Dolphin dock before continuing on to the Studios. Don't worry if you just miss the boat and don't want to wait the 20 minutes for the next one, and don't want to walk all the way to the Studios. Just walk on over to the Swan and Dolphin dock and pick up the boat there.

There are direct buses in front of the hotel to the resorts as well.

While cleaning out some files I ran across this. LOL

Hi there Helenabear, Thank you for the kind words. Might I ask that you send some of your brain cells my way on the 13th as I attempt, once more, the Millionaire contest? It would please my grands greatly if granny could pull this one off. Would probably be better off just paying for a cruise and be done with it. LOL

Colleen, I know what you mean by cm's telling you things do not exist. LOL Officially there is not a path from the AS's to McDs but you see people (mostly cm's) walking back and forth between them all the time.

I do not think you ever mentioned having a sister in Alaska. I used to have a cyber pal from there and learned much about their way of life. I love hearing how others live.

Just how many calories do you think the Kitchen Sink has in it? I doubt that even Tom could eat one of those things. Truth to tell it does not look good to me. The Chocolate Mousse cake at the Fountainview is quite another thing. Luckily I am satisfied with a bite or two. My weight is giving me fits right now. I have gained back over 7 pounds and am fighting like crazy to get it back off. Hoping that all the walking will help though.

Take care and see you when I return.

SG/Linda

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

So sorry that I haven't been able to stop by in a few days!

You know that we wouldn't let you leave without wishing you BON VOYAGE, Linda! Of course we haven't forgotten that Sunday is your big day! :) And in honor of that day, the Suite Boys are putting together a BON VOYAGE PARTY for you, here in the Suite, on Saturday night! We have to see you off in style...........and wish you a Happy Anniversary, too! :) You must be so excited about your trip at this point! Are you all packed and ready to go? Will do a "virtual EWP viewing" from our house on the 20th, so that we can pretend we're with you! Better yet - we'll watch the footage that we shot of the 4 of us watching the EWP together in May, and then we'll REALLY feel like we're there with you! :)

I don't think that you'd mentioned that you have a sister who lives in Alaska either, Colleen! That is so neat! And it's great that she will be able to spend time with you and your family at Christmas and see your new home, too! (By the way, unfortunately Jude Law is not naked in "Sky Captain". Well, he IS, but he's hidden under a blanket! :) Guess we'll have to wait for "Alfie" - I suspect that he might be naked in THAT one! :) )

Sorry that I can't be of assistance with the Boardwalk to MGM question, Linda (though it seems like you've long since gotten it answered!) - we've never walked it before. In fact, I never realized that you could walk from Boardwalk to the World Showcase until last May! :)

Glad to hear that you're feeling better, Elaine! And I'm sure that your singing in church was just beautiful. Forgive me, because I know that you've told us before, but do you sing with a choir? Or just solos? I know that you and Luis are very musical people!

Not too much to report from the Garden State, this week. We also had a few pretty chilly days and evenings and had to take the flowers and plants into our garage at night, a few nights. But now our weather is back to sunny, gorgeous, and in the mid-70's. I wish that it would stay this way forever - I hated having to wear long sleeves and long pants, earlier this week! :(

We had a wonderful time at the NJ Wine Festival, last weekend! It was a beautiful day to be spending outside, and it was nice to be at the beautiful vineyard, listening to great music, eating great food, and tasting some great wines! There were lots of hot air balloons out, too, since the weather was so calm and peaceful, and they are always fun to see! This weekend, we're taking my father and uncle up to Long Island to visit with some cousins of ours, and that should be fun, too!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a great day! :)

[IASW Rider]

:) :) :) BON VOYAGE, LINDA AND TOM!!!!!!!! :) :) :)

Have a wonderful time at WDW and say "hi" to the EWP for all of your Suite Mates!!!!!!!

Have a great weekend, Everyone! :)

[SlightlyGoofy]

I have the suitcases packed and I am almost ready to go. Will pack the car tonight as we will be leaving about 6 tomorrow morning. I was able to get an extended date on some books on tape, a first for us, to keep me entertained as I drive.

Dear Lisa, thank you so very much for the sweet card. You find the most clever things, but then you ARE a clever thing. LOL Would you believe that Janet2K has pm'd me and invited me to a party she is having. Just my luck I already have plans that cannot be cancelled but maybe there will be another time we can meet. She wanted to watch the EWP parade with us. Once a Suitemate, always a Suitemate. If we meet up I will get pictures, lots and lots of pictures. LOL Sounds as if you have the same weather as we are having. Been very very dry here also. I not be back in here as I have some more things to do and if I do not get off I will never be ready on time. LOL If you , or anyone else needs to get ahold of me please email me?

Colleen, I am taking some of the suggestions you have given with me and will let you know how it works out. You told me about a resort tour once and I saved it in my folder.

Helenabear, hope that sweet voice is soaring high when I return.

Young uns- I know you are all out there running around being teens and enjoying all that life has to offer. Wish I could take a bit of that energy with me.

The doctor gave me some medicine so I should be set to go. It was an infection on my leg. Never had such before, a bit scary. Would NOT want to have to stop by PotC to pick up a pegleg on vacation.

Finally got my confirmation papers today so I have proof that I am legally booked. Off to find a few more things that I will probaby not need for the trip and looking forward to catching up with you all when we return (about the 28th).

Linda/SG and Tom

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to stop by and say "hi", even though I have nothing interesting to report!

I hope that Linda and Tom had a safe trip to WDW and are there and having a blast, as we speak! :) For those of you who may not have understood Linda's reference to Janet2K in her last post, Janet was one of the other people involved in the original EWP-related conversation that started this thread, 3 years ago! She has long since stopped posting here regularly, but she does "magically" stop by, on occasion, particularly around the anniversary of the thread, every year!

So, how are you all doing? How was everyone's weekend?

We had a nice weekend. Took my best friend from high school and her husband and son out to dinner for her birthday on Saturday night, then we took my father and uncle up to Queens to visit with a bunch of cousins on Sunday, which was also fun!

We want to do something special for my father's birthday (which is in December) this year, since we never really got to do anything for his 70th, 2 years ago (since he was taking care of my mother and was not able to go out anywhere, and since my mother didn't feel comfortable having people over at their house). So I started talking to some of the cousins whom we saw on Sunday, about coming down to our house in December for a sort of combination Chanukah / birthday celebration for my father. I think that he will enjoy that! Frank and I are also hoping to plan a day out in NYC for him and my uncle (who lives in NYC part time, anyway) around the holidays, too.

Uh oh - speaking of my father, I'm supposed to meet him for lunch at noon, and I need to work out and get dressed first, so I'd probably better run!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a nice day! :)

[lunabkat]

Hi

I am Lauralee and I would love to join your chat group. I am married with 2 princess: princess: aged 3 and 5 and we are taking them on thier first Disney trip in December, staying at the Holiday Inn Family Suites. I would love to know what EWP means and firmly believe there is no such thing as "too chatty".

So, Slightly Goofy, I would love a cold drink (did someone mention Chardonnay?) and put my feet up with you all and have some fun. May I?

Lauralee:Pinkbounc

[IASW Rider]

Hi Lauralee!

Welcome to our imaginary "Suite" on the banks of the Seven Seas Lagoon! :) So glad that Linda (SlightlyGoofy) invited you to join us! As she and her DH are currently enjoying WDW "for real", I will welcome you in her place, as will our Suite Mates, when they check in! My name is Lisa and I live in Central NJ with my husband and our 5 cats! :) Our next WDW trip will be in May of next year (my 15th trip there and my DH's 6th!), when we will be staying at POR and then taking the 3 day cruise on the Wonder!

That's so wonderful that you will be taking your children to WDW for the first time! And I'm sure that it will be extra special since you will be there in December and all of the holiday festivities will be in full swing, there! :)

EWP stands for "Electrical Water Pageant", an attraction that performs nightly on Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon, the 2 bodies of water on which the MK Resorts are situated. It is a magical parade of lighted floats, representing fanciful sea creatures, set to music. It entertains guests of the MK Resorts at regular intervals every night of the week, all year round, and has been an institution at WDW since its opening in 1971. We like to imagine that the EWP passes right by our Suite, every night! :) (It's definitely worth trying to see if you are in the MK area during any of the nights of your upcoming stay!)

We do happen to have some chardonnay, here - would you mind if I joined you? :) I don't know if Linda told you, but our Suite also features various male staff members (with names like "Bo Dacious" and "Don Juan") who are here to serve our every whim! So I'll have Bo and Don open up a new bottle of wine and get us some snacks, and the other ladies can join us, as they return from their adventures out in the parks!

Great to meet you and welcome! :)

And have a great day, out there, Everyone! :)