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SlightlyGoofy

03-17-2002, 11:45 PM

We are all a bunch of 'night owls'. My DH worked second shift almost all our married life and if I had my druthers I would prefer to stay up late at night and sleep late in the morning. After the kids left home I did that for awhile but when our youngest grandson came along I could not bear him going to daycare and also it would have strained the budget for his family who were already paying for daycare for the oldest boy, so I begged for the job. I have never gone back to my old ways since. I got used to getting up early all over again. It was worth it though.

We went to a movie that was shown by the local churches at the local theater. It was on the life of Jesus. Funny thing happened, we were going through the lobby and I noticed a lady with an employee badge and her name was familar. She was the daughter of a dear friend of mine. I had seen her pictures as her mother had sent them to my computer. My friend is so disappointed that her daugher met my family before she did. (grin) Afterward we went out to eat. Oh, how I hated paying $6 for a small salad that I could have had at home for so much less. Told you I was a cheapskate. But it was worth it to spend some time with our daughter and family. I see the boys a lot but not their parents. Finally got the taxes done today. I am usually faster at them but so many things have been going on that I just have not had the time to do it until now. We get a refund this year, one of the joys of retirement. Was not as much as Helenabear, but will be added to our Disney account anyway.

Wow, how nice of Dan to let us know of our milestone. I am assuming that 1,000 posts is quite a bit for one thread, especially when it is not an argument of some sorts. LOL You guys are so much a part of my life and I speak of you often to people here in this 'real world' of mine.

Jstmee, what a busy weekend you have had. Makes me a bit weary to contemplate it. I am so sorry to hear that your church has been touched by the scandals. There are always a few bad apples in every barrel and unfortunately it hurts us all and my heart goes out to those priests who have devoted their lives to doing good and are now, sometimes, looked upon with doubt. I have a dear cousin and her husband who are lay pastors at their Catholic Church. The one good thing is that things will have to change and it is past time for those in the wrong to be held accountable IMHO. BTW, there are 'ministers' of every faith who sometimes betray their vows also. I think the devil takes much delight from perverting religion. True religion is loving and kind and makes people feel better and not worse. I think I am preaching and should stop here. (smile)

I cannot comprehend having to keep track of the value of two different types of currency as you must. I can barely keep up with one language and one society. LOL I am so glad to hear that the man and his son have recovered. It is such a scary thing, to be well one minute and so very sick the next. It will be a lengthy recovery from the sound of things. Isn't wonderful that Disney and others provide for this bit of magic in their lives. I think the money from the bricks goes to things like this also.

Helenabear, do you ever go to the Penny's outlet on the other side of Columbus? A lot of people here go there for their wedding dresses and bridesmaid outfits. I bought a foot stool there one time. The scale has finally moved and in the right direction. Looks like I am another 2-3 pounds down and I still have several days before the official weigh in. I just go into details a bit about my loss in an effort to keep myself on track. Believe me I need all the help I can get. LOL

BTW, I did not just warn Austin about the ice cube. After the warning got no results I actually did it!!! Would you guess that my grands call me their "Silly Grandma". It is just not in me to be the sweet little granny in a a rocking chair. I give lots of hugs and kisses when requested though. I may be silly but I am not a fool. (smile)

Our dear Dan and wonderful WM Cathy C. have provided a special treat for our 1,000th posting. We have all been invited to a specially prepared meal at V & A's. They have promised a delightful Chocolate dessert that is entirely calorie free. Now if any other restaurant made such a promise I would be dubious but at Disney - anything is possible AND available!!!

Slightly Goofy

angelina

03-18-2002, 12:09 AM

I haven't been getting updates, and I had a lot of reading to do tonight when I finally found our suite again. You guys have been so busy. I had a lot of catching up to do, and I know I've gotten the details of all the posts mixed up. It's always nice to hear from Dan and CathyC, too.

I didn't make it to Fairhope this weekend for the big show. It's the first time in years I've missed it. I usually go on Friday when the kids are in school, but for some reason, they had a teacher work day, and we had a lot of cleaning up to do here, so we didn't make it. Saturday was filled from 8:00 on with ball practices, and games, but we did make it to the ST. Patrick's day parade, and managed to get shoes for the girls in between, too. We had friends over Friday night after our fish fry at church, so that's why I had so much cleaning to do.

I am pretty sure that by tomorrow morning, all three of my kids will be sick. My ds is the last to fall, complaining tonight of a fever and sore throat. The baby was up last night, burning up with fever, and is almost impossible to give medicine to, and my other dd has a bad cough that won't go away. Thank God for insurance, LOL.

We have had so much fog here. After the cold of last week, then some heavy rain, we have had four or five days of heavy fog. In a way, I'm glad I didn't make it to the arts show , because the sun never did come out, even though it was supposed to. In order to get there, I would have had to go over the "Bayway," and sometimes visibility is 0. Several years ago there was a chain reaction wreck with over 200 cars, so it's not the place to be when it's foggy.

Today, I spent some time with my flowers, cut back the dead blooms, and fed them. I'm hoping in a week or two they will be blooming again. They were so pretty for a while.

I hope everyone had a great St. Patrick's day. I cooked corned beef, cabbage and carrots in honor of the day, and you'd think I was trying to poison everyone. Oh, well, it only comes once a year, they'll survive. The soup sounds great, SG, and I used to like the cabbage soup when my mom did WW.

Take care, I'll see you in the suite in the morning.

IASW Rider

03-18-2002, 10:09 AM

Good morning, Everyone!
And congratulations on our 1000th post!!!!! :) :) :)
Thanks so much for pointing that out to us, Dan!

We've been around for almost a year, and we're not going anywhere - I understand that SG used her great business sense to ensure that our "reservation" in this "Suite" will be extended for another great year! :)

Hope that you all had a great weekend and a nice St. Patrick's Day!

I'm finally feeling better - not quite 100%, yet, but definitely on my way back to the "land of the living"! I tried to rest a bit over the weekend, but we did have dinner plans with 2 sets of friends on Friday night and Saturday night, and I didn't want to miss them, so we went. Then, yesterday was my parents' 45th wedding anniversary, and we went over to celebrate with them and my uncle. We sent them a huge bouquet of flowers and a big basket of fruit, and then we brought them something that I'd found that I knew that they would love. It's 2 CD's and an accompanying book about the golden age of radio. The CD's have original news broadcasts from the 30's and 40's, as well as episodes of the famous radio shows of the day, that my parents used to listen to as children. They were really excited about the gift, and I was glad. They've taken to listening to a radio show that has different episodes of different 40's radio shows each week, every Saturday night at midnight. It's easier for my mother to listen to the radio than watch TV, since she can't really see the TV screen and gets frustrated listening but not being able to see. Anyway, it was a nice day, and my mother actually spoke to me, for the occasion, too!

Congratulations on those 2-3 pounds, SG - see? I told you that those few ounces, the other day, weren't "real"! You're doing wonderfully, as always!

Helenabear - I thought that you had already found a dress that you liked for your sister's wedding! Well, it's good to keep looking - I'm sure that you will find something great, in the style that you like and feel most comfortable in!

Jstmee - that's so nice that your children took you out to dinner! And I'm glad to hear that your friends are feeling better and are recovering well, too.

Great to see you, Angelina! Hope that your children are feeling better, soon! And hope that your beautiful weather returns soon, too!

Thanks again for your get well wishes, Webmaster CC! And everyone else, too!

Sorry that this is such a short one, but I had better get to work, now! See you later or tomorrow morning!

Have a great day! :)

SlightlyGoofy

03-18-2002, 11:53 AM

It is overcast and rainy here, but no snow, so I will not be ungrateful. The scales appear to have gone down another pound. Not sure though as you can never been sure one set of scales will agree with another. Sure did not gain any weight yesterday. I think I am growing long ears and a fluffy tail, oops, always have had a 'fluffy' tail. (grin)

Rider, I do believe your idea of a restful weekend and mine are a bit different. How in the world do you keep on track with your diet with all of those eating out and celebrations? You are awesome. It is wonderful when you can find the perfect gift. I believe you are very gifted at gifting. I am glad that you had at least a good moment with your mom. So many children do not care about their parents at all and it hurts me to see how much you try and yet you get so little result. I will pray that it will improve in the days to come.

Angelina, how sad that you did not make the Fairhope celebration. I am sure that you and your crew were sorely missed. Ever notice how people often miss local celebrations that others travel far to see? I have only been to the 500 once and have never made the Kentucky Derby at all. I think you tend to think, "Oh, it is not big deal, I can do that any old time". We had corned beef and cabbage also. We love it and it is so healthy. I can just see your kid's faces. Did they eat anyway? My kids were so stubborn they would just sit there for 3 days if necessary and would still not eat. It was ever so much fun. LOL I hope you were wrong about the kids all being sick. If they are you might ask your doctor for a quantity discount. (grin) Just remember, as a mother YOU are not allowed to get sick. LOL

Got the taxes done last night, with many interruptions. They have the dumpster all set up next door so I assume they are ready to start tearing the old house down. I have placed D Con and traps all over the basement in preparation for some uninvited guests. I cannot stand such in my house. Ugh!! We will be so secluded when this is all done as they are putting up a fence on the other side of the alley. Nice.

We are headed out the door for the day soon and I have a few things I have to do before we leave so I had better head. How did you guys enjoy V&A's last night? I am a bit tired today as it takes forever to get through all of those courses. I had dreams of the delicate chocolate cake we had to end the evening. Chocolate dreams are the best. Think I will stick with a cup of Non Fat hot chocolate for today though. (grin)

Been reading about a hayride that gives a tour of Fort Wilderness and includes the EWP. Sounds like a fun evening. I have never had dinner at Trail's End before so might we include that? I have arranged for the boat to veer off course slightly to take us to and from the Suite while the MK fireworks explode into the evening air.

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-18-2002, 01:26 PM

Afternoon everyone!!!

Today started off as a "MondayDay" for me. My cats wouldn't leave me alone last night. One had a hair ball at 3 am. Another (or maybe the same one) tried to sit on my head at five am :rolleyes: When I was brushing my teeth and went to (excuse any disgutstingness) spit, right in the line of my view was a big yellowish spider :eek: I screamed the best I could with toothpaste still in my mouth. I eventually got Luis downstairs and he couldn't understand a word I said (toothpaste got in the way). He got mad at me and yelled at me because I wasn't helping him find it. He did find it and killed it for me and I finally could get the Listerine toothpaste out of my mouth (which was burning my mouth by then) So while washing my hair I refused to close my eyes because I was afraid another spider would come down and bit me and so I got shampoo in my eyes. So work is okay but I will have to help train a new employee this afternoon... and I just got rid of all the work from last week :sigh: So there's the start to my day. You know as I type this out though, it sounds rather amusing doesn't it? My day is half over, so that at least is good :)

SG, I do realize you actually put the cube down the pants, but at least he was warned. My sister was just mad and out of spite she dumped the water on me :rolleyes: Had I been warned she was going to do it, I would have set the alarm just to shut her up. Ah the joys of sister hood :) Maybe I am very glad to go to WDW alone :D I haven't gone to JC Penney's outlet as of yet. Actually I hadn't though to go there. I don't know why because I have gotten a formal dress or two there in the past for costumes for plays in school. I got a beautiful dress for $10 one time! Oh and congratulations on your weight loss!!! It was just the clothes you were wearing, I am sure :)

Rider, I haven't found a dress I like yet that my SISTER would LIKE! There's the catch. I did find one she would like but I am not ready to put out about $130 for it. I like it but not that much. I have found wonderful dresses for $25-75 that I love, but she doesn't like them. This is why I started early. I knew she'd be picky! I am glad to hear that you are feeling better. Keep resting and get yourself well! I am also glad your parents had a good anniversary. 45 years is very admirable!!!

Angelina, I am so sorry to hear about your sick kids. I hope they all get well soon and that whatever is going around leaves your home soon!!! That is too bad you missed Fairhope. You sounded so excited to go. Please be careful when out driving. It sounds like you are having some really bad weather. Zero visibility is not good and I hope you guys don't have the 200 car pile up again that you spoke of!

Well I need to get back to work... I have a few things I need to do before the guy I am supposed to train comes over! Have a great day all!!!

IASW Rider

03-19-2002, 07:59 AM

Good morning!

How are you all doing, today?

Sorry to hear that your morning started off so badly, Heleanbear! I can relate to the cats waking you up part - even though my cats don't come into the bedroom when we're sleeping, they are famous for meowing outside the door incessantly! As for the spider (I am petrified of spiders, myself - especially when they come down from the ceiling on a "string"!), I guess there's one good thing that you can say.......it's a sign of spring, if there's a spider in your house! That's a good way to look at it! I'm sure that you will find a great dress - of which your sister approves - soon, too!

Loved the dinner at Victoria and Albert's last night, SG - it was so nice of them to have it for us! Seriously, when I go out to dinner, I just plan what I'm going to eat ahead of time and sort of compensate for it during the rest of the day, in terms of whatever else I eat. I'm not saying that I do such a great job of that, but that's what I do! Another pound - that's great! :) Keep up the great work! :)

Not too much to report, here. Rough day at work, yesterday. My boss is being such a pain - he used to let me work on my own, for the most part, and now it seems like he's in my office every hour on the hour. I don't get it. I don't like it - I hate feeling "crowded". Whatever. If I can get through this week, I'll be fine - Frank and I are only working 2 days next week - we took 2 days off for Passover, then have Good Friday off. It's kinda neat that the holidays are back to back, this year!

Did I tell you that I believe that a friend of mine and her mother and sister are planning a "shower", of sorts, for me? One of my best friends from high school called Frank at work and asked him to give her the e-mail addresses of some of my girl friends, so that she could try to plan something. I think it's very nice of her to do that.......particularly because she was the one who coordinated my shower when I got married 11 years ago.......and wound up getting yelled at and humiliated by my mother (who "doesn't believe in showers" because they are "tacky" and "make it look like you're asking for gifts"), and "ex-communicated" by my mother, thereafter (my mother told my friend that she was planning the shower for selfish reasons, because she is jealous of me and wished that she was the one who was getting married (?! - I TOLD you my mother is crazy!). I had no idea about the shower until that day. Afterwards, my mother "blamed" ME for supposedly hinting to my friends that I wanted one, and stopped talking to me because it was my "fault" that my friends and I betrayed her wishes by having a shower. Doesn't that sound nuts?????) Anyway, all this to say, the same friend apparently wants to do something nice for me, again! Frank immediately warned her not to involve my parents in any way, and fortunately she had a sense of humor about it and said "don't worry - I won't"! This particular friend of mine and her mother have been more supportive of my wedding plans than my own mother has been, particularly in terms of the "girly wedding stuff". (ie: I'll bet if I asked my friend's mother, she would come to my gown fittings with me, whereas my own mother wouldn't, even if she was well enough to do so. This family also took us out to dinner to celebrate our engagement, over the summer - my mother started making me miserable the second we got back from WDW and has not been supportive, muchless "celebratory" at all.) Anyway, I think it's very nice that they have sort of "taken me under their wing" - I am lucky to have such special friends!

Sorry for rambling on, like that!

Well, time to get myself moving, here! Have a great day, Everyone! Talk to you later! :)

IASW Rider

03-19-2002, 12:20 PM

I'm being a "bad girl" and just stopping in to say "hi" and hope that you're all having a nice day, while I'm here at work! I'm such a delinquent! :) Talk to you all soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

03-20-2002, 09:42 AM

Dear Lisa

I read your post yesterday and was so taken aback by your mother's attitude that I had to think a bit before responding. How very sad that seems to resent and envy you your successes. She is missing out on so very much. I can understand that her life must be difficult with her illnesses but that is no excuse for pushing people out of your life, especially your own child. I try very hard to try to be a good parent and grandparent and don't seem to succeed and it tears my heart out to see such a wonderful young woman as yourself who is reaching out for an adult relationship with her mother only to be turned away. IMHO you raise your children the best you can and then let them fly. As parents we made our decisions on how to live out lives and our children have the same right. We might worry about some decisions (we are human after all) BUT in the final analysis it their turn. If the parents are not paying the bills IMHO it is not our business how they spend their money. We chose our spouses and they have the right to chose theirs even if sometimes we may have to grit our teeth and force a smile. LOL All I can offer is sympathy for your plight and a {{{{{GBFHug}}}}}.

How wonderful to have such great friends! It should be an interesting shower as I bet you already have everything in the world already. Please tell us about the party? A shower is a celebration and a time to have some fun before all the formal things IMHO. Have a blast!

I hope your boss has moved on to bothering some other poor person. Results should count not how you get there anyway and they can surely tell about results without standing over your shoulder. Must cut production greatly also.

Dear Elaine, I would have gladly killed the spider for you. I am a sick person and used to collect bugs when I was a kid. Just don't ask me to pet the kitties. I am terrified of furry things. Go figure. Next time you are confronted by a bug, especially in the bathroom, just reach for some hairspray and stop them in their tracks. (grin) I hope you find a dress soon. I can imagine how hard it is. Only problem with finding a dress early is that you often find a 'better' one later. (grin)

I surely hope that our Angelina is not down for the count as well. Maybe her kids made a quick recovery and they are all out in the spring air cavorting? I hope so.

The boys will be here soon. It is Spring Break here and we are taking them down to Brown County to visit their uncle's zoo. He has a wide array of animals including Rheas. I want to see Dalton's eyes when he sees a bird that large! Out to eat at a Mexican restaurant afterward. I have been going over the menu and figuring out what I can eat as I do not want to mess up the great week I have going. My scales are looking really good so far.

Take care and have a great day gals.

Slightly Goofy

Dan Murphy

03-20-2002, 09:45 AM

This is for Elaine.

I killed a spider that was walking on my keyboard last night. :D It was on letter V at the moment.

helenabear

03-20-2002, 01:44 PM

Hello everyone!

Okay to get this out of the way... Dan you are a goof!!! :D I thought you usually leave the spiders be instead of killing the poor defenseless creature :rolleyes: So was the V some sort of a sign... like for villainous or venomous??? :p I only wish I had someone as tall as you living at my house... it gets really hard to kill the ones on the ceiling :)

Rider, I too had to wait to post after I read what you said. {{{{HUGS}}}} to you! I refuse to make a comment on your mother, but I am thrilled to know that you have such a great friend to see past all the issues she had to deal with. It sounds like you have a gem of a friend and her family sounds wonderful as well!!! Lucky you :) I do hope your work gets easier to deal with. It is always hard to have a supervisor who micromanages every little thing you do. I had one once and when I was switched to a new supervisor, I was thrilled! Enjoy your short work week next week. I will not be taking Friday off (my mom is probably rolling over in her grave) but I have a lot more to do here and I really don't need to take the whole day off just for a little time spent at church.

Linda, anytime I need a spider killed, I know who to call now :D That is my complete total & irrational fear! Believe it or not, I actually am afraid to go to WDW by myself in case I have a spider in my room. What will I do??? Call the front desk and say "Can you send someone to my room to kill a spider for me?" I'm odd I know.

I wish I could say more but my lunch hour is over. I just wanted to stop in and say hi. I hope all are well here and I will see you all later :)

SlightlyGoofy

03-20-2002, 04:53 PM

Dear Helenabear, I totally and absolutely understand your being afraid to go to DW for fear of running into a spider. I am not lying. I will take the car to go around the block, not because I am too lazy to walk but the fear of 'possibly' running into a dog sends me into an asthma attack. Heaven help me if I actually DID see one! I loved your comment to Dan about the spider being villianous or venomous. We have a literate bunch around here. LOL BTW, am curious - do you go to "Bug's Life"? I was at HTSTAudience and did not know about the effects. I was fine with the lion and the snakes but when I saw the mice come on the screen my feet went up to the top of the seat in front of me. I did not know I was that limber. LOL

At the prices they charge for rooms at DW I believe you should be able to call anytime, day or night and have them change the ice cubes in your drink let alone come to save you from a fierce creature who is not only dangerous BUT has not paid their share of the rent. (grin)

I hope that the powers that be have gotten worn out watching our Rider and are busy deciding just how much of a raise she deserves for fear that she may grace another business with her presence.

Had a great day so far, the boys were enthralled with the animals and except for one slight "spitting' incidence on the part of the younger grandson we managed to eat a decent meal without a lot of trouble. Some of you will understand what I mean. I am always amazed that mothers are very large since I never see one get a chance to eat more than a bite or two of any meal when eating with their progeny. Some of you have this to look forward to. LOL

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-20-2002, 10:24 PM

LOL Linda! You know that is always the question I get from people here when they hear how much I hate spiders!!! Yes I have seen it. I find it rather cute as well. But let me tell you the only spiders I can handle okay are the animated ones like that. I was also warned for ITTBAB and closed my eyes during the spider scene as well as held my nose during the stink bug. So I was fine :) Yes well, Mr. Murphy should know by now that I am not fond of them creatures at all... and while I was proud of him for being a big boy and being able to kill the spider, I think the two words I used were rather appropriate given the subjec matter :D

I just hope that I do not run into anything creepy like that in my room. I don't think I have yet, but with my luck, I would run into a spider there. Maybe though, my scream would be so loud that all others staying at the Swan would come running to my rescue :D

I too hope that the powers above Rider are spending time writing an excellent review so that she may get a good raise :D

Glad to hear your day was wonderful SG. Mine was good. It had a little rough start, but by the end of the day, I was having a really good day :D I went out to dinner with my Dad & Luis. We had a good time and good food. It is always nice to spend time with him. Even though my sister won't be moving out for probably a year, I can already tell that he is going to miss her a lot!

Well I have to get some clothes ready for work tomorrow :sigh: But I hope everyone is doing well!!!

jstmee

03-20-2002, 11:54 PM

Geeze, I had a lot of catching up to do. Between spiders and mothers and colds and "grands"...

My view on the spiders I don't like to kill them, would rather shoo them outside, but I will squash in a moment when the kids scream. I'm a rather bold one also, I've gotten bats out of our house in South Carolina, killed a bunch of black widows and yes, mowed the grass with the copperheads. But only out of necessity! I like watching Jeff Corwin on Animal Planet I wouldn't want to be him.

I am all caught up on my laundry only took me three days, so now if I do two loads a day and keep them folded I might be able to keep up a bit better.

OH I FORGOT to tell you all, we are having another snowstorm, it started about 8pm and we have a good 3-4 inches so far............if it's still snowing at midnight the snow will bring in the spring.

I'm busy as usual. Had a mammogram, they didn't like the looks of it so I go for another on one side next week....fun, fun, happy, happy........just another worry....or not, I also go to Boston next week for my 3 month re-check. I'm looking forward to the alone time with DH.

His weekend was wonderful he came home so spirit filled it has been beautiful. I'm so fortunate that we are on the same level of spirituality. I am definately not the holier than thou type. I believe in continually trying to better ourselves. etc etc

V&A was simply exquisite. Thank you so much for the invite. The chocolates were divine.

We just had our evening of Survivor and Amazing Race, I'm definately hooked, now I'm off to bed wishing for daffodils and tulips.

Hoping everyone has a good evening Wendy

helenabear

03-21-2002, 12:00 AM

I was just checking in before retiring for the night and I saw what you had to say about your mammogram, Wendy. Sending you lots of PD and I will keep you in my prayers. I hope nothing bad comes of what they saw. Between this and your other health 'issue' I do not know how you do it!!! {{HUGS}} to you! Please do keep us posted as we worry about our friends here!

SlightlyGoofy

03-21-2002, 09:46 AM

Dear Jstmee

If anyone ever needed a group hug it is you. I attempted to install an image here but it was not working. It was a cute bear hug. I am sorry. I am so glad that your husband found some meaning in his weekend and you are going to get some 'alone' time. Wish it were for something a bit more fun though.

It is amazing how laundry creeps up on you though isn't it? Back when I had much more to do than now I used to time it with a favorite show and would fold and put away during the show. Seemed to make it go faster somehow. Then when the kids became teenagers I used to do it all on one day and have it sitting in baskets when they got back from school and they were to put their own away. I am afraid that it ended up sitting in the basket or behind a dresser or under their beds far too often (once is too often IMHO). Never ceases to a amuse me when they are appalled at their own children's imperfections.

Please keep our warm wishes and sincere prayers with you in these days and let us know when you can what is going on with you. It is the Sisterhood of the Suite and you are one of our best and finest.

Helenabear, you would not want me as a neighbor at the Swan. Even though I would be willing and able to kill bugs (or snakes) I fear I would not hear your call for help. LOL The worst part of Bug's Life, for me, is the bug spray. Strong odors do not help my breathing much. I do not like shows that require much standing in line and for a very short show. Having seen it twice I would hesitate to go again unless I could just walk in and had the time to spare.

I have spent a lifetime worrying about everything under the sun and pretty much all of what I have worried about has not come to past so please go to DW and expect the best and I am sure you will get it. You have already made so many friends and some of them will be there for you should you have any problems. Heck, it IS Disney World after all and you know the kind of people who love DW are the kind of people who will help you out whether they know you or not. LOL

My boy is here and we are watching "Oh Brother". I love the music. We are headed for town later to play at the indoor playground and listen to the Symphony Orchestra. Another lovely day, albeit with the possiblity of a slight dusting of snow.

Have a great day everyone and keep dreaming about your next DW trip.

Slightly Goofy

IASW Rider

03-21-2002, 11:44 AM

Hi Everyone!

Thank you all for your support and thoughtfulness, as always!

Wendy - let me in on that group hug, too! {{{{BIG GROUP HUG}}}} And lots of good wishes and PD coming your way. Please try not to worry about anything and keep thinking your wonderful, positive thoughts! And as Elaine and Linda said, "THE SISTERHOOD OF THE SUITE"
is always here to listen or talk, if you need us! :) So glad to hear that your DH had a fulfilling and pleasant weekend and a good experience! And I can't believe that you got even more snow! When was the last time that you were actually able to see the ground, where you live???? I hope that it all melts quickly! You are very brave to have mowed your lawn with copperheads around and to have gotten anywhere near black widows! But most of all, you are so brave to have actually gotten bats out of your house! If there were bats in my house, I would move out before they did! I would be petrified!

Elaine - I'm right with you, when it comes to spiders! And I think that Linda is right - I'll bet if you DID find a spider in your hotel room at WDW, you could call the front desk or room service or housekeeping, and they WOULD send someone over to take care of it for you! I'm too afraid to kill spiders by "smushing" them (one of my friends did that once, and it turned out that the spider was pregnant. So when he "smushed" her, all of her babies came flying out.....alive!), so what I do is "suck them up" with the vacuum cleaner hose! That way, I don't feel like I'm really "killing" them - maybe they are still alive and living in the vacuum bag....but at least they're out of sight! Frank does what Wendy does - he catches the spider (or any other type of insect) and brings it outside. I would do that, too (particularly after experiencing "It's Tough to be a Bug"!), but I am too afraid of holding on to the bug for the length of time that it would take for me to walk to the door and take it outside! Speaking of "It's Tough to be a Bug", I was totally petrified in there! I hate things popping out and touching me, and the worst part of that attraction for me was the constant blasting of air in my face and the loud noise that was made every time an air blast was "fired"! Strangely enough, I didn't mind the very end, when the beetles and other hard-shelled bugs walk under the audience's butts - I actually thought that that was ingenious and very funny! But you wouldn't catch me in there, again! I was sitting at the end of a row when we saw it, and I spent almost the entire time half curled up in a pseudo-fetal-position in my seat! You could never, ever get me into "Honey, I Shrunk the Audience"! I don't know if you remember our discussing this several months ago, Elaine and Linda, but I remember asking your advice about the show. I just don't think that I could deal with the snake and mice! Muppetvision is another story, altogether, though! I just love that attraction! Anyway, don't worry about going to WDW alone.....certainly not because of the possibility of running into a spider! I don't think that I've ever seen a spider, down there (they have more "tropical bugs", instead), but even if you see one, I'm sure that you would easily be able to get someone to come and "alleviate the problem"!

Linda - I also like the music from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" - I haven't seen the film, but I have heard some of the bluegrass music and it's really neat! Glad to hear that you and the boys had fun at the zoo - that's really neat! And it sounds like you are getting so tiny that we will barely recognize you! Congratulations on more pounds lost! I'm sure that there will be many more to celebrate, very soon, too! :)

Thanks for your kind thoughts. Ever since Frank told me that my friend (her name is Lisa, too! Funny that I have a best friend from high school who is also named Lisa......and believe it or not, we dated twin brothers, when we were in high school, so it was "Lisa and Lisa and the twins"!) and her mother and sister are planning the shower for me, I have been a nervous wreck. I know that this probably sounds ridiculous and totally irrational to all of you (....probably because it IS, in reality, ridiculous and totally irrational!), but if my parents - particularly my mother - find out about the shower, they will start a huge war with me and probably stop talking to me. I think it's the principal of the thing, not the actual party. They just don't like showers, and they refuse to see the good intentions behind my friends wanting to do something nice for me. I think that there is a lot of emotional "stuff" tied up in their behavior, too. My mother is (for lack of a better term) jealous, every time something good happens in my life, so she does her best to make me miserable every time something does (I've bored you with all of those stories before - like how she acted after Frank and I were engaged, how she acted each time I passed a professional exam or had a professional accomplishment, how she acted when I was married the first time, etc.). She doesn't like my being happy without feeling "bad" or "guilty" about something, and she doesn't like the rare times when I am the center of attention (because that means that she isn't - for example, every year on my birthday, if I am the "center of attention", to whatever extent, she has to start talking about how she is the one who gave birth to me, etc., to shift the focus to herself). Anyway, I tell you all of that just to give you the "background". So I'm totally petrified that my parents will find out about the shower. Frank and my best friend, Gary (who now feels badly for not throwing the shower for me himself, as he is my "Man of Honor"!) advised that I should tell my girl friends at the actual party not to mention anything about it to my father at the wedding. (They are all close enough to me that they know what the "story" with my mother is). Maybe I will do that. I know that this all sounds really silly to all of you, but I really worry about stuff like this! As for the shower itself, I'm just looking forward to being with a bunch of my girl friends at once. It's so rare that I get to see them at all, these days, since most of us live far away from one another, and everyone is so busy with jobs, children, and life in general. Plus, many of them haven't seen eachother in a long time, so it will be nice to see them seeing eachother. In terms of gifts, I would be perfectly happy if nobody brought one - Frank and I really don't need anything, since we've both been living on our own for so long and have our own combined sets of cooking utensils, supplies, machines, flatware, dishes, etc. We didn't register, either (my parents also think that registering for gifts is "tacky", so that, combined with the fact that we don't really NEED anything, made registering out of the question). I'm just happy that my friends want to get together and spend some time with me in honor of my upcoming marriage, and I don't want to feel "guilty" about that or worried that my parents will find out and tell me that I'm selfish and evil for "allowing" my friends to do such a "cheap and tacky" thing for me............any thoughts, suggestions, or words of wisdom, ladies???? Again, I know that this all probably sounds really superficial and silly to you all - thanks for listening, as always!

OK - speaking of "evil", I'm being a bad girl and writing from work, again, so I'd probably better get back to it before my boss comes out of his morning meeting! Hope that all is well with all of you (hope that you're doing well down there, too, Angie!) and have a great day! Talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

03-21-2002, 10:27 PM

Dear Rider

I am so sorry to have hit the nail on the head about your poor mother. She must be so very unhappy with herself to feel this way. It is the most wonderful feeling in the world to see your children succeed in the world. If we could only love those who are exactly like ourselves I don't believe there would be much love in the world. Love is a gift, not a reward. It would be so hard to keep a secret from those close to you if it was something you had done wrong but to be afraid to share such wonderful news must be even more repressive. I wish I could be a fairy godmother and wave my wand and take away everyone's cares.

As far as the shower goes. I enjoy gift registeries, it is so much easier to find something special and as long as there are a wide range of gift prices I don't think anyone objects at all. I did have a niece who registered at an expensive store and then returned almost everything and took the money to a cheaper store where she could more of everything but that is a rarity. If you have no need of actual gifts you might consider asking people to donate to a favorite charity or some pet project. Disney Dollars would be a wonderful thing if they wanted to get you something you could use on your honeymoon. Please don't obsess over what your parents might think. It is their problem and not yours although you are awfully sweet to be concerned about their feelings.

Bluegrass music huh? You are a constant source of amazement. Just when I think I have you figured out you surprise me but then you are a woman of many interests as are the other Suite Ladies. The Bill Monroe Bluegrass Festival was held not too far from here for many years. It continues on under his son's guidance now. People come and camp out for days on end. Even though we live about 40 miles away I believe the music could be heard from there to here when the wind is right. LOL

In our tiny yard last year we trapped 2 racoons, several rabbits and a groundhog. It was an interesting year. Snakes and insects do not impress me. I do take most bugs outside and turn them free. I take the wild life out in the country and pretend that they live happily ever after. I loved the creatures crawling down the bench in Bug's Life also but the smell of the bug killer just about kills me.

BTW, it turned out to be a 4.6 pound loss this week. I am sorry to bore you all with these trivial details but I need all the support I can get. I am in this for the long haul and I am talking more than a year so it gets very tough. Other than being in a serious car accident and being sick I have never been a 'normal' size so I would not what it felt like. You guys are my inspiration.

We had a great day at the Mall today. There is an indoor play area and my grandson and the other lady's grandsons had a blast. We sat over in a nearby restaurant and chatted for over 3 hours!!

Hope it is warmer there than here! Brrrrr! Blizzard Beach would not be a good thing for me right now. Think I will head over to Beaches and Cream and WATCH the people try out the Kitchen Sink thing. Frankly, it is not my kind of thing so I could watch without craving it.

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-22-2002, 12:25 AM

Good evening everyone!

Lisa, I wish I knew what to say about your parents. I did not have that problem at all. There is nothing wrong with a shower or registering. People will want to get you gifts because they want to, not because you are greedy and registering is the best way to show people what you would like. It was so much fun to register. If my mom had been around and said something like that I would have told her to keep her opinions to herself and I would have had a wonderful time at my shower & had fun registering. Don't let yourself feel guilty and don't you dare worry yourself about feeling selfish. You are definitely NOT a selfish lady at all!!!! Enjoy your wedding and all the good times that go with it before. I wish I had some real advice but I don't. Only a {{{HUG}}} for you... and a little support letting you know you shouldn't feel the way you do!

SG, 4.6 pounds is not trivial. It is something to be very proud of! I am so happy that you were able to lose that and I hope the weight keeps coming right off! I am glad that you and the grands had a good time at the mall today! And yes, it is freezing here. I went to choir practice tonight and I had to get gas on the way home... it was SO COLD and WINDY!!! I only had my leather jacket on and I wished I had my down coat on at the time.

Well my eyes are getting a little tired. I hope all is well with the rest of you! I will check back in tomorrow and hopefully when I come in for lunch the server won't be so busy that I can't stop in :D Have a great day everyone!!!

SlightlyGoofy

03-22-2002, 01:21 PM

Good afternoon!

Been a little hectic around here this morning. Had planned to catch up on a few things but my oldest grand and his cousin stopped by for an unexpected visit. Took some homemade cocoa and cinnamon toast to warm them up. LOL

Helenabear, thank you for the kind words. My DH does not want me to lose weight and so it is hard going. Fat women do not leave home easily IHNOHO. (grin) Have tried pointing out the fact that if I drop dead he will not have anyone to wash his clothes, cook his food etc. but he is sort of dense.

DH has another retirement party so he will be gone this evening and I can catch up on the things that did not get done this morning. I have been cooking up some things for the freezer so I will have no excuses, or at least good ones. I fried up a bunch of ground round with vast amounts of onions, green peppers and such to stretch it and lower the calories and put them in 8 oz packages. DH is in the kitchen chowing down on some steaks and melon salad and is also having some of that Sweet Potato dish that they served at Bomba's. I fix mashed potatoes and such and let them cool, put them in freezer bags and lay them flat so that I can feed him when he gets hungry as he eats a lot more often and a lot more period than I do. No, he has not big weight problem. He has gained about 40 pounds since he retired but he needed about 20 of them.

I hope the weather has gotten warmer and the kids are in good health for Angelina. Have not heard from her in a bit. Seems like life goes in fits and spurts from time to time. She may be out planning her gardens for the year. Must be nice to have talent.

Take care, keep warm and I hope the day brings you all whatever you want most.

Slightly Goofy

IASW Rider

03-22-2002, 02:51 PM

Hello!

Thank you both so much for your thoughtfulness, as always! I can always count on the people in this Suite to offer insightful and wise words, and great support! :) Thanks very much!

I don't think that we will actually register at this point, regardless. I can't really even think of anything that we truly NEED! I always liked shopping for other people from their wedding or baby registries - it does make it a lot easier to choose something that you know the recipient(s) need or want. It never really occurred to me to register, myself, though. (perhaps because I've been told all my life by my parents that registering is a "BAD" thing to do - hee hee!) Seriously, though, I wouldn't consider registering now for the additional reason that this is my second marriage.......and most of the people who will be at the wedding were also at my first wedding......and I wouldn't want them to feel obligated to go out and get me another big gift, or whatever - you know!

Anyway, what do you think - should I tell each of my friends at the shower (there will only be about 10 of them there - I told you it's going to be an "intimate" wedding!) NOT to mention the existence of the shower to my father at the wedding? (I doubt that any of them would have occasion to come across my mother at any point, since my mother doesn't leave her house. And also because they would never call her......since she decided that she hates all of them, immediately after their "selfish participation" in my first bridal shower, 11 years ago!) I know it sounds like a really dumb question, but I just have to make sure that my parents - really my mother - do not have any "ammunition" that could ruin my wedding day. Doesn't this all sound psycho? That's how my parents think! I guess the fact that they are trapped in the house all day together and have very little contact with the "outside world" doesn't help either of them, in that regard, either. They feed off of one another's paranoias and neuroses, and the result is a very warped view of people, their intentions, and things that happen in normal society.

Anyway......enough of that stuff! I'm being "bad", again, and writing to you from work, as I eat lunch at my desk. Frank is going down to his mother's house, directly from work tonight, for the rest of the weekend. He's finally going to discuss our "wedding stuff" with his mother and bring her a copy of that synopsis that I had written up. I hope that it goes well - I have a feeling that it will. In the mean time, I get the house to myself, this weekend (hee hee!)! I'm looking forward to renting a bunch of "chick flicks" and lying around on the couch, watching them! I really need to get rid of the final residual cold / bronchitis that I have, so that I'm feeling all better in time for the holidays, next week. Can you believe that it's already Passover / Easter time? Wasn't it just December??!! Where does the time go? I am also looking forward to watching the Oscars on Sunday night. I am a total awards show "junkie"! I love watching them and seeing what everyone is wearing and trying to predict the winners, and listening to the acceptance speeches!

Congratulations on your most recent 4.6 pound loss, Linda!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :)

That is FANTASTIC! 4.6 pounds is a lot to lose in one week - that's great!!!!!!!!! And don't even think about not reporting your progress, here - we want to hear about your accomplishments and definitely understand the need for support! Keep us posted! :) I lost a few more this week, too. I had slowed down a bit when I was really sick, last week - I may have lost 3/4 of a pound or something - but that's probably because I was sick and was drinking a ton of juice. I seem to be rolling along again, this week!

That's so neat that you make and store dinners and lunches so that you and your DH can just pop them into the oven or microwave and heat them up! Great thinking!

It's FREEZING here today, too, Elaine and Linda! BRRRR!!!! They said that the high temperature today was going to be 36, and the wind chill makes it feel like 11 degrees! Can't wait to get home and put on my pink flannel Minnie Mouse pajamas and big fluffy slippers and get under a blanket with some cats on my lap!

Hope that you're all having a nice day! Take care and thanks again for your kindness! :)

SlightlyGoofy

03-22-2002, 05:46 PM

Dear Lisa

We will both be enjoying a lazy evening. I have a sister in law who cannot stand to be alone for a minute and while I enjoy people MOST of the time I do enjoy being on my own now and then. What kind of 'chick flicks' are you planning on watching? I am catching up on a lot of tapes of tv shows. I would not be surprised to find an episode of "Hill Street Blues" in the stack. I tape shows to watch later and later sometimes is very late. LOL

With some people you can do your best to avoid conflict and they will still find ways to object. They rule through terror. Some rule through weakness also. I don't see why anyone has to rule at all. Just go ahead and plan your wedding the way you and Frank want and if anyone causes problems just stand back,say nothing and let them make fools of themselves. Everyone will understand. I bet Frank will do just fine and with your thoughtful printout of what all the wedding will entail it will go smoothly. This is all so much better than the Wedding Story shows on tv. It is exciting and wonderful to be part of it. We all love hearing the details of what you are going to incorporate into the wedding next. I bet you were one of those little girls who planned their weddings when they were in grade school. Your attention to detail must stand you in good stead in your job. Are things getting a bit better there?

Your 3/4th of a pound was probably harder for you to lose than mine. It is a higher percentage of your body weight. I will be glad of that amount later on down the road. I am not doing too well today. Nothing too bad but I am really hungery. I had better get some of that veggie soup out so I can chow down on a couple of bowls to get me past the things that I might consume. (grin)

The house is quiet and reasonably neat. I have a couple of good books and a few hours to enjoy them in. Small pleasures are the best.

Warm hugs to you all and please come by the Suite later tonight for a cup of my own hot chocolate brew. A bit more cocoa and less sugar. Yes, I am too cheap to pay $2 for 10 packs of chocolate mix BUT mine is still better anyway. LOL

Slightly Goofy

CathyCanada

03-22-2002, 06:27 PM

Just popping in to say hi and give Lisa a hug! Planning a wedding is so hard these days. I'm sure it will all go well and be beautiful!

Linda, can you make a cup of hot chocolate for me too please, I think I will be joining you all tonight in the suite and could use some warming up! :)

Enjoy the weekend, ladies!
CC

SlightlyGoofy

03-22-2002, 07:02 PM

Dear WM Cathy C.

With your warm heart I am sure that you are not toooo cold but I will gladly make you a cup of my brew, with a few marshmallows sprinkled on top to make you even sweeter.

Just made some low cal cookies to help me get through the weekend. There is a plateful over on the counter. I don't have much of sweet tooth but don't stand between me and a platter of meat! LOL

Slightly Goofy

jstmee

03-23-2002, 12:16 PM

After reading of Lisa's trials, I've taken a few days myself to reflect. I have parents (at least a mother) that doesn't believe in showers, registries, or even niceties of a wedding. I think it's because she married my father by a justice of a peace because it was his second marriage and he had me and my brother already.

My first marriage was by a judge and my second marriage we had a real nice wedding and my mother (step mother, but she's my mother since I was two) forbid me to invite my Aunt, Grandmother and cousins on her side. Since my father is an only child, the only people I could invite on my side was my three brothers and my parents. So you can imagine out of 100 guests only 3 were related to me, my parents and one of my brothers.

That was eleven years ago this June and to this day I regret not inviting my cousins and Aunt and grandmother. They are not like my mother at all. They believe in the closeness of family and I am sure they would have wanted to share in my day.

My brother gets married on June 8 and she tried to do the same thing to him. She said to my sister in law to be that there was no one else to invite and didn't include the cousins again. We only have 5 cousins........Anyway, my SIL to be finally got the names and addresses from my mom and they will be invited. Thank goodness.

I also have "fear" if you will of my parents reactions, etc......my parents are paying for the rehearsal dinner and had a fit (my mother only) over the cost $50 per plate. Of course she wouldn't tell my SIL to be but my mother told me that I couldn't bring my 4 kids and that we should only choose the chicken (the cheapest plate).......I agonized over this for months and said okay the kids can have pizza at the hotel, etc.....I was getting sick over it cause my SIL wants us to be there, all of us and I lied to her and said I wanted a night out without the kids. Well to shorten this story, I got up the guts to tell my mom that I'm bringing the kids and that I'd pay for their meal. She said okay and we left it at that. She said for us not to pay though.....Now my dilemma will be the meal and how to order it. I never order chicken when I go out so I may just rebel a little more and order exactly what I want, there will be a few different choices. The same goes for the kids, I'm not going to dictate what they order.

Anyway I rambled and all the kids are coming in the room so I'll continue later. Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

03-23-2002, 01:15 PM

My parents were the non interferring type. They never came to any school functions, not even grad night when I was awarded quite a few certificates and scholarships. I was allowed to marry anyone I wanted to just as long as I got out of the house. All of my siblings were so blessed. Report cards were not commented on, good, bad or ugly. We were not assigned any chores except for a major blowup once or twice a year where I would be beaten within an inch of my life. One shining moment in my life with my father was a few years ago when he and his companion came over to out motel room and when they got ready to leave he reached to hug me (a first). He told me"You are a good girl". I looked him in the eye and replied "I always was". One of the few times in my life when I said the right thing at the right time.

My mother asked me to take in a sibling without mentioning that fact that the reason they wanted to 'get rid of her' was the fact that she had taken off with a gang of boys for some 'fun' and was using drugs. I had 2 children at home that I did not allow to associate with such behavior. On my sister's birthday I mentioned that she wanted a watch,figuring it would be something special that would not cost much. BTW, we were paying all my sisters expenses. I was informed that they could/would not afford such a gift. We are talking Timex here. Soon afterward my mother sent my sister a letter telling her of a stereo system that they bought for the youngest girl. Dear sister got upset and went into a tailspin that she did not recover from, under my roof at least. I sincerely believe that was the turning point in her life and she has not recovered all these years later.

I went without clothes and other things in order to be able to send money to help my mother get some basic needs. When we found my brother and we got together his first words to me were "Do you know why Mom did not like you?' I suffered many years from the lack of love in my family until another sister said "If you let it bother you THEY win". I started doing what I could on my terms. I did what made me feel better. I was there for both of my parents until the end BUT I did not let their opinion ruin my life. I took the few good points they had and used them in raising my children and did everything else differently. Not sure if my kids agree that I did well but I tried.

Seems to me the secret is that our parents are people too and sometimes they come from a place or time that we cannot understand. Let them state their opinions as much as they want but do it your way IMHO. This is what I have told my kids to do with me. It does not hurt me if I give advice and someone does not take it. I do not mind people giving me advice either, but I make my own choices. Loving someone makes us awfully sensitive for what they do or say. If we expect our Higher Power to forgive us our imperfections we must do likewise to those around us.

Jstmee, I don't know if this would work or not but if your parents believe they cannot afford so much a good compromise might be that they give a set amount that they are comfortable with and then your future sil and brother could make up the difference if they want more. I gave each of our kids a check for several thousand dollars and they could use it as they saw fit, for a big wedding, nice honeymoon or down payment on a house or whatever. We are just regular working people and do not make a large income so that was the best I could come up with in order to be fair. I think the kids liked that idea. Our son has been married twice and the second time they got married in a judge's chambers with some family members present and I gave a reception in our back yard. I only had a couple of days to come up with that. They were just going to get married in chambers alone. We did give a decent sized check so they could have a small honeymoon too. My husband still gives me a hard time about that because of the way things have turned out. BTW, this is my dil who says we are not 'supportive'.

I had so hoped to end the cycle of hatred in my family with my children but it has not been the case. I am always willing to talk but you cannot make headway with someone who refuses to talk to you. My father was in a room down the hall from his sister when she passed away and neither of them wanted to see the other. How very sad.

This is not a happy train of thought and I think I will find something better to think about the rest of the day. We just came back from an Easter Egg Hunt at the town square. There is a white bandstand and a new playground up there. Small town living has it's perks. Just went by the lumber mill and they now have some mulch in so that is what we will be doing next week. I would rather mulch than weed. LOL

I made some diet cookies yesterday and ate far too many of them so I am on a 'rabbit' diet today. Might add a bit of tuna to sustain me though. LOL

Take care Jstmee, Rider, Angelina, Helenabear, Dan and WM Cathy C and I hope I have not missed anyone!

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-23-2002, 10:32 PM

Hi everyone!!!

I just wanted to pop in say hi... say to you all I am hearing all you guys have to say but it always saddens me when I hear stories like this of parents. I have so much in my heart an on my mind, I just cannot say it right now. So my generic comment will be families are never easy and it is amazing to find that we get along as well as we seem to do at times. Lisa, keep your chin up and go with your heart and you will have a beautiful wedding.

I've had a long day and am not much for talk right now... at least for long talk. I have really liked hearing you all chat away about the good and bad in life. Today I spent about 4 hours at church with my choir practicing for Easter Vigil mass next week. I was given a solo to sing that I did last year. I am not much for this solo because it is really fast and really hard to find a decent spot to breathe in :eek: I have spent probably an hour today trying to figure out everything including rythms & where to breathe... no luck yet on that one.

Cleo is resting peacefully on my lap. She is so sweet. I do really enjoy having her for a cat :)

Wow, I guess I am not in a talkative mood, but more of a listening one and I really wanted to let you all know I am thinking of you all and my heart goes out to each of you especially when dealing with parents. I hope you guys have a great rest of the weekend :)

SlightlyGoofy

03-25-2002, 10:14 AM

The last few posts have been very downbeat, mine also and I thought I ought to add that 'real life' is not like the old tv shows in that things get messy and are not successfully concluded in 3- or 60 minutes. I took the good from my life as a kid and tried to replicate that and did the other things differently. I can see from the warm hearts and forgiving natures of you all that you have done the same. We are evolving constantly and while it is important not to make the old mistakes it is not worth dwelling on to the detrimate of our current lives. I meet people almost every single day who have had it much worse than I ever did and so I am grateful for that. 'Nuff stuff. (grin)

On another note - - the weather has taken a turn, and not for the better, here. Yesterday, after church, I worked in the yard getting ready for a load of mulch. I might as well lazed around the house as it is cold and rainy (slick) here today and expected again tomorrow. We are lucky though as up North of here they are having inches of the white stuff.

I will be so glad to head back to school today. I have missed it. I found some great books on the list for really good prices. Not only does this job not pay me anything but it is cutting into my budget. LOL

Learned an important lesson this week. I found a recipe for WW cookies. It made 6 cookies. It also included a recipe for a batch of 36 and being the efficient person that I am I made the larger amount so I could freeze some. I am afraid that a vast amount did not make it to the freezer. Grrrrrr. Will not make that mistake again, I am very versatile and will think up new ones. LOL

I hope that Rider and Helenabear are not having the Monday Blues. It is always hard to get started at anything. Angelina must be wandering the beautiful streets of Fairhope looking for nice touches for her gardens. I hope that Jstmee is not deluged with snow.

Did everyone stay up for the Oscars? It was a very good show as these things go. I enjoyed Cirque even more for having seen it in person. Makes me want to go see it again very soon. How about tonight? Any ideas for dinner before or after?

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-25-2002, 10:32 PM

Hi there everyone!

SG, I do agree, we have been a little more downbeat lately but as you said, such is life. Nothing is all roses but it is great to know we can come here for some good friends and a little sympathy for each other :)

The weather here was absolutely awful today. It is supposed to be spring and it didn't seem like it at all! We had somewhere between 2-4 inches (more up by where I work and less by my home) I think we are suposed to get some rain/ice tonight but I hope the roads are good enough for me to make it to work! I decided to take Friday off this week. Last year for whatever reason, I decided not to take the day off and really regreted not having Good Friday off. Knowing I only have three days left this week, makes life feel so much better!

SG, I had to laugh at your WW cookie experience :D I will remember never to do a thing like that in the future!

I did not watch all of the Oscars since I had to get up in the morning. I think I was in bed by around 11:15 or so (kind of early for me, but I was tired). Tonight I am just going to relax and enjoy life. I just need some time to relax and take it easy. Being here just makes it so much easier to do :)

Well my back is hurting today. I was blessed with scoliosis as a child which affects my posture just a little and I have another "issue" which causes my back to get tired and sore easily, so I think I am going to the pool for some relaxing excersize that might help stretch my back out. I hope you all have a great evening!

jstmee

03-26-2002, 12:26 AM

helenabear I'd love to join you in the pool virtual or real no matter. My back has been cramping up on me all day and I could use some stretching also. My DH left for work at 4AM and I didn't get much needed sleep.

SG, I agree with the little downness of our topic of late, but isn't it amazing how we all learn from our past and are better people because of or in spite of it.

I seem to be full of erie news, but my SIL's good friend died two months ago of colon cancer, well they just found the woman's husband dead on Sunday. Dear friends of theirs truly believe he died of a broken heart. He was just 45 and she about the same. It was due to his heart, I guess he had a really bad heart and didn't know about it.

My little ones are all tucked in, have been for awhile and I'm enjoying some quiet time while the laundry dries. I watched a little of the Oscars the Cirque display was wonderful. I wish I had seen that in Disney. The award to Sidney Poiter was touching also.

Rider, I hope your bronchitis is going away, pop those vitamins.

Angelina, where ever art thou???? I bet counting girl scout cookie money!! Since I am a leader up here, I got stuck with quite a few extra cases to sell. Thank goodness we have a paper mill in town. My DD and I went selling our "wares" and within 2 hours had them all sold. Then I had to do the counting of the money, depositing, reporting etc.... busy busy. I bought the girls some badges etc. wow, are they ever expensive. I only have 9 girls in my troop and just the few badges I got them cost $45.00.

Cathy Canada thanks for stopping in.

Winter has definately returned here. All night tonight I keep hearing snowmobiles go by my house. vrroooom, vrroooom......

Goodnight all. Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

03-26-2002, 09:49 AM

It seems as if winter wants to remind us of its power. We are being hit with what I hope is a last gasp of winter weather. Not too bad here, just wet and slippery and chance of a bit of snow, but further north there are inches upon inches of the white stuff cluttering the landscape. The poor flowers are tattered around the edges and may not recover. I believe that these types of things happen so we will appreciate it when things are perfect.

Dear Jstmee, I am sorry to hear of your sil's loss. Did the couple have children? The strain of of the worry about his wife must have been too much for the poor man's heart. What a blessing that he was able to be around until his wife died though. It is hard sometimes, but I try to find some good in most everything. It strains the brain at times though. Have you ever seen Cirque? I am a cheapskate and we shelled out $140 to see it and were in awe when we left the theater. We have gone to cheaper things and been disappointed but Cirque is undescribeable. You have to see it to believe it and then I am not sure you can fully comprehend the whole picture. I did not realize that the music was live until after we had left. So much going on all the time and your eyes jump from one corner of the stage to another in an effort to capture it all. Is very Disneylike in that you must see it many times and yet you will see something new each time. IMHO the best seats are in the front center of the second tier as you can see the preshow better. People who sit down front would have to strain their necks to look up all the time. I wanna go again!!! Do you ride a snowmobile? They look like fun. I kid about getting a 4 wheel motorcycle and taking my show on the road. Just watch out you just might see a sight not unlike the British show "2 Fat Ladies" one day coming down your road. (grin)

Dear Helenabear, I forgive you for laughing at my cookie experience. I laughed too after I got done beating myself up for it. I am hoping to remain steady this week, any loss would be appreciated though. LOL I do not know whether to root for you to be able to get to work or hope you got stranded at home for a relaxing day. Hope it goes however you wish. You have not mentioned how Luis is doing at his job or if he is hunting for something he might like better lately. My gsons only have school 2 days this week with 2 half days and then off for Good Friday. Austin has been raised to the 3.4 reading level. I am so hopeful. Dalton has started reading and is quite interested in it. He seems to have a knack for spelling and can spell most short words if he sees or hears them once or twice. The boys took turns calling me several times last night. They are a hoot. I am writing another letter to my son and dil today. God, give me the wisdom to know what to say. (this is a prayer)

Supposed to go to town today but not unless the roads thaw out a bit. Am too old and too chicken to go slipping and a sliding. I have some fun jobs, like cleaning the bathtub to keep me occupied today. It needs regrouting also. Does the fun never end? GRIN

Rider, has the bug left you yet? I hope so. Are you getting nervous about the time getting shorter for the wedding? You have so much already figured out that you have far too much time to just obssess over it all, I fear. Do you leave for Disney right after the wedding or are you going to take a day or even more to rest up between? I was wondering what special things you might have planned to do on this trip. As you have been so many times before I would think it would be hard to find something new to do, even for you.

Angelina, where are you? I will hunt around as I think she may be out wandering in the World. With my tendency to get lost, even in my own home, I may be the one to find her. (smile)

Take care ladies and I hope winter loses its grip soon and the trees bud and bloom and spring arrives.

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-26-2002, 10:55 PM

Hi there everyone! I hope everyone is doing well this evening!

SG, I do not like unpleasentries in life so I will answer your question and get it out of the way. Luis is still working at his "temp" job that he had in the fall. He is still looking but honestly it has been rather slim pickings recently. I hope things turn around for him soon as I know it is getting to him (his self-esteem). I will say I probably won't mention it again unless something comes up, but I do appreciate your thoughts. Trust me, if he gets a new job, you all will be amongst the first to know. I will be shouting from the roof tops and I will be so uncontrolably happy, trust me, you'll know :)

Wendy, I am so sorry to hear about your SIL's friend. That is very sad to hear, but as Linda said, it is nice to know that he was there for his DW.

Rider, I too hope you are feeling better. I am sure you are getting rather busy with your wedding plans and I do hope that all is going smoothly.

Angelina... we miss you... please stop in soon!

Well my sister got her engagement ring. I attempted to take pictures but none really came out because her ring is so bright & shiny that the pictures are full of glare or are too dark and get blurred... hmmm... we might play with some settings on my camera more and try again. The ring is beautiful and she says she feels like she is really engaged now and I think that makes her very happy. Actually I know it does. I haven't seen her this giddy in a long time. I hope she can just make it through the next 13 months without any trouble :)

On a more upbeat note, I just want to say that I feel very blessed tonight. A dear friend came through and helped me when I was needing it most today. As in my singature, this persons random act of kindness will live always in my heart... Also I heard from another friend of mine that I hadn't heard from in about a year (maybe less, maybe more... don't know honestly). It was nice to hear from here because I thought she and I were over with in the way of our friendship. She said she will be in town this weekend and I am not sure if I will have a chance to see her or not, but getting the e-mail I did and her apologizing just helped to make my night. If things get back on track with us, I might go and visit her in Chicago (well a suburb of Chicago) like we had once planned so long ago. So I am in a good mood and really truly am thankful and blessed for all my friends I have right now... of course you all are very much included :)

So now that I have rambled for long enough (but hopefully more upbeat this time) I will leave you all to your own happy thoughts! I really hope all is well with each and every one of you :sunny:

SlightlyGoofy

03-27-2002, 09:04 AM

Ahh, dear Helenabear

I surely did not mean to make you feel badly. I was just wondering how things were working out for Luis. I am so very sorry that things are less than great. You just never know though that this might be a stepping stone to something wonderful. It is so hard when we are mired in our lives to be able to view from afar and see what is coming next. Maybe someone he will meet at this job will turn out to be important in his life, as a friend or an introduction to something in his future life. I know that in my life, the lowest times in my life, turned out to be for the best in the long run. I am sending smiles and a {{{{{GBFH}}}}}} to you both. I will be waiting for the fireworks when things turn around. May I have a front row seat? (grin)

How wonderful to find an old friend again. Friends are such wonderful things, especially old ones. They are a repository of memories and shared experiences. I am lucky enough to have my childhood friend still in my life. We can talk about things that we cannot with others cause we were there together and understand where we both come from. I hope you get to go to Chicago. Wave as you pass by although I am a bit south of where you will be. We go to Merrillville sometimes to visit my bil and sil.

Must be rough to have an engagement ring that is so bright you cannot capture it on film. LOL Isn't it wonderful to see someone you love so happy?

I am off to school early today as they are having a half day. Austin will come down to the library and ride home with me. Sometimes I have him take the bus so I can have a few minutes between the library and our tutoring sessions. LOL Dalton will come later and they will stay with me this evening while their parents attend some meetings. Our sil is very active in the community and he has 3 different meetings today. I am not a meeting type of person. Give me a job and get out of my way but I refuse to sit and talk for hours about things. Don't like commitees either. I let other people do that stuff and then I complete some of their plans. Don't want to be in charge of anything either. I have enough of that in my regular life. Besides if I am not charge I am not to blame for anything. (giggle)

The scale is standing still this week. Deservedly so. I will rise up and conquer this thing though. (grin)

I hope the weather will warm up for everyone today and bring you sunshine and smiles.

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

03-27-2002, 02:11 PM

Hello everyone!

SG, you need not worry, as you did not make me feel down. I just don't like talking about things like that unless there is a level of happiness associated with it, only because I do not like bringing others down. And when the fireworks go off, you are welcome to have a front row seat... I'd actually expect you to :) One thing this had taught me is to be patient. Very patient. I also value things more than I used to. Not that I ever threw money away -- never have and never will -- but because we had housing and cars that were way beneath our means, we could spend money on things with out worrying ever. Where as a purchase for $100 might not have made me think so much, a $50 purchase would have me second guessing myself left and right. If I had to choose, I would not live like this, but we have the house we bought so we have no intention of moving. We will stick this out and hope for the best. So unless you hear anything from me, I always can use as many prayers and as much PD as any of you can spare for Luis.

SG, where are you in Indiana. I did speak rather quickly about going to Chicago to visit my friend, but I would really like to visit her there. I have been told I would like the city and most importantly I have known my friend, Hannah, since 2nd grade. I really hate to throw away a friendship, but she did really hurt me with the way she treated me and Luis. She really hated us being together becuase that meant she was losing me and she really resented seeing him in my life. She was the one that was supposed to be my Maid of Honor but after the way she made me feel, she was only a bridesmaid and my friend Marc stood up for me. I do remember now that I did try to call her sometime in the fall after we moved, but this is the first time I have heard from her in a long time. I admit I was shocked when I got her e-mail and even more so when she mentioned how much she would like to see the BOTH of us (she never ever has said that before).

Anyway I guess if I make it to Chicago, I will most likely drive there. I hardly have any miles on my car. It was new when I bought is 2 yeas and four months ago, and I don't have quite 14,000 miles on it yet (it only had 3 miles when I bought it Dec '99). So I could use the 300-400 mile drive (one way) to add to my car :D So if you are along the way to Chicago for me (if I really go anytime soon) I'd love to stop by even for a moment. I think to drive there I'd take I-70 W to Indy then go I-65 N (I think that is what my friend told me) most of the way from there. Although I really shouldn't speak too soon because things are beginning again for us, and even though it has been brought up, it really is too soon for me to say anything firm. She and I have grown apart over the years. She was into "partying" long after I was done with it. I am such a homebody compared to her and that recently caused troubles. Hopefully we will find our way back and be able to be friends again.

Well I have babbled long enough. I hope you all are having a great day!

IASW Rider

03-27-2002, 04:44 PM

Hi my Friends!

How are you all doing?

So sorry that I haven't checked in, in so long. I've been thinking about all of you, though, and am looking forward to catching up on all of your posts and what's been new in your lives!

I've been very tense about this week at work - this week was the deadline for everyone in my division to find out what is going to "happen to us" in the new reorganized business model. Well, I got that fated call from Human Resources, yesterday.......telling me that they are not offering me a position under the new business model. Basically, what that means is that (unless I find another job within the company before then), I get laid off in September. I feel really hurt and betrayed (after 12 years of service there, and 2 1/2 years in my current position), and I was pretty sad and depressed and despairing, yesterday. Today......I am livid and boiling mad! (I guess that's better than being depressed, anyway! :) ) All this to say, I didn't want to burden any of you with my neuroses (like I always do - hee hee!) and my apprehension about this week......and now I don't want to burden you with my anger / disappointment about the results! So I just wanted to stop in and say "hi" and wish you all and your families a very Happy Easter and holiday weekend! I'll be in touch once my head is "on" relatively "straight", again!

Happy Easter to you and yours, and thanks for being such wonderful friends, as always! Take care. :)

helenabear

03-27-2002, 05:48 PM

Lisa, I am so sorry to hear about this. I do hope that you will be able to find another job there (if you want to continue at the company). I could only imagine how betrayed you feel by this! Remember this, we ARE friends here, so you may come to us and vent, scream or cry all you want. It won't be a burden. That is what friends are for. To be there through the good times and the bad, to be a shoulder to cry on. We are here so vent if you need. {{{HUGS}}} to you!

angelina

03-27-2002, 07:40 PM

I spent last Friday counting and recounting cookie money, filling out the paperwork, and making another deposit. Thank heavens cookie time is finished. (Except for the 6 cases of unsold cookies in the trunk of my car, LOL)

Spring has sprung down here. The flowers that the freeze of two weeks ago didn't kill are blooming everywhere, and new leaves are popping out on all the trees. We actually have green grass, now that dh has mowed the lawn and sucked up all of the old leaves.

I posted here last week sometime, but I can't find the post. It was the day that I had to get the steam cleaner out to get the bottle of Elmer's glue off the couch after the little girls were making "sumpin f'you." They're so cute. My niece was sitting in a puddle of glue on my sofa as it spread out around her, and she had green and pink feathers and little pom pom balls stuck to her.

They kids have been sick again with a bad cough, and my ds stayed home from school today. I left him here while I ran errands, and he did o.k. He's good about playing computer games or with his game boy when I'm gone, and I checked in by phone several times.

My ds is making her first communion this year, and they have several things going on at school tomorrow, a passover dinner and play before their Easter party, then the Holy Thursday procession and service tomorrow night. It seems like I never have time to come in and sit with ya'll and talk. I've been catching up on your posts as much as I can.

Lisa, God has bigger things in the works for you. Hang in there.

SG, way to go with your weight loss.

Jstme, aren't you glad the cookie thing is over? I had patches to buy, too, for thinking day, rededication/investiture, etc, and they do get expensive. I have 19 girls in our troop, and my sister is my co-leader. Her dd is in the other 2nd grade at our school, just as our babies will be in the same grade one day.

I've decided to put the little girls in Mom's day out 3 days a week next year, and co-op (work) 4 days a month, so they will be able to go for the same amount we pay for one day a week this year. There's more than one way to skin a cat--for every day I co-op, I get 4 days of MDO free. I'm getting excited--that's 8 more days for me to do errands and what not.

I don't hear the girls now--I think my little one went next door to find her friend. Take care everyone, I'll check in later!

Angelina

SlightlyGoofy

03-29-2002, 07:22 PM

It seems that when it rains, it pours and it is getting downright soggy around here. Better days are coming!!! (soon, I hope)

Dear Angelina, I hope that the GS cookies in your trunk are not your favorite kind. I used to buy the Thin Mints because I hate mint as much as I love chocolate. LOL I loved the "Sumfin f'you" tale. The story will make you smile long after the couch has fallen apart. I furnish my home to accomodate such "magic." I am so glad that the kids seem to be on the mend. I hope they stay that way. You are so smart to figure out a way to save money AND get more free time for yourself. It is very hard to get things done while hauling the kids with you. I left my DH at home today when I went to Indy and got a lot done in a relatively short period of time.

Dearest Rider/Lisa, I can only imagine how you feel. You have been on my mind so much the last couple of days. This will not affect your wedding/honeymoon plans will it? Angelina hit the nail on the head in that better things are in store for you. You are far too talented and educated to be out of a job for long and I am hoping that you will find the right spot for you at your present company, IF that is what you want. Times like these are when you need the Suite the most. Just come in and flop whenever you want and if you want to talk, fine and it you don't, fine. Your friends at IASW have been sending special thoughts your way, in every language in the world.

Helenabear, I live just south of Indianapolis. I was up there today tooling around. We are about 40 minutes from the south side of town and about 15 minutes from I-65S. If you want a cheap place to flop on the trip between there and Chicago you are most welcome. We are about half way between. Send me an email and I will give you the directions. I bet now that your friend has aged and matured a bit you will find yourselves better friends than ever. There is so much to do in Chicago, you will have a lovely time. BTW I have almost 30,000 on my Camry that we bought in February of 2000. It is almost double what I usually do but we travelled so much that first year of retirment and quite a bit last year also.

I have a few things I need to get done tonight. Tomorrow I am making a bunny cake for my boys. The little guy is in hot water because his room is a mess so he will not be visiting his grandma this weekend. I had such great plans also. I am planning on wearing a dress to church on Sunday. It fits!! I pick out a piece of clothing that is too snug and keep trying it on until it fits to check my progress. Only 1.6# last week but I was off kilter because of a batch of cookies I made and I am lucky I lost anything and was afraid I might have gained. I ate a lot of veggie soup to try to recoupe my error. (grin)

Happy Easter and God bless you all!

Slightly Goofy

jstmee

03-30-2002, 09:38 PM

Happy Easter! and Rider, I'm not sure about dates and stuff for passover, but my regards to you also.

Helenabear I am imagining you singing your beautiful song for your vigil mass.

My DH and I just got back from Boston a few hours ago. I never realized how worried I was about the return of my cancer. But, whew, the Doctor did her examine and found nothing and I go back in three more months. I was so relieved I was a little weepy the following day. I now have a little something else going on. Had a mammogram, then an ultrasound and now they want to do a biopsy on something that they found. The good news is that my Doctor that I saw this week knows someone she is referring me to soooooo -- I feel confident that I am in good hands. This other Doctor is at the Gillette Cancer Center in Boston also. I am so blessed that I have insurance that will cover the majority of these visits.

Rider, I am so saddened about your news about your job. It is the trend these days to let go of the long term employees so that they can hire new ones at a fraction of the pay. I am willing to bet that this is what is happening with you. It is so scarey that the trend now a days is to restructure, layoff and rehire....or so it seems. I know so many people that this has happened to. My SIL, father and friends, even Luis.

helenabear, my prayers go out to you also...as SG said life has many turns and twists, hang in there and good things will come to pass.

Angelina I'm sure you are busy tonight waiting for the Easter Bunny to arrive. My DH was tired from our drive home and I think he has a stomach bug so he went to bed already, so I have to become the Easter Bunny tonight. I have to wait for the kids to put out their baskets, go to sleep, then I fill them and hide them and wait for the wee hours of the morning until they wake up and look for them.

Again, have a good Easter.

SG, I am so proud of you with your WW keep up the good work......no gain is good even if there's no loss... Hang in there.

Good night, Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

03-30-2002, 10:21 PM

Dear Jstmee, there are tears of joy here also. I am sure that they are being overly cautious because of your previous problem and that is exactly what we want them to do. I am doing the 'Happy Dance". I don't do it for great rates at DW and such but save it for occasions like this. You are so nice to drop by and give us the good news. We really appreciate it because I know you have had a long day and still have all the Easter bunny work to do as well. Anyone who calls women the weaker sex has never done the work that women do. LOL I bet Angelina is up doing the Bunny Hop as well. How well I remember the Christmas Eve's when I was the one who was up all night putting all the toys together.

I wish that I could be there in person to hear Helenabear singing. What a joyous way to celebrate this special day.

Dear Rider, I hope that this season is bringing you some comfort. I love the rituals that go with Passover and all. So family oriented and filled with such wonderous history and reminding us that we can overcome any trials with His help.

Happy Easter/Passover to all and best wishes for you all

Slightly Goofy

IASW Rider

04-01-2002, 05:46 PM

Hi Everyone!

Thank you all SOOOOO MUCH for your thoughtful and supportive words and posts! You are all so wonderful! (But that's nothing new!) I was finally able to catch up on all of your posts of the past week, and I really appreciate your advice and comments regarding my parents and the shower, and your sharing stories of your family with us, Wendy and Linda, and all of your kind words regarding my charming job situation, everyone! You are all such wonderful and special friends! I hope that you all had a great holiday weekend and a very happy Easter!

I'm hanging in there. Tough to be back at work, today. Had a nice talk with my boss, though (as I'd suspected, he had nothing to do with the decision to "can" me - in fact, he didn't even know that it was going to happen until Human Resources called him 5 minutes before they called me) and he was very supportive and encouraging. Best of all, he said that he would be extremely flexible with allowing me to leave early or come in late, if necessary, as I look for another job. I'm feeling a little better - but I'm still very angry. I just don't understand why they're letting me go, of all people, since my record is essentially spotless and I've been working my @#$% off for these people for the past 2 1/2 years. Also, since they're making my group into an IRA Technical Competency group, and I have 12 years of retirement plans experience with the firm and have worked in 2 other IRA technical positions in the past.....yet for whatever reason, they don't want me and would prefer some totally inexperienced people in their "technical competency" group. How can you have a "technical competency" group with no TECHNICAL COMPETENCY?????!!!!!!! I just don't get it. Oh well, enough of that.

Fortunately, this will not affect our wedding plans - even if I stay all the way through till September (that's when the "new business model" becomes effective), I will have close to a year of paid severance, since I have been with the company for so long. So, we're OK financially, at least for the next year, whether I find a new job or not. Plus, most of the stuff for the wedding is paid for, already - we purposely tried to pay for as much as possible as soon as possible so that we don't get slammed with bills at the end!

Anyway, thanks so much for thinking of me, as all of you are thoughtful enough to always do! It was so nice to (FINALLY!) pop into the Suite and find all of your lovely sentiments and great comments, today!

Wendy - Thank God you got a good report from your doctor! That is wonderful news! And I'm sure that you will get just as good news as the result of this new batch of tests that you are taking. It's good that you are having them, for peace of mind, and I'm sure that the results will be good ones.

I'm sure that your solo went beautifully, Elaine - you'll have to tell us all about it!

I loved your story about your DD and your DN doing their arts and crafts project on your couch, Angie! That is so cute! Sounds like you are very busy, down there, as always!

Thanks so much for your note, Cathy - and for your faith in my wedding planning abilities!

And thanks again for everything, Linda!! How did your bunny cake come out? Congratulations on your latest WW accomplishment - and I'm sure that your Easter dress looked wonderful!

Thanks so much again for everything, everyone! Hope that you all had a fantastic holiday! Can't wait to hear about your various adventures with the Easter Bunny, if you did anything special with your children / grandchildren for the holiday, how your services were, etc. Take care and I'll talk to you all, soon! :)

helenabear

04-01-2002, 08:01 PM

Hello everyone! I have been popping in here and there but never had the energy to sit down and chat... just listen :) I had a busy weekend. I did take Friday off and I was able to relax nicely on that day and not do much of anything :) On Saturday my friend who lives just outside of Chicago was in town and we met for lunch. Hannah and I spent a few hours together and it was nice. She told me I am more than welcome to viist her in Chicago anytime I want and any time I need a place to crash at, her place is always open for me. So hopefully sometime in the summer I will be able to make it out thaty way. With airfare so cheap from here to there it is really a toss up between driving and flying. If I decide on a firm date, I will decide then how I will really get there. No matter what, I do have to coordinate this trip with more than one person so I don't miss anyone along the way :)

Rider, so glad to see you in here again. I can imagine how hard it is going back to work day after day and having to deal with it all. I am glad to know that your boss still loves you. Sometimes it is that way. Luis' boss didn't want to lose him, but he had a college degree and made more than a good portion of the people who had been working there longer. He was one of the first to go :( It sounds like you have an excellent severence package and I am so happy this will not effect your wedding plans. I am also glad that your boss is so understanding in letting you take the time you need to find a new job. I still feel really bad for you and I wish I could help in some way. So here are some more {{HUGS}} to you and know that I am here if you need it.

Angelina, I really had to laugh at your story about Sumfin f'you. That is unbelievably precious. I am not sure I could have been mad at that one and I hope the memory will stay with you for many many years to come! That is great news that your DD will be receiving Communion this year. It is such a blessed event and so beautiful to watch. I hope your children are able to get well soon and be able to stay that way for the rest of this spring :)

Jstmee, I will keep you in my prayers. I am glad to hear about your positive check up and hope that nothing comes up from the biopsy they are planning to do. I even begin to know how youf feel, but you are in my thoughts always!

SG, if I do drive and decide to take a longer weekend out there and back I will definitely stop by and say hi to you. If not, sometime maybe I will take a day trip just so we can have lunch. Indy isn't that far away and easily doable in a day :) Of course I shouldn't say much right now because I am planning these trips in the back of my mind and don't have anything firm yet for anything :eek: Shame on me :p But I really do plan on trying to do these things soon and when Luis gets vacation, I plan to head out to NJ. I can justify visiting friends w/o Luis but family is a little rough to do without him. Also Linda, congrats on you 1.6#s That is wonderful. Definitely going in the right direction.

Well since several of you brought it up, the solo went well. Mass in general was beautiful and I very much enjoyed it! We sang a beautiful gospel sounding song called "Put on Christ" Luis loves that song as he can really "go to town" on his drumset :) I did wake up early that morning with a sore throat and was congested, but at first I didn't think much of it because with my sinuses always acting up, I figured it would go away on its own. By noon I wasn't feeling any better, so I cam to the CB to ask for a little help. I swear this place does wonders because by the time it came for us to leave, I didn't feel bad at all. I was told I did well on the solo by several and I am just glad to be able to share my voice when I can. I used to be much more shy about it, but over the years my choir director has helped me get over my fear some. Now I am still shy and cannot just sing for you on the spot, but maybe someday you all will be able to hear me :)

Sunday was fun, we went to our friends' for dinner. They are a lovely family of four (Doug, Margaret Mary, Anthony & Stephen) that we know from church. Also invited were four other friends from church as well. We had a great time and Luis was happy to be able to play basketball with the boys. He is a little sore today though :rolleyes: I love hanging out with them and we spent 6+ hours with our friends.

Wow, I have really babbled, but then again that is what I get for keeping my mouth shut for a day or two! I hope you all had a great weekend and that you have a splendid evening :sunny:

SlightlyGoofy

04-04-2002, 10:49 PM

Boy, this place is getting to be as hard to get into as Fort Knox. I came by and read the latest the other day and got a new message saying it would be right back and I waited but it 'lied'. LOL

Helanabear, if you get the time to stop by you will be most welcome but if not I will understand. When I go back to Ohio for a visit there is no way I can get around to everyone so I often do not tell anyone I am coming and hope that people will understand. I will get to see you in a few weeks, I hope. If you would feel comfortable about it my sister and bil say they would be willing to visit your church so we could hear your beautiful voice. Let me know what you think as I would not want to make you nervous or anything. I am so glad that your visit with your friend went well. The older the friend the more precious. All those shared experiences make a tight bond.

Rider, I am so relieved to hear that you have such a good severance package. I would not be surprised to find that you might actually enjoy a bit of time off work since it fits in with your wedding and all pretty well. I would not be surprised to hear that you get a much better job either. It seems awfully shortsighted of companies to lay off their more expensive employees since they are losing all that experience and training as well. Where my DH used to work they got rid of a lot of the old timers with the excuse that they did not have a college education and brought in fresh graduates that could not even change their own oil let alone lead a group in the building of diesel engines. I hear from a lot of friends that are teachers that they are caught in a Catch 22 situation in that they are required to further their education but they sometimes price themselves out a job because they want cheaper teachers. I am so impressed with you and Helenabear because you don't think of young people being so level headed about handling money and from things you have both said I can tell that you are like me in that you do not like to waste money or spend more than you have. It is such a freedom when you are not as dependent upon the economy.

Angelina, has Spring sprung there yet? I keep seeing ads on our local tv stations for Alabama and the Gulf Coast. I always think of you and Fairhope when I see them. I was telling my daughter about the area yesterday. Cookies gone?

Jstmee, have things calmed down around your home? I hope so, you deserve a break. All our best wishes are going out that you your latest tests come back negative.

I got tickets to "Cats" the other day. I have never bought through Ticketmaster before. Our $100 tickets became $120 thru their charges etc. Wish I had stock in that company.

I am sort of down tonight. On CNN they were showing Bethlehem and the destruction and chaos. There are people holed up in the Church of the Nativity while tanks and snipers are outside. I am surprised that the heavens are not raining over the entire world with the tears of angels at such a sight. Because people cannot share something special is being destroyed and trampled. As a mother I wish I could spank the lot of them. My heart goes out to all the people, Israeli's and Palistinines, who are merely trying to survive during these days.

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

04-04-2002, 11:09 PM

Hi everyone! I was just popping in quickly to say hi to you all!

Linda, I will say the Chicago trip is very much in the making. I will NOT be driving however. I casually mentioned to my dad that I was thinking of going to Chicago to visit a few friends when he offered up some frequent flyer miles to me to use. So I will be flying in and out. I admit I am kind of relieved as driving that far for three days would be kind of a bear. But I will make it to visit you sometime in/near Indy. I swear the next Indy meet they have, I will be there :D As for your trip to Ohio, whatever works for you is fine. I am completely free that weekend and whatever you would like is fine with me. I am looking forward to it and can't believe it is only about a month away :D I will warn you now... I am bringing a camera. You can't expect two of us to meet with out pictures to share all :)

SG, it is sad to hear all that is going on in Bethlehem... very sad :( My heart goes out to all living there and anywhere else where conflict exists!

Well I hope you all are having a great day! I don't have much exciting to say except that I am glad that tomorrow is Friday :D I hope you all have a great day and a great weekend... and I also hope we won't be "locked" out again! Take Care everyone :sunny:

jstmee

04-05-2002, 08:57 AM

Happy Friday to you all. For me it means the onslaught of children bustling around the house the for weekend. My DH came home two days ago and has to spend the weekend away working. He came home for our final "regular" season bball games. Our team ended up in 1st place, now it's the play-offs. I believe the coaches of the other teams are a bit miffed at us because after all we (the coaches, of this team) are either a female (me) or thirteen years old (my twins), I think it was a bit unnerving for these macho male coaches. One is a town policeman and the other is a referee and the others "just plain old men", lol.

It has been a good experience overall. I have learned to put on the thick skin though. I don't like the conterversy though. When one wins a bball game the other coaches don't like it too much.

Well, DH walked in and I have to get off puter. He has work to do.

Hope everyone is well......Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

04-05-2002, 10:35 AM

Dear Jstmee

Hooray for you and your crew!!!! It takes patience and brains to coach, not big muscles so women are on an equal playing field in coaching IMHO. In fact we might be a bit ahead since we have many generations of training in how to get along with people and keep the peace. LOL

My sil who is not known for his patience or tact is a wonderful coach. He is calm, fair and the kids love him. If only he could carry that over to the rest of his life. I worry about him as he is very overweight and has trouble breathing already, at his young age.

If you should see a large lady in the bleachers screaming "Rah, rah, sis, boom , bah" at your next game it will be me, rooting you on!!!!

Helenabear, I posted a reply to your last posting and now see that it has disappeared. Urggggh! I am bringing a camera as well. (grin) I will wait until a bit closer to time to make definite plans for our visit. My sister is planning on having that weight loss surgery and might have it before May so I am not sure if she will be in any shape to get around. I tried to talk her out of the surgery but even though I am a prime example of it not working and being bad for you she is insistent. You would enjoy her and her hubby. They are hoots.

Angelina and Rider, good thoughts for a wonderful day to you all.

Slightly Goofy

angelina

04-05-2002, 11:50 AM

Hi, everyone, I've really missed hearing from you. It's been impossible to get into the suite this week, so I spent time researching the DVC, dreaming of being there.

Lisa, it looks like we MIGHT make it to WDW in June, after all. Uncle Sam owes us a little money, and my dh got the time off from work, despite the changes going on now, so we (I) am keeping my fingers crossed really hard

We're on our way out the door to spend the weekend at the beach. It got colder here night before last, and it's a little cool today, but it will be o.k. Have a wonderful weekend, and I'll talk to everyone on Monday.

Angelina

Dan Murphy

04-05-2002, 12:12 PM

Just stopping by to say hello. :wave:

Lisa, sorry to hear of your work situation and my best to you in the future, wedding, work and all.

Wendy, glad to hear your tests came out good and hope and pray the other ones do also.

Hoping everyone has a great weekend, don't forget to set your clocks (unless you are in one of those weird Indiana areas :rolleyes: LOL) and change your smoke alarm batteries also.

Take care all. :sunny:

SlightlyGoofy

04-05-2002, 04:58 PM

Hi Angelina, what great news. I am so glad that you will probably get to be in the land of the Mouse soon. Wish I could be there too but the next best thing is that a couple of my friends can be. The idea of heading to the beach for the weekend is making my head spin as it is a bit cool here right now. I was outside doing yardwork in my barefeet one day last week and the next day it was snowing a bit. That is Indiana weather for you! It is as confusing as the Daylight Saving Time situation. (Dan, you are something else. ) It is only right that Slightly Goofy lives in one of the weird places in Indiana that is bound and determined to keep the same time all year long. LOL BTW, I change my smoke detector batteries each New Years Day. Works for us. New batteries are always on my Christmas shopping list along with cards and wrapping paper.

I am getting the house cleaned today come hell or high water. Don't have many at home days lately. Might have a small visitor this evening. Dalton tried his level best to come home with me this morning. It was so hard to say no, but I did it. Hope his parents appreciate it. (grin)

Have a great weekend all!

SG

IASW Rider

04-05-2002, 05:52 PM

Hello!

Dan - thank you so much for stopping in and for your kind words - it's so nice of you to say them! Every little bit of encouragement really means a lot to me - I've been kind of down in the dumps, lately. I am so lucky to have wondeful friends, here!

I hope to see you at WDW in June, Angie!

Congratulations on your bball team's first place finish, Wendy! That is fantastic news! You'll have to keep us posted about the playoffs! When do they begin?

And Linda and Elaine - you had BETTER both bring cameras when you get together - we want to see lots of pictures of the 2 of you!!!! I'm sure that you will have a great time!

Talk to you all soon! :)

jstmee

04-05-2002, 06:00 PM

....Another quick post. My kids are hungry! DH has taken off for work again and I'm alone with the kiddos, boo hoo. There may be an opportunity for me though for work. Our town just fired the Recreation Director for our Rec. Dept. and I've been thinking of applying for it. It would serve two purposes. This positions has been open 2 times and I have thought about applying both times. This will be the third time and it may be meant for me this time. hee hee.

If I decide to go for it my DH would be more able to accept a lower paying position close to home and stay here with us. Also, all of us are active with the Rec. Dept. so I would still be able to be with the kids "on the job" so to speak. This position is mainly for the administrative part, payroll, rules and regulations, child labor laws, grant writing etc. and I worked in Human Resources for years and did payroll and administrative stuff, so I figure with my althetic stuff also, ski instructor, life guard, coach I might have a pretty good chance at it.

The last two people they hired were not from the area and it's hard to keep someone in this remote area for long.

SG, can't wait to have you cheering us on at the championships. They are next Weds. and Thurs. night.

Rider, we missed each other in the suite my seconds I believe.

Angelina, the beach oh my! Sounds glorious, we keep having snow storms here. It's about 30 today.

gotta go............kids yelling for food

SlightlyGoofy

04-06-2002, 03:36 PM

Dearest Jstmee

It sounds as if you have landed in "Hog Heaven". I cannot imagine that you would not be a top contender for this job, if not the lead. It would give you all that you wish for, more time with your DH, watching your children grow up under your watchful eyes and a bit more money to spend at DW!!! Sounds as if you are in line for a bit of good news to balance out some of the negative you have had recently. About time, if I do say so myself!!!

I am sure that all your Suite Sisters will be sending lots of PD your way in hopes that your dreams come true. Sounds as if it would be a blessing for your Recreations Department also.

WTG!!!!!

SG/Linda

helenabear

04-06-2002, 06:57 PM

Good evening everyone! My this has been a busy busy suite recently. Good to know you guys have had the time to pop in so much.

Jstmee, first of all, congratulations on the 1st place in baseball! That must be a wonderful feeling for you and your twins to have helped bring the team to where they are now. I wish you the best of luck at the play offs! I am sure your team will do just great! Also I am sending you tons of PD, good wishes and the like for the upcoming position as Rec. Director. I certainly hope you get it! It would be wonderful for you and your family if you could get that job so your DH could take a different job that would keep him closer to home. Please let us know how it goes!

Angelina, it would be absolutely wonderful for you if you could make it in June. It would be so neat to see two others from this suite to meet up soon. We'll have to get a photo album started of our little meetings with each other as soon as we get the pictures back. By the end of June we should have some great pictures to share with all :) I hope you are having a wonderful time at the beach this weekend and that the weather wasn't too cold for you all there.

Rider... here is another great big {{{HUG}}} for you!!! I hope things look up for you soon! How are the wedding plans going? Any good pictures of you in your dress that you'd love to share with us yet? I am getting excited for you and it'll be here before you know it! Don't you worry I will definitley be bringing my digital camera when I meet up with Linda so we will have pictures to post THAT DAY :D

SG, we will definitely work on our plans as the time gets closer. I have free run for that weekend and if you need me to come to you, I can certainly do it easily! You are so lucky... you don't have to lose an hour today :( I know it is technically tomorrow but I do set my clocks ahead before I go to sleep so I don't get messed up in the morning.

Dan, so good of you to stop in... you should stop by more often :D

Well not too much is going on today. I went out again looking for dresses. Maybe next weekend I will try going to the East side to the JC Penney outlet store. I do have a few dresses that are in the $130 range that I do like, but I don't like spending $130 on a dress. I saw today a lot of girls looking for Prom dresses today and I saw the most beautiful scene of a mother and her daughter shopping together. The daughter came out of the dressing room in her dress and looked beautiful. The mom was just beaming with pride and joy... she looked like she was about to tear up. It was very beautiful and very moving to watch.

So I can't say I didn't tell you (I forget things easily once in a while), I will be in Chicago from June 7-9. I am leaving in the morning on the 7th and will be able to spend a lot of time with many different people there. My friend Hannah, whom I am staying with, is being so good about letting me take time away from her to visit others who live in Chicago... good friends are hard to find and I am glad our friendship is on the mend.

Wow, again I have babbled a lot! I hope you all are having a splendid weekend :sunny:

angelina

04-07-2002, 10:00 PM

Hi, everyone, we got back from the beach a little while ago, and we're all worn out. The kids played hard in the sun today, they even managed to get in the water and were pulled behind the boat on an inner tub. We're all happily tired and sunburned. It was pretty cool Friday night, but we tried to fish a little from the pier, until we gave up. We had a lot of fun, though, with a big crowd of fun people. I hope we get to do it more often this year.

SG, did the house get cleaned this weekend? I will have to work on mine tomorrow, and wash all of the dirty laundry from this weekend, but 2 of my 3 are sick again, so I think we will end up in the doctor's office tomorrow morning.

Jstme, congrats on your bball team's wonderful finish. You must have a lot of fun with all of your kids! The rec dept. job sounds like a lot of fun, too. Have you made a decision, yet?

Helenabear, any luck with the dress?

Dan, thanks for stopping by to visit again--it's always a pleasure to "see" you!

I'm off to feed the masses and put them to bed! See you all tomorrow.

Angelina

SlightlyGoofy

04-08-2002, 09:40 AM

Good morning everyone!

I hope a bright and sunny morning woke you. Yes, Angelina, I had the house cleaned BEFORE the weekend but a small visitor necessitated the need for a bit more work yesterday. LOL I do not have the trampling hoards that you do though. Trust me, someday, you will have a clean house and a lot of quiet and you will miss these days. Enjoy today and whatever it brings and forget yesterday,it is gone and tomorrow is but a dream. (smile) How wonderful your weekend sounds. Doing things as a family is very important as well as a lot of fun. I hope the kiddos get to feeling better soon.

Helenabear, please wave as you pass over on your way to Chicago. You will have a blast, but then I believe you have a blast wherever you are. (grin)

Jstmee, are you still basking in the glow of your recent win? You deserve it.

Rider, how are you coping in the office? I imagine it is a hard situation but you know that the Phoenix rises from the ashes and so shall you.

I think I will go to WW this morning instead of Thursday because I have to take some older friends to a "Spring Fling" that night. The scales look hopeful this morning in spite of it having only been a couple of days instead of a week. I kept getting the advice to eat 'more' to lose and I did it this last week and it seems to be a strange truth. I had been living on veggie soup and salads but I ate near the low end of my points allowance instead of several points below. Have only been losing a bit over a pound a week the last couple of weeks and have been very discouraged. If I have managed 3 pounds it will be a milestone for me as it will be the least I have weighed in about 10 years. I will think light thoughts as I step onto the scales and hope for the best. LOL

Going to the library when I return from town and then back for a small break before my big boy gets here. Already have stuffed peppers made for tonight's supper so I think I am ready for the day. I am in awe of you youngsters who work outside the home and accomplish all your household duties as well as those of you will tiny people to watch over also. Makes me tired to remember those days. :)

Have a great day people!

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

04-09-2002, 06:01 PM

Hey Everyone!

Lots of good luck and PD to you, SG - I'm sure that you will be happily surprised at your next WW meeting, and will have the great accomplishment of weighing the least you have in 10 years! That is very exciting! You'll have to treat yourself to something special to celebrate! We'll have the GENTLEMEN OF THE SUITE prepare some special gifts for you, and we'll be sure to alert the EWP drivers, so that they can do a special show for you! And that's so funny that you made stuffed peppers for dinner last night - I did, too!

And lots of good luck at PD to you, Jstmee - you HAVE TO apply for that job! I'm sure that you would do wonderfully and you would really enjoy it, as well! You'll have to let us know how it goes! I'm sure that you would do a great job with it!

That's so neat that you are able to go to the beach at this time of year, Angelina! I'm sure that it was a lot of fun for you all! It was over 70 degrees for the first or second time, this spring, today - it was nice to wear short sleeves to work! Not quite beach weather yet, here, though! Hopefully soon!

That's so great that you are going out to Chicago, Helenabear - I love that city! I'm sure that you will have a nice time with your friend! And I loved that story you told about seeing the mother and daughter shopping for her prom dress, too! Thanks so much for the big {HUG} - sending one back to you!

I actually do have a recent picture of me in my wedding dress - I had my first fitting on Saturday. I hadn't tried on my dress since I bought it in August, and when I did, it wouldn't stay up by itself - I had to hold it up, it was so big! The manager of the seamstresses told me that there was no way that she could alter it down to my current size, then brought me an identical dress in a different size that she thought would fit me.....which was 4 sizes smaller than my original dress......and it fit! Yipee!! So they let me exchange the dress (and the original bra that I'd bought to go with it) for the smaller versions. I absolutely cannot believe it (that was the best news that I've had in weeks!). I didn't realize that I looked any different than I did a few months ago, until I looked at a picture that of myself in the wedding dress the day that I bought it in August, next to a picture of myself in the smaller version of the same dress, taken on Saturday. I have the pictures hidden in a private album so that Frank can't stumble across them, but maybe I'll either e-mail them over or make them public long enough for you to see them, then hide them again so that Frank can't find them!

Everything else has been........weird. While on the one hand, the wedding stuff is really rolling along and Frank and I are having a lot of fun, this job thing is really getting to me and putting a damper on my happiness, no matter how hard I try to push it out of my mind. At the end of last week, my boss told me that not only was everyone else in my immediate work group asked to stay in the group, but the equivalent of my current position is still open, and they're looking for a candidate to fill it. In other words, they just don't want ME for the job, even though I'm the most qualified for it of those who were already chosen for the group, and I'm DOING THE JOB, NOW!! I took that as such an insult and an incredible slap in the face - that they already told me that they are not offering me a position.....yet the position that I wanted (and that I'm essentially doing right now) is still open. Now I'm taking all of this personally. They never liked the manager who hired me, and subsequently fired her last year. They probably still associate me with her, even though neither of us ever did anything wrong (except be women who aren't afraid to challenge the knowledge of higher up male managers, I guess), so now they want me "out". Anyway, I've been beating myself up (and probably driving Frank crazy) ever since. I alternate between being totally livid and being totally depressed. So I'm sorry that I haven't stopped in, in awhile. Between not wanting to whine to all of you and continually getting the "server busy" message when I've tried to get in, I haven't been able to stop by the Suite in a few days.

Anyway.......enough of that. I'm trying to find a new job within the company. Not having much luck yet, but hopefully soon.

Frank and I went wine tasting in Western NJ with my friend from college, Barbara, on Sunday. That was a lot of fun and something different to do! It still amazes me that wine grapes actually grow in NJ! We took a tour of one of the vineyards that we visited, and bought lots of great wines from each of the wineries. One of the vineyards bottles their wine under the brand name "Down the Shore" ("down the shore" is how we NJ people express where we're going when we go to the beach - we say we're "going down the shore". Why, I don't know, but that's a NJ colloquialism for you!), and have varieties called things like "Beach Blanket Blanc", "Sunburn Blush", and "Weekend White" - I thought that that was cute!

Anyway, time to head home, now (notice how I don't care if I post on the Boards during work hours, now? :) ). Hope that all is well with all of you! Take care, lots of {{{HUGS}}} to you all, and I'll talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

04-09-2002, 09:51 PM

Dear Rider

How very 'nice' your boss was for telling you such things. He (?) might be trying to discourage you from poking around and finding another job within the company. In my experience it is only the weak who are afraid of differing opinions. A good manager/boss would welcome different points of view in order to keep an even keel. Office politics are beyond my ken. Just keep on keepin' on and don't hang your head for anyone.

What a wonderful surprise, 4 sizes smaller? That is a lot at your size. What nice people at the place where you bought your dress. I am so happy t hey were able to accomodate your decreased size. Bet they have a lot of that happening, in both directions. The librarian,where I volunteer, is also a dressmaker and she showed me a dress that she had done over for someone who was a couple of sizes bigger on the wedding day. She about took the whole thing apart and cut down the back and hid the zipper that would not zip with a piece of the train. Such talent.

I laughed at your wine comments as we just had a winery open up down the road from us. It is flat land here and as different as what I would think wine country would be as anything. If they can have a winery in this tiny corner of the world they surely can do it in your part of the country.

I met a woman from NJ at WW last week. I told her I knew someone very special from there. (grin)

Bet your stuffed peppers were different from mine. I put a lot of veggies into a little bit of ground sirloin with some salsa and bake it in the pepper halves and then top it with some FF cheese at the last minute. I was hungry for Philly cheesesteaks the other night and took a low fat hot dog bun (1 pt) with a minute steak slice (2.5 pts) and green peppers and onions. It was sooooo good. Dieters are among the most invent ive people in the world IMHO. (LOL)

You are much on my mind nowadays and each and every day I send special prayers and thoughts your way in hopes that each day gets a bit better and happier.

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

04-10-2002, 11:21 AM

Wow - your description of your recipes is making me hungry, SG!!!! Those stuffed peppers sound really good! What kinds of vegetables do you mix in with the meat? Do you make it with any "sauce"? I make mine in the crock pot or in a large pot with Campbell's tomato soup as the "sauce"! I use ground turkey or ground chicken as the filling and mix it with rice. And I only use red, yellow, or orange peppers, since the green ones upset Frank's tummy! I will have to try your recipe, though - that sounds really good!

Thanks, as always for your support and for saying those wonderful things. I actually think that my boss thought that he was doing me a favor by telling me that stuff - so that I would hear it from him instead of as "gossip" around the office, or whatever. He's trying to be diplomatic, I think, and he's doing a pretty good job of it. But I know that he's no saint, either. I just don't care any more. I just sit here at my desk, numb, for 8 hours. Then I go home. I'm absolutely not straining myself in terms of work. What gets done gets done, and what doesn't? Oh well. They can have the people whom they think are worthy of keeping on do the work, if they don't like the pace at which I do it. SO THERE! OK, enough of that depressing talk.

Yes, I was pretty amazed with the whole wedding gown experience, too! I thought that they were very nice, as well, and the seamstresses definitely seemed to know what they were doing. I'm going back for the second fitting next Wednesday. I took that day off from work because the woman who does my hair is going to do a "trial" of my hair with the veil, the night before, plus I'll have more time to get to the dress store that day and lug the dress over there with me. I had my shoes dyed (ivory) to match the dress, and they should be ready that day, as well.

That's so neat that a winery just opened up near you! Maybe they can produce wine grapes in all different parts of the country - I never would have thought that - I guess you learn something new every day!

And that's neat that you met someone from NJ at WW - you're always welcome out here in the Garden State!

Hope that you're all having a nice day! Talk to you soon! :)

angelina

04-10-2002, 12:42 PM

Lisa, it must be terribly difficult for you to continue to work in your office under those circumstances. Keep your chin up, things will work out as they're meant to.

What a wonderful surprise to find that you had to get an entirely new wedding gown--You're going to look beautiful in it. Just a few more weeks! How are the shower plans coming along? I take it everything else is already taken care for the wedding day? Those last days drag by so slowly. Have you sent out your invitations, yet? That always makes it so official, and then the gifts begin arriving...

Reading about the winery near SG, and your wine tasting last weekend reminded me of a spoof that some of our local DJ's did on the radio years ago about the Heiny winery. They would make these official sounding commercial about this place that supposedly existed "over the bay" as we say, in "Beautiful Baldwin County." They would talk about things to "do" with your Heiny, such as, "how do you make a Heiny float? Put two scoops of vanilla ice cream in your Heiny." The jokes went on and on, and people actually believed that there was such a place! They were the morning DJ's, and I used to wake up to this stuff. It really was too funny.

The dreaded Brownie sleep over is this weekend at my house, and I have a lot of cleaning to do today and tomorrow, as Friday is Field day at school and I will be there all day. Dh and ds are leaving to do guy things Friday evening, so it's just us girls until 8:00 am Sat. morning, when we have a softball game for dd.

SG, the peppers sound delicious, BTW. I used to love them!

helenabear

04-10-2002, 01:17 PM

Hello there everyone!

Wow you all have been rather chatty lately. I keep wanting to come in and take the time to post but I usually don't find the time to sit down and say all that I wanted to with you all :) I did try to reply yesterday but the server was busy and I didn't get back to replying later on.

Angelina, I am glad that you all had a good time at the beach! What a wonderful way to have spent the weekend! I do hope you get to do it more often as it sounds like a great way to get away from it all! I haven't had luck with the dress really. I was thinking this weekend I really HAVE to get out to JCPenney's outlet to see what they have. I did find a dress that is okay but really they are too much money for what I want to spend. What I am hoping is one style of dress that I found will be at the Outlet so I can get it for much less than retail. I like it, but not enough to spend so much money on it. Oh and best of luck this weekend... you will need it!!!

Rider, I cannot wait to see the pictures of you in your dres!!! I can only imagine how beautiful you look in it! And to lose 4 dress sizes!!! WOW!!! You must be tiny by now ;) I am so sorry you have to deal with what you do at work. Maybe it is a sign you should find a new company. I am sure after 12 years that just stinks, but maybe it is time to move on... no matter what remember you are a great person and they really are making a mistake by not keeping you on! Don't take it personally though, someone may feel threatened by your presense or even something as stupid as worrying that you will quit after you get married so they think they are "doing you a favor" or the like. Who knows... but it is their mistake. But the upside is that you can post all you like now and not care ;)

SG, I am terribly proud of your weight loss. To be smaller than you have in 10 years is a wonderful thing! Really!!! I am sure with all these wonderful foods you have been preparing the pounds will just slide right on off! And I promise I will wave on my way to Chicago when I go in June!

I had a bad day yesterday. Long story short I blew up at Luis for something I shouldn't have. He is getting more calls about possible job openings so please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. He really needs a new job for his self-esteem more than anything else.

Otherwise life is good... the cats are nice and work isn't quite killing me anymore :) The weather here is supposed to be beautiful for the next few days with warm (70's) and sunny :D I hope you all are having a wonderful day :sunny:

IASW Rider

04-12-2002, 04:42 PM

Hello!

How are you all doing, today?

I'm sorry to hear that you felt badly about blowing up at Luis, Helenabear. Don't worry, though - I'm sure that he understands that it was just "in the heat of the moment" - that happens to everyone at one time or another - I'm sure that everything is all right, now. That's great that he's getting calls about more possible jobs! That, in and of itself, will definitely boost his morale and I'm sure that it makes him feel proud! I'm sure that he will find something great, soon! :) Let us know how it goes at the JC Penney outlet - maybe you'll find just the kind of dress you're looking for, at a much better price than in the retail stores, at the outlet! Good luck - I'm sure that you will find something beautiful!

And lots of good luck to you, this weekend, Angelina! I'm sure that even though the Brownie weekend will be hectic, it will be a lot of fun, too! They'll all be so cute! How did Field Day go? I liked your description of the "Heiny place" with the "Heiny winery"! That is funny!

Thanks again for your supportiveness and for listening to my whining (.....my "heiny whining"??? Hee hee!). I'm trying to come out of the "blue funk" that I was in all last week. I actually got a call from Human Resources about one of the jobs that I posted for, yesterday. She said that I was the strongest candidate and she would highly recommend me to the hiring manager. So, who knows? Even if I don't wind up getting an interview out of the deal, at least it's hopeful and at least it shows me that there might be a way to get a job around this place without having to "know someone" or "be friends with the 'right people' ", you know? Sort of restores my faith in a system of "fairness". We'll see. You're absolutely right about maybe looking elsewhere after 12 years, Helenabear. But truth be told........I'm a bit lazy! It's easier for me to try to look for a job internally than to "go outside", right now, so I'm just sticking to internal posting, for now. Also, it would be nice to hold on to my tenure.....and it would be nice to commute to work with Frank every day, since most of the jobs are at the location where he works (my division is the only one at the location where I work)! :) Thank you all again for your encouragement! :)

And thank you for your compliments, too! Please - I wish that I was "tiny"! I have a long way to go before I ever become remotely "tiny".....assuming I ever get there! But I was very happy with the "dress incident"! And even though it's been a pain (expense wise) buying all new clothes for our WDW honeymoon........I'm pleased to say that they are all 3 sizes smaller than the shorts and tank tops that I wore there last year! Yipee!

Well, my shower-that's-supposed-to-be-a-surprise-but-won't-be is tomorrow! It's funny - I spoke to my friend who organized it, today, and she didn't let on at all. At the end of our phone conversation, she even said "we have to make a plan to get together some time soon...." It was all I could do not to say "see ya tomorrow!" Hee hee! I suppose I feel more comfortable with the idea, now - and more comfortable knowing that there is really no way that my parents could find out and make me miserable over it, for no reason. (I haven't even told them "the whole story" about my work situation.......even not knowing all of the details, my mother has made nasty comments, implying that I'm getting "fired" because I'm not good enough. So I just don't want to have to deal with her irrational thoughts about a shower, and my father going along with her to "keep the peace", on top of that.) Anyway......I am looking forward to seeing many of my girl friends from elementary school, high school, and college together in one place - it's so rare that that happens, since we all live in different parts of NJ or in NYC, and everyone is so busy. I'm sure that it will be fun - I just hope that I can act surprised and not give away the fact that I knew about it ahead of time! I will bring my camera (Frank said that he can make it look like he brought it along because he'd known that I would want it) and will take some pictures and put them on line.

We did send out the invitations, around Passover and Easter, and responses have been rolling in, slowly but surely. It's fun to come home from work and see if any have arrived and then try to guess who they're from before opening them! In the mean time, we're going to buy our wedding rings next weekend and bring still photographs to the photographer to use in our video, we have a meeting with the band the weekend after that, and the travel agent called this morning and told me that our final WDW payment is due - yea!!!! :)

Thinking about the wedding, I almost forget (though there's really no way that I would ever forget!) that we are going to WDW so soon, too! I already made all of our priority seatings and mapped out what we are going to do on each day. In a few weeks, I will call CRO and make sure that the Poly knows to give us the same room that we had last year....so that we will be in the exact same place where Frank proposed to me, exactly one year to the day later! :) I can't wait to see the new parades! And, after 11 years, I will FINALLY get to see SpectroMagic! I confirmed that it will be running the last 2 nights that we are there, so on our last night, we are going to have dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table, then see SpectroMagic and Fantasy in the Sky! I saw the SpectroMagic floats up close, in daylight, when we took the Backstage Magic tour, last year, but I only saw them "in action" at night once, from afar, in 1991.

Hey SG! You tempt us by discussing your recipes, leave us starving, then disappear and don't tell us more about them???? :) Seriously - I want to hear more about those stuffed peppers (so does Frank!)! :)

How are you doing, out there, Jstmee? Did you decide to apply for the position that you mentioned? Keep us posted!

Hope that you're all doing well and that you all have a great weekend! Time to pretend to do work, again (hee hee!)! :) Take care and I'll talk to you soon! :)

jstmee

04-13-2002, 05:29 PM

Gosh! I feel like I've been away for an eternity. Everytime I come here it's "Server Busy". AAArrgh.

Lisa, I feel like you are in a Cinderella story with your dress being sized down and eating at the Royal Table and getting ready for your wedding. It is all so very romantic. I hope your "surprise" shower was fabulous. As for the job situation, I wish you didn't have to deal with that before your wedding, etc.

Angelina, Brownie, brownies everwhere. I am sending sleep PD your way to make all the little brownies get tired and sleep soundly.

SG, I'm so proud of your weight loss. I gave up after a few weeks and haven't been able to do a thing again. Keep it up no matter what. There's a saying "There's nothing that tastes as good as the feeling of being thin".

helenabear, I hope you find the dress you are looking for and that all calms down on the home front. I'm sure it will.

I am almost sure that I won't apply for the Rec. Director job. The job will have a lot of politics, since it's a town paid position and it is a salaried paid position with many hours. I don't think I want that responsibility again right now, with the kids and all. Now, here's the kicker! We have a papermill in town and they are hiring spare production workers. Shift work, 12 hour shifts. I am seriously thinking of this because I'd get paid for whatever hours I work and I'd go in, work and leave the work at work when i come home. It's a job that mostly men get, and it's a very depressed town, etc. I don't know that I'd even be considered or if I even want to be considered, but I might try.

The kids have been outside all day, it's been a nice 50F today, the snow is finally melting. It freezes back up in the evening though.

I hope everyone is well. Take care. Wendy

angelina

04-13-2002, 11:03 PM

SG, where are you? You haven't been around lately, or are you having trouble getting into the suite like the rest of us? It sure has been busy around here lately!

Well, the sleep over is OVER. Actually, it wasn't too bad. We had 17 or 19 girls attend, with one casualty at 10:00. My sister knew what time it was before she even looked at the clock because that's the same time the "I wanna call my mommy" started at my niece's slumber party last summer. We had pizza, games and relays, made friendship bracelets, ate cookies, then settled down with a movie. The last die-hards gave it up around midnight, although a late round of very loud fireworks at the baseball game season opener gave most of us a start. It really sounded more like explosions that fireworks, maybe because of the fog and rain or whatever. I guess the world situation has me spooked.

Gotta go, dh needs the computer. I'll check in tomorrow.

SlightlyGoofy

04-14-2002, 12:12 AM

I are gonna try one more time, again!

Angelina, you are a braver woman than I. I used to do such things in my youth but not anymore. I am so deaf the girls would get away with murder. LOL I do kid my sil that he slept with my daughter for the first time (I hope) at my house. It was her graduation party and everyone stayed up so late and just fell asleep on the living room floor. I would rather have had that than tired kids trying to drive home. You only had one girl go home early? Not bad. Hope she was not too embarrassed. That age is rough. I don't suppose any of them stayed around to help clean up? LOL I am helping plan an overnight party at the library for the 6th graders who help out. We are going to have pizza after everyone gets the library put to rest for the summer but I am going home to sleep in my own bed while other, younger people do the duty of the 'all night' party. (grin) BTW, did you serve any GS cookies?

Jstmee, you just quoted last week's WW inspirational saying. I am trying to convince myself of the truth of that fact. Have had a hard but OP (On Program) week. I combined my exercise with shopping today. I went to the Wal Mart Super Store and spent 2 hours walking around and around and looking up the calories etc. on about a million products. Found something great TGIF Quesadillias for only 6 points for the whole box. Hope they taste good. Have you all noticed that I talk more about food now that I can't have much? (grin) You are probably right about the Park Director's job but gee I wish you would give it a try as you seem like such a natural. IMHO it is better to work at something you enjoy because you will just naturally be good at it and when you are good at something you usually are rewarded with feeling proud of yourself and most of the time you are rewarded in monetary and other enticements as well. Anytime you work with a group of people you are bound to have some conflicts and being the only woman would be very stressful also. I am sure that you will soar at whatever you decide to do though.

Rider, are you still at your party? I can just imagine how much fun it must be. Wonder what some of your friends that you have not seen in a while think of your transformation. You would look funny if you were 'tiny' as you are not built for that style. You looked great before and are now just a bit more great!! I am still getting good vibes about your job prospects. I have such a lovely picture of you and Frank in perfect tandem on your way to and from work and living an idyllic and fantastic married life. How very romantic you are to plan to spend your honeymoon in the very same room as where you started making your wedding/marriage plans. Makes this old lady misty just thinking about it.

Helenabear, please stop beating yourself up for being human. I am sure that Luis understood and he will have his turn one day also. My theory is that we often take out our frustrations on those we love and trust the most cause they will forgive and love us anyway. The best part is making up anyway. Wouldn't it be funny if you find the perfect dress at the Outlet since I had to remind you it was there? Ain't that the way, in that we tend to take for granted the the things near to home? I have a footstool that I bought there.

I spent 2 hours walking around the stores today in an effort to get my exercise in and get my shopping done at the same time. I have a terrible fear of animals (please forgive me) and cannot walk around the town. We have had several dog bite victims in the past few years and that does not help matters. While I am afraid of animals I would never hurt one and that is a lot different from being an animal 'hater'. Not sure why this is as I have pictures of me as a child with a dog and riding a horse. Might have something to do with the fact that my dad kept very mean hunting dogs and he trained them up in ways that were similar to his child rearing techniques. I have been walking in place in front of the tv and trying to use the treadmill when I can get my DH out of the way for a bit. Digging in the garden helps some also. I am going to put in a lighting system in the backyard next week. I enjoy productive exercise more than exercise for it's own sake.

Change of subject - am I the only one who watches "Changing Spaces"? Love it.

Your rambling friend, SG/Linda

angelina

04-14-2002, 09:37 PM

We spent the entire day working in the yard, blowing the old oak leaves out of flower beds (my job) and edging, mowing, fertilizing, and planting. I don't know about the rest of you, but more leaves fall in the spring down here than in the autumn, LOL. We were just finishing up with the planting and raking when the rain started, so we took a short break, the sun came out, and I put Miracle Grow on my flowering plants and bushes. There are so many things I'd love to do in my yard, but will have to do it a little at a time.

Everyone's ready for dinner now, and I have to get the little one out of the tub, but will check in later, if I don't fall asleep. I can't wait to hear how Lisa's party went.

SlightlyGoofy

04-14-2002, 10:13 PM

Good evening Angelina!

Sounds as if you had a busy and productive day. Doesn't it feel good to stand back and see what you have accomplished? I have all my flowerbeds cleaned out and mulched and am now thinking of planting some veggies. It is supposed to be 87 tomorrow, a record for this part of the country this time of the year! Hope the a/c is in working condition.

I use Miracle Gro also. One thing I also do is go to the Garden Club sales where they sell cuttings of their plants. I have tried to organize a plant swap with my club members many times to no avail. Have learned the hard way that getting cuttings of plants from my country neighbors is not always a good idea as those plants tend to take over and that does not work well in my tiny and very organized yard. I am so anal that I have had to learn to throw my bulbs and plant them where they lay or I end up with rows of 'soldiers'. LOL

Can you send pictures of your beautiful gardens when they bloom?

Hope you sitting with your feet up and relaxing. You deserve it!

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

04-16-2002, 12:06 PM

Hi Everyone!

How are you all doing, today? You all sound so busy! Lots of great things going on!

Wendy - I think that you should go for which ever job you feel will make you the happiest (as Linda said), and which ever will fit into your lifestyle more comfortably. I'm beginning to realize that it's more important to have the right balance in your life and not to compromise the important things (like the time that you spend with your family) for work, no matter how interesting that work might be. I'm sure that you will make the right decision for yourself and that it will be a great one! I can't believe that you STILL have snow on the ground, there! :( Glad to hear that it's finally warming up, though! You're welcome to visit sunny and (now) 85 degree New Jersey any time! :)

Angie - Glad to hear that you survived your Brownie sleep over! It sounds like you all had a lot of fun - lots of great activities (I wouldn't have minded being invited and doing all of those fun things - hee hee!)! It was really nice of you to host it! And it sounds like you're making a lot of progress with your gardening and landscaping! I really admire your work - I know that I would not have the patience or talent to do it! I'm sure that all of your plants and flowers look great!

Linda - I'm sure that you are staying OP a lot more than you are giving yourself credit for! You've already accomplished so much, and I'm sure that you're accomplishing more and more every day! It's great that you're walking and combining that with other activities, like shopping - but then again, you are always an efficient multi-tasker! :) I'm sure that those pounds are just dropping off so quickly that you'll need to go shopping......for a new wardrobe.....soon!

Hi out there, Helenabear! How are you doing? Any luck finding a dress over the weekend?

Thank you all for thinking of me! My shower was very nice! The best part was seeing so many of my friends, sitting around the table in the restaurant, all together, when Frank and I arrived. They were all very sweet. I just get so embarrassed, being the center of attention! I'd rather hide behind my camera and take pictures of everyone else! I feel badly that I didn't get to speak to each person, individually, for longer periods of time - it was just so overwhelming! And they gave me some wonderful gifts, as well. The mother of my best friend from high school had just returned from WDW, and she brought WDW gift certificates (I didn't even know that there was such a thing!) back for us. This same friend's sister travels to Japan on business just about every month, and she brought us back souvenirs from TDS and just general Japanese Disney souvenirs (like cookies shaped like Mickey Mouse in samurai costume!) I had had so much anxiety about the shower, my parents finding out about it, etc., beforehand, but I feel so much better, now. And I'm glad that I let go of some of that paranoia, so that I could really enjoy myself on Saturday! It was really very nice of them all to come and do that for me - some of my friends traveled 50 - 100 miles to be there, and the shower was only about 3 hours long! Anyway, if you'd like to be bored by some more of my pictures, (:)) they're in the "Lisa's Bridal Shower" album at this link:

http://photos.yahoo.com/lisaandfrankmagicalyear

It was a wonderful weekend in general - the weather really warmed up - it was in the 80's over the weekend and has been that way since - and Frank and I did absolutely nothing on Sunday, which was fantastic! We started our "Disney film festival" - we're trying to watch a Disney animated movie almost every night until we go - we "kicked off" with "The Little Mermaid" (lots of good EWP soundtrack music in that film! :) ) and "Beauty and the Beast", over the weekend! I'm off from work, tomorrow - I have another fitting for my dress, and I'm going to get my birth certificate and divorce decree out of my safe deposit box so that they will be ready when we apply for our marriage license in a few weeks. I also have a baby shower gift to pick up for a co-worker, too. Then, I'm going to take the rest of the day to do my favorite thing......nothing! :) Maybe I'll catch a few episodes of "A Wedding Story"! (speaking of TLC shows, I do watch "Trading Spaces" occasionally, when I'm home during the day, Linda!) Tonight, the lady who does my hair is going to practice styling it with my veil.

Well, normally I would say "time to get back to work"......but instead I'll say "time to get back to obligatorily (is that a word? Hee hee!) sitting here at my desk"!

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

helenabear

04-17-2002, 10:07 AM

Hi everyone! I know, long time no see. I had something happen on Monday that kept me away from stopping in. My hard drive up and died on me. I had really no warning… of course a friend of mine reminded me that I had many troubles with a few programs crashing here and there but I thought it was the programs and there was no showing that anything on my hard drive was failing or going corrupt. So Monday I didn’t get the time to come in here to relax. I had so much I needed to catch up on. I admit I wandered by and listened but didn’t have the time to sit and talk myself. So I have no one’s e-mail here anymore… please please send me an e-mail with your address and I will have it again :) Thank you guys for that!!!

I had every intention of coming in here yesterday as well :rolleyes: I was all set to come in and sit down for a nice long chat when I was told something that made me want to go for a walk. So I went for a walk. I must have been gone an hour. When I came back I had to go to the store and a few other things so, shame on me, I checked in and listened some more then left again. So today, no excuses! I am stopping in and not worrying about it :)

I think in regards to that situation with Luis, I was more upset about picking on him for something he had already felt bad about. It was just one of those days… I shouldn’t have said what I did but he forgave me the moment I said it. I admit I get stressed easily knowing I am financially responsible for us. Some can handle it, I can’t and I know it :) We’re okay and keep praying or sending good thoughts that my dear will get a good job soon!!! He needs it for himself more than anything else!

Rider, I am wishing you all the best in your job hunt. I completely understand why you don’t want to look outside the company. 12 years is a long time to just let go. I hope you get that job you posted for! It sounds like your wedding and honeymoon are moving along nicely!!! Enjoy getting your RSVPs that was so much fun to see them all come it. Your bridal shower pictures were wonderful. Thank you so much for sharing them with us!!! Really they were great and it looked like a good time was had by all. Those Mickey cookies were something else! They were absolutely cute :) Oh and 3 dress sizes is a great accomplishment! Really be proud of that!

Jstmee, good luck with all your job searching. I hope you can get the job at the paper mill if that is what you really want to do. I can understand about not wanting to go for the one job of the Rec. Director as I wouldn’t want to get caught up in politics either!

Angelina, I am so glad to know you made it through the sleep over. One “casualty” out of that many is not bad at all!!! Glad to hear you survived as well. I can understand your fear about the fireworks. Many are a little more on edge still after what happened in September. It sounds like you are getting a lot done in your yard. I too have so much I’d love to do, but really don’t have time to. Last night I had to dig out some dead plants that the previous owner planted last year. We are getting our tulips up now and these dead plants (which I now know for certain are dead and won’t come back) were just making the tulips look bad. So I took them out and hopefully the tulips can flourish more. Once a few more open up, I will take pictures to show you all.

SG, I really need to get to JC Penney’s. I didn’t make it Saturday for various reasons but I do hope to get there this weekend. Penney’s carries a dress that I like a lot, but not for $130 if you understand. I am hoping to find the same dress slightly off or whatever may be the case for much less. If I do I will buy it. I know I have a long way to go on the wedding, but if I don’t find a dress by the end of the summer, I will need to look at bridal shops for a true brides maid dress and I really don’t want to have to do that.

Well I have babbled a lot and I hope you all are doing well. I hope my life will not be so busy as it has been and I look forward to this warm week of 80s :eek: Yes we have 80’s here in April. It’s funny because we have been getting a degree or higher than Orlando & Tampa recently… soon we’ll be going there in spring in summer to cool down ;) I hope you all are having a great day :sunny:

IASW Rider

04-19-2002, 04:07 PM

Hey Everyone!

How are you all doing, today?

Thanks and glad that you enjoyed the pictures, Helenabear! And thanks for your encouragement with my charming job situation. UGH. I'm sure that Luis will find something wonderful, soon - lots of PD coming your way, as always! Sorry that I have not been able to respond to your e-mail - I will, soon!

I've fallen behind on my correspondence again, but this time, you'll never guess why! You'll never believe what I did to myself this time........on Tuesday night, I was innocently opening a bottle of wine......and struggling to pull the cork out.......and when I finally did, my hand flew up and hit my face. I didn't really think anything of it.....it was just a little sore and red. But the following morning, I blew my nose and the entire area between my eye and cheek blew up like a balloon and turned pink and purple! So Frank took me to the emergency room - we were there almost all day - I had a CAT-scan......and it turns out that I fractured my orbit (that is, the thin bony structure that protects our eyes)! I can't believe that I did that to myself! I was really freaked out and petrified - especially since the emergency room Dr. referred me to a PLASTIC SURGEON for further consultation and said that I would probably need surgery to correct it! I was flipping out, thinking about the wedding, thinking about the possibility of not being able to fly to WDW, etc. But, Frank took me to the plastic surgeon yesterday, and as it turns out, the fracture is so minor that I don't need to have surgery (thank God) and he said that the bone (and the swelling) should heal by itself. Whew! What a thing to have to go through! At least I'm trying to develop a sense of humor about it, now (ie: "I know that I shouldn't BEAT MYSELF UP....", "BEHOLD, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA"!, etc.). Frank is calling me "Rocky", now, and offering to drive me to Philadelphia, so that I can run up the steps of the Art Museum and jump up and down. Well.....at least I should look slightly more human by the time of my wedding! And at least I don't have to go back to the prison - uh, I mean work - for awhile!

So.....that's what's been new around here! Never a dull moment, right? :)

Hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you soon! :)

angelina

04-19-2002, 05:32 PM

Well, I guess that's ONE way to get out of work, LOL. Maybe next time you could just fake a cold?:D I hope it gets better, soon!

I think I heard that things are cooling down for some of you this weekend? I think for once, it's been warmer up north than it is down here. This week has been really warm for spring, but it's so nice. I've spent a lot of time in my yard the last few days, buying impatiens to plant on the shady side of the yard, while the little girls played nearby.

I just picked up the other 3 from school, and they're all outside playing. We have two ball games tomorrow, and my sister and I are giving a shower for an old friend/neighbor of ours tomorrow. We're also having pizza and bingo at church tonight, so I guess we'll be going up there later. It's a lot of fun for the kids, they act like they haven't seen their friends in years, instead of hours! On Sunday, most of the 2nd grade parents are taking a bus trip to New Orleans for the day, but I have to stay home and take my kids to my cousin's son's birthday, and it's the cousins/aunt/uncle that we apparently aren't speaking to since the "Grandmother Incident." UGH!!!:mad: I'd rather be anywhere but there, especially since my sister is going on the trip, and getting her MIL to take her girls to the party! I'm throwing a pity party for myself--wanna come?

Enough of that--I feel like I haven't heard from anyone in so long! I hope you all keep checking in, even if it's just to say, "Hi." Have a great weekend!!! Lisa, I hope your face gets better soon--Take it easy, o.k.?

SlightlyGoofy

04-19-2002, 08:59 PM

Dear Lisa, you and my son would make a pair. He once hit himself in the eye with his knee. I won't bore you with all the details but it entailed a late night trip to the emergency room and it scared his sister so badly that she was nice to him for a couple of days. LOL I am so glad that you did not do any permanent damage to yourself or your wedding plans. It would have been a bad omen for the bride to start out with a black eye. LOL I really enjoyed perusing your photo album. I am one of those people who check out the details in the background. There was much evidence of great friends and love. You deserve it all!!!

Yes, Angelina, we need to come down to your area to cool off. I had to turn the a/c on a few days ago and it has been in the high 80's and low 90's for several days. There is a chance of thunderstorms coming in tonight to cool things off but if they drift a bit too far one way or the other we will swelter again tomorrow. Just to make sure it cools off I have plants sitting out. Usually works. (smile) I think you deserve a "Super Mom" medal for all the projects and amusements you provide for your own and their friends. Making memories!!!

Helenabear, I can well understand the stresses that you and Luis are going through. Please believe when I tell you that these are the times that make a marriage. While you are going through it things look bleak but after you have survived it will be a stronger bond between you both. It must be hard for Luis to have to work at something beneath is abilities and at less pay and it must be hard on you having to be the strong one at this time. It is so wonderful how you guys can disagree or even be a bit disagreeable from time to time, as humans are wont, and kiss and make up easily also. It is a great trait and I am so glad that you both have that ability. Holding grudges is awfully lonely. Counting the days until we meet.

Jstmee, have you decided which job(s) you are most interested in? Have a feeling that you will do well wherever you land. Managing a home makes one able to handle all sorts of situations. How have you been feeling? Spring seems to bring on all kinds of aches and pains. It is my way of getting out of Spring Cleaning. LOL

Weigh in was yesterday and it showed a 4.4# loss. I have added another star to my ribbon. You get a ribbon when you lose your first 10#'s and then a star for each 5#'s after. The key seems to be eating at the limit of what is allowed. I started off gangbusters and hunkered down to eat as little as possible and was only losing a pound or so for several weeks and then I decided to listen to what people were advising. Strange, but it seems to be working. If I can lose a bit over 2#'s I will get another star next week.

I took my little fellow to the school library today to pick out a few books at their sale. He loves books. He even got to see his big brother as he was headed to his class room.

Working in the yard and keeping up with some other spring type chores are keeping me busy these days. I have even had a bit of time to do some extra reading. I have a book on Adams right now that is fascinating. I love history.

My heart is with the passengers on the train that crashed. I believe a lot of them were returning from DW and it is a sad end to a vacation. I remember after 9-11 when people were calling for riding that train rather than flying and I was thinking that the risk was about even, in my mind. Of course, when a train tips over it does not have as far to fall. I am sure more people were hurt in cars driving to and from also. Wish I could envelope the world in my arms and keep everyone safe.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

helenabear

04-19-2002, 10:53 PM

Hi all! I am popping in very very quickly to say hi to you all. Tonight I went to my first DIS Meet ever. It was rather small (13 total including families) but it was very nice considering it was put together at the "last minute" So now I am more than ready to meet up with Linda here :) And then onto my meet in June :) This was a lot of fun and I'd say GO FOR IT to you all here :) I took some pictures and I wanted to share the link with you all :)

Columbus DIS Meet Pictures (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=192508)

SlightlyGoofy

04-20-2002, 10:09 AM

Dear Elaine
That is what I get for not reading the boards more often (other than this one of course). I would have been delighted to have surprised you with my arrival at your DIS meet. It looks as if you all had a great time.

I am extremely distressed at not seeing any good pictures of Luis. He does not have to be shy around us. By chance is he the one who 'x'd out the unshaved photo of himself?

There were so many beautiful children for me to play with. Like all the kids in Lake Wobegon they appear to be above average. LOL

Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to share your day with us. Getting a bit nervous about our meeting even though I know you are a kind person who will not scare me too much. (grin)

Being a lazy person I stretched our comfortor out on the line in hopes that rain would wash away some of the winter woes. It is so darn big that it will not fit in my washer and I used to take it in to the laundramat where only the $5 washer would accomodate it's bulk. One time I was in a rush and had no time to take it for a drive so I threw it up on the line and hosed it down. It turned out so great that I have continued to do so (or wait for free water from the sky). I do it almost every month and it is so much gentler on the fabric and smells so great when it comes back to the bedroom. We had a lovely rain that took away some of the heat and washed away some dirt on the patio making me a happy lady this morning.

I am off for my weekly walk at Wal Mart. I go over to a nearby town and walk every single aisle in the Super store 3-4 times stopping to check out bargains as I go. Not quite as much fun as DW but will have to do for now.

I hope it warmed up where you needed it and cooled down elsewhere and hopefully our Rider was not affected by the earthquake in the NY area.

Slightly Goofy

bashful64

04-20-2002, 12:15 PM

Hi everyone! After a self imposed break from the boards I am slowly returning to DIS life. I hope that you are all doing well.

SlightlyGoofy

04-20-2002, 10:48 PM

Hey there Bashful

We had given up on ever getting to see you again. Many conjectures on what all might be going on in your life so please give it up and spill the beans?

Just sit right down here, put your feet up and I will make sure that the guys mix your favorite drink and bake up a few goodies to keep your energy up as you tell your tales.

Has life been treating as you should be treated? Your Suite Sisters want to know it all, well some will do. LOL

Slightly Goofy

IASW Rider

04-20-2002, 11:28 PM

Hey Bashful! Great to hear from you! Thanks for dropping by! Come back again, soon - we miss you!!!!

Thanks for sharing those great photos from the Columbus DIS Meet, Helenabear! You and Luis look great, as always! And I loved those pictures with Towncrier Mickey - that is so funny! Thanks for sharing the link! :) That's so neat that you all spoke with Dan there, too!

Thanks for your thoughts, Angelina and SG! I can't believe what a clumsy oaf I am! Well, at least the area under my eye is not quite as swollen as it was, before, and has gone from the lovely 2-toned pink and red color scheme to a more rainbow-like purple-maroon-yellow combo, now! (hee hee! :) ) I just hope that the bone underneath is healing properly. And you're right, Angelina - I guess I COULD HAVE chosen an "easier" way to get out of work (hee hee!). But that's the one redeeming thing about this experience - having a good reason not to have to look at that place or those people for another week. Actually, the redeeming thing is learning to take care of myself better and being more careful and being grateful for my health and what I have. I know that that sounds corny, but when I think about how many worse consequences could have resulted from that accident, I am very grateful for what I do have and promise myself not to rush around so much and be careless with things or situations that could hurt me, in the future.

Sounds like you have quite a weekend ahead of you (or actually already in progress), Angelina! I hope that that party with your family goes well! I'm sure that it will - it might just be a lot more pleasant than you envision it being! Maybe when all of the adults see how much fun all of the children are having, they will forget or put aside all of the "stuff" that has kept them apart for this time and will view the situation differently and put all of that behind them. Please let us know how it goes! And hope that your games go well, too! Yes, it was very warm here, this week, as well - 80's and 90's! Unfortunately, I've been cooped up inside, in the air conditioning, for most of the week, so I really haven't been able to enjoy the summerlike temperatures. It's supposed to go down into the 40's tonight, and remain steady in the 60's for most of next week.

Congratulations on your ribbon and on all of your stars, SG! Those are fantastic accomplishments! You must be so proud of all that you have done so far, and all that you know you'll do in the future! Your ribbon will be so full of stars that......you'll need a second ribbon! That's really neat about how you hang your comforter out on the line! We never had a clothesline at our house, but my father always talks about how nice everything smelled when his mother would bring things in off of her line. Frank's mother uses a clothesline - maybe I should see how everything smells and feels when she brings things in, the next time that we're down there! And thanks for your kind words about my photos! Last weekend seems so long ago.........especially since I've been looking more like "The Phantom of the Opera" since then! (hee hee!) Yes, I am very lucky to have such special and long-time friends. The people in those photos are my closest friends from elementary school and / or high school and / or college, and one from work, and the mother of 2 of them. I've known each of them for over 15 years (the 2 that I've known the longest, I've known for 31 years), and am very lucky to have them in my life! It was very nice of them to take the time and travel so far to do that for me!

Well, Frank and I bought our wedding rings, today! Yea! I just chose a plain, relatively thin plain platinum band, that matches and fits nicely under my engagement ring. Frank chose a thicker plain platinum band, rimmed with yellow gold (to match his father's yellow gold and diamond ring, which he wears every day on his other hand). I'm glad that we got that taken care of! We also stopped by the photographer's to drop off pictures of us as children and together, for our wedding video. Just 43 more days (and 44 more days till we're in WDW!)!

Hope that all is well with all of you! As always, thank you all for always being there to listen, to share your lives and your stories, to always make me smile, and for being such great and special friends! You are all such wonderful people and I'm so glad that we've been here in the Suite for almost a year! Here's to many more great years of friendship and fun in the Suite! :)

helenabear

04-22-2002, 08:42 PM

Hello there everyone! I am sorry that my last post was so short. I was kind of tired and wanted to get that up before any of you saw the post and felt left out ;) The meet was a lot of fun! I am considering making a 2 hour drive on May 26th to go to a Memorial Day cookout at Towncrier's home. I won't say anything for certain though. I do have the meet in June in Chicago and there is another one in Columbus on July 13th at the Columbus Zoo (for anyone interested in traveling that far ;) ) I can't believe I am planning all these meets but they are fun :)

SG, I have no idea why you would be nervous to meet me at all! I am nice enough (at least the first time) for you to have nothing to worry about. Actually I am nervous to meet you. You are such a dear and I am always afraid to disappoint those I meet. But we will be fine and we'll have at least a few pictures to show the ladies here :) Oh and congrats on your weight loss!!! Keep it up you are doing wonderful :sunny:

Rider, how is your face doing? I am so glad to know that you won't have to have surgery before your wedding. That would probably scare me as well! I just hope that you will be back to yourself soon and the brusing goes away! I think you do need to go to Philly and get that picture of you on those stairs doing the "Rocky" impression :D

Angelina, I would be more than happy to join you in your party (pity or not). I am hoping right now that your weather is now warmer than what we have currently (it is about 45 degrees now) and I could use the warmth ;)

Bashful, it was so good to see you again!!! Please stop by more often. We miss you here and would love to hear all about what you have been up to lately :)

Jstmee, I hope all is well with you! Stop in when you get a chance.

Well I finally took SG's advice and I went to JC Penney Outlet on Saturday to look for a dress. Believe it or not, I found one. It wasn't exactly what I was looking for, but for $8.99 who am I to complain... did I really say $8.99 :earseek: Yes I did :D Actually it was $9.51 with tax :p The best part is my sister approves of the dress. So I have a dress I paid less than $10 for and my sister likes it :sunny:

Yes yes, you all will get pictures. I tried to get pictures of me in the dress but none turned out because we tried taking them outside with the sun blaring in my face... so I took a few today and put them on my web page along with a few pictures of our plants outside. So without further ado, here is the link Dress & More (http://www.geocities.com/helenabear/pics2.html)

I hope you all like them. Have a great day everyone :sunny:

IASW Rider

04-26-2002, 02:38 PM

Hey!

Where is everyone??? Did I scare everyone away when I came into the Suite with my bruised face??!! Well, don't be afraid - the "Phantom of the Opera" has left the building - my face is completely back to normal, now! (though that might be "scary", in and of itself - hee hee!)

How have you all been doing? What's been new?

Today is the last day of my "medical leave" from work. I feel almost guilty saying it, but it has been so nice and so relaxing not having to go into that place and do work for no reason (ie: it's not like anything I do there will help my career, no matter how well I do, since they don't want me there, anyway). And I've accomplished a lot of things for the wedding, getting ready for our honeymoon, and just general things around the house, too. I believe that I am healing well. My face has been hurting a bit, but I think that that might just be my usual allergy / sinus pressure and that I'm just being paranoid. The nurse told me that if I work out like I had been before, my face will hurt. She said that I am allowed to do non-impact type exercises, so I've been using Frank's Life Cycle. It's not as "active" as the aerobics that I'm used to doing, but I sweat, so I guess that I'm accomplishing something by using it! I'm hoping that my face hurting is not as a result of that and that I'm just imagining things because that nurse put the idea into my head. I just don't want to "backslide" after getting myself into whatever shape I'm in, after all these months, you know?

Called WDW yesterday to begin my "campaign" to get our engagement room at the Poly back, in June for our honeymoon! I also charged up all of my video camera batteries and bought tons of batteries for my digital camera and film for my "regular" camera, in preparation for our trip. Just 39 more days - yipee! :)

I cannot believe that you paid less than $10 for that dress, Helenabear! How did you manage that??? That's amazing!! It looks really nice - like exactly what you had been looking for! I'm sure that it looks great on you, too - you'll have to send us pictures of yourself wearing it! Glad that your sister likes it, too! And your flowers look really pretty!

That's so neat that there are all of these DIS Meets coming up in your area! I wish that I could fly out there, and check one of them out! When are you and SG getting together? Your meeting is coming up soon, isn't it? That's going to be so much fun for you both! Once again, I remind you both to TAKE LOTS OF PICTURES!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope that all is well with all of you, out there, and hope that I didn't scare you all away with my Halloween-like face, last week! :)

Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon! :)

jstmee

04-26-2002, 10:29 PM

Tulips, and flowering trees, and green grass, it is almost too much for me to bare looking at all the beautiful pictures. We got rid of all our snow, only to have some fall again today. Aargh. That's okay though, I will dream of the tulips in your front yard helenabear. I cannot believe the price you got on your dress! You'd love my mother. My brother is getting married soon and her two dresses cost about $20 a piece.....

Lisa, you looked beautiful at your bridal shower. I hope your eye is feeling and looking better. Don't worry you didn't scare me off. I wish I was here sooner to wish you well. Life got in the way and I haven't been in the 'net.

SG, a continuing congratulations on your stars!!!! Way to go, keep on going down, down, down. You will keep loving yourself more and more!

Angelina, when does school let out for your little ones? Ours go until June 14. I'm sure you are enjoying your warm weather. How did your party turn out with the "unspeaking" ones.?

Hellloooooooooo Bashful, good to see you again.

Okay! The reason I've been away. My son Kenny had to go to a pediatric neurologist for an eye palsy and some tongue twitching (fasticulation) and and Doc found some more irregularities. Some facial palsy and weakness of arms and legs, etc. He drew a picture of the brain stem and showed us where about five various nerves were working improperly and he needs to find out why they aren't working right. Remember, my DS had an MRI in November and it came back normal. The new Doc is getting a copy of it to review, then we'll go on and have an EMG, some sort of muscle, nerve test to see what's going on. The Doc asked us if there was Muscular Dystrophy in the family - which there is not. So send prayers and PD. My son is quiet worried, as I am. But, we'll just take it one day at a time and see what's going on.

As for me, I go to Boston again in two weeks, this time for a breast surgeon for evaluation, etc. I'm not too worried about this one, just a necessary thing to do - most probably biopsy, etc....but because of the area it will have to be a rather large incision..........SO,,,,,I might ask about a breast reduction at the same time......I'm sure it would be considered medically necessary. Great subject, huh, lol.

I can only dream about WDW now. How I'd love to be there.

I enjoyed all of your pictures sooo much. It's nice to have a peak in on your lives. Elaine, you have such a pretty neighborhood.

Oh, I almost forgot, how could I! I was taking a test for the mill job and my DH was putting in a ceiling fan in my sons room. He was going in the attic stairway and unscrewed the hinge that holds the stairs down. He forgot that it was springloaded and hit struck him in the head. He had ten stitches right on the bald spot of his head. I guess the bleeding was so bad that one son thought he cut off his fingers. The other son got a towel and they rushed to an outpatient clinic here in town, the clinic was going to get an ambulance, but a Doc there was able to stitch him up. I came home and there was blood everywhere. He got the stitches out yesterday and it still looks absolutely gruesome. At times like these a person realizes how fragile life is. Now, for the funny part of this whole thing. We were joking around the other night.....I got him hair color to cover is graying temples,,, I joked that I wanted a new man. So the night before his accident I colored his hair and it left some brown stain on his skin. I said he should wash it off the following morning. Well, since he was working around the house hadn't showered and the accident happened. So, as the old saying goes, don't go out with holy underwear in case you are in an accident. Don't color a man's hair for the fun of it, he just may have a head injury and need stitches. He was so embarrased! He is definately not the kind of man that would color his hair in a million years.

Also, I decided NOT to apply for the Rec Dir job. Even though I think that would be the job for me, it is salaried and I know it's a job that requires a lot of hours and I won't be justly compensated for the job. Also, the long hours and weekends would not be good for the kiddos. I took the test for the mill. Passed it, now I have a screening interview. I'm not sure if I would take it if I was offered it. I may just stay home with the kids. But, it would be nice to pay off some debt we have, etc. And it would possibly get my husband to seriously get a job here at home to be with us. It is getting harder by the day to be firm with my soon to be 14 year old twins. They are great kids and do excellent in school and not behaviour problems, but they don't have respect for me and run all over me. My DH puts a stop to that and helps me with this. But the mill job has had over 200 applicants and there are only 15 open positions. We'll see.

I have to put my DD to bed now, I'll stop in again soon.

SlightlyGoofy

04-26-2002, 11:53 PM

(Peeking around the corner) Hello! Anybody home?

I guess when you have as much fun stuff to do as we do around here it is to be expected that no one would want to stay inside. Beautiful weather does not help much either. LOL

What a lovely dress and what a great and fantastic price. WTG Helenabear! I am looking forward to seeing pictures of you in it. The pictures give such a glimpse into your 'real world' and I do enjoy the peeks. Thank you for giving so much of your time to us. I am having a bit of a problem with my Ohio trip. It is still on but I am trying to figure out when we will be able to get together. We will leave here on May 7th and head for Athens for a couple of days to take care of some family business and take some special people out for a lunch visit. I always take my former Sunday School teacher out. She is one of the people responsible for making me what I am (the good parts). I have a bil who is having some severe health problems and is having to retire also. We should be in Columbus Friday the 10th and the wedding is Saturday afternoon. We will have to be up and out of town very early on Sunday as I accidentally made a lunch date in Indy on Sunday afternoon. It is all my fault. Since I started keeping my appts on the computer instead of my old paper standby I have messed up a couple of times. I was so wanting to come to your church and hear you and Luis perform. Wahhh!! Maybe I will be able to do so at the Columbus zoo meet. Not sure right now if we will be able to come though. Do you have a deadline for ressies and are people staying at a certain hotel/motel? If you have any suggestions for our get together please let me know. I am night blind and never drive after dark where I am not familar. My sister might have a suggestion also. Will email her tomorrow. She does not get on her home computer much so I have to contact her at home to make sure she reads my messages. LOL

Jstmee, were you hiding behind the door? When I looked around you were just going out. I am so sorry to have missed you. Your life just never gets boring does it? I can imagine your concern over your son. Much PD is being sent your way. I sincerely hope that the mill recognizes your superior talents and you get the job of your dreams. Your plan of having your hubby work nearby is a valid one. Teenagers, even good ones, need all the direction they can get and boys need a father around IMHO. How is your poor hubbies head? I think it is cute that he allowed you to dye his hair and believe me a lot of guys dye their hair nowadays and the things that doctors and emergency rooms see are far more bizarre than that little nothing. My DH was giving me a hard time one time before we left on vacation and teasing that he was going to take this red haired woman from work instead of me. I happen to know that he is not terribly fond of red hair. He came home from work (second shift) and I had everything all packed up in the car and ready for the next morning and was busy sawing logs as I do the driving and I wanted to be fresh. He DID take a red head on vacation BUT it was me. He was quite surprised when he woke up with a redhead the next morning. LOL

Dear Rider, none of the other jobs are panning out at your company? Maybe your absence will teach them that they cannot do without you. I have been seeing lots of stories on tv about the problems that the financial and investment companies are having nowadays and had been worried about your company. It is quite one thing to hear about a cooperate downsizing and quite another to be the person who is being downsized. With your education and experience I am sure that something wonderful is in store for you. Low impact exercises are a lot better for you than some of the rougher ones. Your joints will thank you in the future and maybe even sooner. I have read articles about how many calories you burn doing different activities and really some of the more moderate ones are not that much lower than the strenuous ones. One good thing about being my size is that I burn up a lot more calories just walking along than a smaller person would jogging and such. I had a bad week last week and actually gained a pound. I was shocked as my scales had shown a 2 pound loss and I was even hoping for a couple of more oz to make another star and to find I had a gain. I was heartbroken but knew I deserved it. Have been doing well since. Exercised 3 hours today to mitagate my guilt. The time is getting so close to your wedding. If I am excited I cannot imagine how you must feel. How is Frank coping or is he just getting nervous to get it all over with? I will send PD your way so that you get the room of your dreams. I know they will bend over backward to do it. What wonderful memories you will have!

Bashful, please come back in? I promise I will stop teasing you for your life's history. Just bring your smile and sit down and have a cool drink and visit for a bit.

Take care everyone and hope you are having a great weekend.

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

04-28-2002, 04:08 PM

Hey Everyone!

How are you all doing, today? How are your weekends going?

Great to hear from you, Jstmee! So sorry to hear about your DS's health issues and your DH's accident, though. I can certainly understand your being concerned and frightened, but I'm sure that the new doctor will review the tests and order which ever additional ones might be needed and will give you some good options and hopefully some positive news, as well. Lots of prayers and PD coming your way! I hope that the findings are good and hopeful ones. Likewise, the findings of your upcoming tests. I'm sure that this is all very difficult to go through, but you are such a strong person and have such a great outlook that I know that you and your family will come through these experiences well and will deal with them with love and faith and togetherness. How is your DH feeling, now? That must have been such a scary thing to go through, as well! I hope that he is healing well and is not in pain. I can join you in attesting to the fact that many accidents that require emergency room visits do, indeed, occur in the home! At least you were able to find some humor in the situation - as with your DH's hair dye (Frank colors his hair regularly, by the way, so your DH shouldn't worry that he is the only man who does so!)! I hope that everything is all right, and I hope that your DH will be able to work closer to home in the near future, as well. I'm sure that your twins are just going through that "adolescent stage" where they are testing their boundaries as well as yours. I'm sure that it's not easy to experience - especially with all of these other things going on in your lives - but it would be wonderful if your DH was able to work closer to home and spend more time with all of you. I'm sorry to hear that it snowed again, up there! It's been much colder here this week, than last, as well. Hopefully it will warm up all over the country, within a few weeks! And I'm sure that you will make the best decision for yourself and your family, in terms of deciding whether or not to take the Mill position. You know that it's out there, if you want to take it, so that's a good thing. And even if you decide not to do so right now, you know that there will be other opportunities to do so in the future. Hope that all is well with you and your family! I'll be thinking of you and sending PD to you all, once again, from down here in the Garden State!

Great to see you, too, SG! Yes, I guess that everyone has been busy with springtime projects and events! I hope that you will be able to get together with Helenabear when you are in Ohio (I'm as excited about your meeting as you both are - hee hee!)! It sounds like you are going to have a very busy trip and have lots of things planned! But I hope that you are able to go to the Meet and see Helenabear when you are out there, too! Don't worry about that one pound gain - you know, sometimes those "gains" are not really gains at all - sometimes it's just a matter of water retention or even what you're wearing that day! Don't become discouraged! You'll have a ton more stars on your ribbon before you know it! I'll bet that you will have a several pound loss this week! I have basically stayed the same since last week - maybe I've hit a "plateau" after 60 pounds, or something. I hope that it's not because I've had to change my exercise routine. But you're right - I've also read that some lower impact activities have the same effect, if not a better one, than higher impact ones do. Using Frank's Life Cycle is fun, in a way, 'cause I can watch TV while I'm doing it and it goes pretty quickly. I'm just not used to sitting while exercising, so my behind is a bit sore, but I guess I'll get used to it! I just hope that I can drop a few more pounds before the wedding, without doing my higher impact cardio routine.

Well, we went to meet with our wedding band, yesterday, which was a lot of fun. They ran through the "schedule" of how our wedding day will "go" with us, and we gave them our special musical requests, told them what music we would like to use for the ceremony, our first dance, dances with our parents, etc. This Thursday, we're taking the day off from work (I'm sure that my boss will love that, as I've been out of work for the past week and a half with my injury) to apply for our marriage license and so that I can have a wedding gown fitting. Just 5 weeks from today! :)

Unfortunately, my job search efforts were sidelined this week, since I was out of work. I haven't even been able to bring myself to call in to my work voice mail to see if Human Resources has called about any of the jobs that I posted for, a few weeks ago. I'll resume my search tomorrow. I don't know how aggressive I want to be about it right now, since no matter what, I wouldn't be able to start a new job before the wedding, anyway (even if I am offered a position, I would have to "give 2 weeks' notice" to my current boss, and that brings it almost to the date of our wedding and honeymoon). Plus, I am not allowed to wear eye makeup for the next several weeks, and don't want to scare potential new bosses with my pale, un-made-up face and unhidden perennial bags and dark circles under my eyes! I'll see what I can do, in terms of sending out more "feelers", when I am back at work, tomorrow, I guess.

Hope that you're all having a nice weekend! Take care and I'll talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

04-28-2002, 07:02 PM

Dear Lisa

I think you are doing just fine. With all you have going on with the wedding and honeymoon and all this might turn out to be a great thing and with your great severance package you have a whole year to find something perfect. I am afraid that it is the line of work that you are in that is at risk but with your personality you would be a shoe in for another job IMHO. If ever there was a time when you had to trust your financial advisors this is it. I am so glad that I lucked out and other than the falling interest rates we were not affected by any of this. I bet you look a lot better than you think you do. Your kind of looks are the natural kind and are not easily hurt. You might be at, or very near, your ideal weight and that is why you are not losing much right now. I personally think people look a bit better about 10 pounds or so over the weight charts. I deserved the pound gain as I pigged out last Sunday. This Sunday I have spent a lot of time upstairs cleaning just to get away from the kitchen. LOL One thing I have noticed about exercycles is that the seat is so very tiny and very uncomfortable for the size of the people who need to use them. I have a treadmill but I don't like it much. I used to use it more but I feel self conscious doing it with DH sitting there watching me, especially when he has a big old bowl of ice cream he is shoveling into his mouth. (grrrrr)

I am headed out the door to listen to a band made up of many of my former 4-H kids. They are so very shy and barely talk at all but there they are, up on stage, singing their hearts out. They are so good!!!! My grandsons will be there too so that is an added bonus. The big guy just got back from a weekend with his other grandma and the little guy was here most of the day. He was 'playing' his guitar most of the time. He wants to learn how to play rock and roll and requested an electric guitar for Christmas! His parents would love that, not. His birthday is the 7th of this month and I bought him a lot of Batman stuff, clothes and toys. He is my 'super duper hero'.

Jstmee, Bashful, Helenabear and Angelina, you are in my t houghts and I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

Your friend, SG/Linda

Horizons16

04-28-2002, 09:31 PM

Can i join the EWP club?
Do i have to do some crazy initiation task????
LOL
~Steve

helenabear

04-28-2002, 10:18 PM

Hi there everyone!! You all have been so chatty lately I hope I don’t miss anything while I was trying to listen to you all :D

Steve, so good to see you here!!! Glad to have you stop on in. You are more than welcome to join our group. We don’t turn anyone away and we love all the company we can get. If you look through this one, you will see we are just a chatty group who talk about all the goings on in our lives and just be there for each other if needed. I will have to say this is my favorite place on the CB :D I am not as good as our “founder” as describing this place, but it is where we go to get a way from it all. We have a “perfect view” of the EWP that goes by in our wonderful suite here. We have our own servers who cater to our every need. So basically we just go here to relax and chat :) No initiations as far as I know, nothing exciting either, just good times with good friends here :)

Rider, I hope your calls to WDW work for you. I know that the Poly tried to cater to our silly little desires and while we didn’t get our exact room number that a friend of mine had for their honeymoon, we had everything else we wanted and dreamed of! I am getting so excited for you and your upcoming wedding and honeymoon! How many days do you have left now? I hope your day back tomorrow goes well and that your face heals up nicely and quickly for you!

Jstmee, I will certainly keep Kenny in my prayers. That sounds like a scary experience for you all to go through. I hope they will have a good diagnosis for you all soon and that it will be completely treatable. I also am saying a prayer that all with your breast surgeon goes well. Don’t you worry about talking about a breast reduction. They can be considered a medical necessity and if you are having any back or neck pain the insurance may cover it as well. I admit (quietly) that I am considering this for me in the future as I have terrible back and neck pain most likely related to my chest. But since I haven’t had children yet, I want to wait to make sure nothing is damaged before them, if you know what I mean. I am sorry, but I had to laugh a little at the story with your DH. I can imagine his embarrassment and I am so glad to know that he is okay though… 10 stitches is an awful lot of stitches though. Was it a big gash on his head? You are right, it is times like this though that make you realize how fragile life really is!

SG, I sent you an e-mail about your upcoming trip to Ohio. I told you there as well that if you wanted to come to church it is at 10 am so I didn’t figure you’d be able to do that. As for the rest of the weekend, it doesn’t matter. If you have time Friday evening I will be around and if you have time Saturday morning or night I will be around. You can even let me know close to the date. I will have to e-mail you with my phone numbers (home and cell) so you can call me if you need to. I won’t make any plans for that weekend so what ever works for you is fine with me :) As for the Columbus meet, nope no ressies or the like and there isn’t a hotel I know of that people will be staying at. I think most are making it a day trip. I will be mentally working on that one as it gets closer to July and will be making regular posts on the CB about it after I get back from Chicago in June.

Angelina, I hope all is well with you and I hope you and bashful64 will stop by again soon (as some of our others who pop in here and there).

Well I feel like I have been chatting forever! I am so glad you all liked the dress and our flowers :) I cannot believe the dress was so cheap but that is the way a lot of the dresses there were priced. I am thrilled I have that mess over with. I will work on getting a decent picture of me in the dress where I am not squinting and shirking away from the bright light that was in my eyes :sunny: Hopefully this week. But to wet your appetites, I have posted some pictures of my family at WDW as a kid http://www.geocities.com/helenabear/olddisneypics.html as well as very very few pictures of our wedding http://www.geocities.com/helenabear/wedding.html I am wanting to get more of us up, but they are so time consuming to scan as I cannot remove any of the pictures from the album. So I hope you all enjoy!

I had better head out for now! I will see you all later :D

angelina

04-29-2002, 02:04 PM

Hi, everyone, it sounds like everyone's been keeping busy for the past week or two. We've had lots of baseball practice and games, along with a church picnic yesterday. It was close to 90 degrees here, and we all ended up with more sun than we needed. Dh and I were going over the calendar for May, and there's not a break for us the whole month, with 3-4 baseball games each week, and practice, too; first communion events for dd, birthday for dd#2, mother's day, birthday parties for other kids, sleepovers, and a couple big field trips (the all day kind,) and field day, which both kids qualified for :D.

Lisa, your weight loss is truly something to be proud of. You are going to be beautiful on your wedding day. The month of May is going to fly by for you, then it's off to WDW for a wonderful honeymoon! You have so much to look forward to.

SG, Keep up the good work. You will be earning more and more of those stars. I have noticed that my summer clothes from last year are a little snug, so this afternoon when I go to the store, I will stop by the farmer's market for some watermelon and cantaloupe, and also some strawberries. I bought some this weekend that were as large as the palm of my hand, and so juicy! They were gone in no time, since all of us like them. It's better than candy, though.

Jstme, you have your hand full, too. I hope Ds and dh are feeling better and that the news you get is only the good kind.

Welcome, Steve, it's always a pleasure to see new faces in our "suite." Make yourself at home, and have a tall glass of whatever cool concoction you prefer. I think this afternoon we may enjoy swimming in the pool, and just taking it easy.

Helenabear, your dress is beautiful. What a bargain! You're very lucky to find such a bargain, just in time for the wedding, too.

Hope everyone has a great afternoon.

Horizons16

04-29-2002, 04:47 PM

Would love to join the pool party...

Can we go to Storm Along Bay???
:)

helenabear

04-29-2002, 05:48 PM

I have nothing important to say, except that I am game for Storm Along Bay!!! Great pool :D

jstmee

04-30-2002, 12:04 AM

Storm Along Bay sounds mighty fine to me!! Even though we did have snow again here in the great North.

Now, I must tell you all something....Promise to keep a secret? :) My DH and I sent in an audition tape for Amazing Race III. It was such a hoot doing it. My friend taped us at our border crossing and we almost got the tape confiscated by the Border Patrol guy. Then we taped us near a railway train and security shooed us away from there. We had such fun taping it. Of course, we aren't expecting a call or anything....but oh what fun it would be.

Well, toodles all!

Howdy, Steve..........I was trieng to think up some whitty initiation for you. But, as you've heard already. Just a great big welcome from us to you.

Angelina you sure are busy. We start baseball just as soon as we can, that is if the snow will stop. Okay, SG and Rider, I am going to start again, to lose the "tonnage", big old jiggly laugh. You have definately inspired me. I am asking my children for help this time. To remind me.

helenabear, glad you popped in.

Did anyone see the movie The Rookie or High Crimes. I saw both and like both.

Toodles again. To much coffee for me tonight, hope I can sleep. Actually, I'm really tired, was up at 3:30am to take DH to airport, he's in Mexico again.

Hey Steve, I go to Boston pretty often. I see you are from around those parts.

SlightlyGoofy

04-30-2002, 12:53 AM

Hey there Steve! Welcome to the suite. We are always in search of people who enjoy the good life and love to dish about all of life's trials, tribulations and temptations. Just put in your drink order and we will make sure that the guys put in an ample supply. No initiations are necessary as just the fact that you are interested in joining makes you eligible for joining this motely crew. LOL

Jstmee, imagine we might have real life television star amongst us. Even if you are not lucky enough to make the final cut you will have the memories of making the tape and that sounds like quite an adventure in and of itself. WTG!!! If you would like any help with diets and recipes I have collected quite a few in my adventure toward normalcy (physical as mental is out of the question). LOL

Angelina, thank you for the description of your next month's schedule. Just reading it wore off an extra pound or two. LOL I cannot imagine having to live it though. I vaugely remember the days of rushing from one activity to another. At one time I did not drive and had to run the mile from the high school to the grade school and back more than once. I was younger in those days.

Rider, are you back at work? I hope you went back and found some changes and all of them positive. Hopefully they missed you and found out how valuable you are and are on bended knee begging you to forgive them their tresspasses.

Helenabear, what lovely photos, especially the wedding ones. I enjoyed seeing the old pictures of DW also. We were there when MGM and Epcot were opened and it is sometimes hard to remember the days when the parks were just starting out. I am looking forward to seeing you next week and will send an email with all the details and wait for your response. Have had a long hard day and my mind is not working at its best so I may wait until morning unless I get a second wind. Mondays and Wednesdays are long full days for me and since I am not as young as the rest of you it takes quite a bit out of me.

The music was so great the other night at the church. I got to visit with some of my former 4-Hers and listening to their music was awesome. I wanted to give them a standing ovation. They write their own songs and one song was outstanding. I have the c/d and wonder if I can 'send' it to other people. Anyone know?

I am going to head for a bath and then maybe a bit of a rest on the veranda just in time to see the nightly fireworks. Iced water is my drink of 'choice' nowadays. Maybe I can stay up until you youngsters return from the parks and your evening adventures and hear what you got up to.

SG/Linda

jstmee

04-30-2002, 07:16 AM

SG, I laughed at the Iced Water, sounds sooooo delicious, I will add a bit of lemon to mine thanks.

SlightlyGoofy

04-30-2002, 09:41 AM

I am glad I could give you a smile Jstmee. LOL I do need to request a room reassignment. With all the water I am required to drink on this diet it is a necessity that I be right next to the bathroom. If anyone sees me going in that direction you might want to yield the right of way to prevent any possible accidents to our EWP embossed carpet. (grin) Heck, while we are it we should just order up seperate baths for each resident, complete with whirlpool and sauna. If you're gonna dream you might as well dream big!

I am off for a morning stroll around one or more of the AK trails. I enjoy walking more when there is something to see.

SG/Linda

angelina

04-30-2002, 10:38 AM

Wendy, it's funny to read about your snow, here it's 90 dogrees with 90-100% humidity and no rain in sight. I was beginning to rethink going to WDW next month, I remembered how how hot it was last summer. But, then, just as I said then, might as well be hot and miserable in WDW as here. :cool:

My schedule got to me yesterday, too. I realized that I forgot to work the concession stand Saturday, so ds won't be able to play in the game Saturday. It just ruined my day, and I was depressed all day long. I sat the kids down and explained to them how difficult it is for me to keep everything straight, even with a calender, when they don't do their part. For instance, Saturday, dd had a 9:00 game, which meant be there by 8:30, after which, she called a friend and was invited to go to her house to play for the afternoon. I discouraged her, but she begged, so I let her go. They even came to pick her up. I went to a shop to look for a 1st communion gift for her, came home, fixed lunch, then picked her up so she could help me pick out the little porcelain girl she had seen, which meant going downtown to the convent. We then went to Target to get drinks for the game and picnic the next day, and made it home just in time to load up again and go to ds's game. Ten minutes before he was supposed to BE there, he realized he didn't have all the pieces of his uniform together as his father and I had BOTH told him to do the day before, so we had to stop everything and look for it. And I forgot all about working at the ball park, or even looking at my schedule.

Today is better, I'm getting an early start since my friend didn't come by for us to go for a walk. We're going to the farmer's market and Wal-Mart for groceries. I hope everyone stays cool/warm as needed, LOL. Have a great morning.:D

IASW Rider

04-30-2002, 05:56 PM

Hey Everyone!

Whew - what a day! My head is spinning. So LOVELY to be back at work, you know. :) I can't wait till this day is over so that I can get out of here! Since it's too late to delve into a new project, I thought that I would spend my last 1/2 hour at work with all of you - far more pleasant than looking at the stuff strewn all over my desk!

Welcome, Steve! Great to see one of my trivia buddies in the Suite! And Storm Along Bay sounds great to me, too!

Thanks so much for posting the links to your great pictures, Helenabear - I was really excited to see them! I especially loved seeing your wedding photos - you both look so wonderful and happy in them! I sent the link over to Frank so that he could see them, too! And your dress and veil are just gorgeous - I'm so happy that we finally got to see what they look like, after your great descriptions of them! It was also really neat to see your "vintage" WDW pictures! I wish that I had a scanner so that I could upload some of my older WDW pictures, too. I hope that we will be able to get "our" room at the Poly. We think that we have a pretty good chance of getting it since it's not in a popular location, is on the third floor, and is a smoking room, so hopefully it won't already be assigned. We just love that Samoa building! And that room has sentimental meaning to us!

I can definitely relate to those charges to the restroom, SG! We'll be racing eachother to get there - maybe that should be our "gentlemen's" next project - building additional restroom facilities for us - complete with personal jacuzzi's, of course! So neat that you and Helenabear are going to meet in person, next week!!! Thanks for your encouragement about my charming work situation. It's yucky as ever - today they published and circulated the new organizational chart for our division......with my name conspicuously absent. Already, people have started to ask my assistant what my "deal" is. Oh well - I knew that "the masses" were going to find out, some time. I'm just plugging away, posting for other jobs and hoping that something will turn up as soon as possible, so that I can get out of here. Though I'll tell you, after being off for a week and a half, I could definitely get used to not working at all, if it came to September and I still didn't have a job......! I also agree with you about the seats of exercise bikes - my behind has been numb ever since I started using Frank's Life Cycle - I guess I'll have to get used to it, though, 'cause I don't want to chance doing anything higher impact until I know that my injury has completely healed. Bet you're having a great week - I'm sure that you will be in for a pleasant surprise on your ribbon, very soon!

That's so neat that you and your DH submitted that audition tape, Jstmee! Can't wait to hear how it goes - it sounds like it was a lot of fun to make, and who knows? We just might be watching you both on TV in the very near future! You'll have to keep us posted! And thanks for your kind words, as always!

Wow, Angelina - your schedule is PACKED! But at least it's packed with lots of happy and fun things and family celebrations! After all of those events have passed, you know what you will definitely need????...........A TRIP TO WDW!!!!!!! :) :) :) Don't worry about the heat - who cares about the heat when you're in WDW??!!! We can take it - we're WOMEN OF THE SUITE!!!! :) I will have to cheer you on and encourage you throughout the next month, to ensure that you and your family are down there at the beginning of June! COME TO WDW!!! COME TO WDW!!! COME TO WDW!!! :) I really hope that we will be there at the same time! In the mean time, hang in there! You are doing a far better job managing your own schedule, as well as those of your DH and children, than you are giving yourself credit for! Just mastering everything that you just mentioned is a feat, in and of itself, and you should be proud of how organized you are and how much you get done on a given day! And thank you for your kind words, as always, too!

Well, it's just about time to hit the road. Hope that there is not too much traffic, tonight - I did a little grocery shopping at lunch, and have kept the perishables in the office refridgerator. I hope that I get home quickly, since I'll have turkey and chicken in the car! I just hope that I get home quickly, period - I need to get out of here!

Have a great night, and I'll talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

04-30-2002, 10:22 PM

Angelina, I used to just love it when people would look at me and ask if I 'worked' or was 'just' a stay at home mom. IMHO most SAHM's work harder and more hours than many who work outside the home as well. It is not that the others are not good mothers, they sure are BUT the SAHM's have a lot of pressure to 'do it all' while the others know they can't and act accordingly, as they should. I just hate it when one group fights the other over who is the 'best'. They all are IMHO. I am so proud of how you handled the situation. You did not beat yourself up for not being 'perfect' and you expressed your feelings to your children in a way that they will be able to understand and maybe help out in the future. If I had a star I would pin on you myself. BTW, I need a nap after reading what all you did in one day. zzzzzz

Rider, it is good that the 'troops' know what is up. Among them might be one who knows someone who knows someone that might come up with some sort of solution for you. At the least they will have learned how the company treats their loyal employees and the smarter and better workers will know that they should be looking out for themselves and will jump ship to somewhere they trust more. It is very demoralizing for employees to see another being treated unfairly and disrespectfully and it will show in their work. You try a lot harder for someone who encourages and rewards rather than being inconsistent and arbitrary. I hope that the path to home was as easy as it could get. Instead of moving walkways we need moving roads in some areas. Think of all the work that could be done on the way to and from work if people could just drive onto a WR and get off at their exit?

I am thinking about bringing my apricot striped shirt and slacks for the meet with Helenabear. It would be easy for her to recognize me. LOL That and the Goofy on my purse might be a tip off. I am so terrible at remembering people but I think I would recognize her. I had an idea awhile back and since it is not evident that I cannot do it I will devulge all. I had an idea that it would have been a cool surprise to be at DW when Rider and Angelina were there and would not have been hard to find out where they were as everyone is so chatty about their plans and arrange to be there nearby and maybe drop some hints until they realized that SG was among their midsts! A girl can dream - - - - -

Hey, Steve, if you are gonna be a member you have to devulge some details about yourself so we can tailor some excursions just for you. Please?

Poor Wendy, still winter there? In the dead heat of summer we will envy you but not just this minute. (smile)

Was out and about most of the day and just got home so I had better see what needs to be done as I will be gone most of tomorrow also. Thank you all for your encouragement on the weight loss thing. Is going badly right now and I am struggling.

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

05-01-2002, 11:35 AM

Oh, don't tease us, SG! It would have been such a great surprise to "run into you" at WDW! :( Who knows - maybe we will all be able to get together there, some time in the future! Are you and your DH still considering moving down there?

Well, I came in to work, today, to find an envelope on my desk marked "to be opened by addressee only" - LOVELY. I knew exactly what it was - it was my "see ya, sucker" package - the package explaining all of my lay off severence / benefits, etc. I have to say, the company is very generous when they kick people out the door - I have no complaints about what they are offering, in and of itself. I just still can't believe that they want me out of here. Oh well - no sense in sulking, I guess. I have to move on!

At least I'm off, tomorrow (between my bronchitis of last month, the spring holidays, my great eye accident, and now this day off, I've actually spent more time away from the office than in it, lately!). Frank and I are going to meet with the bakery about our wedding cake, pick up our WDW documents at the travel agent (yea!), I have a fitting for my dress, and we're going to apply for our marriage license. At least it will be a productive day!

I ordered us Mickey and Minnie bride and groom pins from pinstore.com, a few days ago, and they came in, yesterday. I'm going to surprise Frank with his (along with a Mickey Swiss Army watch - which I hope to have engraved - and a book called "I Marry You Because....." - with all sorts of quotes and anecdotes about marriage in it) the night before our wedding. I thought that wearing the pins every day when we are in WDW would be easier and more comfortable than wearing our bride and groom mouse ear hats (which our Keys to the Kingdom tour guide gave us last year, when we told him that we had just gotten engaged). I also didn't want the mouse ear hats to get crushed in our luggage, if we tried to bring them back to WDW with us. The pins are really nice! I'm not a Disney pin collector - only because I know that if I started, I would go crazy and spend millions of dollars on them - but it's nice to have a few special pins! I can't believe that we will be there a month from Friday! :)

Well, time to try to get some work done and "earn my keep", I guess. Hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you later! :)

IASW Rider

05-03-2002, 03:10 PM

Hey everyone!

How are you all doing, today? Guess I happened by the Suite at a time when no one is around - I guess you're all out at the parks, having fun!

Well, we had a very productive day off, yesterday! We did all the wedding planning things that I mentioned in my last post, so we felt really accomplished! We also had lunch with my father, who served as our witness when we applied for our marriage license. That was really nice, since my father so rarely gets to get out of his house, and rarely comes over to our house. We had a really nice afternoon with him.......but when we came home, my mother had left a message on our answering machine, asking for my father to call her back. So he did.....and would you believe she made him feel GUILTY for taking too much time away from her???? I was really pissed off when I saw how agitated my father was by whatever she was saying to him on the phone. He said that she was "worried" because she didn't think that he would be gone that long. It's total manipulation. Anyway, my father bolted out of our house and went home, the second that he hung up the phone with her. Oh well - at least he had a nice afternoon out, for awhile, anyway. But in general, it was a nice day.

Today is not such a nice day. My boss told me that they have hired my "replacement" and that he will be starting in 2 weeks (and I actually know him - he's someone I worked with back in my early days at ML, in the 80's). Whoopee. If they expect me to train this guy, they have another thing coming. It's like every day, a new source of humiliation is heaped on me. At least I'm becoming numb to it all, now, and sort of letting it roll off me. I thought that I would be much more upset about my replacement being hired than I actually am. I just think to myself "typical" and try to laugh it off, inside my head. I just can't deal with this place. 3 more hours till the weekend..........

But on to a more fun countdown - 1 MONTH TILL WDW!!!!!!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :) :)

Sorry to come in here and whine and complain.........I think that I will grab one of the cans of Diet Coke that our Suite staff has so thoughtfully left for us and run out to the monorail station. I think I need a quick ride on IASW to lift my spirits!

Have a nice day and a great weekend! :)

IASW Rider

05-05-2002, 06:39 PM

Wow - I just keep picking times to come by when everyone is out for the day! So, I thought that I would leave you all a note to find, when you come back to the Suite after your day's activities! I'll just leave it here by our nice EWP juice and fruit bar.

It's been a nice weekend, here in the Garden State - sunny both days, and in the high 60's / low 70's. We went to see "Spiderman", yesterday, since Frank was dying to see it. It was a pretty good movie - I enjoyed seeing it! We hadn't been to a movie in the theaters in so long. Not too much else to report - just catching up on things around the house for the rest of the weekend. Frank went out back to pull some weeds, today, and saw that the infamous poison ivy of last summer has grown and is now very obvious to see, back there. I'm going to call our Homeowners Association tomorrow, to see if they can send someone over to get rid of it, so that I do not have any more unfortunate encounters with it, this year! I keep worrying that something else "bad" will happen before our wedding.....my face finally looks back to normal, after my "eye incident" - the last thing that I need right now is a case of poison ivy! Oh well - I'll try not to worry so much!

Hope that you're all having a nice weekend! Hopefully I'll catch one or 2 of you here, the next time I stop by! I'm going to head out to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping, now, and maybe have dinner at the House of Blues! See ya later! :)

SlightlyGoofy

05-05-2002, 10:22 PM

I wish I could do this in person but I am sending a special {{{{{GBFH}}}}}} to our dear Lisa/Rider. I know that there is sunshine ahead for you but I know how hard it is for you to see that far ahead right now. You are doing wonderfully in holding your head high and not letting them see your hurt. They will rue the day. I do not know how many times they badgered someone out where my DH used to work and often found themselves having to hire the person back as a 'consultant' because the new people did not know what they were doing. Being the ornery person that I am I might 'suggest' that things be filed under letters that only you would understand and so on but I would never really do such a thing in real life, but it is nice to dream sometimes. LOL

I think I can understand how frustrating it must be for you not to get to spend more time with your dad. It is so lovely of you guys to include him in your plans and ceremony. I am sure it means the world to him. The more I hear about your Mom the more I feel she has a mental problem of some kind and needs some help. I have a dear friend who is afraid to travel, even a few miles and I have a fear of animals and I know how such things can limit your life and how it hurts your self esteem and causes so many misunderstandings with others from time to time. I know some people think I am reclusive or stuck up but I am just afraid and then not being able to hear well isolates me as well. On the computer you can deal with people one on one and since I am reading rather than hearing I can get things mostly right. LOL

Dear Elaine/Helenabear I cannot believe that I am going to be meeting you soon. I still have not heard from my sister as yet. One sister says she would love to come with us and I think the other will as well. I will email her at work tomorrow and try to get her to suggest somethings and will send you the info for you to choose. Since you have to travel the furtherest it is only fair IMHO. I am easy to get along with and will be happy any old place as long as I am with friends. (grin) Just be forewarned that I am just a plain, regular motherly type person albeit with a strange sense of humor and, I hope, a warm smile.

I am glad to hear that Spiderman was a good movie. I have invited my little guy to go with me when we return. He loves super heros. He sang at church this morning and was the loudest, by far. Even with my impairment I could hear him loud and clear. He came home with us after church while his parents arranged his party. It was held in the town square shelterhouse, just up the street from here. He gave the blessing before we ate and I was a bit bad and taped it. He got far more presents than he deserved and we all had a lovely time. My dear friend, Dorthea, came as well. She does not get out as much nowadays and I was worried that she might overdo.

I wish I had maintainace to call since I am the one to fight off the dreaded poison ivy and I have to make time tomorrow to install a new garage door lock as ours is on it's last legs. This in addition to packing, cleaning the car, house, yardwork etc. Sure glad I am not a 'working' woman! LOL

We will be leaving Tuesday, after we vote, so I will not be in touch for about a week but I have a feeling that HB will be in touch after our visit so I will not be too far from the suite.

Take care, Rider, Helenabear, Angelina, Jstmee, and Steve(wherever you are)!

SG/Linda

helenabear

05-05-2002, 11:32 PM

Hi there everyone! I am stopping in really quick to make sure you all know that I still am around. I have had some really long e-mails I have had to respond to lately and by the time I am done with them, I am too pooped to talk a lot. The rest of the CB is nice because I can do one liners here and there and not have to worry :D

This is the week!! This is the week where two of our EWP Group members finally get to meet each other :bounce: Let's see... it is Sunday now and if I recall the e-mail correctly, I will be seeing Linda on Friday :Pinkbounc That is so cool!

Well I should go, it's late and I told myself I wasn't going to stay and chat long. I have been listening to each of you and well, you all know me by now, I would never ignore you. So hopefully tomorrow (crossing fingers) I will be able to come in here and really chat with you all! Now that I have chatted much longer than I thought :D I will bid you all farewell until hopefully tomorrow :sunny:

SlightlyGoofy

05-05-2002, 11:47 PM

I would be bouncing for joy over here too Helenabear but I do not want to upset the San Andreas fault. LOL

I will be counting the days until Friday and am looking forward to seeing you and Luis' beautiful faces in person.

Slightly Goofy

angelina

05-05-2002, 11:48 PM

Hi, guys, it's nice to make it back the the suite tonight. I really, really need a day in the beautiful pool cooling off--it's sooooo hot here, over 90 with the heat index. No rain in sight, so dh and I have been taking turns watering the grass and flowers. Today was dd's 1st Communion, so our weekend has been consumed with that in addition to field day on Friday, two ball games yesterday, and an hour and a half working concession stand duty in between games.

SG, you and Helenabear have so much to look forward to this week! I hope one of you is able to post some pictures for the rest of us to see. Lisa, if we're able to meet you at WDW next month, you could post pics, too! I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. Still need to buy a new car, so the trip may not materialize this year. I hope you're enjoying the last few weeks until your wedding. I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you to get through each day, but you're doing a wonderful job, I'm sure. Much better than I would be able to. Good luck to you.

I'm signing off now, I'm going to go to bed. Take care and I will "see" you tomorrow.

Angelina

jstmee

05-06-2002, 09:37 AM

Angelina, if only I can get some of that warm here up here. We had some sleet and snow just two short days ago. But yesterday, it got up to 60 so that was wonderful for us.

Lisa, I am not sure how you are holding your head so high at work. I am still bothered by my "lay-off" of 10 years ago. They "eliminated" my position - of course, there were many others to go also, but it is just such an awful feeling. I cannot imagine knowing that someone is coming in to take your place. Why don't they just keep you? Your salary is probably too high. Keep hangin' in there. When is your last day there? Wouldn't it be nice if you could stay home after your wedding and "play" house for awhile. ----Maybe make babies???

SG and helenabear, how lovely to finally get to meet one another. Enjoy!!!! SG, don't be so hard on yourself. The comments about, just a plain motherly type. Surely, you jest. You are such a BEAUTIFUL woman of strength and spirit, and yes a wonderful sense of humor.

I got my first daffodils that were able to live yesterday. Eight of them, such a joy to see! I also saw my first Robin of the Spring last week and made my wish. It's a custom that the first Robin you see each spring you make a wish.

My DH and I go back down to Boston tomorrow. I am kind of nervous. Not to be seen, but to go all that way just to meet with the Doctor for the consultation and "wasting" my DH time. I know I'm not wasting his time, but to go down and have them just talk to you it seems it. But, I don't know what the outcome will be until tomorrow.

SG have a safe trip. helenabear you have a safe trip also.

We might also go to Connecticut where my DH's company is based. He has a company car, an Intrepid 1999 that has 133K miles on it so they have another one for him to trade. The new one is a Sable wagon. I really don't want to give up the Intrepid. It is so nice and sporty!! Oh well. Can't look a gift horse in the mouth as they say.

Bye for now. I have to sub at my childs school for a little bit. Then go to the hospital. My friend that has cancer is reaching her time now. She has a blood clot in her heart and in her arm and there is nothing that can be done for it, she's been fighting for a tremendously long time!

IASW Rider

05-06-2002, 12:20 PM

Yea!!! You're all here!!!! I'm so glad that I finally caught you all! Maybe we can all go out and hit the parks together, today!

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, Wendy. I'm sure that it's been very difficult for her, but it's so wonderful that she has a kind and supportive friend, such as yourself, to stand by her, visit with her, keep her company, keep her spirits, up, etc. I'm sure that she really appreciates your being there and all that you've done for her. I hope that everything goes well with your consultation in Boston, today. I know that that's a long trip, just to talk, but hopefully it will be well worth it and they will give you some valuable information. I'm sure that it's not a waste of your DH's time - I'm sure that he wants to be there with you and for you and hear what the doctor has to say, as well. I hope that everything goes smoothly and that you receive some positive news and information! I can't believe that it sleeted up there, recently! I'm glad that signs of spring have started showing themselves, though - it's always nice to see the first robin and the first daffodils of spring! I hope that you won't have to suffer with any more snow or ice for a long time! I was also laid off once before (not from ML - from my high school, when I worked there for 2 years, in charge of the alumni program, 7 years ago), and I never really got over that. But at least it makes this "round" a little easier to deal with and not as much of a shock or upset! None of us who are getting laid off, across the division, have gotten an exact end date, yet (they want to sap as much out of us as possible, to satisfy their needs, before they let us go). But it will most likely be in the middle of September. I wish that I didn't have to sit here all summer. In a way, it would have been better if they just let me go NOW, so that I could relax before the wedding and enjoy the summer! Believe me, I have thought about not looking for another job too soon, taking the severence package, sitting back and relaxing for 8 months, and maybe trying to start a family. But I'm not sure that I am emotionally ready to do that (even though now there is so much talk about women having children and age, etc. - I don't want to be scared into having a child before I really feel ready, just because there is all this publicity now about women's ages and fertility, etc.). I don't know - I guess I'll have to see! It's a very nice thought.....but I just worry about being nervous about ultimately having to find a job and go back to work, and not being able to really relax and enjoy the time off, as a result! Oh well - I still have a few months to think about that. In the mean time, I'm still doing a not very aggressive job search, just for the heck of it.

I really hope that you are able to make it down to WDW, Angie! And if you did, I would definitely take and post pictures to share with everyone! I actually already have my on-line photo albums set up so that I can upload wedding and honeymoon pictures into them, after I take them! I will post the links in the Suite when the time gets closer. Last year, we brought Frank's lap top to WDW with us, and every night I uploaded pictures into the albums so that people at home could see them while we were still there! We'll do the same thing, this year. I really hope that you are able to make it! :) Sorry to hear that it has been so hot down there! Definitely time for a dip in our EWP pool! Congratulations on your DD's First Communion!

Linda and Elaine - have a wonderful time when you get together! We can't wait to hear all about your meeting! And don't forget to take lots of pictures! And I agree with Wendy, Linda - you are a beautiful and fantastic person and we'd all love to meet you in person!

Thanks so much to all of you for your thoughtful words! They are especially meaningful as I am sitting here at work, writing this (as I said, all thoughts of not using the internet when I'm at work have gone right out the window! They can pay me to post on the DIS Boards - that's fine with me!). I'm hanging in there. It helps me to try to find some comedy in the situation, even if it's just inside my head, to get through each day. And believe me, Linda, I have had thoughts about mis-filing things, deleting certain documents, or otherwise doing little things to cause future "inconveniences" for this group, after I'm gone. For now, my only "revenge" is leaving every day exactly at 5:00 and not putting forth an extra ounce of energy for these people, even though we are totally swamped with special projects that all have deadlines in the very near future. Oh well, I'll trudge through......

My big accomplishment of the day, so far, is putting on makeup for the first time in 3 weeks! I have felt so "naked", coming to work without it, so this morning I figured "why not?" and put some on. I'm going to call the plastic surgeon soon to make sure that it was all right that I put on eye makeup and concealer under my eyes (and I also have a bevy of other questions for him!). My eye looks and feels completely normal, so it's hard to remember, sometimes, that I still need to be careful with it. I'm just sick of not letting myself enjoy this time before the wedding, as much as I should be, because I'm too busy worrying about my eye or my job or whatever. Sometimes, I just wish that I could shut off my brain - or at least the part of it that worries all the time!

This is the only week this month on which we don't have wedding-related meetings in the evenings. Starting next week, we have all sorts of "final arrangements" meetings with the florist, with the woman who does my hair and will do my makeup, more fittings for my dress, etc. I'm hoping that those meetings will make the weeks go more quickly, until the end of the month!

OK - I'll stop rambling on, for now!

Who's up for the water parks, today??

Hope that you're all having a great day! Talk to you soon! And lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}} to you all! :)

Dan Murphy

05-07-2002, 03:04 PM

Just dropping in to say hello to one of the nicest of groups here on the DIS. Tried to skim through a bit and update on the goings on here, lots happening.

Lisa, just wishing you well on your wedding plans, sounds great. And another hug on your bummed work situation, but you'll do fine.

Linda, have fun at the wedding and dinner visit with Elaine, sounds like a blast. I think I need to see Spiderman soon too.

Congratulations, Angelina, on your daughter's Communion, a real milestone and memory for all. God bless.

And, Wendy, a hug for comfort with your friend with cancer, so sad. My prayers and best.

Lastly, Steve, keep up with this EWP group, as well as the folks on the IB, they are real winners. God bless you too.

Hope you all have a great week and are enjoying the spring weather in your part of the world. :wave:

Dan :sunny:

IASW Rider

05-07-2002, 03:31 PM

Hi Dan!

Thanks so much for stopping in to see us! How have you been?

I hope that you will be able to come to a DIS Meet in NJ, some day! :)

Hope that you're all having a nice day! Wish I had some interesting news to report.....but I don't. :(

Talk to you all, soon! :)

IASW Rider

05-09-2002, 11:14 AM

Oops - guess that I popped in while you're all out, again!

Not too much to report from cold, rainy NJ today! (very disappointing, since the past few days have been sunny and in the 70's).

Just wanted to say "hi" and hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you soon! Have a nice day! :)

helenabear

05-09-2002, 01:33 PM

Hi all just popping in quickly to say hi! I know I haven't been talkative lately but all is well here :)

Just letting you all know that tomorrow Linda and I will be getting together for dinner. I will be taking my digital camera so that way I will be able to post a few pictures of all of us tomorrow after I get back :bounce:

Wendy I am so sorry to hear about your friend {{HUGS}} to you... I hope she may be comfortable and surrounded by her loved ones now.

Lisa, you are so close to the wedding now!!! Oh I am so happy for you!!! Keep your spirits up as work the best you can. I am sure it all will work out great for you.

Angelina, good luck with your yard... I hope some rain comes your way soon!!! Also congrats on your DD's 1st Communion. What a great event!

Steve... where are you... did we lose you at Storm-A-Long Bay???? Stop back soon!

Dan, always good to see you here :sunny:

Well I need to get back to work. I will post pictures tomorrow :D

IASW Rider

05-10-2002, 03:29 PM

Hey Elaine!

I can't believe that you and Linda are going to meet eachother, tonight! :) :) :) Yes, I can't wait to see pictures! (Can you tell that I get a little impatient, when it comes to pictures??!!) I will be thinking of you both - in fact, I will watch my tape of the EWP in your honor, tonight! :)

You were really making me hungry, talking about your cooking, on the Coqui thread! YUM!!!! I had to run to the cafeteria and get breakfast after I read your most recent posts, over there!

I'm so glad that I don't care about work any more, and spend most of my days getting to catch up on various threads on the Boards, instead........!!! :) :) :)

Well, Frank is heading down to his mother's house in South Jersey for the weekend, tonight. I'm going to take advantage of my last weekend alone as a "single woman" by sneaking over to the jeweler while Frank is away and picking up the watch that I'd gotten and had engraved for him and taking care of some other errands and chores. And of course I will go to my parents' house on Sunday and see if my mother will decide to talk to me on Mother's Day! Actually, she has been sort of talking to me for many months, now, but it's just not "normal" or the way that it used to be. I think that my father was actually surprised that I wasn't going with Frank to see his mother for Mother's Day. But I wouldn't do that. Anyway, I'll try to make it as nice a day as possible - for her and for myself! I'm looking forward to getting some relaxing in, too - I haven't been sleeping very well or very much, lately. I think that I may subconsciously be stressing about the wedding and about my work situation. Oh well!

Moving right along.........yes, we're getting married 3 weeks from Sunday! I can't believe that the "countdown" is now in terms of weeks instead of months! I'm just hoping that I can keep myself in one piece until then - a few days ago, I thought that I was catching conjunctivitis in both of my eyes (great - right after my eye injury of last month!). But I went to the doctor today and she said that if that's what it is, it's a very mild case and will go away by itself, without medication. I'm just hoping that I don't do something else to "mess myself up" before June 2nd! I'm so paranoid that I will catch poison ivy again or fall down and hurt myself, or something! I am turning into quite the hyponchondriac! I just want to make sure that I can walk down the proverbial (because there won't be an actual one) aisle and get on that plane to WDW!!!!

Anyway, hope that all is well with all of you! Wishing you all a very Happy Mother's Day! Have a great weekend and enjoy! :)

helenabear

05-10-2002, 11:28 PM

Since Lisa is so dang impatient, I am back and ready to post some pictures!!! (Oh btw Lisa :bounce: so happy about the upcoming wedding :bounce: )

Linda, Tom, Luis and I all met for dinner at Tumbleweed on the East side of Columbus. I sort of had an idea where it was located but of course I forgot to write the directions down but I figured I didn't care and thought I'd be able to find it no matter what. So I make the drive to the East side (and in the process figure out to get from the West side to the East side with one major highway closed :rolleyes: ) Linda and her husband were already there with the table. After hugs and welcomes we sat down to a very nice and fairly long dinner. It was full of great conversations and it was so nice to finally meet Linda! She is just as sweet in person as she is on the boards... but then again I expected no less than that. She gave me a card & a sweet little potted rose plant. I felt awful as I had come empty handed. Well no matter what we had a wonderful time together and I do look forward to visiting with her again sometime in the very near future :D

Well we took two pictures there since it was just us and w/o further ado, here they are.

Linda (Slightly Goofy) and Tom
http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/lindatom.jpg

Linda and myself
http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/lindaelaine.jpg

The rose plant
http://home.columbus.rr.com/coqui/roses.jpg

Again we had a great time together and I look forward to the day where I can spend time with Linda again!!!

Now for some wonderful news!!!!

Luis got a new job :bounce: It isn't quite where he was at before, but he is working better hours (no more weekends) and a wonderful company!!! I will not complain at all because he is so happy about it (so am I). He really needed this for his confidence more than anything else. Yes the money will be nice, but let me tell you, the look on his face is worth so much more to me than any dollar amount! So thank you all for praying and thinking of us... it really paid off!!!

Dan Murphy

05-10-2002, 11:33 PM

Thanks for the pictures, Elaine, so nice to see Linda and Tom again, and you too. As you said, she is a nice lady. Great you guys were able to get together for dinner and friendship. :earsgirl: :earsgirl: Nice plant too.

And great news about Luis. :bounce: Very happy for him, and you too. :sunny:

IASW Rider

05-11-2002, 12:07 AM

CONGRATULATIONS TO LUIS ON HIS NEW JOB!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)!!!!!!!!

That is so wonderful!!!!!! Please wish Mr. Coqui lots of good luck and happiness from his friends in New Jersey, Helenabear!!!!!!!! That is so great!!!!! :) :) :)!!!!!!!!!

OK, I am a big sentimental fool..........the second that I saw that photo of you with Linda, Elaine, I had tears in my eyes........SERIOUSLY!!!! It's so wonderful that the 4 of you were able to get together, tonight!!! (I am so jealous - I wish that I could have been there, too!
:( Well, maybe some day......! :) ) So glad to hear that you all had a nice time! I knew that you would!! You look wonderful in the photo, as always! And doesn't Linda look fantastic, too??!!! :) SG - if you're out there - I can definitely see why you earned that ribbon and all those stars! You're doing wonderfully! :) Thanks so much for posting your description of the evening and your beautiful photos, Elaine! Needless to say, I have already "borrowed" your photos to put in my on-line albums so that I can make prints of them! But may I ask a technical question, please? I tried to "borrow" some of your other photos, which were "art" files. I tried to save them as "jpg" files (those are the only sorts of photo files which Yahoo will let me upload), but Yahoo still wouldn't let me upload them. Any suggestions for the ignorant? :)

Hi Dan!!! Thanks so much for trying to send me a "PM" - I received an e-mail from The DIS stating that my inbox is full, so I've been spending most of the evening printing out my sentimental PM's (which are all of the ones which I saved on line!), so that I can delete them and clear my inbox. The only "PM" which I will never delete is the one from Linda (dated July 16th), inviting me to the (then) brand new EWP thread! :) Thank you for trying to write back - hopefully my inbox will be cleared before the end of the evening!

Hope that all is well with you both and your families and with the rest of you ladies and gentleman (or should I say "gentlemen", in case Coqui is here, too!)! Have a wonderful weekend and take care. :)

IASW Rider

05-13-2002, 03:24 PM

Hi Everyone!

Just stopping in to say "hi" and to wish everyone a belated Happy Mother's Day! Hope that you all had a nice weekend! Talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

05-13-2002, 04:32 PM

There is no place better than home. Ok, Disney World is a very close second but then it IS like home. LOL

It was a very eventful week but one of the highlights was our dinner with Elaine and Luis. They were exactly as I had envisioned. Such a nice and intelligent couple. Luis is as gorgeous as his pictures make him out to be but more importantly he is well spoken and very loving toward our Helenabear. He was so happy thinking of his new job. WTG!!!

I am terrible at remembering faces and such but I knew Helenabear the second I saw her. She has the kind of beauty that is natural and a great smile. I am so blessed to be able to be the first to meet one of you in person. It was so wonderful to be able to give them both of my patented {{{{{GBFHugs}}}}}! The food was great and the company was even better. I wish the rest of you could join us in Columbus in July.

We drove from Columbus, OH Sunday morning to have lunch in Indy with our daughter and her family and our sil's mother and friend for Mother's Day dinner. I was getting the food free because it was my assignment. Am I a great mother in law or what? (grin)

It is a catch up day around here. Just went through the mail and have most of the laundry done so I am doing pretty well. It is cold and rainy and I am waiting for Austin to arrive. He was a hoot yesterday. He wanted to ride home with us yesterday and I asked him whether we should go home by the interstate or not and he told me to go the longest way as he had lots to tell me. My little guy almost knocked me over (not an easy thing to do) in his excitement to see me.

We had a lot of family crisises and good moments on the trip. One bad thing is that I 'have' to have some Egyptian cotton sheets ASAP. My sister had them on her bed and they were the most wonderful thing to feel!

I spent one afternoon with one of my sisters at Damon's playing trivia. It was so much fun mostly because I hardly ever get to see this sister. We are making plans to get together in June though. We will meet at Holiday World park just south of here.

Another sister just bought her first home. She could and has made a home out of a cardboard box and it was so wonderful to see her with a place of her own. It has so much character and nooks and crannies. It has a block building near the house and a flower garden. She and her children painted it sky blue and then drew birdhouses and flowers on it to make the most delightful scene.

I knew it was getting close to Rider's wedding day but it is even closer than I had thought. I hope your bachelorette weekend went well. There is such a thing as toooo much togetherness. As I tell Tomm - How can I miss you if you never leave? (smile) You are so wise and so smart to have him visit his mom for this special weekend and so very loving to make sure you spend it with your mom in spite of the problems. I will keep my fingers crossed that things will improve and you will have more and more quality time with her. She is such a lucky lady to have such a loving and thoughtful daughter. I am sure that she knows that too.

Thank you for the kind words Dan. I am surely glad that you will be at DW to keep an eye on Helenabear. We would hate for her to have even one bad moment. She is so excited to be close to meeting you and your beautiful wife, Marie. We will await the details.

Angelina and Jstmee, I will have to figure out someway of getting to meet you guys. I am keeping Fairhope on my 'want to visit' list and Canada has always been there and is not too far away so you never know when I might pop up to give you {{{{{GBFHugs}}}}}.

It is about time for my guy to get here and I am anxious to see how far he got in the book while I was gone so I had better log off and get a few things done before he comes.

Your friend, Slightly Goofy/Linda

IASW Rider

05-14-2002, 11:12 AM

Welcome back, SG! So glad that you had a nice trip and that you and Tom had a great time with Helenabear and Coqui! :) I really love those pictures that Helenabear posted - I've already "borrowed" them and put them into my on line photo album so that I can make prints of them! :) It sounds like you've been busy since you've been back, as always!

I'm sitting here and procrastinating at work, again. :) Not too much to report from here - I'm having "Disney fever", today - can't stop thinking about WDW and counting the hours till we're there! I also can't get the soundtrack of The Country Bear Jamboree out of my head, today, for some reason! :)

I'm going to have my makeup trial for the wedding, with the lady who does my hair, tonight. I'm a little nervous about having someone else put makeup on my face, with my stupid eye thing. Even though it looks and feels totally normal, it just makes me nervous to have someone else's hands around that area of my face. I might chicken out, resolve myself to doing my own makeup on that day, and just have her trim my hair, instead! Tomorrow night we meet with the florist for the last time. I just hope that the next few weeks go quickly - sitting here at work is even "worse" when I have something to look forward to in a few weeks and I just want the date to get here, already! :)

So, when does Luis start his new job, Elaine? He must be so excited about it! You'll have to go out and celebrate!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a nice day and I'll talk to you later! :)

Horizons16

05-14-2002, 04:11 PM

Well everyone im back!!! Havent been putting around the boards lately... so much to catch up on...

Well Rider i know how you feel i have disney fever today too! I took some medicine though, a good dose of digital-disney.com :)

People have PM'ed me about a certain someone. Just wanted to thank them. You know who you are!

I have a High School Band concert coming up this week. I play drums. Im not sure how this is really going to work out. Im a little worried about it but hey whatever happens happens.

I started my English MCAS stuff today... AHHH Im not worried about the tests i just dont want to sit there for 3 hours not moving. Im the type of person that doesnt sit still. You know how it is. Your out there i know you are...

Anyway have to get out and do some work. Talk to all you later!
~Steve

SlightlyGoofy

05-14-2002, 07:48 PM

Hi Steve!

Glad to see you back with us. Wish I could take your English test for you. I used to love tests. I loved diagramming sentences also. I am sick. I could take your test and you could balance my checkbook. I never have missed doing that but would you believe I have not actually done that since our last DW trip in November? I sort of know how much I have in there but not to the penny like usual. (frown)

Rider/Lisa, just relax and enjoy these days. I promise you that any little glitches will become fond memories in the years to come. They are the things that make these occasions special. I hope your eye continues to heal and you feel more comfortable. Are you able to wear eye makeup now? I read somewhere that you are supposed to buy all new eye makeup every month or so to avoid infections. I have stuff from 10 years ago but I probably don't wear makeup once a year nowadays. I never look any better but then I never look worse either. LOL

Helenabear/Elaine - Testing, testing. (grin)

Angelina and Jstmee, are you guys out chasing the kids in the sunshine? I hope so.

SG/Linda

Dan Murphy

05-14-2002, 08:10 PM

And Lisa, don't forget about that very important 'sent folder' in your pm's. That is the one a lot of folks forget about, and they do count towards your 120 pm limit, in, sent and saved. :D

Marie and I are really looking forward to seeing Elaine in a few weeks too, Linda. Should be nice. :sunny:

And Steve, always nice to see you here. You are doing just fine. :wave:

SlightlyGoofy

05-14-2002, 08:31 PM

Hi there Dan!

It is always nice to see you in the Suite and you always bring such good information and sunshine with you as well.

Elaine was bubbling with the excitement of getting to spend time with you and Marie. You must have more hours in the day than I do to be able to do all that you do. I am in awe.

Are you planning on coming to the Columbus meet?

Slightly Goofy/Linda

helenabear

05-15-2002, 10:05 PM

Hi all! Okay okay, I've been busy doing stupid things... I've been working on my avatar. It's not that I don't like the EWP Groupie Mickey Ears I created, I just had to try something new for once... as Linda saw last night I was testing and testing away. I think I've found it though :D I hope you all like it.

Wow, you know I really don't have much to say. Luis started his job this week (today) and it apparently went good for a first day. I am just so happy for him right now... my whole mood has drastically changed because of it!!! Things don't get to me the way they used to. I am finally 100% looking forward to my trip in December and I smile more :D Okay now that I am done with all that...

Steve I hope your test went well. You being a percussionist, I can understand about not being able to sit still. My brother is a percussionist and so is my DH, so I have lived with it all my life :D I love watching people playing drums... a very cool instrument to watch being played. I am a music lover myself and play a bunch of different instruments as well as sing here and there.

Linda, it was absolutely wonderful to see you. You flattered me so with your description of me. You are such a dear and I only wish I could come up with words that could flatter you teh way you did me, but since I am in a bit of a rush tonight, I will just give you the best compliment in the world I can think of... you are such a wonderful motherly woman... so very dear and sweet & caring... I am so glad we had a chance to meet in person. I do hope you will be here in July for the meet! Oh and anyone else who wants to come for the meet, I have a few spare bedrooms here to share ;)

Lisa... your wedding is so close now! I can hardly believe it! Soon you will be in the World living it up as a married woman :D

Well I admit I spent too long playing with my avatar so I have a bunch to do, but I had to say hi to you all! Angelina & Jstmee, I hope all is well with you! See you all soon :sunny:

IASW Rider

05-16-2002, 04:20 PM

Hey Everyone!

Steve - I'm sure that your band concert will go really well, as will your exam (I always liked English exams, too, Linda! :) )! Great to see you back in the Suite!

Great to see you, as always, Dan! And thanks for letting me know that "sent items" also "count" toward the PM mailbox limit. I am trying to be more conscientious about keeping my inbox clean! :)

Thanks for your support, ladies! Yes, I am able to wear eye makeup again (in fact, my makeup trial, the other night, went really well - I should look that good EVERY day - hee hee! :) ), but I'm trying not to wear makeup to work every day, just to be sure that I'm "OK" for the wedding. And in general my health has been fine......except that I found out that I have receding gums, today! It's always something! I keep saying to Frank "why are all these things popping up NOW, of all times?!" He thinks it's stress and that I drive myself crazy worrying. He's probably right! Now, I'm starting to get nervous IN ANTICIPATION OF BEING NERVOUS in 2 weeks.........isn't that ridiculous??!!! To be freaked out about inevitably being freaked out?! I need to relax, not think about work, and not think about all the things that will have to be done the week before our wedding (ie: packing for WDW, running things over to the place where the wedding will be, getting my car washed (as it's our method of transportation to the wedding) and covering up the seats with a clean sheet, picking up my dress, getting my nails done, blah, blah, blah........).

Hi Angie and Wendy! :)

Anyway........do we all know what tomorrow is???????

IT'S OUR 1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY IN THE SUITE!!!!!!!! :) :) :) :) :)

Yes, it's been one year since we all started meeting, here.......and since we encountered Bo Dacious, Kas A. Nova, Don Juan, and the rest!

We should have a big Suite party, followed by a special presentation of the EWP! What do you all think?

Have a great afternoon! :)

JAP

05-16-2002, 04:38 PM

Hi to all. I have ignored this thread for a while b/c I did not know what EWP stood for. Well I read some and know I do.

Sadly we have never seen the pagent. We hope to do so on our next trip hopefully in 2003.

Elaine: I didn't know Luis found another job! Yeah for coqui!:D

I am Jen, wife and mother of two. I went to a DIS meet back in April and was able to meet helenabear, towncrier, sogger1 and talk with no other than Dan Murphy. I really like the DIS and by reading these posts it looks like you have a lot of fun.

I will check in from time to time. Keep having fun folks!:Pinkbounc

IASW Rider

05-16-2002, 05:29 PM

Welcome, Jen!!! Great to have you here! Please stop by any time! Yes, we saw the great pictures that Helenabear took at the DIS meet that you all attended!

By the way, Helenabear, congratulations again to Coqui on his new job! Glad to hear that he is enjoying it!

OK - back to work, for a few more minutes..........:)

SlightlyGoofy

05-16-2002, 08:19 PM

Thank you so much, Rider, for reminding us of our anniversary. We are lucky to have you to keep us on track cause I sure could not do it. I hope I will get to spend some time in the suite tomorrow. It will be a busy day but I will find the time to come by no matter what. On the receeding gum thing I might be able to help. I had the same problem awhile back and was told to use hydrogen peroxide as a rinse and it really helped me. It does not taste particularly good but it is worth it if it helps. My poor daughter just went to the dentist and it cost more than her eye operation did. She is a bit young to give in and get dentures but it is so hard as it is so expensive. I am glad that you are able to wear your makeup and such as it means a lot to you although I figure you are good looking enough without it. Are some of your bridal party going to help with the car cleaning etc.? I bet they would be happy to help out some.

Helenabear, the testing, testing was just checking to make sure you were still talking to me. I am still paranoid over that other incident and if you did not answer I was agoing to switch my deoderant and mouthwash and see if that helped. LOL I am thrilled that things are going so well in you and Luis' world. You deserve it.

JAP/Jen, so glad to see you in here with us wild women. We need a few new members to give us some new ideas of what to do while we are ensconced in our private suite. We have members who are so very knowledgable and then there is me. I am so glad to not be the only one who has not seen the EWP yet. I tried so hard last trip and if I ever get to go again I am going to make that the number one thing on my list. Please leave a list of your food and beverage preferences and we will make sure the guys stock up for you. We have private transportation and our own private conceirge who will make sure that our every dream is fulfilled.

Speaking of dream fullfillment I think I should tell you some of what I have lined up for you all for tomorrow. The Caravan will arrive at our Suite bright and early to transport us to the Castle for a private breakfast with Cinderella and friends. From there we will be the honored guests at each and every park and the schedules have been adjusted so that we will be opening each park and will be taken on the parade route to lead the rest of the crowds. After we have opened all the parks we are going over to AK for a special Kilamanjaro Safari and a private showing of Tarzan Rocks. This is supposed to be a secret but the fellows have been practicing and are going to participate in the roller blading. Please be sure to be surprised?MGM will be our next stop and I have arranged for a few extra tableus at the Great Movie Ride. The new scenes will be from Gone with the Wind, Miracle on 34th Street, Best Little *****house, Little Shop of Horrors and a few others. (any special requests ladies?) A special High Tea will be served at the Grand Floridian. Back to the Suite for a restful afternoon, in preparation for an active evening. The best masseurs from the Grand Floridian will be available to take out the kinks so we will be able to party hearty. Naps, saunas or dips in the whirlpools will be in order. Late afternoon will be the best time to head back over to MK where Rider will be allowed to rearrange the dolls at the IASW until they meet with her satisfaction. The train station has been reserved for us and our honored guests to watch the evening parade and fireworks. Our carriage will await (glass of course) to take us over to Epcot for our Illuninations cruise. A day this special can only end in one way and that is by going over to the Polynesian where we will be entertained by a special version of the EWP.

If anyone has any other suggestions please check with management and I am sure they will be incoorperated into the day's celebration. Get a good nights sleep all. You are going to need it.

"Mother' SG/Linda :p

SlightlyGoofy

05-16-2002, 08:24 PM

(blushing) I just read my posting and realized I got censored. Oops! Guess I must have a pretty clean mouth as I have never had that happen before. Glad to see that someone is watching out for us anyway. (grin)

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

05-17-2002, 12:30 PM

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

This is actually the first of our anniversaries - this is the anniversary of the first thread on which we discussed the EWP. We moved over to this thread in mid-July. So, we'll have to have another celebration at that time! :)

Thanks so much for planning all of those great activities for us today, Linda! That breakfast at CRT was really good, and I really enjoyed chatting with the Princesses! Looking forward to the special showing of "Tarzan Rocks", featuring our gentlemen! And I will not only be rearranging the IASW dolls.....I will try to sneak off with a few! :)

Don't worry about being censored - it happened to me once, too! It's so wild how the system automatically sensors certain words - even if they are not outright curse words, you know? Pretty nifty! I was censored for quoting a soap opera character, over on the "All My Children" thread, so you can imagine what the word was!

Actually, we don't have a bridal party to help us with the car or the other chores! We just have Frank's sister as his "Best Woman" and my friend Gary as my "Man of Honor". Frank's sister will be busy hosting their Grandmother for the weekend in her home, so she will be busy herself, and I don't want to ask either her or Gary to do any "work" for the wedding......we'll get it all done! I've already started writing some of my world famous lists to make sure that we don't forget anything! I just need to stop worrying about stuff so much!

Thanks for the suggestion about the hydrogen peroxide! Does that help with the sensitivity? My dentist's assistant suggested that I get Sensodine, or some other such toothpaste, until I see the dentist. I hope that everything is all right with your DD's teeth!

Well, hope that you're all having a great day and hope that you have a great weekend!

Again, Happy Anniversary! Here's to many more years of friendship! :)

angelina

05-17-2002, 09:17 PM

It's been a whole year since we've been meeting in our suite! It doesn't seem possible, does it? I hope everyone is having a great weekend wherever you are.

Lisa, just a matter of days now, isn't it? Are you getting nervous? Just wanted you to know that we are going to be there at the same time after all, After driving to Tampa for a Christening, we'll be back in the World on Monday. I picked up my new van yesterday afternoon, and am already thinking about packing things for our trip.

Helenabear, congratulations to you and Luis on the new job! I know how excited you must be. Didn't you say that he's already started? How was the first day?

Jstme, where are you? Keeping busy with end of year activities?

Welcome to our new friends, too. Even though I haven't been around much lately, I've been keeping up with your posts. It's nice to meet you.

SG, now are you doing with WW? I haven't noticed a comment from you about that in a while, I hope things are going very well for you. I loved seeing the pictures of you and Tom.

Has anyone been collecting the Pooh happy meal toys? I just saw them on t.v. and will try to get all of them so the baby will have something to play with in the car on the way down. I'm being especially cautious with snacks and drinks (none allowed) and even crayons are suspect in the hands of a 3 year old. I am looking for things she can play with in the car.

I'm off to have dinner now. The kids are watching Snow Dogs, and dh and I are going to try eating ALONE for once. Tomorrow we have ball games and the regular routine, and Sunday we're going to Sand Island for the day with several other families from our church. Of course, the much needed rain I've been hoping for for weeks now has come and it's supposed to go from the 80's and 90's to 50's for the weekend. It figures.

Have a great evening everyone. I'll check back in later.

Angie

SlightlyGoofy

05-17-2002, 10:12 PM

Just woke up from a much needed nap. It sure has been a hectic and wonderful day today. Has anyone checked Lisa's room? I could not believe it when I saw it. Who would have thunk you could get a moat into a room this high up but then Disney can do just about anything. Hope they do not miss the dolls from the IASW ride. She was gracious enough to just take one from each country. She is such a kind soul.

Angelina, I know how you feel about your new car. I am a fussy person myself and I found something great for my grands to play with in the car. It is sort of shaped like an Etchasketch but t hey can draw on it with an attached pencil and then wipe it off and start all over again without making any mess at all. I wish I could think of the name. There are cheaper knock offs also.

I am so glad to hear that you are getting your car and your vacation. Does that mean that your DH's job situation is going alright? I would also suggest getting one of those vcr's in a bag if the budget allows. I sure wish they had those when our kids were young. It would have made those long trips a bit more bearable. Funny thing, my grands are at church watching Snow Dogs right now. They are showing The Borrowers next and a family friend acted in that one - Bradley Pierce. He played the boy who helped the Borrowers.

Lisa, I am glad I am not the only one to be censored. I gave up the soaps many years ago so while I am not sure what the word was I could probably guess. I used to watch Days of Our Lives but one year we went on an extended vacation and I decided to go cold turkey and then just got hooked on the talk shows. LOL I mostly use tv as a background noise anyway. I am afraid I cannot tell you if the peroxide would help your sensitive teeth as I did not have that problem. I would guess that the peroxide would be good for keeping your teeth white but am not sure about that either.

Speaking of mouthwashes and such - I had to use a lot before I left for the library as I had a big (for me) lunch today. 2 FF hot dogs with 2 FF buns loaded with hot dog sauce and onions. It was only 4 points but it filled the plate and was so very good. As of last night I am about 45 pounds lighter so the diet continues, I just don't want to bore you all with the details. Lisa has done so much better than I and I was so impressed and encouraged. You are all a good influence on me. (grin) I am going to join TOPS this week. It is much cheaper than WW, more convenient and the people are so much friendlier. I had to pay $20 to get weighed last week because I missed the week we were on vacation. Not worth it IMHO. I get so much information off the internet.

Is everyone ready? I think the Caravan has arrived to take us over to MK for the parade and fireworks. We can all sleep in tomorrow and dream about this magical day.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

helenabear

05-18-2002, 12:54 AM

Hi there everyone! I cannot believe this group has been around for so long. As Lisa said though we have another anniversary coming up in just about 2 months or so. So we can have a huge long celebration in honor of our anniversary :D

I was planning on posting last night, but my grandmother needed some attention. She has the beginnings of a bad cold so I went over there to make sure she was okay. I gave her a pill and she seems to be doing much better now. The only downfall is that I am getting a small cold as well (not from her, I started to feel it as I was leaving her place last night). So I have been popping a few pills here and there throughout the day and feel ranging from okay to great :D

Jen I am so glad you decided to pop in. We are just a chatty group here and all we do is talk about what goes on in our life... oh and we do dream a lot about WDW too I must say :D So pop on in when you like... none of us bite :D I do apologize for not telling you about Luis' job! I was so busy PMing and all that with people that I totally forgot who I told and who I didn't. I guess I forgot to PM you but all is good here now and we are very happy.

Luis' job seems to be going well so far! He's only been there three days but has no real complaints. I'll let you know how he feels in a week or two :)

Linda... don't you worry, I will not do what happened to you before. You are such a dear and just like I imagined you to be. So when you come in July, we'll have fun as well!!

Lisa, I am so glad everything is falling into place for your wedding. I bet you will look beautiful!!! Oh I am so happy for you and I wish you all the best in the world! I am sure you will be so happy! Stop worrying so much... if it doesn't get done who cares! Only you will know and that isn't enough to worry about!

Angie, so good to see you again! Okay I admit I'd love to talk more about those Pooh characters but we are told the boards will be down in a matter of minutes so I had better make this quick now... I talk too much :eek: But so good to see you again!

Wendy, we miss you and I hope all is well with you.

As for the rest of you, :wave: I hope you all have a splendid weekend :sunny:

jstmee

05-18-2002, 11:36 AM

Happy Anniversay all!!! A day late and a dollar short. I haven't read any posts, but I just popped in to say hi and yes, I'm still alive. We were in the car for 51 hours last week. I first went to Boston to the Doctor. All turned out ok. Then went to Augusta, ME for a school field trip, and my Aunt from Binghamton NY passed away so we went down there. It's a 14 hour drive from our house. All this in one week. The funeral was very "nice", as a funeral goes. My twins and my DH were pallbearers and I was the reader. I was sooo proud of my boys. I know it must have been difficult for them, it's a very "grown-up" thing for a 13 year old to do.

I have to go now, but I will be back soon.

take care, wendy

Janet2k

05-19-2002, 01:54 AM

I am so sorry, gang, that I haven’t been around much this year. You see, a dark cloud has been following me around since 2002 began. When I returned from WDW at the beginning of the year, I was ill. I actually had to delay my return trip home by a few days until my fever broke and I was well enough to make the cross-country trip. When I got home, it was to the news that one of my best friends was critically ill in the hospital (I didn’t know this, but he actually checked into the hospital on the day that my 3-1/2 week WDW trip began). Since he was in Intensive Care, I could not visit him until I was healthy. And as fate would have it, he died before that time came (he actually died three days after my return). At the same time, one of my best friends from work was also in the hospital and battling for his own life. I actually was more worried about this friend than the other friend, so imagine my horror when my other friend died unexpectedly. To this day I am still praying for my coworker, who has since left our country in search of a cure in Mexico (I personally think that he wants to be near his family as he battles this potentially fatal illness).

On a lighter note (ha!), my year began with a pay cut. Ouch! And that was on top of having no raise for the past two years. And then my company forced all employees to burn quite a few vacation days with forced shutdowns in both the first and second quarter of this year. Double-ouch!

I won’t begin to bore you with this year’s car woes (they actually started before the end of last year). Needless to say, I could have a lovely WDW vacation with all the money that I have spent on both my car & my husband’s car. Has anyone else here had their car’s engine replaced a couple of times; all within a few years? Don’t answer!

My uncle died right around Easter after having battled cancer for the past six months. Then two of my friends miscarried (one with her first child and the other with her second). And lastly, my best friend found out she had breast cancer and opted to have a mastectomy two weeks ago. She found out this week that cancer cells showed up in her lymph nodes, and thus will be beginning chemotherapy treatments in a week.

My son is facing surgery within the next few months. His surgeon is battling the insurance companies right now since they are claiming that the surgery is elective (it is more preventative than anything, and thus at this young point in my son’s life, is seen as elective by the insurance companies). We don’t know what the final out-of-pocket cost will be, but it will be expensive. We’re also trying to make sure that we have enough money saved for him for college, too.

So, that’s what has kept me away from the EWP Suite this year. I pretty much only post on the Resorts board since it is my escape from reality (I don’t have to chat much, just post answers to folks’ resort questions). This has been the worst year of my life. Someone please call Don Juan and have him fetch me some lemonade…And this time have him jazz it up a little bit with something wickedly delicious to help me take my mind off things…

Janet2k

05-19-2002, 01:58 AM

By the way, everyone, HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!! :)

IASW Rider

05-20-2002, 11:35 AM

Hey Everyone!

Boy, I step out of the Suite for a few minutes and everyone checks in! :)

So great to hear from you, Janet! Especially at this anniversary time of year! I am so sorry to hear that you have had such a rough year so far. I'm sorry to hear about your friends who haven't been well and who passed away, and I'm sorry to hear about your Uncle's passing. I'm also sorry to hear that your son needs this surgery - I hope that everything will be all right. And I'm sorry to hear about your job situation, as well. Lots of good wishes and PD coming your way, for you and your family! We sure missed you around here! Please drop in any time that you feel like chatting or venting or sharing - we're always here! :) I hope that everything will be all right.

So glad to hear that we will be in WDW at the same time, after all, Angie! :) I really hope that we will be able to meet up! I don't know what your schedule is like, but this is what we're planning to do: 6/3 - arrival and MK, dinner at 'Ohana and EWP (!!); 6/4 - Studios, dinner with our friends who work there; 6/5 - EPCOT, dinner at Restaurant Marrakesh and ToD / IllumiNations; 6/6 - lounging by the pool, back to the Studios, dinner at the Brown Derby and Fantasmic; 6/7 - AK, dinner at the California Grille; 6/8 - MK, dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table and SpectroMagic. Sooooo.......if you happen to be plannign to be in any one of those places at those times, please let me know! Or we could make a specific plan to meet at one of them, or at one of the hotels - where will you be staying? I will also PM you before we go with my cell phone number, etc. It would be so great to meet you in person! :) I'm also getting all excited about packing, etc.!

45 pounds, Linda???!!!! That's amazing!!! And I am not doing better than you are - I didn't lose 45 pounds that quickly! That is so fantastic! You must be so proud! You look wonderful! :) I did wind up going to the dentist on Saturday, and he bonded the areas of my teeth where the gums had receded, so now I have no more pain (yea!). Unfortunately, in order to get to this "painless" state, I had to have 2 HUGE novacaine needles - right in my jawline above my 2 front teeth - OW!!! My dentist admitted afterward that that is probably the most painful area of the mouth in which to get a novacaine shot - I'm glad that he didn't tell me that beforehand (hee hee!)!

So glad to hear that all went well in Boston, Wendy. I am sorry to hear about your Aunt, though. It's nice that you and your family were able to participate in her service - even though it was a sad occasion, I'm sure that it helped to remember her fondly and assist with the service. And I'm sure that you were very proud of your DS's, too.

How are you feeling, Elaine? I hope that you and your grandmother are feeling better! Ad yes, we definitely have to celebrate our second anniversary in July, as well! :)

We had a very nice weekend. Frank's sister threw a party for us - it was supposed to be a surprise for me, but Frank knew about it.....and had told me about it.....so it wasn't really a surprise, but it was great! Frank's sister owns a screen printing company, and she had T-shirts made up for everyone that said "Frank and Lisa - Half a Surprise - May 18, 2002" and mine said "Bride" on the back and Frank's said "Groom" on the back. She also gave us "Bride" and "Groom" baseball caps, and everyone brought us little gifts (ie: one of Frank's friends made us one of those wedding cakes made out of towels - I always thought that those were so neat!). Everyone had cooked and brought different foods and it was very relaxing and a lot of fun! I really like Frank's and his sister's friends - it was very nice of them all to get together and do that for us.

Just 13 more days! :) And then we're outta here and off to WDW! :) Yea!!! :)

Anyway, time to pretend that I'm doing some work, now.........! :)

Have a great day and I'll talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

05-20-2002, 03:40 PM

Lisa and Angelina, I am so jealous and wish I could have figured out a way to surprise you all with a meeting at DW. I am glad that you guys can do it though. Almost as good. Hearing a lot of news about terrorist warnings about the Orlando water supply. I believe that DW has a seperate water facility and would guess that the security is much better there than that of a government run one BUT just to be sure I would say you should only drink things with plenty of alcohol to kill any possible contaminates. LOL Would be great if you guys could get together to see the EWP whle you are there. Just an idea.

Lisa, I know what you mean about getting shots at the dentist. It seems that is about the worst part. They should be able to come up with something better by now. Less than 2 weeks until your special day!!!! I am so excited for you and am looking forward to all the great pictures I am sure you will post when you get the time. BTW, you lost far more, percentage wise, than I have and that is much harder IMHO. I still have twice as much to lose and will not be skinny even then.

My dear Janet, I feel so badly for all you have gone through and wish that I had known earlier so I could have sent you a whole bag of my patented {{{{{GBFHugs}}}}}}. Please do not feel that you can only come in here when you have good news. We are not that kind of group. We share the good news and divide the bad. No, I have never had to replace a car engine but once and that was in a 12 year old car. I am on my 3rd Toyota right now so I barely know about car repairs at all. Only 1 repair ($50) between the 3 in a total of 15 years and that was not even Toyota's fault. I did have a lemon of a car once that was a dilly. I will be keeping you and yours in my thoughts and prayers and hope that things turn around for you all. You deserve it. If you cannot make it to DW in person just come in here and relax and enjoy all the perks of the Suite.

Jstmee, was the doctor's appointment for you or your son? I hope both of you have clean bills of health. You must be so proud of your children in that they were able t o participate in such an important and grown up ceremony. It says a lot for you and your husband that they were up to the challenge. The first funeral I ever went to was for my mother and I wish that I had had other experiences so it would not have been so bad. I did learn the importance of such rituals though.

Elaine, you are one in a million. So few people take care of their elderly family members anymore and you not only do it but enjoy it. Such a blessing and I am sure that she knows and appreciates your feelings. I have a theory that at the end of your life it does not matter what kind of car you drive, how large your home was or how much money you have in the bank but who you loved and who loved you back. Your grandma is wealthy beyond measure.

I got up and pulled weeds and swept the front porch before going to the library. I was back in time to fix lunch for Tom and am now getting a few things caught up before Austin gets here for his "Granny School". When my DD gets here to pick him up she will drop off the younger one and his buddy and we are taking them out to eat for an end of school celebration. I think I am going to fudge a bit and go by and get weighed before eating as I am starving. I have eaten light today in preparation and plan to go heavy on the veggies but I am dying for a small piece of meat. The diet is getting harder and harder to keep to. I have some projects that need doing and they will fill up the hours and get me away from the fridge.

Take care everyone and I will send Pixie Dust to brighten your day.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

SlightlyGoofy

05-20-2002, 03:46 PM

Janet2k

05-21-2002, 01:05 AM

IASW Rider and SlightlyGoofy, thanks for the Pixie Dust! I bet it will work and get rid of all those nasty rain clouds that have been following me around this year. I tell you, I really feel like Winnie the Pooh sometimes: "Tut, tut... Looks like rain..."

I am so jealous of my cyber-suitemates -- it seems that a few of you will be in WDW very soon. *Sigh* I still have several months before my next WDW visit. I hope the EWP Suite has some availability then for my family. There will only be four of us this time since I haven't invited anyone to join us (of course that didn't stop my parents & sister's family from inviting themselves along on my last WDW vacation, hee hee!).

IASW Rider

05-21-2002, 02:25 PM

The EWP Suite ALWAYS has availability for you and your family, Janet! You know that you are welcome here, any time! When will you be going to WDW, next? I'm sure that you will take some more great video and photographs, while you're there! I hope that sunnier times are coming for you and your family and friends! Though mine aren't as good as SG's, sending some {{{HUGS}}} your way, too! :)

Yes, I agree with you, Linda - Angie and I should definitely try to see the EWP together at some point during our stays. What do you say, Angie? :) I'm sure that you will all have fun taking the boys out for their end of school celebration! I'm sure that your diet is going very well - it sounds like you are very disciplined and have everything under control! And look at the amazing progress that you've made! But you still have to explain - what is TOPS? I don't think that I have ever heard of it before. Is it another organization like WW? Do they also have meetings? I'm hanging steady at 62 pounds. Hoping to "step it up" a bit, over the next 2 weeks and see if maybe a few more will fall off, before the wedding! Sounds like you're busy and accomplishing a ton of things, as always! Just make some time to relax in there, too! Pop into the Suite for a cool drink and an afternoon dip in the jacuzzi!

Hi out there, Angie, Elaine, and Wendy! And everyone else!

May I recount an obnoxious experience that I had, this morning, please? It's actually pretty amusing. This morning, the new "big boss" came by (ie: one of the people who chose not to hire me for this "new business model"). He had a huge smile on his face, walked right into my office, and said "so, I hear you're getting married, soon!" and tried to make small talk. I'm thinking "get the #$%* out of my office and stop acting so nice to me, you jerk!", but I was nice and polite. At the end of our meaningless conversation, he said "I really hope that you'll be staying to the bitter end....we have a lot of work to do...." WHAT NERVE!!! I didn't say anything, but inside my head I was thinking "OVER MY DEAD BODY!" The only way that I would stay till the end would be if I resigned myself to allow myself to be laid off, then take some time off and use my year of severence to relax or figure out something else to do. I'm trying not to think about this whole job thing too much before the wedding - I will make a decision about whether to aggressively look for a new job or allow myself to be laid off, after we get back from Florida (truth be told, I would love to move down there and work for Disney! But that's just a fantasy, for now, at least.). Anyway, I just couldn't believe the nerve of that guy to ask me to stay by "throwing it into a conversation", like that. Phony jerk. Then my replacement came by to ask me a business question. He's a really nice guy and I answered his question (which - if I do say so myself - was a pretty stupid question for a "TECHNICAL EXPERT" to be asking me, the person who was not "good enough" for them to keep in their technical group........but that's the way it goes, I guess!). I don't think that my boss has told him what my "situation" is (or that he was essentially hired to replace me), because then he innocently started telling me about all the interviews that he went on to get his (MY) job, how they kept calling him back, etc. I don't think that he was trying to be malicious - I honestly think that he had no idea how what he was saying was hurting me. Fortunately, Frank happened to call at just that time - I saw his number light up on the caller ID on my desk phone - so I politely interrupted my replacement and picked up my phone - saved by the bell! So, it's been "one of those days" at work, so far, today! Sorry to saddle you with all of that! :)

Hey - would any of you happen to have the link to the DIS Merchandise page? I used to have it and know where it was on the main DIS menu......but I can't seem to find it, now!

Hope that all is well with all of you and that you're all having a nice day! Talk to you later! :)

JAP

05-21-2002, 03:51 PM

IASW Rider: Too bad about your job. It may be worth it just to stick around until lay off time. Severance pay and a year off would be great!:D

I like margarhitas, anything mexican and swimming in the pool while a little Jimmy Buffet plays on the radio. Ahhh nothing like summer!

helenabear

05-22-2002, 12:08 AM

Hi there everyone! You ever have one of those times where you know you have something you want to do but for the life of you, you cannot remember what? Well I had that kind of a moment. I knew I wanted to reply to a thread here on the CB and honestly I couldn't remember which. So I went looking a few pages back when I saw the thread I wanted to reply to... and this is the kicker... it was this one :rolleyes: I swear in the back of my mind I knew what I was looking for! Actually I had every intention of replying to this thread. I had thought about it while I was in another room. Then a friend called and my mind was all distracted by that conversation and it took me an hour to get my mind back on track :rolleyes: :D

Janet, it is so good to see you around here, but please please know that next time come to us. We are here for support and comfort as well! Not everything in life is all rosey and honestly that is what our friends are for. They love us for who we are and stand by us no matter what. I wish I could give you the comfort you need(ed) but I hope you will take my great big {HUG} and know that you are in my thoughts. I really hope the insurance companies can stop battling and just get the surgery done for your son without much (if any) out of pocket expenses for you! Again, come here whenever and whatever your mood. You will not bore us, we will only give you all the comfort & support you need.

Wendy, I am so glad to hear that all with the doctors went well. How is your son doing? Please let us know as we worry about you and your family! I am so sorry to hear about your Aunt. You should be proud of your sons... that is a very grown up thing to do. {hugs} to you all!

Lisa, girl... you are almost a married woman now :bounce: I hope that your next week or so is just wonderful for you! You are smart not to worry about your job until after your trip! Just get married, go on your honeymoon and forget the rest for now!

It would be great to hear (and see pics ;)) of Angie & Lisa meeting up at WDW!!! It would be even better to see you guys watching the EWP together.... talk about a magical meeting in the makes :bounce: Do let us know if you can meet up & if you do you have to share the story :D

Jen, I am so looking forward to summer myself. We had a cruel joke played on us today by mother Nature though didn't we?? Frost was a possibility and it was 30-40 something when I woke up (or so the news claimed). I hate the cold!!! It is supposed to be MAY!!! Not February or March :mad: But I see we are in for warmer weather starting tomorrow :bounce:

SG, you really flatter me. I just did what I needed to for my grandmother. She is my mom's mom and very dear to me. I would have hated taking the chance of not going and something really have been wrong with her. Apparently the cold pill I gave her helped her immensely and she is feeling better now. I on the other hand amd still slightly recovering. I feel much better today than I have since Thursday. It was nothing that knocked me out, but I was a little worn out earlier than usual. I think I was in bed by 10:30 last night which is abnormal for me now :eek: I should head off soon only because I want to make sure I don't "kill myself" by not resting enough.

I am looking forward to this weekend. Luis will be visiting his parents so it will be a "girls" weekend here! Just me and my furbabies :D I don't have any real plans but I am going to enjoy my time here alone, that I know :)

I hope you all have a great day!!! :sunny:

IASW Rider

05-22-2002, 11:33 AM

Hi Jen! Yeah, I think that trying to push the work stuff to the back of my mind is probably the best thing to do, now!

Hi Elaine! We are also having weird weather, here in NJ - unusually cold for this time of year! I actually had to break out some of my fall / winter clothes, after already having them dry cleaned them for the end of the season! It's supposed to warm up to 78 degrees tomorrow, but it's only going up to 70, today. The past few days have been in the 50's and 60's. It's a wonder that everyone isn't getting sick, with the temperatures going up and down like that, every day!

Frank is already freaking out about the weather of our wedding day - I think that that's the only thing that he is nervous about. That, and he seems very concerned about where exactly we would be posing for pictures in the park that's across the street from the place where the wedding will be held (?!). I keep trying to reassure him that we can't control the weather and that everything will work out with the pictures in the park. I guess we each have our own things that we get nervous about!

Is it only Wednesday??? I wish that this week would just hurry up and END, already! I'm looking forward to starting to pack for WDW, this weekend! And I'm looking forward to the long weekend, in general! We're going to try to take it easy, for most of it. We'll probably go and see "Star Wars", since Frank has been dying to see it. And Frank is going to bring his 2 cats to "vacation" at his former roommate's house on Monday, so that my father will only have 4 cats to take care of while we're away, and we won't worry about any cat "squabbles" between my cats and Frank's cats! We'll also probably check out prospective picture posing locations in that park, so that Frank will feel better about my trudging around in a wedding gown, there! Does anyone have any interesting Memorial Day Weekend plans?

Hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you soon! :)

jstmee

05-22-2002, 06:34 PM

I hear everyone talking about the weather. Well, we've had two SNOW storms this months and two HAIL storms. Today, it's nicer, but still windy and cold. Some of my flowers are starting to bud. We get frost pretty much every morning still. I usually have a tan by this time of year. Not this year.

The Doc appointment was for me. I got the all clear for now. My DS goes again mid-June, we are still very much worried about that one. But, we are all well! My DH was playing ball with the boys and he tore a ligament or something. He couldn't walk for 3 days. Now he professes he can walk. "More like Waddle". But, he's doing much better.

We had a wellness day at school today. I spent three hours at the school cutting kiwi. I don't think I want to see another kiwi again.

Linda, I belong to TOPS (Take off Pounds Sensibly). But, I don't attend anymore because the "gals" that attend here do not take it seriously and they go to either Tastee Freeze or McDonald's after the meeting. I didn't find that exactly supportive of my need to become healthy.

I am so proud of you Linda and Lisa with all of your weight loss. I cannot figure out why I keep sabotaging my self and don't do anything about it. My brothers wedding is in two weeks. I was going to lose weight for that. HA. Maybe when that thought of "I have to lose it" goes away then maybe I'll lose.

Janet2k, you've had such a rough year. My prayers are with you.

IASW Rider, Keep hangin' in there at work. I don't know how you do it. Wait!, do you hear wedding bells.? Almost time for your big day. Focus on that!!

helenabear and Angelina, howdy ho. and everyone else.

helenabear

05-22-2002, 09:15 PM

Hello there everyone! I hope you all are having a great day!

Wendy, I will keep your son in my prayers I do hope all goes well for him. You all have been through so much recently, I'd love to hear that you all have a clean bill of health! Please do keep us posted on your son's appointments and all. A great big {hug} for you!

Linda... how the heck did I miss that you lost 45 pounds???? I don't know how I missed seeing that, but I am so terribly proud of you for that! Keep up the good work on that! I wish I could have your will power to be able to do that!

Lisa... I do hope the weather behaves soon! We are supposed to get more normal temps here, so I hope they head your way soon!!!! Just remember your wedding will be beautiful no matter what :D

Well not much new happened. I do have a silly story about my precious baby Gwen. She is such a huntress. I know she goes around and kills bugs (like roaches and all) for us, and really I am happy that she is the one to find them and kill them :D Well today I saw her run on upstairs and then she was batting at something palyfully. well I looked closely and much to my shock, she had brought us a roach that she had killed! I am so proud of her but at the same time I needed to have Luis dispose of the dead bug for me. But I sure feel safe with her in the house ;)

I must admit, I love this free time I seem to have had of late to browse around on the DIS and come here more often. I am sure this will last a short while only, but I will enjoy it while I have it :D

Have a great day all :sunny:

IASW Rider

05-23-2002, 03:12 PM

Hello!

How are you all doing, today?

So glad to hear that all went well at the doctor, Wendy! :) That's wonderful news! And glad to hear that your DH is recovering from his injury, too! I hope that all goes well with your DS's next appointment. I, too, will keep him and you and your family in my prayers and send all good wishes your way!

I can't believe that you are still being subjected to frost and snow and ice, up there! :( I hope that it starts warming up, soon! You've had such a LOOOOOONG winter! Things are starting to warm up a bit, here - I believe that it will be in the mid-70's, today, and in the 80's tomorrow.

Thanks for telling us about TOPS, too - I was curious to know what that was - I wonder if there are any chapters around this area? I will have to look on the internet and see - I don't think that I have ever heard of that group, before. I'm sure that you look wonderful, and you definitely should not pressure yourself to lose any weight by a particular date! I always find that when I do that, I wind up sabotaging myself, too. I'm sure that you will succeed with your efforts, though!

Thank you and Elaine so much for your support, as always! I'm just plugging away, here, hoping to lose a pound or 2 more before the wedding. I try to look back at how far I've come and what I've accomplished, rather than look ahead to how many more pounds I would like to lose, or how many more I wish I'd lost by this point. I find that it motivates me more to focus on the accomplishment, rather than how much further I want to go.

I loved that story about Gwen, Elaine! You never have to worry that your cat stories sound "silly" to me! I love to hear them! And believe me, now that the weather is a bit warmer, I can definitely relate to your seeing your cats "hunting" bugs - mine pounce and leap on them and "stalk" them, when they get into the house, too! The funniest is when a fly gets in, and the cats leap into the air to try to catch it! :)

We got a great Disney surprise, yesterday. My friend Mike, who works at Fantasmic, sent us an amazing wedding gift - a huge (and I mean HUGE - it's so big, it won't fit on any of the shelves in our wall unit!) 100 YOM decorative plate, with a picture of (appropriately!) Sorcerer Mickey on it! It's really neat and it was very thoughtful!

Well, I had my last fitting for my wedding dress, yesterday. It seems to fit perfectly, now - I say "seems" because I didn't spend very much time in it. There were like 1000 people there - most of them very impatient and totally rude - and not enough seamstresses to help them. So, I just basically tried on the dress, had a seamstress look at it to make sure that it was hanging properly and that the hem was even, and that was it! Now I'm all paranoid that I didn't look at it closely enough.....but from afar, it looked good! I left it and my veil at the store to be pressed. I don't understand why these women had to be downright rude to the sales women and seamstresses, though. I can't stand when people act that way. I can understand their frustration at having to wait and there was one woman whose gown wasn't properly pressed, but those aren't reasons to berate people!

Hi Angie, Linda, Jen, and everyone else! :)

Anyway, hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you soon! :)

SlightlyGoofy

05-27-2002, 10:50 PM

Dear Suite Mates

I am sorry I have been gone so long. Just been one thing after an other around here. I spent the last full week getting the library ready for next year. I walked around and looked it when I finished as I know I willl not see it looking that perfect until next summer. Not that I would want to as it would mean that the kids were not taking books out to read! I went to an achievement program the last day and Austin got an award for improved reading. Since not a lot of awards were given out it was a real achievement. I get a bit upset because he thinks he is doing better in school than he is because of grade inflation. He earned his award and we are planning on a full summer of catching up even more.

Rider/Lisa, I am sure that some of the other ladies in the shop were just nervous over all the wedding preparations. Not everyone is capable of being as cool under pressure as you are. I am afraid that you have had more training in that art than you deserve this year but you have had so many wonderful things happen and about to happen this year that it will all balance out in the end.

Jstmee, I know what you mean about TOPS. The ladies do go out to eat afterward and I was appalled to hear some of them say they had belonged for about 20 years and had not lost very much weight. There are 2 ladies who are graduating this week as they have reached their goal weight. There is only one other lady in my category in there and the funny thing is that we are almost relatives. I am sort of shy and was scared of going somewhere to meet people I did not know. Turns out that several people are friends with people I know and this one lady's husband has been my UPS man for over 20 years and we share a common great grandmother. I need the reinforcement of getting on a scale each week with someone else looking. WW is good at that BUT the support is not there. The TOPS club is very friendly and they play all sorts of silly games that encourage weight loss. It costs $12 a week to go to WW (without a special) and I had to pay $24 the week after I went on vacation as you have to pay even when you are away. At TOPS you pay $20 for the year and a quarter a week. If I try this and it does not work I can always return to WW. I am hoping to talk someone into starting a TOPS club at the church behind our house. (lazy aren't I?) Lisa, you can do a search to find out where and when the meetings are in your area, that is what I did but I fear you will find it is mostly older people.

Jstmee/Wendy, I am so glad to hear that you have a clean bill of health and will be praying for the same for your son. The cold air that we have been experiencing must be coming from your region. I hope we all warm up a bit soon. I am hoping to plant some things this week. Last year, this time, I had everything planted and had some crops well on the way.

Helenabear/Elaine, 45 pounds is just the tip of the iceberg on this poor old body of mine. Heck, I can still wear the same clothes, they are just a lot looser. I have been able to wear a few things I haven't for awhile. I am sure glad that you have Gwen to protect you from the insects of the world. I would take care of your insect and snake population but am scared to death of your cats. Go figure.

My Memorial Day excitement was that I got the landscape lighting all done and most of the lights are lit. I still have a couple to work on but it is not a big deal. I went to 2 MD programs today with my dear friend, Dorthea. She had to sit in the car to watch as she is getting frailer and frailer. I got my veggie garden all weeded and dug up in prepartion for the plants. Tomorrow is my day to do the shopping for the week and go to TOPS. I think I am close to a milestone and will shout it from the rooftops if I make it.

I hope that this day brought you all some rest and a profound sense of how very lucky we are to live in this great country of ours, imperfect as it might be at times - it is still the greatest IMHO.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

IASW Rider

05-28-2002, 11:34 AM

Hey Everyone!

Sorry that I have been gone for so long, as well! Things have just started getting really hectic!

I'm sure that I will be able to check in, again, before we leave for WDW. But just in case I can't, I wanted to give you all these links, in case you would like to see some pictures next week.

I will be uploading pictures from the wedding into albums at this link on Sunday night:

http://photos.yahoo.com/lisaandfrankswedding

And starting Monday night (or Tuesday morning at the latest), I will be uploading pictures into albums at this link, every night:

http://photos.yahoo.com/lisaandfrankdisneyhoneymoon2002

I will also definitely check in with you all while we are down there!

I hope that all is well with all of you and I hope that you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! Have a nice day! :)

helenabear

05-29-2002, 09:03 PM

Hi all!!! I admit I took a weekend off from long e-mails and posting :eek: I just wanted a big old break from long typings and the like so I got around to doing all my "thoughtful" replies this week... so don't be mad that I "ignored" you all this weekend... The sad thing is, as it is, I don't have much exciting to say!

Linda, 45 pounds is excellent no matter what. You should be very proud and you look absolutely wonderful!!! I admit too that I think it is even more wonderful after watching your dear darling husband trying to get you to eat more at dinner together... that was funny, but it also showed that you have excellent will power (something I certainly don't have :eek: )

Lisa, I wish you the very very best this weekend. It sounds like all is falling into place for you. I am sure you will be a beautiful bride and I cannot wait to see the pictures. However, you do not need to check in with us while you are away on your honeymoon! That is not what it is there for!

Really not much exciting is going on here. I had a boring weekend of relaxation and I did buy my MVMCP tickets for my December trip! It was the first thing I actually did for my trip but it felt great to do it. Otherwise it was relatively uneventful. Luis was out of town visiting his parents and he had a nice time relaxing by their pool as well.

Well I hope you all are having a wonderful day and I hope to see you all here real soon :sunny:

IASW Rider

05-31-2002, 10:10 PM

Thanks so much, Elaine! :)

You know that I will be thinking of all of you when we are in WDW, and I will certainly be in touch! :) We'll all be there together "in spirit"! :)

I heard from Angelina, and she and I are going to try to get in touch by phone next week, and hopefully will be able to get together! :)

We're hanging in there - now we're definitely starting to get nervous (even though we appear to eachother to be very calm!)! I picked up my dress and veil and had my nails done, today. Frank is in the process of bringing his cats to his former roommate's house, so that he can care for them while we're away, and he also brought our place cards and yamulkes (Jewish head coverings for men) to the place where our wedding will be, today. Tonight, we are just going to relax and catch up on the "All My Children" episodes that we missed, this week! :) And tomorrow, I'm going to get my car washed (since that's the car that we're driving to the wedding in) and then just "chill", while Frank visits his family at the hotel, when they come in to town.

WOW - there is a HUGE and very VIOLENT thunderstorm going on, outside, now! I think that I even hear hail hitting the house! I should probably get off of the computer!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Take care, have a great weekend, and I'll be in touch from WDW, if not before! :)

SlightlyGoofy

05-31-2002, 10:30 PM

I have never bemoaned my lack of computer talent as much as I do today. I wish I were able to fill this space with graphics and colors that would mirror all the excitement I have about the very special wedding that is to occur this weekend.

Dear sweet Lisa, just enjoy your moment and post the pictures at some later date. You deserve and need those precious moments afterward to bask in the glow of your wonderful relationship, the ceremony, the sharing with friends and family and just reflecting on the future you both are embarking upon. As much as we are looking forward to the pictures we love you far too much not to want what is best for you and Frank.

Helenabear, my husband was not being sweet. He likes me fat. Fat ladies stay at home and cook and clean and do what women are 'supposed' to. Poor man has had many surprises in the 30 years we have been married. LOL You should have seen him when he found out I was taking driver's training! BTW, he loves it now! (grin) Don't worry about your time off. We would not want to miss you for long but everyone has times when they have other things to attend to and being that we are real friends, we understand.

Jstmee, how are you doing? Has the weather improved? I surely hope so.

Angelina, you lucky duck. I am so envious of you. Please have an extra special time at DW to make me feel a bit better?

Slightly Goofy (-49#'s)

IASW Rider

06-01-2002, 11:54 AM

You're all probably so sick of me - I keep saying "this will be my last post....."....and then I keep coming back! :) I just sneak on to the Boards when ever I have a few free seconds!

49# - that's AMAZING, SG!!!!!!!!! :) :) :)!!!!!!!!!! Congratulations - that is fantastic!!!!!! And I'm sure that you look wonderful, as always! I think that I am stuck at a "plateau" - I've been at 63# for a week or 2, now. Maybe all the walking (and inevitable sweating, in the sun!) in WDW will give me a little boost!

It's great that you got your MVMCP tickets, Helenabear! Anything that has to do with planning a WDW trip is always fun! I like the planning part almost as much as actually being there - planning from home makes you feel like you're already there! Maybe somehow this year I will be brave enough to ride Splash Mountain - I remember all the advice that you gave me about it - and Test Track, too!

Well, time to join Frank for some morning coffee.......in just 48 hours, we'll be sitting at our favorite restaurant - the Kona Cafe at the Poly - and drinking Kona coffee - YUM! :) Hey - did I tell you that my friend Mike, who works at Fantasmic, got us VIP seats for the show next Friday night? We get to sit where all of the celebrities and executives who come to see Fantasmic sit! Pretty nifty! We'll be sitting with his parents and aunts, who will be down there visiting at the same time. And he's going to take us on a tour of the control booth before the show, too! I'm really fascinated by all of that show biz stuff! :) Oh - and did I tell you that I spoke with the Poly a few days ago, and they've all but guaranteed that we will get our engagement room again, this year? Yea!!!!! :)

Talk to you all soon! :)

helenabear

06-02-2002, 04:53 PM

Hi there everyone!

I really meant to stop in here earlier this week, but I didn't want to come in here and have our blushing bride have to hear me down... so I opted out of talking to you all and just listened in. We had lay offs at my work place on Thursday and Friday. Two really close friends of mine were let go and it was really rough on me in general. It's hard to go through all that and see your good friends packing & crying. So I talked to a few family and friends on the phone and decided to be all silly this weekend to get my spirits up... and boy did it really work :D

Lisa, I wish you the best and I will be checking those albums to see any pictures you may have posted. Do tell us how it all went whenever you have a chance! Sending all my love and best wishes to you and Frank! I hope you have a wonderful time at WDW and that you do get your room at the Polynesian you had when you got engaged. Also just so you know, your 63#s is wonderful and very admirable!

Linda, I am so terribly proud of you for your weight loss! 49# and still going. That must feel wonderful. What I was trying to say about Tom though was that I thought it was wonderful that you had the will power to say no to him. To me that is just great!! I wish I had the will power but honestly, I must admit, I have brownies cooking in the oven :eek: Not to terribly healthy is it :rolleyes:

Well I got my ticket for MVMCP yesterday and I must admit it was a perfect time for me to get it. The ticket itself is so cute with Minnie and 100 years of Magic printed on the front! I am so excited about planning this trip now!

I hope the rest of you are doing well and that whenever you get a chance to stop in and say hi that you do :D Have a great day everyone! :sunny:

helenabear

06-03-2002, 11:14 PM

Lisa, I am a bit tired right now, but I had to tell you this. I just looked at your wedding pictures and they were beautiful!!!!! You looked so beautiful and you and Frank look so happy together! There were so many wonderful things I bet I'd miss them all. Your dress was beautiful and looked GREAT on you! The cake toppers were wonderful and the cake itself looked great! I loved your bouquet as it was simple yet elegant! And most importantly you looked like you were happy, in love and having fun! {{HUGS}} to you and I hope you are enjoying your honeymoon right now! Can't wait to hear all about the wedding and the honeyoon when you get back!!!

CathyCanada

06-03-2002, 11:30 PM

Hello old friends!!
Since yesterday was Lisa's wedding day I had to check in and check out the pictures. What a stunning bride!!! You both look so happy!

And Linda, I always knew you were an amazing woman and this weight loss just proves it! Good for you!!

Sorry I haven't been around much, will try to stop by more often! :)
Take care everyone!
CC

IASW Rider

06-03-2002, 11:36 PM

GREETINGS FROM ROOM 3612 OF DISNEY'S POLYNESIAN RESORT AT WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!! :) :) :)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I RODE IASW, TODAY!!!!! :) :) :)!!!!!!

Better yet, I SAW THE EWP, TONIGHT!!!!! :) :) :)!!! (And I probably made a total fool of myself because the second that the first strains of EWP music started to play, I stood up at attention and yelled out "WE LOVE YOU, EWP! THE WOMEN OF THE SUITE SALUTE YOU!" People around me probably thought that I was delirious.......which I guess I am, since aside from a few moments of napping on the plane, I LITERALLY have not slept since 5:30 AM on Sunday morning! I stayed up all night, last night, uploading pictures into my on line albums - I figured that it was more practical to do that then just sleep 3 or 4 hours, since we had to be up at 3:00 this morning, and leave the house at 5:15 to catch our flight. I was pretty sleep-deprived, this morning, but as soon as we got here and I got 2 cups of Kona coffee into me, at the Kona Cafe, I felt much better! :)

Thank you so much for your wonderful post, Helenabear! And thanks so much for thinking of us and taking the time to look at our pictures! It was a wonderful day, yesterday - we couldn't have hoped for anything more perfect! Everything went relatively smoothly and I was completely calm and not nervous at all - not even during the ceremony, weirdly enough! Everything and everyone were wonderful. And we're both really happy! It seemed like the most natural thing in the world. And we really enjoyed ourselves, too.

We arrived here at about 12:30 PM and were able to check right in. And we got our engagement room from last year, too! :) And Frank arranged to have a dozen red roses waiting for me in the room, with a really beautiful note. And just after we got to the room and started unpacking, a CM arrived with a single red rose and a certificate that said "This Magical Moment is courtesy of the Polynesian Resort - congratulations", for us! We had lunch at the Kona Cafe, then spent a few hours in the MK. All we really got to do there was ride IASW and then see the Country Bears - the place was PACKED! There was a 40 minute non-FastPass wait to get into the Haunted Mansion, which is our traditional second stop in the MK - I couldn't believe it! The Bears were packed, too - EVERYTHING was packed! But I was happy to see long lines at the classic attractions. After seeing what happened to CoP, I don't want to see that happen to any of my other childhood favorites! We had to leave the MK at a specific time, 'cause we had a PS at 'Ohana. Dinner was wonderful, as always - in fact, we saw the waiter who served us there exactly a year ago tonight, just before Frank proposed to me! We gave him a "WWWD" pin, since he took so much time to speak with us and make us feel at home, last year, and he was really surprised and overwhelmed! And the MC, who directs the children's coconut races and hula hoop contests told our story to everyone in the restaurant, over the microphone (I guess our waiter had told him that we were engaged here, one year ago today, and were married yesterday), and everyone applauded - pretty nifty! :)
Then we went out to the Barefoot Bar and had an amazing pina colada and watched the EWP, which looked wonderful as ever! It's so funny - I'm so used to seeing it on my videotape at home that I forget how vivid its colors are, when I see it in person- it really looked beautiful! Unfortunately, we missed Fantasy in the Sky - we assumed that it would start right after the EWP (which showed up early - at 9:00 - just like it did the time that you tried to see it, SG), but when we didn't see the fireworks by 9:30, we came back to the room. But then we heard them booming outside at 10:00! Oh well - we'll see them in the MK on Saturday night. We're going to the Studios, tomorrow!

Sorry to ramble on! I wish that all of you were here with us! I will try to contact Angelina, later in the week, and try to arrange to get together with her.

Hope that all is well with all of you! I will start uploading pictures into the Disney albums, now - I even got some pictures of IASW Rider riding IASW! (pardon the hideous dark circles under my eyes, though, and my lack of makeup!)

Will try to check in again, soon! Hope that all is well with all of you! :)

IASW Rider

06-03-2002, 11:39 PM

How did you sneak in there while I was posting, WebmasterCC? Thanks so much for thinking of me and for your kind words! :)

Dan Murphy

06-03-2002, 11:57 PM

Very nice pictures, Lisa. A beautiful bride, and couple you both are. I liked the one of you and Frank by the Chuppah. And the cake topper, as Elaine mentioned, is neat.

Sounds like a go-go-go so far. Looking forward to seeing the pictures you add in to the other link. Congratulations, enjoy. :earsgirl: :earsboy:

SlightlyGoofy

06-04-2002, 09:36 AM

Dearest Lisa and all

I am so overcome with emotion seeing the beautiful pictures of our newest (official) couple. There were so many little details that touched my heart, not the least that each of you had as your 'best' a person of the opposite sex. It bodes well that you like the other gender. It is amazing how many people do not.

I am in a rush this morning as I have to get Tom up for the day and fed before I head to town for 'my day'. I will be back this evening to chat for a bit.

I cannot believe that you took the time to post on your honeymoon! I am humbled. Wish I could have had a picture of your salute to the EWP Group. You are a hoot.

Everyone, please have a great day and I am so looking forward to seeing you all this evening when I get a minute to sit down and think.

Slightly Goofy

IASW Rider

06-05-2002, 10:50 AM

GREETINGS, ONCE AGAIN, FROM WALT DISNEY WORLD, WHERE THE LIGHTS OF THE ELECTRICAL WATER PAGEANT SHINE BRIGHTLY!

Thanks so much for your wonderful thoughts and wishes, Dan and Linda! And thanks for taking the time to look at our pictures!

It's so kind of all of you to think of us and to send such special messages to us!

We are certainly thinking of all of you, as we are here!

We spent yesterday at the Disney-MGM Studios and did a bunch of things that we had never done before. We had lunch at Hollywood and Vine, which was a lot of fun! That's a really neat place - we enjoyed the atmosphere and the food was great, too! And we got to tell Minnie Mouse that she and Mickey were on top of our wedding cake! :) Then we saw the Hunchback of Notre Dame show, which was wonderful! And then we saw the Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular, which I hadn't seen since 1991 and Frank had never seen. Then Frank "took the plunge" and rode Tower of Terror - he loved it! I opted for browsing through the fine stores on Sunset Boulevard, instead! :) Then we saw the Disney Stars and Motor Cars Parade, which was fantastic! I loved the music and the floats were adorable! And we were standing at the absolute end of the parade route, right by the doors where the floats exit, so we got to see them go backstage and see how the performers stayed in character until they were no longer visible. And we were standing behind some people who were obviously off-duty CM's, because they cheered and waved and laughed as each float went by, the characters paid special attention to them, and the face characters all called down to them and said "hey - great to see you!", and since they all looked right in my direction to do so, I got great video! Plus it was neat to see the characters interacting with their friends that way. We had a great dinner at the Kona Cafe last night (you can see the very artistic dessert that Frank had, in our photo albums!), followed by an encore performance of the EWP! (This time, I yelled out "The Men of the Suite love you, too!" since I felt bad for not mentioning our male suite-mates during my first exclamation! I also screamed "New Jersey loves the EWP!") And we didn't miss the fireworks, this time - they started at 9:00 PM last night, right before the EWP. In fact, the EWP pulled in, right in front of the Poly dock, and sat there quietly until the fireworks ended.

Today we are going to spend the whole day at EPCOT. We are going to concentrate on Future World, since we always seem to start in the World Showcase and then not have time for Future World! I can't wait to see Figment in the new Journey Into Imagination attraction! I'm going to try to tape a bunch of Future World attractions today, too. It's overcast and there is a chance of thunderstorms, but I hope that we will get to see the Tapestry of Dreams Parade and IllumiNations tonight, too! And we are going to visit the daughter of a fellow NJ DIS'er, who is portraying Snow White in Germany, today!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a magical day and I'll talk to you soon! And thanks to you all again, for everything! Aloha! :)

Dan Murphy

06-05-2002, 11:18 AM

Great report, Lisa. Love it, and your enthusiasm is catching. :)

Make sure to take pictures of the very beautiful flowers, topiaries and general foilage that the Flower & Garden Festival has to offer in Epcot. Enjoy.

And yell to Katie, the Snow White, when you see her. I wanted to see her while I was there, but she was fighting some meds and was under the weather then.

Take care, enjoy. :wave:

helenabear

06-07-2002, 06:15 AM

Hello everyone, you didn't think I could go away for the weekend without saying a quick goodbye did you? ;)

Lisa your trip sounds so wonderful so far! I feel so flattered that you would take the time to come here and share it all with us. That certainly shows us what kind of friend you are to us!! I hope you are still having a wonderful time and I look forward to hearing all about it when you get back on Sunday :D (well I can wait a day or two after that ;)) I wanted to say your thoughts about the ceremony, specifically that it felt so natural just made me so thrilled to hear that. I do believe marriage is a natural course in a relationship and it really looks and sounds like you and Frank have found a true and good love. I wish you the best through out the years {{{HUGS}}}

Linda, I hope your life calms down just a little so that you may find more time to sit back, relax and enjoy life :sunny: Time to think is wonderful!!!

I assume our own Angie is at WDW right now and I hope you are having a blast!!!

To the rest of you, I wish you well and I will tell all about my trip this weekend Sunday or Monday! Have a wonderful weekend everyone :sunny:

IASW Rider

06-07-2002, 11:54 AM

Hi Everyone!

Thanks very much, Dan! I'm sorry that I didn't see your post until after we met Katie, though, so I wasn't able to pass along your message. :( I'm sorry!

And thanks very much again, Helenabear! :)

Sorry - this has to be a quick one - we need to go to breakfast soon! Epcot was wonderful and I absolutely loved Tapestry of Dreams! I was thrilled to see that it is not that different from ToN! We also visited a lot of attractions that we had never seen / ridden before - would you believe that after all these years, I had never seen Ellen's Energy Adventure? (I'd been on the old Universe of Energy) Or Cranium Command? We had a wonderful dinner in Morocco, and our waiter and I had a neat discussion about the similarities between Hebrew and Arabic.

Yesterday we went to the AK. It was very HOT and HUMID! Very sticky! But fun, and although we didn't have enough time to visit a lot of the attractions, we did take both of the walking trails and got to see some neat animals! My favorites were the hippo and the gorillas! Had a magnificent dinner at the California Grill last night!

Today we're just going to lounge by the pool until it's time for our VIP Fantasmic experience, tonight!

Hope that all is well with all of you and sorry that this is so short! We're thinking of you all, every day! :)

P.S. I totally blew my chance to meet Angelina in person - she and I exchanged phone messages yesterday, and I realized that she is leaving WDW very early this morning - I really thought that she would be here till next Monday, for some reason, and our schedules didn't coincide last night. :( It was great to hear her voice, though! :) I can't wait to her about her family's trip! :)

IASW Rider

06-11-2002, 03:38 AM

Greetings from........938 miles away from WDW. :(

Yes, I'm suffering from that post-WDW withdrawal / blues that we all know so well. :(

But we DID have a fantastic honeymoon and a wonderful time at WDW! It was a truly magical vacation!

We had a great time at the Poly pool on Friday - the weather was beautiful, and it was so great to float around in that pool! I hadn't actually been in that pool (more accurately, the original one) since 1976! It rained on our scheduled "pool days" during the past 2 years, so I was so glad that we had an opportunity to take a dip, this year!

Then we had a very nice dinner at the Brown Derby. I had never had the Cobb Salad there before, and it was amazing! We're definitely going to have to try to make it at home - especially since Frank just got a new vegetable chopper! After dinner, we went right over to Fantasmic, so that we could meet my friend Mike, in the Booth. Wouldn't you know, it began POURING as we were walking over there.........and it didn't stop until well after the show! But we made it over there and were able to make it past Operations security relatively easily to get to the Fantasmic Control Booth. Mike gave us a tour of the Booth and showed us all of the various systems which control the show - it was really neat! It was also neat to see the island and the mountain through the window of the Booth and have an idea of what the Show Controllers, Lighting and Special Effects professionals, and Stage Managers look at, during a show. I have some pictures in the Booth in my albums, but they were taken against the wall opposite the window, since needless to say, I was not allowed to photograph any of the systems equipment. Then, we put on our nifty, newly purchased 100 YOM rain ponchos and ventured out to our (amazing! Last row of the Mickey Section, right in front of the Booth) reserved seats. We sat with Mike's family, who were also visiting at that time, and we all braved the rain together. The things we do for friendship! :) I'll tell you - it was literally steadily raining the ENTIRE TIME! It's funny - every time we visit Mike at WDW, it's pouring rain! Anyway, amazingly enough, they did the entire show - pyro, fireworks, and all - in the downpour, with very few, if any modifications! It was neat to see! Unfortunately, my video camera shut down when it sensed the rain, so I wasn't able to tape the show. But I did get a few digital photos, which are also in my albums.

The following day, we went to the character breakfast at 1900 Park Fare. We had never been there before, and it was just great! The characters were amazing - they managed to spend time with everyone and move through the room so quickly that we got to spend time with each of them a few times! And the food and service were really good, too. Frank had never been in the Grand Floridian at all, so we took a walk around, after breakfast. Then we spent all day at the MK. It was totally PACKED, again! I haven't seen it so packed there since the winter vacation trips of my youth! We weren't able to go on very many rides, 'cause you literally had to FastPass EVERYTHING, it was so crowded! But we did manage to experience all of my old favorites - IASW, Haunted Mansion, Country Bears, Pirates of the Caribbean, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, and the Tiki Room! We also got to see the 2 parades. I really enjoyed Share a Dream Come True! The floats are really neat! Unfortunately, my video camera was still being temperamental (I guess it was still "mad" at me, after having it out in the rain, the night before!) so I wasn't able to video tape it. But I did get a bunch of still shots! Unfortunately, I missed getting any good ones of Katie, since I expected her to be Snow White in the parade, but she wound up playing an Animator, instead! We did see her, though! And SpectroMagic was unbelievable! I had never seen it before, and both Frank and I were blown away by it! We purposely stood at the foot of Main Street, right by the doors through which the floats enter the park. I thought that it would be really dramatic to tape the floats entering the dark street. Plus, we needed to meet Mike back at the Poly at 10:45 and wanted to have time to take a shower first, so we wanted to be close to the park exit. Anyway, it was just breathtaking! I got good video footage, and Frank manned my digital camera. And we got to see Katie play Snow White in that parade! When we left the park after the parade, we had a magical moment which I'm sure you'll all appreciate. As we walked to the Launch dock, we saw the EWP going by - but it wasn't performing - the barges were moving more quickly than usual, and one half was displaying the animals and the other half was displaying the flags - then they would switch. There was no music - just lights travelling past. I was very confused - I thought that maybe they were just doing a test en route to the next resort at which it would perform. I had never seen it do that before. But then I thought that maybe the EWP had just come to say "goodbye" to us, as we were leaving the MK for the last time! :) Oh - we also had a great dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table that night. We were lucky enough to get fantastic window seats, with a great view of Fantasyland. We were eating at the same time that the show was going on in front of the Castle, and Peter Pan and Captain Hook kept passing right by us outside the window, on the Castle balcony. At one point, Peter Pan jumped up and banged on our window and waved at us, during dinner! And - another magical moment - when we left the restaurant and came back downstairs, Cinderella herself was there in the lobby! I was so excited, since she's my all-time favorite Disney character, and I hadn't "spoken to her" since that fated day when I ran out into the street during the Magical Moments Parade in '99 and asked her advice about how to meet a prince! So we posed for pictures with her and I told her the story about how I feel that she is responsible for Frank's and my getting together. She seemed very enthusiastic and happy to hear the story. But then she signed our autograph book (yes, we're adults and we collect character autographs!), and while she was writing, she turned to me and said "I don't mean to sound stupid, but is 'congratulations' with a 't' or with a 'd'?" I was like "don't disillusion me, Cinderella"! But it was funny and she was very nice!

We went back to the Poly after SpectroMagic and Mike came over to meet us after his Fantasmic shift had ended. He and Frank grabbed a snack at Captain Cook's, then we went outside and sat at one of the umbrella tables and talked for awhile, which was nice.

We had our last breakfast at the Kona Cafe, the following morning (after purchasing several pounds of Kona coffee to take home, of course!), and then had to leave at 9:45 AM. Another magical moment - just as we were leaving, the Character Caravan was pulling out, so we got to see all of the characters do a little dance before getting back on the bus - it was really cute!

And now we're back home, which is bittersweet. We really miss WDW, but we were cheered up by picking up our wedding video and photo proofs at the photographer, today! It was so much fun to look at at them! I'm spending tomorrow running around to various places (ie: City Hall, DMV, Social Security) to have my name changed on my official documents. I'm scheduled to go back to work on Thursday, but I'm hoping that I might be able to take the rest of the week off - there's so much to do!

Anyway, thanks for listening to my "adventures"! I actually took so many digital pictures at WDW that they wouldn't all fit on one album page! So I had to establish a second one, just to hold the pictures from Saturday! So, if you'd like to see, they're at:

http://photos.yahoo.com/lisaandfrankdisneyhoneymoon2002

and

http://photos.yahoo.com/lisaandfrankdisneyhoneymoon20022

Hope that all is well with all of you! We thought of you all every day, down there! Take care and speak to you soon! :)

IASW Rider

06-14-2002, 02:00 PM

Hi again, Everyone!

How are you all doing?

I'm still off from work - haven't completely "returned to reality" yet. But I have accomplished my name changes on all of my official documents and managed to get our room in somewhat decent order (Disney souvenirs and wedding gifts all over the place!), so it's been a productive week. I can't believe that we were in WDW less than a week ago......it seems so far away, now.....needless to say, I'm already campaigning to Frank to go back during the same week, next year! I keep inserting the words "next year" into random conversations, in the hopes that he will subliminally get the message! Of course, that all depends upon whether I find a new job before then............but I don't want to think about that, right now! :)

Anyway, just wanted to stop by the Suite and see if any of you were in. I guess you're all out at the parks enjoying yourselves, so I'm going to head over to Epcot and see if I can hook up with any of you who might be there!

Have a great day and a nice weekend! :)

helenabear

06-14-2002, 07:20 PM

Hi all :wave:

Sorry I haven't been here. I have been busy working on this thread here about my Chicago Trip with pictures (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=217395) and writing a very detailed discription of my trip this weekend. I will get pieces of that up for you hopefully tonight or tomorrow :)

Lisa, I loved hearing all about your trip! Oh and thank you for the post card. It really made me smile the day I got it!!!

Well I hate to stop in and run, but I need to get to my dad's soon. He just returned from Lithuania and we are going over there for dinner in a few! Take Care all! And have a wonderful weekend :sunny:

helenabear

06-14-2002, 10:42 PM

I admit I was very nervous about this trip in general. Staying with my friend Hannah, was no big deal (I’ve known her for 17 or so years now). I am just a shy person (believe it or not) and the idea of meeting so many people just had me very panicky feeling. So I had a hard time falling asleep on Thursday night. I eventually fell asleep probably around 11:30 or midnight (EDT) and my alarm was set to wake me up at 5:20 am. I woke up at 3:30 all nervous and I was able to fall back asleep after about 15 minutes and stay asleep until 4:30. I got up 6 minutes later because I knew I had no chance of falling asleep again and went downstairs to my computer. I did begin to browse around the DIS for a while.

I eventually got up and took my shower and then sat down to check my flight to make sure it was on time and what gate it would be at. After I got that out of the way, I went back to the DIS to PM Dan my flight number and America West’s 800 number since the flight wasn’t showing up online for whatever reason. Around 5:30 I got a friendly PM from KimRaye asking me where I was (if I was in Chicago yet) I replied I hadn’t left yet, but was going to soon and suggested she go to sleep ;) About 5:50 I went upstairs and woke up my DH, Luis, so he could take me to the airport. I said good bye to my furbabies, Cleo & Gwen and shortly after 6:00 we were leaving the house and I was tugging on my hair as I always do when I am nervous.

We got to the airport just about 6:30 am and said our good byes to each other. I checked in within 5 minutes and waited in line for security for about 10 minutes. My stupid move of the day was that I took my watch off (all metal) and put it in a basket as I went through the metal detectors. I had a diet Coke in my hand, my ticket, my purse and my carry on. If I had a brain in my head I would have either put the ticket or my watch in my purse (if I were actually smart, I would have done this with both) but I didn’t and for some reason at 6:45, four things to look after was just too much for me. I did notice my missing watch about 5 minutes later when I was in the bathroom and fortunately I was able to get it back.

I had about an hour wait until I was boarding after that so I gave Luis a quick call to waste time and I played with my camera a little as well as played with my Palm Pilot a little. After a while I did what I really like to do a lot, watch people. I don’t know why, but I love to see all that people do. So I just watched others until I boarded my plane at 8:00 am. I was chosen to do one of those random searches just before I boarded the plane and that was pretty easy and quick. After everyone boarded the plane backed out about 3 minutes early and we were on our way to Chicago O’Hare.

It was a pretty uneventful flight. I did remember to set my watch back an hour on the flight and it took just about exactly an hour to get there so we landed about 20 minutes early. I took my time walking to the area where I told Dan I’d be for him to pick me up. I listened to my voicemail and I called a couple of people before I went outside. As soon as I got outside, I called Dan. He was in shock because he didn’t expect me there that early and they hadn’t even left the house yet. So I told him where I was waiting and that is exactly what I did for the next 30 minutes… wait. Let me tell you I was very nervous at that point. I was pulling on my hair, which is what I do when I am nervous. Eventually I saw Dan’s car pull up with Dan and Marie inside. They pulled over and they both got out and welcomed me with hugs. I got in the back and we were off to downtown Chicago.

Along the way downtown Marie had given me a wonderful bag full of little gifts. First, I was given three post cards of the Chicago skyline two of the skyline at night and one of Buckingham water fountain. I was also given a magnet of the Chicago. The last thing in there was a cute little snow globe of the Water Works visitor center with a horse drawn buggy in front. Dan had found an antenna topper that he thought I would like since recently I seem to be buying a fair amount of them. This one is a topper in the shape of the Mickey Sorcerer icon at MGM. In return I had brought Dan & Marie candy Buckeyes. Buckeyes are poisonous nuts that are related to horse chestnuts. Well I had tried to describe these nuts to Dan before and figured it was easier just to bring them along a bunch of them. I wasn’t able to bring an actual buckeye with me, but I did have a chance to get the candy version to bring with me. Basically they are creamy peanut butter covered in milk chocolate… they are very yummy :D

Dan & Marie thought it would be nice if I could enter Chicago from Lake Shore drive. I am so glad we did because it was a beautiful drive in. Along the way to the lake front we did drive by Wrigley field, the home of the Cubs as well. Anyway the drive into Chicago was great. I will say all along, I was sitting in the back seat playing with the handle on the gift bag Marie had given me. I just kept pulling on the cord the whole time we were driving to the parking place. Such a nervous habit of mine I guess, fidgeting with my hair, small objects & my fingers that is. Don’t get me wrong, Dan and Marie are wonderful people and were just chatting away, I am just really a shy person when I first meet people and I just get nervous meeting people. It doesn’t matter that I had spoken with both before on the phone more than once or that I would talk fairly regularly with both via PMs or e-mail. None of that mattered, I was still very scared.

So after a few wrong turns :rolleyes: :p :D we finally parked. We stopped off at the restroom quickly and Marie and I thought we might have beaten Dan since we didn’t see him anywhere. So we stood outside the exit area waiting, just waiting with my camera ready to snap a picture of him. Well Dan, being the silly sneak he is, was behind us and took a picture of us just standing there waiting :rolleyes: We stopped off at a small gift shop to pick up some mints and we were on our way to the streets of Chicago. I must say one of the first things that struck me about Chicago was the river. Now Ohio has some of the ugliest waterways on the face of this earth. They are brown and dingy and almost scary, but when I saw the river, I was awestruck. The water was such a beautiful shade of blue-green I had ever seen! I probably could have spent hours just looking at the water as to me, watching a river flow or lake tides is just very peaceful to me.

I admit the next part won’t be quite as detailed as the beginning, mostly because I cannot remember half the names of everywhere we went ;) :D

We walked down Michigan Avenue for a while and I must admit there were some pretty fancy shops along that road. But the first stop we made was at The Disney Store :) I will say TDS here in Columbus is pretty pathetic and this one was large and wonderful! Full of a lot of stuffed animals and neat figurines as well. If I had more than just a carry on with me, I would have bought something there :D Oh that brings me to the other thing that Dan gave me while I was there. I finally got my very own Chicago Mickey :) He’s cute and is keeping my stuffed Pooh key chain company in my car currently :D

Somewhere shortly after that, Dan kept asking me if I was hungry. Granted it was only 11:30 CDT, but my brain was still on Eastern time. I told Dan I was fine though so we went and stopped at the Water Works visitor center first. We went inside and looked at the many pictures on the wall. Then we went across the street to the Water Tower. I took a few pictures of some neat fountains inside and then we just walked around the mall quickly and being a “backward” Ohioan ;) we rode up & down the glass elevator. I know at this point Dan was hungry because he kept bugging me about being hungry myself. So we stopped at the Cheesecake Factory for lunch. I had never eaten there before but it was very good food! My turkey sandwich had a lot of lettuce though, but otherwise it was the perfect thing to eat while sitting outside on such a beautiful day. Of course even during lunch, Dan had to fiddle with his camera :rolleyes: There was also a really neat fountain/waterfall by where we ate lunch and I had to snag a few pictures of that.

Our next stop was the John Hancock building. Before we went up, Dan stopped for a quick bathroom break. And yes, I was lucky enough to catch him walking out! Okay I admit, I watched that exit area like a hawk and was very prepared to get a picture of him walking out :D So after that, we went up to the observatory area of the building. I am so afraid of heights but the view from there was outstanding. I didn’t take that many pictures this trip in general (only 125 over the course of two days) but I’d say a good majority of my pictures came from this view alone. I spent a lot of time also playing with a few settings on my camera and seeing how good of a zoom quality I could get from so far up.

Really being up there and seeing all that you can is almost heavenly. Just looking out and being able to see for miles and miles is a thrill. The water was beautiful from above and the city is just gorgeous from that view. We could see Lake Shore drive and how long & big it is from up there. Lake Michigan and the Chicago river are just beautiful from up that high. The view of the skyline is just really so breathtaking that I forgot how high up I was. I think my favorite area to take a picture of was of the Navy Pier area and just the Ferris Wheel and all the boats out on the lake make for a wonderful sight. I also got a few pictures of roof top pools as I knew it would make Luis laugh to see them all. I called Luis from a top of the Hancock building and chatted for a few minutes. Poor thing was at work on such a beautiful day :( But I always enjoy sharing things with him and I was glad to be able to share even just a moment with him.

Goodness this is getting long ;) After the gorgeous view, we got on a trolley bus and took a tour of the city. It was really neat to be able to do this for many reasons. This way I was able to see all the neat points of interest, yet we also had a chance to relax for a while :) It was very cool to be able to see a lot of the city that I have seen so many different times in movies and the like but never in person until now. Also I loved being able to drive down the city streets that I recognized the names of. I work in telecommunications and I have been working a lot with phone & data lines in the Chicago area and it was neat to be able to put a visual with a street name that I work with so much.

So our next stop was Navy Pier. I must admit that out of everything we saw, this was my favorite part of the city. It is right on the lake and sticks out approximately a half a mile or into Lake Michigan. Again the water was beautiful and we had a beautiful day there as well! We saw a place for Bubba Gump Shrimp and there was a sign that said “Lt. Dan’s Getaway” So of course that was just screaming for a photo with Dan. I got a couple good ones of him by it and one not so flattering shot of him :eek: :p

Anyway the walk along Navy pier was just beautiful. There was live music playing, the skies were clear and the water was as blue as blue could be :) As I said before there is just something so peaceful about water and being near it to me. Such a good way to clear the mind! We all had some Italian lemonade as we walked along the pathway. It was good, but I was informed that there is even better Italian lemonade out there. I guess I’ll have to save that one for the next trip to Chicago ;) I took many several pictures at Navy Pier mostly because I was still awe struck by the water there.

After walking around Navy Pier, we got back on the tour bus and went to the Rock and Roll Mc Donald’s for a short while. We all three got something to drink there and sat around and chatted for a while and relaxed. After that we got up and went to the Rainforest Café and looked around the gift shop. There was Salsa music playing and the atmosphere is really neat there! I must admit though it seems like a noisy place to eat and it made me glad to know we’d be at a little more quiet place the next day for the DIS meet. I did get to watch the thunderstorm go through the restaurant and eventually we left and walked down to Gino’s East for dinner.

My day is drawing near a close so this won’t be much longer :D Well for the first day that is. One thing I requested of Dan & Marie specifically was to have good Chicago style pizza. I wanted them to do it because they had been living there all their lives and honestly my friend Hannah wouldn’t know the best pizza places since she loves Papa John’s so much. So I requested pizza and they obliged. We walked in and were seated in a nice booth. We ordered a pizza with half cheese & half sausage. We were told we had about a 40 minute wait for the pizza so we had a nice chat going on there for a while. Some of it was Disney talk and some of it other things. Dan and I even noticed a little hidden Mickey that was on the seat (although I know I didn’t get a picture of it, I am not sure if he did or not). So once the pizza came, I was asked how it looked and I do believe my reply was “It looks like I won’t be able to finish even one piece” I was right. I had a few bites left of the piece but let me tell you it was very good food!!

It was about 8:30 or so when we finished and got in a cab to go back to where we parked. It was a beautiful day still and the city was just beginning to light up. It was kind of a sad moment for me though because I realized I had no idea when I would ever be able to see the city like this again. I hope someday soon though because it really is a neat place to visit. Eventually we walked back to where the car was parked and headed out of the city. The sky was full of lights and it was just beautiful. I did not take any pictures though because I knew they could not do this view justice. At this point I realized I had been up for about 17 hours straight on just over 4 hours of sleep. My contacts quickly were removed and I enjoyed the ride to Naperville with Dan and Marie chatting along the way.

We got to Naperville and eventually found Hannah’s apartment. It was not an easy thing to find in the pitch black but we eventually found it nonetheless. Hannah was able to meet Dan and Marie and we said our goodbyes for the evening. It was about 10 pm by this time. Hannah and I stayed up for a few more hours and just chatted away and caught up on a few things. After watching some TV, we eventually went to bed as we were both tired after long days. Hers at work and mine was touring the streets of Chicago with a really great couple. I am very lucky to have been able to spend that time with them both. I will say though, both of them are truly genuinely wonderful and sweet people. What I see on the DIS, on the phone and in PMs/e-mails is what I got in person as well, and that was truly very refreshing to see!

helenabear

06-14-2002, 10:43 PM

Well I promise the next two days won’t be quite as long :D I woke up on Saturday morning at 5:00 am :rolleyes: to birds chirping outside the window :mad: So I put the bed back together and relaxed on the couch for a while. Actually I did not get a decent night’s sleep because the mattress that I slept on was literally three inches thick :eek: I could feel everything beneath me and I could only get a decent amount of support if I slept in the middle where the support bar was. But I really won’t complain because it was free :D I did wake up with my back among a few other things hurting so I took some painkillers that had a little muscle relaxer in them as well to help with the pain. So I lazed around the couch for a while and turned the news on. I know this will sound bad, but the news put me back to sleep for a while… of course I am sure the painkillers I took had something to do with that too.

Hannah eventually got up as well and we got ready to go into Naperville to have a late breakfast and to look around. I admit I was thrilled to finally be able to take a shower then because I just felt so dirty as I always do after I fly. So I showered and got dressed to go to downtown Naperville. We drove down to a nice place that serves breakfast the whole time it is open (between 6:30am & 2:00pm) We had a minor wait so we went to a small shop next door to look around. When we got back to the restaurant, our table was ready for us. We sat down and had a leisurely breakfast. I had a wonderful Belgium waffle and some sourdough toast. Very good and very filling.

After lunch we walked along the “river” in Naperville. It is really well landscaped around there and it really reminded me more of a touristy park than a city. The shops were just quaint looking and nothing seemed really “suburban” in feel to me at all. Anyway we walked by the river and just looked around the city for a while. We stopped by Hannah’s favorite book store and eventually we walked back to the car to head back to her place. We chatted and watched TV for a while when I got a call from Dan saying he had left to come pick me up. Not too long after, Juli (Fire14) called and let me know that she had made it to the meet safe & sound. I was glad to hear that because I was afraid at first that she was calling to say she was lost! But all was good. A few minutes later, Dan called again and said he was pulling into the parking lot so we were ready to go off to the meet. Hannah and I said our farewells. She had a housewarming to go to a few hours later, so it was good that we both had plans so neither felt left out or uncomfortable. I walked down the stairs to Dan & Marie’s car and we were on our way to Prairie Rock Brewing Company.

If I thought I was nervous meeting Dan and Marie, you should have seen me on the way to the meet. I was really a nervous wreck. Dan was trying to tease me and I don’t think I took it too well. I really wanted to just sit in the back seat of the car while Marie and Dan went inside, but since that wouldn’t happen, we got out and walked inside. I cannot tell you how scared I was. Really meeting all the Chicago people for the first time really isn’t easy for someone who is shy. Fortunately I was welcomed by Juli whom I had previously met before and Figment and I were right there with warm hugs and Mickey suckers. That was such a sweet thing for Candy & Helen to do and it really warmed my heart, whether I was able to really show it or not, it really did. I was introduced to everyone and eventually we sat down to order lunch.

I was very grateful that Juli and Marie were sitting near me. I am honestly really very shy when I first meet people and I have a tendency to just sit and watch it all. I was sort of doing that but Juli and Marie kept talking to me. I admit I was a lot more comfortable with talking with them since I had met them both before and gotten over my initial shy thing I go through. Fortunately others came up and talked to me. I am not really anti-social, but when I don’t know people that well, I have a very hard time going up and talking to them myself out of the blue. So I sat most of the time picking at my food and talking to whoever was around. I didn’t get to talk to everyone, but I got a chance to talk to a few and by the time we were ready to leave the restaurant, I was feeling much better about things and really not feeling that nervous at all. That only took two hours to get over my nervousness :rolleyes:

So some had previously suggested that we go to a place called GameWorks. I had no reason to object. Actually I knew that Hannah had just left to go to her housewarming by that time so I didn’t want to rush her and make her leave, so I was more than ready to go. When we got there, Marie and Dan went up and said hi to someone who worked there. Apparently Johnny is somehow related by marriage to them and he was kind enough to give Marie, Dan and I a quick tour of the place. I never would have thought to have some sort of gathering there, but I must admit they have some really neat facilities you could use for a party.

Anyway, without babbling too much, I had a great time at Game Works. Had I been feeling better I am sure I would have wanted to try out more rides than I did and been a bit more talkative than I was, but I was afraid to take too many pain killers as I didn’t want to get too “loopy” from the muscle relaxers that were in the pills. Anyway, they had some really cool racing games which are some one of my favorite type of games and a few others that I was willing to try out. I am sure that Luis would have a blast there and could spend hours on end there. Towards the end, those of us left, sat around and chatted a little. Dan was being a twit and was flashing us with his camera flash. He and I had a tiny war going on (ah the joys of digital cameras… waste pics and not even care :D) Eventually we all decided it was time to go. Dan, of course was still taking pictures as we left & even as we were driving away :rolleyes: He even got a crooked (but pretty) picture of the sunset off to our left.

Marie had made mention of ice cream to me earlier and I was more than willing to try a local place that was supposedly really good. Now we have a place called Graeter’s here that is just outstanding so I am a tough critic of ice cream. Well I admit Oberwiess was very good, but it wasn’t quite up to par with Graeter’s. While eating, both Hannah and Luis called me. Hannah called to say she was on her way home (perfect timing for us) and Luis just to chat & say good night. He chatted with both Marie and Dan while I finished my ice cream. Luis also reminded me of a story to tell Dan about our specially trained cows that can fly (teach Dan to ask if Columbus has an airport :p)

Honestly the drive back to Hannah’s was not long enough for me. I was dreading this moment even before I left for Chicago. I knew I wouldn’t want to say good bye to Dan or Marie. Surprisingly it was not a tearful goodbye. I was on the verge of tears but fortunately they never fell. I am just terrible with good byes. After we finally parted our ways, I walked up the stairs to Hannah’s place and waved out the window to Dan and Marie to let them know I was in Hannah’s place safe & sound.

I was actually able to sneak onto the DIS for a few minutes after I got to Hannah’s. However since her connection is horrible from home, I didn’t get to look at much or reply to much, but honestly it felt nice to be able to go to the DIS just then. Hannah was watching the Lewis/Holyfield fight on TV then. How she got pay per view for free, we still don’t know but we enjoyed watching the fight and seeing Lewis win!

After that, Hannah and I rented a movie from Blockbuster. Honestly we were both very disappointed with this movie (A.I.) and we turned it off to go to sleep before it finished. Honestly I was so tired that I fell asleep part way through the movie anyway and so I wasn’t upset when Hannah suggested we turn it off and go to sleep.

The next day was very laid back for us. We finished watching A.I. I finished a little packing and then we went to lunch at a local Chinese place. It was good food but honestly at this point I was more than ready to go home. We went back to her place and hung out for a while, watched a movie and chatted then left for the airport at around 3:30. I got to the airport just about 4:00 and had a quick check-in and an even quicker walk through the security. I went to the gift shop to buy some gum and then went to my gate. By then it was only about 4:15 so I decided to pull out my cell phone and make a call or two. I talked to Luis quickly and tried another person (no answer) then finally decided to call Dan and Marie to thank them again for the wonderful time we had together. I chatted with both of them until just before boarding time. Luis called me though to ask me how to get to the airport just before I boarded the plane. The plane pulled out pretty much on time but we had a wait ahead of us for take off.

I had a wonderful person sitting next to me on the flight and we chatted about a bunch of little things on the flight to Columbus. She has an adorable grandson that she just loves to spoil and she was just a joy to talk to. We landed about 10 or so minutes late and then I walked outside to meet up with Luis. On my drive home, I called a few people to let them know I made it okay and finally we pulled into my driveway and I was home :D

It was a great trip over all. I was so pleased to meet all that I did at the meet on Saturday, I just wish I had felt better for the meet. Also Dan and Marie were wonderful to me… I truly appreciate all that they did for me those two days we spent together. So that’s the end of my three day trip to Chicago and I hope to make it there again sometime soon and hopefully with Luis in tow.

helenabear

06-14-2002, 10:47 PM

Sorry everyone for the very long trip reports I put here for you all to read... they just can't be done right with fewer words :earseek: Hey when was the last time you knew me not to talk a lot though :D Have a great weekend everyone :sunny:

jstmee

06-15-2002, 12:32 PM

Lisa, congratulations, and I don't need to ask if it's spelled with a d or t, lol!

I am going to look at your album, but wanted to sneak in and say hi first. I am afraid the kiddos would interrupt me if I didn't come in now.

Elaine, your trip to Chicago sounded so much fun.

I won't have time now to catch up on everything. I haven't been on the computer in ages. As I'm sure you all noticed.

I start a job on Monday. It's just for on-call at the outpatient admitting area at a local hospital. It will be good that it is only on call for the summer. Maybe when the kids go back to school I can get a better job there. But, for now it's a step in the door. It's very hard to get a job there.

The kids last day of school was yesterday. We have finally started baseball. geeze, how time flies. I can remember talking baseball on the board last year. My youngest has won his first two games, but the older one's lost their first game. I was impressed with their good attitude after the game though and the good upbeat comradarie with their teamates. (hee, hee, they don't lose too much so I am glad they know how to lose graciously)

Meanwhile, my brother got married on June 8 in Pennsylvania, close to Quakertown, King of Prussia etc. It was so beautiful. My new sister in law had lilies for her flowers, at first, to me they looked odd, but later on they grew on me and looked beautiful. They had a non-denominational person marry them and had beautiful stories to tell about what brought them together.

My brother, Gary, the one that got married cried from the rehearsal to well into the reception. He loves this girl so much and he is such a sweatheart. I pray they remain so much in love. She is the stronger personality and he goes along with the flow. They have known each other since they were 15 and they are now 34. Gary dated her best friend through high school and the best friend was even in the wedding.

We got a topiary to bring home with us "to remember their love for each other as the topiary grows". It's five years old and is beautifully sculpted. I hope I can take good care of "her".

SG, hope all is well in your neck of the woods and everyone else. Got to go, children acting up a bit.

Wendy

jstmee

06-15-2002, 01:01 PM

Elaine I just remembered you saying something about a relative coming back from Lithuania????

I'm Lithuanian. My fathers grandparents on both sides came to America from Lithuania. My great Aunt who just passed away had her burial at a Lithuanian church. The part of New York where I am from has a section that is still people from Lithuanian descent. It is rare to see this.

Take care again. Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

06-15-2002, 07:20 PM

I am so happy and a bit surprised to find that you have not rented out my room while I was 'gone'. I have been a whole lot busy and a bit sick so please forgive me.

I was overwhelmed with all the information and fun I have missed. I cannot believe that only did Lisa find time to keep in touch with all that she had to do before the wedding and her honeymoon afterward BUT I received the nicest card in the mail. I have been showing it to everyone! I am surprised that she was not logged in during the ceremony though. LOL Sadie, Sadie, married lady, how does it feel? I am just so very happy for the both of you. I have checked out the pictures a couple of times and took in every detail and the happiness and love just oozed out of every pixel.

Helenabear, I hope you were not too terrified of us when we met but I fear you were probably just as nervous as I was. It is so scary to meet someone in person, especially when you have gotten to know someone second hand. You don't want to lose the connection you already have. I am trying to take my own advice and know that everyone is nervous and reaching out to other people might be a bit dangerous but not reaching out is even more so. What a wonderful report. Please do not apologize for the length. I enjoyed it so much but wish I had something as interesting to report. I knew you would have a great time with Dan and Marie. Would be like going to the North Pole to meet Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus and being neglected. Never would happen!

Jstmee, I am so happy you have found a part time job. It is good to get out of the home a bit once in awhile. I know you will enjoy yourself and do a great job. I have been to King of Prussia when we tracked down my long lost brother. It is beautiful country. There are a lot of Moravian churches in that area also and this town was founded by Moravians.

I went to WW today for my weigh in and was pleasantly surprised to find that I had reached my first goal and even a couple of pounds more. I had both the boys last week (part of why I have not been by lately) and did not get to walk or do my exercise and ate a couple of meals that were not exactly right as I was just too tired/sick to cook something better.

I have been called for jury duty next week so if I go missing for a few days you will know why.

I am looking for a nice, quiet corner of the World to relax with a good, healthy meal and watch the stars come out. A bit of company would be very pleasant also. Any takers?

Slightly Goofy/Linda

SlightlyGoofy

06-15-2002, 07:48 PM

I am sorry, I forgot I wanted to tell you all about this book I just finished reading. It is interesting because the 'chase' scene takes place at Disney World.

"The Millionaires" by Brad Meltzer

Hope the readers among you enjoy this.

SG/Linda

angelina

06-17-2002, 08:36 PM

Well, I'm alive and well, just wilted from the heat, and missing WDW something fierce. I loved being there, and the kids enjoyed it, too, but I will leave the hubby home next time. It was so nice to see DxL again, and remember the wonderful week we spent there at Easter 4 years ago.

It sounds like everyone has been keeping busy. It's been strange not "hearing" from everyone for the past few weeks.

Lisa, I love your wedding pictures. I am amazed that you were able to post from WDW. I hope you had a wonderful honeymoon. I'm so sorry we weren't able to catch each other there, but maybe another time. I am not as advanced as you with your digital camera--I still use 35mm, and have not taken my film to be developed yet.

Jstme, I know you told us earlier that your children were in school later than we are here, but when do they go back? Mine got out May 31st, and go back on Aug.19th. We play baseball in the spring and finished at the end of May, too. Is it still cold where you live?

SG, congratulations on your loss! I would be thankful for just 5#'s, but it's determined to stay with me. Slimfast and fruit just aren't doing the trick. I am trying, though.:(

Helenabear, I loved reading your trip report from the meet. I think it would be so much fun if we could all meet somewhere, one day. It's been great getting to know everyone over the past year.

I'd better go now, time for dinner. Take care.

helenabear

06-17-2002, 09:28 PM

Hi there everyone! I hope all is well with everyone!!!

Wendy, I am so glad to hear about your part time job! I hope it all works out wonderfully for you and your family! Sounds like you have been very busy lately too and I hope you are able to enjoy the summer some now! As for my family member traveling to Lithuania, that would be my dad. He is a world traveler for his business and he has already gone to Lithuania once previously this year. That is so neat that your family is from there! My dad likes it there and always has a good time with his colleagues there as well! I am sure he will make it back there one more time this year as well at least!

Lisa, I wanted to say that I got a chance to look through all of your WDW pictures. It looks like you both had a wonderful time!!! You make a wonderful couple and it is so obvious how much you two love each other. It was beautiful to be able to see all of that!

Angie, so good to see you again! I am glad that you had a good time at WDW! I will be going without Luis in December and I will let you know how that all works out ;) Sometimes it is good to leave them home once in a while so you can have your own fun, don't you think? Maybe someday we will all be able to meet. I would very very much like that!

Linda, I honestly was no where near as nervous meeting you as I was with Dan. It was because Luis was there. He can be my calming force... my crutch of sorts. He helps keep me "realistic" when it comes to things like that. He really calms me very nicely. So since I was stuck at the airport for 30 minutes all alone, my nerves got the worst of me. You are right, meeting Dan and Marie and being neglected just is impossible. Both were very kind and very sweet to me and watched over me and took me under their wings for the time I was with them. I just hope that I can see them again soon.

Oh for all who care and want to come to Columbus... we are having a Columbus Zoo meet on July 13th... so come join us if you like!!!

Otherwise the only interesting thing I know happened at work. My old CEO was booted (technically he resigned but I think it was more forced) and we have a new CEO. Please pray or think good thoughts in hope that this will be a good thing and not a bad thing for my company!!!

Well I have babbled enough! I hope everyone is having a great day :sunny:

IASW Rider

06-19-2002, 03:16 PM

See that? I turn my back for 2 seconds and everybody checks in! So great to see you all! Thanks for all of your warm wishes and for taking the time to look through my 5 billion pictures! :)

I loved your Chicago trip report, Elaine! It gave me goosebumps, reading it - your descriptions of the places were so vivid! I spent a week in Chicago, taking a Trust class at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business 2 summers ago, and I absolutely loved it! I visited all the places which you mentioned, when I was there, so I really appreciated your descriptions of them! I just love that city, too! And it's very sentimental to my family because my parents met while working for the same company, in the Board of Trade Building, there! It sounds like you, Dan, and Marie had a wonderful time, too! It's wonderful that you finally all met in person! When I'm finished writing, I'm going to look at your pictures!

Congratulations on reaching your first goal + more, Linda!!!!!! That is so great!!!!!! I'm sure that you will hit that next goal before you know it! And if I could have logged on during our wedding ceremony, I would have - hee hee! :)

Congratulations on your new job, Wendy! That's great! And lots of luck to your children on the new baseball season! And I loved your description of your brother's wedding, too - it sounds wonderful! I wish that we had been in NJ when you were in PA - maybe we would have been able to meet you - King of Prussia is about an hour and a half from where we live.

And speaking of people whom I missed meeting, I am so sorry again that we didn't get to meet while we were all at WDW, Angie! I can't believe that I blew it, like that, by not remembering the dates of your trip correctly, and assuming that you were going to be there longer than you were! Did you get to make it to IllumiNations, that night, or were you rained out? We were at the California Grill that night, and the MK fireworks were cancelled because of the storm, so I was thinking of you and hoping that you got to see the show (or stayed out of the rain all together - let me tell you how much "fun" it was, sitting through Fantasmic in the downpour, the following night - hee hee! :) )! Can't wait to hear more about your trip! Did you visit all of the parks? Any of the water parks? See anything new that you'd never seen before? Did you see all of the new parades? Hope that you all had a wonderful time!

By the way, Wendy, I feel horrible because I'd wanted to send you a post card when we were in WDW.....but I don't have your home address! :( Please forgive me for not remembering to ask you for it, before we left!

Well, "Toto, we're not at WDW, any more" - I found out today that my group is moving to another floor in our building, and I am losing my nice private office and will be sitting in a cubicle right by the main entrance / exit to the work floor where we will be sitting. The other 2 Trust Officers - my current colleague and my "replacement" will be sitting in offices next to our boss. LOVELY. Just kick me and humiliate me some more, why don't they? Well, the good thing is that if I am sitting so close to the main entrance / exit, I will easily be able to slip in and out without too many people seeing me (apparently my new desk is slightly removed from where the rest of my group will be sitting - I guess that that's where they dump us "leper" soon-to-be-laid-off-people!). I just think it's a big joke - if I wasn't so mad, I'd be laughing - it's so typical of the way that the management of our group is doing this whole reorganization thing. Pathetic. I wish that I was having better luck finding a new job. I'm sitting around and fantasizing about "revenge", and how great it will be when I can walk out that door permanently.

Anyway, on a more pleasant note, I've all but convinced Frank that we should go back to WDW for our first anniversary, next year, so that we will be at WDW during the same week, in the same room, for the third year in a row! I think that I've "sold" him on the idea - yea!!! :) In the mean time, I've heard from at least one CM friend every day since we've been back, so I still feel very "connected" to the place. In addition to my Fantasmic friend and my Contemporary friend, Mary Jo's ("PKK/MJK" 's) daughter Katie is now corresponding with me, as well, which is wonderful! It's so much fun to hear about what's going on down there from people who work there and are there every day!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Take care and have a nice day! :)

SlightlyGoofy

06-20-2002, 08:38 PM

Now Lisa, dear, you are NOT the only one to have connections at DW. LOL I keep in touch with our maid. We met her on a trip last year and she was such a sweetie. I had to give her a lecture tho cause she walked into our room and sat down and visited with us the first time she met us and I explained that while we were fairly benign people she should NOT do that again! She was pregnant and I found the cutest Disney baby outfit that said "All Stars" on it and since she worked at ASSp it was very fitting. My sister who lives in FL is currently on vacation in Hawaii (free). She is the one who makes friends with people who can provide such things, I make friends with people who need my help. (grin) As far as the work situation goes, just hang in there and know that the best revenge is living well and you will be. By this time next year you will be so happy to be out of all that and be wondering why in the world you were worried at all. From what I read and see on tv you are simply paying for the bad judgement of your higher ups. This does not seem like a great time to be in the financial information field. Is there a chance you could turn your skills toward some other area?

Helenabear's report made me feel like I was riding in the back seat with her on her tour with Dan and Marie. I loved it! I am so very flattered that you were not too nervous meeting me. I hope I am not a scary person. I just feel badly cause I am not so very interesting as I am a family oriented sort of down home type person. I just love meeting other people and learning about them. I am great at being a shoulder to lean on and not yakking to others about the secrets I hear tho. Not having a great week dietwise. It seems I fall apart whenever I have a big loss. I will be back in step this next week. Hard enough losing it once without losing it over and over again. Am still considering the DIS meet in Columbus. Depends on weather and if I have any energy left after my wild weekend with my sisters the weekend before.

Angelina, what a dream it would be to go to Disney World all by ourselves. It is not that I do not love my hubby but it gets tiring having to be together all the time. He does not feel that way though. I guess if he were waiting on me hand and foot I would not mind him being around all the time nearly as much. LOL I do have to admit that he just goes along with whatever I want to do when we are at DW. I know what he likes and keep that in mind tho. I am so sorry that you and Rider did not get to meet. So near, yet so far away. To be fair Lisa was on her honeymoon and can be excused for not remembering everything. (smile) Did you get a new vehicle also? What happened with your hubby's job? If you would like some info on the WW diet I would be glad to send it to you. Slim Fast and Fruit will never do it and it seems the more you eat (of the right stuff) on this diet the more I lose. Just pm or email me and I will send whatever you want.

Jstmee, could you send a bit of that cool weather my way? I promise to share with anyone else in the Suite who needs a few cool breezes. Please let us know how you and yours are doing and especially how your son is.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

jstmee

06-23-2002, 09:00 PM

Well the kiddos have misbehaved so they are put to bed for the evening. It's soooo quiet. Now I can spend a quiet evening with DH.

The Doctor visit with my DS went well. As predicted the MRI was fine so they took 5 viles of blood from him to test for a degenerative muscle disease, etc. We also will go to a pediatric opthalmalogist to see about correcting his eye. He has a nerve palsy that paralyzed the outurning of his eye.

This was his first time having blood taken. He did okay, but he was scared. Can't imagine how the eye surgery will be.

I will gladly send any cool weather your way SG. Today it is raining and about 50.

Lisa, I don't know how you keep hanging in there, but "you go girl". I can't imagine how tough it must be. Keep dreaming dreams of your honeymoon!!!!

helenabear, that's neat that your dad gets to travel like that.

I go back to Boston next week. I'm pretty sure it will be uneventful. My "little" job is fun. It's hard to get back into going to "work" though. I've missed two of my kids baseball games and that is very difficult for me. But, I'm in the training phase and I worked 3-11 last week so this week should be better.

My DH has a free rountrip ticket that I am trying to think of a way to go to WDW by myself for some R&R. lol.......definately dreaming.

take care all. Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

06-23-2002, 11:38 PM

Wendy, with all you have been through lately you sure do deserve to go to DW by yourself. Sounds like a dream come true. Don't happen to have an AP do you?

You have a brave young man. Does the hospital offer a program where they will walk him through and show him the equipment and tell him what will happen step by step so it won't be so frightening?

From personal experience I can tell you that your kids will appreciate you a bit more for not being at every single game etc. Fine line between being there for your kids all the time and never being there. I was always there and my kids sort of see me like wallpaper. Did have a breakthrough tonight in that my daughter finally got the reason I would not let her go to her "best friend's" home but would let her come to ours. Her brothers were drug dealers. Only took 20 years for her to see the light. LOL

I hope the kids misbehave more often so you guys will get some more alone time. Don't mean to preach but someday those darling kids will be gone and out living their own lives and you two do not want to be strangers to each other. (voice of experience speaking here)

I guess Angelina, Rider and Helenabear (your card was so unnecessary but sweet) are out in the World figuring out new adventures for us.

Slightly Goofy

IASW Rider

06-24-2002, 11:50 AM

Hey Everyone!

How are you all doing?

Yes, Wendy, I agree with Linda - your DS is certainly brave! I would be nervous going through all of those tests, myself (in fact, I never made it through an MRI!), and it sounds like he handled them like a trooper! Thank God the initial results are positive ones. I'm sure that it's rough for you and your entire family to go through all of this with your DS, but I'm sure that everything will go well and that you will all get through it together, with eachother's support. I can also imagine how hard it is to have missed some of your childrens' games. Hopefully, as you're finished training, your schedule will calm down a bit and allow for the time to go see the upcoming games! And that would be great if you could go to WDW, by yourself, for a nice getaway!

That was such a neat story about how you still stay in touch with your maid from AS, Linda! I would be happy to stay in touch with anyone, down there, who wants to stay in touch with me - it helps me feel connected to WDW, even when I'm not there! It also makes my fantasies of moving and working down there seem a bit more realistic (even though in reality, they are not realistic at all!) Don't worry about having a "bad" week - we know that those plateaus happen and that you will be back on track in no time! I totally overloaded myself on carbs, yesterday - we went to the movies (and saw "Star Wars", which was great), so I had the requisite (huge!) popcorn, then came home and had spaghetti. I felt like I was going to explode, by the end of the night! But I know that I will get "back on track" (ie: unbloated!), today!

Sorry that this is such a short one - just wanted to say "hi"! Not too much to report from the Garden State......except that I desperately wish that we were still at the Poly! :(

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

SlightlyGoofy

06-24-2002, 12:35 PM

Dear Rider

You know that part of you is always at DW. I bet your room in the Suite is decorated like your room at the Poly. You and Frank can always drop in together to rekindle memories. We should have a tour of our individual rooms at the Suite so we can see what we each have secreted in there.

Mine has 3 walls of bookcases. Would have 4 but would not want to miss the view out of the wall of windows overlooking the Lagoons. The balcony is lined with potted plants that the guys keep weeded and watered. Nothing like the beauty without the work IMHO. Pictures of the grands surround the bed so I can dream of the little rascals after a full day at DW. I have a lovely coverlet of crewelwork that is similar to a Monet painting. Far too beautiful to have in my own home where dirty shoes abound. The ceiling fan gives such a lovely breeze and casts gentle shadows around the room.

Lisa, you cannot be 'good' all the time. I am sure that you enjoyed your popcorn and spaghetti even more for not having them all the time. I am afraid it was not a plateau last week but an overexcited appetite. I am calming down now and hope to break even this week and go on to better things next week. How did you do in the land of Citrus Swirls? I always lose weight at DW.

Austin and I are working on schoolwork and housework. He reads for 20 minutes at a time with his timer and I try to clean a room in the same time. Only 7 more to go!(counting bathrooms) Sure glad I can close the door to the upstairs cause I know I ain't gonna make it up there today. (whew!)

Keep cool everyone (or warm as the case may be) and enjoy this first day of the week.

Slightly Goofy

helenabear

06-25-2002, 09:32 PM

Hello there everyone! I feel just horrible. The reason why I haven't stopped in the last few days was because I got new software on my computer... Photoshop. I have been taking photos and playing with them. Like putting different faces on different bodies and things like that. So silly me wasted many hours at night doing that :rolleyes: I have told myself that I will only use the software on weekends when I have the time to play like that :D

Wendy, I am constantly thinking of your son. I do hope things turn out well for him. It really must be scary for him and he is so brave to go through all that! I am also glad to hear that your health appears to be good as well!!! Definitely something to be happy about!! Also good to know that your job is going well and I hope that after you get out of training that you will have more time for the baseball games and the like. Oh and my suggestion is to take that ticket at go to WDW and enjoy your time alone ;)

Rider & SG, I am glad you both liked the trip report I wrote up. That took me several days to get done but I was so determined to do so. I really did love Chicago and there is so much more I didn't see that I would love to. Hopefully some day I will be able to go back. But it really is a unique city with a lot to offer!

SG, you are such a wonderful person both here and in person. I really did enjoy meeting you and yes, that card was very much necessary. My mother raised me proper and I cannot let a kind gesture go w/o a thank you note. I am just so sorry it took so long in getting to you :D

Rider, I agree with SG, you cannot be "good" all the time. Don't you worry about it and I am sure you will be just fine again. I do it myself once in a while (did it this last week) and then I somehow get "good" and don't have to worry about it for a while! I hope you are adjusting to reality nicely. I am terribly sorry to hear about your new cublicle though. That doesn't say much for the department you work for. I hope that things look up for you soon there {{hugs}}

Angie, I do hope you are not wilting in the sun and that all is well with you!!!

And to everyone else :wave: I hope your summer is going well :sunny:!! Talk to you all soon!!!

jstmee

06-25-2002, 11:12 PM

Hi everyone,

Just a short hello before heading CT and MA. My DH has business in CT tomorrow and I have my "dreaded" Doctor visit in Boston. I do enjoy the one on one with my DH though. It is much needed and a blessing. My little son is undefeated in baseball so far and the "older" twins have lost only one. I got to see the older ones play today and Mark got a homerun and Kenny got the game ball. Mark thinks he should have gotten the game ball.. "chuckle, chuckle"....

My hairdresser did my hair today and then proceeded to do a "facial" with her Mary Kay products. Well, you know I bought a bunch. I'll try to tame those wrinkles. A little pampering.

I'd love to meet for a nice cool lemonade and foot rub. Maybe Don Juan is around this evening. There is a special area in the corner of the suite looking out of the veranda that we can all sit in a circle, put up our feet and let the "guys" go to work.

Sweet dreams to all and to all a good night. Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

06-25-2002, 11:35 PM

Dear Lisa
I read somewhere, just today, that being 'good' 90% of the time is good enuff. I guess I was only good 80% of the time last week as I regained a pound. LOL Just think of it like a budget, you save up unusued calories for those splurges and then go back on your budget. Makes sense to me! Besides you look great! Happiness must agree with you.

Jstmee, you slipped in whilst my back was turned. How come you never told me about the foot rubbing corner? My DH who does not housework or outside work or any work does give the best foot rubs. For an hour at a time without complaining even! Hey, I keep him around for some reason. LOL I wish you a safe and enjoyable trip. We will await the good news when you return. Maybe Kenny should ask Mark for his 'autograph' on the game ball? You know the best way to keep from getting wrinkles? Be fat. I have no wrinkles, maybe a few folds but no wrinkles. (grin) Actually drinking water will do more than any of the fancy creams you can buy and being wise enough to pick the right parents helps a bunch also.

Helenabear, if you could put my face on Ann Margaret's body you would make Tom a very happy man. I have given him permission to cheat with her IF he ever gets the chance. I would not blame him one bit. I think my current favorite for my fling would be Harrison Ford. Good looking, rich, intelligent AND is handy with a hammer! He worked as a carpenter while waiting for his big break. I have your card up on the china cabinet (a place of honor in this house). I am afraid that I was not taught to be so thoughtful. My problem is that the more I like a person the harder it is for me to send cards, presents and such cause I cannot think of anything good enough to send. My favorite people get their Christmas cards the latest.

Dorthea ,another dear friend and myself are getting together for a birthday celebration tomorrow. Our birthdays are within a few weeks of each other and we have been doing this for several years. I think they started when they realized that I did not get birthday parties and such but I will take a "Pity Party". LOL We are going out to eat and then come back here to exchange presents and gab. The boys will be spending the night tomorrow night as their mom has a very early dr appt up in Indy Thursday. I have a friend in the hospital as well as it has been hectic around here. My friend is my age and will probably have to go to a nursing home. Very sad story.

If I can get tickets we will be taking Dalton to see Thomas the Train t his weekend. He adores trains and has never gotten to ride one and to have this be his first ride would be amazing! Next weekend is my family reunion in Indy. I finally found a bar that features classic rock n roll and stuff we enjoy to sing along to. Poor people. We used to sit on the back porch and "Howl at the Moon" when we were kids and have not grown up one bit, it seems.

I think I will take my poor tootsies over and see if I can get some kinks out of them. Walking around the parks seems to tie them in knots. Wonder how much people would pay to have moving sidewalks to take them to their buses at the end of a long day at DW? Luckily we have them for our own private use already.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

IASW Rider

06-26-2002, 01:01 PM

Hello!

Wendy - I hope that all goes well at the doctor's, today - I'm sure that it will and that you will be hearing some positive news! Congratulations to your DS's and their great baseball seasons, so far! Sounds like you have a house full of all stars, there! And I'm sure that you have no "wrinkles" to speak of!

Elaine - I agree with you - Chicago is such a neat city! Where else can you sit on the beach and see skyscrapers? I remember being totally awestruck by Lake Michigan - I couldn't believe that it was a lake, and not an ocean! And the Chicago River is really pretty, as you said! When I was taking classes there, my classroom building was right on the river, so I would go out and look at it and watch the boats going by, during my breaks. It sounds like you're having fun with Photoshop! I also have a program like that on my computer, and I enjoy it! Then again, I enjoy anything having to do with pictures (bet that you never would have guessed that, right? Hee hee!)!

Linda - I'll bet that that "pound" was just water and not a real gain - you know how that happens, sometimes! I like that statistic - 90%.....well, I guess I'm good at least 90% of the time....I don't know! I did well at WDW - didn't gain a pound, but didn't deprive myself of the great food offerings there, either. I just didn't have all of those beautiful looking desserts that Frank had at every meal! But there is so much great seafood in the various restaurants there - it's definitely possible to eat healthy at WDW. And all of the walking (particularly in Epcot) was great, too. Well, you are doing wonderfully, as always, and if you feel that you were not on track last week, I'm sure that you're back "on", now! It doesn't sound like you were "bad" at all, though!

Hmmm......my room in the Suite would have an entire wall full of photos of family and friends. It would also have a TV and a VCR, so that we wouldn't miss an episode of "All My Children" (hee hee!). It would also have a computer, so that I could post on the Boards and upload digital pictures. There would also inevitably be some stuffed animals, since between Frank's teddy bear collection and my smiley face collection, there are always stuffed animals around when we're around! There would also be a desk for reading and letter writing. And a sliding glass door that opens on to a balcony overlooking the Seven Seas Lagoon, of course! :)

I hope that you and your friend have a very happy joint birthday celebration, today! I'm sure that you will have a very nice time! And don't think that plans aren't already in the works for a special birthday celebration in the Suite for you, next month!

I loved your comment about your head on Ann Margret's body - that was very funny! Come on, though - you know that Tom loves you just as you are! And that's fantastic that he doesn't mind giving long foot rubs! Frank is a good back rubber, but he gets tired of it pretty quickly and never lasts more than 5 minutes! I agree with you about Harrison Ford.....though I, personally, will always be hopelessly devoted to John Travolta! :)

You know, I always exercised the utmost restraint and never got involved in Disney pin collecting or trading.......I always thought that it would be fun, but I know myself and I knew that if I started, I wouldn't be able to "draw the line" and I would wind up spending way too much money, etc......Well, wouldn't you know, I broke down and bought a few pins and an album to keep them in, when we were in WDW.....and since we've been back, I've ordered about 10 more! AAAAHHHHH - it's starting! I knew that I wouldn't be able to contain myself! Well, at least I am just concentrating on one "subject" - the parks, attractions, and resorts.......hopefully that won't expand even further! The pins are so pretty, though - it's hard to resist! :)

Hey out there, Angie! Are you as depressed to be back home as I am?

I say.....let's all go back - NOW! :)

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

IASW Rider

06-28-2002, 08:53 AM

Hey Everyone!

Not too much to report from the Garden State, but I just wanted to stop in and wish you all a nice weekend! I'm going to South Jersey with Frank to visit the in-laws, this weekend.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to post from work any more - my group moved to its new location in our building, and now I'm sitting out in the open, with absolutely no privacy (surrounded by strangers, far away from the rest of my group, and right by the main entrance / exit door, so people walk by my desk every 5 seconds). UGH. OK, true - I probably shouldn't have been posting from work in the first place........! I really DO have a good work ethic.......just not when I'm being treated like you-know-what, that's all! So anyway, please forgive me if I don't appear to be around as often as before......will try to make more of a concerted effort to sign on when I'm at home!

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

angelina

06-30-2002, 11:02 PM

Hi, guys, I'm here, I'm alive and I've been missing you all. We've just been real busy since school ended and we went to WDW, and the computer was hit by lightening last weekend, and we just fixed it. I will check in tomorrow morning--I have a lot of posts to catch up on.

Lisa, you have an anniversary coming up!!!

SlightlyGoofy

07-01-2002, 12:05 AM

Dear Angelina, thank you for reminding me about Lisa's anniversary. It has been so long ago for us that we barely notice the yearly ones, let alone weeks etc. Bet something special is in the works.

I am so sorry to hear about the lightning strike on your poor computer. Did it get hurt very badly? I have never had anything hit, knock wood, so I don't know much about such things.

Lisa, there is always a bright side to everything, although sometimes it is a bit hard to recognize it. They sure are making it easier for you to leave without regret aren't they? Sounds as if they are taking it out on the employees for what they themselves did. Not a lot of good news about accounting and financial firms. We even got hit locally. The little boy I was taking back and forth from preschool to daycare - his mom was indited for mortgage fraud. Her in laws are really nice people and I would bet that she just got caught up in the thing without knowing exactly what she was doing. My personal opinion is that they are putting the fear of God into her to get her to tell details to get the 'higher ups". I don't know a lot about high finance so I may be wrong, I hope not.

Ummm, you are into pin collecting now huh? Did you , perhaps, happen to glom onto an IASW pin? When I was at DW I hunted all over for EWP pins in the vain hope I could surprise you gals but I had no such luck. Not even on the websites. Must be a valuable pin, as befits its station IMHO.

Helenabear, are you working hard on the Columbus get together? Still no idea if we will make it or not. Not looking too good but you never know.. Will see what happens this week. We will be in Indpls from Wednesday until Sunday morning. We have to hurry back Sunday as Austin is getting baptized then. I am not sure that he is really ready but then I am not in charge of such matters. My daughter is going to be able to come up and spend the night once. I am looking forward to it. She has not spent much time with my sisters except for when they lived with me at different times.

Going to be a hot few days, figures. Sure glad that our room is a suite with a great big giant jacuzzi. Tom just loves them but so many are hard to get into and this one is almost as big as a small room. Small confession, we ran away one weekend to this place to get away from our kids!! They were teenagers and it was this or murder. Sometimes I am not sure we made the right decision. LOL Heck, I gotta love 'em. Can't find the 'off' button, if I tried.

Been behaving this week but the scales do not seem to be moving. I have requested a digital scales for my birthday. If I can see even a few oz of a loss it might encourage me. This is where I often get stuck but I am not giving up, this time. I did have the lovely chore of going upstairs and unpacking boxes of old clothing and trying on things to fill in my wardrobe. I packed away all my loose clothes cause they were just too darn comfortable.

Made a new dish this evening. You put 4 chicken breasts, skinned and boned into a Pammed crockpot. Add 1 pkg of taco seasoning and 1 c of salsa. Cook on high for about 6 hours. Add 1/2 c FF sour cream and a bit of corn starch at the end. Very low in cal and fat and full of flavor. I mixed strawberries and blueberries and topped them off with a bit of vanilla LF yogurt for dessert. I always give Tom bigger servings and add butter, bread etc to his meals.

Rider, please tell us how your trip to the in laws went. Bet they are delighted to have someone as thoughtful and kind as you in the family.

Jstmee, thinking of you and hoping that you and yours are doing well.

Your Slightly Goofy friend, Linda

angelina

07-02-2002, 06:11 PM

Hi, everyone. I'm enjoying a little quiet time right now, we spent the morning at the pool and the little one is alseep on the floor. Just thought I'd check in and say "Hi." Does anyone have big plans for the 4th? You may remember from earlier posts that Mobile is celebrating it's 300th birthday this year, and as part of the festivities, we're expecting 15 or so of the "tall ships" you may have seen at the reopening of the Statue of Liberty several years ago. The ships are expected to arrive tomorrow afternoon and drop anchor in the bay, then begin at 6a.m. Thurs. coming up the river for a parade. It's kind of a big thing here, and even people who would NEVER go downtown for fireworks are planning to go. We aren't staying for the fireworks, though, we're going to a BBQ at friends' house.

I have a friend who's leaving tomorrow to go to WDW for a wedding and then vacation, and boy, am I jealous. She's meeting up with her parents in their camper and staying at Ft. Wilderness after the weekend for the rest of their vacation. She's never been, at least not in several years, and is so excited.

Lisa, happy anniversary. I hope you're surviving at work. I haven't picked up my pics from WDW, yet, but when I do, maybe I can send you some to post? I'm such a dodo when it comes to technology, LOL.

Helenabear, how are things with you?

Jstme, I hope you're enjoying your summer vacation. How's the weather up there?

SlightlyGoofy

07-02-2002, 06:47 PM

Angelina, even though you slighted me I still love you! (grin) Just kidding, I am always scared I am going to leave someone out myself or not respond to something. I am sure I often do. You are all too young to understand senility.

Getting a few last minute things done for our wild weekend. I am not a 'not so natural' redhead. Not too bright, just covers the grey a bit. Did fine at TOPS, lost another 2.25 pounds. I can only count 1.25 as I gained a pound last week. Hope to keep even this week but not too sure about it. I went into a store and bought a blouse. Does not seem like much but I have not been able to do that simple thing in years. Yes, it was still in the Large Sizes but I didn't have to grovel to the Great God, Lane Bryant. LOL

I am defending my title as Grand Poobah of Trivia this evening. I have never won twice in a row so I am resigned to losing the dubious honor but will surely enjoy the mental exercise anyway. Much more fun than the other kind and you don't sweat quite as much. (smile)

I remember seeing the big ships on tv years ago. It sure looked awesome. I know you will have a blast. I saw a posting about a special price if you camped at FW for about a month. Other than the camping bit, I could enjoy a month there. On good days I dream about going "one more time' and then something happens and I come back to reality.

One of my sisters left a message on my answering machine saying she was at the emergency room with a gall bladder attack. I am waiting to hear if that means she will not come. She is the firecracker of the bunch and would be much missed.

I will check in when we return on Sunday. Until then, you all have a blast and don't get caught while you are at it! LOL

Happy Firecracker Day!

Linda/SG

angelina

07-02-2002, 07:01 PM

Dear SG, I did not leave you out, you were next on my list to say 'Hi" to, but I had to run stop ds from getting into trouble. Congratulations on your fantasmic (LOL) weight loss! You must be so proud! Hope you have a wonderful weekend.

I've been sitting here thinking how nice it would be to be hanging out at the volcano pool nursing a glass of something like lemonade while listening to the horns from the boats and everyone splashing and having fun. I'd also like to have dinner at O'hana, grilled shrimp and steak sound good for tonight, not to mention the salad and honey lime dressing and other goodies.
It's definitely on my to-do list next time.

Hope the rest of you have a wonderful afternoon. I hope it's not too hot where you are, although I see that most of those who were so cold a few short months ago are sweltering right about now, right? It's hot here, too, but breezy, and we have torrential rains almost every afternoon.

Oh, btw, the people who ripped off my grandmother in January came back last week, and tried to "repair" something else. They tried to get $400 out of her this time, but she said she didn't have that much. Can you believe she doesn't remember the January incident? AND, she let them in her house again! I called the police and added it to the previous report, but there's nothing they can do, and the rest of the situation hasn't changed. I hope she has the presence of mind next time to not open the door, but it's doubtful.

Take care, y'all.

Angie

helenabear

07-02-2002, 08:17 PM

Hi there everyone :wave: Sorry I haven't been around much. Last night was the first night I didn't have an uniterrupted night of internet connection. I don't know why but I've been losing connection right around the same time every night. So I didn't do any "serious" posts at all because most of what I did was to no avail. So here I am and hoping this goes through ;)

So as to not tempt fate, I just am stopping in saying I am still planning on doing the Columbus meet and am planning my trip to WDW in December. I have airfare for that now and things are slowly falling into place :D

Lisa, I hope you'll be able to stop in from time to time. And {{hugs}} to you!!! I hope things at work don't get you down too much!

SG, good job on your weight loss. I do also hope you can make it to the meet, but if you can't I understand.

Jstmee, I hope things are nice and slow for you sometime soon so you can relax (after all that is what summers are for ;))

Angie, wishing you the best with your grandmother... I can't believe they tried to do that to her again :(

If I didn't mention anything else "important" just know I am thinking about it but worried that because this is getting so long that it won't go through (as it happened Sunday night :() Have a great day everyone and try to stay cool :sunny:

Dan Murphy

07-02-2002, 08:52 PM

http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/july4/clip/teddyflag.gif Just stopping by the EWP group to wish you all a very happy 4th of July week. Stay cool, stay safe, have fun, enjoy!!!!! http://www.stopstart.fsnet.co.uk/smilie/bigwave.gif

SlightlyGoofy

07-03-2002, 10:03 AM

Dear Angelina, as long as you had a really good excuse I will forgive you. LOL I am surprised that you get to write more than one or two lines at a time with all the little and not so little ones you have to watch out for. While you might be looking forward to them being older so you won't have to watch so closely, I am afraid that IMHExperience I have found that they need far more supervision. Rest while ye may. (gentle smile)

Dear Helenabear, I bet you have things planned to a farethewell for the meet. It is an almost certainity that we will not be there as we will be celebrating Austin's birthday. I am getting the honor of baking the cake this year, about time I might add. (grin) I always made the cakes for my kid's birthdays and I have missed it but daughter is determined to be "Super Mom". I understood when she wanted to make them but the last couple of years she has bought cakes and I was feeling a bit left out. Might not feel that way while I am baking and decorating away tho. When I talked to DD last night at 10:30 she was sounding so very tired and as we signed off she mentioned that she had to make a tuna salad and bake a cake for a work pitch in dinner for today. I hope she gets some rest when she comes up to meet us for the evening Thursday. My sister from Columbus spent the day in the emergency room yesterday with gallstones. She is scheduled to have stomach bypass surgery and would like to have both at the same time. Not sure if she is going to make it to Indy this weekend or not. If not for the sister who is flying in from FL we could relocate to the Columbus area.

I have some more packing to do and then we are headed out the door. I am hobbling around. My left leg is hurting me something fierce. Yes, we sure are going to be a wild bunch this weekend. (not) The FL sister just got home from Hawaii 2 days ago and will work all day before flying out that evening and the husband of the other sister is wearing leg braces and has multiple health issues. When you are young and fit sometimes you do not have the money and then when you get the money you are too feeble to enjoy it. Beware you young things!

Rider, how did you celebrate your anniversary? Enjoy these fog laden days of early marriage. Have a feeling that you and Frank will be able to continue the feeling for many decades.

Jstmee, I will send some heat if you have any extra coolness to spare.

Headed out the door,
Will miss you four,
Did not forget Mr. Dan,
In the Suite, he is the Man!

SG/Linda

IASW Rider

07-04-2002, 02:11 PM

Happy 4th of July, Everyone!

So sorry that I haven't been able to stop in, for a few days. It really stinks not being able to post from the comfort of a private office at work (hee hee!). But I've been thinking of all of you!

Thank you so much for remembering my one month wedding anniversary, Angie and Linda! That is so sweet of you! We didn't do very much to celebrate (except our usual sitting around and sulking because we miss WDW so much - hee hee!), since it was in the middle of the work week. But we did drink a wonderful bottle of wine which a friend of mine brought back from Hungary for us, as part of our wedding gift, and we finished the little bit of wine that was left in the bottle which was used in our wedding ceremony, so that I could clean out the bottle and put it in our wall unit, next to the champagne bottle that accompanied Frank's proposal last year! Lest you should think that we are big "winos", these were both very small bottles, and we drank them while looking over our wedding photo proofs, since we meet with the photographer about making up our album next week! Speaking of "anniversaries", you know that our second one year anniversary in the Suite is coming up very soon! :)

It's so hard not to think about what we were doing a month ago, today (perhaps you can relate, Angie? :) ) - *SIGH* - a month ago today, we were at the Studios watching "Hunchback" and dining with Minnie........ Oh well - just 48 more weeks until we (hopefully!) return to WDW! I wish that I could help with posting your pictures, Angie......but unfortunately, I don't have a scanner! :( All of the pictures that I have in my online photo albums were taken with my digital camera and directly uploaded to the internet. I'm sorry - I wish that I could help! :( I would love to see some of your pictures, though, if you happen to have any extra copies lying around when you get them developed! :) Your 4th of July celebration with the tall ships and the fireworks sounds wonderful! I definitely remember the ships coming into NY harbor several years ago - I think that my parents even videotaped the coverage on TV! I'm sure that it will be very pretty and awesome to see! I'm so sorry to hear that those horrible people came back to bother your grandmother - that is so disgusting! You did the absolute right thing by adding that to the existing report - I just can't believe the nerve of those people, and the fact that they are free to harrass innocent people like that. I hope that they are gone for good, this time. It was very kind of you to look out for your grandmother, that way. How is she doing, otherwise?

Hope that you're having a wonderful trip, Linda! So sorry that I missed wishing you bon voyage! And congratulations on Austin's upcoming Baptism! And on your weight loss and shopping adventure! I can totally relate to what you're saying - it's great to be able to walk into a store and just be able to buy something, without having to think about the size first. Likewise, it's also great to be able to fit into a larger selection of Disney Store / Catalog clothes, too (hee hee!)! I recently bought a new outfit from the catalog.......and some summer pajamas, too - the patriotic ones! :) But that is so great - it really is a big accomplishment! And I can also relate to your putting away your larger clothes - that's a big step, too! Well, what can you do, Linda? You're just too tiny to fit into those clothes without having them fall off you, so you just have to put them away and make room for all of your new, tiny clothes, that's all! Thanks for posting that recipe! I will definitely try it - it sounds great! After I am done with this post, I will copy it onto a document file for future reference! How is your sister feeling? I hope that she is all right! Thank you for thinking of me with the EWP pin! Apparently, it is extremely hard to find. I believe that Bashful explained to me, awhile ago, that it was a limited edition pin to start with, and now it's virtually impossible to find. I have a lady from a website in England trying to find it for me, though! I really have to contain myself with these pins.....since we've been back, I've ordered way too many of them! And of course, it all started when I noticed the IASW pin on the pin cart in the Poly, last month.......it was the first one that I bought, of course! :)

Hi Dan! Thanks for stopping in! Hope that all is well with you and your family, and Happy 4th of July!

Helenabear - sorry to hear that you've been having trouble with your internet connections - maybe it's this crazy, humid weather that we've been having? Wish that I could come out for that Columbus DIS Meet. :( How are your sister's wedding plans coming along? And your plans for your upcoming WDW trip?

Hi Jstmee! Hope that you and your family are well, that your work is going well, and that your children are on their way to the World Series!

We're actually having a quiet 4th of July. It's horribly hot and humid, here - even worse than when we were in WDW! The Weather Channel indicated that we will have a heat index of 110 degrees, today! Best to stay inside in the air conditioning! We are going to see "Lilo and Stitch" later - have any of you seen it yet? I am so excited! I am dying to see that movie! Then Frank will be doing a bunch of baking, as his sister is having a BBQ tomorrow. Unfortunately, we have to work tomorrow, but the Market is scheduled to close at 1:00 PM, so hopefully we'll get out early. Then we are going to Atlantic City on Saturday and we're going to see Cher's Farewell Tour there on Saturday night! Neither of us are gamblers, but I do like to look at the hotels and see the neat theming. Not as glamorous as Las Vegas, but there is a great ocean view from the Boardwalk! And I love just walking on the Boardwalk and looking around and watching the seagulls and stuff! So we'll try to beat the shore traffic (not an easy feat at this time of year!) and get down there early enough to spend some time walking on the Boardwalk and hopefully have a nice dinner at one of the hotels before the show.

The visit with the in-laws was very nice, thanks for asking, Linda! Actually, I felt more comfortable with them than I ever have before, on this visit. Frank's step father grabbed him and dragged him off to the Elks Club the second that we got there, so I spent a few hours alone with my mother-in-law, and we had a chance to speak more than we ever have before. It was pleasant, and I think that she feels more comfortable with me, especially after meeting my family at the wedding. We were really happy that our families seemed to get along so well and that they all really liked one another. We were a little - well, not "worried", but sort of worried - because they are very different kinds of people.....but they all really enjoyed one another's company, and we were thrilled! So I had a nice talk with my mother-in-law, basically about her family, etc. Then after dinner, Frank and I spent most of the evening alone with his step father, while his mother did some work around the house. He told us lots of stories about his youth in West Virginia, working on a farm there, etc. It was nice to get to know him a little better, too. And we visited with Frank's grandmother, who is always feisty and adorable, and with his great aunt and cousin (who really enjoyed our WDW pictures), too.

I don't want to bore you all with my depressing work stuff. Suffice it to say, it's miserable. September can't get here fast enough, in that regard. I almost feel like they're trying to make me so uncomfortable that I will quit so that they don't have to give me my severence package. But I'm not alone - there are many more people around the country in my same position, so we bolster eachother over the phone! Anyway, enough of that! Let's talk about happy things........

........like our upcoming Suite anniversary, for example! :) Hmmmm....wonder what Don and Bo and Kas have planned for us, this time?

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all having a great holiday and / or holiday weekend! Take care and I'll talk to you soon! :)

IASW Rider

07-09-2002, 09:07 AM

Hello!

Just wanted to stop in and say "hi"!

The rest of the 4th of July weekend was nice. Cher's concert was great! That woman is really amazing - she hasn't changed a bit in 30 years! She has such energy! And needless to say, she had all kinds of crazy costumes and was a blonde, a brunette, and a redhead during the course of the show! Cyndi Lauper opened for her, and she did a fabulous job, as well. She is very underrated - she's a great musician and songwriter - a lot of people don't know or give her credit for that. And she called her mother up on stage to dance with her to "Girls Wanna Have Fun", during her finale - it was very cute! It was nice being in A.C., but the traffic getting down there was horrendous - it took us 4 hours to get there, the last 45 minutes of which was just trying to get into the actual city from the highway! (It's about 120 miles south of where we live, and usually takes us about 2 hours to drive there). I guess holiday weekends aren't the best time to go! And it took us over an hour just to get out of the parking deck, when we left, because there was an actual traffic jam right in the parking deck! But we had a great time and it was nice to be "down the shore"!

Hope that you're all having a nice week! :)

SlightlyGoofy

07-09-2002, 11:46 AM

Dear Lisa

Sounds as if you had a blast even with the traffic problems. I like Cher and Cindy as well. Some performers just walk out on the stage like they are so great that they don't have to actually do anything and we should be impressed but those gals work for their money.

Our weekend was fun and somewhat relaxing. One sister had just gotten back from Hawaii and was not interested in rushing around too much and the other two had severe budget constraints so we did not do a whole lot but enjoyed what we did do. Tom and I got a suite with a jacuzzi and I spent a lot of time soaking in it. Was great to have a tub I could stretch out in and get all parts wet at the same time. LOL I have added this tub to my dream house portfolio. It was just the perfect size and easy to get into and out of. The room had a big screen tv, not quite as big as the one we own but the rest of the party enjoyed it. A small kitchenette made it possible for me to stay on program most of the time. We went to see Ya Ya and the funniest thing happened. We were sitting in a row and it occurred to us that we were sitting in birth order and there was an empty seat between two sisters where our brother would have been. Strange.

Only had one 'family' moment when one sister stormed out of a restuarant cause she thought the person seating her was not being polite enough. The place was packed and he had been nice enough to find seating for us even though we had no reservations. I ended up going out with her while everyone else ate since I knew I was just going to eat a salad and would not miss as much as the others would. For our family that was good behavior. This sister is the one who is planning on having the bariatric surgery and she was eating up a storm all weekend long. Not a good idea with gallstones either. I hate for her to risk her life for nothing. Since I am the only one in the family who has had the surgery I think I am the expert on the matter but she does not want to listen so I will just pray things go well.

What lovely way to spend your anniversary. It is so nice that Frank thinks that those things are great also. Often it is only the woman who appreciates these small touches.

Helenabear/Elaine, have you gotten everything organized for the upcoming weekend? I am looking forward to the pictures that I am sure you will post. I enjoy putting faces with names. How many people have replied? It a great idea you had for where to have it as it won't matter if people show up at the last moment and if not many people show up you will still have a great time. I am not good at figuring such things out.

Jstmee, are you enjoying some long awaited sunshine and warmth?

Angelina, are you still on cloud nine after your recent vacation? How is your hubby's work situation?

I am off to TOPS and weigh in. I wanna be like the Gambler and just be even. County Fair tonight to see grandson show his cow. Hope it goes better than last time. Took all I could muster not to jump the fence and protect him from that big beast and I am terrified of animals. They have a 40 ft trailer that they have borrowed so they can stay out there for the whole 10 days. SIL is on the fair board so I have a special pass to get in and park with. I think I will be bringing at least one small one home with me as he is getting tired of all the excitement. We will be at the fair most every day for the next week but I will try to check in when I can.

Linda/SG

IASW Rider

07-09-2002, 02:34 PM

Hey Linda!

It sounds like your trip went very well! It's so nice that you were able to spend some time with your family, and it sounds like everyone got along really well, too! Glad that you had a nice time and a nice visit!

And lots of good luck to your grandson, showing his cow! I'm sure that he will do a great job, and that you'll all have fun at the fair!

Sorry that this is such a quick one, but I'm sneaking onto the Boards at work, and have to be fast since anyone can look over my shoulder or "sneak up on me" at this stupid new desk.

Hope that you're having a nice day and hope that all is well with all of you, Elaine, Angie, Wendy, Dan, and anyone else who might be wandering into the Suite! :)

IASW Rider

07-10-2002, 02:57 AM

I'm back for a quick late night post! (This is what I've resorted to, since I have no privacy left at work, which is where I usually posted in the past! :( )

I'm sure that you had some great news at TOPS today, Linda! Keep up the great work, Slim! :)

Frank and I went to the photographer's, tonight, and gave her our selections for our wedding album (which won't be ready until late October, but at least it's something to look forward to!) - yipee! :) There was a couple there having their engagement photos taken......and we couldn't believe that it's been 6 months since we had ours taken.......and that the wedding has passed.....I was joking with Frank last night and saying that I miss planning our wedding so much that we should do it all over again next year and renew our vows! :) Ummmm.......he didn't go for that idea....... (hee hee! :) ) But he's still "on board" with our first anniversary WDW trip! :)

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

SlightlyGoofy

07-15-2002, 11:40 PM

Helenabear/Elaine - How did the DIS meet go? Bet you had a blast but then I think you probably have a blast every single day of your life. Like a firecracker you are!! I hope we get to see the pictures soon. Hint, hint. (grin) Did Dan and Marie come to surprise you? I had an idea that they would be capable of something like that.

Rider, I am afraid that I am not deserving of the 'loser' title. I will probably have another gain this week and more than a few oz. I survived my long weekend and all the restaurants just fine but come fair week and the cake I made (and sampled) for Austin's birthday did me in. Everyone loved the cake. It was guitar shaped. Austin's remark was "It looks a lot better than I thought it would". Oh ye of little faith!!! LOL Have they moved you out in the hall yet? It seems that they are edging you out a bit at a time. Where my husband worked they had to hire people back after they laid them off or retired them because they had information that was necessary. Would be great if that happened to you and you could call the shots salarywise etc. Hey, I dream big and good!!

Angelina and Jstmee, where have you gals gotten off to? Sunshine and fun, I hope.

Linda/SG

IASW Rider

07-16-2002, 03:11 PM

Just wanted to stop by and say.......HAPPY ANNIVERSARY to all of my EWP Suite friends! Yes, the 1 year anniversary of this very thread is TODAY!!!!!! Thanks to Linda for starting it, and thanks to all of you for keeping it going! Looking forward to "renewing our reservations" and sharing another great year in the Suite! :)

Hi Linda! I'm sure that you will be pleasantly surprised when you hop on the old scale, this week - sometimes, just when you think that you've eaten too much or the "wrong" thing.....that's when you wind up losing, and you think "wow! How did THAT happen?!" I'll bet that you'll have some good news in store! How did you manage to make a guitar-shaped cake?? Did you have a special pan or mold that you used? I'm sure that it looked great, and from all of your rave reviews, it obviously tasted great, too! :) How was your fair? And has Austin had his Baptism, yet? How is your sister (who was going to have the operation) doing?

Please stop in and tell us all about the Columbus DIS Meet, when you have a chance, Elaine!

And hope that all is well with you, out there, Angie, Wendy, Cathy, Dan, and anyone else who might be passing by the Suite! :)

All is well, here - not too much to report, lately. Work is the same - still sitting in the "hot seat" right by the door - ignored, like I'm a piece of furniture, with people yelling over me all the time as they come and go from our office area. Whatever - not even worth talking about or boring you all with!

We had a nice weekend, this past weekend - we went up to Connecticut to visit my Aunt, who was having a first birthday party for our "nephew" (my fellow only child first cousin's son), and that was a lot of fun! He and our 2 year old "niece" are so cute! We brought them little gifts that we had brought back from WDW. There were also a bunch of other cousins there, and it was great to see them.

Hey - here's a quick trivia question (not a "real" one, because I don't know the answer to it!): does anyone else here remember a scene in the American Adventure show of the early - mid 1980's that involved Ben Franklin riding a bike across the stage? I know that that scene is not in the show, now - maybe it never was! But for some reason I remember this vividly.....even though it may never have existed! (Did they even HAVE bikes in colonial times?!) I've been debating this with my Fantasmic friend, and he says that there is no way that this scene ever existed. But if I'm not remembering it from American Adventure, I know that I'm remembering it from SOMEWHERE! I KNOW that I saw an animatronic figure ride a bike across some stage, or another, and it MUST HAVE BEEN at WDW! Please let me know if any of you have any similar recollection.....or if I'm just going crazy! :)

Have a great day, and Happy Anniversary, again! :)

SlightlyGoofy

07-17-2002, 10:50 AM

Dear Lisa, leave it to you to remember our anniversary. I am lucky to be able to remember my own birthday let alone anything else. It has been the most amazing thing the way we have all met and become so involved in each other's lives. It is almost as if we meet around a kitchen table a few times a week to rehash our days. Such different lives but one common thread, our love for all things Disney. When you think of it that is a good thing to have in common. The kind of people who love Disney are the kind of people you want to know, young at heart, kind, full of smiles and unexpected surprises.

I do know that I do not deserve any credit for this thread. Without you all I would be wandering in the wilderness muttering to myself. (Hey, I do that from time to time anyway) LOL

God is good. A 1.5 pound loss was recorded yesterday and the scales have slipped a bit more since then. I bought myself a set of scales that measures tenths of pounds. I need all the encouragement I can get. I have been behaving this week in thanks for not getting what I deserved last week (6 cupcakes and fair food).

I have several cake books that show how to bake a regular cake and cut it up t o make different shapes. I used to make my kid's cakes and have been aching to make some for my grands but daughter did it for a few years (can't blame her for that) but had started buying cakes (boo hoo) the last couple of years and I had felt a bit slighted. I enjoy doing stuff like that. Am going to make a school bus cake for Dalton's first day at school.

No baptism in sight right now. Some attitude adjustment needed first. We take this sort of thing most seriously. The operation is not until August if all goes as scheduled. I met a young lady recently who had it and she has gained almost half of what she lost back. My sister is addictive person and will not be able to change her eating habits after the surgery and is putting her life at risk for nothing IMHO. Since I have been there I feel I am the expert on this subject. (sad smile)

I bet you are a super aunt and a favorite. You are so kind and so energetic as well as fun loving. Sort of an Auntie Mame? I could not believe getting another post card from you and here your box sits on the pool table. I keep moving it around thinking I will finally mail it but I feel so badly since it does not have anything special enough for you in it. One wild day, I will grit my teeth and send it.

Austin is asleep on the couch. He and his brother spent some time here last evening while their parents went to a funeral. This will be the first "Granny School" day in a few weeks. Not making much headway this summer. Very frustrating. I work for weeks for that small moment of enlightenment and it is wonderful, when it happens.

Yes, they had bicycles back then. Orville and Wilber Wright's father had a bicycle shop. He taught school in this area also. Something jogged in my mind about the bicycle riding animatronics also. Wonder if Dan would know or Cathy? I am sure that if you remember it that it really must have happened. There is a site that has all the old Disney stuff on it. Can't remember the name right now but may try to look it up tomorrow when I have more time. Have husband, grandson and new DVD to take care of today. (grin)

Have you made any plans for what you are going to do after your job finally ends? A lot of people around here and looking for financial planners, might that be an option for you? As much as you love the computer maybe you could offer advice t hru a subscription service? I have no idea what I am talking about, just throwing out some ideas. I imagine you have several of your own.

I may have to go out looking for our other Suite Mates. I am guilty of not being around as much as I want lately either. The warm weather may have lured them away from the computer.

:) Linda/SG

helenabear

07-17-2002, 11:37 AM

Hi there everyone! I admit it’s been a while since I have been here but life has been busy with family events and not nearly as much time in the evening as there used to be for me to sit down and give a nice, good long reply to you all. So I am giving up on the hope of giving a good reply and just stopping in no matter how brief it may be.

The Columbus meet went very well! We had a huge group show up (many more than I could have ever expected). The weather was fairly good and even though it was a tad humid, it was only low to mid 80’s will a few clouds in the sky so we didn’t have the sun beating down on us. I’d say everyone was so nice and friendly there. It was so neat to be able to meet people that I wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise. And some I will see again in at least December. Of course I took tons of pictures. I got all ambitious and posted them the same night I got home Columbus meet pictures (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=231317) and I stayed up much too late fixing and changing them all.

The day after the meet, I had to go to my dad’s for my grandmother’s 91st birthday. We had a bunch of family over but I will admit I was extremely tired and was very glad to be able to just go home and relax that evening. So here I am just a few days later wondering where my weekend went… it certainly wasn’t long enough ;)

I feel stupid… for some reason I thought today was the anniversary of the group. I had it in my brain that it was actually the 27th for a while but then I realized that was far too late in the month so I thought it was the 17th. Oops :rolleyes: Anyway, it is so wonderful to know that this group has been around for so long and I am very glad to say I am a part of the group.

Linda, I wanted to congratulate you on you continued weight loss. That is absolutely outstanding that you can continue to do that! Keep up the good work and soon you will be so tiny that we won’t be able to see you at all ;) I am glad that you had a good time over the 4th as well. I do hope that your sister does make the right choice with her surgery.

Lisa, a big {{HUG}} for you. I still feel so bad that they have treated you this way at your job. I still think it is just awful that they are treating you that way. You know it has been years since I have seen that American Adventure ride so off the top of my head I couldn’t tell you if he was riding a bike or not. It honestly does not ring a bell with me, but then again it has been many many years since I have seen it (probably about 12 years or so). But if it existed I would have seen it at one point. Maybe I’ll start by asking my sister if she remembers it.

Everyone else… just saying hi and I hope you are all doing well! Take Care and I will hopefully stop by more often even if for shorter periods of time. I do think that my life will be less busy though by the end of this month (it’s a big birthday month in my family). I hope you all have a wonderful day :sunny:

IASW Rider

07-17-2002, 12:05 PM

Hi Ladies (and any lurking Gentlemen!)!

How are you all doing, today?

Belated Happy Anniversary! Of course I would remember, Linda! And speaking of your birthday.........! :) Congratulations on that weekly loss - SEE, I TOLD YOU SO!!!! :) :) :) Where the heck can one find a scale that measures 10ths of pounds? It would be great to find one like that - believe me - I need all of the encouragement that I can get, too! My losses have been sluggish....but at least I haven't gained anything, so I'm not beating myself up. I don't understand why it seems to be moving more slowly, lately - I haven't changed my eating or exercise habits at all. Maybe it's just one of those annoying "plateaus". Anyway, glad to hear that all is well with the boys and that "Granny School" will be in session, soon! I know that you do a wonderful job with them and that you make more progress than you probably give yourself credit for! I hope that all goes well with your sister's operation - it's a pretty scary procedure to have - I hope that she is doing the right thing for herself and that she will follow the doctor's orders beforehand and afterwards. You don't have to send me anything - don't be silly! Thank you for thinking of me, though! And anything from you would be special, because you are such a special person!

Nope, no idea what I will do when my job ends. I would love to do something that has something to do with WDW........but since we aren't in a position to move down there, I don't think that that is going to happen! There aren't very many jobs out there, period, muchless ones that I would be interested in. I would love to do something that I really ENJOY doing (as opposed to what I've been doing for the past 15 years, just because that's where my experience is), but I don't think that I would be able to make a living doing the sorts of things that I really enjoy, especially in this economy. So, I guess I'll just allow myself to be laid off, take my severence package, and try to figure out what to do next (and a contingency plan, if I absolutely cannot find a job. I have very experienced and qualified friends who have been out of work for 6 -8 months - when I say that there are NO JOBS out there, I mean there are NO JOBS out there. Even most of ML is "frozen", so I have not had any luck searching for jobs internally.) Oh well - this topic is too depressing. Let's talk about happy things.......

.......like the Columbus DIS Meet, for example! Thanks for sending the link to your great pictures, Elaine! I'm looking at them as I'm posting - going back and forth. It's always so great to see photos of other DIS'ers, and I love the pictures of the animals, too! It looks like it was a fun gathering! You know, I remember when you celebrated your Grandmother's 90th birthday last year - we really HAVE all known eachother for over a year, now! :) I hope that she had a very happy birthday!

Thank you both for all of your kind and thoughtful words, as always! And thank you for your input regarding my crazy Ben-Franklin-on-a-bike memory! I don't know what the heck I must be thinking of, but no one on the DIS Parks Trivia thread can remember that scene, either! I must be losing my mind....... (and now I'm going to hear it from Fantasmic Mike, too, after all of my insistence that such a scene existed! :) )

Anyway, hope that all is well with you both and with the rest of you, out there! Let's have a celebratory get-together on the veranda, for a viewing of the EWP, tonight! :)

SlightlyGoofy

07-17-2002, 11:21 PM

Ladies, gather up your gear and head out the door with me. We are NOT going to be watching the EWP tonight, we are going to be on a special barge at the end. Special connections have been made so that we can go from one lagoon to another and watch the World going by. I tried to get IASW connected to the lagoons but even Disney needed a bit more time to arrange such a thing. While we are out the Suite will be given a fresh coat of paint and new carpeting. You know how fussy they are about treating their guests so well. Charge accounts have been renewed for the next year. I must warn you that with the poor economy the charge levels are now only $10,000 a day per guest so poor Rider must cut down a bit on her pin collecting. Hopefully, next year things will be back to normal. Maybe Rider can help me out with some investing advice

In our honor special Suite Lounges have been set up in each park, just for ourselves and our guests. A special room was added for Luis so he can take charge of our computer room and make sure that everything is up to date and current. In his spare time he can run his very own ISP and any other thing his little heart desires. I hope that Lisa enjoys the photography studio that has been added. Maybe she will teach me how to take the lens cap off before t aking a picture. The private jet is available to shuttle Rider from NJ to Disney and back so that she can fullfill her desire to work at Disney and spend time with her sweetie. Angelina and her beautiful family are scheduled to be the first family to open MK on New Year's Day 2003 and Jstmee and her family are going to be in residence over the Thanksgiving-Christmas weeks this year in order to rest up from the eventful year they have had.

I think we should elect Dan and Marie to be our den parents and keep us all in line. Heaven knows I need someone to watch over me and am surely not up to the challenge of watching out for all you wild children. LOL

The scales are Tanita and I found mine at Meijer's for half price ($30). They measure in the .02 range and track your body fat (ugh).

I did not get the dishes washed until late as I spent the time looking at the pictures on Lisa's posting. I am so late at doing almost everything and am in awe of how you all hold down full time jobs and still manage to do far more than I do. Something always comes up and then I fall into bed sometime after midnight too exhausted to do anything more. Old age is not for the faint of heart IMHO.

Happy Anniversary all you wonderful people and may the next year bring you all the Magic of the Kingdom, Many Great Moments, Every Possible Carefree Outrageous Travels, and Awesome Kisses (from your SO's).

angelina

07-18-2002, 12:24 AM

It's hard to believe it's been a whole year since we all met in the suite! It's been so much fun getting to know each of you, and I hope we continue to stay in touch for another year. SG, I'm there. It seems that after 3 trips to WDW, I would be "over" it, but I have decided that when the last of my children head out the door to college, I'm "selling up" and going to Orlando to live and work at WDW! Hubby can stay here, LOL. My friends think I'm crazy, maybe they're right. Who knows?

Lisa, I just KNOW the right job is out there waiting for you, but who's to say you couldn't be a travel agent up there and specialize in Disney?!?!?! It's something to think about. Just because you have experience in one field doesn't mean you can't take advantage of your time off and "specialize" in something else.
I know I haven't been in touch, we've just been busy running around, and this week we started getting ready to go back to school next month. My house is a wreck, and dh is leaving tomorrow for a 4 day fishing trip, so things are a little crazier than usual around here.

Helenabear and jstme, hope things are going well for you, too. Take care, everyone. Have a good night.

ANgie

jstmee

07-20-2002, 10:27 PM

SG, I knew the suite was due for a major rehaul, that's why I've been away. lol...

It's funny, today is the first day in sooooooo long that I haven't stepped foot in my car to cart someone around. It's my twins birthday and they have 3 friends over, and they will spend the night. I cleaned the main floor before they arrived and I spent from 2pm to 7pm cleaning the downstairs. I feel so tired, yet refreshed because I did a thorough cleaning. Whew!

I have family coming to visit in two weeks so that's a little bit less I need to do. Just have to keep up with it till then. The boys are all out playing now so I have a few moments.

As always we've been busy. The boys are in playoffs for baseball now. I bought them a baseball bat for their birthday. I won't even tell you how much it cost. EXPENSIVE!! But on the first day out with the bat one of the boys hit over the fence. Woo hoo!!

My girlfriend, Helen, passed away last week. She had a long battle. I pray she is at peace now. My other friend now has a bone tumor right above her eye. They believe it's benign though, she'll find out more soon. Please send some PD and prayers this way. We were at the ball game last night and her little boy was playing near a telephone pole. He touched the metal part that holds up the pole and got electricuted. He got stuck right to the pole. She ran up to him and tried to kick him off, when that didn't budge him she tackled him to the ground and he came off. He is okay as far as we know, he's 5 years old. We were so shook up. All that anyone could see was him screaming and just holding onto that wire. Can you believe that was right at the little league field were kids are all the time. It had just rained and the ground was wet. There must have been a short of some kind.

All is well with me medically. My son so far everything is okay also. He might have some eye surgery next week to help correct his nerve palsy.

I love my job! I've been working 3-4 shifts a week while I'm in training. It's more than I want to work, but it's a nice job and I really like "most" of the people I work with. The best part is that when I leave the job it's done.

I've been missing from the board for so long. With summer and work and funerals and weddings, whew! I almost can't wait till winter to be back again. But, you didn't hear me say that. We still have some very cold weather her. An example, it was hot here today, mid-80's, but now that the sun has gone down it's sweatshirt and long pant weather.

I miss all of you and think of you all often enjoying the parades and rides and just plain relaxing in the suite.

ta ta for now. Wendy

SlightlyGoofy

07-20-2002, 10:59 PM

Dear Wendy

We sure have missed having you around here but understand how life can get in the way of fun things sometimes. I am so sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Even though you would not wish her to be in such pain I am sure that you will miss her and I hope that you will be able to treasure the memories without so much heartache one day soon. Your other friend is awesome. I hope her little boy recovers quickly and does not have any side effects. What a scary thing to have happen. If you had been in charge of the park I am sure it would not have happened. My grandson has Nystagmus, a neurological eye condition that they want to operate on him for, is your son's condition similar? You bought a bat or one for each child? Hey, if it gets more homeruns then the cost is worth it. LOL What do you do at your job? If you like most of the people you are doing just fine. Life would be boring if we had all agreeable people around us all the time.

Angelina, I was thinking of you today. I read a book "The Florabama Ladies' Auxiliary & Sewing Circle" by Lois Battle. Right at the beginning it mentions Fairhope, AL. It is a good book, not great, but it is a hoot and a holler. Bunch of strong women dealing with their situations, my kind of stuff. BTW, I will be happy to split the rent with you when you run off to join DW. I would dearly love to work there but have the full care of my DH and it is not getting any better. His family is giving us pressure to move down near them and it is very tempting as they would be able to help me some but I would miss my boys so very much. The other day Austin came running in the back door from the church. He had cut his hand and Grandma is the only one who knows how to fix him. He gets headaches from reading so much and I have a special medicine that works better than anything else he has ever tried. It is really raspberry tea flavoring. I am working on a special pill for his nerves now. It will really be a multivitamin. He gets so nervous over taking tests and such. When he was very little I made him up a fancy bottle of colored water with sparkles to chase the goblins from his room. I are one sneaky lady. LOL

My garden is starting to produce. I have sugar pod peas already and the peppers and tomatoes are getting about ready to start picking. Probably have green beans too but have not had a chance to get out and check today. Doing well on the diet this week. Am starting to get cranked up again.

I received the most unexpected and welcome card today from Lisa/Rider. It had a wedding picture enclosed and I do not believe I have ever seen a better looking couple in my life. I am the sort who keeps and treasures these kinds of things so it will go in my "friendship" album along with Angelina's georgeous children. I love taking one of my many volumes out and looking through them from time to time. They are located near my front door as if the place ever goes up in flames that is what I will save first and foremost. Thank you so much for thinking of me dear Lisa. You made my day.

Helenabear, are you resting up after your big weekend? I can just see you bubbling around the zoo with all your new and old friends while Luis walks behind looking bemused and proud.

I am taking our daughter and the boys to see the miniature Vietnam Wall tomorrow. I was a Red Cross girl during the war at Ft. Ben. I also worked at the Finance Center. The girl who designed the memorial in D.C. is from my home town. Austin will be baptized at the evening service tomorrow also. I found a crystal guardian angel holding a boy to give as a momento. I think he will like it. He has had a rough couple of days and I am a bit worried about him. His cousin (30 some years old) who is an alcoholic and lives with the great grandma (read bumming off her) physically grabbed Austin the other day. His father defended him but I swear if that jerk hurts my grandson I will regain every single pound I have lost and sit on him until he is nothing but a spot on the couch!!!! I worry about the grandma who is 90 and in failing health at present. She deserves much better than this. Nice lady.

Any ideas for dinner ladies?

SG/Linda