April 21, 2007 -- Western Magic -- anyone?

[curlybop]

Good morning everyone!

Wow, this thread is sooo quiet since vacation is over. Everyone depressed like us? ;)

Tricia, please post an update. We are thinking of you.

Molli, I like that breakfast! What better way to begin a day?

Cyndi, how is Eric's new job going? Hope everything is OK with you guys. I've got a few photos to email you, and I think you'll enjoy them.

Amy, I'd love to see a few pics of the girls also. Emily has been asking if we had any more, because she wanted to see her buddies again. Awwwww. :hug: I told her I'd check with you, and she just might get a few more pictures. I think you have my email address, if not, let me know.

You guys know what's pathetic? We're already trying to plan another cruise. I'm thinking '09 sometime. Hopefully we can snag a rate when they're first released. I don't really care where we sail to, I just want to be back on the boat. We received our printed photo book I made online, and we're constantly taking it with us to show family & friends. Some are saying "You actually met some people online before the trip?" and they're amazed by that for some reason. :rotfl: Yes, I talk to strangers online. :rolleyes: Quite funny.

Well, back to work I go. Sigh........it's been hectic ever since we returned. :sad2:

[mickymania]

Hi Everyone -

Looks like you are all going through the post-cruise turmoil - busy, busy, busy!! We are still so depressed at our house; we keep relating everything back to the cruise.

Tricia - we wish you all the best and hope that you get some good news.

Molli - cute breakfast. My family all laughed when we saw the "picture" of the food.:rotfl2: :rotfl2: Thanks also for the pictures.

I am still working on getting pictures posted -- I have not had time to play around with the photos at all.

Well -- I am off to pack; I have another trip to Dallas. Can I just say how much I don't want to pack again. Now, if it was for another cruise I would be all over it. I'll check in when I get back.

Hope everyone is well.

Wendy

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I heard from Tricia this morning, and she wanted me to post a quick update for her.

Jon has a very large tumor on his kidney, and it might be cancer, but they still don't know for sure yet. It's hard for her to grasp what's going on, and since I've been through it recently with Justin's kidney cancer, I know those feelings all too well. Hopefully they will know more in the next couple days. Please keep them in your thoughts.

[alikat99]

Thanks for keeping us updated, Val!! Tricia, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!!!

We're keeping really busy around here still. Every time I walk into the girls' preschool, some asks me to sub somewhere around the school. Today it's at lunchtime and for aftercare, same for tomorrow too. Whew!!! But, at least the girls can be with me, and they're having fun too. We only have one more week of school for the year, so I'm actually looking forward to summer break. I'm sure that will only last for about a week.:eek:

[Cyndibear]

Tricia, our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.

Amanda--Eric just LOVES his new job. Thanks for asking. We are in cruise withdrawl too. I was looking at prices for the DD in Aug of 2008. We are thinking about it, but we love to go to WDW first wk of September, (to attend NIGHT OF JOY :rotfl: ) and that would mean another 2 wk vacation. How was your Mother's Day meal that Mark helped to prepare? Hope everything was delish!!

Molli--Very creative breakfast! Looked yummy!!

We have been super busy since the cruise. We still have not even downloaded our photos. We took our dvd's over to my Mom's on Sunday but Eric forgot to format them, so we couldn't even see those. Some day!!!

Hope everyone's enjoying the nice weather, finally!!

Have a Magicial day!!!

Cyndi

[dvc2themax]

Well, can't plan antoher cruise until dates are out for 2009, but we are planning on a week in WDW over Thanksgiving. We have no family to do Thanksgiving with, so what better way to get out of the house tehn go to WDW for the week. Casey gets vacation from Wed - Friday, so that would only be taking her out of school for 2 days.

Any one else going?

There is another thread for that week , but no one talks like on this thread about the cruise.

Sorry we all have to get back to reality, now the kids get to start planning on keeping themselves busy for summer vacation.

Everyone working on the day they are going to see POC3?

Talk to someone soon. pixiedust:

-Paula

[BlueFalconer]

Well, we are probably not going back until 2010. Partly because of money, but also because the boys would again be in the same age group and be in clubs together. We are probably going to do Disney World sometime before that and will be visiting my BIL in LA next summer, so a trip to Disneyland will be taken.

Hope everyone is healthy and enjoying being back to work :lmao: .

[curlybop]

and enjoying being back to work :lmao: .

:rotfl2: Best laugh I've had all morning.

Hi Mark!! He's been lurking on this thread, reading updates. Last night he spent a couple of hours reading older stuff we wrote. Yes, even when I retold the escargot story. :rolleyes1

Have a great weekend everyone. It's supposed to be a bit cooler for us these next few days, and I'm not complaining a bit. Summer is coming quickly.

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Last night he spent a couple of hours reading older stuff we wrote.
:eek: Oh no! How far back has he gone? :scared: (JK, Mark. :rotfl: No one said anything real bad about their men.)

So, Amanda, your sig says you are "patiently" waiting for 2009...I don't think that's possible. :rotfl2: I've been pretty antsy these last three weeks! I WANT MORE DCL!

I was in my doctor's office this AM having some blood work done to follow up on my kidney stone. Of course, I'm very proudly wearing my ***sparkly*** DCL logo shirt. The guy drawing my blood mentions it and says they have done three land & sea trips, so I got to talk face-to-face with a DCL veteran! I didn't think that was possible in the middle of nowhere! :laughing: There must actually be life outside the DIS! Anyway, I was happy to have a chance to talk to an almost stranger about it.

[curlybop]

:eek: Oh no! How far back has he gone? :scared: (JK, Mark. :rotfl: No one said anything real bad about their men.)

:rotfl2: He did read the part about where I called Justin "Duff", and how he wanted to know which one he was on the show. :laughing:

I'm trying to be patient for '09. Ain't easy. But between work, home, etc. I am staying busy, so it helps in passing the time. Plus I'm contemplating a big career change, so it all helps in keeping me going, while waiting on rates. I still make time to check every other day or so, just to be sure nothing is coming up soon. I think I have a problem. :laughing:

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I'm contemplating a big career change
Oooooo! Sounds interesting! Keep us informed!

I still make time to check every other day or so, just to be sure nothing is coming up soon. I think I have a problem. :laughing:
Where are you checking at? I don't know how soon to expect the new dates and am scared I will miss it! :scared: I was told "in the fall" when I rebooked onboard--that's too vague for me! I want an exact date, time, etc! :laughing: So if you have a "problem," so do I. :lmao:

[dadlvsdisney]

It has been a long time since I have been on the boards, since before the cruise. I am now over my post-cruising depression.

1st - Tricia our thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family.

We went to the parks after the cruise. This was to help alleviate the WDW withdrawl. I do not know if it helped.

We booked on board for next year at the same time. Unless we win the lottery or get huge bonuses at Christmas we will push it off until April 2009.
So all of you planning on going in two years at the same time, let's plan, it will keep my depression at bay.


CC - The observation tower was off limits. They were doing some major construction on that part of the island and the road was closed. I wonder what they are constructing?


I would like to say it was great meeting all of you. I wish there was more time though. If any of you aregoing in two years, then there is more time!

Bluefalconer - Those Red Sox are pretty formiddable. At least the Pistons won!

PS It took me two days to catch up on the posts.

[Cyndibear]

:

Hi Mark!! He's been lurking on this thread, reading updates. Last night he spent a couple of hours reading older stuff we wrote. Yes, even when I retold the escargot story. :rolleyes1

HI MARK!!!! :wave2:

Now he's really getting to know us!!!!

Amanda, what type of big career change are you getting into? I know, working on the DCL!!! :rotfl: Good luck and let us know what's happening with it.

Last night Eric and I were talking about that DD in August 2008 and I said to him that I had to remember that it wouldn't be the same with out all of you guys. :sad: Eric then said he wondered if it would be as fun. I said if we do go, we have to start another post with other DISers who will be going on that cruise. Eric then said he needed his Mark and Chris fix. :rotfl: Too funny!!

Amy--I'm waiting for more installments of your trip report!!


Have a good weekend everyone!!

Cyndi

[curlybop]

Amanda, what type of big career change are you getting into? I know, working on the DCL!!! :rotfl: Good luck and let us know what's happening with it.


Well, I'm back yet again. Today is a good day to post I guess.

I'm taking real estate courses now online, hoping for my realtor's license sometime this year - IF I can pass the exam! :) Right now I do accounting, and honestly, I can't just sit here in this office day after day with maybe 10% interaction with other people. Plus I want to make more of my own schedule. I've been at this for 10 years now, and it's time to do something else before I go crazy - um, well, crazier than I usually am.

Val, I just keep watching the main cruise board here for '09 rates. I know the last time dates were released it was rumored here a few days before, so I'm hoping for the same next time. (fingers crossed)

:rotfl: Eric! I agree though. We were talking about the next cruise, and I told Mark we'd be so sad though without you guys. That is of course, unless we all decide to book the same one again - now wouldn't that be interesting? Our vacation was made even more magical with all the DISers everywhere. When I see you in my photos I just have to smile, because I have nothing but GREAT memories. You guys made our first cruise so incredibly special.

Well, lunch hour is almost over. Gotta head back to work. Talk with ya soon!

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Val, I just keep watching the main cruise board here for '09 rates. I know the last time dates were released it was rumored here a few days before, so I'm hoping for the same next time. (fingers crossed)
Since it seems like quite a few of us are waiting for 2009 dates to come out, if anyone hears anything about them, would you please post here so we don't miss it? PLEASE? I am so afraid I'm going to end up missing it because I don't always look at the main board every day (shame on me! :laughing:). I (and several others, I'm sure) would really appreciate it!

[Corryn]

Hi Everyone!:yay:
I've been doing quick reads every other day just to keep up with you guys.
I hope everyone is doing well, and I really hope Trish and her family pull through.
Between work, school and getting the yard ready for the summer, I haven't had a minute to post, but here I am now...

Oh! Man - you know when something Super happens for someone who you think is a big schmuck and you're like, Why couldn't that happen to me????

Well, this guy that we know - he's not a nice guy...I mean, he hasn't done anything personally to me, but he's pretty loose with his tongue towards my BF Kathy (my friend from the cruise) and I don't appreciate him talking the way he does to her....anyway....
- he went on the Wonder the week after we all did. The ship docks at CC, but it's too windy so they cancel All the excursion. Well........Everyone gets on board the ship and the captain announced: WE WILL BE STAYING HERE AT CC TONIGHT SO THAT ALL OF YOU WHO MISSED YOUR EXCURSIONS TODAY WILL BE ABLE TO ENJOY THEM TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!
That schmuck that A DOUBLE DIP OF CC!!!!!!

Anyone have any plans for the summer or did the cruise tap you out like it did us:laughing:

[ohMom]

oh corryn!!! NO FAIR!!!!! could you imagine spending the night at CC??? i can only dream...................

i agree that planning another cruise without this gang would be hard. our first 11/05 had a great group of DISers too and you will see i started this thread the minute we had gotten home. my hopes of another great DIS group was met and then exceeded :teeth: and really, we only really came together the final 4-5 months didn't we? if you scroll back you'll see several families came and went. shame they missed out on us! :lmao:

life is resuming here -- Taylor had arthroscopy done on her knee last Monday, today the stitches come out. She'll be on crutches for another 5 weeks.

we are going on a semi-vacation in June to a cabin in the mts near Gatlinburg TN with the Marshall side. yes -- we are feeling poor!! and also the crunch of having a sophmore with a piddly college savings.

i will admit i could pine for the Southwest tour by Adventures by Disney.

Val -- i love to wear my shirts around too. it's like a suttle "see what i got to enjoy" hehehehehe

[dvc2themax]

Val, you were a first time cruiser like us. Have you gotten your ID for the Castaway Club yet? I keep looking for it to come in the mail . :confused3

We are going on a mini vacation end of June from NH to PA to see my mom and take in a day at Hershey Park, nothing compared to WDW though.

Want to go to WDW at Thanksgiving, but only if the airfare on Southwest is lot lower than it was to go on the cruise! They hiked up the prices here because it was school vacation week.

When are all the kids out of school? Casey is out June 21. That is later tehn the original end date of June 13 due to 3 snow days, and that last storm right before the cruise, kept the kids out for an additional 3 days that have to be made up. Casey and her 8th grade class were in Washington DC duirng that storm, and it was a class trip adn yet they still have to make up the time when the rest of the school was out:sad2: . I personally don't see how that is fair, but nothing can be done.

POC3 out in 2 more days!!pirate: pirate: pirate: pirate:
Won't go see it the first few days as I think it will be packed. We are going to go to a place called CHUNKY'S - table services and nice comfy Lincoln Town car seats with food and desserts (my favorite part of the meal) are all named after movies. All teh desserts are named after Harry Potter characters. My favorite is the Dumbledore Apple Dumpling. HP5 comes out July 13. Another movie I will go to Chunky's for. Last book installment comes out July 21!

SOme things to look forward too!

-Paula pixiedust:

[ctc917]

Hello everyone,

I certainly miss being on the ship and having my room and meals taking care of all the time, doesn't it make you wish for a lottery win(I guess if I wanting for that I better start playing).

We too rebooked on board but are awaiting for 2009 dates, Val I booked our Cruise when the rates first came out in 2005, the date on my reservation was Nov 10, so I'm thinking around then, for April 2009. So all you guys that are going to rebook in 2009, what dates are you looking for? I think we will be sticking with April school vacation in NH again, anyone else have an idea now or are you still thinking about it?

So what is the Castaway Club? I have heard about it before but what exactly is it?

Cheryl

[shane23]

I know I'm not as active on this board, but we are planning on the Eastern Caribbean on April 26, 2009. Is is true that if you book the first day rates come out there are discounts?

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Paula, I have not gotten my CC card yet either. I guess I'm not really expecting it since it sounds like very few people actually get them anyway. Cheryl, I think you become a member of the CC when you cruise for the first time, so now we are all officially members! :thumbsup2

We too rebooked on board but are awaiting for 2009 dates, Val I booked our Cruise when the rates first came out in 2005, the date on my reservation was Nov 10, so I'm thinking around then, for April 2009. So all you guys that are going to rebook in 2009, what dates are you looking for? I think we will be sticking with April school vacation in NH again, anyone else have an idea now or are you still thinking about it?
I like the Western Costa Maya Double Dip itinerary and see that they're doing it about once a month in fall 2008. I hope they decide to keep that up for spring 2009, too, because I really want a DDip cruise but would rather go late April again or May. Cheryl, do you remember if you booked on day 1? Was the schedule out before that day or did they just release the schedule on "booking day 1?" I'm hoping they'll give me at least a couple days to review it and decide before calling to reschedule mine.

I know I'm not as active on this board, but we are planning on the Eastern Caribbean on April 26, 2009.
I assume you're guessing at what the schedule will be for 2009, right? :confused3 Or do you have some secret passage to the underground world of future DCL scheduling? :lmao: My luck would be figuring it out like that and then have them do something totally unexpected so I'd have to throw my plans out the window and start over! As above, I'm trying to find out when they actually release the dates/itineraries--hopefully in advance of the day you can first book. If anyone knows, please share!
Is is true that if you book the first day rates come out there are discounts?
From my understanding, the rates are the cheapest (or "least expensive"--however you look at it! :laughing:) the earlier you book. Then as the dates get filled up, the prices go up. It sounded like the real popular cruises (EB and WB repos) were going up considerably throughout that first day since they did sell out on day 1 and day 2 of booking!

I got an update from Tricia a couple days ago. Jon is having two surgeries next month--one on June 8th for a nodule in his lung and then the other one sometime after that to remove his kidney. It's still not known for sure if they are cancerous or even related, but they'll biopsy both of them to find out. She told me about how she picked up some of the pixie dust that was sprinkled on the last night of the cruise. They need all the pixie dust they can get! :tink:

[curlybop]

Hi everyone!

Tricia, your family is in our thoughts & prayers. :hug:

For 2009, I'd like to go back in the same time frame. I REALLY want to do a holiday cruise though, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. That would be so awesome. I'll probably book spring '09 when the rates come out, and if we can afford a holiday cruise, maybe switch to that instead. Guess we'll just wait & see, and keep trying to stash away some vacation money. :laughing:

I haven't seen anything re: Castaway Club. I did however get the mailed confirmation for the "fake" date I booked on board.

Still having cruise withdrawal - really, really bad. :rotfl2: Every time I have to plan a meal, clean up, etc. I remember how relaxing it was to just sit back, and the hardest decisions we made was what to order for dinner. Sigh.

[ctc917]

Val- I'm pretty sure I didn't book the first day, I know I saw it on line and talked to my husband and tried to see if I could get a better price from AAA, or another TA but at the time they were not giving out any discounts or deals so I booked with DCL, all that took probally a week and then about 6 months or later I switched my reservation from DCL to a TA and received a rebate. It woudl be great to do a different location but I'm thinking that April school vacation week will always be a Western cruise.


Cheryl

[Corryn]

Hi Everyone:love:
Paula, that Chunky place sounds like fun!!!
Me and Ed went to see POC3 today and....I am very sorry to say so, but I didn't care for it...I am a movie girl and a Disney girl and I totally enjoy going to a movie even if it's not the best, but I found myself nodding off!!!
Can you believe that!?!?!?
Kyra went to see it on Saturday with a birthday party and when she got home she told us how confusing?! it was, that she couldn't follow along.
I am really sorry to have this opinion. Maybe if I see it on video again I'll understand a little better:headache:

I had this past week off and I got A Lot accomplished::laundy:
there was so much to do on the outside, planting all the annuals, weeding, mulch, getting the patio all spiffied up. We got a new fountain, new barbeque and a new patio dining set (BJ's made a pretty penny!) and I even ran cable up from the basement so Ed can watch the Yankee games outside this season! Unfortunately, he'll be getting aggravated while doing it:scared:

Mike and Kathy came over on Saturday for a mini-Memorial Day/weekend party and we got to meet a new neighbor!
We've been here for just about 16 years and Ed has yet to meet a normal neighbor...Well, this guy across the street seems real normal and I think Ed's happy about it.

Tori and Kyra have been really missing the DisKids from the cruise. I heard Casey is chatting back and forth on the telephone with some of the kids...
Is it all right if ya'll can PM me your kids' phone numbers? The girls are going through Cruise Withdrawal just like we are:sick:

Last week we received our New CC cards....They're in the safe so I don't lose them.

No Vacations planned for us for a little while....remember what I told you above about our patio:rotfl: Ed wanted to go to AC for his 40th this July, but he said we'll just go into Manhattan for the day. I want to take the kids to see the Statue of Liberty; they haven't been there yet. Unfortunately, they were never at the Twin Towers either. We've been to the Empire State Building a couple times, that's always nice to visit.

When we booked our cruise, we booked within the first two weeks of the schedule opening up...I think we got a pretty good deal. It's always good to book as far out as possible.

Molli, Taylor had surgery? Is that something that was planned? I have a bad memory....
I swear I must've eaten A Lot of paint chips as a kid!!!!!!

With all the outside work I've been doing, I'm trying to avoid coming onto the computer at night. My carpal tunnel syndrome is really bad right now. I wanted to post a nice long thread on XCaret...I guess it will have to wait.

If anyone wants to see the cruise photos, PM me and I'll send you the link to my photobucket account - I have to send you an invite!
At least that's done!

Hey, remember Pop Goes The World (Men without Hats)?
Well, it's on....Great song!
Have a good rest of the week everyone - Tomorrow's Hump Day!

[ohMom]

we are all still missing the boat :( which has the nerve to be clear over in Europe!

anyhow -- i don't know that i mentioned Taylor's scheduled surgery -- the bottom line is she has a bum knee. she dislocated it 15 months ago and has had trouble ever since. We pushed back the surgery for after cruising b/c she's on crutches for 4-6 weeks! she had arthroscopy done (the cleaned it out) and then they did micro-drillings on her femur bone to stimulate scare tissue to grow and fill in the empty spot where there is no cartilage left. ouch! she's feeling great now though, just frustrated with the whole crutch thing

Tricia -- our prayers with you too

we still haven't seen POC3 - just too much going on right now. hopefully next week! next monday is my girls last day of school

we have our new CC cards, if you don't get them call but i don't know that it's really a big deal?

[dvc2themax]

Saw it twice at Chunky's. Went Memorial day weekend with Bill and Caitlyn (dadlvdisney). I was able to follow it. Some other people also could not follow it who had seen it before we went. Went again yesterday, and caught some more of it. Not sure if Jack saw his father or brother (won't say were to be a spoiler), didn't like the whole telling the truth, my burden to bare stuff between Elizabeth and Will. Loved the scene where the little guy shoots the big gun and slides backwards. made me crack up both times. Like the attitude of Jack with Elizabeth and Will in this movie than in POC2. Was awesome seeing JACK in a few scenes with himself - more of him to see! :rotfl:

Didn't quite get the whole Calipso thing, most of it, but not all.

Back to cleaning.

-Paula pixiedust:

[curlybop]

Wow, you guys are quiet. ;)

Just checking in to see updates. We're staying busy as usual. Speaking of POTC, guess what? I got the 1st one from the library and we'll watch it this weekend. After all the hype, we've never seen any of the Pirates movies. We'll probably watch it Sunday night when there's nothing good on. Except for the Disney villian cake competition, but I'll DVR that.

Emily wore her kids club shirt to daycare today. She said "I've got to show all my friends this shirt, but they won't know what it is because they can't read." :rotfl2: She's right though. I told her what it said, and she memorized it so she can tell all her buddies. School has just let out in our area. I can't believe when it starts again in August, I'll be sending my baby. Time flies!

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Sheesh! I guess we have been quiet! What happened to our thread-stalking days?!?! I'm sure everyone else's days are getting filled up with other stuff, too--yard work and flowers, keeping kids entertained during summer, T-ball, and just plain playing outside! What's funny is that when we had the cruise to plan for, we mostly just chatted about life in general. Now that there's no (immediate) cruise to plan, we're not even chatting! What a shame! :lmao: When we were waiting for the cruise, it seemed like it would never get here, and now the weeks just fly by! It still seems like just yesterday that we were having our "Magical" time...

Amy, I'm sure I'm not the only one waiting for more of your trip report! :rolleyes1 JK! I'm sure you're busy, too!

We still haven't seen POTC3. We have a little historic theater here in town that is all volunteer on weekends only with not-quite new releases for next-to-nothing prices and pretty cheap popcorn. We may wait to see if they get it there instead of paying outrageous regular theater prices. Although I am very anxious to see Ocean's Thirteen! I wanted to go on Friday, but it just didn't work out. I will pay almost any amount to see that! :thumbsup2

Tricia's husband had his lung surgery on Friday. I PM'ed her to let her know I was thinking of her. She wrote back and said that the lung nodule might be benign, but they will know for sure this week and then will schedule his other surgery.

[Miss.Sk8~alot]

hi its kyra can you all tell ur kids to keep updated on the teens thread for kids cruzing thx

[curlybop]

Peeking in - anyone here? I think some of you fell off the face of the earth. ;)

We've been into all sorts of stuff lately. I'm still doing online classes for real estate. Almost finished. Once I am, and pass the exam, I WILL be partying. :)

Our basement is coming along nicely. We had someone in this weekend working on sheet rock. Now we get to paint it, then put the hardwood down. Goodbye relaxing weekends. LOL. But it will be worth it.

So, what's everyone up to? Any more trips to anywhere coming up?

[Corryn]

Hi Guys! Hello Amanda!
I hope everything is going well with Trish. It's nice that you keep in touch with her...Please tell her I said Hello and I've been praying for her husband.

Well, things over here.....Things that make you go Hmmmm...

I feel like I am going through my own little empty next syndrome. It's summer and I've got no school until September, Eddie goes to bed early every night and the girls are out having a good time in the neighborhood with all their friends.....No one is ever home, so I've been doing little things - putzin' round the house kinda stuff. I haven't really been on the computer but to check my email, banking, little stuff like that. And my hands haven't been the same so I try not to stay on here too long. I just got in touch with my workers comp lawyer to reopen my carpal tunnel case and I went to the doctor yesterday to see how soon I can get surgery on my right hand. I'm guessing with all the red tape it'll be a year or so:sad2:

I'm also having a surprise 40th birthday party for Eddie on August 4th, so it's tough trying to plan something like this without him knowing. It'll be only adults and I'm getting a double frozen drink machine for strawberry daquiri's and pina coladas and then I'll have the mixings for all different types of fancy drinks. Then of course, the keg and different beers and hors'doerves, hero, fingerfood, stuff like that.
Any ideas?
Oh, I'm also getting a porto-potty so the guys aren't flushing my toilet every five minutes. We don't have sewers out here like we do in the City, we have *cesspools*:eek:

I am still planning on writing a trip report on XCaret....I swear I will!
Hope everyone is doing well:angel:

[ohMom]

please let Trish know I too am keeping them both in my prayers :flower3:

Amanda -- you have a new career ahead?? how cool!! CONGRATS!!

how's everyone's scrapbook coming??? :rotfl2: :rotfl2: I have pictures bought but that's as far as i got! Wendy sent me some of our family she had taken :thanks: and i gotta order them too. i haven't had a chance to begin organizing. ok, truth be told i still have one more layout of our last cruise before i can start this album!!

we went to Gatlinburg TN last week and met up with Preston's family -- 15 all together, we have small families -- and spent a week in a cabin. it was a great getaway. i have been working this week and still trying to catch up. i spend my everyday trying to catch up around the house :rolleyes1 oh well....

Taylor is off crutches and back in the show ring -- band starts up soon for her too. Paige has been enjoying her summer as a kid :thumbsup2 Swimming, playing, with art camp and her weekend camp coming up (rheumatology camp)

me -- well i have decided it's time to take this cruise/TN vacation fluff off and i'm back on Weight Watchers (myself) and anyone else in this boat with me -- come to the WISH board please!! i need LOTS of encouragement :rolleyes1

Corryn -- your party sounds like a blast!! you sneaky girl you :cool1: what kind of ideas are you looking for??

[Corryn]

Amanda, as I was reading your post I thought it was great that you were going back to school for Real Estate and I was going to congratulate you on it and even ask a few questions - NY laws are different from most other states (of course!) But I read the post and then came back a few minutes later to write the post.....I am sorry and I hope you have a great time with it.
I can tell you that we've had many a Disney trip once those commission checks started rolling in!!!:banana:

Hi Molly!
I am with you, girl! I lost 20 pounds before the cruise and then this past week, I'm finally back down to where I was before the cruise. It took a while to get out of those eating habits, even though I was only eating that way for a week, it still had a huge effect.
I've been back to walking and back to eating the same way as before.
You looked great, I don't know what you're talking about! And you do those marathons! I can't even do that......I can tell you that if I feel like splurging and having three bowls of those Magically Delicious Lucky Charms I go ahead and have it...You have to eat what you crave or you'll just eat everything else in its path!!! Remember that! Eat what you crave and don't be disappointed when you do. You have to satisfy your body, and if it means 10 chocolate chip cookies, then eat it, but stick with your other healthy eating patterns. I've found I can still eat a little junk, and as long as I'm exercising, I'm still losing the weight.
You can do it, you're a tough girl!

BTW, would it be all right if you could PM me with Taylor's cell phone number so Tori and Kyra can talk with her?
Or better yet, I'll give you Tori's and then you can let Taylor decide what she wants to do....But Tori would LOVE to get a surprise phone call from Taylor.
I'll send the number now.
I'm watching the radar and I see those Thunderstorms ripping through Ohio on it's way over here. Are you guys getting the rain?

All right, I'm exhausted....I'll speak with you ladies soon!
Enjoy the warmth!!!!!

[Cyndibear]

Hi Everyone!!

Whew, it sure is hot here in PA. I am very thankful for AC!! We are supposed to get some thunderstorms to cool things off for this wkend. Hope it works.

Any news about Trish and her DH? Hope everything turned out okay. Thoughts and prayers are with you Trish.

Well, we really have been busy doing nothing. Does anyone know what I mean? We have nothing planned for the weekend and then POW, it's Sunday night and I didn't get done what I thought I would. I can't believe its end of June already.

Eric loves his new job. With his old job (he's a plumber) he had to go into the customer's house and give a price of what it will cost them. The customer then had to decide if they wanted to pay their astronominal fees and have the work done. He'd have to listen to their complaining about how much it was going to cost and it was really bothering him. The company was really high priced, I know I would have looked elsewhere if I needed them. Now, with his new job, the customers already know the price and all he has to do is go in and fix/repair/replace/ the problem. He's a much happier camper!! They pay more too, so I'm a much happier camper!!

This past weekend I celebrated my 40th B-day. UGH!! Where did the years go? I had off Mon and Tues. We went to Lancaster, PA. They have a theater there called Sight and Sound where they show Christian themed shows. Not sure if anyone has been there or heard of it. Right now they are doing a play about Creation. It was good. The one set was of the Garden of Eden and it was beautiful. There was one Act were Adam names the animals and it kind of reminded me of WDW cause they used mechanical animals and it felt almost like I was on the Jungle Cruise. They also had real animials too. One of the horses had to go #2 and between the Acts you could see stage people cleaning it up. Wouldn't want that job!

Right now we are just counting the days to our next WDW trip in Sept. I love being a DVC member, we just keep planning trips. We have our January trip booked already too.

Hope everyone's summer is going well!! Take care, and check in with everyone soon.

Cyndi

[alikat99]

Hi everyone - No, I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, just crazy busy!! I thought that once the girls were out of school for summer, we wouldn't be so busy, but I was wrong. We have swim lessons, out of town guests, mini WDW trips, outings with friends, etc. It's great for the girls, because they aren't getting on each other's nerves too much, but we always seem to be going somewhere.

As for me, today is a good day. I was asked to work in the aftercare program at the girls' school on the elementary side. The director asked to see me about next year. And, she offered me a part-time job. I'll be working every day from 8:15am - 1pm in the preschool as basically a "jack of all trades" or is that a "jane of all trades"?? Anyway, I'd be doing preschool car line, ordering and preparing the snacks for the teachers, filling in for the teachers to get their lunches, help out in the classrooms where it's needed, etc. And, it's perfect because I wanted to find a part-time job while the girls were in school, so what could be better that being at the same place. :banana:

Well, Chris is here with dinner (I messed up the one that I tried to make). I'll chat again soon!!!

[curlybop]

This past weekend I celebrated my 40th B-day.

:bday: Cyndi! A little late, but hope you enjoyed your day. We've been to that theater before (before Em came along). We went once in the summer I think, and saw Noah's Ark, then later went during Christmas for that show. It was awesome. I'd love to go back sometime. We visited Hershey & Lancaster last summer, for about 4 days. I'm itching to go back - for the chocolate of course. Plus we want to go to Hershey Pantry to eat breakfast on the 'back porch'. We still talk about that today.

Amy, long time no chat. :) Glad to see you're still around! Hope the new job will work out great for you. Sounds like fun.

Alright, anyone with DVC, tell me about it. I sorta ignored the guy on the cruise, because I didn't want to waste vacation time with all of it. However, we are considering it. If you want to PM me, that would be great. I want to know your home resort, how often you go, etc. I'm tempted to buy a small resale at first, because I know we won't be going anywhere big for atleast 2 more years. So tell me all you know. I want to hear it. :)

[ohMom]

amanda --- i can get that DVC itch too, but Preston isn't for it. the yearly fees turned him off. the DVC board here is pretty helpful in researching. i have friends of the dis who are DVC owners and love it. think of it as a 'prepaid vacation' not really a disney bargain. kinda of like cruising :teeth:

corryn -- thanks for the kudos on the whole losing weight thing. it has always amazed me that i can train and powerwalk 13 miles and not lose a pound in the whole she-bang. oh well....i'm back in my groove. and high five for all of those who have lost their cruise-weight already!! Taylor is spending a few days with her breeder and then going to a show this weekend, so she's not at home. but when i talked to her yesterday i passed along the message, let me know if she calls. she doesn't have great cell signal where she's out right now unfortunately.

and HAPPY BIRTHDAY cyndi!!

[alikat99]

We have DVC and bought in the day that VWL was open for sale. Since we live here in FL, we wanted something that felt like we have gone somewhere else. We added on a few more points right before it sold out with Disney. We mostly use it for larger vacations, but we have been known to use our DVC for a night here or there too. And, we just added on to AKL, since we couldn't pass up the beauty and location of those villas. If you have any questions, definitely let us know and we can answer any questions that you have.

[Cyndibear]

Thanks for the B-day wishes everyone!

Hey Amy, glad to see your still around!! That's great about the PT job!

We just loooovvveeee our DVC! We should have joined much sooner (10 yrs ago) but I was the one this time that did not think it was worth it. Heck, with our 2+ trips to WDW a year that we have been taking for the past 5-6 yrs it really would have been worth it to join earlier. We joined in 2005 with Saratoga and like Amy, have just added on at AKL too. Any questions just PM me.

Cyndi

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

PHEW! I was starting to get scared that I was going to be the "thread killer" a couple weeks ago! :lmao:

I haven't heard anything else from Tricia lately. She had some questions for me but must not have time to ask. I'm thinking about them all the time.

Hey Corryn, do we all get an invite to Eddie's party? JK! :rotfl2:

Now that the cruise is over and I have 2 years or so to twiddle my thumbs, I'd probably like to know more about DVC, too. Since I didn't have much time to plan the cruise, I just wanted to cram my brain with that info and not the DVC on top of it!

I don't have much time to "chat" today since we have about 30-50 people coming over in about four hours for food & fireworks, but I will do more chatting after today.

Just wanted to check in and let you all know I'm still thinking of you, too! I'll have more time after this last-minute thing we threw together. If anyone looks out their window at around 9:30 or 10 PM CST tonight, you'll probably see all our fireworks! I LOVE THEM! (Yes, I was crying at the fireworks on pirate night. :blush: )

[dvc2themax]

Hello, I come looking everyitme I get a message that someone posted here.

We are DVC members and after about the 8 th trip, decided WE love Disney and joined of all things, on my birthday:cool1: in APril 2005.

DVC is like prepaying for the next 49 years you room on Disney property.
So, the average gong price is $100 (before they send out promotions).
So use 50 years for ease of calculation. That comes to $2 per point per year that you pay. If it costs 120 points for , say a week over Thanksgiving this year ( my next rrip), that comes to $240 I will be paying for my 6 night stay. (I go from Sunday - Friday because weekends cost more points, but I get my fill). Now for the yearly due to that Molli mentioned, it depends on the number of points, but for moderate "ownership" about $1000 per year. So my first trip will cost me $1200. Moderate hotel on Disney property is about $200 per night with taxes etc. Still $1200. But wait, I am only using 120 points, I still have MORE points for another trip within the use year.

You get a home resort, but you can go to ANY hotel you wish on DISNEY property, just the time you can book changes.

Then there are discounts you receive at certain places for being a DVC member, knowing, like being on this DISBOARD, people that really enjoy DISNEY and expect to go again and again. And going to a DVC resort, hearing "WELCOME HOME".

Like Cindi, should have bought WAY back in 1993 instead of 2005.

Congrats to everyone - new jobs, new careers, birthdays, having too much time that it flies by and your think " where did it go?"

Hope plans are coming along for your midweek holiday, July 4!

-Paula pixiedust:

[mickymania]

Wow! It's good to see everyone chatting again! Like everyone else, we have been much busier than I thought but things are finally beginning to calm down and I am ready for summer. I haven't been in a swimsuit since the cruise and unfortunately for everyone else, my tan is gone.

Vallen finally defended his dissertation and we are done. YIPEE!!!!!! I thought it would never end. Vallen went and celebrated by floating down the Colorado river with Josh and they will be back tonight.. Taylor has been working a ton and so Miranda and I have had girl time. It has been great! I have scrapbooked like a maniac this week and am just starting to make a dent in my 750+ pictures. They have come out with some great new Disney embellishments and I have gone a little wild. Miranda's birthday is tomorrow -- I am having a hard time with her getting older. She informed me that her room is too "kid" like so we will be working on that.

Cyndi -- belated birthday wishes to you.

Molli - Good luck with the weight loss thing. I have not been back on the scale since returning -- aahhhh ignorance is bliss.

Amanda -- good luck on your new career.

Amy - congrats on your job. It sounds like it is a great one to have with your girls.

Corryn - You will have to let us know how the party went!!

I'm off to buy some birthday presents. Have a great weekend.

Wendy

[Corryn]

Congratulations to Vallen, Wendy!!!
Life will be different now - It's going to be a weird adjustment back to normal, I can tell you that!!!
That sounds like a great trip - We've always wanted to raft down the Colorado River. Maybe one day, when we're not traversing to Disney:goodvibes

:bday: Happy 40th Birthday Cyndi!!!!!!

And it's great to hear all this good news from everyone:wizard:

Here's a feel-good story:
Friday last I was at the mall with Tori and her BF Meri. We were just leaving the parking lot when a big ol' Chevy Tahoe pulls out of a spot and gets me right in the right front fender. I've got a lil' Hyundai and she didn't even hear my tiny horn (which I'm always yelling at Eddie to get me a good one since no one ever hears me and I get cut off like crazy!)
If I didn't stop, she would have tore apart the whole right side of my car.

Anyway, the woman gets out and she's a mess, apologising like crazy. I start rubbing her arm telling her it's all right, to just calm down, it was an accident and that's why they call them accidents.
The woman had an accent, I thought Polish because we have a lot of Polish immigrants out here, but it turns out that she is Turkish. We call the cops to make out a report and we get to talking....She was a nurse over in Turkey and she will go to school to get her American certification when her little son goes into pre-school. I told her that I might meet her at work one day since I'm going to nursing school now - you never know, it's a small world:goodvibes
She also had a little daughter, maybe 4. She said she wasn't paying attention because the kids were talking loud and they wanted the video on, stuff like that, and she kept apologising for hitting me.
The cop shows up, and he knows my BIL Danny (he went on the cruise, too)
and then the woman's husband shows up. He looks at the damage and says to me, Please Please, I will pay to fix the whole thing, just do not file a report.....He says to the cop, please don't file a report, I'll pay for the whole thing and I don't want this accident on my wife's license.
So the cop said it was up to me. If I got a field report, I would have ten days to file a regular accident report, which would then be reported to the DMV and then to the insurance companies.
The man begged me, so I called Ed and he said, let's give him a chance....

Well, to shorten this up, we stopped by the mans job and he gave us a check to cover the damage to the fender. As soon as Ed comes home we're bringing it over to the body shop that the man recommended we use.

Not only that, but yesterday I get a little Thank You card in the mail with a $100 gift certificate to restaurant!!!!!!

While speaking with the woman she told me, I am so glad I hit you....I said, What?!?!? She said, no no, I mean if I had to hit someone I'm glad it was you.....(Her English not so good). The day after we picked up the check, their family was taking a trip over to Turkey, and she said, This is turning out to be the most expensive trip we've ever taken!

I just couldn't believe how things turned out. It could have been much worse, but cooler heads prevailed. And wouldn't it be funny if I wound up working with this woman?

I hope everyone has a SAFE 4th of July tomorrow......I've seen first hand the injury that fireworks can cause - My grandfather lost an eye and my girlfriend's husband lost two fingers....Another time was up close and personal - This girl was standing about a thousand feet away from where they were setting them off, under a tree, and the pipe fell as the firework was coming out of it. It blasted right over towards her. It got her and her two friends (boys) and they were burnt so horribly.....Back then I didn't know what to do. It was the most horrible thing I had ever seen. So always be aware when watching fireworks.....

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I hope everyone had a SAFE and FUN holiday last week! We sure did! Our party turned out great with lots of friends, food, and fireworks. I wish you all could have been here, too! Then we watched two large displays on Tuesday and Wednesday. I can never get enough fireworks!

Amy, your job sounds great! Their school sounds like the boys' preschool--if you volunteer enough, they'll give you a job! (I've been "warned" about this.) I sure hope you haven't stayed away from the main board, too. I know when I first found the DIS (even before I found our cruise thread), you had helped me out so much with all your valuable information! :thumbsup2

Cyndi, here's a (very) belated :bday: to you! Hope you had lots of :cake: to celebrate! (Did Amanda make it for you? :rotfl:)

Amanda, good luck with finishing your real estate classes and passing the test (I hear it's super hard, but I've got confidence in you! :cheer2:). You'll have to let us know! (But I thought you wanted to work for Duff?!?!)

I still haven't heard from Trish. I'll send her a note to let her know we're all thinking of them.

Corryn, I'm glad your accident turned out so well (does that make sense? :rotfl:). Luckily, no one was hurt.

It sounds like some people have had fun "mini vacations" recently! Cabins, rafting, theaters...plus upcoming WDW, too! Sounds like everyone is having a fun summer!

I can't believe school starts again next month! Hudson is going to be in kindergarten, and Lennon will go to preschool again--three days a week instead of only two (he's going to LOVE that!). We've had to put Hudson on an opt-in list for the school we thought we could send him to, but there's different boundaries in our subdivision that prevent him from choosing that school or the district we are actually in (recently annexed areas can choose the old or new district for the first 10 years after being acquired by the city). Unfortunately, we just found out in February that the south end of our property is the dividing line for where the annexed area begins. He was at least #17 on the opt-in list just for kindergarten (and they only have room for 40), but I think he's been accepted. We've gotten paperwork from the school about the next registration date and their lunch program, so I'm hoping that means he's in. I guess we'll find out for sure at registration. This one decision decides his whole education through high school since the two schools are in totally different districts (our first choice is more of a "country school" district and the other one is the city's public school district). My knuckles are white because my fingers are crossed so tight!

Well, my :laundy: awaits me. Hope to see more posts again soon! :rolleyes1

[curlybop]

Amanda, good luck with finishing your real estate classes and passing the test (I hear it's super hard, but I've got confidence in you! :cheer2:). You'll have to let us know! (But I thought you wanted to work for Duff?!?!)


Hello strangers!

Val, you're so funny. I'd go work with Duff anyday, but of course I'd have to move. They are about 5 hours away from here. But if I had the chance, I would jump all over it.

I've finished my courses online, now I have to take a pre-exam. :scared1: It scares me to no end. If I pass that, then I'm OK to take the state exam, which is even more lengthy. Eeeeek. I've been studying & taking practice exams though, so I hope I'll be more familiar with what they will be asking. If I actually succeed, I'll probably do real estate part time to begin with, and if it goes well, maybe full time. Just depends on how much I might sell.

Well, I enrolled Emily for kindergarten a couple of weeks ago. The school called & asked if I could come that day, so I did. I just can't believe she's that old! But she's excited, and I am happy for her. It will be an adjustment, but I think she'll enjoy it. Going to daycare/preschool already will probably be a big help.

Wow, Corryn - I'm glad the accident turned out OK. Hope you enjoyed that gift certificate. :)

Back to work I go....lots to do, so I can study during my lunch hour. Say a prayer for me. :rotfl:

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I just read in the paper that POTC3 is coming to that historic theater that I mentioned awhile ago! YAY! :banana: I hope we have time to go this weekend. Unfortunately, since it's run solely by volunteer workers, they only have one showing per night and only on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Sometimes they will hold it over the next weekend also but only if it does well. I'm sure it will do well, but I don't know if we should take our chances at that or not. We have swim lessons tonight and a wedding tomorrow night, so it's either Sunday night or hope for it to be back next weekend. For $3.50 tickets and even cheaper popcorn::, it really is a great time!

[mickymania]

Hi Everyone!

It sure has been quiet. I hope everyone is enjoying there summer. One of our employees has had a baby and it has been really busy at work. To be honest, I am ready for school to start. As I say this, Taylor is looking over my shoulder......I need my space!!!!!!.:rotfl: Of course, that leads me to my favorite two words........school shopping.......with teenagers!!! O.K. it is actually four words. Taylor has finally gotten his drivers license :eek: -- Mom is in a perpetual state of worry. He drove Miranda to meet some friends at the water park and I did worry the entire 40 minutes. .

I think it is time for another cruise.........Castaway Cay..........:goodvibes

Has anyone done anything fun?

Back to work.

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

How funny! I have been trying to find the time to come and post, and when I do, Wendy is here, too! :thumbsup2

Paula, I wanted to tell you that I got my Castaway Club stuff last week. Four cards and a DVD, but we haven't watched it yet.

I must be having a "I-miss-DCL" day today. I'm wearing my **sparkly** shirt, and the boys are wearing their CC shirts. It was totally by accident, I swear! :rotfl: Maybe it's because I got on the DCL website to get my Disney Rewards Visa card last night. :banana:

I keep counting down to when I'm going to become obsessive about the 2009 dates coming out. Only 2-3 months to go! (I think...I hope!) Has anyone heard anything? I haven't been to the main board in a LOOONNNG time.

We didn't get a chance to see POTC3 either weekend it was at the Grand Theater. I guess we'll have to wait for it on DVD.

We found out last Thursday that Hudson was accepted into the school we were trying to get him in to. I can't belive he starts kindergarten in two weeks!

[alikat99]

How funny! I have been trying to find the time to come and post, and when I do, Wendy is here, too! :thumbsup2

Paula, I wanted to tell you that I got my Castaway Club stuff last week. Four cards and a DVD, but we haven't watched it yet.

I must be having a "I-miss-DCL" day today. I'm wearing my **sparkly** shirt, and the boys are wearing their CC shirts. It was totally by accident, I swear! :rotfl: Maybe it's because I got on the DCL website to get my Disney Rewards Visa card last night. :banana:

I keep counting down to when I'm going to become obsessive about the 2009 dates coming out. Only 2-3 months to go! (I think...I hope!) Has anyone heard anything? I haven't been to the main board in a LOOONNNG time.

We didn't get a chance to see POTC3 either weekend it was at the Grand Theater. I guess we'll have to wait for it on DVD.

We found out last Thursday that Hudson was accepted into the school we were trying to get him in to. I can't belive he starts kindergarten in two weeks!
Hey everyone - we're doing ok down here! We've been busy with summer stuff. My niece, Danni, just got here for a week, so I have 3 girls for the next 7 days.

Chris and I went to see POTC3 last night (finally). I have to say that it was definitely darker and more violent that the other 2. I'm not sure that I'll let the girls see it yet. We'll have to see! But, it was pretty cool, and I'll have to watch it again once it comes out on DVD to catch some of the stuff that I missed.

[Cyndibear]

Hi Everyone!!!!

I'm happy to hear everyone is enjoying their summer!!

I have been extremely busy and stressed out at work. I have been working 11-12 hrs a day for the past mth. We have been down at least 4 people since the beginning of July. One quit, one had a hysterectomy, one got married and went on her 2 wk honeymoon, and one just thought she had to have her gallbladder taken out at the same time everyone else was out eventhough she had one little attack mths ago (yes, I'm a little bitter about that). Just as that started, Eric decided we needed to start the deck we have been planning to put on the house so my nights and weekends were busy doing that. Thankfully we finished that last wkend. This wkend will be spent doing nothing!!! After next wk work should be getting back to normal and soon after that we leave for WDW!!!!! :woohoo: :woohoo: :cool1: :cool1: :cool1:

I have not seen POTC III yet. Wanted to try to see it at the drive-in but we were busy with the deck and never got there. We'll wait till netflix has it available.

Well, gotta get back to work, I'm on lunch break and time's up.

Take care eveyone!!

Cyndi

[curlybop]

Hi everyone,

Just checking in to see what's going on. We received our Castaway Club cards in the mail yesterday. :cheer2: I was wondering if we'd ever see them or not. I put the CD in last night & listened to the music. Might have to put it on my iPod for when I need a cruise fix.

I'm impatiently waiting for '09 rates. I know, probably a few more months....but I need something to plan for again. Hopefully there will be great options for us all. Atleast once a week Emily reminds me "we need to save money so I can go back on the Mickey boat." :rotfl2:

We are so busy lately. Open house for kindergarten is next week, then the week after school begins. They take 1/2 the class on Wed., the other on Thurs. and then the entire class is together that Friday. Emily looked at me like I had 2 heads when I told her she'd go one day, be off, then go back. She thought I was making this stuff up. I think she'll do just fine though.

Thanks to everyone for the DVC info also. I'm still waiting for a smaller resale to come along, since we won't be using a ton of points to begin with. Quit laughing. :rolleyes:

[curlybop]

:dance3: :dance3: :dance3:

Thanks to everyone for their DVC advice. We have purchased a small SSR resale contract, and we turned in the contract & deposit yesterday - it's going to ROFR today. I think we'll have no problems, so we'll be owners very soon. :cheer2:

[Cyndibear]

Congrats Amanda and a early Welcome Home!!

Let us know when its gone through ROFR. Have you started planning your first DVC stay?

Cyndi

[dvc2themax]

congrats Chris and Amanda!
Now when you go on your next cruise, you will get a gift for Castaway member and DVC member.:wizard:

We are planning a trip to WDW for our February school vacation in 2008.
Will start spding the cash and making DVC reservations once Southwest comes out for those dates. Airline prices were WAY too high over Thanksgiving week. Oh well.

Reading and re-reading Harry Potter books 6 & 7. Listen to book 5 on CD all the time. If I had book 6 on CD, I would listen to that constantly. I enjoy the person, can't think of his name, reading the story and having him do the voices of each character.

Not much going on here. Just work as usual for both Kip and myself.
Casey will be starting 9th grade in a week!!! August 29th.

We had some of the cruise pictures professionally framed - 6 of the pictures the cruise line took and we purchased, and hung over our fireplace so we see it all the time. What a great trip. Miss it.pirate:

View this board all the time, stalking it to see what I can add.

How has everyone's summer season been? It does not feel like New Hampshire had a summer. Cold and rainy, with a rare warm day, maygbe once a month. Just thought I'd ask to see if it was just NH or the rest of the world.

:hourglass counting down to April 2009 Disney Cruise!

[mickymania]

Not much going on here. Just work as usual for both Kip and myself.
Casey will be starting 9th grade in a week!!! August 29th.

We had some of the cruise pictures professionally framed - 6 of the pictures the cruise line took and we purchased, and hung over our fireplace so we see it all the time. What a great trip. Miss it.pirate:

View this board all the time, stalking it to see what I can add.

How has everyone's summer season been? It does not feel like New Hampshire had a summer. Cold and rainy, with a rare warm day, maygbe once a month. Just thought I'd ask to see if it was just NH or the rest of the world.

!

We've had all of your warmth here in Utah. It has been soooooo hot all summer long.

I just finished my kids scrapbooks from the vacation and the last page I did was of all our DIS friends :hug: it made me want to go back again. Now I get to do it all over again for our family album.

My kids started school this week - yipee! I took the week off to try and get the loose ends done. It is so wierd to have all of my kids finished with elementary school. For all of you with small kids, it goes so fast, especially when they start school.

Hope all of you are having a great week! Enjoy the rest of your summer. Paula - we will send some of our warmth your way.

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Geez! The weeks are just flying by! I can't believe it's been so long since anyone has posted here. :worried: We weren't even listed on the cruise meet thread--I had to go to an old email notification just to post!

So how's everyone doing? I've been lurking occasionally lately just to find out if the 2009 dates are coming out soon. It looks like it could be sometime between next month and January. :sad: I can't wait that long! I saw Cyndi had posted on a thread about that, and I started thinking about how much I miss all you guys! :grouphug:

Cyndi, congrats on the DVC! I see you're taking a trip to AKV soon (after Christmas?). How was your trip to WDW last month? Is Eric still enjoying his new job? (It's probably not so "new" anymore, is it?)

Amy, how's your new job? It must keep you busy since I haven't seen you around on the main board either (not that I've been there much either). How's kindergarten and the first year of "big school" going? Hudson is loving it. I'm sure you're experiencing pre-birthday excitement at your house, too. It's going to be a loooonnnng month for Hudson to wait.

Amanda, how's kindergarten for Emily? Have you passed your real estate exams?

Molli, are you training for any marathons? I still don't know how you do it! :thumbsup2

Corryn, how was Eddie's birthday party? I hope it was a big hit!

Trish, I haven't heard from you in several months, but I am thinking about you guys all the time. I just hope Jon is on the road to recovery. :hug:

So am I the only procrastinator that hasn't started scrapbooking yet? I got some extra Disney stuff and thought that would get me going on it, but I need my space set up permanently, so until then, it will probably just sit in the closet. Bummer! :sad2:

Does anyone have any upcoming Disney or DCL trips planned besides Cyndi (and those of us waiting for 2009)? I know Amy has her 10th anniversary cruise coming up next year. Bill? Kevin? You guys are frequent Disney trippers, right? :mickeyjum :donald:

I have a little excitement to share. Justin surprised me a couple months ago with 2 tickets to the American Idol concert when they came to Omaha last month! He refused to go, though, so I took a friend with me. We had such a great time! Blake is so awesome! He's even better in person! My friend brought her camera and took photos and video, but we weren't all that close to the stage. When I get them from her, I'll post any if they turned out well enough. What's funny is that they made several jokes to Sanjaya about how he wasn't good enough to be there! :lmao: It was kind of neat to see a bunch of Phil's relatives of who live in Nebraska.

Well, it's time to pick up kids at school. :drive: I hope to see more posts soon! ;)

[Corryn]

Hi Val!!:yay:
Hi Everyone:goodvibes
I hope everyone had a great summer!
Val, that was really nice of Justin to get you those tickets, AND to give you a night without the kids!
I am right now looking at the big Disney Cruise frame that I bought while on board that only has three pictures in it......I've Got To Get That Done!!!

How was Ed's party? We had an awesome time!:banana:
One thing that I wanted to do and accomplish was to get EVERYTHING set up beforehand - tell my guests where everything was and to totally help themselves - and have myself a good time.
I got out everything you could think of....I even bought those individual disposeable flossers & mouthwash for the bathrooms!
I bought all those Rose's drink mixers to make fifty different types of martini's and I made cards with directions on how to make them complete with pictures and I laminated them and put them on a key chain. I figured we would need the pictures of the bottles (which I got from Rose's website) because when your drunk you might not be able to see the words, but you'll be able to recognize the different colored bottles:rotfl:
We got a keg of beer (see below)
I got a tray of empanadas and arroz con pollo from a local restaurant, a three foot American hero, a three foot Italian hero, lots of cold antipasta, different salads, chicken wings....
I went to Ikea and I bought four of those huge paper lanterns and hung those up. I got out a bunch of Christmas tree lights and decorated all my flower beds and hibiscus trees. I bought clear dishes and sea glass from Michaels and made candle centerpieces for the tables.
Of course when everyone was nice and toasty Mike got not one but two beer pong tables set up. I don't play, but a lot of people enjoyed it.
I also bought a set of wireless outdoor speakers (and I had a set that I bought at the beginning of the summer) that I hooked up to my computer so we had uninterrupted music all night long.
We had a great time.
There were no kids and everyone was free to relax and pretend that we were twenty-somethings again:banana:
Here's some photos:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/edsinvitation.jpg
Eddie's cake - Kathy's neighbor designs cakes. She took Ed's invitation and used it as inspiration. It was DEEELICIOUS~!!!! Fresh sponge cake with fresh blueberries and strawberries and fresh real whipped cream in the middle and whipped cream frosting and she airbrushed it.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/cake3.jpg


Here's Ed checking out the Beer Pong Reservation List:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/beerpong.jpg

Here's Mike and Kathy with our other friends:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6596.jpg

Here's a picture of Me, Eddie, Lynette and Danny and Ed's other brother and his wife and Ed's cousins.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6614.jpg

Here's a pic of my fountain with some of the Christmas lights I placed in the bedding:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6635.jpg

Here's Ed's cousin Kristen, Danny and Mike playing beer pong:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6637.jpg
BTW Mike is Mr. Beer Pong when it comes to the rules - what a stickler!

Here's Ed doing that keg stand thingie......I never did it, though...
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6692.jpg

Here's me and one of my best friends, Eileen (another Bronx girl)
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6652.jpg

My cousins:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6607.jpg

Here's some food:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6593.jpg

I put this picture here to show you the table in the back up against the house. I put all the drinks/liquor on that table. I also went and bought this huge 3 gallon drink dispenser from Linens and Things. I made strawberry/kiwi Crystal Light (my favorite) and Ed loves that with vodka when he runs out of Red Bull.
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6651.jpg

And how can I forget - Mike doing the keg stand:
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/Eddies%2040th%20Birthday%20Party/HPIM6699.jpg

So we had a great time. Ed was not surprised - he kind of had a feeling.
But at 3:00 p.m. when I was a sweaty mess and still needed to pick up all the food and stuff, I broke down and said, Listen, I'm having a surprise party for you tonight (and me and the girls yelled, Surprise!)
Now you have to go out and pick up the food, the balloons, the hero, the keg, etc.
So while he did that I got cleaned up and set up a little more.

Now, before doing this party I was going back and forth with what to do. I had saved up $1500 and what I really wanted to do was to just take me and him down to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights. But Ed's sister Lynette and Kathy said that Big Ed is a party guy (If you recall, him and Mike sat at the Adult Pool Bar for most of the cruise) and if you don't have a party for his 40th he'll never let you live it down........

After the party he said, you know what would have been an awesome alternative to a party? A trip down to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights:headache:

So I told him next year when I'm 40, I want a trip down to Halloween Horror Nights:woohoo:

This past Tuesday I learned that I Do Not Have Ovarian Cancer! I had a complex cyst that I was having trouble with and I was worried about it since June. I was really depressed and thinking about it, even though I tried not to think about it. But I went to the doctor/sonogram on Tuesday and I am all clear, but listen Ladies, it's not the easiest cancer to detect! So pay attention to your bodies and read up a little about it!
If you're gassy, bloated, have odd bowel habits, pain down by your ovaries, don't just discount it as gas or something else. I've been suffering from the constant barrage of ovarian cysts for over ten years. I had my left ovary removed around ten years ago so I know what I'm feeling when I get another cyst on my right ovary. Just be careful!

We got a new Kitty....Eddie named her Lilo.
And he swears he's not a Disney freak!
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/certificates084.jpg
http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m146/Corryns/certificates055.jpg
Her mother left her outside Tori's bedroom window. Her eyes were still closed and she frigin MEEEOOOOWWWEEEDDDD for two days! Then I put her under my shed in the back because there was a mother with two kittens back there, but the mother didn't take care of her and she meowed for another two days. She would climb up to the top of the wood pile and meooww meow meow..
I finally said to myself that God wants that kitty in our lives. I am allergic to cats, but that poor animal was desperate. We've had stray cats on our property for 15 years and I NEVER heard a stray kittty meow like that.
So now she's ours.

Tori started High School. I started microbiology. I just decorated for Halloween. Our next trip down to Orlando will be this April, but we didn't tell the kids yet. We're thinking of just splurging and staying at the Grand Floridian. We usually stay off site in a condo, but Ed wants to whoop it up.
WHOOP! There it is!
I'm breathing, I'm not sick, I have the H's - Health Home Husband Heat and Happiness and we're doing fine.

I hope everyone is likewise.
I hope everyone can chime in and let us know how you're doing:love:

Hey, maybe you guys can post some pictures after Halloween of all the kiddies (and maybe adults) all dressed up!

[mickymania]

Hi!

Corryn - that looks like it was a very fun party -- maybe you should be a party planner!!!!!:dance3:

Val - what a fun concert. My friend took her three kids (back in August) and they are still talking about how much fun they had.

I can't believe that it is October already! Does anyone have any cute Halloween costume ideas?

Taylor went to his first homecoming dance this weekend. He was with a big group of kids in this big suburban and the car was stopped for suspicion of drunk driving!!! The real story is that the dance was in the middle of nowhere and the kids were lost. The policeman pulled them over because they were going too slow!!!!!:rotfl2: :rotfl2: We had a great laugh about this one -- it will always be a great memory. When the policeman realized that they were just lost, he got them pointed in the right direction -- turns out they were just a few hundred yards away from their turn!!

I hope everyone is doing well. We do get to go to Disneyland next week for just a couple of days but we are excited.

Happy Tuesday!!

Wendy

[Corryn]

Hi Wendy! I hope everything is going well and Val is breathing a little more easier, with more free time, maybe?
I'm gonna share your funny story at dinner tonight - I'm sure the cop wasn't prepared to deal with a truck full of law-abiding teenagers:rotfl:
It's good to hear from you:goodvibes

[Cyndibear]

Hi Everyone!!

Whew, it's been a while since this board has had any activity. Great to see everyone checking in!!

Val, I'm glad you had a great time at the concert. We also know some people who went to it when it was in our area and they said they enjoyed it.

Corryn--It looks like you had a great time at Ed's party!! Wish we were closer so we could have crashed it. Congrats on your new kitty Lilo!! She looks sooooo cute!! What a great name!!

Wendy--Funny story about Taylor, thanks for sharing. Have a wonderful time at Disneyland and I hope you guys run into the "dream team".

Lets see....whats going on around here..... Eric LOVES his job. No stress for him anymore. Me, on the other hand, have enough stress at work for the both of us. Actually I just found out today that I will be changing jobs. A position will be opening up in the billing dept in January and I asked to be transferred. I thought the office mgr would give me a difficult time and not allow it but it was approved and away I go. I have never done medical billing before but, I'm ready to try something new. Everyone else knows that I will be able to handle it, I just have to believe it myself. I'm tired of dealing with the front office part of the medical field. It doesn't help that it is very miss managed but I'm not sure if it has something to do with turning 40, I just can't deal with it anymore. I'm burned out. Patients have been really anoying the past 2-3 yrs and its just getting worse. Usually I'm refreshed, and back on track after a vacation, but over the last year it feels like I was never off. I thought about changing offices but didn't want to start at the bottom with vacation and PTO. This opportunity makes it possible to keep my PTO and benefits without having to start over. I think i can, I think I can......

We had a wonderful trip to WDW in Sept. It was very HOT but crowds were low so it was a great time to go. We attended Night of Joy when we were there and it was great.

We celebrated my Mom's 80th Bday and Eric's parents 60th Bday. We had parties to attend for both. I can't believe my Mom is 80. When I think of someone being 80, I think walker, wheel chair, cane, slow and Depends! Not my Mom. She has more of a social life then Eric and I do. She already has an Alaskan cruise booked for Sept 2008!! It's great. I am so thankful for her!

We have our Jan trip to WDW already planned, we are going to VA beach in May, WDW in Sept. again, and are waiting for the 2009 cruise rates to come out. We want to do a double dip to Castaway in early part of May (see why I need my PTO days!). Eric keeps trying to talk me into another 7 day cruise, but I feel like I have to go to WDW either before or after because I cannot go to FL and not go to WDW. If we do the DD, its only a 4 day cruise and we can do WDW afterwards. Yes, I am a Disney fanatic.

We have pretty much excitement around us because the Phillies are NL east champs!! Its all over the news and everyone is talking about it. Tomorrow I'm wearing my Phillies red to work. Go Phils!!

I hope everyone is well and enjoying life!!

Cyndi

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I just wanted to check in with everyone who is waiting for the 2009 dates to come out (like me!). I know a lot of us had mentioned that shortly after our cruise ended. In case you haven't been to the main board (I hadn't been until just the last two weeks or so), there's a pretty good thread going with speculation and rumors. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1518461&page=42 This takes you to page 42 of the thread. There's a guy on there that summarizes all the rumors about every page or two. I tried to start reading from the beginning, but it has changed so much in the last month that I just got more confused. I'm counting on that thread to give me the info I want for the new dates! :thumbsup2 BTW, Cyndi, we're hoping for a 7-night DDip cruise like they'll be doing next fall (not just the 4-night). Hopefully they'll fulfill my "needs." :rotfl2:

So is everyone busy getting ready for Thanksgiving? And Christmas? I got some decorating done this weekend. I'll start cooking on Wednesday afternoon for Thanksgiving Day.

Corryn, the party looked like a blast! But what exactly is Beer Pong? So good to hear about your checkup going okay. :flower3: What a scare! :scared:

Cyndi, good luck with your new job duties. I'm sure it will be just the move you're looking for. And the bonus of being able to keep PTO is going to be the cherry on top!

I finally got an update from Tricia not long ago. Jon had some complications after his second surgery, so I need to contact her again and make sure he's doing better now.

Corryn, since you asked, here's the boys on Halloween. Lennon didn't want to put his mask on at first, so it was just sitting on his head.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t23/pfenningv/DSC_0006.jpg

Some friends of ours had a small Halloween party in their shop, so here's our costumes.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t23/pfenningv/DSC_0084.jpg

The samurai costume made out of cardboard was the best one of the night, though.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t23/pfenningv/DSC_0086.jpg

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving holiday! And for those of you traveling anywhere, I hope you have a safe trip. :drive: Keep in touch! :rolleyes1

[mickymania]

I don't know if anyone else saw, but the 2009 cruises have been released!!!!

Hope everyone is well.

Wendy

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

I don't know if anyone else saw, but the 2009 cruises have been released!!!!

Hi Wendy! Did you book?!?!?!?!

What about all those others who were waiting for 2009? Did you get what you wanted? We got almost exactly what we wanted. I'm a little disappointed in no DDips in 2009 (except one in Nov, I think), but that's okay, I guess. We were able to book the 05-16-09 Western. :yay: Will anyone here be joining us? I'm hoping that's the day after school gets out for Hudson, and disembarkation will be over Memorial Day weekend, so we are tossing around the idea of staying afterward for a bit and going to WDW, etc. I hope we don't regret doing the same itinerary (which I know like the back of my hand because I studied it so hard from Jan-April!), but these were the dates we really wanted. I think we'll try and enjoy the ship more on port days by maybe getting off for just a short time (if at all). To me, it's more about the boat than the ports. And in comparing one of the new Eastern itineraries for 3 weeks later was almost double in cost! :scared1:

I hope everyone is getting the cruises they want for 2009 (has anyone started any cruise meet threads? Maybe I should go check! :lmao: )

In case I don't get back here before then, we wish you all a
VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!

[dadlvsdisney]

It has been ages since I have been on the boards. I went back through the months and read everybody's posts. I hope everyone had a great summer, fall and it is like winter here with snow and everything.

Eddie's 40th birthday party looks like it was a blast. (what was that acrobatic keg drinking move? Is that like using a funnel) I loved beer pong, have not played it in ages though!!

We are booked on April 25ths 2009 cruise to Tortola!!!! Somehow we have gotten the exact same room. My DD and I thinks thats kind of weird. I actually posted on that thread. There is only about 9 posts.


I believe I go into fits of depression when I am away from Disney. I can not even go on the boards until I know I have a trip coming up.

Going to DW in February, staying in the Animal Kingdom Lodge Villas, :banana:

[trings]

Hi everyone! It's nice to see that the thread is starting to get active again. I'm a great stalker!

We have finally decided that we will also be taking the April 25th Tortola Cruise! As soon as the Holiday Madness is over, we will make it final. Then the countdown can begin!

I hope everyone has a great Holiday!

Diane

[curlybop]

Hi everyone! It's been forever since I've been here. Glad to see a few booked new cruises. We transferred our reservation over to November 2009, however we won't be cruising at that time. Hoping to keep switching until 2010 or 2011.

Why? Because we're having a new addition to our family! I'm due in June 2008 with this baby. So, it will be a while before we see DCL, but that's OK - I'll be busy enough that time will pass quickly. :laughing:

Hope everyone is well. Have a great holiday season!

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Because we're having a new addition to our family! I'm due in June 2008 with this baby.


CONGRATULATIONS!

What exciting news, Amanda! :yay: I hope your pregnancy is going well and that Emily is excited to be a "big sister." Don't forget to tell us when the big day arrives. And post pictures, too! (Of the baby, that is. :rotfl: )

[alikat99]

Ok, I've been WAY too busy lately, and it's been forever since I've posted here. I read all the new posts, but it seems like I always say to myself that I'll respond later, and later never comes. So, I'm responding RIGHT NOW!!!

Congrats on the new baby!!! How exciting!!! I'm SO happy for you!!!!

Our next DCL isn't until Christmas 2008 for our 10th anniversary. I'm going on a 4-night with my mom and my sister in August, but the whole family won't be until next year.

We've been busy this summer & fall with lots of stuff. Emily joined cheerleading for our local flag football team. I can't tell you how adorable 4-6 yr olds are when they are playing football and cheerleading. Then, Emily decided that she loved cheer so much, that she also joined this year's competitive Jr Elite team with the same organization. It's just too cute. Here's a pic from one of our most recent competitions. And yes, that's her on top.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f267/alikat99/IMG_8837.jpg

Then, since I did remember seeing some Halloween pics up here, here is one of the girls. My mom made Emily's Mulan costume, and I made Madison's witch costume.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f267/alikat99/Halloween2007.jpg

And last but not least for the cute pumpkin patch picture. I just had to show these, because my mom made them for the girls.

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f267/alikat99/PumpkinPatch1.jpg

[Cyndibear]

Congratulations Amanda, Mark & Emily!!!

How exciting!!! Please keep us posted!!

Hi Amy! :wave2: Thanks for the great pictures of the girls!! Your Mom does a wonderful job on those dresses!!

Its great to hear of everyone's rebooking plans. We have decided to wait until Disney starts cruising to Alaska to book again. Hopefully it will be in 2009 or when the new ships come out. At least this is what we keep telling ourselves.

Hope everyone is having fun getting ready for the Christmas holiday. I am pretty much ready with everything. We have a lot of parties we have been invited to in the next three wks, its gonna be very busy for us. I think I am more excited for our upcoming trip to WDW in January though.

I hope every one has a very Merry Christmas and a safe and Happy New Year!!

Cyndi

[mickymania]

It is great to hear from everyone. Life has been so busy and I miss hearing from my Dis friends!

Congratulations Amanda! I hope you are feeling O.K. and that everything is going well. New babies are so much fun.

Amy - Cute Halloween costumes. My Grandma used to sew all the time for Miranda before she died and she made the cutest dresses. I did not inherit one bit of her sewing talent. This Halloween, I told my kids they had to come up with their own Halloween costumes. Taylor made a sign that said "nudist on strike" and pinned it to his shirt. I don't even have a response for that one except "aaargh.....teenage boys". Josh wore his pirate costume from the 5th grade -- we won't talk about that one either.:rolleyes1

I am excited for all of your upcoming trips.....a little envious too:goodvibes . I think we are going to wait for the new ships and we will probably not take the kids. We will see how the willpower holds out. Until then, we will just take some trips to Disneyland. We went in October and had a great time. I will probably take a quick trip (attached to a business trip) in May. And I am hoping to do Disneyword for my 40th. I am dropping hints as we speak, even though I have another year +.

I hope that all of you have a very happy holiday season; enjoy your friends and families!!!! And keep us updated.

Wendy

[Hudson5&Lennon3]

Does everyone have happy memories of what they were doing EXACTLY one year ago right now?!?! I DO! We were heading up to Topsiders and the Mickey Pool with tons of excitement! :yay: :yay: :yay:

I hope everyone is doing well and having fun planning their next Disney cruise/trip! :woohoo:

[Cyndibear]

Hi Everyone!

I can't believe its been a year since our cruise! Wow, time does fly. I was just thinking about this the other day! What a great time we had!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Cyndi

[Corryn]

Hi Everyone!!!
I cannot believe it has been a year:sad1:
Time passes so quickly!
Val, your Halloween pictures are so funny:rotfl:
Amanda, Congratulations on your new addition :) I'll pray for a safe and healthy baby:angel:
Amy, that cheer picture is soooo cute :) she looks like a big girl:cheer2:
I hope everyone is planning on a nice spring and summer :)
I've been reading up on you all (it's been a while) so Who's Cruising When????

Tori's Sweet 16 is coming up this December and we told her, in lieu of a party, she can invite one friend for a vacation of her choice (within reason:laughing: ) and she's thinking of another trip on the DCL, but we're not sure when.....
Since then, I've started nursing school in January (I graduate in December '09:banana: ) and Eddie has gotten an awesome management position with UPS. Tori is first year high school, 9th grade, and Kyralyn is in 8th grade. Lilo our kitty is 9 months now:stitch2:

The weather is getting much nicer up here on Long Island and I can't wait until after Mother's Day to start with my planting.
I was also watching Gardening By The Yard on HGTV the other day and that funny guy Paul (?) informed me that there are actual palm trees that will grow in Zone 7 :woohoo: So I'm thinking of planting a bunch to keep me in that tropical Disney mode all year long!!!!! If anyone else is interested I'll post the names of the palms when I get them.

Again, it's great to hear from you all:goodvibes