VWL Groupies...yes, we love the Lodge!!

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by blossomz

OMG..Brady is adorable!!

Julie, He truly is!!!!!

Originally Posted by blossomz

Only 9 more sleeps until a night at the treehouses and the Member cruise!!

Blossom, have a great cruise!! Will you be in any of the parks the day before your cruise?

[blossomz]

Hi Corinne..
We are staying in the treehouse, having dinner at Cape May, heading to DD for some last shopping and viewing fireworks up in top of the World!

[twokats]

Originally Posted by wildernessDad

It looks like a lot of VWL groupies are heading out on their vacations! I wish I were going with you, but I am locked into work until December, after which time, I'll be shot out like a rubber band for our vacation at VWL.

In other news, I think I need more points. Let me explain. My granddaughter is now 5 and will be 6 in March. How time flies. Anyway, I think that I should upgrade to a 1 bedroom for those times when I was getting a studio. So that means that I'll need to bump up our AKV and GCV points a bit. DW and I will be viewing the Samantha Brown thingy on Sept 15. I'm trying to get her interested in more points, you see. Also, my daughter (the mother of my granddaughter) reacted positively when I told her that they were building a DVC at the Grand Floridian. Hmm, might I add on there? I'll bet that the price for points will be high and it will require a lot of them to stay there. Then I wonder if I should dunk my head in ice cold water, as I am in my early 60's and here I am thinking about adding on. Don't get me wrong, I'm responsible and our debt is relatively low. I have a good job and don't plan on retiring for a while. But am I too dang old to add on?

WD, all I can do is agree. As I told you before, the points that DH bought for us on this last cruise was totally unexpected, especially since I had met my goal of points. He is 60 and plans on retirement in a couple of years, so I don't think you are too dang old to add on.

[Corinne]

Originally Posted by blossomz

Hi Corinne..
We are staying in the treehouse, having dinner at Cape May, heading to DD for some last shopping and viewing fireworks up in top of the World!

Sounds like a great prelude to your cruise! What night will that be? We are staying at the BCV and are planning on going to the TOWL on Sunday, the 16th.

[twokats]

Originally Posted by Muushka

I'm GREEN!! not Groupie green, JEALOUS GREEN!!

It is my dream to do a Panama Canal cruise, and a DCL one at that! Funny, that is the only ship I see myself going thru the locks on!

The prices are pretty good, did you see the price of the 1 BR suite? Such a deal for DCL! Keep me in the loop on this cruise!

Tea Pot, how is that kitty doing today?

I would have loved to do the one back in 2011, but we did the Eastern NYE before and could not justify that one. Plus it was really expensive also.

When they released the itenerary and the prices for the Sept '13 Panama, I could not believe it. It only added about 600 to our total cost to change from a 7 night Alaska to the 14 night Panama. Just had to do it first, plus we love the Wonder and the room we chose is the room from our first cruise to Nassau. The Panama for this Dec is a little bit higher in price, but the Western Panama for next May is 2000 plus more. Anyway, I will be glad to include you in our plans. You should try to get on that one with us. . . wouldn't that be fun!!!

[Muushka]

Originally Posted by twokats

I would have loved to do the one back in 2011, but we did the Eastern NYE before and could not justify that one. Plus it was really expensive also.

When they released the itenerary and the prices for the Sept '13 Panama, I could not believe it. It only added about 600 to our total cost to change from a 7 night Alaska to the 14 night Panama. Just had to do it first, plus we love the Wonder and the room we chose is the room from our first cruise to Nassau. The Panama for this Dec is a little bit higher in price, but the Western Panama for next May is 2000 plus more. Anyway, I will be glad to include you in our plans. You should try to get on that one with us. . . wouldn't that be fun!!!

It would be awesome! I will have to take a second look when we cruise the Fantasy in 6/2013. Boy oh boy, sooooo tempting.

I saw that Dec one, but we already have a 2 week Christmas one planned. But I was tempted. Ends in Miami, good for us.

Keep me in the planning loop!

WD, we are not going until Dec either. Good luck with the add on decisions!

[tea pot]

Originally Posted by wildernessDad

Then I wonder if I should dunk my head in ice cold water, as I am in my early 60's and here I am thinking about adding on. Don't get me wrong, I'm responsible and our debt is relatively low. I have a good job and don't plan on retiring for a while. But am I too dang old to add on?

Never to old Dad !!!! now and even more in the near future you'll have More time to go to Disney world and will need larger villas,
Go For It
I was talking to our Guide not too long ago and the BLT still has a few points left they will be less than the Grand FL

Originally Posted by twokats

Teapot you will have already moved over to BLT when we get there but overlap us a few days
Kathymford we will be there a few days together
Corinne you leave the day we get there (we should be at the lodge around noonish)
Maria you get there the day we leave (we should be catching the ME sometimes in the 3ish range, and I would love to show you some Fantasy pics!)
If any of you want to try to meet up somewhere, pm me and we will see what we can arrange! Would love some little mini meets.

Would love to meet up with you and Katie again Sending you a PM

Originally Posted by Kathymford

Would love to meet up! I've Never done a DIS meet! *newbie*

checking page one and sending you a PM as well
You will love meeting fellow groupies face to face

Originally Posted by horselover

Here's a pic of our new puppy. He's a mini Schnauzer. His name is Brady. Go Pats!


:

Aw what a cutie!

Originally Posted by Muushka

Tea Pot[/B], how is that kitty doing today?

Happy to report she is getting stronger and walking much better
Still she has a long way to go..

Originally Posted by blossomz

Hi Corinne..
We are staying in the tree house, having dinner at Cape May, heading to DD for some last shopping and viewing fireworks up in top of the World!

Blossomz we loved the tree house esp hanging out on the deck and watching the boats go by


Hey has anyone heard from Inkmahm hope she is getting better

[jimmytammy]

Congrats to horselover and teapot on your new additions.

For all those getting ready to head the the World, have fun. Have a great meet!

Tammy called me an told me she had gone to London, saw Big Ben, walked the London Bridge, saw Bucking ham Palace, the queen was home because the flag was up, went to Westminster Abbey and many other things she didnt have time to tell me about. She was very tired. They had a nice time in Wales also.

Cant wait for her to be home!

[Granny]

Nice to hear about the four-legged additions to the Groupies!

Jimmy...sounds like Tammy's trip is going very well. Glad to hear that she is enjoying herself.


Okay Groupies, I have a question. Anyone know much about Providence, RI? My daughter (senior in college) just accepted a job that will be in Providence for a year. Excited for her, but so far away from St. Louis. I don't want to tie up the thread with this subject, but if anyone is familiar with Providence I'd appreciate a PM to let me ask a couple questions. She doesn't go there for a year yet so it's not a big rush!


And, in a thinly veiled attempt to keep this on topic, we present the image of the day.

I'm still not in double digits for our trip yet, but looking forward to hearing from the group about trips in the near future.

[Muushka]

Jimmy, it sounds like Tammy is having a grand time in London!

Granny, my middle name is Providence! PM on it's way....

[Inkmahm]

Originally Posted by MiaSRN62

My mil did not have it in her bones or lymph nodes......only a small spot in her brain. It all was caught early---she went in to the ER with pneumonia and it was caught on a routine chest x-ray. They were able to keep it at bay for a while. Every case is different and "staged" differently depending on the amount of metastasis. She was strong. We took her on a Wonder cruise within 6 months of her diagnosis and we are so thankful we will always have those memories. I think it's great you booked Steve at AKV. There are a few organizations that will send loved ones to places. My friend from work went through one 2 years ago. Her husband had a rare form of brain cancer and passed away at age 39. They went to WDW. I can get the name of the organization from her if you would like. Let me know Ink. Thoughts and prayers !

Once again it has been forever since I've been back at the DIS. You'd think I'd have MORE time while I am healing from the knee surgery but it doesn't seem that way. Too much time doing rehab exercises and sleeping. These drugs make me sleep so much more than normal.

I haven't been back here since I posted about finding out about my dad's cousin, Steve, having lung cancer. It was his son that I had sent to AKV for a night as part of their honeymoon a couple years ago. I had initially thought about sending Steve if he was well enough to go yet. He wasn't. He started chemo a couple weeks ago but it didn't do any good. Mom called this morning and said Steve had been taken to the hospital on Thursday from one of his chemo sessions when he started shaking and was very cold. His body was shutting down and he had some infection in him (not sure what). He took his last breath this morning at 5 am after being able to talk a little bit to his family yesterday.

I have to admit I'm not too happy with the medical profession at the moment. How could Steve be be so sick and they still were giving him chemo and false hope of recovery? There's no way if he is so far gone that his body is starting to shut down that the medical people didn't know just how sick he was. I just don't believe it. I've promised to come back to haunt Dynaguy if I am ever so sick and they torture me with chemo instead of making me comfortable and letting me go.

Mom said Judy's comment was that how could she be sad that Steve was gone when she knows he is in heaven? I think she is in shock since Steve was only gone about an hour at that point. She has a long way to go in her grieving but I am glad she is comforted now that her husband isn't suffering and he has gone Home. Mom offered to be there for her whenever she needed to talk, one widow to another. Everyone can offer to be there to help but I think it really does take someone who has been in the same shoes to understand what she is going through. I can't even begin to imagine losing my spouse. A big part of me would die with him.

Anyway, I have no idea what has been happening in the world of our lodge since I was last here a few weeks ago to ask for your prayers. Judy and the family will still need those prayers to get them through the coming days and months. As for me, I'm imagining Steve is in heaven with my dad and my grandpa and they are back to smoking their pipes together and telling tall fishing tales from years gone by. Steve's dad died when Steve was just a teenager so I imagine there is quite a reunion with his parents, too.

Thank you all for your prayers and positive thoughts. I really wish Steve had been healthy enough to send on a last trip to Disney but I think I knew from the beginning that he was pretty far down the path with his cancer. It was a wishful thought on my part for someway to be able to help, but never grounded in reality.

[Inkmahm]

Originally Posted by tea pot

Maria
You took the words right out of my mouth!!!
As a past PACU/recovery room /ortho nurse
I completely concur

Ink
Sometimes it's hard to be a fierce self advocate when you're in pain
but hang in there and keep asking for what you need
Prayers and Pixie dust for You and Your Special Guy

Wow, we have a lot of experienced nurses here!

I have learned so much with this first knee that I will be able to use with the second knee replacement in December. One of the most important is the info about the pain medicine. Morphine just didn't work for me as well as the dilaudid. I'm going to make sure my pain management doc sees me the day of surgery instead of the day after and make it clear to him that the dilaudid is what I need. I think I'll have less problems with it in December now that they have had me through this once. At least, I'm hoping that is the case. They will have all my old records so they should be able to see what worked and what didn't work for me.

The first two weeks after surgery were the most challenging. Since hitting that two week mark, I've been doing much better. I go to therapy twice each week and do exercises at home inbetween. I have a really good therapist. I know because I couldn't get her for all the visits initally so for 4 of them, I had two other therapists. One of them I swear is there because he gets his kicks torturing patients to make them cry. The other was too easy on me and didn't really work to make me do the exercises correctly. My regular therapist is tough, but also has compassion. She is the one my mom has seen on and off since 1999 and mom was exactly right when she said she knew I would hit it off with Ann. I DO dread seeing her each time I go because I know it will hurt, but I still like her.


I can leave the house now with just the cane instead of the walker, too. We have been doing more things like walking the aisles of the grocery store, Costo and Sam's. I do better with level ground and A/C so my walk time is indoors rather than outside in the neighborhood. Although it would be cheaper if I stuck to walking outside!

Time for me to catch up on what I've missed the last 3 or 4 weeks since I've been here. I'm sure I missed birthdays, so belated Happy Birthdays to all!

[Muushka]

I am so sorry for your loss of Steve. So very sad.....

I have to admit I'm not too happy with the medical profession at the moment. How could Steve be be so sick and they still were giving him chemo and false hope of recovery? There's no way if he is so far gone that his body is starting to shut down that the medical people didn't know just how sick he was. I just don't believe it. I've promised to come back to haunt Dynaguy if I am ever so sick and they torture me with chemo instead of making me comfortable and letting me go.

I worked for Oncology docs once. They had 4 in the practice.
The woman doc had such a healthy outlook on CA. She knew when to stop.
Another doc never ever gave up on his patients. I remember seeing the test results on these patients, seeing that some were still receiving chemo the week that they passed away. He never sent any of his patients to Hospice. They never left this Earth in peace, always with a fight.

I have also told Mr Muush that there is no way do I want to go home with a fight.

[Inkmahm]

Originally Posted by jimmytammy

Happy Birthday Dynaguy!!!!

Ha! Here's a birthday I forgot on the thread.

He didn't get much of a birthday this year. I promised Douglas we would pick a day in October when we are at WDW and designate that day as his birthday. Then we'll do all his favorite things/food at Disney to celebrate it.
This year, all he really got to do was haul me to therapy on his birthday.

I told him there were groupie birthday greetings here for him so he should be along at some point to give thanks. He hasn't had much computer time in the last 4 to 5 weeks while taking care of me.

[Inkmahm]

Originally Posted by Muushka

I am so sorry for your loss of Steve. So very sad.....



I worked for Oncology docs once. They had 4 in the practice.
The woman doc had such a healthy outlook on CA. She knew when to stop.
Another doc never ever gave up on his patients. I remember seeing the test results on these patients, seeing that some were still receiving chemo the week that they passed away. He never sent any of his patients to Hospice. They never left this Earth in peace, always with a fight.

I have also told Mr Muush that there is no way do I want to go home with a fight.

Exactly! That's a perfect description of what I am talking about. Steve could have been in hospice care spending his last days with his family as best he could and saying his good byes. I have no problem with radiation (or chemo?) if it is something to make you more comfortable at the end. My grandpa had radiation for his lunch cancer only to make him feel better, not to do anything else. That makes sense to me.

I will add that to the list of questions to ask if I ever need an oncologist. I will ask to talk to the nurses who work with him or her and will ask what the approach is to end of life. I don't want to be getting chemo and fighting when I can be in peace with hospice care. I want the doctor who "knows when to stop."