I'm doing ketchup here for like 5 days. I'm going to try and organize my multi quotes by general topics. So, it's not going to be in date order. Hope this make the reading easier...
On Getting Stuff Pre-Cruise
How do we go about "one-way" rentals for tuxedos / dinner-suits etc - collecting in California and drop-off in Florida.
David
When we were on the Magic last year we rented from Mens Warehouse. We were able to pick up at home (CA) and return them in FL. No problem. It was slightly cheaper as renting on board, but gave use more options - and higher quality. Though was less convenient.
Renting them was really rather funny. I was ready to have the boys (who were with me) measured when I made the selections and the ressie. The tuxedo guy looked at me and said "Boys grow. Come back 3 weeks before your trip." Since this was the same wise man who recommended vests rather than cumberbuns - "Vests still look good when the boy can't stand to wear their jacket any longer. And cumberbuns have a tendency to go spinning around little boy middles." I decided to take his advice.
We got them fitted closer to the cruise - and when we picke them up two weeks after the fitting? They had to let down DS9's pants by nearly an inch!
I especially would like to thank you Tom because I will have to buy the 400 lbs. of booze in CA......usually I drive my 100 lbs of booze to Fl!! So I will definitely be looking for a liquor store......Now I will be visited my darling SIL while in CA, so if I could somehow convince her to shop for the 400 lbs of booze before I even land in CA.....ALL THE BETTER!!
Oh, and since they are pre-mixed blender drinks (of the TGI Friday variety)...they usually come in plastic bottles.
Or, If you know someone military. Get them to visit the Class 6 (Liquor) store at the AF Base by LAX (I'm assuming there's one there.) to get your 400 lbs of booze tax free!
Since when does booze come in pounds??
Yes, you can still have pillowcases signed by the characters on the ship. If I have pillowcase(s) to get signed, I always make sure the design, or whatever, is put in the pillowcase(s) before dropping them off at GS.
Maybe we should add logoed (is that a word) pillowcases to the T-shirt, magnet, etc. list of items for purchase quote? Would be kinda cool.
We certainly could. They'd be silk screened, not embroidered. The quotes are for 4-color screening. I'm not certainl how stiff the design will be. If the printer can't get the pillow cases, I can get them through my dye catalog. In addition to some really outstanding pens for the signing - they use dye not ink. Color fast and wash safe.
Last year, we had them sign Laundry Bags rather than pillow cases. We figured the boys would get more use out of them. NOT!
Well were back .....Had such a great time at DL , and of course meeting with Stacy and her Family just made it that much better ...Have pictures but to exhausted to post at the moment ...and by the way ...We are now DVC members ...
Congratulations Todd! And, if I might be the first to say?
Welcome Home!
On Stinky Teens
No sn*w here, so we've started to see the robins.
You know when it is spring when you smell that first skunk.

You don't smell them all winter and once spring comes, they're out to stay.
That was me Arlene.....we have been calling our kids Stinky Teens since DD hit 13 four years ago. At first it was because of their stinky-like teen attitude, and then our son turned 13, and well, stinky took on a whole other meaning
Now he smells too much of Axe cologne YUCK!!!

Does Axe happen to smell anything like Eau de Skunk?
I'm afraid of the teen years. DS8 eats constantly now!
You too, huh? I'm starting to understand why Disney charges adult prices for 10 year olds. The kiddie portions are leaving him saying "I'm still hungry" at the end and cleaning up everyone else's plate.
Why do I get the feeling that I'm going to become a buffet
aficionado when the boys get older?
My friend, the proud mother of three teenager daughters just emailed this to me. I am posting this is to all my friends who are currently are parents of teenage girls or will in the future be parenting teenage girls. Alot of this also applies to teenage boys too. So this is for parents of stinky teens! Enjoy!
Congratulations! You are now the proud new owner of a
teenaged daughter. Please read this manual carefully, as it
describes the maintenance of your new daughter, and answers
important questions about your warranty (which does NOT
include the right to return the product to the factory for a
full refund). ...
Too true!!
Hum. I wonder what the one for boys would read like.
I was talking to a coworker last week - she had 3 teen age boys and a teen daughter simultaenously. They had two fridges that "ate" food. She was refiling them twice a week!
I do have some good news though!!!!
First off I am getting some use of my right side of my face and mouth back! Things don't taste quite as weird (my saliva and water do not taste salty anymore and most foods taste okay, but anything 'sweet' still tastes weird. ...
Secondly, been busy lately with my oldest (Ruby) practicing to try out for cheerleader. ...
Okay on to my point- they had tryouts today and out of about 45 girls that tried out- she made the cheerleading squad of 13 girls!!!
First off: What awesome news!
Secondly: What awesome news! And what a confidence booster.
Ruby is blessed to have such support as you give her.
Thank G my son is only 7, but he is already getting that attitude. DW read in some magazine that kids start testing you around 7 or 8, and right about at 7 he started.
DS9 has the slitty eyed look down pat! My response is generally something along the order of "Don't you go all slitty eyed - it's not going to help you. So, get to it!"
Oh boy, do I remember giving my parents that look. He comes by it naturally.
On Amusing Kid Stories
LOL!!!
I tried explaining what an 8 track player was to my "ST" you should have seen the looks I was getting from her......................
Jakob (DS9) and I were on our way home from a dog show. We stopped at a mom and pop diner for some lunch. They had Trivial Pursuit cards on the table. (Based on how long it took to get our meal - it was a good idea!) I pulled out the Young Edition and started asking Jakob questions. He really put thought into the answers. Sometimes I'd just give him hints and let him figure it out.
Question: What is the name of the highest selling album by a single artist?
Long thoughtful silence. I could hear the gears turning. And as the waitress was delivering his cheesburger, I got...
"Mom. What's an 'album'?"
She nearly spilled the fries.
...
So she is beginning to push the outer limits in some ways. I sometimes have to pause to consider carefully how I want to react as she looks on at us.
...
I imagine I'll gradually be extending choices and freedom accordingly.. but I guess right now I am still pretty far out of the game with just a 6 year old as the eldest.
Our trip on the Magic last summer, our waiter would laugh at every meal. He'd hand Issac (DS5) the menu and I'd pop in with, you may choose the xxxxx or the yyyyy, and to drink you may have milk or water. And the choices were never the mac and cheese or the burger. Though those did make the Moms-reduced-menu a couple of times on the trip. Unhappily, fries kept showing up as the side rather than veggies. I think it was his way of letting the boys have a little bit of what they really wanted. I never got ticked enough to send it back...

That is fabulous, Doreen . . still working on the cooking aspect. DH isn't too comfortable with DSs and sharp objects (like knives . . .LOL).
DH, being the chef in the family, has taught them knife work early on. DS9 is allowed the use of sharp knives. DS5 is still using butter knives on everything.
Christmas before last (2005) the boys were in the kitchen cutting up lemons from the lemon tree and making lemon juice to freeze - and to make lemonade for Santa. I'm working on something else and not paying close mind - as is DH. I hear Issac (DS5) say, "Oh, did that hurt?" and I'm thinking - Jakob got lemon juice in his eye. Jakob goes walking out of the kitchen and to the bathroom. Water starts to run. Yeah - lemon juice. I head back to my bedroom to put something away. "Don't come in here Mom, there's blood everywhere!" HUH??
He'd sliced open his index finger and was trying to clean it up and put a band-aid on it. The band-aids weren't sticking (too much bleeding), so he had a stack of used up ones. I got a paper towel and some Vet-Wrap and vet wrapped it closed. And off to the urgent care clinic we went. It took 3 stitches to close it up.
Interestingly, there wasn't any blood in the house anywhere except in the bathroom (which is at the other end of the house). Not on the knife, cutting board, floor, not where. It was a
really sharp knife = nice clean cut. DH had a refresher lesson on knife work after that. And we still keep our knives very sharp.
We've had a running joke about Pink Lemonade for sometime now.
Funny kid story #2 spawned from this quote:
When Jakob was about 6 he came stomping down the hall.
Mom? Where's Dad?
I don't know.
Well he's not in the kitchen where he belongs!
All I could think was I was making myself two very happy future daughter-in-laws.
DD aka my ST. Attended her 2nd student show at the farm she rides at.
She rode in two divisions in the intermediate level.
First was walk trot cantor..... She came in 3rd place out of 10 kids.
Second division was jumping. .... She came in 5th there...
Congratulations!! It's such fun to see our kids working with animals like this.
Now that Jakob is 9 he's old enough to enter Junior Showmanship at AKC shows. I find myself hanging out and being a "dog show mom". What a riot!
I like this as a sport becasue the rules of Sportmanship are taken very seriously, and are clearly stated. You won't find the kind of parental behavior you see in other sports. The standard of conduct here is "If a family attending an event for the first time would decide the sport of dogs is not for them having witnessed the behavior. It is unsportsmanlike conduct." And, it's a fine, and suspension from the AKC for a period of time.
I expect the horsey crowd is similar - the AKC patterned itself off of that bunch when it started.
On Cleaning Ladies
Well we're almost packed. But I still need to finish cleaning the house! I want a cleaning lady (foot stomp) I Want A Cleaning Lady! (foot stomp) I am Wife, Mother, Employee and DISer Extraordinaire and I WANT A CLEANING LADY!!!
When DH stopped being a SAHD and went back to work the deal was we got a cleaning lady. I'm never not having one again. The time it gives us as a family is priceless.
We hired one a month ago and she wanted $75.00 to clean the house. I figured five hours that's $15 an hour. Well she comes at 6:30 am and is out of here by 9:30. I'm not happy about it and last week I didn't leave the envelope with her pay out, well she just left and came the next day for it. She does do a pretty good job, but I resent paying that much for three hours work. $25 an hour is a pretty good wage. Maybe I should be out there.
I guess the question is really, are you happy with the service? Is having your house cleaned for you worth $75. If not - find another, less expensive person, or do it yourself. How long it takes her to get the job done really isn't the issue.
On Miscellaneous Other Things
...
And on a seperate note - my notebook remains DEAD.
...
Oh Crash, I'm sorry you crashed. I hope you are able to raise it from the dead soon!
Although I am probably echoing many others setiments - I HAD to chime in and personally add that my family is really happy to hear of your relatively good developements. Of course - what we really want is to hear you hit recent the multi-state lotto... but that has not quite come about yet, has it?
<chuckles>
Crash, Crash, Crash - you
so know how to make a person feel loved.

...
I can't keep up with the summaries anymore. ... Also, I am stepping in with a friend to fulfill the job of PTO VP for the rest of this school year. ... I am also seriously considering accepting the job of secretary next year if the dependable people coming forward now agree to fill the other positions. There is one more thing.....a neighbor has referred me for a job transcribing at home.
Lisa! What awesome developments. All sorts of doors are opening for you right now.
Isn't that the thing you use to hold doors open or weight papers down??
Nah. An Iron is that thing you use to make stained glass out of wax paper.
On Various Entertainments
I do, I do like snorkeling. Thank you, thank you , Sam I am! Snorkeled Black Rock, then took a boat trip to snorkel Molokini Crater & another site (100'+ visibility at both). Saw sea turtles & many fish (from water) & whales & dolphins (from boat). Boys freaked out at first but loved it by the end of the day (wore lifejackets).
...
Hopped to Honolulu and the military resort on Waikiki Beach Hale Koa (house of the warrior in Hawaiian). Awesome resort, lovely view. Cant beat the price.
...
Was this your first time snorkling? Mom and Dad love Hawaii for diving - so I can bet the snorkling was pretty darn great.
I haven't been to Hawaii. DH and I have considered staying at this hotel if we did go. I sure like to hear more from you about it.
WE SAW WICKED LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!
I have a friend who recommends this show highly. He told us to fly someplace to see it rather than waiting for it to get here. I'm glad to hear it's that great.
Sounds like you had an incredible night!
So glad more of you have seen the trailer now. I've been dying to discuss but since no one else saw it, I couldn't. We've still got to hold tight until the West coast contigent gets a chance.
For those of you who missed it during Dancing with the Stars, it will be online later tonight
As for May 25, we've already decided to do the midnight showing....in costume.
Thanks for the URL. I went to see it. Looks awesome. And I'm thinking that my birthday is on May 26...

7 Scary Questions
7 Scary Questions?
1) Do scary thoughts REALLY BOTHER you? If so then please feel free to skip the next 6 questions OR substitute "HAPPIEST" or "HAPPY" for the word "Scariest" or "scary" accordingly below and proceed!!!
2) What is all time scariest MOVIE you've seen?
3) What SCENE was the scariest to you?
4) What is the scariest thing you can imagine (OFF HAND) which is NOT from TV or a movie?
5) Ever have something scary happen to YOU in real life? Tell us a little of it if ya "dare"... ?
6) Can you recall something SCARY from you childhood? This may involve or be someone else's experience as opposed to something YOU are personally experiencing.
7) Would you like to GUESS what the NEXT respondant will say to ONE of these questions?
1) Not really
2) Peter and the Wolf. OK, I was 5 at the time. I found it so intense I wasn't able to watch the film until I was in 3rd grade.
Now, the scariest movie I've NOT seen is Alien. I watched it to the point where the get to the station and seel all those holes in the decking going down floor after floor. And decided that this wasn't a movie I needed to see. (The funny thing is - my father picked that scene as the place where I left the movie. When I told him I'd only been able to see part of it.)
3) The wolf opening it's jaws and snarling at the camera. Yeah - it's a cartoon.
4) Like someone else - loosing my DH and sons.
5 & 6) Mom was hospitalized when I was three. It was life threatening. I wasn't allowed to see her for weeks. Then she was too weak to climb the stairs in the house so I'd have to put myself to bed every night. Though now that I think about it - I wasn't scared so much as really angry.
7) Nope.
Hey Crash! I think the movie that scared me the most was "Poltergeist". I was a senior in high school and thought I was too cool to be scared, but it really spooked me. I have to say although it might not be the scariest thing I've ever seen in a movie, the scene in "Alien" when the little alien popped out of John Hurt's stomach is something that always makes me jump.
It does that?
Yeah, yeah - just call me a movie WHIMP!
Did I do it? Did I set a new record for the longest multi quote??
