DDA Chapter 8

[Tammi67]

Anne Marie - That doesn't sound like much of a vacation to me!!

The heat must be getting to you, Elin. That was Robyn.

 

[marcij]

Thanks for commiserating with me, everyone. It does help!

I said something like, "It is only 84 degrees outside; I thought it was going to get hotter much more quickly today. I think I will put in a little time outside." With that Bob went outside and started the riding lawn mower! I started the push mower and did the front lawn and around the shrubs and perimeter of the house and he did the rest. And I didn't nag.

When we came in he said, "When Kristin gets home the three of us need to pitch in and get this house in order."

I wonder if he read my post!

I'm so glad that Bob figured out your frustration and that you'll have help.

My cousin had her baby, its a boy 7 lbs. 10 oz. 21" long

Congratulations! I'm sorry about your Uncles.

It's been a great couple of days! It is hot, hot, hot!!! Not my kind of weather but we are surviving. The trip has been fantastic so far. I don't know if Kristine has been on yet today but you aren't going to believe this. Kristine and I ended up in line for Dumbo together today. Not only that but we were in line DIRECTLY behind them. There was no one in between us. What are the odds of that? She got to meet my mother, sister and her kids. My girls are very upset with me because I didn't introduce them. As odd as it sounds, I just assumed that the girls knew her. I forget that we met when the girls weren't with us. I'll do a trip report but had just a few minutes to check in! We are doing well.

The picture of your family and Kristine's is awesome. I hope you continue having a great trip!

Well the girls have there room back! I still need to get matching duvets as they are mismatched now. I took away 3 garbage bags for a garage sale. All the Barbie dolls, dora toys, & my little pony are gone. They have a new desk for crafts & homework, so their room is more "sophisticated" I guess.

We are having some thunder-boomers out there right now.

Congrats on quick progress. Do we get to see a pic?

The fishing derby was very nice today. Not too many kids so less line crossing. The fish were biting well and all 5 kids caught there 5 fish limit. It wasn't too hot and the bugs weren't biting. Colby took 2nd place in his division and Nick took 1st in his division. They won a couple of nice door prizes too. That is the last derby for this year.

We gave away all of our fish to family and friends then came home. The boys helped pick up the floors and they vacuumed. I got the livingroom curtains hung. I still need to hang the kitchen curtains and Chris even washed that window. First I must caulk. Like I haven't been saying that for a week. Tomorrow...definitely tomorrow We also got the airconditioner in the livingroom window and now have the 3rd one in our bedroom. The first one was covered in black mold I need to disassemble it and clean it with bleach I guess. Then Chris put Hunter's in our window, but it wasn't powerful enough to cool the room as it is made for a small room. Now we have the one that was in Colby's room so we'll see how it goes. I was really hoping to not need airconditioning here until after our trip, but it was just too hot. The kids rooms will be ok since they are in the middle of the house and we now have airconditioners on each end.

I went to work at 3. Apparently is was slow yesterday as we didn't have to cut any veggies for the salad bar. Tonight was soooo sloooww. I waited on 3 parties (10 people). 2 parties were only eating there because they had gift certificates. All were in agreement that they are eating out less or choosing less expensive restaurants due to the economic situtation. Add the heat and it is a no win situation. Our meals range from $9.95 all you care to eat salad bar to $22.95 for a 32 oz Prime Rib. All entrees come with salad bar, starch and veg of the day. You get a lot for your money, but maybe more than you need It's not looking good.

I'm glad the boys had fun. Sorry about the restaurant. I'm afraid the gas prices and the ramifications of that, all the fuel surcharges etc. are going to get a lot worse before they get better. I know the companies that we work with are all cutting down on their training budgets and travel expenses.

Another busy weekend. Saturday we were up early to get the kids to baseball lessons, then I had to go pick up Andrew and get him to his tournament baseball practice, then I headed to Dallas for errands and Randy brought Jake from lessons to the ballfield, where my SIL took him home to get ready for the tournament. It's a good thing they asked Jake to play. With him, they only had 9 players.

Randy picked up Andrew from practice and took him to swim lessons, then they had lunch, groceries and went home. I did errands for Father's day and for the office, then went home in time to take a 45 minute nap, get dressed up and out the door to the bat mitzvah. It was an amazing party! I'll have to tell you guys about it tomorrow. I bet it cost as much or more than my wedding reception. We got in around 11:15 and picked Jake up and started washing his uniform.

Yesterday I got up early, washed three loads of clothes, then we headed on the long drive to the tournament (stopping at Jason's for lunch). It was very hot out, but we did have a lot of wind so that helped some. A coach got hit in the head with a baseball, and they had to call in careflight. They landed on the field behind where we were, so we got a front seat view of what was going on. Jake ended up playing very well and he was the youngest in the division. I was very proud. We ran a couple of errands (there is a Croc outlet in the awesome outlet mall near the field) then came home.

It seems Andrew may have made the All-Star team, which will make us very busy most of the summer with baseball. I'll know more in a couple of days. Although it's going to make life more difficult, I'm hoping it's true, as he's worked hard. (and all the PD from you guys has helped.)

My admin is off today, so it's just me and the new admin so I best get to work. I was here at the office from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, but can't do that today. I need to be in Kaufman by 4 to pick the boys up from soccer camp.

You guys please keep posting down to a dull roar so it doesn't take so long to catch up...

 

[tinker1bell]

Jen- I watched Army Wives last night, what did you think? I was bawling all through it.

I bawled my eyes out too. Then I had to watch it a second time and the same thing happened.!!!!

It was very powerful.

 

[my3princes]

Heidi-sorry for your loss. Congrats to your cousin!

Theresa-sorry for your loss. Hope your wrist is better!

Janet-prayers for Jacob's family. Your living room looks awesome!

Elizabeth-glad you were able to book flights.

Deb-sounds like you're coming along nicely in remodeling and trip preps!

Denise-sorry for your loss.


I've been a fowl little mood..... I discovered my Amex bill was a day late. Of course I just started using it more so I'm going to get hit hard on that. I took Friday off so DH could have a routine medical test. I went to Joe's concert and was feeling out of place with all the other moms who were young, size 4's, dressed in designer clothes and LOTS of them had VERY expensive dSLR's. I don't care about age or clothes but I would feel better being smaller and would love some of those expensive cameras I saw. I felt way out of place. When I brought Joe to soccer I was surprised again but all the moms who had expensive camera equipment. I'm nost talking dSRL's. They had huge expensive lenses too. Must be a new trend in this town. I suppose the heat doesn't help. We only have a room AC in just our bedroom.

Beranadette It is not how you look on the outside, but who you are on the inside. That being said let me share my motivation with you. I have to admit that when I was 200 lbs I knew that I was heavy, but it didn't bother me enough to do anything about it. When I did some soul searching I realized that I wanted to lose weight so that I could better keep up with my kids and be a healthier person. I get sick far less now than I did 55 lbs ago. I also knew that Chris was so embarassed by his mother's weight that he wouldn't bring friends home to meet her. We dated for months before I met her. Of course her personality had something to do with it, but her physical appearance was part of it. I Never want my children to be ashamed of me. I know that is in my head, but it worked. While I still struggle with my weight and I always will, but at least I know where to dig for the motivation that I need. As far as nice cameras or nice cars (new cars are a big thing here) I couldn't care less. I feel priviledged to stay home with the boys and that we take amazing vacations every 2 out of 3 years. I drive a $400 car proudly and remind myself that $400 is one car payment for most of those people. As the economy gets worse many families around here will have to drastically cut back, but we won't need to make many changes at all Your photos are amazing and I'm sure much better quality than most of those Moms are taking. Take some advice from a man...it's not the size of the equipment, but knowing how to use it that matters My kids are proud of me and love to have friends over, everyone that meets them has heard about our vacations and I do mean everyone. We are all happy and healthy We have a nice home that we can afford and we have a house full of love So that's my 2 cents worth (and that is probably more than it's worth )

Good morning...

Today is the first day of summer vacation! It should be interesting with all the kiddos, all 7 of them, here today. On Thursday, I'll have 9, which I am not looking forward to at all.

9 What are you thinking? Apparently my SIL will have another 3 weeks of training during the day so once the kids are out for the summer (1/2 day next Monday) I will have all 5 until our vacation. Hopefully after vacation I will just have my 3 for the summer.

 

[Tammi67]

Lots of prayers and for Jennifer.

 

[Tammi67]

Another busy weekend. Saturday we were up early to get the kids to baseball lessons, then I had to go pick up Andrew and get him to his tournament baseball practice, then I headed to Dallas for errands and Randy brought Jake from lessons to the ballfield, where my SIL took him home to get ready for the tournament. It's a good thing they asked Jake to play. With him, they only had 9 players.

Randy picked up Andrew from practice and took him to swim lessons, then they had lunch, groceries and went home. I did errands for Father's day and for the office, then went home in time to take a 45 minute nap, get dressed up and out the door to the bat mitzvah. It was an amazing party! I'll have to tell you guys about it tomorrow. I bet it cost as much or more than my wedding reception. We got in around 11:15 and picked Jake up and started washing his uniform.

Yesterday I got up early, washed three loads of clothes, then we headed on the long drive to the tournament (stopping at Jason's for lunch). It was very hot out, but we did have a lot of wind so that helped some. A coach got hit in the head with a baseball, and they had to call in careflight. They landed on the field behind where we were, so we got a front seat view of what was going on. Jake ended up playing very well and he was the youngest in the division. I was very proud. We ran a couple of errands (there is a Croc outlet in the awesome outlet mall near the field) then came home.

It seems Andrew may have made the All-Star team, which will make us very busy most of the summer with baseball. I'll know more in a couple of days. Although it's going to make life more difficult, I'm hoping it's true, as he's worked hard. (and all the PD from you guys has helped.)

My admin is off today, so it's just me and the new admin so I best get to work. I was here at the office from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, but can't do that today. I need to be in Kaufman by 4 to pick the boys up from soccer camp.

You guys please keep posting down to a dull roar so it doesn't take so long to catch up...

Marci - I don't know how you do it. It exhausts me just reading.

 

[my3princes]

I'm so glad that Bob figured out your frustration and that you'll have help.



Congratulations! I'm sorry about your Uncles.



The picture of your family and Kristine's is awesome. I hope you continue having a great trip!


Congrats on quick progress. Do we get to see a pic?



I'm glad the boys had fun. Sorry about the restaurant. I'm afraid the gas prices and the ramifications of that, all the fuel surcharges etc. are going to get a lot worse before they get better. I know the companies that we work with are all cutting down on their training budgets and travel expenses.

Another busy weekend. Saturday we were up early to get the kids to baseball lessons, then I had to go pick up Andrew and get him to his tournament baseball practice, then I headed to Dallas for errands and Randy brought Jake from lessons to the ballfield, where my SIL took him home to get ready for the tournament. It's a good thing they asked Jake to play. With him, they only had 9 players.

Randy picked up Andrew from practice and took him to swim lessons, then they had lunch, groceries and went home. I did errands for Father's day and for the office, then went home in time to take a 45 minute nap, get dressed up and out the door to the bat mitzvah. It was an amazing party! I'll have to tell you guys about it tomorrow. I bet it cost as much or more than my wedding reception. We got in around 11:15 and picked Jake up and started washing his uniform.

Yesterday I got up early, washed three loads of clothes, then we headed on the long drive to the tournament (stopping at Jason's for lunch). It was very hot out, but we did have a lot of wind so that helped some. A coach got hit in the head with a baseball, and they had to call in careflight. They landed on the field behind where we were, so we got a front seat view of what was going on. Jake ended up playing very well and he was the youngest in the division. I was very proud. We ran a couple of errands (there is a Croc outlet in the awesome outlet mall near the field) then came home.

It seems Andrew may have made the All-Star team, which will make us very busy most of the summer with baseball. I'll know more in a couple of days. Although it's going to make life more difficult, I'm hoping it's true, as he's worked hard. (and all the PD from you guys has helped.)

My admin is off today, so it's just me and the new admin so I best get to work. I was here at the office from 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday, but can't do that today. I need to be in Kaufman by 4 to pick the boys up from soccer camp.

You guys please keep posting down to a dull roar so it doesn't take so long to catch up...

Wow Could you bottle your energy and send some my way?

I woke up with a newfound energy and drive, but after reading Marci's post I feel like a slug Anywhooo I have just 18 days to get all of my little projects done and be ready to roll. I can do it, but not sitting here on the couch

 

[PNO4TE]

I know, but I don't have worry about getting Emma or Mo ready for and off to school. My mornings don't start until 8:30am now!

Well, that is an improvement then. Also... I went back and changed my post. I could have sworn that Anne Marie posted the horrendous number of kids she was going to be watching and I wondered how in the world she was going to do that as well as work at TDS!

I still think it is a huge undertaking for you, Robyn, whether the 7-9 kids show up at 6:30 or at 8:30!!

 

[PNO4TE]

The heat must be getting to you, Elin. That was Robyn.

nope, just read it wrong. But I went back and changed my post after Robyn responded to me.

 

[UP Disney]

It was definitely a surprise running into Vicki & her family!!!

That darn mother of mine was hiding behind Kristine! She is worried about her weight so keeps hiding in the pictures. It is driving me and my girls crazy!!!

 

[bethbuchall]

Hi, all! We had a good weekend in NJ. It was a nice little town, and I wish we would have had a little more time (and a bit cooler weather) to really walk around and enjoy it. Laura's team placed 7 out of 12 which wasn't too bad, because there were some awesome teams there. It was hot, hot, hot, but we were in the pool area most of the time, and that is always hot, hot, hot. At least we had AC for sleeping which the poor boys here didn't have. Today and tomorrow area still supposed to be brutal here, and I haven't checked beyond that.

I don't have much planned for today, though there are many things around here that need doing.

Jitters went to sleep very peacefully at 10 am. I was with him, and he was so calm and purring. He had a good morning today and even wanted some loving. John and I were very happy to see a glimpse of his old self for a brief moment. We are burying him under the bird feeder in the backyard in a little while. I think he would like that spot. The kids are doing very well today with it too We are going out of town for John's 20th HS reunion today, so that will help keep us all busy. I am going to miss him desperately. This was only the 2nd pet John has ever had, and he is really upset. He "hated" cats before we got Jitters, and Jitters completely had John wrapped around his little paw. He was a really good kitty and gave us 16 fabulous years. Thanks for the prayers.

I'm so glad that he had a few good moments at the end and that everything was peaceful.

Got the news that an uncle passed, but not the one I was talking about before, though it just a matter of time for him (he is back in the hospital).

Also my cousin that I posted a picture of her belly, just got the call that her water broke.

So in one day a family member passed and one will be born. (So goes the circle of life.)

I don't do horror houses anyway, besides they have clowns.

Are we related?

Hi everyone....

Hope everyone is doing well....

had an amazing time on the sunset safari....I put some pics on the trip report.

Heading to sea world tomorrow

I read your TR this morning. It sounds like you are making some terrific memories and having a blast!

Hi all....


I got a call from my girlfriend this evening that one of the little girls from the other 2nd grade class didn't make it home this afternoon. We have not heard any updates as to if she has been found as of yet. If you all could spare some good thoughts please send them this way. I don't think Emma knows the girl very well but she does know her. I haven't told her anything as of yet. I am hoping the news will have something to report.

I am off to bed. Have a great night. See you on the flipside!

I hope that I read that she has been found. What a nightmare!

Good Morning DDA

Gonna be a hot day here. In the high 90's.

I am up this early to say bye to Hal. He is headed down to the Outer Banks. The only good thing about him leaving earlier than me is I have a couple of nights snore free!!!!

I will leave Wednesday and drive down then.

He did not get me an anniversary card but told me I can get a GPS system.

Which one does everyone have and what do you like about it?

We have a Garmin Nuvi 660. We haven't used it too much yet, but will give it a good test on our way to wdw. Of course we have our AAA tik trip and will probably reprogram the Nuvi to match that since AAA is tried and true. Once we upgrade our cell phones we will be able to run calls through the Garmin too for hands free calling. It has a hard drive so we can store music and books on tape on it too. It is more than most people need, including us, but it is fun

We have the Garmin Nuvi 350. I don't know what the differences are between that and the 660. I like that it announces street names and think it is worth extra for that. I haven't really used many of the other features in it such as MP3 player, loading audio books, jpegs, etc. I checked directions to NJ this weekend through Google, Mapquest, and AAA. AAA had a slightly different set of directions, and "Daniel" (we use the British male voice and that's his name) followed the same directions that AAA had. I think that the best part of having the GPS is that it can help you out if you make an incorrect turn or need to detour. Of course, "re-calculating" may occasionally get on your nerves.

I think you'll be fine in August at Disney..but you can't tour like you do in good weather. (we still do but most "normal" people do not , they take breaks or stay out of the park for part of the day). We go full blast from open to close & every trip I swear we wont do that but then we do anyway.

We have that same bad "habit" of full blast from open to close. I'm going to follow the kids' lead this August, but they seem pretty happy going full blast most of the time.

 

[bethbuchall]

Here's the funny thing Tammi, when we go to our mall or local preserve to walk around, my kids complain their feet hurt, they are thirsty or hungry or tired. When we go to Disney (I swear!) they don't say "boo". This April was Sophie & Daniels first trip without a stroller. I thought for sure they would have a hard time walking around Epcot all day but no, not one complaint which surprised me. They are also used to doing it this way so they don't know any better. The heat doesnt bother them as we do duck into cool attractions & have leasurely lunches to rest. Funny, in April while the days were gorgeous weatherwise, we all thought it was too cold at night (probably in the 60's?)

This will be our first trip without a stroller. Miles was really ready to go without on the last trip, but it was so nice to have a place to store water bottles, etc. It was also nice for him at the end of the night to have a place to sit. We'll see how this goes. He is definitely too big for me to carry far, so he will have to wake up enough to walk if he falls asleep on the bus. He can be a heavy sleeper, too.

I have this trip planned that it's not so go, go, go. Mornings at the park, afternoons at the pool, one day at the waterpark, an evening of minigolf.

Remember that I told you their dad is taking them in July? A few days ago he asked me "What is that Italian restaurant in MGM that we really liked?" Of course I say "I dunno" (I know, I'm bad). But the point is, it sounds like there are no ADRs in place for a July trip!

I totally missed that their dad is taking them in July! That's going to be a different trip. I am sure that they will notice the difference that all of your planning makes.

Of course not. That would entail too much quality time with his children. He is staying at a friend's timeshare, OUTSIDE of the park (thank goodness he's not using our DVC ), and is going with another family. I offered to let him use the kids APs that I bought last year, if he paid for one of them. So he agreed to do that, which is cheaper than him buying 2 4-day tickets for them, and I am $325 richer. I guess they are also going to Universal. So the kids will be down there for a week with him, and then 2 weeks later they go with me. Thinks that's too much?

Do you have any idea how much I will hate it if they win a night in the castle?

for no castle stay with their dad! It would be so cool if you won it with them, though. It's definitely not too much Disney, because it will be two very different trips. (Is there really too much Disney anyway?)

I tried to persuade Bob to go to the movies to see the new Indiana Jones movie. No luck.

I might have to go by myself!

I'd go with you! I want to go, too, but the kids haven't seen any of the others yet. I need to go out and get those first.

Soo...

DS is already bored and this is only his third day off of school. He wants to go to the pool but DH just went down to get the mail and he said the pool is crowded. DS had the entire pool to himself yesterday. Better to go during the week!

We got a lovely packet for DH stating that we must PROVE, with DOCUMENTS, that DS and I are eligible for coverage as dependents. Now I have to get out things like our marriage license and DS's birth certificate, go copy them, and mail them in. What a PAIN IN THE TUSHY! I guess I'll take the documents to work on Monday and copy them on Dadboss's printer. My printer just prints. I understand the importance of employees not covering people they shouldn't be, but come on! If we don't send the documents in they will cancel our insurance.

I don't think we have had to do this yet. Maybe we did in the beginning as we added each person on.

I ordered our annual passes today, DH is already trying to figure out how many trips we can "sneak" in. We'll see how the drive goes in August, we'll be taking his truck but if we take my car we will get much better gas mileage.

So what are some of the extra benefits of being a pass holder?

Congrats on the APs!!!

I have a happy ending to report! The little girl was invited to a pool party yesterday. When she showed up at the friend's house the mom from the party asked the girl if she was sure her mom knew she was there and she told her yes. The little girl walked to the party directly from school and she did not have a bathing suit or towel. Once the helicopters were circling, the party mom had an "Aha" moment and called the girl's mom. I am very glad she was found safe!!

I'm glad to hear this!

Pace yourself, Kristine! You still have a LOT of fun coming your way!

DH is worried that Mom's dental work will delay her surgery, and that will mean I have flights booked for nothing. I think I can change the flights if I have to, but I bet I won't find more flights for $41 each way!

As our ticker keeps ticking I am getting nervous again. I was nervous that our trip would be ruined by bad bus service. Now I am worried about my mom being OK. When this started it seemed like there was ALL this time before the trip, but with all of the waiting it feels like we are almost right on top of the trip. Her surgery is barely 6 weeks before our departure. I don't feel quite as guilty as I did, but now I am worried.

A police officer was killed here in Fredericksburg late last night. A 40 yr. old man, with 2 yrs on, responded to a domestic dispute, exboyfriend armed with a gun. Bad guy was killed to, in an exchange of gunfire. It happened in an apt. complex parking lot, which is close to where Nicholas plays baseball. I feel so bad for the family.

How awful!

There is another one at the end of June. I would take that one instead except it is Saturday and Sunday. But it also has a 2.5 hour session the Monday before. Sorry, but I am not driving to VA for a 2.5 hour session, it will take me longer then that to get there.

There is also one in Lake Placid, NY at the end of the month but that is more expensive and like 3 hours further away. So this one seems to make the most sense. Plus I am already going to be in NY in July for work.

Where in NY will you be in July? Not that I will be in NY for much of the month.

How many of your teachers gifts for the end of the year?

I will get Miles' classroom teacher something. I don't get anything for the high school teachers, because my kids would be mortified. Those high school teachers get a bit of a raw deal there.

I can tell you from personal experience that a homemade thank you card is the perfect gift!

Gift cards are nice too, but certainly not expected!

Alyssa's preschool teacher said the homemade picture DVD was the best gift she has ever received. I'm sure that was just flattery, but it was a nice compliment for all of Kevin's hard work.

I'm sure that it was a sincere compliment! That is something that I would love to receive. I spent hours and close to $100 of my own money making little memory books for my classes for the end of the year. It was worth it, though, for the few parents who told me how much it meant to them.

If it is any indication, I received fewer end-of-the-year gifts the past two weeks. We have talked about this before... I never expect any but always receive many. Christmas there were a lot, this recital season about half what I have received in the past.

Either I am becoming a lousy teacher, or people are listening to me when I say I don't want anything or they are cutting back.

I also received fewer gifts this year. I hope that it's the economy and not a measure of my teaching abilities. My favorites are the cards, letter, and drawings from the parents and especially the children.

I just received a very sad phone call from one of Garrett's friends. Remember the boy who broke our front window last year? His father died this morning of a heart attack. I feel so sad for Jacob

That is so sad.

Does it annoy anyone else when a parent picks up their kid after a sleepover and leaves without reminding the kid to say thank you? Or am I being overly particular about it?

No, you are not overly particular. That is annoying.

At this point in time I could use a trip just to get away from the sadness that is family right now.

While my cousin is having her baby today (yes this time she is in labor) I have found out that yet another uncle is extremely sick and not expected to make it much longer.

My cousin had her baby, its a boy 7 lbs. 10 oz. 21" long

CONGRATULATIONS to her!

My student played a wonderful program for her Senior Recital. It included everything from a Chopin Grande Valse Brillante and a Rachmaninoff Melodie through Debussy and even more contemporary pieces by Eugenie Rocherolle and David Lanz.

I was honored to be presented with a gorgeous armful of lavender roses and purple hydrangeas:

and then floored by this Waterford Biscuit Jar!

ETA: I guess I should take back what I said about my families "cutting back" this year. Jordan and her family certainly didn't!

Beautiful! My mother has that Biscuit Jar. My kids love it, because she usually has candy in it. It always scares me that they will somehow break or chip the top. I usually put the top up somewhere safe while we are there.

It's been a great couple of days! It is hot, hot, hot!!! Not my kind of weather but we are surviving. The trip has been fantastic so far. I don't know if Kristine has been on yet today but you aren't going to believe this. Kristine and I ended up in line for Dumbo together today. Not only that but we were in line DIRECTLY behind them. There was no one in between us. What are the odds of that? She got to meet my mother, sister and her kids. My girls are very upset with me because I didn't introduce them. As odd as it sounds, I just assumed that the girls knew her. I forget that we met when the girls weren't with us. I'll do a trip report but had just a few minutes to check in! We are doing well.

Sounds like a great trip so far (except for the heat)! I can't wait to hear all about it.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Thank you Marci.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Beth, congrats to Laura.

 

[Pooh67_68]

Thank you Beth.

 

[bethbuchall]

I think we are going to do the photo session at SSR the morning we check out of there. We aren't really doing anything until later that day, so might as well. Our breakfast ADR isn't until 10:45 AM so we can do the photos, get a cab to move us to WL, and probably get checked in before it's time to eat. If the room is ready we can drop the bags in there, if not we'll check them at Bell Services. Now the problem is WHAT TO WEAR?

Those photo sessions sound great. I wish that all three of my kids were going to be there. Since they are not, I decided not to do one.

We caught Samantha's Favorites earlier today, and I finally saw the Pixar Cake Challenge. We've seen Behind the Scenes so many times I am sick of it.

That reminds me, I need to go see if the Pixar Cake Challenge recorded the other night. We've lost cable several times recently, and I forgot to check the box to make sure we didn't lose any information. Laura and I have so much tv to catch up on if her life ever slows down. Those are the types of things we watch together.

Come on over to Ohio! I'd love to go shoe shopping with someone else besides me! We have Geauga Lakes White Water Kingdom (which is similar to the "theme parks" that everyone's been mentioning) but it's the first year for the water park portion only...BUT if you drive this far, then you might as well go to Cedar Point!

That's what I was afraid of. I'll have to try them together. THe bridesmaids dress is a brown - so I'm not sure on wearing brown shoes. I'm still looking for ivory/champane colored shoes. Keep an eye out for me everyone!

I'm no help on clothing/shoe decisions. You are going to be beautiful no matter which shoes you go with, though. We used to like Geauga Lake many, many years ago. I still miss SeaWorld of Ohio. That had some special memories.

Tammi- Sounds like your weekend was packed with fun! All I did this year for teacher gifts was one of the Full Bloom (Thanks, Elin!) teas and a glass. I ordered the dozen sampler and split them up between the girl's teachers. I attached a note that said "Thanks for helping me bloom this year."

What a great idea!

Woo some storm that just passed through.

I forgot to check the time on your post. I wonder if that was the one that I pulled off the road for last night. Thank goodness it started when I was very close to an exit and we wanted to stop for dinner anyway. It was raining in sheets, and I could barely see. There was hail (thankfully not enough to cause any car damage), lightning, wind, etc. We were just north of Scranton at the time.

I've been a fowl little mood..... I discovered my Amex bill was a day late. Of course I just started using it more so I'm going to get hit hard on that. I took Friday off so DH could have a routine medical test. I went to Joe's concert and was feeling out of place with all the other moms who were young, size 4's, dressed in designer clothes and LOTS of them had VERY expensive dSLR's. I don't care about age or clothes but I would feel better being smaller and would love some of those expensive cameras I saw. I felt way out of place. When I brought Joe to soccer I was surprised again but all the moms who had expensive camera equipment. I'm nost talking dSRL's. They had huge expensive lenses too. Must be a new trend in this town. I suppose the heat doesn't help. We only have a room AC in just our bedroom.

I've been having dSLR envy a lot lately, too. Some days it seems like I am the only one that doesn't have one. I have wanted one for so long, but unless I get a "real" job (and maybe not even then), I won't be getting one. They are just so much better in the lower light situations that I am often in, have a more aperature settings, etc. I try to be content with what I have, though, because I do have a wonderful life. I wouldn't trade what I do have for a dSLR, that's for sure. Also, I am an "older" mother to Miles and not nearly fashionable enough. And you already know that I am nowhere near a size 4. I was a 6-8 for a little while once, though, and I think that makes it even worse sometimes.

I've been wanted a dSLR since I bought my first digital camera but I do know that my Sony is the best for right now-especially for Disney with the kids. It wasn't just the dSLR's that got me but the fact that lots of them had what looked like professional equipment. I find it hard to believe that they all knew what to do with it.

I don't think I could be a size 4 unless I was really sick or something so I think I'd be happy with a 14. I did so for so long-lost almost 60 pounds but then my Mom got sick. That was 3 1/2 years ago and I just can't seem to find the gusto to make a change like I had then.

Your photos are absolutely stunning with the camera you have! If you find that gusto, could you please share some with me?

That darn mother of mine was hiding behind Kristine! She is worried about her weight so keeps hiding in the pictures. It is driving me and my girls crazy!!!

I know how your mother feels.

 

[bethbuchall]

Beth, congrats to Laura.

Thank you Beth.

Thank you and you are welcome!

I think that I am caught up.

 

[my3princes]

I finally bit the bullet and got the caulking done. What a huge mess and it was as much of a pita as I thought it would be. I also got the rubber baseboard around the cabinets. It's not perfect, but at least it's done. I think colby and I are going to run to the store. Nick has his end of year picnic/party tomorrow at the local dam. I am chaperoning and bringing a dessert. Of course it is entirely too hot to cook so I need to buy something to bring. Something that won't melt in this heat.

Hopefully things that I did this morning will be dry when we get back and I can start to put the kitchen back together this afternoon. Work at 5.

 

[PNO4TE]

Bernadette - I finally had time to read your 4 day TR that you sent by email. Your pictures are phenomenal. Someday when you get your dSLR (and I know you will someday) you can make a career change! You have a wonderful eye for setting up photos and the quality of what you sent surpasses most people's digital photos. Brava, woman!

 

[Pooh67_68]

Beth, my posted time was 9:59 but the DIS clock has been off. So probably between 10:30/11:00 the storm went through.