December 10, 2006 - 12/10/06 Wonder

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I have decided to just go to the bank for my $1.00 bills. I am probably going to carry $100.00. The only reason is I dont know what to expect with the children. My guys have gone hunting again this weekend. Christie and I agree as much as we enjoy our time together....we miss them. We called and let them know they owe us a night out.

Christie has talked me into taking two of her friends with us the day after Thanksgiving. My brain must have went numb for at least ten minutes. Long enough for her to do her magic on me!!!!!! Just kidding. They will have the best time. Now that I am almost finished with my shopping, its not like we are on a mission. We will just be having a great time.

My CRAZY son told me this morning that he had so much fun "camping out" for the playstation 3 that he wants to do it for the nintendo wii. He said even though we dont want one we will just hang out with the fun people. I told him "no thank you son"!!

I am going to start my packing officially this week. I am also going to start tanning this week. We have got a jump start on our schoolwork anticipating the trip. We have book reports due when we get back, writing club for the school newspaper articles, and surveys are due. they have finished everything but the book reports and we are going to do them this week before Thanksgiving.

Does anyone serve at a local mission during the holiday season? Normally we do but this year we decided to bake banana bread, pumpkin bread and etc in the mini loaf pans (about 50) for a homeless shelter in the area. It is very sad that they are not with family everyday much less during the holidays. I dont know what I would do without my family. Anyway, it is a wonderful life lesson for the children and very rewarding. The homeless are really very grateful for everything. It has been an eye opening experience for my children every year. They are excited while serving but a little sad when we leave. The homeless really need alot of our prayers.

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I am so glad that things didnt get extreme in Memphis. I actually went to Hernando, MS, where I used to live. We were treated great and the manager saw to it that we were safe, warm and happy. I know it could have easily went the other way. I feel blessed that it didnt. On the ebay note, I know I have mentioned before that I dont like ebayers that take advantage, but the thought did cross my mind that one unit could pay braces off!!!! I think its ridiculous that people would pay that much!! Howard would probably put his on if he knew the profits.

 

[SILLYANDI]

IM SO EXCITED
I got one. I actually got 2. I got a 20gb one and a raincheck for a 60 gb. I really wanted the 60gb. I am going to keep the 20gb until I get the 60gb and when I have my hands on the 60gb my best friend is going to buy it for his son. I just have to have one under the tree. Wiliiam got in line for me at 730 this morning and I got there about 900. He came back at 1100. He couldnt stand the anticipation and got the last raincheck. I waited 15 hours in walmart with 8 young men in their 20s. They were all sweet. They had tshirts made. After school, Christie and Howard came and we made them shirts while we were waiting. We played yahtzee and junkyard jalopy. Walmart brought donuts and hot chocolate for breakfast, later brought chips and drinks, and about 400 brought us sub sandwiches and chips and drinks. The were very nice to us. The other local walmarts made them wait in the cold outside. They put us in lawn and garden and we also had a heater. Later on we figured out that three of us go to church together. (about three thousand members) I am so relieved. Thanks for all the cheers and pixie dust. I have had such a good week and hope it doesnt go south now.

My ta got me a refund of $130.00 and credited to my shipboard acount. That will help pay for my pictures. Thanks shawn for the update on the special.

I forgot to tell yall that Howard was so excited. He said he didnt care if he knew what he was getting. Of course, I already have several things he doesnt know about. Chrisite is excited because she gets the ps2. Everyone is HAPPY!!! The local police escorted us to our cars. We got a picture of howard holding the box being escorted in front of the police car. We also got a picture of him and the manager shaking hands after the purchase and all of them in their t shirts.

WHHHEEEWW HOOO!!!
I was thinking about you last night as the fistfights were happening in our city. Our Walmart was on the news because the people in line started getting fiesty so the manager made a decision to do a raffle with everyone standing in line (at 6 pm) instead of waiting until midnight as was advertised. That caused even more problems than good. After the 10 units were raffled the rest of the crowd got crazy and practically demolished the store!

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

We now have $630.00 on our shipboard credit after our excursions and tips. I also got calling cards for extra tips and for the lab people that dont normally get a tip. How much would you expect to spend? I know we will probably spend about $175.00 in pictures. Arcade money....bingo....Where else to spend our money? I am just trying to figure out how much to take. It would be nice to not have to spend any money the last day. I could add some more money before we go.

 

[HappyLawyer]

I have no time to serve at a mission, i volunteer for hospice, i do meals on wheels, i volunteer at a group home, then i teach, do law, i am a mommy and getting ready for a phd, God help me.

I have always wanted to though, we are officially getting ready in three weeks we head out in three weeks, i have pulled out my special bags, i have a vatton and coach bag that is only used for vacation, my boyfriend cracks up at me, i do not carry or use these bags for anything else, my carry on and purse. That means we are ready.

 

[SILLYANDI]

I can't wait until the kids are a little older so that we can start serving at our shelter. Our Church used to host the cold weather shelter but we are in construction now. They require volunteers to be at least 12 (for insurance purposes I suspect).

We do the shoebox gifts every year and donate to the food bank every Sunday. The kids get so excited about their shoeboxes. They get to buy one little gift each week to add to the box until it is full then we take it to the donation place to ship off to a needy child. I hope they "get it". My kids really have a good life, sometimes it's hard to explain that to them.

Regarding Thanksgiving with the family...DH and I promised last year that we would not subject ourselves to another one again! Don't get me wrong, love my family-just in small doses!

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

Shawn - That is wonderful. I bet Hospice is sad too. My dads Hospice nurses were very special to us. They took wonderful care of him and our broken hearts. It takes a special person to fill those shoes. The meals on wheels in Memphis is major. I love to volunteer to help others and I am glad my children do too. When it gets rainy and cold outside I really start to feel sorry for them. I always tend to get mushy around Thanksgiving. Coming from a large family we were always grateful for the small things in life. It was also my dads favorite time of the year as he was an avid hunter. I am happy he lived to see Howard shoot his first deer even though it was little. My dad made out like it was the biggest buck he ever seen. I always go through a little sad part this week and I will perk back up before Thursday when I have to face the family. I was a "daddys girl". I love my mother with all my heart but there is just something about a fathers love....always unconditional. I see it with Christie and William and I am happy for that.

 

[HappyLawyer]

These kids are driving me crazy i gave each of the girls a journal for the trip, Alexis is already filling hers out and reading it to me, she is so excited, Sasha the baby has no clue about the trip, she calls it the dora cruise

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

andrea - Our whole family doesnt get together at Thanksgiving just some of us, but at Christmas we are all together. That can be stressful. I make up my mind if something happens, I remove myself immediately. Some family members have to be centered around controversy or the poor poor pitiful me's. They choose to wear expensive jeans and tennis shoes and try to make me look bad about my WDW vacations and thats not going to happen. We work hard for the things we have and do. They also criticize(?) us about our private schooling but that is partly why we waited so long to have children. We knew we didnt want our children to go to the schools we did. We just wanted what we thought was the best for our personal situation. I love all my sisters(4) and brother but small doses is the perfect prescription!!

 

[AlexandNessa]

From your experience about how much in singles should one bring for tipping? We intend to have room service etc? I would not want to be caught short.

Hi Ian, we budget about $25 in singles per day of the cruise for the 2 of us, and find that's enough for tipping the porters to and from the ship, room service, and if we give extra tips to the bar staff. We might have a few bucks left at the end of the cruise, but we play it safe. HTH!

 

[iankh]

Hi Ian, we budget about $25 in singles per day of the cruise for the 2 of us, and find that's enough for tipping the porters to and from the ship, room service, and if we give extra tips to the bar staff. We might have a few bucks left at the end of the cruise, but we play it safe. HTH!

Thanks for the guidance! Not having done any sort of cruise before, I just didn't know how to guage it. Packing doesn't worry me, it's the little things, like how many dollar bills to bring that's going to drive me nuts

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

So like if room service brought cookies and milk for the children, do you think a $2.00 tip? Breakfast for everybody....$6.00? Please tell me if I am wrong. I need to train Christie and Howard before we leave in case we arent in the room when they do it!!!! That would be embarassing. Although Christie has watched "Eloise" so much she probably knows better than me!!

 

[neckhardt]

I have no time to serve at a mission, i volunteer for hospice,

My wife used to do that too.

Neal

 

[ktpool]

you did not give me the names of your kids
just to be clear we are buying 1 gift, per child per family, so i have 3 but i am not getting howard a gift from ash, lex and sasha, i will just get 1 gift for Howard.

and to Nance, i do not have your cell, it is okay if you do not want to give it out. But just an FYI, are we done with all the kids

Kids-please pm me and let me know who jessica, nathan and joshua belong 2
Howard
Christie
Ashleigh
Alexis
Sasha
Alexis
Emilee
Riley
Jessica
Nathan
Joshua
Madison
Morgan
Parker
Mikelyn
No Name-neal
No Name-neal
If i am missing anyone let me know, i would like to have the list done and distributed no later then next sat 11/25/2006

Jessica, Joshua and Nathan are my niece and nephews and are cruising with my family

 

[AlexandNessa]

So like if room service brought cookies and milk for the children, do you think a $2.00 tip? Breakfast for everybody....$6.00? Please tell me if I am wrong. I need to train Christie and Howard before we leave in case we arent in the room when they do it!!!! That would be embarassing. Although Christie has watched "Eloise" so much she probably knows better than me!!

Tipping is certainly a personal thing, and far be it from me to be the expert on tipping, but that it what we do for small orders. We take advantage of room service a lot (we often order beverage packages and have waters and sodas delivered to the room ... lazy, I know!), and we'll tip $2-3 each time we do this. We sometimes take advantage of appetizers and champagne in the stateroom before dinner, and we tip about $6 for that type of thing (I have no idea if Disney even lets you do warm appies, do they?). If we have late night munchies, we tip a nice bonus. Yes, I am so glad we've dieted so effectively before this cruise ...

 

[ktpool]

Hi everyone.


Sorry I haven't been around this week at all. It has been a very horrible week. A co-worker that I worked very closely did something horrible at one of our sister sites this week and shot his boss and then himself right in the IT department offices. It is just so shocking to know both of these people. It is really just so cliche, but you never would have suspected that this friend would be capable of something like this. I only found out after it happened that he called me at work the day before while I was out and my intern forgot to tell me. Now I can't help but keep wondering what he wanted and if he just wanted to talk. But I know that it is not healthy to keep thinking about it....


So, I have tried to catch up on all of the posts. I have gotten my kids some of the pens they have a Wal-Mart in the checkout line that have the Disney characters as toppers. I think that is what I am going to get for the group of kids - inexpensive, but fun, I hope.

I am working feverishly on the stinkin' papers and final projects I have to do. Ian - designing a test plan for a phantom project is killing me

I also need to go out to that gift basket site (Shirley's?) and order my parents a gift basket for their stateroom as a "Thank you".

I agree with Neal about Sony - there is not need to cause the frenzy they do on purpose when releasing new products. And I think it is really crappy that people buy them just to re-sell at a gajillion percent profit. But I am happy Shari got one for Howard!

I guess I better get to work on the papers - it's not like I am cancelling the cruise to finish them if I don't get them done, haha!

Kristen

 

[HappyLawyer]

I have the finalized list of the kids and families for the gift exchange,

when you are ready please im me with your email address so i can send it out to you,

 

[SILLYANDI]

Hi everyone.


Sorry I haven't been around this week at all. It has been a very horrible week. A co-worker that I worked very closely did something horrible at one of our sister sites this week and shot his boss and then himself right in the IT department offices. It is just so shocking to know both of these people. It is really just so cliche, but you never would have suspected that this friend would be capable of something like this. I only found out after it happened that he called me at work the day before while I was out and my intern forgot to tell me. Now I can't help but keep wondering what he wanted and if he just wanted to talk. But I know that it is not healthy to keep thinking about it....


So, I have tried to catch up on all of the posts. I have gotten my kids some of the pens they have a Wal-Mart in the checkout line that have the Disney characters as toppers. I think that is what I am going to get for the group of kids - inexpensive, but fun, I hope.

I am working feverishly on the stinkin' papers and final projects I have to do. Ian - designing a test plan for a phantom project is killing me

I also need to go out to that gift basket site (Shirley's?) and order my parents a gift basket for their stateroom as a "Thank you".

I agree with Neal about Sony - there is not need to cause the frenzy they do on purpose when releasing new products. And I think it is really crappy that people buy them just to re-sell at a gajillion percent profit. But I am happy Shari got one for Howard!

I guess I better get to work on the papers - it's not like I am cancelling the cruise to finish them if I don't get them done, haha!

Kristen

I am so sorry to hear about your friend, it is so sad when people that close to us are that desperate and we don't know.
I wish I could help with the computer stuff-but since I am clueless-Here's hoping that you get it finish with as little drain on your brain as possible!

 

[MINNIE OF TWO MICE]

I am suddenly beginning to feel overwelmed with all the little stuff. I need to finish buying customer gifts. Decorate my Dads and Grandparents graves. (I always do this, my sisters just dont want to do it and I would hate to have an empty vase when I die) Pack. Finish school work. Put up my tree. wrap gifts.........just to mention a few. My younger sister needed to make some extra money so she is going to do some of my wrapping.

I am nervous about shiping all my tink gifts out early, but I have to. I have finished with the goody bags for the children and I am pleased at how they turned out. Now I need to finish the what nots for the familys. We do all the electrical work for Corkys Bar B Que and I was going to do small bottles of their sauce but remembered the liquid rules.

Kristen - I am so sorry. I hope you have a much better week next week. Its hard to know what goes through peoples heads. Its also hard when its someone you care about.

 

[HappyLawyer]

there are so many things i got today and so much more i need to do, i got a first aid kit, and ice packs, other little things, and i brought some of the kids gifts i was so excited, i had to stop cuz i did not have my master list with me and i did not want to get too much for a certain sex or age range,
if you are ready for the list pm me with your email.