EWP group?

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Just wanted to stop by and say "hi" and "hope that you're all having a nice week"!

All is well, here. We went to see Barry Manilow's concert last Saturday night, and he did a wonderful job! He sang all of his old "standards" and also some songs from a Broadway show that he is in the process of putting together, which were very good. He was audio taping the show for an upcoming live album, which was neat, too!

Aside from that, things are pretty "status quo". I'm trudging through the days at work - just 25 more work days to go. UGH. At least the end is in sight - I don't know how much more of this I can take! There is a huge conference room right next to my desk, so now I get to see just about everyone on the floor parade by my desk and walk in and out of the conference room several times a day, because training is going on, all month, for the people who were chosen to "stay" and be part of the "new business model". Gag. When they are all in there, the only people left on the floor are myself and the other 3 people who were not offered positions. It's kind of comical, in a sick sort of way. The 4 of us have decided to go out for a drink on our last day, here - assuming that we survive that long!

Anyway, enough of that stuff! Hey - am I the only person in the Suite who has seen "The Country Bears" movie? And do you all subscribe to "Disney Magazine"? If so, there is a really neat article about Epcot's 20th anniversary in the new issue - I just got it in the mail, yesterday!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you soon!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Lisa

I am a Manilow fan also. I like his songs and I don't care of some others think he is hokey. A great song is humable after just one hearing IMHO. LOL

I really think you are lucky to be escaping the sinking ship that you are on. There are major changes coming in that area of business and it was all the fault of the bosses and not the employees. Tough times are coming and more of them will be following you out the door but you will be getting ahead of the crowd and be able to find somewhere more to your liking. When the company that my DD had worked at since HS graduation announced its closing she was so upset and for some strange reason, this old worrywart wasn't concerned. I turned out to be right cause the new job came up at just the right time and has been wonderful. More money, shorter hours, very family friendly, closer to home and they appreciate her hard work. Trust me, one day you will look back on September 13th, 2002 as the luckiest day of your life. When things seem rough, just take a deep breath and think of Frank waiting at home and know that is all that is really important in this life.

Angie, don't sweat living in the boonies. I grew up in rural southern Ohio and we were well off cause we had a 3 seater!! I are a hick and will always be so although I am a bit more Mountain William now than Hillbilly. Bet you have a lot less crime, grime and other bad stuff also. Thank you for thinking of me with the newspaper pictures though. Your daughter is almost as lovely as you are. Good fisherwoman as well.

Helenabear, what is going on in Columbus these days? How is Luis' new job coming along? Is it al that and a bag of chips (computer of course) or less than he had hoped for?

Jstmee, hope all the news is good from your neck of the woods. You always have so much going on. We will wait patiently for any news and send some pixie dust your way to light the path to our door.

Had a wonderful day today. I came home and told my husband that I thought we should go up to Indy, hop a plane for Vegas and do some serious gambling since my luck was running at top speed all day. Had a physical this morning and got the best results I have had in years and she was so pleased with the weight loss. When I went to pay the bill there was an unexpected and large balance on the account so I did not owe anything. Went mall walking and ran into a great sale on clothes. I even outdid Elaine in that I got 4 pairs of slacks and 2 shirts for $31. Don't want to be spending much on clothes since I plan to not be in any of these sizes for too long. Found some things I had been looking for at the grocery and some good sales there as well but the topper was when I got home. Tom had mowed the lawn and cut the hedges. I had been planning on doing that tomorrow and was dreading it. You have to understand that he does not do much of anything around here, if anything at all for weeks/months on end so this was a pleasant shock. Now, if I could figure out a way to motivate him besides throwing huge fits and refusing to cook his favorite meals. (sigh) Nice does not work, tried that for about 20 years. He is always nicer after spending a few days with his brothers. Maybe he prefers my care? LOL

Any ideas for new and unusual things to do at DW are most appreciated. I am starting to make plans. Some of the old groups from my youth will be at the American stage while we are there and the Food and Wine Festival at Epcot as well as the Art Festival over at DD. Am planning on avoiding the Soap Opera events. I do not care for big crowds and will not stand in line for anyone's autograph (well, maybe for you guys).

I hope you all are having a nice evening to cap off a wonderful day.

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[Dan Murphy]

Stopping by to wish you all a belated happy anniversary of the EWP group, you guys are a DIS classic. Hope you all are doing well, and staying healthy. That's all, just a friendly 'hello'.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Dan - the man!

Sure has been far too long since you honored us with your presence. We have missed you. Have to share you with the rest of the DIS world though.

What have you been up to? And the marvelous Marie? Spill it all, things are awfully slow around here and we need a bit of excitement and figure you would have plenty to spare. LOL

Grab a seat, Illuminations is about to start and the fellows have fixed a special chocolate feast with all the calories removed just for moi, but I am willing to share.

Slightly Goofy

 

[helenabear]

Hello everyone! How have you all been? Well last week was a pretty depressing week at work for me. We had lay offs and this time we knew they were going to happen as we were told by management that names were already submitted. It is one thing to speculate and it is another thing to have it thrown in your face all the time So obviously I was not in the mood to post about it all. Just when I was about to sit down and chat with you all, I lost my internet connection. I managed to get on at work and I did manage to get AOL for free so I could get on and look. But it sure wasn’t the same as our cable modem connection!! So here I am none the worse for the wear and ready to catch up and chat with you all

Linda, shame shame shame… you were supposed to come at the END of November, not the beginning I have my air fare for WDW and I will be staying at the Swan so most of that is set. I have already purchased my ticket for MVMCP and I have a tour booked as well. These sound very neat to do and I have enjoyed hearing about them from others who have gone. So I am getting this all together and feeling more like a trip is being planned now I bet you must have gotten a great rate on AS Sports! I saw some of those discounts out and they are just amazing. I think next year I am going to try to convince my family to go with me. My sister would be willing if she could stay at the Contemp for the prices they had there! But for AS Sports, you can hardly pass up a deal like that! Oh and to answer your quesiton, Luis is very happy at his new job I don’t hear much else but I take that as a good sign as he doesn’t talk about work unless it is horrible!

Lisa, I am so sorry that you have to go through all this at work. I think it is just awful the way you are treated at work. I do have faith that you will find something good for you! Just enjoy that break while you can. I am sure things will fall into place for you! I am glad to hear you had fun at the Barry Manilow concert! It would be neat to get the album and be able to say “you were there” when they recorded it. As for Dinsey stuff, I have not seen “The Country Bears” as of yet. I still have yet to convince Luis to go see Lilo & Stitch with me (I’ve seen it but he hasn’t yet). But I do get the “Disney Magazine” and I will look forward to seeing the Epcot’s 20th anniversary article in there. I am sure mine will come any day now. I can’t believe it has been 20 years. Just about 20 years ago I went to WDW for the first time. Epcot hadn’t opened yet but the next year we went, it had opened about 8 months or so prior. So you have me so excited for that!

Well I need to get back to work now… I was replying off an on all morning so I need to get deep into my work now Linda, if you want to talk Disney planning I am always up for that

Hi Dan! Glad to see you stop in again! Stay and chat a little longer next time Angie & Weny I hope all is well with you and with everyone else! Have a great day and upcoming weekend

 

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

Thanks so much for stopping in to see us and for the anniversary wishes, Dan! It makes us feel good to know that we are kind of an "institution", here on The DIS! Hope that you and your family have been enjoying your summer!

Thanks, as always for your wonderful and supportive words, ladies - you are very kind. And I hope that you're both right - I hope that there is something better waiting out there for me.....somewhere......! I can definitely relate to what you're experiencing with the lay offs at work, Elaine. And I can definitely understand why you weren't in the mood to post. That's why I haven't been around the Boards as much as I would like to be, lately - sometimes, I worry that if I talk or write to my friends, I will sound so depressing and be such a "downer" that I would rather keep to myself. I'm trying, as always, to pull myself out of the "funk", though!

It's so exciting that you are both planning WDW trips! I can't believe that you will miss eachother by only a few weeks, though! I'm sure that you will both have wonderful vacations! Which tour did you reserve, Elaine? That's actually a good idea, in terms of different things to do at WDW, Linda - the tours are wonderful - if you don't mind a lot of walking. I can vouch for Keys to the Kingdom and Backstage Magic and say that they are both fantastic and fascinating and well worth the time and money! I have some friends who took the Flower and Garden tour at Epcot and loved it, too. So there are some ideas! Of course, you must wander over to the "Suite side of the World" to see the EWP, at least one night!

I have never been to MVMCP, Elaine - you will have to tell us how that is! And I can't wait to hear about DIS CON, needless to say!

I would stay away from Super Soap Weekend, too, Linda. I have a bunch of pals from the AMC Thread who are going, and I'm sure that it will be a great time. But it's not worth it for me to go to something like that because if I want to see ABC soap stars, all I have to do is walk down the street in NY - I have run into so many of them, just around town, on the street! Plus, they are always making personal appearances in my general area. I would love to meet the people from the DIS with whom I correspond about "All My Children", but I can't deal with the crowds, either. It's great that you are going to be there during the Food and Wine Festival - that should be a lot of fun - I hope that I get to experience that some year!

I had a "close call" with regard to our proposed "DISNEY 2003 VACATION", last night. Frank's sister called, out of the blue, and told us about some special Carnival Cruise offer that she came across, and asked us to come on a cruise with her next year.....but we had to decide "immediately". I started panicking, thinking that Frank would want to do that instead of going to WDW. And I doubt that we would be able to take 2 big vacations next year - we don't know what our financial situation will be like, if / where I'll be working (and if so, how much vacation time I will be given), etc. Plus, I really don't like travelling with other people - I would prefer to go with Frank or (when I was single) by myself. I always worry that friends with whom I'd travel and I would wind up disagreeing about something during a trip and ultimately ruin the vacation for eachother. And I'm particularly wary of travelling with Frank's sister, since she tends to be bossy and thinks she knows best about everything, etc. And she always has to say things like "you know, it took awhile for me to warm up to you......I had to make sure that you were good enough for my brother......but I like you, I really like you.....but you'd better not hurt my brother....." blah, blah, blah. I always feel like she's testing me, somehow, and it's very annoying. ANYWAY.......the bottom line is that Frank wants to stick with our WDW idea, even though he'd like to go on a cruise some time. I figure that this may be the last trip that we take together, alone, for awhile, if we are going to start a family some time within the next few years, so I really just wanted it to be the 2 of us.....at WDW! I just hope that his sister doesn't give us a hard time about it when he tells her "no" (I overheard her on the phone saying to Frank "Disney again? Give it up, already!" She just doesn't understand! ). All this to say, I believe that we are "full speed ahead" to DISNEY 2003, once more! I won't be satisfied until our reservations are actually made!

Congratulations on your wonderful doctor's report, Linda!!! That is such great news, and you must have felt so proud! I actually had similar results when I went for my bi-annual physical last month. It is really great to know that all of that hard work pays off in a multitude of ways. And I can also relate to your not wanting to buy too many clothes in your current size. I haven't bought new clothes for work at all - I'm wearing all of the ones that are too big on me - I figure that it's only another month. And since I don't know what the dress code will be like in the next place where I work, or what season it will be when I go back to work, might as well wait until that time to buy new work clothes. I barely have anything that fits, though- I have to make a lot of constructive temporary alterations with safety pins! It's amazing how many things there are, hanging in my closet, that I just can't wear any more - that's a good thing! Too bad I gave away most of my "smaller clothes" to charity, just before Frank moved in! Unfortunately, I'm stuck on a "plateau", though. I've been here for a few weeks and just can't seem to move off of it! I've tried making my exercise more high impact, sleeping more, etc., but nothing seems to work! Any thoughts? I'm not killing myself over it, but it would be nice to start making progress, again!

Glad to hear that you're a Barry Manilow fan, too, Linda! And it's funny that you said that some others think that he is hokey - he, himself, thanked the crowd on Saturday night for sticking with him for so long, because "I know that it's tough to publicly admit that you're a Barry Manilow fan" - he actually said that! At least he has a good sense of humor! Please - he has so many fans - and so many women just screaming over him - he's a real heartthrob to tons of women (and probably lots of men, too!)!

Well, I'd probably better get back to pretending that I'm doing work, now! ( ) Hope that all is well with all of you! Hi, out there, Angie and Wendy! Have a great day, thanks so much again, and I'll talk to you soon!

 

[jstmee]

All are all my EWP friends doing? It's been a crazy time for us here as always. Everytime I come in here to chat I feel like the earth is about to cave in. My tooth "root canal" beginning of it hasn't gone to well. The abscess came back and even the heavy duty pain killers didn't work. I was in bed for 4 solid days and I'm still not recuperated. This of course all happened on the week that my DH's family was visiting and staying with us from CA, AZ, TX and CT.

My DS didn't have his surgery, the Doctor said he has Duane's Syndrome and that surgery wouldn't accomplish much, so we are waiting and will research more information on that.

My DS's start school again on Wednesday. Way too early for me to even think about and they will be freshman in high school. They start two weeks earlier than my young ones because they get two weeks off for potato harvest in September. That's when we went to WDW last year. My oh my that seems eons ago.

I'm gonna cut this short just wanted to say hey and i'll be back soon again.
Wendy

 

[helenabear]

Hello there everyone! Not much is going on here so I am just popping in to say hi

Wendy, I'm sorry to hear about your tooth problem. That must really be awful to have to be in so much pain like that. And didn't you know it, but things like that always happen at the worst times I hope that you are feeling better by now. I don't know anything about Duane's Syndrome, but I will be keeping your DS in my thoughts and prayers. I can't believe that they are starting back already!!!

Lisa, the tour I am doing is the Hidden Treasures of World Showcase. I preferred doing an Epcot tour first because I have already seen some of the backstage area of MK a while ago but I have never seen anything "backstage" of Epcot so this one should be interesting I will, of course, be glad to tell you all about DISCon and MVMCP and all that when I get back. But I am having fun and things are starting to fall into place for me for this trip Oh also very glad to hear that your 2003 trip isn't in jeopardy anymore either. I'm sure WDW will be better than any silly cruise

Well I hope the rest of you all are doing well! I should be going to a Michigan meet this weekend so I might have a few pictures up late Sat. night or early Sunday to share with everyone... I'll be sure to post a link. Have a great day everyone!!

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

So sorry that I haven't been around lately (again!). I guess that things have been pretty quiet in the Suite, in general - we're all having too much fun out there in the parks and haven't had time to meet up here in awhile!

How are you feeling, now, Wendy? I hope that you've been feeling better since your last post. I can certainly relate. Although I've never had a root canal, I've had just about every other sort of oral procedure that I can think of, and I know how painful the recovery can be, especially if something (like and abcess) hinders it. I hope that you are feeling much better and that it has fully healed by now! Were you able to enjoy your husband's family's visit at all? I hope so!

I hope that all is well with your son. Perhaps his not having to have the surgery is a positive sign? I hope so. I will have to do some research on the internet to learn about Duane's Syndrome - I'm not familiar with it, either. Will certainly keep him and you and your family in my thoughts and prayers.

I can't believe that your DS's are going back to school already! WOW! And is the Potato Harvest a state holiday? I don't think that I've ever heard of it before - does everyone literally harvest potatoes, at that time? Is there a festival of some sort? It's nice when something like that falls in the early fall! And I like potatoes, too!

Did you go to that meet in Michigan, Elaine? If so, did you post any pictures? Please post the link, if you did - you always take such great meet pictures! Is Michigan a very far trip from where you live? I have heard good things about the Hidden Treasures of the World Showcase Tour - you'll have to tell us all about it! I'm curious to hear about all the things that you will see and learn - I'm sure that it will be fun! I just love those backstage (and "onstage") tours!

All has been well, here. I just can't believe that it's already almost the end of August! Where did the summer go? It just flew right by. I feel like because of the unbearable heat and humidity (it's been 95-98 degrees most days for the past month), we haven't really been able to do too many "summer things" this summer, because we just didn't have a desire to be outside! Anyway, we did go to see Hall and Oates in concert, last weekend, which was a lot of fun! Listening to their music really brings back the memories of my high school and college days (and their earlier music reminds me of AM radio in the 1970's!)! They really did a wonderful job - I have seen them many times before - my 2 best friends from high school and I used to see them every time they came to our area. And Todd Rundgren opened for them and he did a great job, too. During the encores, he came back out and sang with them, and he and Hall and Oates all sang eachother's songs together, which was nice!

Now that our "summer concert season" is over, our "fall theater season" will begin! We already have tickets to see this year's Tony Award winning Best Musical, "Thoroughly Modern Millie". We're going to see it for our 3 year "dating anniversary" (which is October 21, but we're actually going to see the show on November 2, which is our 5 month wedding anniversary! ). The neat thing is that the theater in which the show is performed is attached to a really nice hotel, so we are going to stay right in the building and have dinner and drinks after the show! If we really wanted to be extravagant, we would spend the night in the hotel, too.......but we have to be at least somewhat "thrifty"! We're hoping to get tickets to see "Hairspray" and "Mamma Mia" this fall, too - I promised 2 of my friends that I would take each to see one of those shows for their birthdays. These are the sorts of things that I look forward to and that "tide me over" between WDW trips!

Work stinks - 3 more weeks......15 more working days......hope that I make it.......this "lame duck" stuff is getting pretty old.....!

Anyway, hope that all has been well with all of you! Take care and hopefully we'll all meet up for a viewing of the EWP some time soon!

 

[IASW Rider]

Just stopping by to say have a great weekend, Everyone!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

My Suite Friends

I have not forsaken you but am having serious computer problems. The hard drive has to be replaced. Have been on hold with Dell tech support for many hours and to add insult to injury they played "Boy George" the whole time. (grin)

Would you believe that the repairman is bringing my new hard drive in about 30 minutes and I have finally been able to come in the back door and get most of my info off? I are one lucky girl. I figured it would start working once the repairman was on the way, seems to work that way.

Computer problems have been the least of my worries as DD had trouble with her cornea transplant and I had to make an emergency run to Indy the other day. Yeah, can't forget the skunk also. It was a very loooooong day and I will tell you more when I get the chance. I tried to send messages to you all from the library but the DIS did not recognize me from there.

Looking forward to being back among you soon. Will take some time to reinstall all and hope it goes well.

SG/Linda

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

What happened? Did you all take off just cause I was not around to keep an eye on all you youngsters? LOL

In my rush to get all my info off the computer I left off a few things, irritating but not the end of the world as I got the most important things off. Dell service and tech support was great, just wish they had been a bit more careful on the quality of hard drives they had installed in the first place.

Helenabear, I am sorry about not being there the end of November when you are going to be there. That is Tom's favorite time to be there but after the scare a couple of years ago when the weather chased us all the way home I was too chicken to try it. You never know though, things can change. If the weather warrants it we might be able to postpone the trip and are even thinking about staying in the area and doing some checking around while we are there this time. Still going round and round on where we are going to settle in our old age. Since Tom turns 68 Wednesday, we do not have much time to decide. (grin)
I am happy to hear that Luis seems happy at his job. That is a big thing with me as I don't think life is worth living if you are not happy with your job, you just spend too much time there for it to be otherwise. Less money is worth it if you enjoy what you are doing. If you enjoy it, you will do better work and the rewards will follow IMHO. Sounds as if you have been having a lot of fun lately, please keep it up.

Rider, I bet you are breathing a sigh of relief that all this is almost over and you will be able to get on with the rest and best of your life. You and I enjoy so many of the same things, wish we lived closer together. Hairspray is one of my favorite movies. You just know I would enjoy a movie/show where the fat girl gets the guy!! Hall and Oates are still together? Johnny Rivers will be here this month, he is more my generation. I am so looking forward to Chubby Checker and some of the other acts at DW in November. Such a great time to go as so many of our favorite activities will be taking place then. Am rethinking the Soap thing as it might be a lot easier to get into the rides and shows while everyone else st ands in line to see Marlena and gang. LOL

Jstmee, I did some checking on your son's condition and was relieved to see that it does not have to be too awfully serious, of course when 'anything' happens to our loved ones it is always important. I am a sick individual in that I would rather have a root canal than have my teeth cleaned. They have to medicate me and do the cleaning in 2 appointments as it drives me up the wall. Was your company the helping kind or did it add to your discomfort? I hope you are feeling much better now. Still dreaming of Fairhope.

I am off to the library. This will be my first day this school year. I have found someone else to help this year and I will be training her. I have a feeling she will go on to the Foster Grandparents program but is a bit shy so she will need some easing in. I sure missed the kids this summer, although I ran into a few of them.

Take care my Suite friends and I will check in and see what you are up to later. I am going on a walking tour of the EPCOT resorts tonight to walk off a couple of pounds before weigh in tomorrow.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

I'm here, Linda!

So sorry to hear that your daughter wasn't feeling well - is everything all right? Is she feeling better, now? I hope that everything is OK!

How did everything go at the library? How many days per week will you be working there? I'm sure that you are doing a wonderful job, training the lady who will be assisting you!

Are you and Tom seriously considering looking around Central Florida to possibly move there, when you visit in the fall? I know that you were thinking about that, awhile ago. That would be great! Maybe you could move your entire family down there! It would really be like living in the Suite, year round!

I'm hanging in there - thanks for thinking of me! This will be a full week of work, next week is a short week (Labor Day and I have Friday off for Rosh Hashana), then the following week is my last one. Now I'm beginning to really look forward to having some paid time off! Trying not to obsess about finding another job too soon......

I also liked the movie "Hairspray"! (We did get the tickets to the show, by the way - we're going in December). Ricki Lake actually appeared in a few films where the overweight heroine gets the guy - I like those, too! We're going to have to rent the movie version of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" before we see the show - Frank has seen it before and he really likes it, but I have never seen it!

Anyway, all is well, here. We had a nice weekend. My Aunt came down from Connecticut and my Uncle came down from NYC and we took them both out for their respective birthdays which both fall during the summer. That was nice. We also had dinner with my best friend from high school and her husband and baby son, which was fun. So, things have been pretty quiet, around here!

I've been hearing from my friend who works at WDW very often, lately. He's on special assignment for WDI, now, working with the show lighting in Splash Mountain - it sounds like so much fun! I wish that I could have an interesting and creative job like that. The problem is.......I have no talent or experience!

Hope that all is well with you and your family, Linda!

And hope that all is well with all of you, out there, Elaine, Luis, Angie, Wendy, and Dan!

Have a nice evening!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Lisa

You have plenty of talent and frankly that is a lot more important than experience cause I know lots of people who have experience and no talent and it is not a pretty sight. LOL

Just because you might not have the ability or interest to do what your Disney Friend does would not preclude getting a WDW job. I bet they need lots of financial wizards to keep the empire a goin'. Gotta have bucks to keep the magic a comin'. You would not want to move so far away from your loving and close family though. I am hunting for a place where it might entice my husband off the couch and into the world and away from me for at least a few hours a week and a place where we can stay self sufficient as it becomes more and more apparant that we cannot depend on the 'kindness' of our children. Is sad, but better to find out now than when we are in deep doo doo.

Thank you so much for your concern about Jackie. She is fine now. She called me at the library and told me that she had been having trouble with her eye and her doctor wanted her up in Indy immediately. Is a 150 mile round trip and for someone who is not a big city driver, a bit scary. Got her up there just fine and back. Cornea transplants are super safe cause there are no blood vessels involved so you don't have much chance of rejection. Her eyes have been healing faster than usual and the stitches have been coming loose and have been taken out sooner also. A stitch had come loose and irritated her eye, causing a bit of infection so one of her blood vessels went up to check things out and when it came in contact with the donor tissue got a bit alarmed and started to reject it. Thank heavens she called as I was supposed to have taken her to her regular appointment on Thursday and I am so glad that she did not decide to tough it out. Sure put my broken computer into perspective.

Are you going to take a bit of a break after next week? Do the homemaker routine? That will get tired real quick and you will be ready to go back into the job market fast. LOL


Did not make much headway at the library today as I spent a lot of time training the other lady. Do not think she will stick with it but go on to bigger and better things but am trying to introduce her to the system slowly so she will not run off on us. She is a retired teacher and her husband is a retired minister and are new to town. Seem really nice.

I need to get a few things done around here now. The scales have moved some today and I am hoping and praying that they do not go back up before weigh in tomorrow. Have had 4 straight weeks of losses and do not want to break the pattern. Have been going around buying up cheap clothes in smaller sizes at the clearance sales for future wear. I hang one slightly smaller size on the rack inside the closet and try it on from time to time until it fits. Have 2 massive boxes of too big clothes put away. I got rid of my fat clothes once and will neve do that again, is far too hard and too expensive to replace larger sizes.

Got my walking shoes on, who is up for a jaunt around the lagoon with short stops for a bit of (healthy) food along the way. I am ending up at Boardwalk for a night of singing at Jelly Rolls. Come on ladies!

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[helenabear]

Hi there everyone! I hope you all are doing well. I have the most pathetic excuse for not posting. I wanted to make sure that I could post with the link to the pics that I took while I was up in Michigan but I forgot to save the link. Well every time had the time to sit down and post, I was unable to search for the link. So today I got smart and searched and copied whether I was ready or not So here are the links to my pictures from the Michigan Meet and Dan’s Pics too (hopefully he doesn’t mind that I am posting them) The meet was a lot of fun and it wasn’t a bad drive at all. I am planning on going to Chicago again in October too for another meet they have planned. I will be driving and staying a few nights so I can see a few friends.

SG, I am sorry that you had computer trouble. I had that not too long ago and it wasn’t all that much fun to try to deal with. Glad you have it fixed though. Also glad to know that your daughter is okay after the emergency run to Indy. Well if you can be there at all when I am there in December that would be nice, but completely understandable. Are you seriously looking to retire there or you dreaming a little like I do

Lisa, I hope you can hang in there through the end. This is just the ending of one chapter and the beginning of another. Good things happen when you least expect it and I do hope that this will lead to something very good for the both of you. Enjoy that paid time off… it is a real luxury that not all of us get to experience. You will have plenty of time to find a job and I am sure you will find a perfect one for you!

I am sure the rest of everyone else is very busy getting kids and all ready for school. I hope the rest of your are doing well.

I guess I am not too chatty as my life isn’t too terribly exciting. I think I am also conserving energy for the weekend as my brother and a bunch of family will be in town this weekend and I have a wedding to go to on Sunday. So if you don’t hear from me, at least you know what I am doing.

Have a great day everyone!

 

[IASW Rider]

Hello!

How are you all doing, today?

Glad to hear that your DD is feeling a little better, Linda! I didn't realize that she still had stitches in - how long will they have to stay in? I hope that it won't be much longer and that she doesn't have any more scares or periods of discomfort!

I'm sure that you had a great weigh in, too! 4 weeks of losses - that is wonderful! That's sure more than I can say for myself. I had been stuck on a plateau for weeks and weeks.....then lost a few pounds last week.....then this week, nothing. UGH. It's so frustrating. I've recently changed my exercise routines around a bit, in an effort to "jump start" again, so maybe my body is just getting used to that. I haven't changed the way that I'm eating at all.......I'm trying not to get discouraged (I get easily discouraged by things, lately! Very sad.). I feel like I'm getting smaller / fitter, anyway. When I stop working, I will also put my larger clothes away, and maybe give a few away. I agree, though - I won't get rid of all of them. I got rid of most of my clothes in smaller sizes before Frank moved in.....and now I wish that I still had some of them! I have very few to no winter clothes that will fit me this year, and I am rotating between just a few outfits to "ride out" the rest of my working time - I only have a few summer outfits that sort of fit, too! I can't wait till I can spend every day in shorts.....just 2 more weeks. Anyway, that's a smart idea, to buy inexpensive clothes in smaller sizes and keep trying them on to see if they fit (I'm sure that yours already do!). Maybe I will try that, too.

Now that you have begun training the new lady at the library, I'm sure that you will have some more productive time, there. And this year, you will have some help and some company, which should be nice! Are you going in several times a week? Have your DGS's started school yet?

You'll have to let us know how your home research for Central Florida goes - maybe you'll inspire all of us to move there!

If I was in a position to actually seriously move down there, and I was to apply for a job at WDW, I would have to work in the parks - I don't think that I could be confined to an office, there!

It's funny - now that he's doing this special project for WDI in Splash Mountain, my friend Mike is harrassing me about riding it and badgering me about never having done so, and saying that if I don't experience the best of what Disney has to offer (Splash, Alien Encounter, and HISTA......he knows not to push ToT or R'n'R on me!) that my Disney fan "card" will be "revoked"! Hmmph!! Anyway, that all hearkens back to your encouraging me to ride Splash, last year, Elaine.......of course I was too chicken to do so when I was actually there in June......but maybe I will get up the nerve to do it next year. Mike said he'd even ride with us if that's what it took to get me on there. I don't know.......I'm getting all anxious about it, and our trip is still 9 months away!

The pictures from the meets are great, Elaine! Thanks for posting the links! It's so nice that you are able to go to so many meets, and that there are so many held in your general vecinity! I really have to fly out there for one, one of these days - they look like so much fun!

Whose wedding will you be attending, this weekend? That's nice that your brother will be coming in for it. I was actually in his neck of the woods, last week. Unfortunately, it was for a sad reason - the mother of my best friend from elementary school passed away, and the synagogue and cemetary at which the funeral were held are in Lawrenceville. Anyway, back to happier topics! I'm sure that you will have fun seeing your family and at the wedding! How are your sister's plans coming along, by the way?

Well, I'm hanging in there. Work is particularly torturous now because not only do I still have to watch the entire room full of people parade past my desk and into the nearby conference room for the "new business model" training several times a day (right now, I'm literally the only person sitting out here on the floor. It IS kinda peaceful, though! ) but I also have very little work to do, so the days just drag. I find myself fighting to keep from falling asleep at my desk, sometimes. Just 11 more work days...... I am looking forward to having the time off and to being a homemaker for awhile. I'm planning to sit down and really read the neat Disney cookbook that we got in June and try some of the recipes from some of the restaurants. And I'm also planning to try a bunch of the recipes that you sent me, Linda.

I can't believe that it's almost Labor Day, already! Where did the summer go???

Hi, out there, Angie, Wendy, Luis, and Dan!

Hope that all is well with all of you! Have a nice day!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Helenabear, boring can be a very good thing. In my experience most things that are not boring are usually troublesome. Besides your life sounds like anything but boring but full of friends and family and love. Thank you so much for taking the time and trouble to post the pictures. I always enjoy looking at them.

I have had some trouble getting into here. I installed a pop up killer and finally figured out that it was killing my clickable links. I wish I could find the one I used to have. It had a lightening icon on the tray and made the most satisfying sound when it 'killed' something. If anyone knows where I could find it I would appreciate the information.

Dear Lisa, I fear I am just dreaming about moving to Florida. My mind is going round and round trying to decide on the next course of our lives. Tom turned 68 today and I am getting more and more concerned as we cannot continue to live in this big old house. Access is far too hard if one or both of us become incapacitated and it is just too much for me to keep up with anymore. I would prefer to live here near our family but since I seem to be the only one who is truly interested in being a family it saddens me very much. I have friends around here who are more family to us. Much pressure is being brought my my bil's to move to their area and there is much to be said for that as I could depend on them to drive us to doctors and such if need be. If I move to a town where I can get cab and bus service it would work also. What town though? The stress and strain of selling, buying and moving all this 'stuff' is awesome and it is all on me and if I make the wrong decision it will all be on me also. What I would do if it were only me is one thing but I must do what is good for Tom also. Am seriously considering moving to the bigger town up the road on the other side where it would be closer to Tom's family but not tooooo close, if you know what I mean. Living in town would mean that Tom might be more apt to get out and about rather than laying around watching tv and sleeping all the time. Then you have to worry about neighbors. We are very secluded here with no neighbor problems and there is hardly any crime here. Round and round she goes and where she moves no body knows.


Why don't you take one of the easier rides to start with and work your way up? I don't do any rides that require restraints so I should not be giving advice on this area. LOL

My scale showed that I had lost over 2 pounds last week and I was shocked when the TOPS scales showed a 4 pound loss. 7.25 for the month making me the biggest loser for the second month in a row. I are proud of myself.

It is so much fun trying to decide what size you might be wearing the next season. I have been buying basic and classic styles since they could be worn about any time of the year and will go with most everything. When I get little enough I might be able to find things at yardsales. The only way I know I am losing is when I can fit into another size. Had my first asthma attack in ages yesterday, was a bit scary but I had my meds with me so I made it through it. I have cut way back on them since losing weight. Muscle weighs more than fat so all that exercise is toning you up. You look great. You did before too.

Jstmee, Angelina, Dan hope you are all enjoying life and looking forward to hearing from you again soon.

Off to the library and getting some more great hugs, I give a few also. One of the joys of being a woman!!!

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi!

Just wanted to stop in and wish you all a very nice Labor Day weekend!

Belated Happy Birthday to Tom!! We'll have to have a belated party for him, in the Suite. I'll send Bo over to find out what he likes, so that the Suite Men can make a special dinner tonight, OK Linda?

I certainly understand your concerns about moving, where to live, etc. Linda. There are so many things to consider, for yourself and Tom and the rest of your family. Plus, I'm sure that the actual move will be a big job, and an emotional time, as well. But it's good that you're taking time to think about it now and consider all of the options before you actually begin to prepare to move. I'm sure that you will make the right decision for yourselves and will wind up finding a new home that is comfortable and convenient and in a place that you'll enjoy!

Congratulations on that 4 pound loss!!! WOW!!!! You're my hero! Can you throw some of that weight loss magic, this way, please?? Maybe it will help me jump off of this stupid plateau! That is wonderful, though! And it's so great that your asthma hasn't been affecting you as much, since losing so much weight - that is fantastic!

Thank you for your thoughtful words, as always!

Well, Human Resources called me this morning to schedule my "exit interview" for next week. At that time, I'll also receive the details of my severence package, as well as a release form that I have to sign in order to get the package (I assume that the form will be some standard "I will not sue..." form, but I'm having one of my lawyer friends look at it before I sign it, anyway). I'm just wondering how honest to be in that exit interview.....I would love to tell H.R. about how poorly I've been treated, over the past 6 months, and that I think that their process of this reorganization STINKS. BUT, H.R. is as corrupt as any other area, and I worry that if I am too honest, it might somehow have negative repercussions (ie: I might somehow get "blackballed" and that might affect my possibly getting another job in a different area of the company). I'm thinking about being "partially honest", letting them know that I feel that I've been treated unfairly, but not going into it in too much detail or getting too emotional about it (I find it very hard not to get defensive and angry, in such situations). *SIGH*. Well, at least it will all be over, soon! (And then you all won't have to listen to me whine about it any more! )

Anyway, we're looking forward to having a nice, long weekend! Even though it's supposed to rain all weekend, it will just be nice to have a few days off! We have a BBQ to attend on Sunday, and we're hoping to catch a movie or 2, too. We're in the process of renting all of the Oscar nominees (better late than never!), and we've already seen "A Beautiful Mind", "Monsters Ball", "In the Bedroom", "Moulin Rouge", and "Bridget Jones' Diary". We still need to see "Gosford Park", "Sexy Beast", and Denzel Washington's film, whose title I can't remember right now! There are also a few things that we'd like to see, that are out in the theaters now.

Well, have a great weekend, Everyone, and I'll see you all soon!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Lisa

Please feel free to send some of that extra rain this way, we are in desperate need of it.

I think you are right on the money in your attitude about your exit interview. You would not want to burn bridges that you may need again some day. A certain amount of truth might help them decide how to handle others someday but there is always the chance that after you are gone they will realize they have made a mistake and you would not want them to feel that they could not come to ask you back as well as they are the people who will be giving you references for new jobs. A lawyer is a good idea, before signing anything let alone something this important.

We just finished watching "A Beautiful Mind" and have seen several of the others on your list as well. I liked "Bridget Jones" a lot.

I think the 4 pound loss was just an accumulation from the other weeks when I just lost a little. A clog in the pipe let go and the weight went down the drain. Wish I could have that happen more often but as long as the line on my chart keeps reading blue I will be happy. After you weigh in at TOPS there is a chart where you record whether you had a gain (red) or a loss (blue). I don't enjoy eating out very much anymore as there is not much but salads that I can have comfortably.

Tom had a very good birthday, I think. I got him a DVD player and since watching tv is his most very favorite thing in the world to do, it was the best present I could think of. Don't think that Bo would entertain him much as he is much more of a woman type guy. LOL I will send you best wishes to him, he will be impressed as I have told him a bit about you.

The boys are enjoying school. especially the little one. He is so proud of being so very grownup. He is eating breakfast at home and DD just found out that he is eating at school also. The child is an eating machine!

Did I tell you all that I managed to get my Ddil to contact her grandmother? The grandmother was operated on yesterday morning and I am waiting to hear how it came out. I hope that the grandkids are taken up for her to see. It has to have hurt her far more than even me.

Having a club meeting her next week and then a big town do with an open house here for the whole weekend and some siblings are coming to visit so I have to get into housecleaning a bit more.

The library is in worse shape this year than last. The lady in charge has decided not to work any extra hours. I found out that she is only paid $6,000 a year!!!! Can you believe that? Figured out it comes to a bit over $4 an hour. Amazing what schools do NOT put a priority on. Without books and reading the other subjects are in jeopardy as well IMHO. Some of the kids from last year have come in to see me and I have found another volunteer that I am training so she can come in on the days I am not there so things will not back up so much.

Sure glad you have faith that I will make a good decision about where to live cause I am not so very sure.

Better get a bit of work done around here before all the company starts arriving, will take me a good week to make some real headway. (grin)

Slightly Goofy/Linda

 

[helenabear]

Hi there everyone!!! I had a kind of busy weekend, but I had some time to stop in now and say hi to you all!

The wedding we went to yesterday was wonderful! It was for a friend of both my brother and I. We had about 100 miles to drive to go to it, but it wasn’t bad at all. The wedding was beautiful in general and it was a beautiful blend of Catholic & Jewish all in one ceremony. Both are very much into their own faith so there was a priest and a rabbi there presiding and they blended everything ever so beautifully. Most of her family lives in Israel but a good portion were able to make it all the same. They had wonderful food and a great band too. They won’t have time to take a honeymoon this year, as she is in school, but they hope to be able to go somewhere next year when she has finished.

I also spent some good time with my brother this weekend and he told us that he will be back in two weeks for his high school reunion So I will be happy to see him again.

SG, I am so very glad to hear of your weight loss!!! You are doing wonderful and you should be proud of your achievement!! I am glad to hear that Tom had a wonderful birthday as well (Happy Belated Birthday to him!!) and I think his present is a wonderful one. We love DVDs and hardly ever watch tapes anymore. I hope things look up for you at the library. That sounds like some people are greatly under appreciated there!

Lisa, all I can do is give you a big {{{HUG}}} I wish I knew what to say to you. I think you should be fairly honest with them and say that your treatment there was not very good… but also remember to speak of the good times you had there as well. I do wish you luck in your future search but I know something wonderful will come up for you!!! As I said before, enjoy the time off. And remember to smile on the 13th… after all it will be Luis’ birthday that day too and a reason to celebrate Okay, yes I’m trying to find the good in that day for you

I do hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and that both Wendy & Angie stop on in soon! Take care everyone