EWP group?

[angelina]

Hi, everyone, I just wanted to check in and wish everyone a good weekend. I just finished a bowl of Le Cellier Cheese soup, wishing that I had some pretzel breadsticks to go with it.

We're expecting a cold weekend here, with some areas under a freeze warning for tonight. My husband and son went "to the woods" for opening day of hunting season, and my middle daughter is at a sleep over, so that leaves me and the tiny terror all alone tonight. I'm hoping to go to bed EARLY tonight!!! This morning she decided to help herself to a slice of cheese, and cut her finger deeply. It probably needed a couple of stitches, but it's in a hard spot to close, and I would prefer not to put her through that torment again. Hopefully it will close on its own with no more problems, but it's not a pretty sight. The things she puts me through, LOL.

Lisa, thanks for the wonderful post cards. I have found a source for some post cards of local interest at the historic home where my mom works, so I will be sending some out to you all soon. I don't know if you have ever heard of the Azalea Trail Maids, which is made up of high school seniors who are elected by their class to participate, but they usually participate in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, and are from Mobile. It is the dream of just about every young girl here to be part of the group. They wear pastel colored antebellus hoop skirts and carry parasols, and wear wide brimmed hats. Anyway, Madame Alexander has a new series of dolls depicting the Maids, and I am giving one to each of my girls for Christmas.

SG, where have you been this week? Are your boys keeping you busy? Elaine, I think you have been spending all of your time planning your upcoming trip, haven't you? My cousin is leaving the day after Thanksgiving for her first trip to WDW since it
opened, and she is so excited. I have been sending her links to Dis threads, and also Mousesavers and WDWIG, so she has spent part of today scanning the menus from around the World.

Tomorrow is the Iron Bowl, (the Alabama/Auburn game) and life will stop around here for 3 and a half hours. Today, people all over were wearing either crimson and white, or orange and blue. The school is having a fundraiser Monday where the kids can purchase a ticket for their favorite team and wear their colors
Monday for an out-of-uniform day. They all buy a ticket for BOTH teams, thereby assuring an out-of-uniform day no matter who wins.

I'm going to put on my fuzzy pj's and get ready for bed. I hope everyone is having a wonderful evening, take care of yourselves!

Angie

 

[angelina]

Lisa, please explain what the WDW water drinker's society is.

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Angie!

OK - so (please forgive my ignorance) which colors correspond with the team that we're rooting for, tomorrow?? I need to know what colors I should be wearing, to "support them from afar"! That's so nice that all the school children get into the spirit and have out of uniform days, too!

I will keep my eyes open for the Azalea Trail Maids in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, this year! As you described them, I know that I've seen them before, but I didn't know that they were all high school seniors who were specially selected to participate! And it's so neat that Madame Alexander has dedicated a series of dolls to the group! Do your girls collect Madame Alexander dolls? I sure used to! I wish that I had room to display them (and both mine and Frank's teddy bear collections and my collection of smiley face memorabilia!) in our house, but I don't. So they are safely at my parents' house, individually wrapped up and stored. My parents even bought a few Disney character Madame Alexander dolls for me during my childhood trips to WDW (I think in one of the gift shops at the Contemporary, in fact)!

How is your little one's finger feeling?? I hope that it heals quickly and does not wind up requiring stitches!

Which hunting season just began, down there? I don't know very much about the sport - except that my step-father-in-law and step-brothers-in-law go down to their home state of West Virginia to hunt and fish on a fairly regular basis (much to the annoyance of my mother-in-law, who winds up spending many holiday weekends - such as Thanksgiving - without her husband, as a result!)

It's very cold and windy, here, too - I've been wearing my fuzzy pajamas for the past month! UGH - I guess that winter is officially on its way........

About the WDW Water Drinkers' Society......about 6 months ago, someone had begun a thread on the Community Board, seriously asking if the water in IASW was safe to drink (?!?!) She said that she had a friend who always wanted to drink the water in IASW, for some reason, and actually scooped some up and drank it, on their last ride. After a bunch of people replied "what is she - crazy??!!", some others replied with things like "personally, I prefer the fruitier and more refined taste of the water in the Jungle Cruise" or "I enjoy a good bottle of vintage 1971 water from the Seven Seas Lagoon"......I chimed in with something like "I don't drink IASW - I just ride it".....and so, somehow, the "Walt Disney World Water Drinkers' Society" was born. I was "appointed" 'Vice President of International Relations' by one of the active thread participants, due to my allegiance to IASW and all of the cultures represented there......and several related, long threads ensued (......"I enjoy the smooth flavor of a margarita made with water from El Rio Del Tiempo"........"I use my retractable straw to drink the water of the Fantasmic mist fountains".......and the like). Very silly, I know, but very amusing seeing as how the jokes were based on a thread that began with a serious question! There is still an active thread out there, which I have unfortunately been too lazy to follow or participate in.....so I guess I'm not a very good "VP".....the only threads which I actively participate in are our wonderful Suite and the "All My Children" fans thread on the Community Board.

Anyway.......so how have all of your weekends been, so far?

We spent today with my parents, for an early Chanukah celebration, since Frank will be down at his Mom's for Thanksgiving weekend and will miss celebrating the first night of Chanukah with us. It was very nice - even though my parents are still depressed and nervous wrecks about their cat (whom I totally spoiled, today, by feeding her real shrimp and fish!). But I think that we really cheered them up and gave them something else to think about, which was good. And my mother and I have been getting along well, lately, which is good. I'm hoping that my Uncle and I will be able to continue to cheer them up and distract them on Thanksgiving and the first nights of Chanukah, and give them something to look forward to, in between. But it was a pleasant day, and I'm glad that we could be there to give them a few laughs - they've needed that more than ever, recently.

We, too, were experiencing some WDW cuisine today, Angie - in the form of Kona coffee from the Poly's Kona Cafe, at my parents' house! We brought a ton of it back for them, over the past 2 years. We have some, too.....but I always insist that we use it sparingly - only when we have company or on special occasions! We'll have to be sure to buy lots more, next year!

Tomorrow, we're having lunch with 2 of Frank's best friends from high school and college and their families, which should be fun.

Thanks again for all of the great recipes, Linda!

Hope that you're having fun, counting down to DIS CON, Elaine!

And hope that all is well with you, up there, Wendy! We miss you and we're thinking of you!

And great to hear from you, again, Angie!

Hope that you're all having a great weekend! See you all, back in the Suite, soon!

 

[helenabear]

Hi there everyone! I hope you all are having a great weekend!

Lisa, don't worry about it, you didn't do anything to make me think one way or the other about ToD. I have heard both and even though I haven't seen either yet, I already know that ToN is my favorite. THey did butcher a lot for ToD and that made me so sad to hear it all.

Angie, our world stopped around here for a few hours yesterday as well. We had the Ohio State vs U of Michigan game going on. If Ohio State won, we'd be Big 10 Champs and go on to try to "win it all" at the Fiesta Bowl... if we lost... well.... it doesn't matter because we beat Michigan and now are going to try for it all!!! Truly amazing! A completely perfect record of 13-0 going into the bowl game... THE bowl game too

Hunting season is also big around here. I know many who will go to the next counties over and take a week off of work just to go hunting. No one in my family does it, but many friends do.

I am busy planning. I will have to post my entire schedule and let you all know exactly what I am doing. One thing I am not sure I have planned in is the EWP... I'll have to see if I can find a good time to throw it in Actually I'll post it now so you all can see when you think I could throw it in.

Sunday: Arrive just about noon; head over to MK; meet up with a couple of DISers for a while; go to Epcot to meet with a different group for ToD & Illuminations
Monday: Resort tour with a couple of DISers; water mice; dinner at Marrakesh before Candelight Processional
Tuesday: World Showcase tour; Magic Kingdom; Chef Mickey's; MVMCP
Wednesday: Downtown Disney shopping; Spaceship Earth meet with DISers; Rose and Crown meet with DISers; Jellyrolls to watch the deuling pianos
Thursday: MGM; parade meet with DISers; 50's Prime Time meet w/ DISers; Fantasmic & Osborne Lights; mabye watch some DISers do some Karaoke
Friday: MK for two DIS meets (mabye); MGM to meet a few more DISers; Epcot to meet up with another group of DISers
Saturday: Animal Kingdom (meeting with more DISers); MK for Spectromagic & Fantasy in the Sky
Sunday: Breakfast @ Hollywood & Vine with a small group; Epcot or MK; flight home

I was thinking of trying to get EWP in the last night but Fantasy in the Sky is at 8 pm and I dont' want to have to rush out of there to see it. I'll try to think of something

 

[IASW Rider]

Oh no! You'll HAVE TO find time to see the EWP, at least once, Elaine!!! You know, you CAN see Fantasy in the Sky from the other side of the Seven Seas Lagoon.......! I know - I'm only kidding - I know that there would be no way for you to get to the other side of the Lagoon after seeing SpectroMagic, that quickly! Well, the night that we saw SpectroMagic, when we exited the park and were walking to the monorail station, the EWP just happened to be floating by and testing its lights, with no music, so maybe you will be able to see it in a similar situation! Your schedule sounds great, though - it sounds like you have tons of things planned to do! I hope that you'll have some "down time" to rest and relax, in there, too, though! You are going to have a great time! And it sounds like you will be able to get to meet lots of interesting DIS friends, too!

Not too much to report, today. Frank is actually off from work for the rest of the week. I didn't realize that he was going to be off all week and wound up making a ton of appointments. Unfortunately, I have so many appointments (various doctors, getting my highlights touched up, etc.), that I won't be able to spend as much time with him as I would like, before he leaves for his mother's tomorrow. Then again, I think that he is going to finish up his family's Christmas shopping today, anyway. I'm all ready to go, with Chanukah - we already gave my parents their gift, and everything else is wrapped and ready to go - that's such a nice feeling! Frank and I will get ourselves something for the house and call it our gift to eachother......but we haven't decided what that will be, yet. I do want to pick up an additional gift for him, to give to him on the actual day, but I'm not sure what I'll get for him, yet!

Well, my ENT specialist said that there is absolutely nothing "wrong" with me that could be causing the vertigo.....he claims that it's probably the weird weather that we've been having, this fall, and the bad allergy season, and that the "dizzy spells" will go away on their own. I sincerely hope that he's right! I'm really beginning to think that the vertigo, along with my back / neck / arm pain are all psychologically / emotionally generated because I'm avoiding thinking about unpleasant things in my life (career, my parents' and their cat's health, etc.). I've been reading a book by a doctor who's on the faculty of the NYU School of Medicine, who has done many studies and years of research proving that back pain (and many other types of illnesses) is most often brought on by people who are repressing feelings that they feel are too "scary" to consciously think about.....sounds like me......

Anyway, I wish that I had something interesting to report! Hope that all is well with all of you, and that you're having a nice week! Talk to you soon!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

As usual I am behind all of you guys. So much going on with you all. I am doing my usual imperfect perfection routine. Trying to do too much and doing nothing well.

Lisa, if the doctor's are right (who knows) you might be suffering from stress which would cause back problems etc. IMHO. Have lived through the same myself. You have had a very stressful year even with the good things (wedding etc.) but the life change of not going to work everyday, acclimating to living with with someone else (even as wonderful as Frank) and your mother and father's medical problems would be enough to send anyone into a tailspin. Talking to a good friend or even a therapist would not be a bad idea. You need to stop beating yourself up for not being perfect and able to cure everyone's problems. I have noticed, as have others in this group, that you are such a giving person and maybe you need to be as kind to yourself.

Tom and I have always given a gift to the house each year also. We are such homebodies that buying things for the house makes a lot of sense. I am considering buying 2 new vcr's this year so I can dub my home movies. Maybe one of those vcr's specially made for that would be great as I tire of trying to get it all set up just right.

I bet the time you accidentally watched EWP is one of your favorite memories. Just like a special gift when you have those moments.

Elaine, if I had known that Ohio was playing Michigan I would have watched that one. Is the only contest that interests me for some reason. I was so sorry to hear of the violence in the wake of the victory though. So much property and lives are ruined. A moment of insanity that many young people will have to pay for for the rest of their lives in one way or another. Boggles my mind as I cannot understand that kind of behavior and is especially sad for me to see it happen in my home state.

Angelina, I have read and seen tv shows on the Azalia Trail Maids and they are beautiful. There was a big article on them in one of the papers you sent in the Mardi Gras box. I hope your daughters finger is healing well. It is a hard thing to be a parent and have to make all these decisions about what to do and when. I would probably let a finger heal on its own also as chances are the scar will not be noticeable in an area with so many nooks and crannies and there is not really anything that they can do at the doctor's office anyway. Did your fellers get anything on their hunting trip?

I was the biggest loser for the month at TOPS but is not saying much as most of them do not really work hard at losing weight. I lost 7 more pounds last month. I am happy about it though as it is the right direction and I am in this for the long haul. Glad you like the recipes Rider.

I am taking Tom down to his brother's for Thanksgiving Day and then he will be back here for our celebration on Friday. My brother and his son will be joining us along with our daughter and her family. Taking the boys to see Harry Potter this weekend, I hope.

Wishing you all a wonderful and family filled Thanksgiving with just the right amount of leftovers. LOL

{{{{{GBNSFH}}}}}} SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Linda! CONGRATULATIONS, yet again!!! Another wonderful accomplishment, being the "Top TOPS Loser", last month!! That is fantastic! You are an inspiration to all of us! And that's so nice that you will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tom's family and with both of your immediate family and your family! A whole weekend of celebrations!

Thanks for thinking of me - you are so sweet! Yes, all of these silly ailments are probably the results of months of pent up stress manifesting themselves. It's very interesting how the body responds to or tries to compensate for emotional / psychological feelings - weight gain (and loss! ) included. A few years ago, I participated in a group program with my therapist, dealing with the emotional causes of weight gain. There was a book associated with the program, which explained all of this and explained how to look within oneself to really feel the feelings there, and how that ultimately can balance a person so that she will be able to lose weight (I am really generalizing, here - there is a lot more, but that is the "main theme"). The principles of that program are actually some of the elements which have caused me to be as successful as I have been, in terms of losing weight recently. I'm beginning to see that those principles also apply to one's health, in general - not just weight loss. For example, ever since I acknowledged that the source of my back pain (and perhaps dizziness) is emotionally fueled.....I haven't been in pain at all.....not even while exercising or sleeping! Very interesting. Anyway, thank you for your kind thoughts! And by the way, we borrowed my sister-in-law's VCR to make extra copies of our wedding video over the summer.....and kinda never gave it back.....so if you would like to have any of your home movies or videos copied, and wouldn't mind sending them to me, I would be happy to copy them for you until you select your additional VCR or "double deck" VCR!

Guess what? Frank and I got tickets to see a taping of "The Caroline Rhea Show" in 2 weeks! We are very excited! I've seen a few television shows taped before (believe it or not, I saw a taping of "The Merv Griffin Show" at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in 1978 and believe it or not I actually saw one of the few "The Chevy Chase Show" talk shows taped in Los Angeles, too, before he was almost immediately cancelled! I also saw 2 "Politically Incorrect"s taped, in NYC!), but Frank never has, so he's looking forward to the experience. I am "addicted" to Caroline's show, for some reason. First of all, I am always up late, and unfortunately, her show is broadcast in the NY area at 12:30 AM every night, so I'm always up to see it. But mostly I think it's because she had such "big shoes to fill" when Rosie appointed her "successor" to her show, and it was obvious that she was intimidated and uncomfortable in the beginning, so I've been "rooting for her" ever since! It's nice to see how her interviewing style has improved and how she's become more confident and gained a fan following, over the months. And her show is just very cute, so I enjoy watching! It was actually Frank's idea to try to get tickets - he knows how much I love the show and how I'm rooting for Caroline to do a good job, so he suggested that we try to go and root for her from the studio audience! So please look out for us on TV on December 12 - I will do my best to try to weasel my way in to one of her audience participation games!

Anyway......wishing all of you and your families a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving, my sweet Suite friends! Have a great day and enjoy! Love ya! Talk to you all, soon!

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Linda! CONGRATULATIONS, yet again!!! Another wonderful accomplishment, being the "Top TOPS Loser", last month!! That is fantastic! You are an inspiration to all of us! And that's so nice that you will be able to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tom's family and with both of your immediate family and your family! A whole weekend of celebrations!

Thanks for thinking of me - you are so sweet! Yes, all of these silly ailments are probably the results of months of pent up stress manifesting themselves. It's very interesting how the body responds to or tries to compensate for emotional / psychological feelings - weight gain (and loss! ) included. A few years ago, I participated in a group program with my therapist, dealing with the emotional causes of weight gain. There was a book associated with the program, which explained all of this and explained how to look within oneself to really feel the feelings there, and how that ultimately can balance a person so that she will be able to lose weight (I am really generalizing, here - there is a lot more, but that is the "main theme"). The principles of that program are actually some of the elements which have caused me to be as successful as I have been, in terms of losing weight recently. I'm beginning to see that those principles also apply to one's health, in general - not just weight loss. For example, ever since I acknowledged that the source of my back pain (and perhaps dizziness) is emotionally fueled.....I haven't been in pain at all.....not even while exercising or sleeping! Very interesting. Anyway, thank you for your kind thoughts! And by the way, we borrowed my sister-in-law's VCR to make extra copies of our wedding video over the summer.....and kinda never gave it back.....so if you would like to have any of your home movies or videos copied, and wouldn't mind sending them to me, I would be happy to copy them for you until you select your additional VCR or "double deck" VCR!

Guess what? Frank and I got tickets to see a taping of "The Caroline Rhea Show" in 2 weeks! We are very excited! I've seen a few television shows taped before (believe it or not, I saw a taping of "The Merv Griffin Show" at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas in 1978 and believe it or not I actually saw one of the few "The Chevy Chase Show" talk shows taped in Los Angeles, too, before he was almost immediately cancelled! I also saw 2 "Politically Incorrect"s taped, in NYC!), but Frank never has, so he's looking forward to the experience. I am "addicted" to Caroline's show, for some reason. First of all, I am always up late, and unfortunately, her show is broadcast in the NY area at 12:30 AM every night, so I'm always up to see it. But mostly I think it's because she had such "big shoes to fill" when Rosie appointed her "successor" to her show, and it was obvious that she was intimidated and uncomfortable in the beginning, so I've been "rooting for her" ever since! It's nice to see how her interviewing style has improved and how she's become more confident and gained a fan following, over the months. And her show is just very cute, so I enjoy watching! It was actually Frank's idea to try to get tickets - he knows how much I love the show and how I'm rooting for Caroline to do a good job, so he suggested that we try to go and root for her from the studio audience! So please look out for us on TV on December 12 - I will do my best to try to weasel my way in to one of her audience participation games!

Anyway......wishing all of you and your families a wonderful and joyous Thanksgiving, my sweet Suite friends! Have a great day and enjoy! Love ya! Talk to you all, soon!

 

[IASW Rider]

Hello!

Hope that you all had a very happy holiday! Ours was nice - I think that my parents enjoyed it. And we exchanged Chanukah gifts with my uncle, too. It was a quiet day, but I think that my family enjoyed it. I miss Frank, though! I've spoken to him several times a day, since he's been down at his mother's house, and he's having a nice time. I think that they are going to put up their mother's Christmas tree, today, and visit some relatives. My sister-in-law (who is also down there, with Frank) called my parents to wish them a happy Thanksgiving, which I thought was very nice.

Having a relaxing day, today (though it is FREEZING, here! Brrrrrrr!). Went to the chiropractor, this morning, and will be spending the afternoon with my best friend from high school, her husband, and their baby son. I have absolutely no plans for tomorrow, which is wonderful! I'm looking forward to a day of lazing around the house in my pajamas!

Have a great weekend and talk to you soon!

 

[helenabear]

Hi all! Well this will most likely be the last time I check in with you all before I leave for WDW. I am almost all packed and I am getting more organized with everything. I do have tomorrow to get everything done though so that's a bonus. I will leave before the sun comes up on Sunday and fortunately the weather here so far is just a little windy and cold and my connecting flight is supposedly going to have good weather as well
So now that my flights are checked and I'll check once more late at night on Saturday or early on Sunday morning.

I do have some time scheduled in for EWP. I have it either on the 4th or the 5th so hopefully I will be able to see it at least one of the two nights

Lisa, sorry you are a tad lonely with Frank gone... he'll be home soon though I wouldn't be surprised if your problems are caused by stress. I do hope whatever is causing it though will be fixed/go away soon.

Linda, it was terrible about the fires and all the ruin around here. About 20 cars were burned and 200 fires total were started. Very sad that people do that Congrats on your weight loss too! That is wonderful!!

Well I should get back to packing and all that! Have a great week everyone!

 

[IASW Rider]

BON VOYAGE, ELAINE!!! !!!!

Wishing you an absolutely wonderful and fun time at WDW / DIS CON! Please say "hi" to Dan and Marie and everyone else whom you see there, on behalf of the EWP Suite Mates! And we will have a "virtual EWP watching" with you on the 4th or the 5th and be thinking of you!!

You are going to have such a great time!! Please take lots of pictures (I know that you will! ) and prepare to tell us all about your adventures, upon your return!

Have a wonderful time!!!

And hope that you're having a great weekend, Linda, Angie, and Wendy (we miss you, Wendy!)!

Talk to you all soon!

 

[jstmee]

Hi all,

I can't believe I missed Elaine. She must have sent vibes that said she was leaving for WDW today. How time flys.

I haven't been home to even see my family. I have been working 3 jobs. I now sell credit cards over the phone during the day, work at the hospital at night and I was helping out in the billing area for a few weeks. So, I leave at 7-8 am and get home after 11pm. My dh is holding down the fort. Next week I should be back to one job. But, that's what I thought last week and it didn't happen.

As usually much more excitement in this neck of the woods. my DS got injured on 10/29 and we are afraid he might lose up to three front top permanent teeth. He's doing well in spite of everything. Teeth wired and only soft foods.

That's all for now, all is pretty good up here in the tundra, snow, snow, snow.....

I sure do miss all of you. Hopefully, I'll get time to read up on what you all have been up to.

Take care.
Wendy

 

[jstmee]

Hi all,

I can't believe I missed Elaine. She must have sent vibes that said she was leaving for WDW today. How time flys.

I haven't been home to even see my family. I have been working 3 jobs. I now sell credit cards over the phone during the day, work at the hospital at night and I was helping out in the billing area for a few weeks. So, I leave at 7-8 am and get home after 11pm. My dh is holding down the fort. Next week I should be back to one job. But, that's what I thought last week and it didn't happen.

As usually much more excitement in this neck of the woods. my DS got injured on 10/29 and we are afraid he might lose up to three front top permanent teeth. He's doing well in spite of everything. Teeth wired and only soft foods.

That's all for now, all is pretty good up here in the tundra, snow, snow, snow.....

I sure do miss all of you. Hopefully, I'll get time to read up on what you all have been up to.

Take care.
Wendy

 

[angelina]

Good morning, everyone. I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. Lisa, I hope you are feeling better each day.It's amazing how outside forces can affect the way we feel, isn't it? Linda, congratulations on your amazing accomplishment. I know you are feeling better with each pound that comes off.

Wendy, I hope things are getting better way up there. I've been wondering what you've been up to, keeping busy as usual. How are your son's teeth? We'd love a little of that snow down here! It's been years since we've seen any of the white stuff in these parts!

I hope Elaine is having a great time in WDW! My cousins are there now, staying at the Wilderness lodge. Still can't get excited about planning another trip, maybe in time. Does anyone know why they're not offering the Disney Club after 12/12? I was able to renew my membership yesterday, but was told they're not offering anything in it's place. That's kind of sad, at least you could get a discount at the Disney store and on rooms from time to time.

My son killed his first deer opening day, a 100# buck, but I think his dad was more excited. He took my daughter yesterday, and they saw 2, but didn't shoot at either.

We were all sick over the holiday weekend, so I didn't get much shopping done, but put the steam cleaner to GOOD use, LOL. My stepsister was in town from Tampa, but we only saw them 2 days before we all came down with it. She has a beautiful baby that we were all dying to get our hands on, but it didn't work out quite like we had planned.

Don't have much else to report for now. Have a great day!

Angie

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Elaine

Here is wishing you a safe and magical trip to our favorite place on Earth. I will be sending special thoughts to you while you are gone and especially on the 4th and 5th when you will be watching 'our' parade. I hope that the riots were far away from your home and work. Some creative sentencing would not be amiss I think. I would hate to see some young person's future destroyed because of dumbness but something needs to be done to make others think twice before doing so themselves.

Just realized that Angelina and Rider were hiding in the corner when I came in here. Guys, you gotta eat a cookie or something so I will be able to see you. LOL

Angelina, I take you that your sister did not let you pass her beautiful baby around and inhale some of those 'germs' that you all had? LOL What a shame, a perfectly wonderful baby and you cannot spoil it. Maybe next time?

Jstmee, how you been gal? 3 jobs? OMG!!! Hope you are not trying to do more when you are home in between jobs. How is your hubby doing at holding down the fort? At the very least he will gain much respect for the work you have done for years. I sincerely hope that your DS's beautiful smile stays that way. You guys just don't catch a break (unless it is a broken bone). No wonder we have not heard from you lately. Had been worried that something really awful was going on and am much relieved that it is just overwork although I would wish a more perfect and easy life for you and yours. Sending wishes for few hangups on your phone solicitation job and that you can remember where you are in the script at any given moment. Yes, I have been there myself.

Rider, you are wise beyond your years and have much to share with the rest of us. Realizing is sometimes the hardest thing to do but it does the most for us. Glad you are feeling better.

Very busy here as usual. The boys were here yesterday and after cooking lunch and doing a million other things for and with them I turned to check my emails. Heard a count down behind me 5-4-3-2-1 "We love you grandma". in unison. Gosh, grandkids sure are nice. Wish I had had them first. See what you all have to look forward to. Just remember when your teenager stands looking at you with hatred and scorn - grandchildren are your reward for not killing your children. LOL

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

WENDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So great to hear from you!! It sounds like you have been ridiculously busy, up there! 3 jobs - wow!! More power to you! That is very admirable! Hope that you are hanging in there and that this "crunch" is only temporary. And I'm sure that your DH is doing a great job of holding down the fort at home! I hope that you have some more time to yourself to relax and spend with your family, very soon! So sorry to hear about your DS's injury! Hope that he is feeling much better, soon! Thank God he didn't wind up actually losing those teeth! I'm sure that the wiring will ensure that his teeth and gums heal properly and hopefully he'll be back to his usual self very soon! We haven't had any snow down here, yet (no accumulation, anyway), but they are predicting another storm for this Thursday. In the mean time, it is FREEZING, here - 19 degrees, today, with a wind chill in the single digits. I am not leaving the house, today!

Hi Angie!

So sorry to hear that you were all sick over the holiday weekend! How are you all feeling, now? Even though you weren't feeling well, it's nice that your step sister and her baby were able to come and visit and that you were able to spend some time together! And congratulations to your son on getting his first deer! That sounds like a pretty big one, too! Do your DH and DS clean the deer and carve the meat, themselves (I assume that they bring the deer or at least the meat home so that you can all eat it?)? I've never had venison before, but my step father-in-law is a hunter, so it's a future possibility! As your DS got a buck, does that mean that he gets to keep the antlers? Is your DD a huntress, as well? As for the Disney Club, who knows? I am very upset about their discontinuing it next year, as well. I did what you did - renewed now (early) for 2003. I read on another thread that Disney is replacing the Disney Club with a Disney Visa Card, which will offer "points" for discounts and maybe prizes. I only have one credit card, and I want to keep it that way, so I'm even more frustrated about not being able to take advantage of discounts after next year. I say you take advantage of the Disney Club while it still exists.......and plan another trip to WDW! They do offer some nice discounts on the packages - might as well use them while we can!

Hi Linda!

You have the sweetest grandchildren (DGS's)! I love to hear stories about the cute things that they say to and do for you! The fact that they are so smart and kind obviously has something to do with the fact that they have an exceptional grandma! I'm sure that they are getting excited about the upcoming holidays!

Hi Elaine!

We're all thinking about you, here in the Suite! Come and visit us, if you have a break in your DIS CON schedule! We'll be here! Hope that you are having a wonderful trip! And hope that everyone at DIS CON is having fun - I'm sure that everyone is!

Things are pretty quiet, around here. Frank returned from his Mom's house on Sunday night, and I tried to make a "traditional" (ie: lots of fried food, or "fake fried food" - made with Pam instead of oil!) Chanukah dinner, which was nice (nicer than the dinner that I made last night, where I overcooked Frank's noodles to the point of "inedibility"! ). He was very cute - when he was down at his Mom's, he called on the first 2 nights of Chanukah and told me to look various places in the house, where he had hidden little gifts and cards for me. That was very sweet! My back / neck / arm thing has just about gone away - just a lot of tingling, not too much pain. I'm trying to take it easy and relax and enjoy having time to myself - I think that one of the things contributing to my ailments is probably (in addition to all that other stuff) my feeling guilty about not working but still getting paid (for awhile more, at least!) and not really letting myself relax at all - constantly trying to unneccessarily prove - to Frank, to my parents, to my friends, to myself - that I AM "accomplishing things" even though I don't have "a job". I need to relax and stop putting so much pressure on myself, I think. And my vertigo....has mysteriously gone away! True, it has gotten colder and stayed cold (as my ENT specialist predicted as the time when the vertigo would subside). I don't care why it's gone, I'm just glad that it is!

Wish that I had something more interesting to report! Hope that all is well with all of you! Talk to you soon! Have a nice day!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Dear Angie

I am so sorry to have forgotten to send congratulations to the young hunter. It is a momentous occasion. Without hunting and trapping our family would not have survived. Our father fed us from what he grew and hunted and the money from the furs bought our school clothes. It is so wonderful that your husband and son have things to share.

Dear Lisa, you sure picked a winner in Frank. What a wonderful and loving thing to do. He is a lucky guy also. I have been showing off my postcards and telling everyone about this great NJ lady I know. I bought a cheap digital camera and if I get it up and running I will send some pictures but we live in the boondocks and there is nothing fancy around here. The town square is beautiful though with it's white bandstand decorated with white lights and there are huge hand painted cards around the town square as well. We have groups of school children who carol around the square on the weekends. I was in our local Target this morning and they had a live band playing. They were offering special things for seniors and disabled but I was not feeling too disabled today so I did not enter any of the contests. Free gift wrapping and all. I love small town living but also love being near big cities to travel easily to as well. We are in a triangle of Louisville, Cincinnati and Indianapolis.

Have been gone all day and need to go and fix some dinner.

Happy travels dear Elaine and looking forward to hearing about your adventures when you return.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Yes! Yes! Please send me photos of where you live, Linda! In fact, everybody send me photos of where you all live! Since we can be together in our "virtual Suite", we can take "virtual trips" to eachother's home towns, as well! It would be great to see where you live - it sounds wonderful!

The neat thing about where we live is that while it's very suburban, we are less than 3 miles away from miles of farm land (and working farms), and of course 30 miles away from NYC and the Jersey Shore (opposite directions, though!), 60 miles away from Philadelphia, 80 miles away from the Pocono Mountains, and about 110 miles away from Atlantic City and Delaware.

It's still unbelievably FREEZING, here, and they're predicting a bit of snow for tomorrow. LOVELY. It's times like these when I am happy that I don't have to leave the house unless I want to!

Hope that you're all having a nice day!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Great idea Lisa. The boys are getting a specially equipped motorhome for us to take a tour of our states and the ones in between. You know how it is, we gotta go in style!

I will check and see if they still have the website for our town up. Not sure that it has beautiful pictures and such as the town of Fairhope had. I have visited that site often and dreamed of making a surprise call to our Angelina.

I have a whole new perspective on where you live. I had envisioned an apartment complex in the midst of the big city. It is fun getting to really know you all and how you live and what you think.

Am a bit tired as I stole my grandson for the day. We had a lot of fun, got the homework done, watched a video (Disney, of course), read books and cuddled. He did not want to leave but his mother has insisted on joint custody. (grin)

Back to the Christmas cards. Only a couple of hundred more to go.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

WOW - we got a bunch of snow, today - probably between 6 and 9 inches! We NEVER get snow like this, so early in the season! And it's not even "officially" winter, yet! Uh oh.....I hope that this is not what we have to look forward to, over the next few months....! Did you all have very much snow? Even though you already have snow, Wendy, I think that this particular storm is ending a tiny bit south of where you live. And I saw on the Weather Channel that Mobile had a lot of rain, Angie. How are you doing, out there in the midwest, Linda (and Luis, if you're checking in, on behalf of Elaine!)?

Thanks for the tuna casserole recipe, Linda! I am a big "tuna freak", so it is definitely appreciated! Actually, I made a very similar recipe from the cookbook that you sent, and it came out great! I think I used a few too many peas, though - Frank requested that I make it with green beans, next time! I enjoyed hearing about your family and all of the great cultures that you share!

I love the motorhome idea, so that we can take our virtual trips to eachother's home towns! We WILL have to bring the boys along, of course, to cater to our every whim! And maybe they can design an on board jacuzzi for us, as well, so that we feel right at home.......!

Yes, please send over the link to your home town web site, if you can! And if you still happen to have the Fairhope website link, please send or post that along, too! I would love to see that, as well!

Nope - we don't live in an urban environment - we live in a very typically suburban townhouse development (it was designed in the late 80's, so all of the houses are pastel colors! And all of the streets in our development are surrounded by a big, curving street called "Challenger Road", and all of the "sub streets" are named after the astronauts of the Space Shuttle Challenger.) The closest "city" or large town to us is New Brunswick, home of Johnson and Johnson and Bristol-Myers Squibb headquarters, as well as Frank's and my alma mater, Rutgers University! It's about 3 miles away, and that's the town in which we got married. I picture Columbus being similar to New Brunswick, somehow.

It sounds like you had a nice day with your DGS! What video did you watch? We just got our copy of "Lilo and Stitch", but haven't been able to sit down and watch it, yet. We saw it in the theaters, back in June, but we're looking forward to seeing it again. And we're hoping to see "Treasure Planet" this weekend, too!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all faring well with this crazy weather! Talk to you soon!