EWP group?

[IASW Rider]

Hi Linda!

I'm sorry to hear about all of the flooding near your home and in your area - thank God it's no closer to your actual house. I hope that the rest of the winter proves to be much dryer and less "eventful" - as you said, maybe the worst is behind you all, and you can now enjoy a relatively "quiet" rest-of-the-season! I believe I saw on the calendar, the other day, that it's just a little more than 2 months until Spring officially begins.........!

We keep "waiting for the other shoe to drop", here. Although we have had a few bitterly cold days, for the most part we've been enjoying a mild winter, so far. No real snow to speak of - just a lot of rain. Today, it's supposed to reach 50 degrees and they're predicting temperatures of up to 60 degrees on Thursday!

Will let you know how Frank "does" at the Bris, tomorrow, but I think that he will be all right. Since this particular Bris is going to be held in the sanctuary of a synagogue, it should be far enough away that none of the "spectators" will have a very good view of the "action"! I have been to a Bris in a private home, however, where everyone stood pretty close by.......it's best just to turn your head during the "moment of truth"! I'm looking forward to Frank's meeting some more of my extended family and seeing a bunch of relatives whom I haven't seen in years. As you said, so many times people just come together at sad occasions. In fact, my father got to see a bunch of other relatives for the first time in years, yesterday.........at a funeral (a distant cousin - Frank and I did not go). So it will be nice to celebrate a happy occasion, this week!

Congratulations to your Basketball-playing Spelling Star! That is fantastic news! Such a multi-talented young man!

And glad to hear that your plastering and wall papering are successfully finished - I had no doubt that the job would be finished quickly and smoothly and that it would come out beautifully!

We had a nice weekend - spent Saturday night in NYC with some friends who had planned a really nice evening for us. Hors d'ourvres, drinks, dinner, dessert and board games, too - it was a late but fun evening!

Hope that you all had a great weekend! Talk to you soon!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Lisa

It is delightfully warm here today and will be as well tomorrow but after that all bets are off again. Indiana has very changeable weather but this is unusual even for us. More rain coming also. People were just getting able to get out and about again too.

Might I ask a delicate question? At a Bris do they give the baby some comfort before the procedure? I figure that the reason they do not usually do so in a hospital is that the pain killer (I am not attempting to spell the correct word) is more dangerous than the pain but it hurts me to think of the poor little child hurting so. Just cause they cannot talk does not mean they do not hurt. (wiping tears from my eyes)

Sounds as if your weekend was a wonderful one, even tho not exactly perfect. I am sure it made your friend feel a bit better to have you there. Do you guys drive your dad everywhere or is he able to get out on his own? It is so important for older people to have others of their generation to remember with. I have many older friends and I can only do so much. Even my oldest friends only go back a couple of decades and they crave those childhood memories.

After the bedroom I am going to deep clean and touch up another bedroom and then make an exercise room out of one of the upstairs bedrooms. I have enough equipment and it might make it easier for me to work out more.

I hope that all the bad weather fades before it gets to you. No matter what we get it is nothing compared to what those poor people in the Tsunami went through.

I played Christmas trivia last week and managed to not only win but got the highest score anyone had ever gotten in a game so when it came time for the quarterly championships tonight I had scant hope of replicating such a miracle but somehow I did. Dalton is proud of his old grandma. Hope I never disappoint him. LOL

Did I tell you that Austin got a 4 wheeler? No helmet though. If I did not have religion, grandkids would give it to me. He is insisting on taking me for a ride too. (shaking my head in fear)

Hope the weather stays good for this weekend so that you can enjoy without worry.

SG/Linda

 

[colleen costello]

Linda, I wondered about you in the great flood. Have been hearing that Columbus IN is in some trouble and figured you were hiding out at home. Good time to hang out and do home improvement! We have had flooding near here but nothing much in our little town. Poor Indiana is always having SOME kind of crazy weather, huh?

Lisa, the thought of a Bris is too much for me. I understand it is a religious tradition but I still think it's gross! Pal David told me the funniest bris story some years back. When his little boy had the ceremony, Jonah's umbilical cord stump was still attached. David said Jonah didn't utter a peep at the actual SNIP, and afterward David's wife was carrying he baby around, showing him off. She had been holding Jonah near the buffet table, greeting people and chatting. Suddenly she realized the umbilicus, which I guess had been hanging by a thread, was GONE -- finally fallen off and who knows where? They couldn't find it on the carpet or anywhere, and David and Lisa always SWORE that nasty, dried-up thing went into one of the buffet dishes! That is my favorite, gross-out bris story! And for what it's worth, I am so squeamish that we never proceeded with a circumcision when Ian was born. For better or worse, he is what he is. Hope he is OK with that later. It's hard to make choices for the little ones, knowing that no matter what you decide, they may hate you for it later.

I have been fighting with Mickey about room assignments. Called yesterday and after about 30 minutes on hold, they informed me "ground floor room" is only a REQUEST. Why Mickey can't get his act together in this department is beyond me. So we are staying at a 2-story resort in March (with my parents) with NO elevators, but for a man who just had knee surgery and a woman with a scooter, "ground floor" is just a "request." Grrrrr... Of course we will GET a ground-floor room, but I am someone who sweats the "what ifs" in life and don't appreciate this lack of commitment. No more Carribean Beach for us, after this. The other Moderates have elevators!

Linda, don't you and Tom buy Annual Passes? Disney jusy changed the requirements for "Disney Dining Experience" membership. AP holders can join for $50 for the year and it gets you 20% off sit-down meals at resorts and parks, plus the food courts at resorts where there is no sit-down place. For our group of 6 it was a no-brainer; I joined yesterday. For just the two of you, it might not be worth it, except when you go with your family next year as it is good for groups of up to 10. We are excited. With two trips this coming year, we'll save a bundle as we like to EAT!

Hope all is well with everyone.

xoxo

 

[lunabkat]

Hi all,

Like rider said, waiting for the other shoe to drop over here in Jersey, its quiet...too quiet.

Linda, i willnever believe youto be too inept for anything, so there. Hope you stay nice and dry in your area. Please discuss a helmet with your four wheeler, my daughter Shannon was killed while riding a bicycle without a helmet, perhaps if you ask him to where one for you???

Hello to everyone, i am already secretly planning another disney trip, just got an offer of $1500 for 6/7 at Pop Century, including tickets to the park for four for each day, sounds good to me, but will daddy take the bait? Stay tuned...

Gotta go, school bus is coming..

LL

 

[colleen costello]

Luna, the 7 for 6 sounds sooo good. It is sure hard to resist those great offers... I like it when they tell you a "bottom line" and the $1500 sounds very reasonable to me, expecially if you can be careful of the food budget. When we go in the summers, we swim a lot and eat cheap and I am a big fan of the "laid-back, low-budget plan." We always have fun on those trips! Your girls are little and will enjoy pool time as much as anything. Good luck with hubby.

 

[colleen costello]

HI ladies. Wanted to share that I had some very wonderful news yesterday. I have re-connected with a dear friend from college. He is someone wonderful and I asked him to Email me when I mailed him a holiday card. John is a silly, fun person and I sure miss living far away from him (he is still in Jersey). He married a woman I also knew from college and they have two daughters the same ages as my children.

So we have begun Emailing, and it turns out he and Jeanine are BIG Mickey fans. John's parents retired some years ago in The Villages, a community north of Orlando where dear Linda has a pal. So every summer John and Jeanine take the kids to WDW, then spend a week with his parents. They own an Interval International timeshare somewhere or other, and the other night John Emailed that they were excited because they had an opportunity to TRADE their timeshare for Beach Club at WDW. They will be there for a week in late summer. They don't usually stay so "deluxe" because they are at the parks constantly but this was a good deal. When I looked at his dates, I was thrilled as my family will be at Beach Club Villas the very same week. So now the vacation will be all the more special because we will have some dear old friends to connect with.

I have been bugging them via Email now, giving them all sorts of unsolicited tips about Beach Club and its wonderful amenities. I hope we can do a character breakfast or dinner there together, at Cape May Cafe. They rest every afternoon at the pool, like we do, so the kids should have fun together. As my Mom is joining us, I tod John it is his job to convince her to retire to Florida SOON. Suddenly the trip seems al the more special. It's a real stroke of luck that I picked that week, and decided on Beach Club, too. Almost went with the Wilderness Lodge!

So that's my big news. Lauralee and Lisa, I just watched "Garden State" on dvd and it made me kinda homesick for Jersey. It's a good movie, full of oddball characters. My only issue was the actor who played the dad -- I think of him now as Bilbo Baggins! He sure didn't have the Jersey accent right!

Hope everyone is well.

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

That is wonderful news, Colleen! Just to be back in touch with an old friend is great enough, but the fact that he and his family happen to be Disney fans AND will just happen to be at Beach Club at the same time as you and your family is even more special! That is going to be a truly magical trip for all of you! I love hearing stories like that!

And speaking of stories, I loved that Bris story, too! I can imagine something like that happening! That is pretty wild! (The "man of honor" at Tuesday's Bris also had his umbilicus still attached.)

Congratulations to our perennial Trivia Queen, Linda! That is just fantastic! Not like we had any doubts that YOU would be the champion! But that is great news! And congratulations to Austin on his new 4-wheeler! I tooled around with Frank on his step-father's, once.........and that was enough for me! Seeing as how Austin is quite the driver, already, I'm sure that he will do a great job with his and will be a safe and responsible driver, too!

Speaking of driving, my father definitely still drives, Linda - in fact, he just bought a new car (for the first time in 18 years!) at the beginning of last summer! He drives all over the place - even longer trips to PA or Long Island or the other NY boroughs - he always enjoyed driving. Besides, my Uncle never learned to drive (he always lived in cities - mostly NYC, but also Washington, DC, Tel Aviv, and Rome!), so my father drives him around to do his shopping, get his medication, go to the doctor, etc.

The Bris was very nice, on Tuesday! It was great to see the relatives from that side of the family, whom we don't get to see very often, and to introduce them to Frank, too! Frank made it through like a trooper.......as did the little one! I don't believe that a baby gets any form of fomal anesthetic before a Bris, Linda, but they usually put a bit of wine on his lips so that he will lick it off and get sleepy. They say that the baby usually starts crying when he is uncovered / exposed because the colder air makes him uncomfortable, rather than the pain. The actual "procedure" takes mere seconds (and I actually WATCHED most of it, this time! My "little" (23 year old) cousin, who just became licensed as a phamacist, insisted that I join him up front, since "I'll be in the health care profession soon", so I needed to get up there! And then the baby is given more wine on his lips afterwards, is bandaged and dressed........and then usually falls right to sleep! Afterwards, they had a very nice reception at their synagogue, which gave us some time to talk and catch up with everyone.

How do you like our weather, now, Lauralee? It was literally in the low 60's here, today - unbelievable! I went out wearing a T-shirt and a light jacket and I was fine! It hardly seemed like the middle of January!

Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you're all having a great week!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi ya Lisa! I always did think that alcohol was a better pain killer than some of those expensive and more dangerous drugs that are around. Glad that the man of the hour and Frank were able to enjoy themselves afterward. Your dad sounds like you, remarkable. It is so nice of him to be willing and able to take his brother around. It is good for them both to have the companionship of someone who shares their same history and memories. Older people need that more than anything IMHO. I can offer some things to my older friends but not that. Austin tells me tales that make my hair turn grey faster than necessary as far as his driving goes. His dad seems to think that driving into ditches is ever so much fun. I am hoping that saner minds will prevail and he will at least have to wear a helmet to protect what brains he has left in his teenage head. LOL

Colleen, what a wonderful thing to find an old friend and be able to meet up, so easily, at your favorite place! Are you going to make plans for certain events or let it go with the flow? The kids will have even more fun sharing everything with their new friends (am guessing that they have not met yet?) Maybe you might even be able to arrange for you and the other mom to have a few hours at EPCOT sans kids and hubbies and free to endulge in adult delights (i.e. shopping). BTW, all the years I have been requesting rooms I have always been told that it was not a certainty but it has always turned out well. My requests are medical and they are taken more seriously. I am ashamed cause last time I argued (just a tiny bit) with the person who checked me to get a room closer. Turned out the room was as perfect as it could be, I just cannot read a map worth a darn. Yes, you do have a friend near Columbus that is willing to come and pick you up if you need to visit the dentist there. If it is good weather I am even willing to come to Bloomington and provide door to door service if need be.

Luna, I am rooting for you to talk your hubby into that vacation. In my budget mind $1500 a week for a vacation for just us two is a deal and with two kids as well how can you miss? I wish you could get the new dining card so that you could save bucks on meals as well. You might do the math and see if it would be worth it to get one so you could get the discounts. An AP is not all that much more than the old 5 day passes, not sure about the new ones though. Check the codes for rooms and see if you can put together your own package for even less. There are tears in my eyes for the loss of your Shannon and how hard it must be for you all. My dd thinks I am overly protective (I am) but there is such a thin line between keeping our loved ones safe and allowing them to live life to the fullest.

I am just putting in the vertical slats in the wainscotting now and it is just about complete. Just some touch up painting to do. I have decided to buy the cabinet I saw at WM, just too perfect. I have had the other cabinet for over 30 years and although it is still in good condition I need a towel rack and the new cabinet has one on it. It echoes the slat style of the bathroom and painted the same color as the upper wall it will not be too obvious. I like simple and classy, just like I are not!!

Good evening to you all and Disney Dreams!!

SG/Linda

 

[lunabkat]

Hi all

Well, it sure had chilled up in Jersey, yikes, i feel for my poor dh working outside in this, they say the wind chill factor makes about 3 degrees fahrenheight(?), i say its darned (so child friendly, i am ) cold. I think if you sneezed outside it would turn to snow before it hit the ground. So far the girls have been disappointed in the snow ratio (practically 0) but we still have February and, dare i speak it, March/April to get thru.

I have not yet mentioned another trip to dh, i am trying to decide if it will give him heart failure or not. I would like to go with my best friend, ellyn, but they won't be ready for at least a couple of years yet, i could wait, but i do love to plan trips. I am already planning a trip to Rhode Island to visit Ellyn in Feb. and the trip to Pittsburgh, sans sweet papa, with a nice room with a jacuzzi which i think the girls will get an enormous kick out of (after i run it with hot water and bleach first tho, you never know...germs are everywhere). Does anyone in the group have a jacuzzi? I am thinking of getting one for the big bathroom when we get to fix it up, but are they worth the trouble and how do you keep the insides mold free?

I don't know if i mentioned it, but the niece who was staying with us for a while (until October) is now pregnant (19 weeks). She came over the other day, i found out (like i do about all my husband's family's secrets) by accident, she hasn't told anyone but her mom and dad and sisters, so here i sit with my mouth shut, waiting until they all know, then they will all find out i knew early and be po'd about it (mostly because i kept my mouth shut, which is apparently impossible for them to do), oh well, maybe i should become a private eye "Luna B. Kat, P.I." with the logo of a green cate's eye, could be big.

Well, it is time to catch the bus for school, so take care all, i will check back soon,


LL

 

[colleen costello]

Luna, sounds like you have your hands full with the family issues. Hang in there. You have no choice but to keep a trusted secret, regardless of the fallout! You know most of us here in the suite have fessed up to the possession of insane relatives, so take comfort in the fact that you are in good company.

We have a small jacuzzi tub in the new house. I think if you use it regularly the mold is not such an issue. Mom has one she never uses 'til my kids come to her house, and she told me that a friend told her you clean it with dishwasher soap. I guess that stuff has a bleaching agent in it. You fill the tub, add the powder, and run the bubbles for a bit. This cleans it without gunking it up. I haven't done this yet and I didn't get a booklet for the tub with the house, so I am not sure about the ratio, but Mom has done this and said it works GREAT.

Girls, the cold weather has hit Indiana, too and the colder it gets, the more Disney plans I make. This morning we were all talking about our upcoming trip at breakfast, and Erin wanted to know where we we staying. I was trying to help her remember Carribean Beach, as we have visited but never stayed. When she finally remembered our lunch there, she was VERY excited. That made ME excited... She and brother really liked the main pool there, and I promised we'd stay there "next time" and now it's almost here. I have made my little chart with our PS's and basic plans for the days. I have noted which parks are open late for resort guests, and when Fantasmic! shows... Mom is still dying to see that one as last time we got hit with a downpour just as the show started! It's VERY exciting making all these plans and charts -- really they are all little dreams that keep me going in the cold. I am happy about Carribean Beach, but REALLY happy about the Wilderness Lodge. My parents have never stayed there and I think they will just LOVE it!

Everyone wish Lisa a good week because if I have it right, her grad school started TODAY! Good luck Lisa and I know you'll do just beautifully. Tell us all about it when you have time.

OK, off to clean. Love to all.

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Sorry that it's been awhile - as Lauralee said, it is just unbelievably freezing here, now. After the unusually warm weather that we had last week, I inevitably wound up coming down with my annual bout of bronchitis / sinusitis over the weekend........on my Birthday, no less! Figures, right? Although we weren't able to have as festive a weekend as we'd originally planned, we were at least able to go out to dinner with my father and uncle on Saturday night and out on our own on Sunday night (before we came home and I zonked out on Benadryl, in front of the Golden Globe Awards on TV!). Went to the doctor this morning and got my usual antibiotic.........I'm hoping that that will get this out of me before next weekend, when we have some more celebratory plans with various friends!

Thanks so much for thinking of me and for your kind words, Colleen! My first class is tomorrow night, and I'm really hoping that I'll be feeling much better by then! It figures that I'm perfectly healthy for all of these months when I had no serious commitments.......then 3 days before school starts, I get hit with this bug! (They're also predicting a bit of snow for tomorrow afternoon......I hope that they're wrong about that!) Anyway, I'm excited, regardless! This will be a "short week", since my other class is on Monday nights, this semester, and it wasn't held last night due to the holiday.

Love hearing about your plans and all the progress that you're making with them, Colleen! Very exciting! I'm sure that your parents will love the Wilderness Lodge, too - there's no way that they won't! And of course I'm sure that they will enjoy Fantasmic - my favorite WDW show!

I hope that you are able to talk your husband into that trip, Lauralee! Just pick an appropriate time and spring it on him! In the mean time, it sounds like you have some other nice travel plans to look forward to! And I echo Colleen about keeping that trusted family secret! Even though it's difficult to be inadvertently put in that position, it's all you can do! (I do like your idea about becoming a private eye, though! )

Hi Linda! How are you and Tom doing, out there? How are your bathroom and bedroom (I think!) projects coming along? It's been so long since I've posted that you have probably long since completed them and moved on to some other rooms! How is Austin enjoying that 4-wheeler? Has he had very much of a chance to try it out, yet? Is Dalton allowed to ride it on his own or as a passenger - or at all? How is everything else going, out there?

Hi Elaine, Angie, Caroline, Emily, Amanda, and Wendy! Hope that all is well with all of you!

Have a great day, Everyone, and I'll be in touch again, soon!

 

[helenabear]

Why on EARTH didn't I get notifications here??? I'm resubscribed and all set to go (I hope).

I'll try to do a little catching up here, but realize I am probably way behind.

Lisa, I am sorry you are dealing with brochitis. Feel better soon! I too, got rid of a bunch of my clothes in the last few weeks. I gave three bags full of some really nice stuff for others to use. I hope to never have to see that size again! I have had to replace most of mine, but fortunately finding the sales that seem to be helping me refill my whole closet. There was very little I could actually keep out of everything. I am about 50 pounds gone and weigh what I did towards the end of high school. A few more, and I'll be the average weight for all four years.

I agree, $1500 is a deal for a family vacation for a week! I think that's about what I paid when Luis and I would go together (not trying to spend a lot).
Colleen, sorry you were fighting so much. Can't you get a medical request (which makes it "guaranteed")? I know that even smoking or non is just a requeset, but if you put for medical, that usually takes more priority. Good luck though!

We had a lot of the flooding that I read many of you talking about. Fortunately my house is high enough up, but many lost a lot and a couple I know lost their homes. Now it is all frozen up and we are sitting at temps hovering right around zero. Not much fun honestly.

It looks like I will sneak in another WDW trip this year. I had planned mine for Nov/Dec and then a friend of mine dropped on me that she was going to WDW in May. I couldn't pass that one up so off I am in May! Of course as soon as my cruise and meeting my DIS friend, Alan, are over with, I will be adding my next two to my sig

I know I have left out a lot, but hopefully touched on some good things See you all soon!

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Elaine!

CONGRATULATIONS on that great weight loss success!!! That is FANTASTIC!!!! I'm sure that you look amazing, as always! And it's a great feeling to be able to pack up those larger clothes, isn't it? That is wonderful!

And so glad to hear that your home was not affected by the recent flooding, too. And great to hear about your plans for your upcoming WDW trips! Gotta get ready for that Birthday cruise, first, though!

Have a great day!

 

[lunabkat]

Hi all

What a plethora (you like?) of postings, i was beginning to feel lost with no postings announcing on my email, it seems to be kind of "all or nothing" with this new system, first i get nothing, now i get half a dozen messages to check up.

Thanks for the advice colleen, iwould really like a jacuzzi (or no name brand, whatever) in the house, i love to relax with a magazine and just chill a while. I am very excited about going to the Bat Mizvah(?) in May erven if dear papa does not go, i love to travel with the girls (but not, NOT in Magic Kingdom alone please!) and they are excited to be going to RI in February, which is going to be very slow for work at the Plaza but i can always pick up some time at Flanders, a "sister" hall, Anthony ( the manager) is friends with my nephew who runs another place (much, much bigger) in Lakewood called the Chateau Grande, so i can get extra hours.

Linda, i hope your renovations are going smoothly and your grandson is having a ball with his new toy. Get this, my dh wants me to ask my boss if there will be access to a tv at our holiday party this Sunday because there are two "final" games that decide on the Super Bowl Players that night. I will ask, since Robert has downed some trees for him, but i think its such a hoot, as i could care less about football. Oh well, gotta love 'em.

Helenabear, love to hear from you. Thanks to all of you for your support, i can't help it, these things just keep getting found out by me in the most surprising ways. I had received a letter in the mail asking me about what doctor i wanted my baby to visit (excuse me? who knows something i don't?) and then realized it was addressed to my niece, who had moved out several months ago, so i called her and now she is visiting a couple times a week - that way i can make sure she's got food, clothes, etc.) after i picked myself up off the floor, it didn't take long to figure it out.

Lisa, best of luck in your classes, i hope you feel better soon. I get bronchitis about once a year and it stinks. Sorry about your b-day celebration. I will be (gasp) 42 this year on Feb. 4th, time flies quicker the older you get...

To everyone, have a great week and talk soon


LL

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Happy Birthday dear Lisa!!! Tonight we are meeting at Fantasyland in MK where you are going to be treated to something special. You have been chosen to be the very first guest to try out the newly renovated, and mostly completed IASW ride. Since you are the number one fan you are being accorded the privilege to go through and suggest any final tweakings that you deem appropriate. Afterward dinner will be served at the Castle entrance where you are going to be treated to a meal of all your favorites served while you enjoy a private performance of the parade and Wishes, with Tinkerbelle joining you mid meal as a special guest. The double decker bus has been trotted out for this occasion and after you are ready we are all going to join you for a ride around the park, stopping at your favorite attractions where you can ride to your hearts content until the wee hours of the morning. When it comes time to go back to the Suite you will be driven in the Glass coach as befits a princess, such as yourself. I hope that you are feeling much better so that you can properly enjoy it all. If now, we will delay it until you are up to the excitement of it all. Are you back in the swing of the school stuff yet?

Luna," plethora" ? Yep, I like. I would not want to wear the same clothes everyday and I like new words as well. I like people who use them even more though and we gots lots of them around here. LOL Your niece is lucky to have such a great supporter in yourself and while I know it is hard keeping such a secret it is also a great honor that she trusts you with the information and will likely be interested in your advice and help in this situation. I hope that you get the hours you want so that you can make your planned trips. I would never want a Jucuzzi. My neighbor had one and the amount of water and time it takes to fill one up is daunting. I like the big walk in showers with mutilple showerheads and a built in bench for when I get too old to stand and need to be hosed off once in awhile. LOL If you cough do you get snowballs? Just curious. (grin)

Elaine, I am relieved to hear that you guys have avoided the worst of the flooding but am so very sorry for your friends and neighbors. It is devastating especially if you still have a mortgage and are having to pay payments on a home you longer can live in. We have had a lot (plethora) of flooding around here as well and it has been the most in almost a hundred years so people who have not had problems before are now. Lots of roads are covered with water too. We have actually had it better than before because of some recent changes around our home and we never have had a basment flood even before. More snow due tonight though.

Colleen. Do you happen to know anything about the Endwright Center and some condos nearby? We were in Bloomington yesterday checking out my bil's new condo (fancy) and getting a whole lot of loving pressure to move down there as well. We are not in that income or spending bracket and while we could afford to pay cash for that level of living we would not be able to continue our Disney vacations and other things that we enjoy. Bil gave me a home magazine and they had some condos there in a more reasonable price range and I was intrigued by the fact that they said that the Endwright Center was nearby and it was some sort of Senior Center. Having something like that nearby for Tom to visit would be a Godsend but then he refuses to go to the one across the street from here but then it is not much of one.

The bathroom has turned out beautifully. It looks as if the house was built with all those details. I am only sorry that I did not do this a long time ago. I am presently building a cabinet for storage and have a couple of small things to do to complete it. The carpeting job came out perfectly thanks to the newspaper template. Looks as if it is wall to wall instead of fitted. The color please me also. I bought a couple of dark red things to serve as an accent to the tan and olive greens. I used a magazine rack/toliet paper holder that I bought for fifty cents years ago also. Has been rough going though as I have managed to incur another gallbladder attack and have not been able to do very much at a time with lots of time outs for vomiting and such. Is dangerous for me to have an operation so we are toughing things out and hoping that I will NOT end up in the emergency room. Pain killers are not helping either so it is a bit difficult right now, Sleep is not forthcoming either. Please forgive me for not posting lately and even more for not sending a card in a timely manner to a very special lady. The BD card for my step daughter is also languishing on my desk. Maybe tomorrow?

Good news is that with Luna's help, I am being 'allowed' to buy Austin a helmet for his fourwheeler. Dalton got 18 points in his last game. I was involved in an armed robbery (not the instigator though LOL) at the local WM. Worst thing was that my dd and Dalton walked in right in the middle of it. I was coming in the other door and a few minutes later. Jackie had been standing outside the Men's room door while her big boy went and noticed two men in funny looking beards. another one came out of the bathroom and joined them. They overpowered the Brinks guard and stole the proceeds of the store. They maced the guard. My dd and dgs were in the book department by then but that is a scant five feet away and when she heard the scream she took off for the back of the store. I would have probably went toward it thinking someone was having a heart attack or something but I got there just as the police swarmed in. I heard one clerk say that she had gotten the license number so I am hoping they solve it quickly and am overwhelmed with gratitude that no one was seriously hurt, especially members of my family.

Enough excitement, I want some boredom please??

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hey Everyone!

And thanks for that lovely birthday celebration in my favorite WDW park! So nice of you all and of our Suite Boys to arrange that for me! And thanks for your kind wishes, Linda!

Lauralee - did you say that your birthday is February 4th?!! That means that we have a DOUBLE SUITE BIRTHDAY, since that's also Elaine's birthday! We will have to have a MAJOR celebration, here in the Suite, on that day! And 42 is hardly "old" - that's a great age - very youthful! My DH will be 44 in March and he is quite young and full of energy!

Whoa - that is a pretty wild story about the armed robbery, Linda! Did that happen recently? As you said, thank God no one in your family was hurt or got too close to the action - that sounds like something out of a movie!

As does the way that you found out about your niece's "condition", Lauralee! Maybe we will have to start writing a soap opera based on the real life experiences of the people in our Suite............

Sorry that this is such a quick one - I don't have a lot of time to spend online, today - I have a lot of things to do before my class, tonight. Just wanted to say "hi" and "have a nice day" to you all!

 

[lunabkat]

Hi All,

Well its nice toshare a birthday with you Elaine! Happy Birthday Lisa, It's a small world never looked so good! Do you know, i remember that ride from the 1964(?) World's Fair in NYC, its one of my first memories, along with worrying about the brontosaurus getting eaten by the tyrranosaurous, i remember the gate around them and thinking that the bronto was nice and the t-rex was mean. I can remember being in the boat and the dancing dolls, tho i remember it being a darker ride (thru my 1 1/2 year old eyes). Hope you are feeling better, this ice cold weather is not helping i'm sure. Well, we are supposed to get snow tonite, i am working out in Flanders so i hope it starts later rather than sooner.

Linda lol about the snow balls, at this point i think they would be ice balls. I am so glad you are not being too adversely affected by the flooding, tho i am very sorry for your neighbors. We flooded here pretty badly when Floyd came thru several years ago. I can remember having to travel 15 mins further up the road to get across the Passaic River because the closer bridges had been flooded out, and we lived on top of the Mountain at that time. Poor Manville and Boundbrook practically got washed away.

With the hardware out of the way,the KOTC is VERY interested at what might be behind the wall in the masterbath. He was standing on his hind legs, trying to reach the hole in the wall, he was so desperate for a look i went and got him a chair so he could reach, apparently there was nothing edible, thank goodness.

Hope everyone has a great day, keep warm!

LL

 

[lunabkat]

OMG, Linda, you live a very exciting life. I can identify with your dd because i probably would have grabbed my kids and run like the wind for a back exit. Had i been alone i might have first reacted like you , to go see what was wrong, but with the girls i am sure i would have dropped and ran. When they were little (by little i mean 1 and 3), i had just put them in a double stroller to go into Kohl's when i heard and engine scream and turned to see and older car flying thru the parking lot, i took off running for the store entrance (right after 9/11) and got them into the building asap - i was absolutely panicked. It ended up in a ditch, upside down, apparently the elderly man driving had a heart attack and died behind the wheel but who knew what wasgoing on and there i was trapped between pulling them out and throwing them in the car or beeliining it for the store. Scary stuff, i am so glad you and your family are alright.

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Luna, what a difference a decision can make. I am glad that you got out of the way of the runaway car. What a scare. It is my belief that close calls are a reminder for us to be grateful for our lives. I have found that I am capable of many things when doing them for others and not much when it comes to myself. I freak out. On 9/11 I was sorely torn between what to do with my grands. They were in school but their parents were far away. I decided to leave them there as I did not think they needed to see the tv coverage. My oldest gs kept me on the phone almost all that night answering his many questions. I believe I used every single bit of world history that I have ever read that night to reassure him that this country was safe, mostly. Seems we are a bit more nervous since then though, especially those dear friends in big cities. My life is usually quite boring and I am grateful for that fact. I like boring. I am impressed that you can remember something you saw at age 18 months. I have enough trouble remembering something that happened yesterday. LOL

Rider, I am glad you were happy at the preparations made for your birthday. Not nearly enough for someone as special as yourself but was the best I could do given my limited skills and energies. Are you going to celebrate with Frank in any special way? You and Frank will always be youthful, it is your heart that counts not the years. The robbery was Saturday morning. The papers are saying it was well thought out and planned and they do not have the culprits yet. Hope it does not give some crazy with a gun any ideas. Dalton thought it was great fun but then what can you expect with someone with his name (Dalton Gang)?

Would you guys believe I just found out that I can have high speed connectin for less than I have been paying for dial up? I am so mad. I thought I was getting a good deal at $14 a month which is several dollars less than they had wanted and now I see on their site that high speed is $12 a month. I feel cheated. I had thought that high speed was $30-40 a month. I had the experience of playing with my nephews computer the other day and Disney videos that take me fifteen minutes to download on my computer just popped up on his. I am almost tempted to change providers but doubt I can get such a good deal elsewhere.

SG/Linda

 

[helenabear]

Hi all... quick work break here

Lisa, it was great to pack up all those large clothes. I kept one pair of jeans just as a reminder of a place I don't wnat to go back to. The thing is now it is easy for me. I never dealt with the weight issue until later in life, so I admit that long term I will be lucky to not have to battle it too much. What I can't belive are the sizes I am wearing now... not quite as painful to go shopping as it used to be.
And now I feel silly, I realize I totally forgot to wish you a Happy Birthday!!!

I am excited about May! Mostly because I do get to see a good friend of mine whom I haven't seen in years! But I am excited to try out the new rides too!

Wow, Luna, that would be quite a thing to get in the mail!!!! How is your neice doing? She is blessed to have you around, that's for sure

Linda, I am glad that they are "letting" you buy Austin a helmet! I couldnt' imagine getting one of those w/o a helmet though. But do take care of yourself. I pray that you will be feeling much better soon!
Oh and I've seen some of hte damage in your neck of the woods on the news... seems the Ohio Valley through to your area took a hit.

How cool that I share a birthday with your Lauralee!! That is such a great day to have one, don't you think? I hope you all have a wonderful time celebrating and I will do it with you all in spirit as I will be out in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico then

Well it is back to work for me. I will see you all later