EWP group?

[SlightlyGoofy]

How come I see Rutgers shirts and logos everywhere I look? There was a TV show on the other night and an expert came on to talk and there it were, clear as day!! Seems everyone of importance has a connection to Rutgers. LOL

How you doing Lisa? Have you seen any more palm trees at the Jersy shore? LOL

What month will your 2006 trip be? I have my plans set too but I change them often. Everytime I get a chance. Sort of a virtual vacation. I am scared to death of that free dining stuff. I could easily come back twenty pounds heavier on a one week vacation and it would take me a year to get rid of it again.

Colleen, what wonderful pictures. Do you know how much, especially your daughter, looks like you? It was nice to see your hubby as well. I saved a couple of pictures, especially the one of your parents and yourselves in front of Spaceship Earth. That is a keeper!!1

Luna, have you recovered yet? Have your dear ones recovered themselves and become the ornery little monkeys that they are?

Dalton was sick today, not serious though. Kept a bucket nearby and had to keep explaining why you do not eat a bunch of stuff when your tummy is aching.

I may be headed Helenabears way as my sister is not doing well at all and I want to see her before my surgery. If I am not around for a few days that is why. If things are worse than I think I may have to postpone my surgery a bit.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Linda! So sorry that it took me so long to catch up on all of your recent posts. I hope that the complication concerning your bile duct does, in fact, turn out to be something like a gall stone or something that can be (relatively) easily dissolved, and that you will not require the more invasive surgery. Is there any way that the doctors can tell, for sure, before you go in for the actual procedure? You're not in pain, are you? I am worried about you! (Even though you "sound" perfectly calm and are clearly viewing the situation rationally and realistically.) I hope that it turns out to be "nothing" and that you will ultimately have the less invasive sort of surgery, as originally planned. I just hope that you can put all of this behind you, very soon!

And I'm so sorry to hear about your sister - I hope that she will be all right! It's so nice of you to go out there to be with her - I'm sure that just your being there and your support will offer her comfort and will make her feel better. I hope that everything works out and that she is completely rehabilitated in the nursing facility, afterwards. We are certainly thinking of you and your family!

Glad to hear that your DD and DSL and the boys had a nice vacation! And it's so nice that they called you every day - so that you could sort of be there "virtually" with them!

Speaking of vacations, to answer your question, we'll be going to WDW / DCL in May again, next year - the last week of May, ending with Memorial Day weekend, specifically. The past 2 years, we've gone the week before, but since Mother's Day falls on the 14th, next year, Frank wanted to be home to spend it with his Mom, so we're going the following week - just 270-something days to go, now! And of course, we already have our entire parks and dining "itineraries" planned out, already..........!

Frank does pat out the dough instead of rolling it - very good eye, there! Though I'm not surprised, baking expert and blue-ribbon issuing baking judge that you are! He's going to be baking some more pies, this weekend! I wouldn't care if your cobbler applied pounds directly to my thighs - I would love to try it, anyway - I'm sure that it is unbelievably scrumptious!

I also wore ballet slippers to both of my proms (because my high school sweetheart was an inch shorter than I )! I got them for this wedding because the ceremony will be taking place at an actual lighthouse, and apparently we'll have to walk on a boardwalk-like structure in order to get there. The bride specifically told me to get sensible, comfortable shoes with as flat a heel as possible, so I went with the ballet slippers!

Speaking of "boardwalks", although we haven't been to the shore AT ALL yet, this summer (Frank no longer has Fridays off, and we've been reluctant to brave the inevitable weekend shore traffic), we WILL be visiting the swaying Jersey palms this Friday, coincidentally, as Frank took the day off, just for that purpose! I can't wait - I'm going into withdrawal - the only place where I've seen the Atlantic Ocean, this summer, has been from Port Canaveral in Florida - I haven't seen it at all in New Jersey, yet, this summer!

It's so funny that you keep seeing Rutgers shirts and logos everywhere, Linda! I guess I sort of take them for granted, since they are such a common sight around here! But it's funny that you keep noticing them! There is actually a big "controversy" going on at the University, now, as there are prospective plans to "roll" all of the individual colleges that comprise the University into one, big liberal arts college, and just call it "Rutgers College". The alumni and students of my alma mater, Douglass College, are up in arms, as Douglass is the largest women's college in the country - and the only one associated with a State University - and we don't want our school to lose its identity, history, individuality, etc. It will be interesting to see what winds up happening.......the alumni and students of the other Rutgers liberal arts colleges aren't thrilled with this possibility, either.........

ANYWAY, hope that all is well with you and your family! We are certainly thinking of you all, Linda, and are hoping that you and your sister are and will be well, healthy, comfortable, and on the road to recovery, very soon!

Can't wait for Colleen to post in, again, with more news from her trip!

Hope that all is well with all of you, out there! Have a great week!

 

[colleen costello]

Hi everyone. Well, I have finally settled in a bit after all the activity of unpacking and laundry and everything. The kids are registered for school (which begins Thursday) and the cats have seen the vet, which should last them a year. So now I am taking a few momentsto tell you all about our wonderful trip.

We arrived on Monday and checked into Port Orleans. As promised, the resort is nice and small so even though we were assigned to the building farthest out, we were still close to the action. Our room was right by a parking lot, very convenient since we drive down, but still looked out sideways at the Sassagoula River. Boats went by from Riverside to Downtown Disney, and it was very picturesque. The room was obviously new -- recall that the whole resort just re-opened last year. Very nice, everything was in perfect working order and very clean. We hit the pool immediately and that whole area was great. There were tons of chairs and even though it was crowded, it was not "out of hand." I did order my first pina colada very promptly!

The next day we swam in the daytime and headed to MGM in the evening. We had reservations for dinner at SciFi Dine-In. VERY FUN! I asked to be seated in a car since it was my hubby's brithday, and they assured me that as we had made reservations we would definitely get a car. They remembered, however, that it was someone's birthday, and at the end of the meal my poor, shy hubby was forced to stand up in the booth while everyone looked on. The waitress shouted "This is Scott from Indiana and he is 42!" and of course Scott threatened to kill me! It was a lot of fun, though, and he was a great sport. We rode some rides and then took in the late showing of Fantasmic! Overall, a great day.

On our third day at FQ we packed an overnight bag and headed for Vero Beach. It took us about 2 hours to get there, and the ride was nice. What a gorgeous resort Disney has built there! When I went into the lobby to check in, the whole back of the building was glass doors and I could see over the grounds to the bright blue ocean. It took my breath away! We had lunch in the restaurant that looks over the beach, and then our room was ready. We dressed and hit the beach. The kids had fun playing in the surf and sand. The water was as warm as a pool. After a while we went up to the pool, which was even warmer than the ocean. The kids enjoyed the slide and then Scott played a round of mini-golf with them, at the little course adjacent to the pool. Lots of fun!

We signed the kids up for the Turtle Troop so we were up early the next morning. At 7am they headed out to the beach with a licensed biologist from Animal Kingdom. Certain types of sea turtles are endangered and protected by law, and there are strict laws governing how the turtles are treated. The kids were thrilled to hit the beach and help find little baby turtles who had not made it to the water the night before. They described to me how they would see a little flipper or head sticking out of the sand, and then they would all carefully dig. The rescued over 20 turtles that morning, and the biologist put them into a cooler for safekeeping. That night he would release them under cover of darkness, when they would be safer as they made their way into the ocean. After that they showed the kids a film about the turtles, and the children decorated tote bags as souvenirs. They also got certificates and info on how to track the turtles on the internet. This program made a big impression on my children, and I was so happy they had a wonderful "ocean experience" because it's not like we get to see the ocean everyday. Overall, I loved Vero and hope we'll visit again next summer, even if just for an afternoon.

When we got back to PO-FQ the next morning, my parents called to say they were just about at the resort, via the Magical Express Bus. It was exciting to be right there when they stepped off the bus! I got wonderful pics of the kids greeting their grandparents. We got them registered (in the room right next to ours!) and we hit the pool. That night we had a wonderful dinner at our favorite, BOMA.

Next morning we headed over to Beach Club Villas, where we had 2 rooms for the next 6 nights. There were two rooms ready and we took them, unpacked and headed for Stormalong Bay, possibly the best pool at WDW. What fun it was for my parents to swim with the grandkids. After a bit we were greeted by our friends John and Jeannine. I went to college with these 2, and hadn't seen them in forever. It was a stroke of luck that they happened to be staying at Beach Club the very same week. They have two daughters the same ages as my son and daughter, and the kids hit it off immediately. What a treat it was to reconnect with our friends as well as see the kids have so much fun together.

Throughout the week we did parks in the mornings or late evenings, and swam in the afternoons to beat the high heat. We did Animal Kingdom one morning, Epcot another. The best was the evening at the MK, which was open until 2am for resort guests. We had dinner at the Crystal Palace. We had a great seat, and during dinner I could look out the window toward the castle, which lit up as the daylight faded. After dinner we met John and his family, and we rode rides, saw the parade and fireworks, and generally had a ball until we headed back to Beach Club EXHAUSTED! Being at the MK so late on a summer night was magic, and reminded me of my childhood.

One evening John's parents met us at the Contemporary, for dinner at Chef Mickey's. This was great fun as John's family is from NJ like mine, but they have retired in FLorida. They showed up with all sorts of info on their retirement community, The Villages. Linda has visited there and liked it, and John's Mom and Dad were, as promised, a living infomercial for the place. Now my parents are planning a visit and expect to move down there. I am thrilled because I think they will LOVE it -- and it will inevitably mean more Florida time for me!

We swam every afternoon, and had wonderful dinners at Kona Cafe and on our last night, 'Ohana. We saw the EWP from the beach and I thought of all of you! The view at 'Ohana was amazing -- I was looking across at the Castle and down INTO the Volcano at the pool! We love the Poly and always have our last night's meal there.

In the Poly giftshop I actually recognized a DIS'er! It was Fantasia, whose photo appears in her online signature. I recognized her and her children right away. I felt like I met a celebrity! We chatted for a bit and took some photos. It was so nice to FINALLY meet someone from the Boards, after wearing the Lime Green Mickey Ears on my bag for the last two years... She and her kiddos were staying at the Poly and LOVED it.

On our last day, we checked out of our room and headed to Beaches and Cream for lunch. This is an old-fashioned soda shop right at Beach Club and it is wonderful. We had lunch folloed by BIG ice cream sundaes, and then headed out. My parents were waiting for the Magical Express bus when we drove away.

Overall it was a wonderful trip, with many great dinners together and lots of resort-hopping, my favorite. The parks were busy but not crazy, and while I chickened out til next time, my family LOVED "Soarin." I can't wait to go back, and I am already hard at work planning our two 2006 trips. Eleven nights at WDW was amazing, and I am shoooting for a nice long visit next July as well. Mom and Dad were so impressed with BCV that we are going there again, and as usual I am plotting how to stretch the most value out of my DVC points... Planning the next trip is the best way to feel OK about coming home

Lots of love,
Colleen

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Colleen! Am I understanding that you kept the room at PO while you were at Vero Beach? I may have misunderstood. LOL

POR used to be our favorite resort. Such a pretty place and the kids loved the pool. Did they still have the piano player in the lobby in the evenings? The last time we were there I got drunk while listening to the music but I had to pay the piper the next day. Only I could go years without a single beer and get snockered at DW.

I love the saving the turtles program. Your kids will never forget that and what a fantastic and fun lesson. Good on you for embarrassing Scott, is what we wives are supposed to do. Mine does not mind as long as there is a free dessert included and has even been known to say it was his birthday when it was not.

You got to meet Fantasia? Is she as much of a knockout in person as her picture? I have always wanted to ask her if she was a model or something. I believe it was she who was planning a move to Florida and promised the guest room to me. LOL I am holding her to it.

Did you do any park hopping? Did you use the day after EMH strategy? Smart move to rest during the heat of the day while the commandoes are out wearing themselves out. How did your mom and dad do in the heat? They were in grandparent heaven from what I could see in the pictures.

The Villages are about two hours from DW so it might not be as perfect for DW trips as you might want. There are other places closer by but I bet not nearly as nice. I have friends who own a place there and they spend winters down there. I have considered renting a place but not many availabe in the winter, lots in the summer and the heat gets to me.

What good fortune to have an accidental get together with your friends. Did you guys do a lot of things together? Great for the kids to get to know new people too. Maybe you will accidentally get together again.

Lisa, nope does not hurt,most of the time, but when it do it brings me to my knees and I am surprised that you have not heard me screaming. I am not easily taken down and just sort of mentioned it last minute to my doctor because I was afraid of one of those 'gas' attacks hitting me while I was driving. I had one on my last trip to DW. I was sitting on a bench on Main Street when I was overcome. I am afraid I scared the people. I got away in a corner until I felt better. I have had so many surgeries and a couple were life threatening, emergency things so I have been through so much more that this is nothing. Since one of the symptoms of the pancreatic cancer is loss of weight I am pretty sure that is not it.

My sister is back in the hospital and the Infectious Disease representative was in to see her last night. I have not heard since. She calls when she feels like talking. We plan to go to Columbus on Sunday and some long lost relatives may be there also, my mothers siblings. Her parents were divorced and we have never had anything to do with her dad's part of the family so it is a bit interesting. I told my sister to get the biggest, baddest lawyers in her firm to just visit her and see if that gets anyone on the ball. Since she is all alone, most of the time, I worry. If she needs someone to break bad she is to call me cause I can get tough, if defending someone else. grrrrrrr

Please tell Frank that I have the neatest thing for my pie crust dough, it is a round plastic bag with zipper and I just pop in a roll of already homemade pie crust, let it thaw and roll it out. Comes out perfectly and since it is contained you do not have to mess with the dough very much, secret of good crust. I do not like messes on my counters either. LOL

I have pictures of my mom on the Boardwalk, the old original one. She was a city gal until she got stuck down on the farm. Is the one at DW somewhat similar?

An old friend of mine died the other day and his family called because they are bringing his body back to Indiana so he can be buried next to his wife. I am going to be putting some of the family members up for a night or two. I did this when the wife died years ago and they were the nicest house guests I have ever had.

The reason I see Rutgers stuff everywhere is because I know you. I love the fact that I meet so many great people on the Internet even if it also means I have more people to worry about.

Here is to no more attacks before surgery and that the surgery takes away all my pains. I have DW plans and miles to go before I rest.

LL, how ya doing girl? Looking forward to the first day of school I bet.

Love ya, really mean it!! SG/Linda

 

[colleen costello]

Hi again. To answer Linda's question, yes, I did "abandon" my PO-FQ room for one night. It was very unlike me, penny-pincher that I can be, but since the Disney Visa Reward Dollars were paying for most of the 5 nights, I decided to go for it! We just packed an overnight bag and off we went.

Yes, Fantasia is as lovely outside as inside. When she had my Mom take the picture of us, I about said NO! imagining how I would look next to her! Then I took hold of myself and realized that my friends would never be unhappy to see my picture, just I would! So we posed together and my Mom took the picture, and Fantasia promised (threatened?) to post it once she is home. Again, it was a treat to meet a real live DIS-er in person.

Linda, John's Dad says he makes WDW from the Villages in about an hour and 20 minutes. Sounds pretty darn good to me. My family just snuggled up together here and watched the DVD they provide, and I swear I am ready to move to that town. So nice and so much to do and Mickey just a few hours away? Heaven!

Off to watch "Aladdin" with the kiddos. Hi to all!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen, either you hubby was charging his business supplies to your rewards card or you have been doing some heavy duty shopping. I will be delighted to be able to get at least one, and possibly two, or most of the second, AP free with my rewards. I have gone from a woman who barely charged a half dozen times in a year to someone who charges everything I possibly can. I am getting into the swing of things and am sort of enjoying writing one huge check a month instead of a whole bunch of smaller ones. Even for 'free' it would have caused me much pain to leave the room behind but it was well worth it for you in that you saved so much stress and strain.

Don't cha just hate it when people are not only tiny, beautiful but also nice? (hide your face Lisa) Seems if they have the first two they should at least be mean and hateful. Why should they be allowed to be as nice as you are?

My sil taped her Hoosier Millionaire show tonight and she won $8,000, $3,000 in scratch off tickets. Just imagine the mess she can make with that amount of tickets. I had to clean my car up after she scratched off a couple of hundred one time. Gambling is a fool's game. I buy maybe a half dozen a year. One is enuff.

Don't be too quick to move to the Villages. You can take any pets you want with you, under a certain weight limit, but you have to leave your children behind. They are not allowed. If your parents move there you can only visit, I think, 30 days a year. Will probably be enough as I doubt that your hubby gets more time than that off. Please ask your parents if they would like to adopt an older child? I take out the trash.

May be leaving for Columbus Saturday. Will decide tomorrow. As usual I have gotten myself into a 'fine mess'. Too many committments, too little time.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

I am so sorry that I haven't posted in so long - to be honest, I have been lurking, but haven't had a chance to respond! I read Colleen's wonderful, comprehensive, fun Trip Report, earlier in the week, and I've been keeping up with all of Linda's news via her posts, as well!

I just finished up my last summer class, with a final group project - a paper and oral presentation, last night. Hopefully I will have time to post more......at least for the next 2 weeks, until my hectic fall semester begins!

So, how have you all been doing, since last you posted?

 

[IASW Rider]

Oops! While trying to finish my last post, I accidentally hit "enter" twice, and it posted a duplicate! So I erased the duplicate and will finish my post, here!

How are you feeling, Linda? And how is your sister doing? Do you know if and when you will be going to visit her? I hope that she is recovering well. How are Tom and the rest of your family doing?

Thanks so much for your e-mails - I thought that I would respond, here, since I haven't posted in the Suite in so long! We haven't had a chance to look at your DVD, yet, because we haven't had very much free time during the weeknight evenings to watch it together. But we will see it over the weekend, though, when we have more time to sit down together and do so!

Conggratulations to your SIL - that is very exciting news about her winnings! Hopefully the tickets will bring her more good luck!

It's very interesting to hear yours and Colleen's information about / impressions of The Villages - makes me fantasize about an early retirement........oh yeah, that's right........I sort of AM already "retired"!

How's it going out there, Colleen? Are you and your family all settled back in, after your exciting vacation? Do you have all of your plans in order for your upcoming spring and (next) summer trips? Have you heard from John and his family, since you've been home? How was the rest of their trip? And has Fantasia posted the picture of the 2 of you on her Trip Report thread? I looked at her thread a few days ago and saw some of her pictures - she and her children are just beautiful, and it looks like they were having a wonderful time!

Hope that you're all having a great evening! I promise to post more often and stay caught up with everyone's news! Talk to you soon!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Lisa, for someone who is almost retired you are busier than anyone I know. What might your latest assignment have been? I bet you put a spin on many of your reports and such. Nothing mundane for you.

I got 4 notices of your posting. I usually get two or more of each one. I think the Boards are trying to make up for not sending any at all sometimes.

My sister is home again and has been for two days, a record. She said she was going to the grocery today so that is a good sign. One of my younger sisters is going to care for her this weekend as my doctor says that it is not a good idea for me to be around her since she is contagious. I would not want to bring something back to my grandkids. I had to send gas money to the one sister because she is not too well off but it was for a good cause and will probably go for gas, this time.

I was hoping that my sil would win enough money to make a difference. Her hubby was the one in the bad accident. He is already back at work, against doctor's orders.

Fantasia is kind of fantastic looking and she is not even my type. Sometimes you just got to admire God's work though. The terrible thing is that she is very down to earth and nice sounding too. If you look that good you ought to at least be terrible or unhappy. Just kidding cause I would not wish her to be unhappy at all.

The Villages would be a good place to aim for in retirement. Since it was built by the same people who built much of DW and US you would feel right at home. You can do a search and they have a video you can check out.

I hope that you can get the DVD to work. It is troublesome as not all are compatible. I tried it in my computer and two dvd players so I am hoping. It is far from perfect. I had put several videos on there also but could not get them when I played it. The pictures will have to suffice until I get smarter. I was limited by the songs in my file so some of my choices might be a bit off the wall. Is my strange sense of humor kicking in.

Colleen must still be resting up from her trip, breathing a sigh of relief when her kiddos started school. LOL

I heard from Becki the other day. She is not currently working in this town and I am hoping that she will not as that would mean that no kids here are in trouble. She was hunting for the Community Center. That is one place I know where to find.

More yardwork tomorrow. I must figure out a way to cut down on that stuff. I need more time for fun. I am dreaming of a nice condo with outside maintenance, Not sure if I could handle the good life but am willing to give it a try.

SG/Linda

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Well, my dear sister is back in the hospital, a different one this time with a new doctor. Hooray!!! They are going to operate on Monday and see if they can eliminate some of the infected places. She had been to the doctor that morning and was doing fine and between the time she left the doctor's office and home her leg started hurting. Her hubby said it ws turning red and he could see it expanding. Scary.

I went to the local cemetery to take care of a gravestone that we had noticed when we were at the recent funeral. As I pulled the weeds I considered that I would much rather have children to give me trouble than to have such a sad chore to do for them. It is all in how you look at it.

We went to an auction this morning and managed to get a pretty nice patio set for little money. Since I am giving my old concrete set to a friend, too hard on my seat, it is good to have a substitute. Lavendar and white so it matches my flowers nicely.

My tomatoes have yielded a nice surprise. I had planted two different plants for a friend and instead of the small yellow non acid ones I expected I have gotten tiny, gourd shaped yellow tomatoes. They are delicious and great for snacks. I will plant these again next year, on purpose. Trays of my infamous stuffed peppers are filling my freezer. They will be wonderful this winter.

It is awfully quiet around here. Everyone had better start gathering around, who will I have to talk at while I am recuperating? Talking to myself is frowned upon and heaven knows I would not want to be alone with all the new wait staff. I would get so spoiled that I would never want to return to the Real World.

SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

I'm sorry, Linda! Don't be lonely - we are here! And we're always "with" you - now, and we certainly will be when you are recuperating, as well!

I hope that everything is all right with your sister and that her surgery goes smoothly and as painlessly as possible, tomorrow. Hopefully, that will take care of what ever issues remain, and she will finally be able to recover in peace and feel back to herself! We will be thinking of her - and you!

It was so nice of you to take care of the grave that you had noticed. My father is often doing things like that (since he is often at the cemetery where my mother and grandparents are, and also at the one where his own grandparents are). I think that that was a very considerate and respectful thing for you to do and that the family will certainly appreciate your thoughtfulness.

That's so neat about your tomatoes! Since we live in a townhouse and don't really have much land on which to plant (and are somewhat restricted by Homeowner's Association guidelines), I haven't planted vegetables since I lived at home with my parents. I always used to love to watch them grow and then "harvest" them and eat them! I would love to grow tomato plants again! And thoughts of your stuffed peppers are making my mouth water!

Very quiet weekend, here. Just had dinner with some old ML pals (who are also huge WDW fans and annual visitors, like us), last night and took care of things around the house, today. Soon, we will head out to the deck to BBQ some chicken for dinner. And I rented some movies for tonight, too - "The Upside of Anger" (which I've been dying to see - Joan Allen is supposed to be amazing in it) and "Alfie" (since Jude Law has been such a cad in real life, might as well see him act like one on screen, too! ).

I have my fitting for my maid of honor dress for my friend's wedding, tomorrow (I love stuff like that - I'm looking forward to seeing what the dress looks like on me, again, since I haven't tried it on in a few months!), and we're going to see our Somerset Patriots play, tomorrow night, with our usual baseball game companions - a few other old ML pals (that was the best thing about my 15 years working for Merrill - the great friends that I made, there! Only second to...........meeting my husband, there, of course! )

Hope that you're all having a great weekend!

 

[colleen costello]

Hi girls! Just checking in quickly before action starts again. I just cleaned up dinner -- I made lasagna, YUM -- and now I am taking a little break before I bathe the slimy little children. Tomorrow is a early day and we are still not used to setting the alarm clock after all that lazing all summer.

Linda, I will pray it goes well with your sister. And as far as your convalescence, you will be speaking to ME, because I plan on calling you every day. If you fall over and get stuck I fear Tom may not notice until a mealtime, so I plan on annoying you regularly. I also hope to visit IN PERSON if you can stand me. I am hoping all the pals you help out so often can pay you back a bit when you are laid up, although I fear many of them are too old to do much. No disrespect meant, but it's hard to pay a friendly visit when you can't see to drive! In any case, I fully expect you to be darn sick of me by the time you are healed.

Lisa, sounds like a nice weekend you had. It got beautiful here today, so I hope the lower temps and lower humidity are headed your way. It is supposed to be in the low eighties here all week, with no rain. WOOHOO! After too many ninety-plus-degree days, I am READY!

Everyone, I have finished booking my 2006 WDW trips and that feels so good. We have Old Key West for March and Beach Club Villas for July, a repeat performance of this year's great trip. As usual, I am hoping to hit the lottery between now and July so I can add nights at the Polynesian. Never hurts to hope...

Back to work; love to all.

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Colleen! Congratulations on booking your 2006 trips - YEA!!!!!!!! As the old saying goes - "the best way to get over the 'post-WDW-blues' is to plan your next trip".........or TRIPS, in your case! Very exciting!

I'm sure that that lasagna came out wonderfully - YUM - I'm getting hungry, just thinking about it!

Hope that all went well with your sister's procedure today, Linda!

Everything is fine and dandy, here! It's a beautiful day here, today - as you were saying, Colleen, it's also supposed to be sunny and in the 80's all week here, too! I had my fitting for my dress for my friend's wedding, this morning, and that went well (though the seamstress made it VERY "form-fitting" - which is the way that it's designed to be, I suppose - I wear so many baggy T-shirts that I guess I'm used to a looser fit! I will have to be sure not to gain an ounce between now and the end of September.......there isn't too much "extra" room in that dress, now!). Now I'm getting ready to go see our Somerset Patriots play, this evening, with Frank and our usual baseball buddies.

That's about all the "news" from here! Hope that all is well with all of you and hope that you all had a great weekend!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Colleen and Lisa, I swear - I am NOT lonely. When I am sick I am sort of like a wild animal in that I tend to crawl into a hole and stay there until I feel better. I am veteran of operations and much better suited than most to handle it.

I am going to send one of my sisters a listing of my favorite people, yourselves included, so that she can keep you up to date on how I am doing. I can trust that she will do it. I gave this sister my bil's phone number so she can call and see how I am if I do NOT get home the same day. My husband literally does not make phone calls and my bil is his brother and can, but does not choose, to call many -especially non family members.

When I wake up the first thing I am gonna do is feel my belly and see if I have one huge hole or 4 small ones. If small ones I am home free.

Lisa, I would love to see that dress cause I have noticed your propencity for wearing looser clothes. You have worked too darned hard to hide that light of your under a barrel or a bag. No news on my sister since she just went in a bit ago. Did ya know that you can plant tomatoes in a pot? Many around here do so. The small ones do the best but if you stake them you can grow the big ones as well.

Colleen, since Tom will not be here at all it is even less certain that he would not notice if I fall over. I am hiding a door key where my neighbors can find it in case anyone should, heaven forbid, have to come in after me. I am grateful for your offer to pester me to death but you have children to get off for school etc. and I will be fine. You and Austin are welcome to pester me via phone.

I have something to look forward to. It seems that I may be going to England in the Summer of 2006 with my 13 year old niece. She asked if I would go when she goes and her parents are thrilled that she would have to with her instead of going alone. When Austin found out he asked if he could go too. Was surprising as he is deathly afraid of flying. He says if I am there he will not be scared. Now, if I can keep the fact that I am scared from him. I will have to work hard at recuperating so that I can see all that I can see. (wondering if it is possible to take the Chunnel to Paris for the day)

Love, SG/Linda

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Linda!

You know, I don't believe that you told us - do you know the actual date of your surgery, at this point? I know that you were thinking of postponing it until after you knew that your sister was well, but I'm not sure that you ever told us the actual date (perhaps at the end of this month?). Please have someone keep us posted about your recovery and progress - we will all be thinking of you, of couse, and hoping for your speedy recuperation!

How did your sister do, yesterday? I hope that everything went well and that her new doctor was able to take care of her infections and issues, once and for all!

That's so wonderful that you may be taking that trip to England with your niece - and maybe Austin, too! That is definitely something to look forward to! Have you ever been there, before? Is your niece going as part of a program that she is involved with? Or as part of a tour? Do you know approximately how long you would be staying there? It is very exciting!

I do know that you can plant tomatoes in a pot - I guess that we've gotten so caught up in planting our potted flowers that it didn't occur to me to plant vegetables in pots, too! Maybe we can do that, next year, and put some potted veggies on our deck (as the flowers are in the front of our house)!

I will certainly send you a picture of the dress, Linda - I have one of me wearing it, before it was altered.......I'm just a little nervous to see how it's going to fit, afterwards! It's a great dress, though - very "unbridesmaidsy" - something that I may ACTUALLY be able to wear again (and actually hope to be able to do so on our cruise, next year)!

Even though I've been trying not to spend inordinate amounts of time on the computer, during my last week off before fall classes start, I did happen across a new "addiction"........in addition to these wonderful message boards, which I will always read and post on.......I recently came across a 1964-65 NY World's Fair message board, and I can't stop reading the experts' posts on it! It's so neat to think that there are other people out there, who are also fans of a Fair that took place 40 years ago! So much neat trivia and information about the existing artifacts, both at the actual site and also all across the country (ie: I didn't realize that the World's Largest Tire, in Detroit - which I've seen "in person" and photographed - is the same huge tire that served as a ferris wheel in the Transportation section of the Fair, and was sponsored by United Rubber - which later became Uniroyal, I think!). Pretty nifty!

Well, I'd better tear myself away from the computer, now. The weather is so beautiful outside, that I've resigned not to "waste" my entire days off from school, sitting inside.........before we know it, the weather will start getting cooler.........UGH.......let's not think about that, right now!

Hope that you're all having a great day!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi Lisa, the date is August 30th at 8:00 am. I have done extensive research and I should be home (fingers crossed) by afternoon. I will have to get up at 4 am in order to disinfect myself before getting there at the expected 6:30. Good thing is that I should not require much to knock me out since I am NOT a morning person.

They had to operate on my sister and take out the bad parts. She seems to be doing better, I hope. I told her to get her butt out of the hospital cause it was her turn to be calling me.

I do not like spending big bucks on many plants for my yard so I have planted veggies in among my flowers for years. It fills in the spaces and gives me nice fresh stuff for our meals. There is something special about being able to go out and pick something to cook right away. I have squash for tonight's dinner. Dorthea loves the pear tomatoes as do I.

I sent you my edited version of your fantastic blue dress. I love the style, of the dress and the gal wearing it. Hold that head up a bit though so we can see the eyes. LOL

My niece is the child of older parents who are raising her to be a child of the world, she is biracial. Education is their priority so she is just going to expand her horizons. She is sweetly unspoiled though. I doubt that Austin will, indeed, accompany me but I would love it if he did. I would like him to see something of the world other than just this county. I have been to the Bahamas and a short trip into Mexico a couple of times but have never been out of the country otherwise. I love English history and probably know more than the average English person does.

Dorthea went to a World's Fair when she was young and still talks about it. I went to the one in Memphis one year and almost went to the one in New Orleans but got diverted to DW instead. Was our first trip and I have never regreted missing the WF. Have fun on the site but do not forget us here. You are the heart here.

The yard is lovely and the back porch is all nice and clean and ready for me to lounge, with a good book and a cold iced tea. I am ready!!!

SG/Linda


\

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Hi Linda!

Thanks so much for letting us know the date on which your procedure is scheduled. We will certainly all be thinking of you, here in the Suite, and will be here when you feel well enough to check in with us. In the mean time, we'll have "the boys" check in on you regularly, catering to your every whim, and delivering special messages and gifts from us......and from Mickey!

So glad to hear that your house is all in order and that you're all ready to go. Also, so glad to hear that your sister's procedure went well. You will be able to go into your surgery with a "clear mind", knowing that everyone is all right and that everything is taken care of. Then you can go about the business of getting yourself healed and recovered.........and ready to start planning for England!

It's so wonderful that you are thinking of going with your niece, and that her parents are so supportive / encouraging of her traveling and seeing new places! I am exactly like you - I had traveled to the Caribbean islands and was in Mexico once (Canada 2ce, too), but had never been to Europe until a girlfriend and I went to England in 1990. Her sister was there, at the time, for her junior year abroad (from college), so it was neat to go there and have a "built in tour guide". My friend's sister ensured that we got to see the most sights possible within the week that we were there, and scheduled everything for us, very efficiently! We had a lot of fun! And I know that you will, too!

What sort of squash did you have for dinner tonight / do you have in your garden? I wish that I liked the sweet summer and winter squashes more - I'm just not a "sweet vegetable kinda gal" - I don't like sweet potatoes, either. I do like zucchini and the yellow squash that looks just like it, though, and I love spaghetti squash in the winter!

Thanks so much for all of your kind words about my bridesmaid dress - I like it, too - I'm glad that my friend chose that color and style (though I would have worn anything that she wanted me to wear)!

Of course I would never leave the Suite or the DIS Boards!!! The World's Fair boards are a fun resource, but my "home" is here and always will be! You can't get rid of me that easily!

Well, time to get some sleep, now. The Mets just won their game (or should I say, completely obliterated Arizona for the 2nd night in a row - the final score was 18-4! Last night's final was 14-1!), so now I can rest happy!

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

 

[IASW Rider]

Hi Everyone!

Just wanted to wish you all a nice weekend!

And we in the Suite want to wish Linda all the best with her upcoming procedure, a smooth operation, and a speedy, comfortable, successful, restful recovery! We'll all be thinking of you! And remember - Romeo and Lothario are at your beck and call, when ever you need them! I understand that Bo and Don will be touring in your area, with their concert series, early next week, and are planning to drop in and see if you need anything, as well!

Wishing you lots of good health and a quick trip down the road to recovery!

Have a great weekend, Everyone!

 

[SlightlyGoofy]

Hi there Lisa! You are such a sweetheart. I went to Indpls for my EKG and other presurgery tests but by the time I got home they had called and left a message. (not a good sign) Seems I flunked the tests and have to go back Monday for more. I plan to study harder this time.

If I do not do better the operation might have to be postponed while they take care of some more pressing problems. Since my entire family, both sides, have all had heart problems it is to be expected. Would rather find out this way than by having an 'attack".

I fear that I may need the services of each and everyone of our fellers in the near future.

Love, SG/Linda

 

[colleen costello]

Linda, Lisa alerted me to this latest development and I want you to know we will all be praying everything goes well in Indy on Monday. I am relieved they get suspicious nowadays BEFORE surgeries, which is the right time to do so! Let us know how the tests go. Hang in there -- they will figure out what is needed so that the offending gall bladder can be purged.

Thinking of you,

Colleen