October 15, 2005 anyone?

[SamR]

I have officially not packed anything yet.... and probably won't start for a couple of months... errrr I mean weeks...

I'll probably still be packing late the night before we leave...That's my usual modus operandi. I always say I'm going to start early, but somehow...

anybody else's kids in school yet? ... Lily's 1st day of K was last Thursday.

Abby's first day of K was yesterday, and that's the only day she goes all week! They break the class into five parts, so that each child's first day is with a small set of classmates and lots of individual attention from the teacher. The full class will report next Tuesday.

My boys started school last Thursday (seventh and fourth grades).

"Lily, your dad's goofy!"

Sounds like some perceptive students to me!

I'm certainly no economist, but here in the financial world in St. Louis there is a lot of concern over long-term gasoline / oil prices and natural gas prices and heating oil prices through the winter - primarily the effect that $3 a gallon gas combined with a predicted 20%-30% increase in heating oil / natural gas is going to have on the overall economy thanks to the damage that Katrina did down in the gulf.

Yes, and you have to wonder if the scope of this disaster will send a few insurance companies into bankruptcy. At a minimum, I would expect insurance rates to dramatically increase.

Hi everyone, back from Amsterdam had a fantastic time.

Glad to hear you had a good time. Sometime I need to get the name of that eatery from you. Last time I was in Amsterdam, I was not too impressed with any of the dining establishments I sampled.

Now that is funny...Paulos...

Try using that name for it over on the Cruise board. You'll have a whole bunch of folks in a flaming frenzy!

 

[txaggie94gigem]

the funny thing is that i think you have to have separate insurance for flooding, which i bet alot of people may not have...

I am shocked to hear about how much looting there is in the gulf...people robbing jewelry stores, casinos, clothings, electronics...everything! and they do it in plain sight and have no remorse...to me that is one of the other worst parts of this disaster...it brings out the worst in people! I know this has been a tragedy but i hope they prosecute all those they have caught on tape to the full extent of the law and beyond if they catch them! This disaster does not give anyone the right to loot all the businesses.

I heard that they predict gas prices will avg out to be $3.20 within one week...it is already $2.89 here in OK where we have almost as much oil as texas! Now i wish i had bought tickets! We will be spending a fortune to drive this time!!

I wonder if the DCL 2007 prices will be alot higher with the gas prices soaring...we will just have to wait and see....

all this makes me thankful for my family

 

[cntkg1]

We are supposed to drive up to Milwaukee this weekend for a family visit...

Brenda...Since you'll be in my neighborhood, don't forget to stop over at my house. I'll let you take me out for a drink!!!

Actually, I'll let you off the hook. We will be busy with a wedding this weekend.


Yes, I saw that poor man on TV this morning too. I'll bet the networks stay in touch with him and his story. Hopefully, it will be a happy ending and he finds his wife safe and sound. I was watching Good Morning America and poor Robin was trying so hard to keep it together. I often wonder how the newspeople can report on such sad stories and not cry.

In 1998 we had a flood in our house. We had over 5 feet of raw sewage in our basement from horrible thunderstorms. Our entire neighborhood got hit really bad. There was no loss of life...just stuff! We lost everything in our basement but it was nothing compared to those poor people in the south. Most of it could be replaced (except our wedding pictures and my Elvis scarf) and FEMA gave us money to get back on our feet again. Insurance covered a little too. Some of those people hit by Katrina don't have anything anymore!!! Sure wish I could help somehow too!!

I'm hoping our DIS friends, Jo and Danny (Perdiobay), are safe. They live in Memphis TN and I don't know if they were affected or not. Think I'll send them a PM to check on them.

Later,
Nancy

 

[txaggie94gigem]

my kids started on Aug. 18...nad my kindergartener does not have homework...YET! but i'm sure it will be hours and hours later this year! seriously,, all we are expected to do is read daily and we are beginning sight words ( a list of 10 easy words) to review...less than 5 min total! we only go 1/2 day here in public school but i am very lucky this year. Our church has a teacher with a master's degree teaching kindergarten there and my daughter is one of only 4 kids in the class! She gets great attention and i am so thrilled! She goes there in the morning and public school in the afternoon...so far it is working out very well!

my oldest started middle school ...i think that covers the emotions that i feel!

 

[txaggie94gigem]

it is times like this that reminds me how i need to put all my pictures and copies of important documents on disks in case this happens....send a couple for others to keep as well as my own copies and that way if something like this happens, whether by flood or tornado, we have not lost our years of memories as well as easy to grab and carry!

 

[d'Isigny]

Hello and best wishes to all…work has been ‘a little challenging’ the past few weeks so I need to catch up on 5 or 6 pages of posts.

Let’s see – where to start…Ahhhh yes

Welcome to Suzy from London, Kentucky…glad you found our group and looking forward in meeting you on the ship.

Appears Wayne has traveled – returned home safely (blessings on that). From the pictures he’s posted…knows his deserts (note to self…get in front of him at the midnight desert buffet).

We have some already packed…half packed and others, like I, will be up till midnight before we leave – to finish packing…good…this is good!
Some outside this group…appear to ‘share’ their inability to pack. Not sure I’d take the nurturing route on my post – I’d probably steal a line from Dr Phil – LADY, GET A GRIP!!!!!
As a distant, twice removed relative of Stand-up Comedian - Jeff Foxworthy…I never need to worry about matching luggage. All Hefty garbage bags match…and if you forget duct take or a belt…the yellow ties work great.

We learned something about Paul – appears he moonlights on the weekend as Austin Powers. Also, there is a petition to change Palo to Paulo…or…was it Paulos. Please catch me at port…I’ll gladly sign away. Yeah…that’s it – ummmm, ‘Molar Express’ members get to dine there any night they want to – have there own…chair…no, my own table…staffed and available 24/7 – just for me. Yeah, that’s it…that’s the ticket.

Kathy needs pizza magnets from all over the States….wait…we have Wayne – FROM AROUND THE WORLD!!! I can see it now!!!

Looks like some have found awesome outfits to dress up their little cherubs. Gonna have some style’n young ones – I can’t wait. Not sure who mentioned it…but, putting an entire child’s outfit in zip loc bags is a FANTASTIC way to pack. When Nan did this on our first trip…I thought she was nuts – told her so, too (still have the scars to prove it). But, just a few days into our trip…I had to ‘eat my words’. Easy to pack and avoided the ‘what to I wear’ each morning.

Share your sadness in hearing the loss of life and home for those in Katrina's path – blessings to those affected. The looting is something I will never get used to…as well – it’s terrible enough to see this devastation, but those that do this will eventually get their just rewards. Hope they continue to show themselves on television – somebody’s taking notes. Bettcha an ‘adult beverage’…many are arrested and jailed before we sail.

Well…gett’n late here on the ‘left coast’…good night to all!!! K

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Do you all know what *I* did yesterday?

Of course you don't, because you were not there.

Anyway, I made Dentist apointments for both myself AND my Daughter in the next couple of weeks. Not too worried about Katie, but I think that I have at least one cavity, possibly two.

You people have me terrified!

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

Josie has been in school for 2 weeks now! 2nd grade! We are not good at getting back into a routine. It is hard cause until the time changes we try and ride the horses atleast 3-4 days per week and play outside. Homework!! YUK! We try and do it as soon as I get home so it is out of the way!
Kindergarden never gave much. Just sight words and reading easy books to them or let them try. Book reports where they draw a picture about the story.

Josie may go and show her horse Toby in her first real Barrel race this weekend. She will go in Pee Wee Barrels! She has been practicing very hard!


My Dentist just sent a card saying it was time for a check up!!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

[SamR]

Just an FYI... Some of you may have read about the Wonder's experiment with "staggered dining times", where instead of all folks at the early seating going to dinner at 6:00, diners are split between 5:45, 6:00, and 6:15. Well, I now read on the Cruise board that the experiment on the Wonder has changed to permanent, and DCL has announced that they will be testing staggered dining times on the Magic. However, according to the announcement, the testing will not start until October 29th, so it shouldn't affect us. (I don't really guess I care either way. I can see how the staggered times would slightly reduce congestion in the halls and elevators, but I don't recall that being that big of a problem anyway.)

Good luck to Michelle and Kathy on their dental visits! With all the bad dental luck on this thread, there should plenty of good luck waiting for someone!

Scott (DS12) and I each have check-ups scheduled in the next two or three weeks. Scott should be OK, but with my track record of late, now might be a good time to buy stock in the companies that make dental supplies.

 

[wayneg]

Just got back from Dentist. Fingers crossed that is it for 12 months. I have eye test tomorrow then Doctors Friday. I have had enough of waiting rooms.

At the dessert buffet just give me a whole New York cheesecake You can have everything else (last year I had 2 small pieces and couldn't eat another thing)

Mathew starts High school on Friday just for the morning, then full time from Monday. Attached pic in his new uniform. Can't believe he has turned 11.
Wayne

 

[oybolshoi]

Wayne,
your son is too cute! Over here in the colonies, most primary and secondary school students don't wear uniforms unless they attend private or parochial schools. He looks very spiffy, indeed! Oh, and just a friendly warning...I'll be fighting you every step of the way for that cheescake!


Hey Sam...you're right on with that comment about the insurance industry. And in keeping with the pessimistic nature of my job, I'm afraid we're going to have to add the transportation industry in general, and the airlines in particular, to that list. Such an unbelievable tragedy every way you look at it.

I keep wondering about places Jason and I visited in New Orleans in April...and whether or not they will be there in the future for others to enjoy as we did. I sure hope so.

On a more cheerful note...45 days to embarkation!!!!!

 

[txaggie94gigem]

i see that they are moving people to the astrodome in houston starting today...my sister has an aprtment above her garage in houston and some friends of hers had relatives in new orleans so she has offered her apartment to them to live in for a few months or until things get straightened out in new orleans....for free of course....most of those people have no place to go or people to live with so they will be living and sleeping in weird places for awhile i am afraid....

on a brighter note...i have begun packing...i have not decided whether to bring treats for my kids or have a basket made up by the perfect gift...i have 80% of my magnets done but not printed...i still need to go get mickey heads from home depot....i wonder if they really think people like the alien green alot since the chips keep disappearing!

 

[cntkg1]

.i still need to go get mickey heads from home depot....i wonder if they really think people like the alien green alot since the chips keep disappearing!

Thanks for clarifying the official color of the DISboard. Now I'll have to run to Home Depot and see the actual color.


Well, today I'm off on my final trip on the Molar Express (I hope). S/B just a cleaning, but those are the worst for me. I'd rather have a filling than a cleaning!!

Later,
Nancy

 

[PearlandPaige]

i see that they are moving people to the astrodome in houston starting today

At least the Astrodome will be put to good use for a while. I saw in our local paper the other day that they had cleared the Astrodome's schedule through December for those folks. That brought to mind a couple of thoughts: (1) what was actually on the Astrodome's schedule? and (2) are those folks going to have to live in the Astrodome until December? How do they bathe? Where do they sleep? I can't even imagine. The Houston area is chock full of folks escaping Louisiana right now. A large number of restaurants and hotels are offering discounts to people who have Louisiana licenses. I know Houston gets kind of a bad rap for being a less than desirable place to live, but I couldn't be more proud of how we've rolled out the welcome mat to take care of our neighbors. A lot of other cities wouldn't have the capability or the willingness to take on tens of thousands of refugees. I'm starting to think a lot of these folks may end up as permanent residents. It's going to be so long before they have something to go back to, I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if they end up seeking jobs here. There's a lot of overlap between the industries here and in Louisiana, so a lot of the folks could be a good fit here.

On another Katrina-related note, gas last night at the cheapest place in my neighborhood was $3.31 a gallon. Since DH doesn't want to hear anymore complaints about the price of gas (DH: "Stop complaining about things you have no control over" - ugh) I figured I'd vent to you guys. Sorry, Wayne, I know you have it a lot worse, but I'm in SHOCK. Thank goodness my car gets reasonably decent gas mileage, but I have to drive 26 miles each way to work every day. I just hate spending that much on transportation. Time to start telecommuting...

All right, on to happier topics, I think this weekend I'm at least going to plan what to pack for the trip. I can't pack any of it yet, though, because it's still almost 100 degrees here (just love that Houston heat), so I'm still using all of my summer stuff.

Oh, and one last thing - Michelle, that picture of Josie with the dolphins is just beautiful.

 

[txaggie94gigem]

Paige...

I assume the astrodome was reserved for concerts and conventions but not living in houston i cannot be certain....the Texans have their own field now don't they? I heard the New Orleans Saints will play their "home" games in San Antonio this year....I am proud of the way Texas has stepped up to help! (after all I am a native Texan myself)....I have to admit it was heartbreaking to see all those people on I-10 just waiting there with no food or drink in the hot sun yet the media vans and national guard large trucks were constantly driving by...I can understand some people's frustration! and don't you love how the media keeps asking everyone how they "feel"? I'm just waiting for someone to say something like..."Wow! I hoped and dreamed something like this would happen so I could cash in on my insurance policy on my home and move to another city!" Of course these people are scared and devastated, as would anyone else in their situation...does the media really have to ask? I keep praying everyday for all those people from the coast.....

did you see the thread about some airports in the southeast have a fuel shortage, including orlando? I am hoping that most things have evened out by mid October...My hubby saw a gas station in Atlanta charging alomst $6/gallon....i have heard they are having fuel shortages in that city....anyway, i think we will end up spending about $300-400 more in gas than we expected to drive to orlando but for us it is still cheaper than flying...i may still try priceline for last minute tickets but with high fuel prices i doubt we will get cheap seats.....

nancy...i agree about cleanings...they are the worst!!!! i had to have a couple fillings this time so i scheduled my cleaning after my filling so that half my mouth would be numb! and it worked great!!!

 

[BABYJOSIE98]

I had taken that picture at the underwater dolphin area. Him and her were looking right at each other and I could not resist! So cute and it turned out kind of neat!

I have another picture of her at home from at the Poly this past May with her Goofy Pirate ears and scarf on her head. I think I am going to make my door sign out of that one,but I also want to put it in my signature.

I was watching Dateline last night crying my eyes out! It is all so heartbreaking. I think here at Wash U they will be doing a Collection for the Red Cross. I also have some clothes to donate. Those people need everything!

It is so hard to be happy about something as unimportant as our Disney cruise when others are suffering...What do ya do???
Life goes on........

I see there are 3 more tropical depressions out in the Atlantic!!
Lee is going out too sea,but the other two they are still watching...

GO AWAY!!! We don't want any more destruction!!!

 

[oybolshoi]

but I have to drive 26 miles each way to work every day. I just hate spending that much on transportation. Time to start telecommuting...

Paige, I feel your pain. My round-trip daily drive to-from work is about 65 miles per day. After reading some industry reports about possible shortages and the per gallon price hitting as much as $4 by this weekend I sat down with my manager and asked for help.

My husband works awful hours... 6AM to 4PM usually. But we can carpool because we take the same route to work - so I'm going to change my hours at work four days a week to 7AM-4PM in order to reduce our gas costs. We're sitting at $3 per gallon in the western reaches of St. Charles County outside of St. Louis, but I fully expect it to jump another 25 cents again today.

We're supposed to drive up to Milwaukee tomorrow for a family weekend, and I guess my priorities are messed up, but I don't really want to go with prices the way they are. $350 in gas for a single weekend isn't really something I'm looking forward to. I'd be just as happy staying home this Labor Day weekend.

It is marvelous what the state of Texas and the residents of Houston are doing for the New Orleans evacuees. It's wonderful to see people reaching out to each other - we're going to need that for a long time to come.

Take it easy everyone...it's going to be a crazy couple of weeks. Thank goodness we're all fortunate enough to have this wonderful...oops! wrong ship...I mean magical trip coming up next month.

 

[jenmack]

I echo that...Michelle, cute picture.

Well, 2 night's ago we got 2 phone calls from my Dh's Navy base just doing an excercise recall. The commanding officer will call everyone in his unt(s) to make sure that all their personal info is up to date & that they are still residing at the address that they have in their personal file. This is just in case you are re-called to go to war. Anyway, last night when my Dh & I were watching the devastation of Katrina on the TV he turned & looked at me & said... "You know, I could be called along with other reservists to help in the clean-up of Katrina. Especially since everyone is stretched thin with the war in Iraq."
Anyway, it's a possibility, but you never know. I think it would be an honor to be able to help.
So anyway, we then started to talk about our cruise & what if's.

We are keeping those poor people & their families in our prayers & of course if you can donate monetarily that's a great help right there.

 

[llyolf]

I just went to McDs and had lunch with Grace and Mollie.... Gas at sheetz was 2.99.... said "hmm glad I filled up last night at $2.79". Ate the McD's... left.. Gas at sheetz 30 minutes later... $3.19... I gonna stock up on Corn on the cob... make some ethanol...

Later,
Paul

 

[shmoogrrrl]

Mathew starts High school on Friday just for the morning, then full time from Monday. Attached pic in his new uniform. Can't believe he has turned 11.
Wayne

What house did he get sorted into? Hopefully not Slytherin!

(Okay. feel free to kick me at anytime.)

Your son looks very handsome. I am a fan of uniforms for school, but I think I am in a minority over here!