Sometimes the Best Plan is to Forget the Plan!!

[princess_momma]

Hi, Kimmy! Loving the new pics!

How adorable is Landon with the TV camera? Priceless. And Christmas morning, what a cutie! My favorite is the one of you guys reading the book (and you look good for it to be morning, girl! I'm a total mess and will NOT let anyone photograph me. ), and my second favorite is the one with Landon all surrounded by Christmas wrappings.

I love the play pictures, too. How unique is that? Breakfast foods! And you definitely got yourself a ladies man. He knows he's got it - he's gonna work it.

He is growing up so fast, Kimmy. He's such a big boy!!!

I know, I love the picture of Landon as a cameraman! I'm so lucky that the guy let us do that!! I never even asked either, he just offered!!

I get up extra early so I have time to prep myself just for the sole purpose of pictures! I didn't even leave the house on Christmas day, but I knew we'd be preserving memories so I had to get ready!! Haha!

I love the breakfast foods play area!! Its a great place. My only problem was some of the older kids playing. They were at least 10 but like sprinting through the whole area and jumping off stuff. I was scared they were going to take me out, let alone my sweet little one year old boy! Luckily, they were no bad accidents though! I was just scared the whole time!!

First of all, ADORABLE pictures! That giant piece of bacon made me hungry lol. And look at all those Christmas presents!! He's so cute!!

If I went out to Cali, I'd want to do Disney, the LA sites, San Diego, and probably drive along to coast up to San Fran. I'd want the whole experience which means a whole lot of $$$. I should start saving up for that and maybe I can make it a reality in a couple years!

I promise to take lots of pictures! I'm better at posting things to facebook. My wifi is really quick about uploading pictures to that but not so much with photobucket. I tried the other night, it just wasn't happening.

I'm in such a great mood today. NKOTB just announced they're playing Radio City Music Hall in June! LMAO. I'm such a nerd.

Thanks!! I know I could go for some bacon right now! A giant piece would be ideal. (But not as giant as in the pictures! )

Have you ever been to Cali at all? I would love to do a trip like the one you described. All I have really done is San Diego (went to the zoo, Legoland and Sea World) and then other parts that no one has ever heard of! I have family further north in a place called Turlock (near Modesto). Then my uncle who lives there also has a beach house in Carmel. There much smaller towns in Cali but still pretty beautiful. But I want to go to the places that Cali is known for really bad!!

Photobucket is such a pain! Mine is so unorganized too. I just hate it. (Of course, the unorganization is partially my fault, but PB makes it so hard to get organized!) I will keep my eyes peeled on FB then!

 

[jenny105]

Thanks!! I know I could go for some bacon right now! A giant piece would be ideal. (But not as giant as in the pictures! )

Have you ever been to Cali at all? I would love to do a trip like the one you described. All I have really done is San Diego (went to the zoo, Legoland and Sea World) and then other parts that no one has ever heard of! I have family further north in a place called Turlock (near Modesto). Then my uncle who lives there also has a beach house in Carmel. There much smaller towns in Cali but still pretty beautiful. But I want to go to the places that Cali is known for really bad!!

Photobucket is such a pain! Mine is so unorganized too. I just hate it. (Of course, the unorganization is partially my fault, but PB makes it so hard to get organized!) I will keep my eyes peeled on FB then!

No, I have never been to Cali. The furthest point I've been outwest is Las Vegas. The airfare from here to Cali is killer, though I've only ever checked LA. I guess I could also check in San Diego and San Fran and work my way up or down the coast. I do so many of those trips for people that I eventually need to take one of my own. I really want to do the San Diego zoo and Sea World there, Disneyland, Laguna Beach haha, the LA sites: Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Hearst Castle, Monterey. So many things!!! Kimmy lets take a two week trip out there together in a couple years!

Photobucket is too tempermental. Sometimes it uploads very quickly; at other times the site will barely load up. ???

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Thanks!! I'm very excited!! We are going most likely the end of April!! (I plan on booking last minute... I just don't have enough for the deposit now and so I'll probably pay it all off at once.)

Oh, you should post your chili recipe!! That sounds good!! I usually just eat hormel! I love homemade chili though!!

Does the Special K challenge incorporate all their different stuff? I know they have bars and yogurts and drinks too, don't they? I will have to do research on that!

There was a time in my life when I was WAY too skinny too. It was many years ago in middle school, but I was diagnosed with anorexia and had to go to clinics and therapists and stuff. But I have definitely learned there are ways to be healthy and stay thin without starving yourself! And now I really LOVE to eat too!! (If you don't remember all my deluxe dining plans and all that!)

My main problem since having a baby is my stomach. There's always a layer of fat there. I've heard that cardio is better than ab exercises to get rid of that and I think its true because I can feel my abs underneath it! of course, eating better will probably help too. I'm going to go research the Special K challenge!

April, wow! That will be here before you know it. And booking last minute is probably best anyways. I'll just bet you can get a better deal that way. So exciting!!!

The vegetarian chili is as follows: (it actually resembles more of a taco soup, but still delish either way)

One can of red beans
One can of chili beans
One can of Black Beans
One can of whole kernel corn
One can of tomato soup
One can of Chili Ready Tomatoes
One package of Chili Seasoning

Open all of your cans, pour into a large stock pot, mix in your chili seasoning, heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. The longer you let it simmer, the better it tastes.

You can eat this as is or serve it with baked tostados, light (or fat free) sour cream, and just a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese. Not much, b/c cheese is fattening!

You don't even miss the meat. It is so yummy and healthy for you, too. And it serves a lot. We had it for dinner last night and will be having it again today. And the leftovers always taste better the next day!

The Special K challenge does incorporate all of their other products. You can have either their cereal or waffles for breakfast with a serving of fruit. Then for lunch, you can have a protein bar, a protein shake, or another bowl of ceral. For snack, you can have one of their cereal bars or crackers, and you can eat fruit and veggies as you wish.

Then for dinner, you will eat as normal, except I'm going to cut back there, when I can. Easy!

I was not diagnosed as anorexic when I was going through my cereal/salad days, but I know I definitely was. I had gotten down to a size 0 and 1. Way too thin! I'm five foot six. I knew there was a problem one day when my boyfriend (now DH) tried to get me to take a bite of his brownie and I wouldn't do it. He tried to make me eat it and I broke down and cried b/c I didn't want to eat anything fattening. Then I began to see pictures of myself in my bathing suit and I was just nothing but skin and bones. I was actually able to help myself and not have to go for treatment, but that was definitely a rough time.

Now you can't get me to stop eating! Funny how that works. I'm just so grateful that I was able to get past that on my own. I know of so many who suffer from anorexia that have it so much worse than I did. I'm glad that you were also able to overcome it.

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

very good christmas pictures, the ball popper, parkers stopped pretty soon after he got it as well, and we found out it was the batties it came with were weak, we replaced those with new and it worked great again.

 

[princess_momma]

No, I have never been to Cali. The furthest point I've been outwest is Las Vegas. The airfare from here to Cali is killer, though I've only ever checked LA. I guess I could also check in San Diego and San Fran and work my way up or down the coast. I do so many of those trips for people that I eventually need to take one of my own. I really want to do the San Diego zoo and Sea World there, Disneyland, Laguna Beach haha, the LA sites: Beverly Hills, Hollywood, Santa Barbara, Santa Monica, Hearst Castle, Monterey. So many things!!! Kimmy lets take a two week trip out there together in a couple years!

Photobucket is too tempermental. Sometimes it uploads very quickly; at other times the site will barely load up. ???

You should definitely look into other airports. I was actually checking the difference in prices between the airport in LA and the one in Long Beach which are actually really close to each other and sometimes the difference is only like $10, but other times its a couple hundred dollars!

We totally should take a 2 week trip out there!! My uncle would let us use his beach house too!! Carmel is right by Monterey. In fact, that's where we go when we are there if we want good groceries or to see a movie or something! So we could use that for the part we are up there! That would be SO fun!!

April, wow! That will be here before you know it. And booking last minute is probably best anyways. I'll just bet you can get a better deal that way. So exciting!!!

The vegetarian chili is as follows: (it actually resembles more of a taco soup, but still delish either way)

One can of red beans
One can of chili beans
One can of Black Beans
One can of whole kernel corn
One can of tomato soup
One can of Chili Ready Tomatoes
One package of Chili Seasoning

Open all of your cans, pour into a large stock pot, mix in your chili seasoning, heat to boiling, stirring occasionally. The longer you let it simmer, the better it tastes.

You can eat this as is or serve it with baked tostados, light (or fat free) sour cream, and just a sprinkling of grated cheddar cheese. Not much, b/c cheese is fattening!

You don't even miss the meat. It is so yummy and healthy for you, too. And it serves a lot. We had it for dinner last night and will be having it again today. And the leftovers always taste better the next day!

The Special K challenge does incorporate all of their other products. You can have either their cereal or waffles for breakfast with a serving of fruit. Then for lunch, you can have a protein bar, a protein shake, or another bowl of ceral. For snack, you can have one of their cereal bars or crackers, and you can eat fruit and veggies as you wish.

Then for dinner, you will eat as normal, except I'm going to cut back there, when I can. Easy!

I was not diagnosed as anorexic when I was going through my cereal/salad days, but I know I definitely was. I had gotten down to a size 0 and 1. Way too thin! I'm five foot six. I knew there was a problem one day when my boyfriend (now DH) tried to get me to take a bite of his brownie and I wouldn't do it. He tried to make me eat it and I broke down and cried b/c I didn't want to eat anything fattening. Then I began to see pictures of myself in my bathing suit and I was just nothing but skin and bones. I was actually able to help myself and not have to go for treatment, but that was definitely a rough time.

Now you can't get me to stop eating! Funny how that works. I'm just so grateful that I was able to get past that on my own. I know of so many who suffer from anorexia that have it so much worse than I did. I'm glad that you were also able to overcome it.

Mmmm that chili sounds so good!! I will have to make it soon! I bet even Landon would like it! I'll let you know if I try it!!

Aren't you so glad you were able to help yourself? Really, treatment did nothing for me! It was so easy to lie to them and just be like "oh yeah, I realize my body image is unhealthy. I'll eat." I even had this CRAZY therapist who tried to get me to open up by playing games with me and she would talk about her other patients and how some of them would only allow themselves 3 grains of rice a day, or another just 2 crackers. I was like "how is this helping me? It seems like you are trying to just give me ideas!"

I'm glad we were both able to overcome it though. I really don't think it was "on our own". I guess the better term would be "without treatment". I think HE had a hand in it, whether we realized it or not.

 

[princess_momma]

very good christmas pictures, the ball popper, parkers stopped pretty soon after he got it as well, and we found out it was the batties it came with were weak, we replaced those with new and it worked great again.

Hmm thats odd! Was it the same one? (Could you tell from the picture?) Ours actually didn't come with batteries, and we got new ones and put them in. I wonder if we should just try new batteries again. I didn't think it would've ate them up that fast!

 

[FauntleroyFAN07]

Hmm thats odd! Was it the same one? (Could you tell from the picture?) Ours actually didn't come with batteries, and we got new ones and put them in. I wonder if we should just try new batteries again. I didn't think it would've ate them up that fast!

might not hurt to try new ones again, ours looked a little different.

i would take it back and tell them it did not work anymore after 25 minutes if it still does not work, theyshould take it back or replace it for you for free..

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Mmmm that chili sounds so good!! I will have to make it soon! I bet even Landon would like it! I'll let you know if I try it!!

Aren't you so glad you were able to help yourself? Really, treatment did nothing for me! It was so easy to lie to them and just be like "oh yeah, I realize my body image is unhealthy. I'll eat." I even had this CRAZY therapist who tried to get me to open up by playing games with me and she would talk about her other patients and how some of them would only allow themselves 3 grains of rice a day, or another just 2 crackers. I was like "how is this helping me? It seems like you are trying to just give me ideas!"

I'm glad we were both able to overcome it though. I really don't think it was "on our own". I guess the better term would be "without treatment". I think HE had a hand in it, whether we realized it or not.

Even my picky child likes that soup. Especially over the chips and with "cream" on it, as Mitchell calls it.

It is SO easy to make, too, and cheap. Just open up several cans, turn the stove on. And in just a little while, you've got a nice wintry meal.

I hope you try the recipe. Let me know what you think if you do!

And you are so right - your therapist totally sounded like she was giving you ideas. Wierd! Definitely HE had a hand in our recovery. I'm so glad that He did, too, because I was NOT happy during that time of my life. Even if I thought being thinner was what would make me happy, it quickly became something bigger than me. But HE is bigger than us all!

 

[jenny105]

You should definitely look into other airports. I was actually checking the difference in prices between the airport in LA and the one in Long Beach which are actually really close to each other and sometimes the difference is only like $10, but other times its a couple hundred dollars!

We totally should take a 2 week trip out there!! My uncle would let us use his beach house too!! Carmel is right by Monterey. In fact, that's where we go when we are there if we want good groceries or to see a movie or something! So we could use that for the part we are up there! That would be SO fun!!

Let's make this happen!!

 

[princess_momma]

might not hurt to try new ones again, ours looked a little different.

i would take it back and tell them it did not work anymore after 25 minutes if it still does not work, theyshould take it back or replace it for you for free..

I will have to do that!!

Even my picky child likes that soup. Especially over the chips and with "cream" on it, as Mitchell calls it.

It is SO easy to make, too, and cheap. Just open up several cans, turn the stove on. And in just a little while, you've got a nice wintry meal.

I hope you try the recipe. Let me know what you think if you do!

And you are so right - your therapist totally sounded like she was giving you ideas. Wierd! Definitely HE had a hand in our recovery. I'm so glad that He did, too, because I was NOT happy during that time of my life. Even if I thought being thinner was what would make me happy, it quickly became something bigger than me. But HE is bigger than us all!

Mmm that sounds good. I'll have to remind myself to go easy on the "cream". I just LOVE sour cream. lol. I think I'm going to have to get the ingredients and save it for the next cold front. Yesterday it was around 60 degrees!

Isn't HE so great?

Let's make this happen!!

We definitely need to! I'm excited!!

 

[MICKEY4EVER!]

Mmm that sounds good. I'll have to remind myself to go easy on the "cream". I just LOVE sour cream. lol. I think I'm going to have to get the ingredients and save it for the next cold front. Yesterday it was around 60 degrees!

Isn't HE so great?

Wow! Sixty degrees for you! I figured you'd be in the negative degrees still and covered in snow! Our high yesterday was forty. It's forty-three today and we're supposed to get to fifty tomorrow. Last week we never made it out of the twenties, so this is nice!

Oh, yes, HE IS SO GREAT!

 

[Pollito916]

Hmm thats odd! Was it the same one? (Could you tell from the picture?) Ours actually didn't come with batteries, and we got new ones and put them in. I wonder if we should just try new batteries again. I didn't think it would've ate them up that fast!

Hi Kimmy - I don't know if I've posted here before, but I've been reading for a little bit, linked over from someone else's TR, but can't remember who.

Anyways, we have that ball popper too, and it has been working fine for over a year, except when Alex puts cars in it , so you should definitely try new batteries then return it if it doesn't work.

Also, I used to travel to LA all of the time for business and have done a lot of the touristy things, so I would be happy to help out with any of your questions. Do you know yet which airport you are flying into? If it is LAX, I would very strongly caution you from staying at a cheap hotel near there, as it is not the best area. I have stayed at the hilton there, which is a very nice hotel and not a bad rate, but I would not walk around the neighborhood. Catch a cab at the hotel for anywhere you would want to go if you are not renting a car for the day.

My favorite touristy things in the LA area are:

Rodeo Drive - can't afford it, but still cool!

Farmers Market/The Grove - This is so LA. The Farmers Market has tons of great places to eat and unique shopping. The Grove is an outdoor mall that is basically attached to the Farmers Market and also has some great places to eat. It's also very close to the CBS studios (walking distance), where I think they tape for The Price is Right.

Universal Studios City Walk - really cool place to be at night, great shopping, food & entertainment!

Hollywood - really, it's not that great. It's dirty, crowded, and not the greatest area. Very disappointed, it's not very much like DHS at all. But, there is a very nice mall now next to Grauman's Chinese theater AND a Disney Soda Shop across the street that can work for a quick Disney "fix." The mall is really nice, has lots of upscale stores and the crowd outside is really a freak show. I like when there's a Jack Sparrow look-a-like working out front.

Venice Beach - muscle beach - need I say more?

Santa Monica Pier - This is one of my favorite areas, beachy, cool restaurants & shopping

Disneyland - Obviously, but it's really pretty far, especially from LA and I wouldn't go unless you have the time to spend there b/c you will feel cheated out of getting the whole experience. Though I have to admit, that after I have a bad day at work, I will make the 1.5-2 hour drive down there and just walk around Downtown Disney and the hotels for awhile.

Hmmm, that's all I can think of right now. Did I miss anything specific that you are interested in?

 

[stacikristine]

Oh, wow! Your cruise plans sound amazing! You're going to have a blast!!! As far as working out goes, I've started Pilates, and I can already tell a huge difference after just 4 workouts! I just bought a beginners Pilates DVD at Wal-Mart. I really like it...

And Landon's pictures are SOOO cute! Those camera shots are adorable. Did you ever end up putting the TV shots on a DVD? And his Christmas Morning hair is awesome! Messy hair is the greatest. Sorry the ball thing broke. That REALLY stinks! I guess yall don't have much luck with ball toys. And he's definitely your child if he loves books!

Everything sounds awesome--can't wait until you actually get to go on your cruise! Oh, and have you checked Vacations to Go? They have super cheap cruise prices!

 

[princess_momma]

Wow! Sixty degrees for you! I figured you'd be in the negative degrees still and covered in snow! Our high yesterday was forty. It's forty-three today and we're supposed to get to fifty tomorrow. Last week we never made it out of the twenties, so this is nice!

Oh, yes, HE IS SO GREAT!

I'm loving this weather!! It's nice!

Hi Kimmy - I don't know if I've posted here before, but I've been reading for a little bit, linked over from someone else's TR, but can't remember who.

Anyways, we have that ball popper too, and it has been working fine for over a year, except when Alex puts cars in it , so you should definitely try new batteries then return it if it doesn't work.

Also, I used to travel to LA all of the time for business and have done a lot of the touristy things, so I would be happy to help out with any of your questions. Do you know yet which airport you are flying into? If it is LAX, I would very strongly caution you from staying at a cheap hotel near there, as it is not the best area. I have stayed at the hilton there, which is a very nice hotel and not a bad rate, but I would not walk around the neighborhood. Catch a cab at the hotel for anywhere you would want to go if you are not renting a car for the day.

My favorite touristy things in the LA area are:

Rodeo Drive - can't afford it, but still cool!

Farmers Market/The Grove - This is so LA. The Farmers Market has tons of great places to eat and unique shopping. The Grove is an outdoor mall that is basically attached to the Farmers Market and also has some great places to eat. It's also very close to the CBS studios (walking distance), where I think they tape for The Price is Right.

Universal Studios City Walk - really cool place to be at night, great shopping, food & entertainment!

Hollywood - really, it's not that great. It's dirty, crowded, and not the greatest area. Very disappointed, it's not very much like DHS at all. But, there is a very nice mall now next to Grauman's Chinese theater AND a Disney Soda Shop across the street that can work for a quick Disney "fix." The mall is really nice, has lots of upscale stores and the crowd outside is really a freak show. I like when there's a Jack Sparrow look-a-like working out front.

Venice Beach - muscle beach - need I say more?

Santa Monica Pier - This is one of my favorite areas, beachy, cool restaurants & shopping

Disneyland - Obviously, but it's really pretty far, especially from LA and I wouldn't go unless you have the time to spend there b/c you will feel cheated out of getting the whole experience. Though I have to admit, that after I have a bad day at work, I will make the 1.5-2 hour drive down there and just walk around Downtown Disney and the hotels for awhile.

Hmmm, that's all I can think of right now. Did I miss anything specific that you are interested in?

I will have to try new batteries! Thanks for the advice on that!

Thank you so much for your tips on LA. I wouldn't have ever considered the Grove at the Farmer's Market, but now I would like to see if we can squeeze that in. I think it would be fun if we tried to get on the Price is Right too! That would be AWESOME! I wonder if they will be taping then. I'll have to look.

I will have to look into all your other suggestions more too! I think one for sure we wanted was Rodeo Dr!

One big question I have is how close are things? Do you need to get a taxi for like everywhere? Because I looked on a fare calculator for there and its crazy expensive. I already know that it will be very expensive to get from LAX to the pier but that's okay. We were also considering maybe renting out a car w/ a driver for a couple of hours because that is honestly cheaper than a taxi!

 

[princess_momma]

Oh, wow! Your cruise plans sound amazing! You're going to have a blast!!! As far as working out goes, I've started Pilates, and I can already tell a huge difference after just 4 workouts! I just bought a beginners Pilates DVD at Wal-Mart. I really like it...

And Landon's pictures are SOOO cute! Those camera shots are adorable. Did you ever end up putting the TV shots on a DVD? And his Christmas Morning hair is awesome! Messy hair is the greatest. Sorry the ball thing broke. That REALLY stinks! I guess yall don't have much luck with ball toys. And he's definitely your child if he loves books!

Everything sounds awesome--can't wait until you actually get to go on your cruise! Oh, and have you checked Vacations to Go? They have super cheap cruise prices!

Thanks! I'm SO excited for the cruise. I just looked up a website for a dolphin swim in one of the ports, and they're having a special where you can buy the dolphin swim and get the sea lion swim free! So I think we're going to do both!

I have heard good things about pilates but never tried it. Is it hard? I wonder if On Demand has good pilates work outs. Do you need any equipment to do it? One of the videos I've watched on OnDemand Exercise TV is the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders Boot Camp. It's pretty awesome. I did a 15 minute one for legs and I could barely walk the whole following weekend. I may appear to be "thin" but I am so out of shape!! I did go and use an elliptical last night in my apartment complex! Finally! Its the first time I've used it since I moved in October!

I don't really know how to get Landon's tv appearance on DVD! We have Comcast and my dad says we can't do it. Do you know any specific way we could make it be done? I would love to get it!

I will have to take new pictures for you...there is no more messy hair. Well kinda...but he FINALLY got a haircut. His 2nd! It's super cute!

I have checked Vacations to Go! That place is great!

 

[Pollito916]

One big question I have is how close are things? Do you need to get a taxi for like everywhere? Because I looked on a fare calculator for there and its crazy expensive. I already know that it will be very expensive to get from LAX to the pier but that's okay. We were also considering maybe renting out a car w/ a driver for a couple of hours because that is honestly cheaper than a taxi!

Not very close at all. On the list I gave you, the 3 closest things are probably Rodeo Drive, to the Grove to Hollywood. The rest are pretty spread out. Cabs are expensive there. Could you rent a car for the day and return it to the airport before the cruise? That might be cheapest. But a cab or driver would give you the advantage of not getting lost or having to deal with LA traffic or winding up in East LA. Actually, that reminds me of another cool thing about LA - all of the different ethnic neighborhoods - Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Japan, etc, etc. I even saw Little Ethiopia!

You do have to pay for parking almost everywhere in LA, which can add up. Parking at Rodeo is cheap in the garages, and you can get free parking at the Grove/Farmers Market if you get it validated at a store or restaurant (with purchase). Everywhere else is kind of pricey.

Decide which things you would be most interested in to see how much you can fit into a day, then which mode of transportation.

 

[princess_momma]

Okay...I just need to get this out of my system. I'm so annoyed right now and just got rubbed the wrong way and UGH!!!

So I'm a receptionist for a Ford car dealership. My company has two Ford locations. While we have local numbers to dial us directly, our commercials have 1-800 numbers. I'm not even sure what the 1-800 numbers are or if there are two and people call the wrong one, but I get TONS of calls for our other store because of this.

So this morning, this lady calls and asks for the other store. I transfer her. She calls back because she somehow got disconnected, so I apologize and transfer her again. Somehow she got disconnected again and calls back fuming. I apologize because I don't know what is going on and asks if she would like the number so she can try them herself. She just starts screaming at me about how she's been trying to call them and either I can transfer them or I can't, etc. I can't even get a word in. She is just not happy. I don't know...maybe she believes I just kept saying I would transfer her and hang up on her or something. But I couldn't even get a word in, she was just screaming beyond reason so I did actually hang up on her.

She calls back and asks for a manager. I get here at 7am because that's when parts and service opens and I have to answer their calls. None of them are managers and couldn't help her at all. The managers get in at 8:30am. The time this lady was calling was about 7:30am. I would gladly send psycho angry lady to them if they were in. I don't get in trouble for raging customers because my managers think I should be respected since I am polite to our customers. So I tell her there are no managers here. She flips out about how she doesn't want to hear another word out of my mouth and she wants to talk to a manager and if I hang up on her again, she's coming down here. She won't let me tell her the time the managers come in or try to resend her...if you remember she is so angry with me at this point, she actually did tell me she didn't want to here another word out of my mouth. I hung up on her again.

She may have called back in then hung up...I'm not sure because the 1-800 number shows that it's calling from their and doesn't have their caller id. I would love for her to come down here right now and see for herself that there are no managers here. UGH!! Some people.

I would love for her to even call back now because I found out what the problem was. I called the other store myself and kept getting a busy signal. There line was down. So I did call around that store and found out that their receptionist isn't in yet. I would tell her that. I would even have somewhere to send her over there now.

I'm just so rubbed the wrong way. Why anyone would start screaming like that at somebody is beyond me. Does this lady really believe I just answered the phone and decided to not send her to the right place for giggles and then lied about whether or not a manager was on duty so I wouldn't get in trouble? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't still work here after nearly 3 years, surviving 3 rounds of layoffs if I liked to disconnect people just for fun and then lie about who else was here. GRRR!!!

Okay...now I feel better since I got that out...Thanks. Back to your normally scheduled chatter/unofficial ptr for various trips/tr.

 

[princess_momma]

Hey everyone!! How was your weekend? Is anyone still here? I promise I'll have a REAL ptr soon and it won't be just chatter. Sorry.

My weekend was GREAT!! I just hung out with my little whippersnapper. (That's one of my favorite words!) We just went to a couple of malls, watched a movie, went to church and played. That was our weekend. It was perfect. I love him.

Also, yesterday was FANTASTIC because the Chargers lost in the playoffs. I'm over the Broncos not making it...but I would've cried and been so upset if the Chargers got any further. yeah, I'm dramatic about football, I know.

Last night was also the season premiere of 24!! Does anyone else like that show and watch? I know Staci does. I love it!! I'm stoked for a new season!

Of course, then I come into work after a great weekend and have to deal with raging, psychotic women at 7:30 in morning. But I got it out of my system now!!

Not very close at all. On the list I gave you, the 3 closest things are probably Rodeo Drive, to the Grove to Hollywood. The rest are pretty spread out. Cabs are expensive there. Could you rent a car for the day and return it to the airport before the cruise? That might be cheapest. But a cab or driver would give you the advantage of not getting lost or having to deal with LA traffic or winding up in East LA. Actually, that reminds me of another cool thing about LA - all of the different ethnic neighborhoods - Chinatown, Koreatown, Little Japan, etc, etc. I even saw Little Ethiopia!

You do have to pay for parking almost everywhere in LA, which can add up. Parking at Rodeo is cheap in the garages, and you can get free parking at the Grove/Farmers Market if you get it validated at a store or restaurant (with purchase). Everywhere else is kind of pricey.

Decide which things you would be most interested in to see how much you can fit into a day, then which mode of transportation.

Yeah, I didn't think they were that close. Thanks for your help. I really appreciate it. I think renting a car is out of the question because we're both younger. (early 20's) Don't you have to be at least 25 in most places? I really think that hiring a car w/ a driver is the best path for us. Their are some places that are as cheap as $40/hour with only a minimum of 2 hours. $80 is cheaper than a cab drive from LAX to the pier! So I still have to play around, but I think that option is the one for us.

 

[jenny105]

Hi Kimmy! My weekend was GREAT. I went to see a Joey McIntyre concert (NKOTB) on Saturday night with my sister. We had a BLAST. Yesterday I spent all day recovering because I was already not feeling well and walking around NYC in the cold didn't help me any. But it was totally worth it!

Why would they premiere 24 during the Golden Globes? I love watching the awards shows. I was so happy Glee won!

 

[MickeyisBeast]

Hey Kimmy, sorry to hear about that rude person on the other end of the phone. Glad you had a good weekend Can't wait to hear more from you