Well I know someone here is taking a cruise, any one taking vacation real or imag?
 

DiMarie,
I don't know how your weather is up there but winter CANNOT come soon enough here....It's just SO hot here and won't cool off until about November, if then and I know people say that you get used to the heat and humidity but trust me, YOU DON'T- or at least I haven't in the almost 50 yrs. I've lived here.... and it seems like the older I get, the harder it is on me. When I hear people say how HOT it is when it's in the low 80's:eek:, I just think to myself, "you don't know HOT"! The low 80's are a cold front for us.:cool:

I know when I go to Florida I hit two record heat waves and it killed me. Last Oct 100* and May our first trip 98*, January trip North East PA shut down for four days and 88* in Disney! I was in the pool as husband held the phone up for me to hear the sleet, LOL.

I walked around with the spray misting bottle drenching me and De. My asthma was horrid, I just wish it could be at least 50-50 weather here. It is June before we can wear shorts, and then by August night, take a jacket and long pants with you.

Almost 90* today and did not even ue an air conditionar as no humidity...[I will send some of the ice storms if you send the hottest days....[/I]

Anyone know if our Dawn on the high seas yet?

I will be MORE than happy to send you ALL our hot days! The last time we went to DW, years ago, I decided we'd never go again in the summertime. OMG, we have worn shorts before, all 12 months of the year- not unusual at all to be wearing them and have the AC going at Christmas. Winter lasts about 2 wks. here. :( There is no way we could stand to go without AC at this time of the year- I don't know how people do it who don't have it. I know it's GOT to be cooler in hell....

Disney is my favorite place in the world!! We have gone so many times I have lost count. We joined the Disney Vacation Club because we were going so often. Actually, the last trip is the one that brought on my flare up, but it was great! We stay at the Boardwalk. You can sit outside and watch fireworks every night from your balcony. It's worth every penny that we probably shouldn't be spending but the kids still love it. To me, one day they won't want to be with us or vacation with us so enjoy it while you can. When we talk about going somewhere else, the say no way. Don't know when our next vacation will be but I'll sit by the pool and pretend.

Linda

mystery-trip
 

Poor Di, I know you aren't used to that kind of heatwave up there. I'm sure the temps alone play havoc with your TOS. I hope FL and the 'mouse' are good to you in October.

Red, youbetcha - a/c is LIFE SUPPORT!! Hang in there hun, November is right around the corner. Wasn't it just Easter a few weeks ago?? :D

I'm going on a small weekend trip next weekend (10-11th). I don't know where to and I don't want to know. It's a surprise! :D I'm going to be babied and driven about and massaged into oblivion. I've had a crush on this fiiiine friend of mine for a couple months now and I think he's onboard! We used to work together in a metal shop for a sign company...20 years ago! He's a musician/artist/craftsman... :inlove: *sigh* I couldn't have put in an order for someone as ideal as this. As long as the TOS monster doesn't scare him off, I think he may be a keeper!

Y'all keep your fingers crossed for me!
Anne

Anne, I have heard stories about musicians! Hope you have a great time. My vacations are all family. My husband and I haven't gone away alone in awhile but I wouldn't have it any other way. You can create your own vacation where ever you are. We used to go to Atlantic City for a night but that got boring. We still, actually, don't want to go without the kids. Kind of pathetic I guess. At least they like being with us too! That won't last for long.
Linda

ah, st johns medical center....paradise in Santa Monica ?!?
 

Linda- we are the same way...who could leave the cute cuddly ones behind. i guess it is OK to leave the teenager once in a while ;)

I had my nice vacation to St John's planned, but unfortunately as you all know it was put off. Looks like that'll be in September sometime....

We do have a family weekend in Santa Barbara coming up late august- not really calm or anything as it will be a soccer tourney weekend for my oldest, but a get away just the same to a hotel w/pool. We got a suite like we usually do so we don't have to deal with taking the little kids to restaurants (which can be impossible!!!) I think the room opens right up onto poolside, so I am looking forward to relaxing.

That's about it for us, though. still hanging on to my hubby's vacation time so he can be home with me at next surgery. :cool:

Vacations??
 

I am trying to schedule our next one to disney but my daughter is a senior in HS, my son is a freshman in a different school, one in 7th grade in another school. The four year old doesn't count because she can leave preschool anytime. We have swimming, football, wrestling, lacrosse, etc. They keep asking when we are going and I have no clue. Can't even get all calendars together to see. I was thinking of skipping this year but my daughter will be going to college next year so this will be the last before school. My husband keeps telling her that once she goes away to school, no more disney(he's joking) she gets very mad! At 17 disney is still VERY important. We've been going almost every year since she was 4.

It is nice to post nonsense, everyday talk, with people you haven't met but feel like you know.

Linda

Weather & TOS
 

Sort of a weird question....does anyone else have increase in symtoms when the weather changes or low pressure? My nerves seem to crazy. I am a bit worried about weather and how I will feel. Here in Calif we don't see dramatic daily weather change except in the winter.
We are going to Hawaii for 10 days of bliss and no work. Just the two of us...no little ones. Ok we have two four legged little ones .....furr children.

Boy Howdy.
 

Red hit the nail on the head, although I know people all the way to the Canadian border are feeling it. My husband and I discussed that today and decided we could watch tv here just as easily as anywhere else cause it's just too hot to want to do anything.

Us southerners, at least this one, tend to really look forward to fall - no dread here - bring it on. :) phoebe

The pressure systems kill me, changes.
We had a "Tornado cat 3" freak for our part of the country let alone Pocono area...But the drop out the bottom of the boromator, I hurt so bad for several days.

The cold kills me too. I can not go out with the kids when they sleigh or make a snow man, warm the car up before I leave. Avoid trips anywhere.
Gosh we had a foot of snow Valentines Day, St Particks Day and another foot the week after Easter. YES It Kills, boo hoo.....

I do feel so much better when in Fl in the winter. We have gone in Oct, hit the haat wave Oh way too hot, then once in April, really hit, then in Jan. I loved swimming in 80* that trip as ice storm here.

Making our reservations for Disney October 21.....I will take Katie from school that week.
I hope it works out,
Di

Yippie
 

YEAH!!!!!!!! DI is coming to Florida :Dancing-Chilli:

I can't wait to see you!!! :trampoline:


Peggy

OK, Phoebe and I are in agreement- we're sending ya'll some of our heat and ya'll will send us some COLD when the time comes.:D

Ypur run
 

Peggy when is your Avon run? We will be there Sunday Oct 21 to Saturday 27
There is one night we would love to go Pacino's Italian Ristorante
www.pacinos.com

5795 West Irlo Bronson Memoria
Kissimmee, FL 34746
(407) 396-8022

But any night anywhere we will make it a date.
Di

Florida Here You Come
 

DiA trip to FL will be great for you. Do you drive or fly?? We go to Disney alot and love every minute of it. We have a hard time scheduling our trips because of kids sports but we will get something scheduled soon.

Linda

We just got back from camping. We do not go too far away so that the boys can still get to their soccer games, but where we go there is no hydro..there is running water..not on the site..washrooms a few min's away and even showers if you really want one. We stay in the quiet..no radio zone..I LOVE IT! This week it was very hot..95 degrees..the humidex makes it feel like the low100's....we spent alot of time swimming.I was sad when we had to leave but we are going back this month for another week!

Yikes Primative Camping!!!!
 

Di sounds like you have been busy with lots of trips. We haven't done alot this summer but am enjoying our pool. Today is beautiful so I want to go out and get some sun and watch my little one swim. I started making her a dress yesterday and I'm almost done! I'm proud of myself! I've never done anything like this before. Daughter #1 had to help me though. Kind of pathetic when your daughter knows more than you. Should be all finished today. She wants to wear it. Just have to sew on buttons and hem. Horray! Linda

Memories
 

A lot of life is making memories, in the pool splashing about or wearing a dress from Mom;s heart.

I have a small 4 foot 16 feet across just so Katie and connor can learn to swim and it was less the $300 at SAMS Club with everything.
Even a vacuum and ladder, solar cover.

I remember Mom making the four of us girls Paper dresses, They wre material that was old fashion news print, made shift straight cuts, sleaveless.
I sew for Katie back to school time long skirts. Elastic waist straight cut. SO easy and she loved them...now getting to the point she wants slacks or Capris. THey are less expensive to buy then to make.

I would like to get to the Phila zoo, but when the weather is cooler. Went a few years ago and the polutionn set off my asthma so bad.
The family is tryign to keep me busy...more trips in this summer then the last 4 years I think!

Yesterday we went past the exit about noon to Dorney Park, the line was all the way to the turnpike exit down 222, and to the park!!!!!

Then comes winter and hibernate!
di

We went to the philly zoo a couple of years ago. It was very nice. Since we go to Disney, around once every year or two, we don't take other vacations. It's just too costly for a family of 6. Also, getting ready for my daughter to go to college next year. Sending 15 year old to Catholic HS this year which is extremely expensive.

I did finish the dress! She wore it and got ice cream on it so it's in the laundry! Oh well! Thems the breaks! I'll wash it today because she wants to wear it tonight. We are going to my mom's for dinner.

Have a good day. It looks like rain here which makes pain worse. Linda

Imaginary Vacation
 

Does post-op recovery count as a vacation? I expect to be in lala land most most of the time, after surgery. I've already put out a disclaimer friends and family to disregard anything unusual or hurtful I may say while under the influence for the next couple of months. :Crazy 2:

Surgery date was moved up...it's now August 14th--a week from tomorrow!! :eek: I am excited and nervous, and ready to get it over with. Anticipation kills me.

My step-sons (10 and 14 yrs) just finished visiting us for 2 weeks straight...it was so nice to spend so much time with them. We usually only see them every other weekend, but we try to get them for a couple of weeks during the summer. We didn't think we'd get to this year b/c of my husband's work schedule, but it changed suddenly, and we were able to get them! I think of them as my own, and my husband is very close to them, so he loves every minute he gets to spend with them. We didn't do anything special, just playing cards and video games, watching movies, staying up late, and they taught us how to download music off the internet. We're hooked now!!:D

cruise ?
 

:confused:

I am going on my 1st cruise in 6 wks time, going it alone, a senior &
disabled. I am getting so nervous abought it all it was something i booked on impulse & am regretting it already.
I am sailing on the P.O. "ORIANA " from the UK to the Caribean for 3 wks.
They have been very helpful to me, knowing of my problems, but this doesn`t take the nervousness away.
Anyone done this trip ?
Sophia uk trying to :)

Brothers with a Former Foe
 

one thing i would really like to do this summer is take my 10-year-old niece who is visiting her dad here down to the wild animal park at the san diego zoo to see the troupe of maasai who are living there right now, helping to spread the message that the lion - in danger of extinction in their southeastern kenya homeland - deserves to be saved.

i just think it is so awesome that these traditionally bitter enemies can be seen working together in this beautiful setting. the killing of a lion has always been the true test of manhood in masaai culture, not to mention the big cats' plundering of their herds a threat to their very survival...

but under a preservation trust set up by a lion-conservation program, there is now a negotiated fee structure in place which the masaai have agreed to accept in lieu of killing lions in their homeland. if a lion kills a donkey, for instance, the trust pays them $80, $100 for a goat, $200 for a cow and so on. it's very specific. this in a country where more than half the population lives on roughly $1 a day (and a hell of a deal for the lion, too, i would say...:D).

anyhow, the program that set all this up has brought the visiting masaai troupe over here and is sponsoring their stay in order to promote the trust, no doubt in the hope that the concept will catch on in other parts of the african continent and elsewhere - wherever predatory species are endangered like this. within the group spending the summer at the park, there are seven dancers (all but one of whom have killed a lion); also included are two women who give daily craftwork demonstrations. at least two of the masaai dancers speak english. the dance ritualizes gestures symbolizing the hunt, stalking and killing a lion with either a spear or a poison blow-dart. everyone is adorned in native costume and i imagine it is quite a beautiful and wondrous sight to behold! (unless, of course, you happen to be a lion...:plain:) killing this beautiful creature has always been the path to warriorhood in traditional masaai culture and is undoubtedly not an easy thing to change for that reason.

but changing it is. and that is awesome, you guys. in the 3 years since this compensation thing started, only 4 lions have been killed on the mbirikani group ranch where this troupe hails from. compared to 22 in the prior 18 months (per VA-based conservation international, a wildlife protection group)!! in the article i read, a masaai leader was quoted as proclaiming in march "from this day forward, on mbirikani, the warrior and the lion are brothers."

and we think WE have problems sometimes getting along on this forum. sheesh. all our problems should be so small, as my dad used to say..,

there are seven lions living in the wild animal park. they are not just there for the summer. i wonder what they think about all of this.

F'ing tourists. bah!

somebody asked me if this was something my niece sunny would be interested in doing (at the time i was trying to plan a surprise birthday party around the idea).

told him i didn't care. it is goddamned educational and she WILL be interested in it when i got through with her! she probably wants some kind of J-Lo themed something or other...

she's gettin' this. if i can make the haul, that is. ah, therein lies the rub.

dang TOS!!! grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr rrrrrrr

alison

trip
 

ShellieYes post op counts as vacation as long as you use it that way. pamper yourself and make others pamper you. Also, playing cards and games with your children is also vacation. We try to do it often. Enjoy! Make it a vacation. We put on pj's and get the cards or games out. It's fun and cheap!

jane d maccartneyA few years back my grandmother took my sisters and I on a cruise. We were in our late teens, early 20's. We went off alone alot and she had a BLAST. Thre are so many activities for people of all ages. Singles, couples, young and old. Half the time she didn't want to spend with us because there were so many things for her to do. Enjoy! Sign up for everything and meet lots of people. This is a great opportunity. Do not regret it. My father took a cruise alone to Alaska last year and had a great time. They will pair you with others that will have the same intests. Let us know how it was and take lots of picutres!

No vacation coming up for me...taking a couple of days off work for doc's appts, and to take care of stuff around the house. I could use some real vacation though. HOPEFULLY the beach in FL around Christmas, but we'll see.

Dabbo, the virtual trip you take is in every post, look at your signiture, Oh to sit back and feel the breeze and see that sunset is next to heaven,
di

Allison- you are full of great ideas...first the observatory now confirming my own thoughts to take the fam to the wild animal park.My inlaws are in town so we figured to do something with the little kids that my hubby and i can't do as well on our own (due to me not being able to chase either kid) OH yeah, when 14yo complained, we just promised she could say it was her birthday when we went out to eat...then she decided she was on board. :)

Shellie- To me, a few days in hospital followed by lala land IS serious vacation. I'll be joining you on that trip, come aug 27. :p :Excited: :Crazy 2: :cool:

Cards with kids, and grandparents... got to love it. My FIL is a big euchre fan, my 14yo is/always has been quite good at it, been playing since she was about 9. Take every day and every moment- TREASURE IT just doing the little stuff together...that's for sure. They won't be the same kids even tomorrow, always learning and growing. Got to grab each of those moments and hold onto them when you can.

Personally, my neck is taking a little vacation from tightness today as Joyce did an awesome job on it with her magic fingers at PT.

love all you guys, and love this thread. :Heart:
Johanna

You're right Di- I have that picture on my desk at work along side my wife and my daughter. Thats actually where we're (I'm) hoping to go this Christmas. time will tell tho.

Sophia - enjoy the cruise! Ive never been on one, but they pretty much have everything I love about vacation on them - sun, breeze, books, and a chair. Even by yourself, I think it would be a blast!! I'm envious, I must say.

Sophia's Cruise!
 

SophiaPlease make sure you let everyone know how your cruise goes. The Caribean is a great place and to be on a ship in the sun will make you feel wonderful. Cruise ship personnel are so attentive that you won't need a thing! I am very envious. Have a great time. Linda

Hi Di
 

Im so envious!!! We are in Winter and its been freezing, (well freezing for down under anyway), like 13 degrees in the daytime and 1 degrees in the night times. That's cold for Australia! We will go into spring in 3 weeks and I cant wait, then summer for Christmas, Yipeeee get to go in pool again. A pool is a must for Aussies. Hugs from Aussie ozzy.

Ozzy,
Would you be willing to have some sort of "exchange program" (along the line of student exchanges) for your weather?:D It's been almost 100 degrees here this week with a heat index of about 110. I'll send you some HOT, if you'll send me some COLD....I HATE SUMMER....:(

I forget where Red is, but its freakin HOT here too. ~100 F, 105+ with the heat index :eek: . I walk outside and it feels like someone threw a lead blanket on me. You know its too hot when you don't want to be outside at 5:15 am. SO.... Ozzy, any and all cool weather you have to share, I'll take it.

Maybe I'll go vacation in a freezer (with my heating pad, of course)

South Texas, Dabbo.... I don't step outside until late in the evening to water my plants, shrubs, etc. As soon as that air hits you it feels like you've gone into a sauna. Hurry up winter...:cool:

Weather
 

Hi Aussie ozzy!
Great to read you, If is such fun with everything upside down and backwards, sorry for the joke. But, summer is winter and winter is summer, day here is night there and at 6:30Pm there , we are up sleepless in the middle of the night.

I wish i could could send you heat but to us we have so little. In the mountains here we had alomost 90* maybe even 90*a day, mostly 83-85*.

The city will get the higher temperatures, also Philadelphia will get very warm, not us. Pocono's are more about skiing in the winter then swimming in the summer. The lakes and boating are nice though.

Yesterday never got out of the 50's!!!!! Today is breezy, Out of the so called three months of summer I think we had so far just over a dozen days nice to swim. Without the hose contraption to keep the pool water warm I would not be in.

Great to hear from you Ozzy, dabbo, red, and all, keep cool, I see the ehat will last several more days.
Di

OMG- I'm DYING for it to be in the 50's!:eek: Even 83-85 degrees would be awesome.....If that was as hot as it got here in the summer (which lasts 10 mos. here:rolleyes: ) we wouldn't know how to act....Probably about as CRAZY as we did 3 yrs. ago when it snowed 6" on Christmas Eve, which is unheard of here.

Our weather finally did get better today. We were in the 50's-60's. Very strange for an august in the Northeast. Since we are in the A/C business I would prefer it to be in the 90's to 100's. This is when we make our money! I hope you all stay cool though.

Have been having a bad pain day. Would love a vacation right now. It was so bad, we had beautiful weather and I didn't even go out to the pool. Spent and hour with the ice machine on my shoulder. Helps while it is on but once it is off, back to the same old.

Oh well. Linda

80-85 would be heaven (or So Cal...) Di - I didn't realize the Poconos stayed that cool during the summer- I'd give my left arm (HA :D ) to have weather like that. Forecast is calling for 101-105 with heat index 103-107 for the next 3 days or so.
Linda- I think my AC has been running literally 18 hours a day for the last 4 days.... so i may need some AC work!

air conditioning
 

I could never keep Linda in referrals for airconditiong business.
I think the one air conditioner in the kitchen we had on a handful of times, mostly July, and the bedroom on twice at night.

I open my windows, at night put a fan on in reverse and pulls the cool air in. We have whole house fan too, open the windows downstairs and pulls the cool air up.

Red, we are the opposite with 10 months lousy , cool and freezing weather and two months, July and a week or two in June and week or so in August it is hot.
The last three years, I don't believe we hit 90* up here Dabbo!

The nights now will turn bitter too, no 60* anymore they will drop to low 50 and high 40's. Our high at the end of this coming week is only expected to be 75*:(

Our schools close not for snow, but wind chill, it was wind chills so far below zero skin freezes, and the buses are desiel too.
I dread those heat bills.
be nice if the whole US were balance four seasons and normal weather patterns...
di