Archive through December 04, 2002
TV ClubHouse: Archives: 2003 January:
Road Trips (ARCHIVE):
Archive through December 04, 2002
Tntitanfan | Thursday, November 28, 2002 - 07:10 pm     I see you dilemma! Is is absolutely impossible to get a substitute to play the Christmas Eve engagement? That would be choice number one! Choice number two would be to fly. I can almost promise you that your Dad would rather drive on Christmas day than know you were driving 675 miles alone all night long! Hope your Thanksgiving was dilemma-free and wonderful!! |
Schoolmarm | Friday, November 29, 2002 - 06:52 am     Sheesh....just asked Dad if he would pick me up at an airport on Christmas Day and he said "Christmas Day? That's kind of late isn't it?" He totally forgot that I have a church job again! No way can I get a sub, I was lucky to get one for the Sunday after! I think that I will try to get an airfare that travels on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Lots cheaper then. OK, Dad just said that "I don't want you driving through the night." Decision made. Marm goes off to travelocity/expedia/orbitz to snag a (great?) bargain! |
Tntitanfan | Friday, November 29, 2002 - 07:23 am     Good luck on that bargain fare! Aren't you lucky I NEVER say "I told you so!" |
Sabbatia | Friday, November 29, 2002 - 04:14 pm     Drats!! I missed URGrace....and I thought about her on Thanksgiving too. Grace, as we sat down to eat, I got worried that your son had no place to go for Thanksgiving. Next time, I'll think sooner. Spy, I ain't gonna count on meeting you any time soon!! Still got the cell phone number? |
Spygirl | Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 02:37 pm     Hey all!! Gracie and I got to spend the morning after Thanksgiving together...in Walmart! At 6am no less...fighting the crowds searching for bargains. We bought matching Karaoke machines (in honor of the Karaoke crew ) and had a wonderful time together. Today, she got the priviledge (haha) of meeting my family - puppies included! She's only the third TVCHer to get to see the babies and the first to meet the new sister-in-law. Urgrace's daughter-in-law (who is quite pretty, btw) brought her to my parent's house and then we all went to eat at our favorite local pizza parlor together. Then, Urgrace and I picked up my 85-year old grandmother and her boyfriend and took them to Walmart so my g-ma could get her hair fixed. Urgrace and I sneaked away to the little grill in the store and chatted for another hour or so. She is such a wonderful person!!!!! My family very much enjoyed her as well. For those making your way to Urgrace's neighborhood anytime soon, make sure you look her up. She's a joy to get to know. Sabb, I know your cell phone is easy to remember, but not when one only thinks of it twice ever! LOL. You were i{very} missed -- I showed Grace where you worked, though She stayed right down the road. Kstme and War, as a side note, I brought pictures to Texas of the Vegas trip for everyone to see who hadn't seen them yet. My brother was flipping through them and saw the ones from the Star Trek party with you guys in them he said, "You know...those were good people. I really enjoyed meeting them." Just FYI, my brother really doesn't comment on stuff like that, so that was a sincere compliment. I agree with him, too I hope everyone had a terrific Thanksgiving. Mine was brightened even more by sharing it with yet another great person from this site.
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Sabbatia | Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 02:43 pm     Ummmm spy? I was probably AT work when you showed Grace where I worked. I worked the day after Thanksgiving! El Chico's is still callin me! I haven't been there since before I got the eyes done. It's time! |
Wargod | Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 02:45 pm     You're brother is a sweetheart, Spy! I'm glad you guys had a good time. Sounds like we missed a party!!!! |
Schoolmarm | Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 06:29 pm     WOW! Sounds like Spy and Gracie had quite a reunion! Dueling karaoke machines? Oh, my! Now just don't sit on the pool table! <Marm goes away humming "Witchy Woman"> |
Juju2bigdog | Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 08:07 pm     Spygirl, that is really cool! Walmart at 6 a.m. has got to be some bizarre kind of tvch record to hope to beat. LOL. We made it to Houston Fri. afternoon, staying with Bigdog's lovely relatives, movin' on Monday. It is SO nice to be warm. Yay!! |
Kstme | Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 11:49 pm     Spy <crossing fingers for your unlv job!> Gracie...glad you had a great time seeing Spy again! How very cool!! Juju...glad your travels are coming along so nicely!!! |
Merlin | Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 06:49 pm     Today I managed to find a lull in Juju's whirlwind trip to the warm climate of south Texas. The two of us were able to spend the afternoon together having lunch and high caffeine beverages. If you think Juju is fun on this message board, imagine the same person in real life and not on a leash. I must admit on the drive over to pick up Juju, the rambling thoughts that had started going through my mind were beginning to make me a bit apprehensive. Here I was going off to meet someone in person that I only knew from online. This same person has always vacillated between being male and female. When Juju first de-lurked two years ago everyone was trying to determine which gender this person was. There were guesses on both sides of this issue. No one was ever positive. I had not told anyone where I was going or what I was doing. This violates the first rule of meeting online "friends" for the first time. To top this off, Juju had told me that bigdog and bigdog's momma were going to be gone. I really wanted to meet bigdog's momma because for a 90 something year old woman I had heard enough about her that I needed to see this for real. Okay, so it was just going to be Juju and me. I was going to a rather exclusive enclave in this part of town and I figured if this was an axe murderer, at least it was going to be an upscale axe murderer. As I drove up to the address Juju had given me, I was a bit more at ease. This very contemporary style home had a large glass entry way that gave me a good view of the person as they came to the door. There would be plenty of time to escape back to my vehicle if they were trying to hide an axe behind their back. Needless to say, Juju turned out to be "safe". I had a great time visiting with Juju. It seems we have both come to the same conclusion about our online adventures and real life meetings with people we first met online. That conclusion being, what you see online is what you will find in real life. That who you really are, will show up in your online posts. That being said, it should have not come as a surprise to me as we left the restaurant and was heading to the car that Juju dropped to all fours and grabbed me by the cuff of my trousers and pulled me into a Petco store that was across the street and whined until I got a couple of chew toys for her and some catnip for Neko. Oh yeah, I did get to meet Bigdog and his momma when we returned. Too bad Momma just got married recently, this woman is a spitfire. For the ones who have heard about Bigdog and said that Juju was fortunate to have such a special hubby, you are correct. This guy is what all of you were told to look for. It kind of made me wonder what kind of magic Juju had. |
Lancecrossfire | Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 07:02 pm     I just want to throw in my concurrence for what Merlin has said about Juju and Bigdog. Both are great people, and I enjoyed my time with Bigdog as much as I did with Juju. I was not lucky enough to Bigdog's mom, although if he got any of his personality from her, then she has to be one heck of a person too. Magic she HAD Merlin?? LOL--you might be in big trouble now! |
Bookworm | Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 07:03 pm     What a sweet meeting! |
Juju2bigdog | Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 07:54 pm     Awwwwwwww. That Merlin is such a schmoozer. Actually, he cleans up right nice in public. You will notice that he failed to mention where we went for lunch or what we had. For those just dying to know, let me explain a bit about Houston restaurants first of all. Houston has many fine restaurants, many of which are run by the same people. Once an owner has a successful italian restaurant, they may also open a barbecue restaurant and then a cajun restaurant and then a mexican restaurant and then a seafood restaurant. Merlin and I ate at El Perro Loco, which is the upscale mexican restaurant in the Petsmart chain. Merlin had lamb and rice. I had kibbles and bits. And then of course we went to Petco for dessert and bowls of water. Then after Merlin departed and the family met up again, we went to the Titanic Imax. And so goes another fun day. |
Tntitanfan | Monday, December 02, 2002 - 06:25 am     What fun for all of you!! It is amazing how many of us are able to meet up, isn't it? Where's Momma's new hubby? |
Urgrace | Monday, December 02, 2002 - 03:24 pm     My DIL, grandbabies and I left the house Wednesday morning and arrived around 6:30 pm. The hotel was easily found, and after checking in we were pleasantly surprised to find the second floor room was actually a suite complete with a poolside view. We were in the same building with the lobby and breakfast room for easy access, too. After settling in I managed to sit and watch Survivor and TAR! Thursday we headed to the base at 9 am. We could not find one thing open on the base except the convenience/gas station. Not knowing where an open restaurant might be, I drove off base to the WalMart to pick up burgers and fries for our Thanksgiving dinner which we ate in a sparse looking park while battling the wind. Later we discovered the bowling alley was open so spent a couple hours bowling. Friday morning I met Spygirl at the WalMart for some 'fun' shopping. As I arrived I recognized her from the back because of her beautiful long blond hair! We both bought the karaoke machine (thanks ResortGirl!) on sale besides a few other goodies. We also made plans for a get together on Saturday. On the way back to the hotel I picked up some WhataBurger breakfast platters for breakfast (we had not had time for food shopping especially since we didn't know we were going to have a kitchen!) The rest of the day was spent sitting, walking around, shopping or driving around the base except for a couple of hours at the bowling alley again. Saturday morning we made breakfast and waited for the phone to ring. Son called to say where we could meet him, and Spygirl called to make lunch plans. DIL drove me over to Spy's parents' house and dropped me off. I met her friendly and curious puppies first, then her parents, brother and his new wife. Her family is very gracious and good looking. We all went to their favorite pizza house where we enjoyed the buffet of salads, pasta, pizza and pizza desserts. After lunch, Spy and I drove over to her grandmother's, picked her up and picked up her octogenarian friend for a trip to - you guessed it - WalMart. While the older folks did their thing, Spy and I sat in the diner and visited. Spygirl looks fantastic, by the way, having lost 44 pounds since I saw her in August. Thanks Spy for a wonderful visit. Saturday evening after Spy had dropped me off at the hotel, I went shopping for food for supper. Since my DIL had spent the day with my son our evening was empty of planned activities, and I ended up with time to watch Trading Spaces. Sunday on base we found ourselves at the bowling alley again, but grandson and I did a lot of walking around the base (while his mom and dad and sister went shopping at the BX.) We closely investigated at least four of the static displays of planes/jets that are positioned around the base. We said our goodbyes and left for home around 4 pm having a pitstop in Stephenville. It's a good thing, because while we were stopped there was a terrible accident just a few miles south of there on our route. We could have been there at the wrong moment! We also missed a large deer as we headed east from 281, driving off the highway to avoid her . Side note: My DIL counted 47 roadkill skunks during the first third of our trip home before it got too dark to see them! Sabbatia, how I wish we had known you were so close! Thanks for thinking about us. Maybe we'll see you next time. Juju, you too! I had no idea you would be going all the way to Dallas before heading to Houston. Now you know Merlin is truly the same as on the boards! Hey, he cooks too! Marm, have a great trip home for the holidays. Tnt, yes our travels will get to your neighborhood sometime. |
Juju2bigdog | Monday, December 02, 2002 - 05:42 pm     We have arrived in the Rio Grande Valley. It was about a six and a half hour drive from Houston. The weather is just perfect! About 72 degrees. We are staying in a hotel in McAllen for probably four nights while we decide where we are going to stay for the winter. |
Tntitanfan | Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 06:46 am     Glad to hear that you arrived safely, Juju! Each time I see the weather map on TV, I look to see what the weather is like in Brownsville so that I can be envious! I'm thinking McAllen is pretty near there? |
Juju2bigdog | Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 06:53 pm     Correct, TnT. Supposed to turn cold tomorrow though. We are currently staying in a hotel and looking for a place to stay. Looked at a few today, going to South Padre Island tomorrow to check out a three bedroom condo on the beach. Not sure if I am having telephone problems in the hotel, whether my isp dialup is going out, or whether my modem is failing, but I am have bigtime problems getting online, so I may be disappearing for a while. |
Urgrace | Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 08:38 pm     Juju, my dh's first cousin stayed down there last winter on the beach. I don't know what kind of place they were in, but they said the wind blew in so much sand every time they opened the door that it was all over everything. Perhaps a condo with the door facing away from the beach would hold down some of the grit? Also one with good weather stripping on the windows could help. Good luck. |
Tntitanfan | Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 06:24 am     I don't know if they would have anything large enough for what you want, but a number of the campgrounds have rental units on site. Most of them cater to snowbirds and have a gazillion activities that Momma could enjoy! |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 12:00 pm     Condo we looked at today was 6th floor, so probably not too many sand problems, but a cold front is blowing through right now, and we are over at the beach, and it is plenty windy. Trailer we decided to rent got taken last night. We may try for some more trailers further inland. |
Fruitbat | Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 12:12 pm     Is it possible to find a hotel room on the spur of the moment Juju or is everything booked ahead during Jan and Feb? |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 08:29 pm     No, hotel rooms seem to be available without advance booking. It is looking good for us getting the condo on the ocean at the moment. Called a whole bunch of trailer parks today. Nobody has anything available. |
Tntitanfan | Wednesday, December 04, 2002 - 08:38 pm     The accomodations at the campgrounds aren't as nice as elsewhere, but the variety of activities available boggles the mind! I could keep busy all day and into the night!! I thought this might be nice for Momma - |
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