TerriDoodle

My co-worker's daughter had the EXACT same thing over the weekend. Must be a bad bug going around! Well, I guess if you're going to SQUAT, you might as well do it in a house with a pool!!! Good lawd!!! People are idiots. (ya'll are not "people", ya'll are violets) Kat, you are the best grandma on the planet!! Can I come play at your house??? How fun!! I used to love making a tent with chairs and sheets!! Damn!! I thought she was gonna say "once or twice a day" .... I was so on board with her plan right up to the last minute!

Ohhhhhhh. OK! Pamela-head will be glad to hear that!! As we all are!!

We still haven't heard from Laura...and I was her roomie...so not sure if you are homeless or not, Jane! Judy, too. And Mazie?

I tried eggs yesterday 'cause i haven't been TOO tight lately....BAD IDEA!!! What the heck is it about eggs???

Time to whip up some chicken salad, Tracy!

I was just looking at that too. We fly guys into Newark all the time on Cont'l which is the best airline out there, Jenn. They would take excellent care of you! That early flight that gets into San Antonio at 10:48a would be excellent!...or even the next one getting in at 5:42.

non -stop to where? Houston?

Jenn - The rooms are already being held for us until Jan 25 with no deposit ...just out of courtesy. I will need a headcount by Noon, Thursday, Jan 24th. Also, if you want a room by yourself, make sure i know that, otherwise you get a roomie! Haydee, thanks for your offer to help!! 1st step is to get a headcount, then reserve the rooms! But yes, it would be helpful if you gather the air travel info as people book their flights. If you know Excel, it would be easiest for me if you could plug the info into a table, that way we can easily sort it as necessary or add info.

No, Mom wants to "move on"..... so we are looking into various options for assisted living. She's not going to be happy there, but she's not happy with us TELLING her that she needs to live with us. hmmmph. Re: the tip...the way you get your emotional brain on board with the thinking brain is to FOCUS on the positives and GET EXCITED (emotional) about what the future would hold. You have to engage positive emotions, over and over again, until the thinking brain can let go of the perceived danger. you have to engage your emotions to override the more primal, survivalistic brain.

If you are changing AIRLINES it matters. If you are not changing airlines it won't matter. For instance if you are flying American, then connect to another American flight, they will almost always be in the same terminal. Getting around a terminal is not nearly as difficult as going from Terminal A to Terminal B....etc. Both airports are big...i would say it's 6 of one and half dozen of the other! I would say that if you're having to connect in Houston or Dallas, you are welcome to just fly into Houston and we'll come pick you up and you can just drive with us to San Antonio! The time will FLY in the car as we chat away and watch the scenery! It might even cut down on your airfare as well, or make your schedule easier, etc. Or, if you want to fly in Thursday night, I'll come pick you up and you can just spend the night at my house!

Frozen, crispy hair. Yes, that would be a very odd feeling!! Especially for someone like me who really whines when the temp gets below 50. What a wimp. Now you know why I've never had any desire to go skiing! Good question for Pamela about her name...i shoulda asked way back when. My sister is named Peggy. I used to call her Peg all the time until one day she told me, in an email, that she HATES it when people call her Peg!!! LOL!! Ok, so it took you like 45 years to get up the nerve to tell me this?? Whatever. I spent all day yesterday packing up mom's old apartment. You'd think I'd have burned some cals doing that, but apparently NOT. I'm FAT! Ya'll have a good day. It's likely to be a very busy one for me! TTYL!

Good Morning Vi's!! I just recently subscribed to this daily motivational email from M.J. Ryan who is one of my favorite authors, esp. regarding making positive changes.... This is today's email and is basically a short synopsis of her book, "This Year I Will..." and there's a huge message here. Ever find yourself thinking one thing and doing something altogether contradictory? Like "I should work on my project" and then turn the TV on? We're all a mass of contradictions, particularly when it comes to the things we think we "should" do. It's because we really have two brains. One is our emotional brain, which we share will all mammals. It only understands "pleasant" or "painful," and "safe" or "danger," the patterns for which were created when we were very young. The other is our thinking brain, where we decide that we want to do something different. But depending on what it is, how it's presented, and what we've done in the past, our emotional brain may not cooperate. That's why we so often "sabotage" ourselves—our emotional brain overrides what our thinking brain has decided in favor of immediate pleasure or perceived safety. That's why, to truly change, you've got to get your emotions on your side. We change not because it makes sense (I should go to the gym to be healthy), but by engaging our feelings (It's going to feel fabulous to be thinner.) If the change seems too scary, too hard, or no fun, your emotional brain is going to work against it. So how can you make this more fun? Engage your wanting self more? That's a key to success. -- MJ Ryan (Author of "This Year I Will...")

OK!! Obviously there is a story HERE!!! Spill it.

Well, they're NOT Violets, are they?! How could they possibly understand? My husband is amazed that there are girls coming from all over the country!!

Pamela - Can't you just drive to Ontario airport then fly into SA? I found this on www.orbitz.com $313 + $41 taxes & fees = $354 per person Depart Fri may 16 American Airlines 1264 7:40a from ONT Arrive Dallas 12:30 (no change of planes) Depart Dallas 1:15 Arrive San Antonio 2:20p Total duration: 4hr 40min ------------------------------------------ Return Mon, May 19 US Air #73 Departs SAT 3:25p, Arrive Phoenix 3:53p change planes (time between flights 55 mins) US Air 644 Departs Phoenix 4:48p Arrive Ontario 6:05p Total duration: 4hr 40min

Well the 1 mile walk to Gruene is not a 'good' walk...it's on a narrow, dusty road,in hot weather, with no sidewalk. We'll be taking the easy way! None of the rooms allow smoking, so that's not an issue. You can smoke outside on the porch and we'll be spending 90% of our time outdoors anyway! Kat - You're gonna LOVE the shopping in Gruene!! Right up your alley.

((((Tracy)))) Poor sweet baby!! She must feel terrible! ....but sooooo much better now that Mommy is here! When I'm sick...to this day...I still want my Mommy!!! DENISE!!! Woman, you look HOT!! Congrats on getting in the groove at the gym! I'm proud of you!! You definitely need to post that in the B&A thread! I decided just to take out my ticker....since I never have the pleasure of changing it!! Grrrrrr.

Speaking of shopping.... I forgot to mention (crazy ME) that there is a fantabulous outlet mall 20 miles away, just about a 30 minute drive. The website says that it was voted the 3rd best place to shop in the WORLD!! It really is excellent. I forget that not everyone has access to great shopping like I do here in Houston, so I take it for granted!! But if anyone would prefer to do that instead of toobin or moseying around in Gruene, I'm sure we could arrange that shopping trip on Saturday morning, too. I'd probably just let ya'll borrow my car and head up there. It's an easy drive, right up Hwy 35 to San Marcos....can't miss it. Here's a link Prime Outlets

For those of you craving warm weather, print out this picture and just hang on 'til May!!! This is the beautiful Guadalupe River....and some folks having a grand time...

Mazie?? how does it look for you?

If you have a pink cowgirl hat, by all means you should bring it...but only if you have pink boots & belt to match! LOL I just realized that the pics of the B&B don't look all that great....the landscape looks so blah. This complex is actually about 1 mile down the road from Gruene, and within a mix of oak trees and pasture land. Very Texas-like! As you approach the town of Gruene, it gets greener (no pun intended) because you approach the river, obviously. We'll have to drive down there when we're ready to go, but there's plenty of parking and we should only have to make that little trek a couple of times. Oh, and the real beauty of this whole thing is that it's completely, massively casual....T-shirts and capris or shorts and flip flops. If you dress any fancier you'll look like a tourist!! LOL Can't have that! Jenn - I can't imagine that you'd spend that much in cash unless you're gonna buy a boatload of T-shirts!! But I hear what you're saying...better too much than not enough.

Yes, that is your estimate total lodging cost, including Sun night in SA.

Pamela - I don't have any objection to Susanne coming along! Does anyone else?...or does that just open a whole 'nother can of worms?? By the way....believe it or not, the Gruene Mansion Inn is totally booked up that weekend. But they recommended Gruene Homestead Inn very highly...the one where they're already holding our rooms! We'd have the Rose Cottage and The Country House . They have a wonderful pool (pic below) and a tavern too! To give you a rough idea: lodging - $260-300 (total, taxes included) toobin - not sure...about $25 Gruene Hall (depends on who's playing) $10-30 Ghost Tour in S.A. (? LOL) - $15 Dinner/Drinks/Misc. - Anyone's guess! How's it looking so far??? I'll continue to chisel these numbers.... stay tuned

Yes, it's cute....but these pics do NOT do the place justice at all!! It's awesome! And right next door to the dance hall....you can sit on your porch and listen to the music! Way cool.

Judy, what airport? Detroit? Of course, you do what you need/want to do, but if it were me i would plan on going...and just watch the fares. Most likely they will go down 3-4 weeks before. It's a crap shoot, but that's one way you might be able to afford it....just wait it out. As far as losing deposits on hotels or whatever, that shouldn't be TOO much of a risk...maybe $100-150? Just sit tight for now. LAURA - Are you in, or still thinking about it (waiting for #'s)? I am getting REALLY excited planning this trip for you guys. I'll get to see parts of San Antonio that I've never seen before either.... Stay Tuned!!