Rave: It is going to be 70 degrees here in Tucson today.

Rave: Got all Christmas gifts mailed off yesterday.

Rave: Competing in my first BBQ contest tomorrow.

Rant: will have to leave at 5:00 AM to go set up.

Yeah, that's right Mike, rub in your good weather, lol. I'm looking at about 8 inches outside. Yeah, I can hear you laughing too!

Eva, we're heading up tomorrow morning. Shovel your driveway? Heck, we've got to shovel ours first I left 10% of my shopping for our trip - I'm thinking that I need a few things

CAPH, just think of how far your DH has come! Continued prayers for his health. I think it will be a great Christmas

Buffalogirl -- yippie!!! You must be so happy to have that weight off your leg! Be careful out there in winter wonderland!!

Otto, you won a trip? Wow, that's terrific! \/

Charzuzan, best wishes on your new home

Ethel, enjoy your message. Don't tense up (easy to do when you are in pain). Relax and let the therapist do his/her job. Don't plan on running around afterwards. Go home and relax.

Statia, you are famous!

mms, does that stuff really work? Any side effects?

Happy days, people!!

Rave: The sun is out! Yeah! Unfortunately, the temp is dropping and all that slush will freeze by tonight.

Rave: Going to a Christmas party tomorrow night on a yacht! It'll be too cold to go outside but never too cold to enjoy the spectacular views.

Rant: Have not done ANY christmas shopping.... I'll pull my usual last-minute run on 12/22.

Thanks, guys. I guess I should have made that a straight RAVE rather than a RANT/RAVE. It's just that a few weeks ago, we thought that he'd be finished with chemo now. We expected him to have the bone marrow biopsy and be declared in remission. But, you're absolutely right. These results *were* good. And he has come a long, long way. Thanks for reminding me to stay positive! You guys are the best!

Otto, it's not a rave, it's a RAVE

Rave: no longer living in russia I don't have to worry about snow and all problem it causes

Rave: busy at work, making overtime and being paid for it! when I get tired I calculate how many additional hotel nights I can have and feel so much better

Rave: this thread is still going strong despite so many oldies no longer posting

Mini-rant: Continental airlines website problem, had to call 4 times to make one trip reservation!

Have a nice weekend, everybody, and hope everyone's health is good or getting better!

Rant/Rave: Snow Day - kids are having a ball but drive to work was yucky.

Rant - More friends with broken bones - last week two friends broke something and this week two more fell and cracked ribs. It must be our age.

Rant - Had to go to Buffalo for business Wednesday. Nice to see some co-workers I hadn't seen in a while but I really do hate business travel.

Rave - I always treat myself to a book when I travel and this trip's book is excellent. It is called Prep - about a teenage girl attending an elite Massachusetts private school. Given that I'm considering having my daughter apply to private school, it has been enlightening.

Rave - tomorrow is my friends Yankee Swap party and my husband found the best gift - its a Leg Lamp nightlight like the one from A Christmas Story. He built a small crate for it, filled it with straw and stencilled FRAGILE on it. Its hysterical.

STW - Enjoy your trip to NH. It is supposed to be very nice tomorrow with the snow ending.

Otto - WOW! Congratulations.

JJ5 - I hope your sister is doing better.

Charsuzan - Congratulations on your new home.

CAPH52 - Its been a tough year for your family but I am sure your husband will get through this with flying colors.

Buffalogirl - Just don't slip and fall now!!

Prayers for peace and love for all!

I am Raving today

The sun is shining!
Daughter had to see doctor-we were pretty worried-she is perfectly perfect..on her way to Europe for Christmas..now if those Delta pilots will only allow these plans to go smoothly.
Baby boy is coming to visit in summer for at least 2 months!!!
Baby boy is moving back to US!!!! after his jaunt to Spain/Portugal.
We be Happy~

Oh and Pup got a new haircut. He looks and feels like a sheared fur pup..and smells like a flower ((&))

Enjoy your Holidays, don't let the pressures of the Season get you down..bigbig hugs to you all who have worries or illness.

stw-congrats on your internship and have a wonderful vacation!! Did you get my email?

CAPH--It sounds like your DH is on the mend, I'm so glad.

otto--I'm so jealous!! I'm lucky to win $5 on a scratch-off.

Rant/Rave: My new job is very busy and I'm learning a lot, but I really can't post during the work day. I miss my daily visits with the Fodor pals, but I am grateful to have a job.

Rant: Ice storm in Austin!! This is a rare occasion. Usually if you see ice on the roads around here, it means the snow cone vendor spilled his cart. But this time there was actual ICE!! Nobody around here can drive on ice, and they don't do a good job of cleaning the roads. In fact, they hardly clean the roads at all.

Rave: Because ice is such a catastrophe around here, everything shuts down. So I got a free day off yesterday.

BEST RAVE OF THE DAY: (for me, anyway) DH has a new job!! As you may recall, he was laid off on Nov. 23. He's only been unemployed 2 weeks, but he was going stir crazy and getting depressed. But he got an offer this week for more money that what he was making at his old job. And the icing on the cake is that he got a severance package from his previous employer for 8 weeks, so that extra 6 weeks pay is like found money!! CHA-CHING!! It couldn't have happened at a better time of year.

Rave: By this time next week, DH and I will both be employed, and not on layoff notice!! What a feeling, it's like being back in the real world again. <sigh>

Hugs, love and peace to all.

Rave: The snow has missed us!! though it is pouring rain.
Off to Boston tomorrow for (I hope) the final shopping trip.
Trip to Providence Place last weekend with youngest daughter was fun, and we drove by and checked out the house I grew up in. Nice to see they've taken such good care of it, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Daughter very happy, for she associates it with Grandma and Grandpa, who are no longer alive.
Rant: Is it just me, or are too many people making mountains out of molehills with this war on Christmas?? Last evening listened fo Mary Matalin on Cnn being interviewed, and couldn't figure out why whe would keep interspersing "Merry Christmas" in the most inappropriate places during her interview. Today read that one of the right's groups feels that is what one should say, rather than Happy Holiday,and is using this as their "poster" presentation. Good grief!!

i know! i should preface this with...
last year my dad wanted to take me to ireland. not the first time for either of us, but we've never been up north, and we're an irish family, etc...long story short, that got put off because then he was going to italy w/someone, but than that fell through. by the time those plans fell through, the only place semi-warm enough for him, was barcelona. (which we went too in november!) for months, i've been saying how much i'd love to get back to ireland!!!

PS In my post above I said I can't post during the work day, yet I posted this during the work day. What I meant was there are very few opportunities for that. Sorry, the ice storm here in Austin has frozen my brain.

Huge rant:
Just came in from an hours worth of shoveling with assistance from my teenage daughter. By the time we made it to the bottom of the driveway, there was an inch high layer covering all that we had shoveled!! Right now I am icing my back and keeping my fingers crossed that I have not aggrevated the disc that gives me problems. Aaaagh! I hate snow. I need a snowblower. Now it's coming down even harder than before!!!

IS IT TOO EARLY TO START IN ON THE "POISON????"

YIPPIE FOR PM AND HER HUSBAND!!

I'm glad you mentioned the email, PM. I didn't see them until now. Oh happy day!

Eva, be careful!!!

Thanks, stw!!

Eeva, after reading your post, I now feel silly for complaining about a little ice on the roads. I hope your back will be OK.

P_M, congrats to your hubby on the new job! That's great news! Glad you are enjoying yours, as well.

We used to have a saying when we had snow or ice in Houston (which was also rare). "The city needs to assign one Yankee to every Texas and chauffer them around!" No, Texans can't drive on ice, myself included.

Obviously that should read..."to every Texan."

P_M Congrats on the jobs. Your ice issues looked significant enough on the news--cars sliding all over the palce. The snow is still coming down here --even harder than before. I can't even see the house across the street right now. It really is time to buy the snowblower. I just hate spending that much money on something that is not travel related!

Rave--Just went out and bought new snow boots and lots of warm weather stuff for all of our family.

Rant--No snow here, except inthe mountains. Will some of you please send snow this direction please???

Otto--Wow, what a great thing to win!!!

STW--Yes, it sure doe swork! Zicam works better for me than Airborne, but I was almost out so was rationing it, lol! No side effects. Just lessens the symptoms a LOT!

Faina--I love how you always see the bright side in things

Bennnie--OMG, the leg lamp sounds great!

Scarlett--So glad DD is ok, and that DS will be back soon! You need to go meet him in Portugal though.

PM--Such great news for both you and your husband!

Eeva--LOL, I think you deserve to start in on some poison Feel better!

Here in Chelsea we just experienced thunder and lightening and its snowing so hard I can't see out the window. Called home (where Eva is) and is worse there. Drive home will really really be bad but I'm going home with my husband and leaving the car here.

RAVE: Christmas with a toddler! I seriously feel like I'm in some wonderful Christmas movie when I watch my daughter take in all the lights, the tree, the Christmas train...it must be the most perfect Christmas I've ever had!

RANT: DH is MISERABLE at his job and is having a difficult time finding the impetus to look for another. Self esteem problems are a real bitch.

RAVE: Did I mention Christmas with my happy little sweetpea?