More of a Tribute: To those who 60 years ago this week endured the Siege of Bastogne. If not familiar with this, watch the Band Of Brothers episodes dealing with this.

Rant: I'm not as young as I used to be. I went out Wednesday night with some colleagues and I still haven't recovered.

Rave: At least for a few hours the next morning, I'm was able to do a great Barry White imitation.

Rave: My 3 year old son is in his first school play on Monday. He's one of the wise men, though I think he'd rather get to hold the stuffed animals as the shepard.

Rant: I will have to work hard to not be one of "those Dads." While I'm happy he's one of the wise men, I couldn't help but to wonder "Why isn't he Joseph?"

Rave: the kids are enjoying the holiday season with all the cookie-making, singing carols, staring at the presents under the tree, etc.

Rant: Someone I love dearly is going through a torturous time, both emotionally and physically. It's hard for me to turn on the happy face for the kids sometimes...

An addendum:

Rant: Dad just called - help me, I have nothing for your mother. Can you go shopping for me!!! Arggg - but I'm done. So off I go, how do you say no to Daddy!

Rave: Beautiful weather for our snowboarding trip! Three nights up at our condo at Huntington Lake. Lots of hot cider, great food, snow, old movies, etc.!!

Rave: Shopping, decorating, wrapping, etc. 99% finished. We'll be hosting the Christmas dinner this year for eight! Prime rib sounds good!

Rave: DD is off to San Franciso with her church youth group for a New Year's Eve get-together! Sounds like lots of fun for her and her girlfriends!

Rave: Only one more Christmas tree to sell. We took it down to our church tree lot, they said we could put it there for awhile. It was a lot of fun selling the trees this year!

Happy Holidays and Happy Travels! ***kim*** ((l))

happy b'day Elizabeth.
Good luck TX - hope all goes well.

Rave: 4 minute PR in last Sunday's half marathon
Rave: have the day off today
Rave: I have no no rants :)

I didn't realize it was the 60th anniversary, Ryan. Thanks for that.

Rave: Tonight, I am having 20 friends over for a party and gift exchange. Last year was so much fun, I can't wait until tonight!

Rave: I am serving 4 different types of tamales - my favorite is the raisin and pinapple sweet tamales. Yummy!

Rant: I was hoping to leave work a bit early today but have to interview a potential employee at 2:30. :-(

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Rant/Rave: First Christmas in 18 years that we aren't flying to Coronado to celebrate with all my family. Parents are gone, the house is rented to strangers now.

Rave: Next year, everyone comes to Hawaii, so we don't have to fly!

Rave: On Sunday, My husband, two daughters and I are off to Thailand and Tokyo for the Holidays!

I have a rave which anyone with a semi-unusual name will understand. Those of us who never see their names on keychains or personalized ready-to-buy stationary, shot glasses, coffee mugs...

Well, I was at Target and found a Barbie-type doll with my name on it. Not Alicia, not Alyssa, not Alison, but ALISA. And, it cost a dollar. I bought two. And I don't even collect dolls. Of course, her hair is blonde, which I will rectify with a brown marker.

Ahhhhhh, the little things in life that make your week............:-)!

Rave: My oldest son, who will be graduating May '05, received his first job offer! He's very excited about the offer but it is a long term commitment (Financial Leadership DP). At least it is located on the east coast and not in Kentucky!

Rant: My youngest son, who just entered college, just informed me that he has to vacate his dorm room, and bring ALL of his stuff home because he is being de-tripled for the spring semester. ALL of his cr*p will take up a chunk of my newly cleaned and organized family room...ugh! Everyone in residential housing is gone for the day, so I can't convince anyone to let him leave his stuff there to make the move easier.

Rave: Both sons will be home and will eat us out of house and home...I love it :D

Rave: We've had lots of holiday gatherings to attend (and host) but I feel that I am quickly running out of steam. Ryan, I feel your pain, oh to be young again :)

Rave: We'll be with my sister and her family for Christmas Eve. I haven't seen them for a couple of years - we're so excited.

Rant: We miss our UK family and hope to see them very soon.

Rant: Must finish the shopping tomorrow along with hundreds of others. I'm setting my alarm...It's the only way.

April: Glad your eye exam went well. I have my eye tests hanging over me until the New Year.

Elizabeth: Happy Birthday!

TXTravelPro: Hope your surgery went A*Okay!

Wishing everyone a peaceful weekend filled with holiday cheer! Happy travels :)

Rant: "Rip-off" title insurance co delays - closing postponed yet again.
Rave/Rant: Delta A/L honored my Dec '03 30K mi Travel Cert for RT to Hawaii. No upgrades permitted.
Rave/Rant: The wonderful Delta folks in the Plano, Tx "city office" will be reassigned to the call center in Irving on 23 Dec and Delta will have only 24 flts a day out of DFW after 31 Jan.
Rant: AA's monopoly @ DFW - our fares are way higher than any where in the US!!!
Rave: Southwest A/L!
Rant: the Wright amendment @ Love Field in Dallas.

Rant: "Rip-off" title insurance co delays - closing postponed yet again.
Rave/Rant: Delta A/L honored my Dec '03 30K mi Travel Cert for RT to Hawaii. No upgrades permitted.
Rave/Rant: The wonderful Delta folks in the Plano, Tx "city office" will be reassigned to the call center in Irving on 23 Dec and Delta will have only 24 flts a day out of DFW after 31 Jan.
Rant: AA's monopoly @ DFW - our fares are way higher than any where in the US!!!
Rave: Southwest A/L!
Rant: The ANTICOMPETETIVE Wright amendment @ Love Field in Dallas.
Rave: Almost 16 months into retirement, no Fica taxes, lower income taxes and lots of travel time.
Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo.
M

Rave: the house is spotless, the shopping has been done and tomorrow begins the cooking for our big family bash on Sunday.

Rant: I'm off to work this evening and will miss Bill Moyer's final broadcast.

Missjanna, I was seventeen when I enlisted in the Navy in 1951. I had a great time growing up on LI. Swimming in the local streams, ice skating on Freport Reservoir, and great times at Jones Beach as a teenager. But once off LI I discovered a whole new world out there, and looking back, it was a great place to grow up, but I'm glad I moved away.

Rave: The soldier from TN who spoke up about the inferior equiptment in Iraq.

Rant. The pathetic answer he got from the Secretaary of Defense.

RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT, RANT...
Went to the hospital to check in for my surgery. Didn't eat/drink all day.
Got there and started processing in and get a call from the doctor. 2 ladies went into early labor and he has to cancel.
Surgery is rescheduled for Tuesday the 21st and now I will be in the hospital on Christmas!

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH..........

TTPro,
Hang in there!!! >:D<

X( X( X(
Loved ones aging not so gracefully especially around Christmas time.

On a lighter "rant"...Rolled all the "Kauai Koins" (spare change we collect all year for our bar bill) and "only" had $236. Usually get around $300-$400ish :'(

\:D/ \:D/ \:D/
Opened our sealed "dollar bill box" (anytime one of us gets at least 10-one dollar bills in their pockets, we drop them in our box...for the same purpose.)
and found we had $500 on the nose!!!
=D>=D>=D>

Now we have additional dough for ATV, golf, and maybe cocktails with Auntie M at the Happy Talk Lounge on an open mike Sunday! :-?

Rave: I finished the cookie baking at 10:15 a.m. today.

Rant: If I don't find someplace to hide them, my husband will have them eaten by Christmas.

Sheepish admission: Okay, I will have nibbled, too.

Have a great weekend, whatever you're doing.

Vcl-We have room at our house to hide all those cookies....
=P~=P~=P~=P~

Trust me!!! :^o:^o:^o

Oh, TTPro, how scary and frustrating! It's bad enough facing surgery once, but twice - wow. I'm sure it will all go well once it happens. Do hang in there.

TxTravelPro, that is awful! Wouldn't it be nice to live in a world where such things didn't happen.

Rant: Long lineups at the post office and people who wait until they're at the counter before they clue in to the fact that they'll need money and then laboriously take their pack-sack off and start riffling through it looking for their wallet. Or the ones who bring their unwrapped parcels to package up at the counter.