<p>“Hooray for mommusic’s S!” - Yes, indeed!</p>
<p>Checkers–I’m a diver and LOVE zebra mussels! Unfortunately they are an invasive species and most places are trying to eradicate them from local lakes and quarries. I love them because they filter the water and make it clearer. I dive in quarries and lakes and the zebra mussels would make the visibility really good. I guess they mess with the natural ecosystem which is why they want to get rid of them. Make sure your DS gets trained in drysuit diving (I’m an instructor and also a drysuit diver). There is a learning curve to drysuit diving so get him trained.</p>
<p>ML–sorry to hear about your DS and the cult. I hope you get that straightened out soon. But on a good note, congrats with DS2’s meds and him doing better!!!</p>
<p>My DS2 was disappointed in the snow yesterday. He was all set to make some money shoveling driveways. Unfortunately we only got slushy snow that didn’t amount to enough to shovel. Oh well, maybe next year.</p>
<p>checking in from The Biltmore in Coral Gables. Was stuck inside all day and did not get to enjoy a fabulous weather day in FL. Plus I have contracted a wicked head cold which is pretty miserable. </p>
<p>DW will be joining me in Miami tomorrow, and we leave Saturday.</p>
<p>No word from S1 on his springbreak homebuilding efforts.</p>
<p>We’re getting the snow here. Had about 4 inches in my driveway when I got home from an evening event at work that was not cancelled. H is away on business, so if we end up with the 10 - 14 inches they’re predicting for my little bubble area, then I will be doing battle with our snowblower. We have the biggest snowblower of anyone I know - a true New England level snowblower. 6 speeds in forward, 2 speeds in reverse and a headlight. Will cut thru ANYTHING like a hot knife thru butter, and throws the snow 40 feet away. My inlaws gave it to us when we bought the house, as our housewarming gift. The problem is, with all that size and power it’s HEAVY and it has a mind of its own as to where it wants to go. It’s like a wrestling match to keep it going in the right direction.</p>
<p>In better news, H had a business trip near D’s campus (managed to fly out before the storm hit last night) so he took her to dinner. He gave her the birthday present that arrived late (monogram necklace) and she was very happy. She did well on two tests that she got back this week so, at least for the moment, all seems happy. :)</p>
<p>I’ve already worked 41 hours this week, and it’s only Thursday. This will probably keep up for another week, then hopefully it will calm down for a little while. </p>
<p>Cheerio, DB! Enjoy London and your time with your kids! Be sure to check out the British Museum, where the Brits house everything they “gathered” from the far corners of the earth during the days of ye olde Empire.</p>
<p>good morning all! coffee is ready!</p>
<p>TGIF iPeeps! Coffee & tea are ready. Pepsi is waiting for Checkers. ETA: oops, cross-posted with P56. Thanks!</p>
<p>Wishing a Bon Voyage to our intrepid travelers, InitiateLaunch, DougBetsey and Alicew. (DB: I’m drinking coffee this morning in your honor from my British Starbucks :)).</p>
<p>Laf, you just gave me a great visual of you wrestling with a true New England snowblower, LOL! Wishing you a “pin” with your mechanical adversary.</p>
<p>Congrats to mommusic’s DS on his internship!</p>
<p>T_C: I hope you had a great birthday yesterday - did you get any cupcakes?</p>
<p>Good morning all thanks for the coffee, I need it to deal with messy wet snow here. Belated Happy Birthday wishes to all and Happy travels and cruising too. I can’t wait to be off on my cruise in 10 days. I picked DS up last night from airport back from spring break in Fla. His plane landed right on time but had to sit and wait an hour to get a gate ugh. Tonight DH does the airport run to pick up DD coming in from Buffalo. Yeah a full nest. Can’t wait for spring. Have a good weekend all even though we lose an hour of sleep.</p>
<p>Good morning…</p>
<p>Sad news near here in Versailles, IN (pronounced Ver-sayles.) 3 teens were killed when their two pickup trucks collided at an intersection. They had the day off school to attend a FFA event, but they left the event at 9:30 a.m. and apparently went different routes to the same intersection where they BOTH ran the stop sign and collided? </p>
<p>Sounds so unbelievable, but three kids are dead and their parents are surely wishing they could just rewind the film of that day. </p>
<p>Stay safe, everyone.</p>
<p>Cheerio! Heading across the pond!</p>
<p>Just saw mommusic’s sad post. Tragic. :(</p>
<p>Sad post mommusic.</p>
<p>Today is D’s last day home, she and her friend leave early tomorrow. No idea if she is coming home at the end of the semester or not, sad mom</p>
<p>Mommusic, I’m a lurker on this thread, but I just had to comment. That is so heartbreaking, and what are the chances that they would both run the stop sign? How tragic! My thoughts and prayers are with you and your community.</p>
<p>So sad, mommusic’s. </p>
<p>Best wishes to my fellow travelers today. We are leaving for the airport shortly and hoping that we take off from the land of too much snow that is still falling.</p>
<p>Snowstorms are not nearly so much fun when you have to dig yourself out and go to work. Ugh. Guess I can’t complain too much - last time (the blizzard) H was home alone and I was happily in the sunny south. So I guess this time it’s my turn to be stuck with it / his turn to escape. The giant snowblower and I cleared the driveway of about 10 inches of heavy wet snow in an hour. I did find the newspaper the hard way though, and blew newsprint confetti all over the yard. 
I’ll be heading into work in a couple of hours. It’s still coming down hard, but I may just drive over it if we don’t get more than another 4 inches or so…</p>
<p>Safe travels DB and Alice - Alice, I hope you can get out of here!</p>
<p>Saw the news of that accident. So sad.</p>
<p>Lafalum–I got a grin from the image of newsprint confetti. :)</p>
<p>About the teens–details are still sketchy, but I’m imagining a scenario where the two groups are skipping out on the event, leave by different exits, race to the intersection, and play a tragic game of chicken. SO so sad.</p>
<p>so very sad mommusic!!!</p>
<p>Good morning! Happy Friday!</p>
<p>So very sad mommusic! </p>
<p>Only college news is that D1 has a bug bite on her inner thigh that is very swollen and red. She went to the doctor and is on antibiotics and supposed to keep the leg elevated.
Luckily the school she does her student teaching at is off today.</p>
<p>I am very excited to hear about everyone’s travels.</p>
<p>Happy DST weekend! Dont forget to change your clocks lest you be late for something important on Sunday!</p>
<p>Alvin Lee R.I.P. Hes Going Home.</p>
<p>Jc40 You (and your D) have my sympathies! OK, maybe your DS too, a little. ;)</p>
<p>
Read on if youd like to rue the day you ever made this statement. ;)</p>
<p>ML Adding my positive thoughts for you and your family!!!</p>
<p>DB D2 says that she would much rather write a 20 page than 5 page paper. Enjoy London!</p>
<p>Aliceinw Wishing you safe and successful travels too.</p>
<p>LAF Sorry I missed your Ds 21st B-Day, but Im sure your H sufficiently spoiled her belated Happy B-Day to her! I too loved the image of the newspaper meeting its untimely demise.</p>
<p>P56 Adam West the only real Batman!!!</p>
<p>VAMom2015/ProudNJMom When we visit, we leave it entirely up to D2 how much time she can spend with us and realize that it will only be a very little. DW and I can usually entertain ourselves.</p>
<p>Checkers Unless your penguin ate all the fish, Im sure S did well 1 Fish, 2 Fish, Brown Fish, Brown Fish. Good luck to your S with the internship, Im sure hed do swimmingly!</p>
<p>T_C Happy Belated Birthday! I hope dinner went well.</p>
<p>Mdem Congrats on your progress!!!</p>
<p>Mommusic Weatherwise, it sounds like I picked a good week not to be in Cinci. Our office closed on Wed., but through the miracle of telecommuting I kept right on meeting. Many congrats to your S!!! The accident in Versailles just makes one sick.</p>
<p>
This message brought to you by GoMommy.com ;)</p>
<p>Tx5 Join me on the insomnia train. Allow me to vent </p>
<p>In wedding planning news, does anyone know if there is an app that works with Facetime that would allow me to climb through the screen and grab my DD1? If so, please do not tell me about it
for her sake. 
Tomorrow I am going to try to be good as we meet with people at a few venues to discuss options. Oh goody. Im thinking the options are No and Hell No! I have been asked to behave
how much wiggle-room does that give me? This does not bode well I tell you. I was all excited about one place until I re-read the brochure and noticed that it offered a waterside ceremony, not a waterslide ceremony. If she had her way, D1s wedding would involve guests being flown in by specially trained, domesticated pterodactyl before being whisked away to the event by Unicorn whilst the Cherubim and Seraphim served a fine rainbow and gold flake infused eunuch honeybee mead decanted from the Holy Grail to go with the Spotted Owl foie gras while being delightfully entertained by well-dressed, tiny woodland creatures mingling among the crowd alternately singing a combination of tasteful show tunes and arias to the strands of a winged harp orchestra until it is time for everyone to gather and follow the team of Leprechauns riding Chimeras ceremony processional into the wedding castle in the sky. Then it gets really magical. :rolleyes: So, given the good behavior restriction that has been hoisted upon me against my will (sometimes referred to as The Nuptial Onus in G#), is it OK to ask the Wedding-Event-Planner-Lady if her venue is subject to the laws of physics and which mythical beasts she will have available on our particular day of total friggin bliss? The answers to these basic questions can determine if we need to continue with the Maam, do yall provide angels that can produce various flavored cupcakes on demand? You know, with the piping thats just right (on the cupcakes, not the angels)? And do your squirrels dress nice and sing good? What languages? Oh dear! You dont carry multi-lingual squirrels? That sure puts you at a competitive disadvantage. Do they at least have some super-cuddly little friends that can keep up with Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews as they re-create Its a jolly holiday with Mary
in its entirety? Oh good. Now, are your Leprechauns the cute kind or are they more menacing in which case Ill go with the bulk discount on Sprites (aka the Puck It! Package) to ride my Chimeras, thank you? Hey! I see here that I can get a sh** load of Imps for the same price as just a few Sprites! Is there something I need to know about that package and why the security deposit is so much higher? I believe you called it the Pandoras Delight. Lemme be sure I got these Grand Entrance options right. For now, lets rule out the mid-tier Pandoras Delight Tribute to the Whimsy of Our Day package as it seems likely to be fraught with unintended consequences. I think I have the premium package Faeries riding Chimeras Tribute to the Mythical Magic of Love figured out. What can you tell me about the Easter Islanders riding Moas - Tribute to Human Devastation budget-friendly package which, despite the catchy name, seems infinitely more likely to happen, but is somehow not particularly reassuring either? Oh, and my vichyssoise sample was cold. Wish me (us?) luck tomorrow. D1 has kindly scheduled our meeting times and itinerary. I need the PeeVC at 12:47:03PM as I believe that is when we are allowed to use the restroom, aka Alone time for you to contemplate the importance of MY day. Not that you care, but it is looking like an April 2014 wedding between the time that D2 turns in her Senior Thesis and starts Comp Exams. D2 says that she could swing it if all she has to do is put on a dress and show up for a day. Where can I get that deal? Heck, Ill wear the crinoline and taffeta if all I gotta do is show up. </p>
<p>In college news, I forgot to mention that D2 gave me my autographed text book last weekend. :)</p>
<p>G#-LMAO!!! I would love to be a fly on the wall for that meeting! Be sure to determine the amount of fairy dust that is sprinkled and whether it is allowed, or is no longer environmentally correct! 
(Oh, and I can just imagine the horror that is going through your D1’s head as she contemplates the questions you will ask–good job; carry on!)</p>
<p>G#, I think you should give dd and dw a budget and let them figure out how to spend it. Splurge on the dress or reception or photog … but not everything. I’m so happy to have boys!!!</p>