Another lovely day in Oklahoma. . .

[NFLDERS]

We are staying in a hotel because my younger brother's home is a 2 bedroom and, older brother and dsil are staying there.

Dh and I have had our first compromise already and, 'July' is a long way off!

Our flight leaves at 6 am, the hotel is 1hr from the airport. They want us there 90mins before the flight.

Dh wanted to rent a car and drive. I wanted to spend the last night in the city where the airport is. That way my brothers (1 driver,1 for company because he and dsil are staying to visit longer) would not have to drive us at such an early hour the day of but rather at his liking the day before.

We are booking Airport Transportation.

 

[Micca]

I used to like those early morning flights, but the requirement to arrive at the airport so far in advance has ruined that for me.

 

[ronandannette]

We are flying out to British Columbia in July; with my older brother and dsil to visit our younger brother and dsil! ronandannette we stop over in Calgary both ways!! I'm excited and, anxious. I. Hate. Flying!!!

Don’t miss the chance to try Chick-fil-A! The one, single location in Canada is inside YYC.

I always say if he sees his shadow we have only 6 weeks left of winter; if he doesn't we only have a month and a half left!

Around here we’d consider 6 weeks a win!

 

[NFLDERS]

Don’t miss the chance to try Chick-fil-A! The one, single location in Canada is inside YYC.

We arrive at the airport at 8:00 am then, have to catch our connection all of 90 mins later. I'm guessing Chick-fil-A will not be open or that we will not have time? I know one thing when we arrive in Comax B. C. We will be hangry!

Westjet is not feeding us (going or coming) because of the connections, the flights do not pass the 3 hr criteria.

 

[NFLDERS]

^ I don't know how I created THAT Quote reply!

 

[Micca]

Chick-Fil-A here serves breakfast starting at 6:30AM.

 

[NFLDERS]

I used to like those early morning flights, but the requirement to arrive at the airport so far in advance has ruined that for me.

It was so very mind numbing to find a flight that worked out with hotels because the hotels in my brother's now home town are limited and, kept selling out!!

I hope my cane likes the airport visits!

 

[NFLDERS]

Chick-Fil-A here serves breakfast starting at 6:30AM.

Awesome!

 

[ronandannette]

Not sure what part of the airport Chick-fil-A is in but I do know Westjet has it's own terminal for both arrivals and departures. 90 minutes will be plenty of time to make it from one flight to the next if you land on-time.

 

[NFLDERS]

Not sure what part of the airport Chick-fil-A is in but I do know Westjet has it's own terminal for both arrivals and departures. 90 minutes will be plenty of time to make it from one flight to the next if you land on-time.

OR, because it's a Saturday morning when we travel, you could go to Chick-fil-A pick up our order and, bring it to us! We could wear something to help you identify us hmm.. something that makes us stand out in this Canadian crowd. Maybe, a red & white lobster bib in anticipation! no wait, it's poultry not seafood hmm.. any ideas?

 

[ronandannette]

OR, because it's a Saturday morning when we travel, you could go to Chick-fil-A pick up our order and, bring it to us! We could wear something to help you identify us hmm.. something that makes us stand out in this Canadian crowd. Maybe, a red & white lobster bid in anticipation! no wait, it's poultry not seafood hmm.. any ideas?

The only problem with that is I'd have to buy a ticket to somewhere to get past security to where you will be. Please forward 3,000 airmiles to my account and I'll make the plans immediately and the chicken will be my treat.

And don't worry, presuming you'll be the only person in the terminal carrying a bone plate, I'd recognize you anywhere!

 

[ronandannette]

Dang...19" of new snow incoming between now and the weekend. It's been pounding down since suppertime; about 6 inches in the last 4 hours. Getting to work in the morning is going to be a nightmare and getting home tomorrow night will be even worse if it continues to snow all day tomorrow. It's forecasted to be a week before we see temperatures back up above freezing, at which point the snow will all melt at once and make the roads even worse, if that's possible to imagine. I am tired of winter -TIRED. This is what my commute in the morning will look like:

 

[ronandannette]

I’ve just declared the Calgary version of a “snow day” for my staff. Not that anybody gets to stay safely at home - just that they all don’t congregate at our office for morning briefing before they head to their first appointments. It’s one of those days where everybody will be running late all day or even missing appointments entirely. We do our best but I can just hear the phones ringing with customer complaints already. It’s NOT going to be another lovely day in Calgary, that’s for sure.

 

[NFLDERS]

The only problem with that is I'd have to buy a ticket to somewhere to get past security to where you will be. Please forward 3,000 airmiles to my account and I'll make the plans immediately and the chicken will be my treat.

And don't worry, presuming you'll be the only person in the terminal carrying a bone plate, I'd recognize you anywhere!

Good one! I missed that didn't I!

Sorry, (in true Canadian sentiment) about all the misery of a Canadian Winter. Stay well while ------[...

 

[Micca]

I often think it would be wonderful to live in Canada, but that pic from ronandannette Maybe I could just spend summers there!

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I was relieved that we did not have to do the driving because it turned out to be a return trip in a lake effect storm that brought us to our drop off point 7 hours later!

Oh my yeah I wouldn't want to drive in that kind of mess either.

Just popping in to say hi while I wait for an upper-GI endoscopy. My 6:30am report time was changed to 11am, so I am hungry, want coffee, and am anxious. I had gastric sleeve surgery in Sept. 2016 with no problems, but have started having bad reflux a couple of times a week, so my surgeon wants to take a peek and see what's happening (meds haven't been effective). I am so tempted to cancel and just keep taking the meds, maybe doubling up. How bad is a throat filled with stomach bile a couple of times a week, right? LOL! I need to get this taken care of now, though, as my new job starts in 2 weeks and with it new health insurance. I do not want the new insurance company to have any opportunity to say "no coverage for this pre-existing condition" so I'll go today. I know... the law says they can't do this, but I have no confidence that the health care policy won't change dramatically, and pre-existing conditions will come into play, so off I go. Geez... this being a grown up and doing the responsible thing sucks sometimes, doesn't it?

I hope you feel better!!

DGD came over today and was virtually bouncing off the walls. I asked her if she felt better and she replied "No, I'm still sick." Well....she is still recovering but she's 100 times better than she was 24 hours ago.

Oh kids lol. Glad to hear she's better than before though!

Barely getting this in here, but Happy Christmas, everyone! It sounds like you all have had happy, festive times and some have gotten loads of snow. We've just had loads of rain - seriously, if we get anymore, the river's going to be over the roads - but have also managed some happy, festive times of our own. I wish it wasn't ending already! My peeps are worn out and sleeping already. I'm still sitting on the couch with the tree lit up, bundled up in this new cozy sweater:

(No, that is NOT me OR my house (though I would LOVE to live in a place with such character) - this is an image from The Irish Store - I've had my eye on this lovely garment and someone got the hint) and furry lined Christmas socks that I opened this morning. Warm, snuggly things to wear are just the best. Hoping all you snow bound Aldio members stay warm and snuggly, too! Jevs, I'm guessing you're warm and snuggly for an altogether different reason! Be merry, friends . . .

Ohhhhh that is sooooooo pretty

No, it's the name of a group of islands. They are known for their 'Fisherman Cable' knit pattern.

Hey you learn something new everyday. That's so neat you knew that

View attachment 290490 I'll continue working... my way through this, 'cause somebody's gotta do it! It may as well be ME!
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Originally it looked like this!!

Umm.. You'll need to reverse the photos or the wording 'cause I've got them mixed up.

Now that is a chocolate display if I ever saw one. Aaron and I would be munching on that for weeks lol.

I'm down in the mancave wearing a baseball cap and a scarf wrapped around my neck. Maybe I should go upstairs for a while.

Aaron's 'mancave' if you want to call it that is the front bedroom upstairs..it's got an Xbox (that used to be downstairs) plus a 32inch smart tv. It's also where his second closet is lol. The man doesn't fold clothes often so the bed (that used to be mine growing up) serves as a place for the clean clothes. IDK if the basement will ever be his actual mancave once it's finished..I'd like to keep the space open for the whole family especially since there will be another bedroom and bathroom down there but I may lose that battle lol.

I am sorry to report that the guinea pig has passed away. It happened in the middle of the night, so I am the only one who "knows" right now (though by late yesterday, we were all expecting to have to make a sad trip to the vet today).

Oddly, since I had said DS and I weren't doing well with the worry, it was DH who was hit hardest yesterday. I think he was just more optimistic about the latest treatment than I was.

Anyway, thank you all for the thoughts and prayers. I got to spend a lot of time holding him yesterday, but it's still hard.

I am so sorry to hear about the passing of the guinea pig. It's so hard to lose a pet and I feel for your family. I force myself all the time not to think about my cat. He's nearly 5 now so hopefully he's got many years left but still

Loving it so far! - It starts with a timeline and then there are different pages about Walt, various movies, park information, etc. Here are pics of a sample of pages, if it helps you decide:

View attachment 291031 View attachment 291032 View attachment 291033 View attachment 291034

That's a really cool book

Many hours later because, of the lake effect snow bearing down on us during that drive and, with several frayed nerves we arrived in our driveway the driver having decided that, option 2 was best!

So glad you made it home safe.

Woot it’s great to see you Sherry x

Fuggery hot here. I got in my car and it told me it was 48 outside, that went down to 43 once we started moving though.

I have an issue. Might start a thread but will ask here first because you lot are so awesomely wise.

I’m buying dresses with spaghetti straps, bought a new one tonight. So I bought a new bra in the same colour as the dress. It looks a bit ****. To be honest I never take much notice of what other women are wearing but would it be acceptable to show the bra straps? I don’t like the strapless bras and even though I’m small enough not to need major scaffolding I’m not that adventurous to go bra less. Any tips?

Personally I try as hard as I can to not have my bra straps showing but it's not the taboo it once was. There are plenty of times I have seen straps out and sometimes dresses themselves have bra-like straps built in. If you're really uncomfortable about them showing you might look into bra hacks that show different ways of wearing a bra without the straps being on your shoulder the traditional way.

At 7am our time, 4am my younger brother's time on Vancouver Is. I made a call to find out if they were aware of a Tsunami warning. They had been sound asleep. We said our quick good-byes and, he and dsil made their way to the airport for higher ground there. The warning was cancelled. It was a frightening hour until we heard from them.

A Tsunami!! So glad the warning was cancelled.

I used to like those early morning flights, but the requirement to arrive at the airport so far in advance has ruined that for me.

We try if we can to get the early flights. But waking up at 2-4am (for the just before 6ish-7ish flights) is no fun that's for sure.

Don’t miss the chance to try Chick-fil-A! The one, single location in Canada is inside YYC.

Around here we’d consider 6 weeks a win!

Chick-fil-A yummy

Dang...19" of new snow incoming between now and the weekend. It's been pounding down since suppertime; about 6 inches in the last 4 hours. Getting to work in the morning is going to be a nightmare and getting home tomorrow night will be even worse if it continues to snow all day tomorrow. It's forecasted to be a week before we see temperatures back up above freezing, at which point the snow will all melt at once and make the roads even worse, if that's possible to imagine. I am tired of winter -TIRED. This is what my commute in the morning will look like:

Oh my yeah no that's just too much snow lol.

4 years ago we had a TON of snow for our area. I love snow but not that much in that short of time.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I see you all had a great Christmas/holiday and a good New Year!!

Aaron and I went to NYC area from December 18th-22nd. He had to do a pump test on the 20th and we decided to have me go as our last trip with the Companion pass and extend the trip.

We went to the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Guys seriously if you're in NYC I would highly recommend it unless you have younger children with you. The Museum is listed for teens and adults but they do have specific tours for when you have kids. It's emotionally draining, with a ton of information and is something we would only do once every so many trips to NYC but I personally think it's a must. When we went to NYC in May 2011 they had the Freedom tower halfway built and there was a pop up museum that we went to. But this one down by the Memorial is just there's not enough words. I'm not ashamed to admit there were tears in my eyes and a portion of the Museum (listed as graphic and viewer discretion advised) that I couldn't go into as it show people jumping..

Anywho here are some photos from that trip:
Freedom Tower/One World Trade Center

One of the Reflecting Pools

Saks Fifth Avenue was going a Snow White celebration for their windows. Plus their light display had the music from Snow White. Here's my post from the News Round Up thread from 2017:

We're in NYC for a few days (work trip extended) and last night we went to Saks Fifth Avenue Christmas windows and they are in celebration of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 80th anniversay! Their holiday light show also was for Snow White. The windows basically tell the story of Snow White.

Here are some pictures (it's hard to get them without a bunch of people lol):
View attachment 289487View attachment 289488

View attachment 289489View attachment 289490

View attachment 289491 View attachment 289493

Aaron and I in front of the tree inside the New York Public Library

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and skating rink

This may be hard to see but that's the ball up there It's the closest I'll probably get to the ball.

There's soo many more photos but I'll spare you all the thread space lol.

We also just got back from a skiing trip to Salida, CO. I do not ski but my husband, my sister-in-law and my mother-in-law do.....well mother-in-law has tried to ski this year and last year but has lasted only 1 run (start to finish about 30mins); it's largely a stamina issue.

Anywho we drove this year rather than fly. Driving takes 10 1/2 hrs or so plus a time change but we hoped it would allow me to acclimate to the altitude better. Last year when we went to Frisco, CO I suffered pretty badly from the altitude. Well driving def. helped and even though we were at higher elevation this time around on the base of the mountain we went to I hardly noticed it. Last year just getting up to go to the bathroom winded me really badly. If we go back next year I feel like that will really solidify if driving is the better option. Plus it was way cheaper. We got an explorer rental car in our area for $165 for 2/1 to 2/6 (we returned home on 2/5). A one-way ticket for just 1 person on SWA to Denver was around that $165 price. Now for many people driving across Kansas is the most boring drive and I will say it's not the most fun but honestly it wasn't that bad. We basically went from the east side of the state to the west side. Perhaps because I love the openness and am used to seeing the scenery it wasn't so bad. But once we got to the mountains in CO those sharper windy/curvy roads really start to get to me and my motion sickness. It was still better than the plane ride home last year which was the only time I have ever felt like I was going to be sick on a plane.

Now even though I don't ski I do enjoy going. Give me a place to read and listen to music and I'm golden haha

Here are some photos from that trip:
Arkansas River

View from the window in the back of the room

On the way to Monarch Mountain (about a 20ish min drive from the hotel we were staying in)

Pictures of some of the skiing parts.

My sister-in-law (in front) and my husband Aaron (in the back) skiing

On top of the Continental Divide

Thanks for bearing with me. Hopefully that wasn't too much thread space hogged lol.

 

[Twilight Sparkle]

@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson , thanks for filling us in on your trips. The photos are wonderful. I especially love the one of you and Aaron and the one on top of the Continental Divide. How fun it must have been to have been there!

I'm with you on the altitude issues in CO. The one and only time we have been there, my husband and I were both feeling it. We both felt horrible the whole trip. So much so that he never wants to return. I would give it another try, though - mostly because I love mountains.

I think I would be drowning in tears if we visited the 911 Memorial, but if we are ever in NYC, we'll probably go. The rest of your NY trip looks like it was a lot of fun.

 

[Micca]

@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson great trip reports! Very nice pic of you & Aaron there at the library. That 9/11 museum is something else, isn't it? It really stays with you and I agree it can be difficult to take it all in.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

@Mackenzie Click-Mickelson , thanks for filling us in on your trips. The photos are wonderful. I especially love the one of you and Aaron and the one on top of the Continental Divide. How fun it must have been to have been there!

I'm with you on the altitude issues in CO. The one and only time we have been there, my husband and I were both feeling it. We both felt horrible the whole trip. So much so that he never wants to return. I would give it another try, though - mostly because I love mountains.

I think I would be drowning in tears if we visited the 911 Memorial, but if we are ever in NYC, we'll probably go. The rest of your NY trip looks like it was a lot of fun.

Thank you!

I wish it had been me up on the Continental Divide but alas it was my sister-in-law with my husband. We so wished that there was a way that skiing places could take non-skiiers up via the lifts and then back down via the lifts just so they could to experience the beauty too. My husband did say it was breathtaking up there.

I swore away CO last year after how bad I felt but I really wanted to enjoy the trip with them so I went too. This year I felt a lot better being there. Our normal elevation is roughly 1,000-1,100ish ft above sea level depending on where you are at in my area. Last year in Frisco their elevation is around 9,100ft and Copper Mountain (where they skied last year) the base of the mountain was just over 9,700 ft. This year it was Salida with an elevation around 7,100ft and Monarch Mountain (where they skied this year) the base of the mountain was around 10,800ft. Either way you slice it it's quite a bit different than being at home lol. I'm wondering if also staying at an elevation lower than last year helped as well who knows.