We LOVE "Holiday Inn"!!! That one we watch every year - it's another movie we quote right along as the film progresses. "How'd he get that far in 5 minutes??" "The lady must have been willing."

F'shur, f'shur!

OMG - that last line of the video!!!! :lol: :lol:

I'm old enough to remember when this came and went in the theaters. I think the screening was in July [i did not understand why we were going to see a Christmas movie in the summer]. My Dad worked in the industry so we went to the after screening party and the response from the crowd was mixed. Some absolutely loved it, and some thought it was just stupid and wouldn't go anywhere. I remember that my Dad thought it was very clever - but he strongly identified with Raphie, having also been a boy during those years and remembering Christmases when he just wanted One Thing, yet his mother thought it was too dangerous [i think it was a boomerang one year]. Dad's father had passed away so they lived with his Grandparents and Dad says that his Grandfather always came through with the "boy presents" that his Mom just didn't understand. I think this is one of those movies that, if you identify with some part of it, you really like. But it's really aimed at a select audience. We watch it about every other year, and quote right along with the film.

Yes, this drives me crazy. I work on a university campus and there are those who speak like this ALL. THE. TIME. Though.......I have little room to criticize. I grew up in The Valley in the 80's. My cousins lived in Santa Monica. I could go back and forth between ValSpeak and the type of "accent" my cousins had [close to Val, but not quite] really easily and it drove my Mom up the wall. {"Stop talking like that! Speak normally! You're going to do permanent damage to your jaw line!"} Then I went to the UK for a summer and came back with a faux British accent. My poor mother.

I'm so sorry about your beloved cat. Their paw prints truly stay on our hearts long after they've left this earth. I'll be keeping both you and your dd in my prayers.

THIS. Then add in a time in a man's life when he is not so comfortable with himself and feels his life slipping away. He wants to feel younger, and it doesn't help that his wife is no longer placating him the way she once used to do. The kids are almost grown and gone, and he probably has a friend or two who has remarried a younger woman and is SO HAPPY. Neither spouse is as willing to work through the tough stuff because the grass looks greener elsewhere. For him, probably with another woman. For her, life on her own. {Can you tell I've seen this scenario more than once or twice in my life - starting with my parents' best friends?}

I'm in an area of the country and work in a field where one particular political spectrum dominates. I am on the other political spectrum. It's pretty lonely and I do wish I knew more people of my particular leaning. I'm pretty lucky that I have a few good friends who know where I stand and don't get in my face if we disagree about something. I hope they're able to say the same thing about me. Wouldn't it be nice if we could just believe what we believe and accept that others may not feel that way? And not feel threatened when someone else expresses a different viewpoint, but be glad that we have the right and opportunity to have different principles for which we firmly stand?

It does not work with a stubborn, thick-headed beagle who is determined to GET THAT SQUIRREL. And that's all I have to say.

We don't do Halloween in this house because of an experience I had as a child. Nothing really against the holiday, but *I* can't be a part of it. My dh started taking us all out for Chinese food when the kids were little and that has just stuck with us. We also turn off the porch lights, but found that in this neighborhood the very little kids come around before dark. So I do make sure I have a bowl of candy for them. They have to hike up a hill to get to our house and I hate having them climb all the way up and then not having anyone answer the door. Once it gets dark enough to make it clear our light is out, we leave for dinner.

We like having a built-in "down day". You'll now be close enough to Disney Springs that you can pop over there a bit [from AOA resort it's one heck of a bus ride]. I like the idea of a big dinner at one of the other resorts. My kids have loved the Luau or eating at Ohana's or the character dinner at the Grand Floridian [my pickiest eater likes that one the best because it's a buffet and she can get exactly what she wants]. DH prefers dinners over at the Wilderness Lodge or the dinner at Trails End [Fort Wilderness] or Mickey's Backyard BBQ [the man is from cowboy country....can you tell??] The big three resorts [Polly, Grand Floridian, Contemporary] are all connected by monorail. Wilderness Lodge and Ft. Wilderness are connected to the big three by boat.

I've found the reservations people at WDW to be super helpful, even when making last minute changes. And they will ALWAYS let you upgrade your park tickets. ;)

If you have park hoppers then I recommend the fireworks at Epcot and/or the Star Wars fireworks at Hollywood Studios. If you don't have Park Hoppers, then skip Hollywood Studios. It's in a state of flux right now and is really a 1/2 day park. Though dd just reminded me that "Fantasmic!" at HS is "totally awesome, Mom.....don't forget about that" Get your hands on the book "The Complete Disney World 2016" by Julie Neal. It's a great write-up of everything at the parks and they don't pull any punches. It's probably the best way for everyone to see if there are rides they want to go on, and rides they want to avoid. We even got my roller-coaster-hating daughter on "Big Thunder Mountain" after she read the write-up about it. She decided it was something she could handle [and she did!] [and liked it!]

We just had this happen to a long-time choir member/friend. His wife died about 15 years ago and for the last 10 years of his life he had......girlfriend? Companion? I don't know what exactly to call her, except that she was the one who really looked after George in the final stages of his dementia. She was the one who made sure he got to choir and then got back home. She lived next door to him and he called her his "girl". None of this took away from his [dead] wife......but when it came time for George's memorial service, his girl was completely shunned. It's sad when the family/priest/whoever can't acknowledge an important person in the life of the one having the memorial service. Hopefully it was just an oversight on the part of the ordained son. It's hard to write obituaries on the fly, and he may have left it until the last minute, then put it together in haste. I agree with Farrar that we need to write our own obits so the important parts of our lives aren't left out!

Ooooh - I forgot about the wand! Went back to go claim mine and got this: Redwood wood with a Dragon heartstring core 12 ½" and Supple flexibility Since this type of tree [sequoia] has a special meaning to me, I'm pretty happy over this. It might even make me forgive Pottermore for taking me out of the House with the cozy rooms right next to the kitchen, and putting me in a House where I have to climb stairs and answer some %#^$ quiz before I can enter.