Depends on how much shopping I can get out of the way online in the next few days - my eyes are blurry scrolling through all the pages of bath fixtures and valves and whatnot! Keep me posted y'all!

Hi, I'm back. I have been MIA due to the wedding planning and bringing DH to Dr. appointments. I think I told you about his thyroid. After the CT scan we were told that everything looked ok, probably a goiter, but they wanted to do an ultrasound. We got a phone call from his Dr. saying come in so we could review his options. The ultrasound showed a huge mass in his thyroid, a nodule, but very large and it could start obstructing things. They also can not rule out cancer because of some other findings. He is having a biopsy in two weeks and then an appt. with a surgeon. Either way it has to come out. They just need to determine if part of his thryroid, or all of it will come out. Thyroid cancer is 100% curable so we feel good about the outcome. It has just been so upsetting and nervewracking. We did go to the Jimmy Buffett concert last night. It helped to take our mind off of things. It downpoured in the middle of the concert and ofcourse we had lawn seats so just go wet. What are you going to do? We still had a blast and he never disappoints. He performed for over 3 hours. It was a great time. QOD: My oldest DS started working when he was 15 for a Marina/Engine repair place. It lead to him going to school to because a certified marine technician and he is still currently employed by them. Prior to that he was always busy with scouts and band. He spent one summer coordinating and carrying out his Eagle project. He always seemed to keep busy. My youngest worked last summer when he was 14 for my brother's appliance business, but not this year (medical conditions forced DB not to work this summer). This summer he has been hanging out with his friends. He lifts weights and does power training for football conditioning. He has been starting to plan his Eagle project, but is basically dragging his feet and making me crazy. Next summer this boy will be working! My oldest DS informed us that he has been offered a job in Virginia at a marina and probably will be moving there the beginning of October, just after the wedding. :-( I understand it is a good opportunity for him and he has a better chance of buying a home there than he does up here, but it brakes my heart. Nobody in my entire family has ever moved away. We all live within an hour of one another, so this is very hard for me. Other than the Buffett concert last night, this week has basically s*cked! Love, Besh

Me, me, me!!!! I made 3 batches of cookies today, wrapped all the presents that I have bought so far, mailed my Christmas cards, and finished the laundry. So I am gonna settle in for the whole 3 hours and not feel one bit guilty. I didn't clean my house at all this weekend. But in my opinion, something's gotta give at the holidays, and I vote for housework. If someone comes and complains, I'll just shove a cookie in their mouth and distract them! LOL I volunteered for a very difficult and dangerous job this weekend...............I had to bring home 2 bags of Holiday M&Ms and wrap them in individual sevings for a class project. (Parents were supposed to send in individually wrapped candy, like Hershey's Kisses or Mini Reeses PB Cups.) I took it upon myself to do the job, since someone had to do it. Now, I have to tell you that there were defective M&Ms in both bags; and I, as quality control inspector, couldn't let them pass. I had to eat them in order to spare the poor unsuspecting souls who are supposed to receive the candy. It wasn't pleasant, but it had to be done!!! That is my story and I am sticking to it! (I still haven't eaten the M&Ms that I brought home and hid. And I only ate one cookie from each batch today - a record for me! LOL) Now I have to finish cleaning the kitchen and pack my lunch for tomorrow, then I can finally sit down and relax. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. Marci

I went to CR four years ago and had a spectacular time. Flew to San Jose, went to Arenal / La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Quepos / Miguel Antonio Park. In 9 days, I saw a volcano, hiked around the volcano and through the jungle and the rain forest, rode zip lines across the rain forest canopy, swam under a waterfall, went to the mountains, went to the beach, heard and saw monkeys, lizards, sloths, and many other animals, rode horseback through the mountains and across a river, took a three hour sailboat ride, went to the famous hot springs, got a reflexology massage in a grass hut, toured a coffee plantation, rode a bus with locals and their chickens, had great food, did a little shopping, went to a couple cool art galleries and musuems, wore a t-neck and jacket and 2 days later a swimsuit, learned a little Spanish, learned a lot about the country, people, and environment, and always felt safe and comfortable. I went on a guided tour with Gap Adventures (gapadventures.com) on the 9-day tour. I think it was called the Quest adventure. They have dozens of differenet tours in CR, guided and independent. THe one I did was great, because they arranged everything from hotels to transportation to entrance fees to reservations. They got you to an area, told you what cool things there were to do, and then arranged for you to do whatever you were interested in. It was not a tour where everyone does the same thing at the same time and you are kinda trapped and on someone else's time table. You get the same guide for the whole tour and she knew the areas well and knew everyone in the areas we went, so she could always point us to the right people and places for what we wanted to experience. I frankly do not think I would want to try to navigate and drive through the country without a knowledgeable guide-- it's not like AAA will come get you if there is a problem and there is no mechanic or tire store around the corner. The roads are VERY rough and not well marked-- it would make a heck of an adventure, but just think about if that is the adventure you want, or if that would detract from the adventure you really want. I thought the loosely-guided tour was perfect and would highly receommend Gap, although there may be others that are just as good (I am not connected with them in any way, just a happy customer.) OH! One word of advice for San Jose-- If a man pinches you on the arm downtown, just say "No!" firmly and move on. That is the customary way that a man tells a uh, shall we say "lady of the evening" that he is interested. Some men just pinch anyone they think is cute, hoping she's a "lady of the evening"! You'll only experience it right in the center of downtown by the square, though, and if you say no then they apologize and leave you alone. Frankly, you likely won't want to hang out much in San Jose. One day for a musuem or two and the flea market is plenty. It is literally hard to breathe in the city because of all the pollution. Hope this helps. I'd be happy to answer any specific quetions if I can. --A.