Our kids have only been to the beach once in the U.S.We drove to Disney with a camper and on the way home we made it to Georgia and the transmission died.We had to find a camp ground and stay there a couple days while they fixed the van.We took the kids out to Tybey (sp) island to see the ocean.My parents live near a huge lake and had a boat so we use to go to the lake all the time.We had Sarah in the lake when she was 3 months old and Justin 6 months.

You are lucky, we only get the week off between Christmas and New Year .We are pulling the girls out for the week,so they will have lots of homework to make up.Has your school changed to the standard base grading?

It seems like neither one of us had a good experience once driving back from Disney.  One year when A.J. was 5 and Tonie was 2.5, we were driving back and in Va. we ended up where the water pump went and got a flat tire in the middle of the night.  We only went down to Florida with shorts and stuff but on the way back the temp was I think in the mid teens.  We ended up at a hotel where the desk clerk said that they did not have any rooms available but one that she had to make up.  Nothing in the room worked.  We were able to use my mother's Triple A card to get a tow struck to take us to a mechanic that was open on a Sunday, that was a relief. 

When we lived in NY that was the way the vacation time worked as well.  Only the week between the holdidays.  Not sure what the standard base grading is??

Well I think fall has arrived a couple days early up here.Had to add blankets to the bed and broke out the flannels this weekend.Does your temp. change much down ther ? I remember you said you wear shorts all the time ,but does it every get cool enough to break out the jacket.

Sarah said that someone in her class googled standard base grading and only  a few schools in the whole U.S. are using it.I don't understand it all but she said it makes it harder to get A's.If you are taking a test if you just answer the ?'s you will only get a B,if you want a A you have to explain why you answered it that way.Homework doesn't count ,but you get an effort and employablity grade so if you don't do your home work that grade will go down.

The weather is still warm here.  A/C still kicks on during the day and night.  I cant wait to open the windows. I really hate the A/C, prefer the wind blowing through instead.  The weather does get cool here in the winter months.  Family do not believe that it does get down into the 30's.  The family makes fun of me as we have lived here in Tampa for 5 yrs and never put on the heat yet. Tell everyone not sure if it even works.  If cold put on a sweater and there are always extra blankets to put on the beds.  I am the one that wears long sleeve shirts and shorts in what we call winter.  There are mornings that I have to scrape the ice off my windshield.  And yes, when it is cold enough we do wear jackets.

Again, not real sure of the standard base grading....

I didn't think that it got that cold down there being more in the middle of the state.I thought it would  be more like around 50.Did you see Colorado got a heavy snow srorm yesterday?I'm not ready for that.

 Have you decided yet which beach you are going to?I can't believe that we are going to be at 100 soon.Have you noticed how much the price has gone up? I was hoping that the price would go down so that we would get some obc.

Oh...it has its days that it gets cold.  I think we are just below the frost line.  Already big snow storms are coming?  Are you in part of the snow belt where you get dumped on with feet of snow?

Still no real decision yet on the beach resort thing yet.  We will probably start talking about it when we get a little bit closer. 

I lookat the price on a daily basis.  I see how others get these couple hundred dollar obc because their ticket prices go down so much.  How come ours isn't?  Didn't think our sailing date was that impressive of a date? Do you think we are going to have a full boat?  Lots of kids?  I was thinking that being it was after Christmas it was going to be mostly older people as many kids would be back in school.

I don't know if we are in the snow belt ,the last few years we haven't had to much snow more ice.They are saying that we are going to get alot of snow this year.Since the kids have been little I really only remember 3 big storms.My niece lives in Colorado and she said it was still snowing yesterday.It looked like there was a lot of snow and the wet heavy kind.My niece was happy she likes snowboarding.

Maybe our price will drop after final payment is due.Alot of times people will book then cancel at final and then they have alot of room to sell and they drop the price .It looks like alot of people from your area are going .I didn't think the date would sell well either right after the holidays when no one has money.The people booking now aren't even getting that good of a price.I was afraid that there wouldn't be any kids and our would be hanging out with us all the time.

Tonie keeps saying that she misses the snow.  I do too, but the 300 + days of sunshime more than make up for it. 

Yeah it would be nice to see a price drop so that we could use the money toward an excursion. 

One more day and we break into the double digits.  I think the time will really start to fly soon...

Yeah 99 days time will fly now with all the holidays coming up.

I think I would miss all the seasons changing .Right now the leaves are starting to change and fall.The kids think I'm weird but I like hearing the leaves crunch when you walk on them.I hope we don't get to many storms this winter.I remember last year someone I was talking to was to go on there cruise in Feb.They booked there air for the same day and a storm hit, they couldn't find a flight out and missed there cruise.I think if there is a storm going to hit we will try to get out early or will be making a fast road trip .

Yeah, I think the countdown clock is going to really start moving now.

I also liked when the leaves changed color.  I think there was no better place to see that than the Northeast.  I only part I hated as a kid was we had to rake the leaves up.  And when they were wet, that was the worst. 

I guess you'll have to keep a close watch on the weather when it gets closer to cruise time.  I'm sure right around the holidays it will not be to easy to get a flight.

We are one of the few that have trees in our yard,the neighbor boy likes to rake leaves but he doesn't pick them up so by the time I get to them they are usually soaked and heavy.I would rather just let them blow away all winter and pick them in the spring.

So have either of you slipped up yet and said anything? Sarah and I are going to pack more tomorrow since we have a day off.Now that we are not wearing shorts as much. Do you do your own packing or does Kathy do it for the whole family?

Nope...no slip ups yet....Yeah I wish we could get some packing done already, I think I could really use this cruise right about now.  Kathy basically says pick out the things you want then she puts the whole package together. 

Do you think the kids will be mad that you didn't tell earlier so that they could be excited about for awhile or will they be glad they didn't have to go thru the long wait.We got a little more packing done.Tried to figure out which suit cases to use.With having to fly we don't put all of one persons clothes in one bag.We try to put half of the clothes in one half in another.We learned to do that from our neighbor, they went on a trip and had all there sons' clothes in one bag and the airport lost his bag.He had no clothes.They had to go buy clothes for him.

Somehow I think the kids will say that they knew about the cruise but didn't want to say anything.  Atleast thats what I think Tonie will say.  Or they might say how were we able to hold out that long not telling them.  I guess we will have to wait and see. 

Don't want to jinx it, but haven't lost any luggage yet on any trip ever we've gone on..knock on wood...

I think the excitement level is definitely starting to pick up.  Almost at the 3 month mark. 

Wow checked the price of the cruise this morning and prices are really high.The price for 2 is almost the price we payed for 5.It also doesn't look like many rooms left.

It really seems like the time is getting closer.Maybe it's because the stores are already getting  ready for Christmas.Have you or should I say Kathy started Christmas shopping yet? I have at least half of mine done.Are you going to do something special to tell the kids about the cruise.SInce you live so close you could go get a picture of the ship and wrap that up for them.