I'm going to Kingman to visit my Aunt Cari, and Grandma for a week, and am really excited about it!! I just wanted to let you all know though so that you won't think I did another one of my disappearing acts which have become so commonplace with me as of late. I'll be there from the 14th, to the 21st, (Saturday to Saturday), and probably won't be able to get online much, if at all. My Aunt has internet access, but she's on the computer alot for work, so I just don't know if I'll be able to get on. I will definitely try though. I'm just so excited, because I really need a vacation bad!! My Aunt might even let me stay in her cabin by myself for a few days just to reflect, and relax a bit, so I'm looking forward to that. :) Like I said though, I just wanted to let you all know so you wouldn't wonder where I was. I'll miss you all, but I'll be back very soon!! :wave:

Thanks Jen, I sure will!! :)

Have fun! :bighug:

Have fun! :bighug:

Thanks my friend!!! :D I always have fun when I get to spend quality time with my family!!

Here's a big hug right back at you!! :bighug:

hey, we'll be in the same state. have fun and i'll be thinking of you! :D

have a great time brad i like kingman its a great place

hey, we'll be in the same state. have fun and i'll be thinking of you! :Dthats right counting me that will be 3 so members in az at the same time

The weather is great here! Enjoy! Kingman, that's the home of Andy Devine ( character actor ).

Have a great time in AZ Brad!

Have fun, Brad! Arizona is a lot of fun. :D

hey, we'll be in the same state. have fun and i'll be thinking of you! :D

That's actually one of the things I'm most excited about. That I'll be in the same State as one of the most awesome people in the whole world!!! :cool: I can guarantee you that I will be thinking of you everyday too my friend!!! :hug:

thats right counting me that will be 3 so members in az at the same time

Wow, that's cool. I didn't realize there were so many members here from Arizona!! :) And I agree with you, Kingman is a cool place!!

I'm very happy for you, Brad. If you need someone to chat with, just send me a quick e-mail with the phone number, and I'll call you. I'll miss you. We all will. :wave:

And we'll of course, be thinking of you too Brad! I've always wanted to go to Arizona! The sunsets are absolutely amazing there - get out and enjoy them! Even better, treat yourself to a sunrise sometime - they're even better!

If you're reflecting, you might want to bring a pad of paper with you. I used to love going up to the wilds of Algonquin Park (a huge natural reserve in Northern Ontario). I'd bring a sketchpad and would either just sketch things or write. Some of your best creative work can be done in that setting and it's very cathartic.

It would be great if you could even pop in and update us on this thread. If not, we'll await your return!! :D

Have a great time my Bud! :wave:

Have a great Trip

Thanks so much everyone, I really appreciate your words, and will definitely have a great time!! I already started packing today, and the excitement is really starting to kick in. :D

I'm very happy for you, Brad. If you need someone to chat with, just send me a quick e-mail with the phone number, and I'll call you. I'll miss you. We all will. :wave:








Thanks Janice, I will definitely send you my Aunt's number so we can chat. I love chatting with you!! ;) I will miss you all too, but will be back soon!! :wave:

Enjoy your trip Brad! I hope and pray you'll get the rest and reflection you need.

And we'll of course, be thinking of you too Brad! I've always wanted to go to Arizona! The sunsets are absolutely amazing there - get out and enjoy them! Even better, treat yourself to a sunrise sometime - they're even better!

If you're reflecting, you might want to bring a pad of paper with you. I used to love going up to the wilds of Algonquin Park (a huge natural reserve in Northern Ontario). I'd bring a sketchpad and would either just sketch things or write. Some of your best creative work can be done in that setting and it's very cathartic.

It would be great if you could even pop in and update us on this thread. If not, we'll await your return!! :D

Have a great time my Bud! :wave:

I hope you do get the chance to visit Arizona sometime soon Cathie, I think you'd really enjoy it. It's too bad I don't own part of my Aunt's cabin, or else I'd let you go and stay there anytime you wanted!!! :)

I will definitely bring a notepad and pen as you suggested, and let my reflective and creative juices flow. I actually did that the last time I went to Arizona, and still have everything I wrote to this day. They were mostly prayers of thanks, and as you said, it was very cathartic writing them!!

I will definitely try to get my Aunt away from her computer long enough for me to drop in and say hi to you all. Might be hard since it's hard to get her away from her computer, but I'll definitely grab the opportunity if I get it. lol!

I will talk to you soon my friend!! :wave:

Enjoy your trip Brad! I hope and pray you'll get the rest and reflection you need.

Thanks Marvo!!! I will definitely try to get as much relaxation as possible. And thank you very much for your prayers!! :)

That's pretty cool I hope you have a great time on your vacation.

That's pretty cool I hope you have a great time on your vacation.

Thanks browneyes106!! :)

Arizona is a cool state to see. I've been there a couple times myself (all in Phoenix/Scottsdale). Have fun. :bye:

Enjoy your vacation in Arizona, Brad; it's the best time to go there!. :D

pack a raincoat its we have been having a little rain here in the state today so better safe then sorry

Arizona is a cool state to see. I've been there a couple times myself (all in Phoenix/Scottsdale). Have fun. :bye:

Yeah, Arizona is really cool, especially this time of year, because the weather is usually just right. I definitely will have fun, thanks Cathy!! :bye:

Enjoy your vacation in Arizona, Brad; it's the best time to go there!. :D

Thanks Yooch, I certainly will!! :D

pack a raincoat its we have been having a little rain here in the state today so better safe then sorry

Thanks for letting me know that, it's appreciated. I'll definitely pack one. :)

Thanks for letting me know that, it's appreciated. I'll definitely pack one. :)your welcome brad have a fun and safe trip

I'm going to Kingman to visit my Aunt Cari, and Grandma for a week, and am really excited about it!! I just wanted to let you all know though so that you won't think I did another one of my disappearing acts which have become so commonplace with me as of late. I'll be there from the 14th, to the 21st, (Saturday to Saturday), and probably won't be able to get online much, if at all. My Aunt has internet access, but she's on the computer alot for work, so I just don't know if I'll be able to get on. I will definitely try though. I'm just so excited, because I really need a vacation bad!! My Aunt might even let me stay in her cabin by myself for a few days just to reflect, and relax a bit, so I'm looking forward to that. :) Like I said though, I just wanted to let you all know so you wouldn't wonder where I was. I'll miss you all, but I'll be back very soon!! :wave:


Hope you have a awesome time on your vacation with your AUnt Cari and Grandma. I'm sure you will have a blast I heard it's very pretty out there in Airazona. ( sorry if i spelt that wrong) Are you gonna take any pics out there? The desserts and ALL are so pretty out there! I haven't been there yet i'd love to see some pictures and all.

Hope you have a awesome time on your vacation with your AUnt Cari and Grandma. I'm sure you will have a blast I heard it's very pretty out there in Airazona. ( sorry if i spelt that wrong) Are you gonna take any pics out there? The desserts and ALL are so pretty out there! I haven't been there yet i'd love to see some pictures and all.

Yes, I'm definitely going to take some pictures while I'm there. My roomate is lettng us use her digital camera, so I will have plenty. I'll probably post them either here, or in the random pic thread. Thanks so much for your kind words Holly!! :) I leave around 6:00 pm tomorrow, so it's less than 24 hours away now. I'm so excited, as I think this trip is just what the doctor ordered for me right now!! :D Thanks again everyone!! I'll see you all soon!! :wave:

Well, this is going to be my last post for about a week. I'm sure you all will hold down the fort quite nicely while Im gone, as you always do. Once again I'll try to post at my Aunt's, but I'll have to see how that goes. Have a good weekend, and week ahead everyone!! I'll talk to you all soon. Bye!!! :wave:

Brad, how was your vacation?! :)

Brad, how was your vacation?! :)

Thanks for asking Janice!! :D It was a very nice trip. It was the first time I got to see my Aunt and Grandma in almost three years since my brother's wedding. I also got another big surprise, as my Aunt Vicki also flew in from Washington State, and it was my first time seeing her since age 5. It was great getting to know her, and by the end of the trip, she really seemed to like me, and we really bonded. She's a great lady!!

The trip kind of started off somber, as my Grandma was in the nursing home, (you know why Janice, but I don't want to share that here). There was alot of talk about that, and alot of frustration from everyone, which is why I was on the computer so much during the trip, to get away from all the chaos. :lol: I did get to visit my Grandma in the nursing home, which was a big surprise for her, because she knew my Aunt Vicki was coming, but had no idea my mom and I were coming, so that brightened her day a bit.

My Grandma finally came home on Wednesday though, and from there on it was a great trip. Up until this point I had been staying at my Grandma's trailer, but when she got home I stayed in my Aunt Cari's spare room, which was nice, because it was nice and peaceful, which was just what I needed. For most of the trip we just caught up on the happenings in our lives, watched movies, and ate way too much food. lol! My uncle Gary was awesome, as he cooked all the meals, and even made us a special Thanksgiving meal with turkey, stuffing, and all the fixings. Since all our family we're finally together, it just seemed like an appropriate thing to do, and if you remember, on actual Thanksgiving, I had two tacos for dinner, :( so it was nice to finally get a real one. :)

Even though the vacation got off to a rocky start, it still turned out to be great. My Grandma is doing good now, I got the chance to get to know my Aunt Vicki, (We even plan on exchanging emails now:) and I also had a great time with Aunt Cari, and getting the chance to know her husband Gary a bit better. I'm glad I went, and can't wait to go again in two years. Maybe then, I'll even have my license finally, and get the chance to go meet Tara finally, since she's only about 6 hours or so away. :D It truly was a great trip though, and I have some pictures to share too, which I will do when I get my scanner all set up!!! :)

Here are the movies I watched on my vacation. It's probably more than I had watched in the previous year. :lol:

Crash
Eight Below
Rocky Balboa
Role Models
My Best Friends Girl
Hounddog :thumbsdow (I sure didn't pick this one to watch!!)
How To Lose Friends, & Alienate People

That's good that you had a nice time Brad. :)

Thanks Jen!! :)

Sounds like a really great trip Brad! I know I have a couple of emails to answer from you also. Great to hear you got to know your relatives a little better and I'm sure it did your grandmother's heart good to see you again!

And I'm SO happy you got a Thanksgiving. Now THAT'S a true Thanksgiving - where there's no true holiday to celebrate - just the family gathering. That sounds really cool!

Sounds like a really great trip Brad! I know I have a couple of emails to answer from you also. Great to hear you got to know your relatives a little better and I'm sure it did your grandmother's heart good to see you again!

And I'm SO happy you got a Thanksgiving. Now THAT'S a true Thanksgiving - where there's no true holiday to celebrate - just the family gathering. That sounds really cool!

Thanks Cathie!! :) Yeah, that was the best part of the trip for me, getting the chance to know my Aunt Vicki for the first time. She actually reminds me alot of myself, real quiet, but once she gets to know you, she really opens up.

The Thanksgiving dinner was great!! It was actually my uncle Gary's idea. I was kind of bummed not having a true Thanksgiving in November, so this was a huge surprise, and it more than made up for not having one last year. It was actually the first time I ever had a Thanksgiving dinner with my extended family, and a great memory that I'll always hold close to my :heart: :D

Btw, I was thinking about you, and praying for you and a few others, during the whole plane ride. Now everytime I get on a plane, you're always the first person I think of, and I know you know why. ;)

I'm glad you had a great time.

Brad, I'm so happy that you had a great time, and that you reconnected with family. I thought of you while you were gone. You're always there for a friend in need. I'm glad you had a ball, but welcome back. We need you here! :lol:

I'm glad you had such a nice vacation and got to spend some time with your family.

Thanks everyone!! As much as I enjoyed my vacation, I'm glad to be home!! :D