Suck/Rock

Suck: I'm hungry. Again.

Rock: I made Migas today and they were delicious!

*I used the recipe for Migas @ The Pioneer Woman.
My family was in heaven.

Dirty Blog? Who knew?

It went on to inform me:
This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

• suck (9x)
• xxx (2x)
• shoot (1x)

My mother never did want me to say 'suck' but shoot and x's were totally allowed in our house. See how loosey-goosey she was about vocabulary?

Suck/Rock Tuesday

Suck: Still thinking about "Chocolate Cobbler"

Rock: Still thinking about "Chocolate Cobbler"

Numi Flowering Tea Giveaway

I think Numi flowering teas are so much fun I want to give some away. So I am! Four of them, to be precise. Check out the Numi website - you can see the teas in all their blooming splendor.

One will be given away by Contest Machine, for those who want an easy entry. Doesn't everyone want an easy entry? Sure you do!

The other three will be given away to people who also leave a comment, Subscribe, follow on blogger, follow on twitter, tweet, talk about it on facebook, email a gaggle of friends and copy me, or post about it wherever else tens of people could see it. For each one of those things you do, please come back here and leave me another comment saying you did and pointing me to it, if possible.

Also, if you have entered one of my contests before, you can take another entry.

If you want to send constructive criticism (about my blog, not my person - I'm in no way ready to get into that kind of change) you can send it to me in a DM on twitter, and give yourself an extra entry for that as well.

*This giveaway is not sponsored by Numi.


Good luck!

To enter the other giveaways going on this week check out Bloggy Carnival!

Suck/Rock Sunday

Suck: The battery in my camera was dead.

Rock: We had a great lunch, went to a fun birthday party, and enjoyed the best company.

Suck/Rock for Today

Suck: My husband was home for what turned out to be little more than 12 hours.

Rock: He was here to snuggle for at least a night instead of going straight from Calgary to Casablanca.

Great Wolf Lodge, Mason Ohio

We've taken a couple of trips to Mason in the past few months to hang out at Great Wolf Lodge. The main draw of the lodge is a giant indoor water park. We took our high school and college kids the day after Christmas for a brief stay. There are restaurants in the lodge, which we did not use. There are lots of restaurants nearby, so we chose to leave the property to eat. Partially due to the bad reviews of their eateries, partially because we love the hot fudge cake at Bob's Big Boy, just a minute away. And we frankly did want to escape the whole water park crowd for a while. It can get overwhelming for me with people and noise and confusion.

Here were my impressions:

Parking: The parking is surprisingly good. While it seemed like there was 'barely enough' we always found a spot. They have a good amount of short term parking for you while you check in, even on the busiest of days.

Front Desk: It's a shame, really. This is their chance to make a really great impression on you, but they clearly are not interested. You walk into this grand, amazing lobby which clearly was a labor of love, only to stand in very long lines. I have no issue with waiting in line, but this was ridiculous. They have a big counter where four, or maybe even five people could be checking in the guests. They have a lot of staff behind the counter. But only two people are helping guests. The others stand around talking to each other. And you can tell they don't like their job, they don't think much of their coworkers, and they really don't care about the guests. In a word "Attitude". Attitude with guests, with each other, and audible complaints you can hear even from the back of the line about how many people are in line. It's 4:15 the day after Christmas. The place is booked solid. Yeah, you're going to be busy. This is your job. So do it well and be friendly. The one way they are efficient, in our experience, is you at least get the room you reserved. Also, someone is very nice on the phone about extending your wristband for incidental expenses after checkout.

The Rooms: We had a loft suite. It does give everyone more space and an extra bathroom, which is always nice. The rooms are pretty much standard hotel room fare. The rooms are clean and in good working order. We had a mini fridge and a microwave and coffee maker. We had a packet of decaf Maxwell House available in our room. The fireplace was a nice touch. Although the room we had was for 6-8 people, and we were 6, there were only four towels, four cups, etc. This seems like an issue which just does not need to exist. It's obviously just the standard for them, but in the rooms for more people they should have a 'more towel' policy. There are bar soaps and a childrens body wash (which they sell in the spa) and a shampoo in the bathroom. There is a balcony, but the view is depressing and it was full of cigarette butts floating in a couple of big yuchy containers. I think these balconies must only exist for people to smoke on them. This is a decent room for a family, especially if you are going to be spending most of your time in the water anyway.

Pizza Hut: They were as fast as they could be, considering, but very undercooked. (Think dough still raw in the center of the pizza.) Order from a real Pizza Hut from your room. They have a bunch of pizza places who deliver in the booklet in the room. You'll likely get better pizza, more of it, and it will be less expensive. If you buy from the lodge you pay $5 for a 2 liter of Pepsi and nearly twice as much for the food items. Ordering direct gives you more options.

Gift Shop: Prices compare to Disney, but there are a few reasonable items to be found. Gift shop staff is sparse, but they all seem very nice and willing to help. They even have their own Build a Bear type thing. Perhaps the person in charge of the gift shop should be in charge of the front desk as well?

Starbucks: Good service, good coffee. The Starbucks is inside the gift shop.

Spa: I would avoid this place. Better to go to the spa at home. They are about as friendly as the front desk and seem more eccentric than anything else.

Arcade: Kids enjoyed this when they were not in the water. You can win tickets and bring home great prizes. This seems actually very reasonable to me.

Common areas: I can't say enough good things about the lobby. There is a huge fireplace and a story telling area where kids go, dressed in pajamas, in the evening. From the lobby you can access well kept restrooms, a couple of restaurants, the gift shop/Starbucks, elevators, great big windows into the water park, and whatever else I'm forgetting. The day after Christmas it was still decorated beautifully for Christmas. There was a giant Christmas tree, an area with a bunch of regular sized trees, set up for taking snapshots, and a lot of decorations everywhere. Even overhead we were impressed with how much attention they had paid to detail. They even had a beautifully decorated gingerbread house.


There is a nice sitting area which looks into the water park. Big overstuffed couches and chairs, with plenty of tables for books or bags or snacks. This was nice for us on the second day when some of us wanted to take a rest after lunch. We sat there and read and relaxed while still getting to watch the water park fun when we felt like it.

There is free wi-fi throughout the resort. We didn't see anyone using it in the lobby, maybe because it was right after Christmas and people were a little more in the spirit of things. You can forget about taking your laptop to watch Netflix. We tried in the room. The connection is fine for browsing the internet, but just can't quite cut it for Netflix.

Now for the water park: I want to tell you to just go already! It's great. There are plenty of towels available at the door. They keep it a balmy 84 degrees. For the adults 21 and older there is a nice big jacuzzi. They do enforce the 21 and older rule, although they don't actually ask for identification. It's not very hot, but it's warm enough and kind of a nice way to relax after getting flushed. Yeah, I said flushed. You go down a big old water slide and at the bottom you get flushed, just like you were in a giant toilet. I didn't do it because, as difficult as it may be to believe, it's just not one of my fantasies. The rest of the family did, most of them repeatedly. They agree it's great fun. I did ride a couple of the other water slides (I think there are 9) and they are fun. Most of them dump you right out into the lazy river. My husband and I rode around the lazy river on a two person raft. You could just ride around in there all day. There is also a wave pool, many little fountain/geyser type things, a rope course, a pool where there's basketball and maybe volleyball and lots of things little kids like to climb on. There is also a jacuzzi for the under 21 set, which was packed with people all day long.

There are a lot of tables, which people tend to stake out with their towels while they are in the water. There seem to be enough to go around. There are a few private cabanas for rent, although I have never seen one rented. I didn't inquire because although their prices are Disneyesque, their service is not. I'm not paying premium prices for less than premium service. They have lifeguards stationed everywhere and they are really on top of things. They have been efficient and helpful - and even friendly! There are parts of the water park I have not yet discovered, but it all seems very popular. No part sits unused, that's for certain.

There's a snack bar in the water park and a bar, too. I wouldn't know about the bar. The snack bar sells the typical snack bar fare. You can also ask them for a glass of water. It's nice to know they'll give you a cup of ice water with a lid and straw for free. You don't have to buy the bottled water. You don't have to buy anything at all. Outside food is prohibited in the water park by policy, but in reality there seems to be little issue with your own reasonable little snacks in the water park. You can't drag in your own cooler though.

There's also a shop selling swimwear and Crocs. It's a small shop packed full with stuff. Don't go there expecting to find a clearance rack. I think the prices are in line with full price a Macy's type department store, for what it's worth. We picked out a really cute suit for my daughter in July and they were selling the same one in December.


*Remember to take your camera, your flip flops and cover up for walking the halls, and your own big towels if you want. Don't go thinking you are going to 'sit this one out'. This place is truly enjoyable for everyone. There are plenty of things I didn't mention because we didn't use them like the Magic Quest game, which seems to be very popular for kids up to around age 13. There's a program for young children where they do crafts and make t shirts which looks really neat, too.

Although check in isn't until 4:00 and checkout is at 11:00, you can make use of the water park from 1:00 PM the day you check in and until closing the day of departure. They give wristbands to the adults which serve as the key to your room and a way to charge items to your room. No need to carry a wallet or a key. Your wristband can still work to pay for charges even after checkout time, all you have to do is call or stop by the front desk and ask.

Did I mention it's right next to King's Island? Well, it is. Across the street is a giant movie theater, giving you another entertainment option.

I just read this article full of tips about Great Wolf Lodge written by Lorain Blanken. You should go give it a read.

You can always find coupon codes for Great Wolf Lodge, usually on their own website.

A Different Kind of Giveaway

Be one of the first three bloggers to leave a comment on this post, and you will get a handmade gift from me!

If you win you must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will 'Pay It Forward', creating a handmade gift for the first three bloggers who leave a comment on your giveaway post.

The gift that you send to your three friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and thought that count!

When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love.

If you are not one of the first three to comment on this post, you can still play along. Please start your own Pay chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same.

You can bake, assemble a gift box with notes cards and a neat pen, put together some of your favorite recipes...those are in some way handmade and from the heart!

Yes! Another Contest!

Yes, another contest. Only because I just discovered this cool new way to host contests and I wanted to try it out. Also because I think these soaps were such great little gifts. Check them out at her Etsy shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6224860

Up for grabs is a Frosted Lime Cupcake soap. You decide whether you want the short one or the tall one.

Nike and iPod Sport Giveaway

I am giving away an iPod Sport. We all ran around this holiday season doing for everyone under the sun. We all ate everything under the sun, too. This will help you know how much you're running around in the future.

Anyone with a U.S. mailing address may enter.

Entries:

Leave a comment here for an entry. Your comment can be about the prize, my blog, your blog, my cute puppy, your cute puppy, a funny story, pretty much anything interesting.

(Please, no comments saying "Enter me" or "Neat contest!" or "Mine, Mine Mine!" or any other lame-o non comment. Also, no sob stories about how you/your daughter/your mailman didn't get a Christmas this year, chewed off your last working limb to feed it to your/your neighbor's starving children, need to send your child to Fiji for medical reasons or any other lame-o sob story. Everybody has a story which could surely break our hearts. A contest entry is absolutely not the place for said story. Not now, not ever, not in this or any other contest in the world. You know who you are - or maybe you don't? Anyway, I'm telling you now. Please cooperate. The rest of the world thanks you in advance. Lame-o comments or sob stories will be disqualified.)

Subscribe to my blog by using the subscribe button at right, leave a comment letting me know you subscribed, with the email address you used to subscribe.

Blog about this contest and leave a comment directing back to your blog.

Follow tammigirl (that's me!) on twitter.

Post a tweet on twitter and leave a comment here directing back to the link.

Send an email about this contest to your friends and copy me. Then come here and leave a comment saying you did.

Leave a link to this contest anywhere tens of people will see it and leave the link to wherever you dropped it here in a comment.

I will use a random number generator to choose the winner. Entries which do not follow the rules will be disqualified, but will not be removed from the comment queue. This way people can snicker with their friends about how some people did not follow the rules and will surely be disqualified.

*The first ten people to enter the contest will each be eligible to receive five bonus entries. If you believe yourself to be one of the first ten legitimate entries you may make five more entries by leaving up to five comments asking for your bonus entry. Please wait until each of the first ten entries has been made before you begin asking for your bonus entries.

Make sure I have a way to contact you. If you win and I can't figure out how to reach you then you really didn't win, did you?

Good luck!

Christmas Is So Close, I Can Hear It Breathing!

Yesterday the mall was crowded! No surprise there, huh? The final Saturday before Christmas and people sure were crabby with their families as they shopped. This year I did almost all of my shopping online. I did about 90% of my shopping on Etsy and Amazon. Never before has Christmas shopping been so stress free. Of course, there's still the not-so-trivial matter of deciding on gifts which are 'just perfect'.

The only reason I was at the mall yesterday is because I was the chauffeur for a group of teens. They shopped and did whatever teens do at the mall, which likely included loud moments in Chipotle and/or the food court, while I walked around the mall browsing shops I don't usually enter. I watched dozens of children anticipating their turn with Santa, had a kiddie burger in Johnny Rockets, and engaged in conversations with a few strangers.

Mostly, though, I just walked around with a big honkin' grin on my face because I was happy to not be stressed over shopping. I could still use some stocking stuffers, but frankly I'm leaning towards filling their stockings with Slim Jims and candy and gum because: a) I'm lazy, and b) They are big so there wont be so much judgment about me giving a metric ton of candy to smaller children (which I would also do, just sayin') and c) We seem to have hit the point where suitable stocking stuffers are much more difficult to come by.

I hope your Christmas season has been as comfortable as mine. I hope you have everything you need to fill Christmas with love and joy and laughter and memories. Check back here for something very special. If you're one of the first to find it, you'll be glad you were. That's all I'm going to say - for now.

LOL: Legacy Of Love

It's a difficult thing to put into words. The two sitters in this photo have given everyone who knows them a lot to think about. Once a person comes into their home they feel warm and welcome. They belong. That's a big deal all by itself, and a great thing to teach. They never give up their dignity, or try to take yours away. That's not so say they aren't a lot of fun, because they are. My grandparents are 82 years old this year, by the spring of 2009 they will be 83. They have been married 65 years. (I think they're both more fit than I am.)

How can I explain to people who have never met them the magic of a popsicle, or a lunch box? Or a pudding cup or noodles rolled out on the table? Could you possibly understand the tragedy of the Ben Franklin stove being removed from the front room? How the the triumph is when everything stays the same? Somehow I doubt it.

I invite everyone to try to be as great as them. And if you can't do that, I invite you to, at very least, create a legacy of love for your family as special as they have done for us.

*Those people standing in the back? A bunch of rabble-rousers. My mother, aunt, and uncles.

Get This, Travel Industry:

I do not want to go on a repositioning cruise, no matter how low you price it. No, not even for $39 a day does this sound like a fun idea to me. Unless, of course, I can 'reposition' to the exact same place I started in the first place for super cheap as well. Then, all I need is the magic element of time.

You see, although I live a life of total freedom from any responsibility, my husband and children seem tied to these 'responsibilities'. I warned them against this type of thing, but nobody listens to me. Apparently they can't even admit to themselves how much they want to emulate my life of total glamor. Silly, silly people. The dog enjoys the same freedoms I do, but he has no passport.

Hints? Tips? Suggestions? I'm all ears.

Hale Farm and Village: Bath, Ohio

We're accidental tourists. We were looking for a place for lunch and got kind of (way) off course. The countryside was pretty, so we weren't complaining. But we were hungry. All of the sudden I saw a sign and whipped into the driveway. It was NOT McDonalds. It was Hale Farm and Village. "I used to come here where I was a kid!" I exclaimed to my husband. Most men would be bewildered, but he took it all in stride. He suggested we should go in. We did.

We paid for our entry and I grabbed his hand and took him first to the tiny little cabin across the creek. From our first step inside that door we were mesmerized. The ladies shared information with us about windows and ladders and crazy amounts of people living in the small space. (Nine children in one room all winter!) We visited areas where people were making candles, making baskets, weaving on looms, and spinning wool. We spoke with many intelligent and lively people who were each enjoying their job and making it a memorable experience for us. We walked in the rain sans umbrella with no care at all. We weathered a tornado alert in what I think is the most beautiful building in all of the village. They played the piano and sang songs, all while staying in character - and in 1863. A beautiful little girl danced around the room while adults sang The Battle Hymn of the republic. It was magical. What a great mistake we'd made that day! We enjoyed it so much we took our children back a week later.

What an interesting and fun place. If you are in the area I suggest you take a day and check it out.

*The picture is the family in front of the Hale House.

MsGulliver, You Are a Winner!

A winner has been selected using a random number generator. The randomizer says the lucky number is #2: msgulliver! Congratulations! I hope you enjoy the book.

"Petite Anglaise" available today in the U.S.

Some of us have been reading Catherine's blog for years. We've been expecting this book and waiting for the day it would be available here in the United States. Today's the day! Here's a chance to win the book, which is certain to be a good read. Her blog, even when you would like to jump in and offer girlfriendy (or even motherly) advice, keeps you coming back for more. I told you about her quite a while ago. Did you go read? If you would like to win a copy of her book, leave a comment. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win, either on your blog, or via email.

Your comment can be about her blog, this blog, your blog, your puppy, your flower garden, your new handbag - whatever, just try to make it interesting for us. Anyone may leave a comment at any time, but the book will only be shipped to a U.S. address. Deadline for entries is June 30th at noon EST. Good luck!

A trip around the sun with few blog posts to show for it

Shame on me! I've hardly posted at all in the past year. You don't need to scroll too far down the page to see the post about graduation - in 2007.

Sometimes life is a lot like "Lather, rinse, repeat", isn't it? This year there was another senior year in our house. Another prom. Another graduation! The puppy is still wonderful, the prizes are still being won.

So this is me this fall: THREE KIDS IN COLLEGE. When did this happen? My cousin recently reminded me about the time we were on the phone and I said to her "Carrie, I have to go. Michael is coming down the hall with a watermelon again!" Michael was probably four or five at the time. He graduated last Sunday.

In an email another cousin sent to me just three days ago: "You were right when you told me so many years ago that despite moms telling me it would go fast I couldn't appreciate it until it happened. It does go fast...too fast. I mean you have three kids that have already graduated high school and here I was feeling old cuz Adriana was going into middle school! :p"

Thanks, Melisa, for reminding me that no matter how old you feel, I'm older. And her email was well timed, too. She sent it just a day before my birthday.

Is That All She Does Anymore?

It might seem as if I do nothing but enter sweepstakes lately. The truth is I just haven't been very inspired to blog much. My son, with my help, just won $1,000 cash from the Cavaliers! Go Cavs! He's thrilled to get such a big unexpected windfall. I am at least as thrilled as he is.

On a completely unrelated note, the weather outside is frightful indeed. We had an awful winter storm yesterday, which managed to change to rain at some point in the night or early morning. Now it's changing to a dangerous winter mix followed closely by another several inches of snow. Normally I would use this weather as a reason to hole up inside, enter more sweepstakes, and use the oven a lot. But not today. Just like yesterday, I need to get Allie to work and back safely. Oh what fun it is to drive in the ice and slushy mess! Yuch.

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

Okay, not really a chicken dinner. But I've been winning a lot lately. Since August I've won:
a camcorder from Dr. Pepper,
24 pairs of jeans for the kids from American Eagle,
30 shirts for them from Aeropstle, (along with assorted accessories)
72 free movie rentals from Hollywood video
4 iPod nanos
a Happy Feet cd
a Wii game
the World Series trip from Pepsi!
2 Dell computers from Coca~Cola (one for home, one for the school)
$450 cash for me
$100 cash for my grandfather

Not bad for the last few little months sitting at home with the new puppy.

Final Game of the World Series - Thank You Pepsi!!

Luis Velez  Tammi Velez - World Series 2007

Pepsi took us to the final game of the World Series!!

We rode to the hotel with another winner from Pepsi. He had read the posts Jacqueline and I had made at Sweepsheet and knew who I was.

We got to the hotel hungry so we walked across the street to Jose O'Sheas. They served potato tacos, so of course I had to try one. And a raspberry margarita. The food was great. According to our shuttle driver it's the local favorite. I can see why. We ate a week's worth of food and went back to our room for a while.

The hotel shuttle took us to an outlet mall which is a circular mile. I found Spanx in NM and found Jelly Belly beans in Dr. Pepper and A&W rootbeer for Mike and Zack. Then we went to eat at the Keg. http://www.kegsteakhouse.com/ We've had steaks as good - but never a meal better than this. It wasn't even crazy pricey like some steakhouses. The bill for the two of us was just under $90 before tip. The bread was great, the Caesar salad was great, the salmon spring rolls were amazing and the steak and potato were fantastic. They do a cheddar cheese butter on the potato which made me even more stuffed than usual.

We went back to our hotel for the night after dinner.B y the end of this day we'd eaten 3 meals = about enough to feed a family of 4 for a week.

Sunday was game day and we had to meet downstairs at 2:00. I woke up at 5 a.m. starving. I never eat breakfast. The altitude or something made me ravenously hungry. I stared at my husband until he woke up. He wasn't ready to get up and eat so I paced around, read, and went crazy. Finally, we went downstairs and ate breakfast.

We stayed here .

There was a china convention going on in the hotel. The old ladies were interesting.

After breakfast we went back upstairs and got ready to go. We went down to the desk to ask for a shuttle and they said we had to wait an hour. So we went to the internet cafe and used some computers for 20 minutes. We met other Pepsi winners at the front desk. We were able to help them with their reservation information. The hotel didn't have a room ready for them so they offered us a ride to the outlet mall and we left with them. On the way back they showed us some sights we wouldn't have seen otherwise. They live about 40 miles away from the Denver.

I bought another pair of Spanx, and so did Linda, and I bought candy from Harry & David's and we went back to the hotel. We pretty much grabbed our bags to take to the game and went downstairs to meet the group in the lobby.

In the lobby we met the grand prize winner. She was a 22 year old girl who didn't realize she'd entered. This was one where everyone who used their supermarket card and bought Pepsi products was entered. She didn't believe it was real when the people called her so took three days calling Pepsi, etc. to verify it was legitimate. She took her father with her to throw out the ceremonial first pitch. When the MLB reporter interviewed him he cried.

The bus gave us a little tour of downtown and took us to Via for the pregame party.
We were here in the red room for our private party. There was a grand prize winner, 8 first prize winners, and the winning Pepsi sales guy. They had door prize drawings and Jacqueline and I each won a $50 Dick's gift certificate. Other people mostly won baseball caps, except for the grand prize winner, who won $100 gc to Dick's.

Speaking of Pepsi swag, they had lots of Aquafina sent to our room, and frito lay chips. They sent them up in a nice Pepsi messenger bag with a World Series t-shirt, cap, official ball with a serial number, a high quality golf shirt with a Pepsi logo, and some Quaker snack bars. We also got a $250 Visa gift card.

We all took coats, scarves, layers of clothes in our Pepsi bags because the weather was supposed to be even colder than the night before. We didn't end up needing the extra gear. A coat alone was enough.

Via is a block away from the stadium so we walked over and went in for the game. We found our seats, which were all the way to the top (2nd to last row) on the first base line and directly across from the jumbo screens.

I cannot begin to tell you how emotional it was. I wasn't expecting it to be emotional at all. From our seats we could see the jumbo screen, the city behind it, and the mountains behind that. Beautiful. We got in our seats about 20 minutes before sunset. Our guy threw out the Pepsi ceremonial first pitch, Hank Aaron presented an award, they brought out the biggest flag I've ever seen, they told about two police officers assisting at a scene where another motorist crashed into them and both police officers were hit. The little boy they were trying to help and one officer died. The other was in critical care for a while. He was at the game in a wheelchair. That officer, the 7 year old son of the officer who was killed, and the father of the little boy who was killed all threw out another pitch and I started welling up with tears. After that Air Force fighter jets flew over the stadium in formation and tears started streaming down my face. Trisha Yearwood sang the Star Spangled banner while I wept and watched the sunset.

Some time during the game Lonestar performed America the Beautiful. I rooted for both teams.

When the Rockies would score they'd shoot off fireworks When the Red Sox WON THE WORLD SERIES - nothing. No music, not fireworks, nothing. There were Red Sox fans there cheering, but that was it. I cheered along with them. It seemed strange there would be no fanfare, but there wasn't.

On the one block walk to the game we'd been asked to sell our tickets quite a few times. We joked about selling them to get $$ to take a cruise together. (Luis and I/Jacqueline and Dave) On the way out people were trying to buy our ticket stubs. I guess there really is a market for everything!

We went back to the restaurant and waited a few minutes and boarded the bus again. The driver showed us more sights and even stopped the bus at one point when people asked to get out and take pictures of the big bear at the convention center.

When we got back to the hotel I packed our stuff. Our flight was leaving at 10:05 and our ride was arranged for 6:00 am. We got up at 5:00 and got ready and left. We got to the airport, checked in, went through security, and had breakfast at a little bistro. It was wayyyyy better than the hotel restaurant. After breakfast I got a 20 minute massage from a giant man and we went to our gate - B82. Yes I said EIGHTY-TWO!

We didn't have to wait too long for our flight to leave.

When we arrived in Cleveland the girls and Tony Blair were waiting for us!!!

Thank You Pepsi!!! We had the time of our lives.