several months ago, when we first started this bb, we began by welcoming new people to this board. somewhere, many threads in the past is that original thread. so, i thought (with a great suggestion thrown my way by winebrat) that it was time to start a new thread. if it goes well, it may get it's own section and branches to spin off.

so lets get it started.

first i will remind those who haven't registered that they ought to. i get to see things as a moderator that others can't see. i see people who log on daily (ip's tell the tale) and try to post, send message, send emails, and navigate sections that are only available to registered users. it can't be done, so get registered! if you are having problems registering, go to the bottom of this page and click on "contact us". that's what the webmaster and coworkers are there for.

second, once you are registered, tell us about yourselves. let us know your concerns about the board, aruba, or just about anything else.

i am brave so i'll get this started. i am OLD, OLD, OLD, but my hubby is older, ahahahahaha. married since i was born, or so it seems, with two children, three grandchildren, and two cats. we live in maryland. we retired in june and consider it a temporary retirement as we try to get a new business started. (hey keith, do you need a very experienced auto diagnostician visiting you to figure out problem cars?) we get to aruba once a year for about two weeks and then return home to start planning the next trip.

so...who's next? let's see how long we can make this thread.

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vote now!!!!

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In regards to Sherry and Murray's temporary retirement, I hope that they win the lottery so that their temporary status can turn to "permanent".

Paul and I are not as old as our board monitor and her ball and chain, but we are close. (and they are not old) We live in Massachusetts, 10 mi. west of Boston , the term is Metro West. Brandeis U ring a bell? We are 200 yds from there. Paul, (my ball and chain) works for Raytheon as plant planner and production control and is a Republican to the bone. <big sigh>
We have one son aged 18, a freshman at Massachusetts Maritime Academy in Bourne, Ma and probably majoring in Marine Environmental Protection and Marine Safety Engineering. He too is a republican <bigger sigh>
We have a 12 yr old dog and a 15 yr old cat <they don't vote, but I am trying to get them registered>. We have a pet mouse that will undoubtedly not live much longer.
I am an all most full time working mom. I am employed by a local youth recreation agency and work for them as well as the school dept. teaching all levels of swimming and including an arthritis water exercise class. I live to travel and my main haunts are Clearwater Beach in Florida and Aruba.
I am NOT a republican. I have a big mouth, speak my mind and do not tolerate rudeness, racism, bigotry and lies. I have no problem letting someone know that I disagree with their views and I welcome civil debates and bantering.

We try to get to Aruba at least twice a year. My salary is earmarked for travel expenses, but now that college expenses are into the mix we shall see!

I look forward to reading others brief bios here.
cheers

As many of you already know, I'm (39) just a few years older than my wife Loren (25). We discovered Aruba while on a cruise (our first vacation together), got engaged there the next year, honeymooned there the next year, and then this year we just celebrated our first anniversary there. Can you tell Aruba has a hold on our hearts?? We plan on starting a family within the next couple years, right now we're enjoying ourselves too selfishly to add a young'un. We have 2 cats, and will be adding a dog shortly - she wants a Pom, I want a Lab, so we're trying to find the middle ground...We recently bought a house in Reston Virginia, which backs up to a golf course, so now I get to work on my game after hours.

I work tirelessly for an import/export company at Washington/Dulles Airport - even today (Sunday), I'm here. The fact that I'm on this board now instead of actually working - not to mention my 10 billion posts - reveals that I really don't have it so bad...Loren works for SAIC as a senior admin, having quickly climbed the ladder from facility support to personal admin to the Boss.

In case you didn't know, I love to fish - my license plate is FISH 24-7. Oh, and I'm also a bit of a Red Sox fan - when I was very young, my Mom said I was on a flight with Yaz (after an All-Star game) and that I got to sit on his lap. Apparently he convinced me that a good form of character-building would be for me to join Red Sox Nation, which I did that day. I'm also a Republican to the bone, Loren not so much...

We both love to travel, me especially - I love the planning, all the mundane logistics, the getting there, the BEING there. There is where it is. Next up for me is a week fishing the 10,000 islands off of Marco Island FL in the first week of Nov, then she and I head for the Bahamas in January for a week of why-aren't-we-in-Aruba's.

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I live in Hatfield, Pa.... a suburb 35 miles northwest of Philadelphia. I'm even older than Sherry and Andrea! <yikes> I have a daughter, son-in-law and two granddogs.... Effrem and Andy! My best other half passed away 10 years ago so I fly solo... My husband was a Detective Sergeant in the Philadelphia DA's Office, and when he left the department, we opened our own PI business...I got a great education in blue and white collar crime. We certainly didn't lead the 9 to 5, "hi Lucy, I'm home," kind of life, and often said we were going to write a book! After years of not getting a paycheck, I decided to branch out on my own.. and I'm still a branch at an asbestos abatement company where I'm the bookkeeper and office administrator. Everyday I say I'm going to retire.... not happening! I get to spend three weeks in Aruba every year during February, and like Sherry.... as soon as I get home, I start counting the days for when I'll be back again. Next.............

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The countdown's begun!
January 30th to February 27th!

Since I had a small part in the rebirth of this thread I guess I'll take my turn.

I am 30 (soon to be 31, check the calander, I love my birthday...hint, hint) and am married to the most wonderful 35 year man old in the world! We live in the Poconos but we are both from North NJ originally. I am a Dental Hygienist in North NJ and my hubby works as an IT manager (soon to be Director, hopefully) for a corporation in North East NJ. We have no children and never will(ick, we are so NOT children people). We plan on retiring to Florida in 20 years where we will no longer wear shoes (unless we have to). We rescue senior dogs and give them a retirement package to die for...no pun intended. We've rescued 6 in the past 5 years but only have 3 still living. I designed our house we had built 5 years ago and love every wall free and window full area. We love wine but are NOT connoisseurs, we're brats. We drink what we like when we like!

I have been to Aruba 3 times. 2x with my parents and 1x with my hubby for our long delayed Honeymoon. We waited for our honeymoon 'cause we are heavy savers and REALLY want to retire in 20 years. We love the Bucuti and hope someday to get enough family members together to maybe rent the Aruba House.

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Aruba, wine & dogs...Life is good!

Oh this is fun! Great idea, Sherry to re-acquaint ourselves.

Steve and I are "semi" old between Kevin and Sherry. We live in Long Island, 30 miles outside NYC. I have been married since age 23 (sigh). Steve is a Chief Financial Officer in the Garment District in Manhattan at a dress manufacturer. He, too, Andrea, is a Republican, born and bred. (sigh, again). The "debates" in our house are heard down the block. I work part-time at a local college in the Career Services Center helping students to get jobs while at school and after graduation. We have a 16, soon to be 17 year old. Next year, we will have college expenses as well to deal with so I hope it doesn't interfere with Aruba. I also have a beautiful Persian, easy-going male cat and as some of you know, little Frankie, 4 months old, who was supposed to be my daughter's cat (ha-ha) who torments us old people and cat alike.


We got hooked on Aruba 4 years ago when Steve's boss let us use his timeshare at LaCabana. We bought one for ourselves and have been going back ever since. We look forward to it so much - it's the best! Steve likes to golf, fish and gamble, while I like to read, swim and shop. And of course, we both love to eat. We look forward to being able to go next year child-free.

We also enjoy Europe - loved Italy and hope to go to London next year.

Oh and P.S. - I love the Yankees!

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just a quick interjection here (trying to use big words in context, lol). i would love to take claim to this idea but the thread began due to a suggestion from winebrat. thanks again wine! keep those suggestions coming everyone.

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

Thanks to Winebrat! I am just looking at what I wrote and am laughing. My husband is a Republican who loves golf, football and the Mets. I am a Liberal Democrat who loves to Broadway shows and art museums and love the Yankees. And they said it wouldn't last (26 years and counting!).

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Hello all,

My first time writng on here, but I am here daily. my husband of 19 years and I leave on the 25 of October for ten days at the Aruba Grand. It is our second time, first time at Divi, we wanted to compare high and low. We are really looking forward to this trip. Just wanted to say hi and thank everyone for all the input and great info on here

Thanks

Janice

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Janice

Okay let me give some info on myself. I am born and raised here on Aruba and like so many Arubans moved away after College to study. Lived in Holland a couple of years where I met my husband and eventhough I wanted to go back, you have to have a means of income to do that. As soon as the opportunity came we grabbed it and moved back to Aruba. My husband although Dutch looks more like an Aruban than me and he loves it here.

We have 7 cats and 2 boxers. I currently have my own company. Started about a year ago and things are going rather well.

Oh Kevin if you are thinking about getting a dog. Get a boxer. Once you've had a boxer you won't want anything else. They are kind, energetic, loyal and totally crazy.

sandra, what do you do in your business?

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

www.emendo-aruba.com

To answer all your questions.

great site sandra. hope your business continues to grow. you deserve it.

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

Thanks Sandra, we'll look into it! Loren's fanatically researching a particular breed she thinks she wants, a Canaan dog. I've never heard of the breed, so don't know what to think...I love your description of a boxer, sounds like a winner to me!

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I you need some examples, come visit mine.

Please check into rescuing a dog, too. There are so many dogs that need a home and are the sweetest things alive. If you are looking for a specific breed, there are rescues for that, too. Petfinder.org is a wonderful site and you might find a breed you are interested in who is already house trained and past the chewing stage, a definite bonus!

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Aruba, wine & dogs...Life is good!

Hi Winebrat,

Just had to comment.......I had a German Shorthair Pointer for 13 years who passed away and I was interested in getting another. Someone told me about the GSP Rescue of PA and I contacted them. What a great organization!!!! Now I have another GSP who just turned 2 years yesterday. And I agree, anyone interested in adoption should check out all of the wonderful rescue leagues out there. So many wonderful animals just looking for a loving home!!!!!

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Shelly

When my wife and I moved in together, we ended up having to get rid of her pomeranian (for valid reasons of which I won't go into detail). We contacted HART, an animal rescue org, and donated the Pom thru them. They actually check out the prospective new owners before awarding, and we got to meet them, so at least it made the loss easier to take as oppossed to the other alternatives. I'm an animal lover and a firm believer in doing things the right way, and this was no exception.

Sandra - when we come to Aruba next year, make sure you have your boxers lined up for us to visit!

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These are my boys!

And one more:

Sandra.......... sooooooooo cute!!! What are their names??? Are they friendly guys???

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The countdown's begun!
January 30th to February 27th!

I tell everybody they are ferocious but truthfully........ they are big dopes and all they will do is slobber you to death. Shhhh Don't tell anyone.

They are called Angel and Nero.

Those are some good looking dogs - and I bet they've got plenty of slobber to spare!

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best little doggie i ever met in my life was our bassett hound dudley do right. no, we didn't name him. he stepped on his ears every time he walked and knew he was a 50 pound lap dog. they love grown ups and they love kids. not a mean bone in their long low bodies. however, their bark will scare the heck out of anyone. one day i had someone delivering a package. he backed away from the door as i opened it then burst into laughter saying, 'i was afraid of that?'

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

Angel and Nero are adorable...are they Siamese Twins?? LOL

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Aruba, wine & dogs...Life is good!

Sherry - THis is interesting because the worst dog I ever had was a bassett. I made the mistake of getting her from a couple who were divorcing so she was already an adult with bad habits from lack of attention. She had a great personality like you said but did awful things like get into EVERY garbage can and eat everything in it, eat the contents of our pocketbooks, schoolbooks, home decorations etc. in fact eat just about everything on the floor. (Is this normal??) The final straw came when she would bark the entire time I would have company over and eat off their plates! They no longer wanted her at the kennel when we went to Aruba because of barking and howling. When it got to the point I couln't have company over any more, I gave her to the humane society in L.I. The story has a happy ending - they put her picture on the website home page and they said about 2 weeks later she was adopted by a family with kids (I honestly don't know, but I hope they were telling the truth).

Sandra - beautiful dogs!!

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we got dudley at 6 weeks. i hadn't a clue how to treat a dog. i was pregnant and standing in the kitchen drinking the mandatory 1st of 4 glasses of milk required in those days when the little thing walked up and sat at my feet. first time i ever talked to a dog (they teach us quickly). i said, dog, if you want some milk bring me your bowl. i snickered as i said that. right, sure, this dog can't even walk without tripping on it's ears. that cute little baby walked to this mock dog bowl we had created that day, picked it up and dropped it at my feet. that was my first lesson in dogs owning people. it also became his people food bowl. at the end of dinner each night he would bring that bowl to the table, drop it at our feet and sit there looking adorable until we gave him scraps. he was the perfect dog from that day til he died 10 1/2 years later. i never found a thing he did wrong.

now, the beagles (dumbest dogs in the world) were entirely different. i never found any good qualities in either of them. they were the trash eaters. docksides and flip flops were their shoe chews. i learned that crayons, once eaten, are reduced to permanent carpet stains. the carpet often was their bathroom no matter what we tried to cure it. a dog trainer friend met the 2nd beagle and after trying to get him to sit for at least an hour he told me that he was the dumbest dog he had ever met and if i was humane i would put him out of our misery. instead, because we never could do that to any animal and no one was willing to take him, we kept him. the dog lasted 15 1/2 LONG years. we actually laughed the day he died. we were free.

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

In about an hour, I'm relinquishing my babysitting rights to my brother's springer....He's flying home as I write this.... I seem to be everyone's dogsitter. You want slobber..... she's the queen! I try to wipe her mouth after she drinks water, but usually give up 'cause she's ALWAYS drinking!! She is a love.... the smartest and most well behaved dog I've ever seen thanks to my sister-in-law, who began working with her when they got her as a little puppy. I had a miniature schnauzer that we adopted.... She chewed everything!! When we were having work done in the house, there was no inside door left to keep her in a room..... miraculously, as soon as she had the run of the house, she stopped chewing. For 15 years she was my constant companion... and after her I decided that was enough.... no more animals. It's like grandchildren... great to have them, but nice to give them back...

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The countdown's begun!
January 30th to February 27th!

No, but brothers out of a litter of nine. We took these two because they were the only ones who had no sock on one of their paws. Their left front paw has no white like all the others. And they were the only two who had that. Easy to keep them apart from their brothers and sisters, when they were still at their mother.

I gotta laugh how this "Welcome" thread has turned into Canine Capers Anonymous!

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Aruba, wine & dogs...Life is good!

you have already missed the cat thread. you must realize nothing stays on track on this bb except the baseball thread, lol.

why don't we have a football thread started yet? hey guys, the season is here. there are rivalries.

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

As my husband used to day............. wanna friend, buy a dog!!!

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The countdown's begun!
January 30th to February 27th!

No doubt, man's best friend. I had a dog (mutt) for 16 years, from age 6 to 24, and it nearly killed me when I finally had to put her to sleep - she had a cancerous tumor, was going blind, etc, but had been the greatest dog a boy could ever want. I still have a framed picture of her on my wall, 15 yrs later

It is pretty funny, isn't it? We do such a good job of talking trash on the baseball thread, there's never a chance for it to break down!

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Oh, but that's what makes it so much fun!

Elaine - talk about slobber! Bassett Hounds drool all over your house (kevin, are you listening?). I am now an avowed cat person.

P.S. I wish more people would continue the welcome thread. So many others we don't know about yet.

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drool!?!?! drool!?!?! there was never a dry surface anywhere near our baby. you got a bath on every lick and oh my god did he love to lick.

i too am an avowed cat person now.

i also agree we need more newbies sticking their two cents in here. until they do though, we should keep the thread alive with our normal stuff, lol

__________________
help us help aruba's kittens and cats

http://www.arubakitten.org/






vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

Finally a thread I can sink my teeth into.LOL

Walt Z.
"Labrador Tales," Heart Dog Diaries."

Somehow this welcome thread seems to have gotten lost. Let's get to know eachother!! If you haven't responded to a little bit about yourself, why not do it now?? So, back my popular demand (okay, so just mine) let's start again!! Awwwwwww, come on!!

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The countdown's begun!
January 30th to February 27th!

Ok Elaine I guess I'll give it a shot here.
My wife Val and I live in Pittsburgh. Val is an MRI Technologist and I work for a law firm as the Assistant Executive Director. Like Corrine, we are "semi" old. Although we love to travel, our schedules don't permit more than 10 days at a time and they are always spent in Aruba. I too am a Republican but I do have some liberal tendencies. We have a 4 year old daughter and she loves Aruba as much as we do. I love going to Steelers games and we have travelled to Baltimore, Cincinnati and Jacksonville to watch them play. I guess I am a fanatic! We have a dog and a cat. The dog is a fox terrier and is getting up there in years. We used to have an Akita, but after a battle with cancer we had to put her down. We are also considering purchasing a timeshare in the near future. Well I guess I've said enough for now.

Hi Donnie... and hello to a fellow Pennsylvanian! I've been in Pittsburgh a couple of times. My daughter got her undergraduate degree at Slippery Rock so it was the place to go.... nice city! I prefer the word "mature" to old!! Ya think "semi" mature sounds okay???? My Mom is OLD!! lol Thanks for adding on to this thread..... It's nice knowing a little about everyone..

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The countdown's begun!
January 30th to February 27th!

Hi Everyone! My husband Scott and I live in Torrington, CT, He's a musician and I work for an Insurance Company (hey, Hartford is the insurance capital). We have two dogs and two cats (for now) and my husband refers to our house as the "wild kingdom", because if it's abandoned, or abused it's coming home with me. I was just able to talk my husband into buying a timeshare at La Cabana (well, I told him we were buying a timeshare and just did it) and can't wait until April when we go back down to Aruba!

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Jeanine

Don't want to sound stupid here, but what is an Akita???

sandra, it is a breed of dog. http://www.akitarescue.org/

__________________
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vote now!!!!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/N...uba/index.html

Sheesh,by now everyone knows I am "semi" old.

Hi Jeanine - you will love LaCabana. We have owned our timeshare for 4 years now. We normally go in April too, but next year may be going to London for a special trip. We just got back from New Haven and Storrs visiting colleges. We got lost and made a pit-stop in your city! It looks great. My daughter LOVED UCONN! So did my husband and I. But they sure do charge alot for out-of-state people!

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Sandra - Akita's are a breed of dog from Japan. They can be very large dogs. Mine was 150 lbs and she was very gentle but extremely protective of us.

Hi! I'm Lorrie (44) and my husband is Dave (57). We live in Middle*** County, NJ, a block from the Raritan Bay. We are avid saltwater fishermen and have our own boat. Caught (& released) a marlin on our honeymoon. Anyway...I have two kids (ages 17 and 15); Dave's got two daughters (married) and from them, we have 3 grandsons. Dave & I have (or should I say, our HOUSE has) 3 dogs, 2 rabbits, 5 fish, and an iguana. Sherry, I have an extremely smart (but very stubborn) 3 year old beagle. He's never had an accident indoors and we've had him since he was 12 weeks old. The girls, Tessie & Amber, are 4 year old Labradoodles. Dave's got his own business, "Dave's Hot Dogs" and I work for Xerox, administrative support. We're taking our very first trip to Aruba NEXT WEEK! Woo-hoo! Can't wait! And have learned so much from all the wonderful information available here!

That is too funny!!!

My sister has one that is about 130 lbs, and you just described it. Very gentle, but very protective - and has the ability to destroy anything in it's path if so desired. One strong dog!

Now that's my kind of honeymoon! On ours in Aruba my wife managed to catch her first barracuda and first dolphin, so now I've got her hooked (pun intended) on fishing.
Glad to have more fishermen on board, welcome Lorrie!

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OMG Kevin! She caught a dolphin?

Andrea

Hello Reelgal - I believe you said the magic word "hot dogs" my fave !!! They have really great one's in Aruba, I think anyway. Welcome and have a super trip next week!!

Yes, Nanc-arella, Dave's got a mobile kitchen and when we return from Aruba, he's introducing burgers, which he said he'd never do! Makes homemade, awesome chili and salsa, too. He goes to work happy, comes home happy!

hmmmm , maybe that is what I should do instead of going to work angry/depressed and coming home angrier than when I left. Yesterday I couldn't even speak to anyone at home or I would have bitten their heads off!! . I don't think finance is for me anymore.....