The Countdown's Begun

[Liz from N.J.]

Have a safe flight Alnora. I leave next Friday. I will be looking for you on the island. Do you go to Stellaris Casino? I'm there a lot.

[donnie]

Hi Alnora!

It's been a while since I've been on this site, but I hope you had a great time as usual.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to get prices until Feb when Elaine is there!

[ruba4ever]

Hi all,

Back safe and sound....almost three weeks already....boo. I am really missing the island this time around. Had a wonderful time...great weather, great food, and above all else, spent time with awesome Aruba friends (vacation family). It was 17 days that will be long remembered....and cherished.

Liz...it was great seeing you...not once but twice! I hope you had better luck at the casinos than we did. We really gave up gambling too much cause we had such lousy luck this time.

We went to several new places this time....Windows on Aruba for our anniversary dinner....beautiful place and the meal was wonderful. Taste of Belgium at the Mall. Had a nice visit with Lillian and her sweet baby girl Gabrielle. Just had salad and drinks, but they were both very good. Simply Fish.....after 14 years staying at the Marriott properties, we finally went to the restaurant on the beach. Of course that would be the only time we encountered rain...lol. So funny though.....as we all thought it would be one of those passing showers.....it decided to be a good little downpour of about 15 minutes. But the wait staff was great....they literally picked our table and all its contents and moved us under roof. Barely missed a beat in our dinner. As this is a restaurant of fish, as is stated in its name, the steak was good but not as good as some other places we go. But the company and the surroundings...although a bit wet....was wonderful. We also went to Amuse Bistro with friends that we had been trying to get out with for about 3 years now. Very enjoyable meal and great company. It is a very contemporary menu there....and if you are not an adventurous diner...this may not be the place you want to go. But we did enjoy our meal very much.

Donnie...we are already working on next years trip. We are also going to Italy next year...so we aren't sure how many days we will be staying in Aruba. We're thinking 10 right now....I am holding out hope for a full 14 , but I can't be greedy, as the Italy trip is a dream come true for me. 10 days is better than no days...and I will take them.

Hope everyone is well.......and glad to be back.

ruba

[ArubaMary]

Looking forward to a quick hug from you Dan. I leave Aruba early this year----Friday, Feb. 28.

[ArubaMary]

Hi 'ruba----good seeing a report from you. Windows is lovely, I agree. I have only been there two times, but thoroughly enjoyed it. I will be in Aruba from Feb. 1--Feb. 28.

[Elaine S]

Since it's 19 degrees with a new coat of snow on the roads, driveways, and sidewalks, what better time to start my countdown!

51 days and wheels up!!

As I always say, the anticipation's the best because once you get there, the time flies!

As usual... the packing's going on in my head!!

[Elaine S]

It's been cold, snowy, windy and downright miserable here in PA!

I'm thrilled that my countdown's now down to 23 days and a wakeup!!

[donnie]

Originally Posted by Elaine S

It's been cold, snowy, windy and downright miserable here in PA!

I'm thrilled that my countdown's now down to 23 days and a wakeup!!

We're right there with you Elaine! I am just now beginning to feel my hands and feet.

Have you actually started to pack?

Have a great time and give my best to Mary. Will Dan be there this year?

[Elaine S]

Haven't even taken the suitcases up from the basement, Don.

I think Dan may get there the day I leave, but haven't heard from him in a long time so not sure.

This certainly's been a tough winter so far, and I'm really looking forward to the warmth and sun!!

Love to Val and Taylor!

[donnie]

Originally Posted by Elaine S

Haven't even taken the suitcases up from the basement, Don.

I think Dan may get there the day I leave, but haven't heard from him in a long time so not sure.

This certainly's been a tough winter so far, and I'm really looking forward to the warmth and sun!!

Love to Val and Taylor!

It's been a while since I've visited here, but, may you have a great month Elaine and Mary!

In another 152 days, we will be on our way!!

[Elaine S]

Thanks Don.

Suitcase is just about packed.

I'll send you some sunshine!! lol

[ruba4ever]

Elaine and Mary....just want to make sure I get my Adios' in before you go to the warm, sunny beautiful island. Have a wonderful time. But please think about all of us back home fondly, shaking, shivering, and battling the elements of winter. I so wish I was winging off to our home away from home...but alas, I am stuck here with the cold and wet and cold and snow, and cold...and you get the idea. Have fun, relax and recharge. If you can, give us a little glimpse of your island time so we can live vicariously through you.

Be safe,
ruba

[Elaine S]

Thanks Alnora.

I, too, can't wait to get out of this winter. I'm so tired of the snow, wind and cold.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by Elaine S

Thanks Don.

Suitcase is just about packed.

I'll send you some sunshine!! lol

The sunshine IS needed and we would appreciate having you send some up our way!

I'll be thinking of you when I'm shivering at the trolley stop waiting to go to work!

Check in when you have a chance and let us know what we're missing.

[Elaine S]

Will do, Don!

[donnie]

Have a great time Elaine and check in when you can!

[ArubaMary]

Thank you Dhonnie, tomorrow's the travel day----finally. I leave Logan at 7 a.m.---weather looks o.k. considering the horrid winter we've had. Tomorrow at this time I hope to be all settled in to my apartment at Aruba Beach Club.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by ArubaMary

Thank you Dhonnie, tomorrow's the travel day----finally. I leave Logan at 7 a.m.---weather looks o.k. considering the horrid winter we've had. Tomorrow at this time I hope to be all settled in to my apartment at Aruba Beach Club.

Mary - I hope your well into relax mode by now! If you have the time, let us know how the island is looking this month as we here in the states are suffering from a nasty case of winter and would love some heat sent our way!

Ask Elaine when the sun is supposed to arrive!!

[donnie]

And I almost forgot, 144 days till Aruba!

Anyone closer? Let us know. If you just returned, let us know how your vacation was as we love to hear about the travels of others.

[BigPapa]

Originally Posted by donnie

And I almost forgot, 144 days till Aruba!

Anyone closer? Let us know. If you just returned, let us know how your vacation was as we love to hear about the travels of others.

19 days brother...can't wait to get out of this hard winter we have had.
Hope all is well with you and yours.

[gumbo al]

Flying out the 28th. if the weather and airports cooperate. Be there all of March. We should catch the end of Carnival. I'm getting sick of this WI winter.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by BigPapa

19 days brother...can't wait to get out of this hard winter we have had.
Hope all is well with you and yours.

I understand the feeling Dan, it seems the older we get, the worse it feels. Are you going to see Elaine or does she leave before you arrive? Are the boys going to?

The family is doing great and I hope the same can be said about yours.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by gumbo al

Flying out the 28th. if the weather and airports cooperate. Be there all of March. We should catch the end of Carnival. I'm getting sick of this WI winter.

I'll keep my fingers crossed for you Al. Have a great time!

[donnie]

We are now down to 129 Days!!

[gumbo al]

7 and a wake up!!!

[donnie]

We are down to 117 days!!!

[Elaine S]

My month went by in a flash! Had a wonderful time, and great weather every day.

Next year I decided to rent a week, and stay 5 weeks!!

[donnie]

96 days until fun in the sun!

[Elaine S]

Good for you, Don.

The good Lord willing, my girlfriend and I are going to rent week 4, and be roomies which will give me 5 weeks!

[donnie]

Well Elaine I will say an extra prayer for you so that five weeks will be what you need!

By the way...

90 days!!!!

[Elaine S]

Your count's getting there!!

I already made my flights... and 5 weeks it is!! lol

Originally Posted by donnie

Well Elaine I will say an extra prayer for you so that five weeks will be what you need!

By the way...

90 days!!!!

[donnie]

Originally Posted by Elaine S

Your count's getting there!!

I already made my flights... and 5 weeks it is!! lol

Every day we are getting closer!

Five weeks, I would love that!

Does Southwest fly out of Philly? We got the cheapest fares out of Pittsburgh that we ever paid.

[ruba4ever]

Donnie,

We booked with Southwest too!!! So nice to have them flying out of Pittsburgh now. Nice to have another choice.....plus free bags..lol. Our flights have gone up already since we booked them. Glad we got in right as they came available for September.

We are doing our trip to Italy that I told you about before. That is coming up real soon. Can't wait. It will be a totally different experience than Aruba. We won't be laying by the pool or on the beach relaxing. We will be doing a lot of running and sight seeing. But I am so looking forward to seeing that part of the world. I will need a vacation from our vacation....lol. I will truly appreciate the slow moving of Aruba when we get there in the fall. And we managed to get a full 17 days too!!! I am a lucky lady for sure.

Keep on counting....I am...
ruba

[Elaine S]

Alnora... when's the Italy trip???

Apparently SW does fly out of Philly, but no non stops, and it's like an all day affair.

I fly US Air direct, and although the flight wasn't as cheap as years past, it wasn't as out of sight as Jet Blue seems to be.

Don... this past winter did it for me as for 5 weeks. The older I get, the more I hate the cold and snow.

As soon as I got home, I told my boss that next week I'm adding a year, and he was fine for now. Of course I also told him that I'm retiring in 2016, too!! lol 2016 will be 25 years at the same job so I thought that was a good time!

[donnie]

Originally Posted by ruba4ever

Donnie,

We booked with Southwest too!!! So nice to have them flying out of Pittsburgh now. Nice to have another choice.....plus free bags..lol. Our flights have gone up already since we booked them. Glad we got in right as they came available for September.

We are doing our trip to Italy that I told you about before. That is coming up real soon. Can't wait. It will be a totally different experience than Aruba. We won't be laying by the pool or on the beach relaxing. We will be doing a lot of running and sight seeing. But I am so looking forward to seeing that part of the world. I will need a vacation from our vacation....lol. I will truly appreciate the slow moving of Aruba when we get there in the fall. And we managed to get a full 17 days too!!! I am a lucky lady for sure.

Keep on counting....I am...
ruba

Hi Alnora!

Our flights have gone up also, we got them on the first day they were available and we are the first international flight for SW so it should be interesting. We would love to try Italy, but for now we will stick to Aruba!

Have a great time and keep us updated.

[donnie]

Originally Posted by Elaine S

Alnora... when's the Italy trip???

Apparently SW does fly out of Philly, but no non stops, and it's like an all day affair.

I fly US Air direct, and although the flight wasn't as cheap as years past, it wasn't as out of sight as Jet Blue seems to be.

Don... this past winter did it for me as for 5 weeks. The older I get, the more I hate the cold and snow.

As soon as I got home, I told my boss that next week I'm adding a year, and he was fine for now. Of course I also told him that I'm retiring in 2016, too!! lol 2016 will be 25 years at the same job so I thought that was a good time!

SW is an all day adventure for us but so are US Air, United and Delta as we must go through Charlotte, Dulles or Atlanta

The winter this year really made us miserable, like everyone else, and I hope to never experience another one like this for another decade.

Ahh, retirement, what a joy it would bring but I don't think Val could handle being home every day with me! 25 years is a real achievement and congrats in advance. In 2016, Taylor will only be a junior, so after graduation I have at least another 4 years to work!

[ruba4ever]

Elaine......Italy is in 21 days!!! EEEEKKKKK. Trying not to freak out yet. Rome, Florence on a tour....and we added Venice. Our flight home was Venice to Paris then on to home. Well, we added an overnight in Paris..(because we will probably never pass that way again). As it turns out our friends (that we made in Aruba) will be in Paris then. We will be spending our day and evening with them. We already have dinner reservations for the Eiffel Tower. I am super excited. We will also be riding one of those super fast trains from Florence to Venice. Another new experience for us. Just packing for this is a bit of a challenge. Not like packing for a beach vaca. Because it is considered "shoulder season" now...which means could be warm / colder/ sunny/ rainy......it also means you need to pack accordingly. Plus you have to pack for churches and places like that. Have to be covered for churches. Oh well, I will git er done I'm sure. I already have stuff hanging and gathered. Just really want to keep the bags as light as possible....(yeah right) because we will be slepping them some of the time. Oh I will keep you updated....you probably won't be able to shut me up!!! LOL
ruba

[donnie]

the count is now...

55 Days!!!

[Elaine S]

Time's marching on Don, and I know that you're all not excited!! lol

[donnie]

Not at all Elaine! Even though we bought Taylor 3 suits at Kohl's, she says she thinks she needs more! I always thought women needed tons of shoes not bathing suits!!

49 days and counting!

Alnora - how was your trip to Italy?

And before I forget, Happy Mother's Day to all of the women on this board.

[Elaine S]

I'm guilty of sandals AND bathing suits!! lol

[ruba4ever]

Hi all,

Donnie...the trip to Italy was everything I imagined and more. I will post a few pics here (as I took over 800 of them). It was really a tiring trip in comparison to Aruba. A tour keeps you hopping for sure. We were 7 days on the tour and then 3 days in Venice on our own and then on to Paris for a night. I must tell you I was very tired. I am still having a heck of a time getting back to a normal sleep pattern. The 6 hour time difference (they are ahead of us...and I thought that would be better than behind us) has wreaked havoc. I think because of this I have contracted a cold...just because I went back to work the very next day and worked hard all week and with the sleep being messed up...I just ran out of steam. But it was a once in a lifetime trip. My hubby and I decided that if we were to go to Italy again...we would go to Venice. It just captured our hearts....much like Aruba does, only for different reasons. The old world charm of Venice just makes you feel lost in the history. Calm and peaceful, and to see the buildings and the canals just amazed us.

Thank you for the Mothers' Day wishes Donnie.....your countdown is so close....my sleep would be messed up with anticipation. LOL.

Now I can see my countdown....
ruba

[donnie]

That's great news Alnora. but Val's heart lies in Aruba and she has no desire of going anywhere else. I know my body would not be my friend when I got back but I would still like to visit someplace in Europe, maybe Ireland!

I almost forgot,

41 days!!!!

Elaine - this weekend we bought another two bathing suits and two pairs of sandals for Tay and Val bought some summer outfits and sandals also. At this rate, there will be no more money left for me to buy anything!

[aquarius]

I have two months and 2 weeks till One Happy Island. Can't come fast enough!

RubaForever - Outside of Aruba, Italy has been my favorite place in Europe. Been once on a tour for a week and then added a week on our own and covered the whole country! Was fantastic but tiring. Kept a journal to remember everything and it's fun to go back and read. Last year did a Mediterranean cruise and got back there to Rome, Florence and the Amalfi coast (best part) and then onto Greece, Santorini and Turkey. Great itinerary, and being on the ship was a little more relaxing than on a land tour even though we had private excursions booked every day. A very educational trip. But love Aruba for everything it is and it's relaxation.

Marie

[sbatjc]

20 days!!!!! Ready to go!!

[donnie]

28 DAYS!!!!

[ruba4ever]

Oh Donnie.....it's getting so close now. I'm getting excited and my countdown is still 3 months and some change away!!

Marie...I did the journal thing too! I didn't want to forget a thing and I figured I would, so I wrote it all down from the minute we pulled out of our driveway till the minute our plane landed back at home. I ordered our picture books and I am anxiously awaiting their arrival. It truly was a great trip. I have finally been able to sleep normally again...lol.

sbatjc....you are getting ever closer too!! Must be getting really amped up by now!!!

[donnie]

5 Days!!!!

[Elaine S]

YAY!!!!

Safe travels to you, Val and Taylor.

Have a wonderful time, and report in when you get back.

Originally Posted by donnie

5 Days!!!!

[ruba4ever]

Oh Donnie.....you are so close!!!! Have a wonderful time making great family memories!

Like Elaine said....please report back (during or after) your trip so we can all gear up for our time on One Happy Island.

ruba