funkybadger

Nice TR Chuck! Seems like you got the same dose of opening day weather as the rest of us! (See SFKK TR from Rich) No matter, by the time we see you at Williamsburg this summer, we'll only have to fear the Dole Whip brain freeze. But with our luck, we'll get jinxed with some tropical storm! ~ Melanie

My husband calls me a dork, but he's the one with the crush on Samantha Brown! He thinks she'd be the best girl to date/marry since you could go to all those amazing places with her for free and stay in sweet hotels! I prefer the Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, History Channel and Animal Planet over most other channels. I really like Survivorman, History's Mysteries, and How It's Made. John Ratzenberger and Samantha Brown should do a show together!

I'm impressed you can actually name them all - my list is more like the 12 Days of Footwear! All I know is that I hate winter because I can't wear my two favorites - my Ecco sandals and my Keens! Melanie "and to think I use to love being barefoot" Bitner

I'm so sorry for your loss. You and your wife are in my thoughts and prayers.

How did it take me a month to notice this!? Melanie "I'm too blonde to be your child" Alvey . . . I mean Bitner (BTW, don't name her Melanie - they'll just call your kid Smellanie and that's too funny not to laugh in your own kid's face)

LOL! My parents were carnies before I was born! I have the proud honor of telling people that my mom was a side-show freak!!! It made going to the fair as a child a much more interesting experience since I had connections with the "insiders"! Melanie "I have small hands and smell of cabbage" Bitner

He may bite his thumb at you now, but he sucks his thumb at night!!!

I plan to have the park map of Alton Towers tattooed across my back. I'm also planning to have my left breast tattooed to look like the Epcot geosphere.

I'm a 5th/6th grade teacher. I knew I wanted to be a teacher when I was 7, but then I apparently forgot until I was about 23! If I had to go back and do it all over again, I would love to do voice over work. So many people comment on my distinctive voice, singing ability, speaking skills, etc. I kept my singing talent hidden until it was pretty much too late to do much with it. So now I just sing for fun and perform occasionally. I thought about becoming a museum curator for awhile too, but I decided I wanted a little more action, and teaching definitely offers that! Some days though, I long for the quiet and solace of a temperature and humidity regulated environment of a museum. And there's nothing hotter than scattered artifacts in a museum hall as a new display is being built - wow! Melanie "Maybe I Should Teach High School Social Studies Instead of Elementary School" Bitner

Yeti Ball > Penguin > Hippo ???

I'm pretty sure there are several other candidates that could beat the baby in a crying competition. Let the nominations begin!

My vote is for a Balder Hammer!

Ok, it's official: I MISS YOU GUYS!!! Florida was too much fun with everybody! Our crew of 6 was such a great way to travel. Where we going next, guys?

All I know is that people went to bed tired and bruised in unusual places!

It's also my "inverted signature move"!

Many, many thanks to Robb & Elissa for an amazing trip! It seems that when you go on trips, that the anticipation often ends up being better than the actual trip. Every time we've gone with them, they find ways to surprise and more than exceed any expectations we could have come up with. This weekend was indescribably fun! It was awesome seeing UK friends again and meeting all the new people! We'll be putting together a TR soon (right after conferences and master's classes and basketball practice and oh yeah, maybe some sleep!) You guys rock!!!! Melanie "Queen of the Badger Trailer, Not the Tool Shed" Bitner

^ Derek, if Jesus is behind the couch, he can certainly come up with a miracle or two in the form of vacation days!

I'm left handed! Can I go there?

He reminded us of the old guy from "The Man Show"! It was like a magic trick - the beer just disappeared! What skill!

Sweet ~ I'm in the beer thread! My life is now complete!!! Thanks to Derek & Nicole for showing us a true Pennsylvania brewery and some good times! Cheers! Melanie "Who Knew I Would Like Watermelon Beer?" Bitner

Nice TR Jay! We missed you at Dorney today! Good to know the real reason wasn't that we smelled bad. Sorry you're out of commission today though. Glad, however, you had the energy to press the buttons to put the TR together! Seeing the pic of Stinky Finger Man brings back a sick kind of nostalgia! Thanks to Jay, Larry, Big Mike, Derek, and Nicole (and sparse moments of Ted) for a great day at PPP! And yes Joe, Rich and I loved the Skooters! We had a great time bashing into everybody! I have new respect for them! Sadly, they somehow put Hercules out of commission. Even with my own back problems and a decade on him, I still managed to get up and ride more today! Hmmmm . . .

Oh Hercules, that's gonna look NICE! Have you picked your avatar out yet? I can't wait!!! This game looked much better for ND than last week! So who's on deck for next week's bet?

OMG Joe! Your avatar is SOOOO HOT! As for going on any trip with TPR, you couldn't be in better hands! We're all spending our hard-earned money, and nobody hopes for things to go wrong. I've found that Robb & Elissa work to unparalleled levels to ensure that every aspect of the trip has been taken care of. No worries!

For those of you who are upset b/c scientists have redefined the "planetary rules", just keep in mind that our knowledge changes and progresses. Remember, it used to be common knowledge that 1) Earth was at the center of the solar system, and 2) the Earth was also flat. Sounds idiotic now, but back then it made sense, and the scientists with new ideas were persecuted and accused of being crazy. Maybe if we all read more Douglas Adams, we may all learn a little more about the universe! It'll give all the dorks something to do besides rebuilding that Mos Eisley Cantina Lego set again!

If you go on a future UK trip, don't worry about needing $$$ for T-shirts! I found ONE at Blackpool, and it's pretty plain. The other two I managed to find were in Tusenfryd and Liseberg, so Scandinavia does a much better job promoting their parks via clothing. However, if you'd like a ride photo, you can buy one for just about everything in the UK - maybe even the "Superloo" at Drayton! You can also talk to Ryan about random blow-up items that he found. Melanie "I'm a junkie for park T-shirts" Bitner