The Minutes

For those not present at yesterday's crucial staff meeting, here is a brief summary of points missed... both relevant and completely arbitrary.

1. Estimated Time of Departure:

• Midtown Team: Rachel will collect Carrie and Amelia and arrive at Corrina' at roughly ten on Thursday morning. Again that's Thursday, Jeanette. ;)
• Northside Team: Kate is still vacillating a bit on what time she can leave the office. She's torn between her admirable work ethic and her desire to consume massive quantities of Champagne as quickly as possible. Last I heard, she was considering two o'clock. I expect the North Team to arrive just in time for Happy Hour, yes?

2. Shopping:

• Wendy has expressed a deep need to shop in Nashville. I believe her sentiment is echoed by all. Weather permitting, it appears Friday will be our Day of Consumerism. All in favor, say Aye!

3. The Lion on Saturday:

• As Wendy astutely pointed out, the hostess' suggestion to arrive before the end of the game for dinner is ludicrous. Good to see the Lion hasn't changed their hiring standards. Nonetheless, we discussed yesterday the gloriousness that is kid-free flexibility. If we have to wait for a table at the Lion at a normal dinner hour, so be it. As the Mommy in the group, I'll have some nice healthy snacks in my bag. If the wait gets too long, we are free to move on. We all just need to be prepared to be flexible. (Is that an oxymoron? 'Prepared to be flexible'? Or am I a moron. Never mind.)

4. Weather:

• There appears to be rain in the forecast for all three days. Please bring your favorite board games, DVD's, CD's, books, etc, to ensure maximum enjoyment if we're shut it. Thank God it doesn't rain in restauarants and bars.
• No dress-up crap necessary! We agreed, at the meeting, to remain comfy and casual all weekend. That said, this weekend is about everyone's good time. If you need a tiara to enjoy yourself, let no man stand in your way.

5. Menu/Supply:

• Rachel, naturally, is taking care of junky snacks
• Kate is bringing enough Champagne to drown a small pony
• Corrina is taking care of everything else, included wine and other non-alcoholic bevis, but is not bringing beer unless requested.
  
• Wendy, is there anything special I can pick up for you? Tomorrow is Trader Joes day. Would you like a nice juice or sparkling water or anything?
• Any other special requests?
  

6. Irrelevant Points You May Have Missed:

• Jeanette's exhusband thinks he may want to be a susbstance abuse counselor
• Corrina's exboyfriend, Kyle, has morphed into a serious religious zealot. Zack blames Corrina.
  
• Rachel gave a full review of all Apple's latest technologies
• Maeve was concerned that we weren't taking snacks on our walk
• Kate got a speeding ticket on her way to Corrina's
• Maeve showed everyone her Big Girl Dora underpants
• Zack hid in the basement

Weather Outlook

________________________________________________________________

It looks like the high temps will be in the upper 50's to lower 60's for the trip with lows in the lower 40's. Perfect fall weather by my estimation. We may, however, have to contest with some rain. Bring some boardgames and pack accordingly!

Stay tuned for another weather update over the weekend!

And the Winner is.....

**************************************************

To no surprise, the Lion was the overwhelming choice in the dinner poll. FYI, I called the Lion to make a reservation and they do NOT accept reservations on home game days. The staffer suggested we arrive before the end of the game in order to get seated. No big deal, either way.

Check back for a new poll as soon as I come up with one!!

What I Know So Far....

Hi babes! Sixteen days to go!!

Here's what I know so far thanks to our snazzy polls and our little chats:

1) We will be taking two vehicles.

• I've only spoken to a couple of you about this so feel free to disagree or suggest alternatives. I'd thought it wise if we split the travel into the Northside team and the Midtown team. I can pack my bus full of all the food and booze, swing over to the Rip to pick up Rach, hit Speedway to collect Carrie and Princess Amelia, then jump on 465 on the westside and head south. Perhaps Wendy could pack up her seven-seater on the Northside, collect Kate and J at Kate's then hit the road from there? That way both vehicles will hold all of us and our Designated Driver will have her own car with which to navigate the windy roads between Sports and the Cabin?? ;)

2) I'm taking care of all the groceries and wine and we'll settle up later.

• I'll hang on to receipts, etc, and we'll split what's appropriate six ways (obviously Kate and Wend will be excluded from the wine portion). I'm planning one hearty breakfast (I think a big frittata is in order), some light breakfast items, two dinners, and snacks. I asssume we'll take lunch out all three days, yeah? Again, if anyone has any special requests (Oreos, Rach? Pickles, Wendy?) just let me know within the next couple of days. I'm planning on milk, OJ, etc, for breakfast bevies but should I also get a case of DC?

3) We're planning to spend Saturday in Bloomington, including dinner.

• I think we should definitely make a reservation within the next couple of days since it is Homecoming weekend. Please see the poll for some dining options (although I suspect I already know the answer!!).

4) We are going to have the most rockin-est time EVER!

Food and Finance

The Finances Poll has Closed!

66% of us would like for me to purchase all our goods then split the total 6 ways.

I'm planning to gather all the goods I need for two dinners (Thurs, Fri) and a variety of items for breakfast (eggs, meats, fruit, breads, etc). I'll also take care of wine for the dinners, coffee (decaf and reg), and some other random drinks. If you have any special requests for any food item, including beverages, please let me know. I'll start a grocery post and we can add to it as we go. Can we all be responsible for out own booze, minus dinner wine? I know everyone has specific tastes. Will that work?

Schedule Addendum

After some discussion, it appears that it would make the most sense for us to dine in on Thursday night and Friday night then eat in Bloomington on Saturday. I know we'd discussed tailgating but after some additional contemplation, simply spending a casual day in Bloomington, enjoying homecoming traffic, maybe a few stops at some old haunts, etc, may be the better way to spend the day. In order to tailgate with Julie and Steve we'd need to show up with six covered dishes... not the most conducive project for cabin life. Regardless, eating out in B-town on Saturday night looks like the wisest choice.

Thoughts???

Breakfast Poll Results

Looks like a free-for-all is the big winner....
a variety of hot and cold breakfast items, eaten at one's leisure. Consider it done!