Third Annual California BBQ!!!

Monday we awoke and got beautiful...then had Laura and Alexa come over for breakfast. Tonya and Staci refused ALL breakfasts I offered, so I made Laura and Alexa some! ;)

After that, we headed to Gini's to chat and drop off Tonya's suitcase...and then headed to a special store. I'll post a picture of the enterance, but that'll be it. ;)
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

When we got back, we ate a FABULOUS authentic dinner that Slick and Richard prepared. It was BY FAR THE BEST Mexican food I've EVER had!! Carnitas, Spanish Rice & Refried Beans - all made from scratch!! It was WONDERFUL!! Thank you so much!!!

After that, we did an experiment: "What happens when you microwave a Peep?"

1) Put Peep on a plastic plate and place in microwave for 30 seconds:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

2) Peep enlarges:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

3) And enlarges:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

4) And begins to deflate:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

5) And then, it dies when fully deflated:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

Poor Peep!!

A few more random pictures left. Sorry there's so many...but I took over 250 because I wanted to completely capture every moment. :)

Monday night at Gini's....

Alexa and Laura:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

Stace and I being wierd! (Let's just say that Gini won herself $20 and Stace was being the impartial judge! ;) )
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

Tonya....she's so pretty!!
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

Tonya and I being sillies...
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

Tuesday at Gini's house...

Annie:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I
(and yes, all three do exist! I was lucky enough to get to see all three of these gorgeous orangies.)

Rascal eating:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

OK....I'm finally done!!

This was, by far the BEST PT BBQ ever!! Thank you SO MUCH to Gini, Slick, Richard and Laurie for everything! Thank you to everyone that I met and/or saw again this year.

Karen (Killearn Kitties)...I don't have any good pictures of you and I'm so sorry!! I SO enjoyed talking to you and hearing that gorgeous accent of yours. :) I hope you had fun and that you'll return next year. I'd LOVE to talk to you some more.

Arrival #2: Tonya just arrived at Midland/Odessa airport where her mom was awaiting her. She'll grab her luggage and then be on their way home to New Mexico.

Partial Arrival #3: Staci left Atlanta almost an hour ago. She'll be in Ohio a little under an hour. I'll update when she does actually arrive.

I'm SO sad this is all over. :( I had SOOOOO much fun...I've never missed anyone like I miss my PT pals...I cried for most of the day, but I'll NEVER forget these past 5 days, they've been the best of my life thus far.

Hugs, Kelly :)

Wonderful pics, Kel! Thanks for capturing so many great moments for those of us who couldn't be there. I am so happy for you all that everyone had such a great time.

My favorite picture :

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

That waiter must've been CUUUUUUUUTE! :D

Stace has landed in Ohio! All she needs is her luggage and to drive the 30 minutes to her parents house.

Sleep well, Stace!! :) I miss you!!

Guess who's luggage has been lost?? Poor Staci!!! :(

Can we all pray they find it and she gets it SOON???

Thank you.

(((((((((HUGS FOR STACE)))))))))))

Now you really got me jealous!!!!!

With these pictures of s-u-p-e-r-c-u-t-e Micah in Tonya's and Staci's arms!!!!!!

*booohoooo* I wanna hug Micah:) :D

Thanks for all the great pictures and stories. Such an awesome week! What a great family you all have. So lucky!

I really loved seeing all the pictures! Thanks so much for sharing them.:)

I have been lurking in this thread and not posting. Bad me !!!! I have loved reading all the goings on and all the fun you guys were having. The pics are awesome.

Kelly, you always do a great job at not missing anything. Just like your cruise pics it was almost like being there. :)

I am so glad eveyone had a great time!!! :D

I too have been lurking and so enjoying being able to hear and see bits of the goings on. Thank you to all who took the time to share your fun with the rest of us. I would have loved to have been there and meet you all in person, but I do believe that this has been the next best thing. Thanks again. I can't emphasize enough what a kind gesture it is when you share your experiences with the rest of us.

Great pictures Kelly! It was like reliving the BBQ again, and living vicariously through you all on the other days when I was at work...Ugh!
Aaron still has yet to upload all of our pictures :rolleyes: Poor thing. I took a bunch too, so hopefully he'll get them all uploaded today.
Thanks again to everyone who helped plan the BBQ and to everyone who attended. It was fun!

Staci, I hope you get your luggage back soon!

**hugs**

What wonderful pictures!!! Thanks for sharing them.

If you don't scrapbook, you should. You could have a BBQ book. I think you would have tons of fun making it and reliving all the fun!
PLUS... you could look at it and grin any time you wanted, not just while on the computer.

I'm grinning all over again just from the pictures I've seen!
What a great lookin' lot you all are!!!!:D

Great pictures, everyone! It looked like so much fun.

Aly, that was my favorite picture as well, hehe.


I hope Staci finds her luggage. :(

Quote:

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Originally posted by momoffuzzyfaces

If you don't scrapbook, you should. You could have a BBQ book. I think you would have tons of fun making it and reliving all the fun!
PLUS... you could look at it and grin any time you wanted, not just while on the computer.

---

Oh, that'd be SO much fun! I wish I had the money to do so because i'd love to make a scrapbook for them. It could be just like a yearbook and have a place for everyone to sign in the back. :p

Thank you so much for those pictures! They bring the day back for additional grins.

I took Randi to the airport early this morning...and went straight from there to a client meeting.

So much for "basking in the afterglow" of a great time!:rolleyes: :D

I'm just packing up the last of my belongings and Gini and Richard will be escorting me to the airport in about 10 minutes. Over and out. :( :( :(

I have landed in Wyandot County Ohio.

My luggage hasn't been so lucky yet.
It has been located. It just hasn't been located HERE!
ggrrr

When I asked Phred to send a purrayer up for me I think I forgot to mention my suitcase also!

What a weekend.
I cried most of the time at Burbank Airport.
Course I just about cried when I finally landed in Ohio b/c it had been such a long day. But several other passengers had me beat spending time in Atlanta.
The honeymoon is over -
tomorrow is back to work for me.

The planning began in late December.
For some days in July, some fun to remember.
Seven months of plotting, planning and thinking
For a special afternoon of feasting and some drinking-
--------------------------------

Gini's house is now very quiet
She's recovering from a seven day riot.
The last of the guests are on their way home.
Rascal, Emma and Annie are now alone..

In the house of Orange the walls stiill hold laughter
The smiles and stories will last long after-
The luggage and photos are put away,
But all of us will always share in that day...

One day where we all gathered, gathered as one
And took the time to have a little fun.
So the next time you stare into the west.
Take a minute to remember that you were a guest.

In person or cyber, that's not the point...
We all hung out, at Gini's joint.
Another wonderful day, It went by too fast.
But in our memories, that day, will surely last.

As time passes by and thing get you down
Your anxiety high, you face in a frown.
Remember the fun, the laughs and the tears
And start planning that trip, so you can be here next year.

:D

--------------------------------------

Tomorrow I'll have the pictures of the 'Mileage pole"..

------------------------------------------
Gini told me that the BBQ will offically be over when everyone gets safely home.

God?

Please hold everyone in your hands until they walk thru their front doors.

I guess I am a real fool....

Last year Gini ad I were cleaning up the last of the BBQ stuff.

There is a church near by and the hourly bells began to ring...I laughed and looked at Gini and said....It feels like school and now that the bell has rung, it (the BBQ) must be over....

Today as I was placing the chairs and tables into the back of my truck I told Gini that the bells would signal the end of this year's BBQ.

Gini went inside to do something and as I stood there the church bells began to ring......At that moment a huge Monarch butterfly
flew into the yard and made two huge circles of the area where all of us were sitting.....I stood there and listened to the chiming stop.....the butterfly finished the second lap of the yard and just as it flew out of my sight, the howl of a fire truck, in the distance, picked up the salute to the 3rd Annual CA BBQ.....

Serendipity?
Chance?
Coincidence?


I don't know!

:cool: ;) :D

:D Loved your poem and prayer, Richard. And for everyone who participated in the BBQ and made it such a success, thanks for sharing that with all of us. I really enjoyed it. :) Okay the rest of you guys, give up those pictures. ;)

RICHARD, I have goose bumps.

Quote:

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Originally posted by RICHARD

:D

Gini told me that the BBQ will offically be over when everyone gets safely home.

God?

Please hold everyone in your hands until they walk thru their front doors.

---

excellant posts Richard
the butterfly gave me goosebumps!!!


If Gini says that they bbq will be over when everyone is safe at home - what about my luggage? It aint over until my luggage makes it home!!!
The Inet says it is to be delivered - humph!!

Annnnnd Laurie Baker won't be home for a few days b/c she is visiting her brother - so we still have the after effects! :p

and Randi is somewhere over the Atlantic (assuming she made her connection in Chicago) and Karen (KK) is still on the wing....

I just had a phone call - Slick made it safely home to Canada! (thank you God!)

Yes, Richard is right, I did say that..........I won't be able to fully enjoy the memories of the BBQ until everyone is back home safe with their individual critters. Staci, assuming you have "critters" in your suitcase:D I know you will be reunited with them soon.

Richard told me about the church bells, the butterfly and the fire engine sirens.........I was in the house when this happened. So, I believe it was his own private sign - to mark the closing of an event I loved hosting for everyone.

There are a few stray paper napkins on the patio table and chairs are askew - just like everyone got up suddenly and came into the house.............yes, I think I can hear them laughing in the kitchen.

It is going to be a very lonely few next days..............

Gini, thanks for posting this. I'm so extremely exhausted that I can hardly see but just had to put this down for Richard.....

Chauncey, you can be very annoying.....but, honey, you know I love you!!!! :D :D ;) :) :) :eek:

glad you made it home slick


just checked my luggage


SUPPOSEDLY it is with the delivery company and will be here within in the next 12 hours...
pfft whatever!

I told Phred you don't realize you live out of your suitcase until you get home to unpack!!!
oh well I didn't have only but one load of laundry today then!!

Quote:

---

Originally posted by shais_mom
- so we still have the after effects! :p

---

oh well
I might as well say it b/c if I don't Richard will


the after glow

Alexa, Uabassoon's better half [;) ] here:

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone for the wonderful time I had at the picnic. Although Laura persuaded me to come only by bribing me with Disneyland, I had such a wonderful time at the bbq and was so thrilled to meet so many wonderful and kind people. And although I was expecting an event as exciting as the one Byron expected (full of slide shows), I was happily entertained and before I knew it, it was time to go home.

Anyway, I especially wanted to thank Gini and her crew (Richard, Laurie, Slick, etc) for opening of her home and provinding me with more than one free meal. :D

...back to reading Harry Potter...

Glad Slick made it home OK...but sad to see this all over. :(

This was a WONDERFUL distraction for me...now I'm back to the real world and my job situation is sinking in. :(

Yep, goosebumps here too, Richard.

Slick, glad you're home safe and sound. Hope Max and Speckles aren't giving you the cold shoulder. ;)

GREAT pictures Kelly! I knew somebody would take way better ones than I had.

Staci and others who were stuck with goofy flights. I've only got one thing to say - FLY DIRECT! ;) Ok, ok, so I know that's not entirely possible for everyone, but it sure makes things a lot easier and less stressful when you don't have to worry about connecting flights and such. To me it's worth a little bit more money.

Hope Randi's flight went ok. We were having some pretty bad thunderstorms in Chicago yesterday, so I hope she wasn't delayed.....again....

What happened with the tatoo Staci? Was that done at the "naw-tee" shop that Kelly posted a picture of? ;)

Connie, sorry. I knew I knew your name but I couldn't remember it for the life of me when I was posting. Sad thing is the mind is the first to go....:rolleyes: You are more than welcome to use that beach scene on your computer. Had I known you were such a beach lover, I could have taken tons of pictures for you. Hmmm....gives me an excuse to go back.....;)

Alexa, I know we didn't get much of a chance to talk, but it was great meeting you and Laura. I find it interesting that you had the typical "spousal view" of what this BBQ was going to be, and you were right along with the other spouses when you were pleasantly surprised by the good time you had. :) ;) :cool:

Well....back to the daily grind for me. Needless to say my boss has been on a rampage all week. I'd like to know who he rants and raves to while I'm gone......:rolleyes:

Well, that does it! Next year I am definitely going to have slides! Too many people were soooo disappointed like Byron and Alexa:D :D

Quote:

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Originally posted by gini
Well, that does it! Next year I am definitely going to have slides! Too many people were soooo disappointed like Byron and Alexa:D :D

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You know, Gini, I have a program that can easily make a slide show out of pictures. We could have everyone submit photos to me and I could make one big slideshow that loops continuously while the BBQ is going on. I could make them show up in random order so we'd all have to sit glued to the screen so we'd be sure to be there when our precious critter showed up. Hmmm....then we could rent a big screen TV and have the computer hooked up to it so we all wouldn't have to crowd around a small computer screen....we could arrange chairs around the TV like a theater......then we could rent one of those little popcorn machines on wheels so we could serve popcorn....which of course would make us all drink more slushies.....

;) :D

Quote:

---

Originally posted by NoahsMommy

After that, we did an experiment: "What happens when you microwave a Peep?"

1) Put Peep on a plastic plate and place in microwave for 30 seconds:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

2) Peep enlarges:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

3) And enlarges:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...15109BYt2Llq2I

4) And begins to deflate:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

5) And then, it dies when fully deflated:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/4...16109BYt2Llq2I

Poor Peep!!

---

Uh, Oh!!! You may be hearing from the SPCP (Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Peeps) about this!!!;) :D

I just thought of something.....

There is a saying and I THINK it came from a TV show- It really fit
this year's BBQ and should be adopted as the Ofiicial Pet Talk Motto..

More fun than humans should be allowed to have.

--------------------------------------------------

More shout outs???


Thanks to every who called and everyone who used THEIR cell phones to connect us across the miles.

I envision PT gatherings as giant fairs one day...

Food, entertainment, an area for phone calls, photo booths
rides and petting zoos.:eek:

Poor GINI!!
---------------------------------------------

Laura and Alexa..

IT was fun to meet you!
Next year Laura drives?

Stacey.
I panicked...I thought that Kylie may have lost her picture!!
Did she like it.??

KAK,
Again you are a trouble maker...that is not catnip in those gifts!

Amberlee,
You and KAK came in together so you are to blame also......Edward freaked out with that stuff.

For some reason Richard's mention of Edward made me remember this.

Sara's Eddie's full name is Eduardo. So one night we're all out to dinner and what is the bus person's name? Yep - Eduardo. Didn't look a bit like Eddie though....;)

LOLOLOLOL,

I forgot this until I read Zippy's post in the "What is a Pet Talker" thread..


I think that Gini's kitchen truly let out a sigh of relief when we all left.


Slick made some chili and gave me a taste....that taste was followed by a little bowl to savor her recipe......

I ate a spoonful, then another and hit the bottom of the dish...

I used the spoon to make a circuit of the bottom of the bowl and out comes a pink pinkie finger.

Yep,

There was a finger in my chili!!

Of course, I can't sue Gini.....And I don't know Canadian law...

So I gave Slick the finger.....


back!!!

:D

Sorry to interrupt your friendly chitchat - mean no harm! ;)

This is just to say that Randi arrived safely in Copenhagen around 15.30 danish time! :) :) She'll most likely do some posting tomorrow and she promises to put her photos on PT asap - but right now she is veeery tired! Fister is due in a few moments and I know she's looking very much forward to getting him back home! :)

And as for me... I'm just glad to have my friend back and I'm really looking forward to hear some more about everything. Although I must confess that I too have been lurking at the BBQ thread...! Thanks for sharing all those great pictures! I too did some purr-ing over the ones with the firebrigade.... mm!:D :D

Love,
Sus

And I had a note from Karen (KK) that she too has arrived home safely....

I'm happy to hear that everyone has arrived safely! :) Thanks for the updates. Randi, it was a pleasure to meet you, and KK (Karen) it was a pleasure to meet you too!

**hugs**

Quote:

---

Originally posted by Sus
Sorry to interrupt your friendly chitchat - mean no harm! ;)

This is just to say that Randi arrived safely in Copenhagen around 15.30 danish time! :) :) She'll most likely do some posting tomorrow and she promises to put her photos on PT asap - but right now she is veeery tired! Fister is due in a few moments and I know she's looking very much forward to getting him back home! :)

And as for me... I'm just glad to have my friend back and I'm really looking forward to hear some more about everything. Although I must confess that I too have been lurking at the BBQ thread...! Thanks for sharing all those great pictures! I too did some purr-ing over the ones with the firebrigade.... mm!:D :D

Love,
Sus

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You can interrupt our chitchat anytime for that sort of good news!

Please feel free to just jump right in whenever you want. No need to lurk but you are welcome to!
:)

Sara, glad to hear Karen is home safe too!:)