WYnative, I have you down as received on 12/20/05. If you read back thru the posts, you'll find your post. If I am not mistaken, everyone has received their package!!! If someone hasn't please let me know ASAP and we'll get one out to you :-) Ok, here is the list of who sent to who: Hummingbirddaisy sending to GardenFeverGirl sending to Cassiet sending to Gardeningmomof3 sending to Rosebud 2050 sending to Dancingmoons sending to FLYONAWALL sending to FAINTHEART sending to SWEETKITTEN51 sending to WYnative sending to SNBOYKEN sending to DEBBYA sending to MOMCAT sending to BOJO96 sending to AMYBABYBOY3 sending to GARDENHITS sending to DJM906 sending to Hummingbirddaisy WYnative, when you get everything straightened out, please let us know who you got your secret package from!!! I want to thank all you lovely ladies for joining in on my Secret Santa RR. This is by far the FUNNEST swap I have ever been in, and it is all because of you all. FLY and Faint are hilarious! You all are caring, wonderful women and I am very proud to have met all of you and had you in my swap. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Big Hug's to each of you Tina

Isn't that poem perfect for the theme of this swap? I too received that card from Chelsie and was very pleased to hear from her! Thanks, Chelsie! Well, I've checked and everyone who signed up to send cards this month have done so. I want to thank each and every one of you for taking time out of your busy lives to participate in this swap. And thanks again for sending the extra, last minute cards! I love this swap and you all helped make it very special for me. Many, many thanks! And I was so glad to hear from our other members too! Nice to catch up with everyone! Please remember, everyone, if you can't join in on any of the swaps, we would love to have you stop by and visit with us. Cards were sent to ALL members of FOTESS, but there are some who haven't responded yet. To those who haven't posted, please let us know if you received Winter Solstice cards, okay? Posting on this swap site will be fine. Jeanne has posted the January FOTESS swap and it sounds like it is going to be FUN!! She always has the best ideas! Check it out and join in! To close this swap, I want to wish all our members a peace-filled New Year, and remember, the Winter Solstice Season lasts for a few months, make the most of it! Shirley! PS - one Winter Solstice Season activity I totally forgot to mention was: feeding the birds. I'll leave you with one last WSS pic.

Hi Nanj, nice to meet you - small world indeed! Yes, we'd love to hear who you're working with, so please send me a message. I noticed in another comment you're from Indiana... I'm also a fellow Hoosier and grew up in South Bend and West Lafayette. Attached is a picture from the site. We will still have to remove a good amount of trees in the back to clear out the view, but there will be plenty of time for that. It's not the most breathtaking view, but we feel so lucky that we found anything like this for under 10k an acre... you've probably noticed that the market for land is absolutely on fire. We're really looking forward to starting the build, but I'll admit it's rather overwhelming. Oh, yeah, and last year when we were hunting for land, we had the same realization about our esteemed forum member, Mushcreek. High-res image: https://flic.kr/p/25UxEeu

Our next port of call is Lahaina on the island of Maui. Arrival was at 8:00 and we were due to sail away at 6:00. Lahaina does not have a pier for cruise ships, the ships tenders are used to shuttle passengers back and forth. There were many people on our ship who used walkers and those folks managed to get ashore without too much of a problem. However, those in battery operated scooters just would not be able to make it. Rather than just turn loose all those who want to go ashore, there are tickets given out shortly after dropping anchor. The numbers on those tickets will determine when you go ashore. They also are working with passengers who have paid the ship for an official excursion (tour) and those get priority. Once again we rented a car. I headed for the small town of Makawao using as many side roads as possible. We went to Maui Hands, where we, once again, spent money. We ventured into a couple of other stores that offered art from local folks. Then, again, using side roads, we headed to the famed Hana Highway. We did not go to Hana, but aimed back toward the small town of Paia, where we went to the Maui Crafts Guild store. More local art. Lunch was at Thai Spice there in town. However, if you ever get to Paia, you must consider the Paia Fish Market restaurant! Communal dining with fresh, fresh fish! We took our time driving back to Lahaina to return the car. Free shuttle back to the ship was convenient. If you are ever on Maui, consider going to their aquarium, the Maui Ocean Center. A great place with two restaurants. Also on Maui is the shield volcano, Haleakala, a long drive away, but wonderful views and some good hiking to the top. That is a US National Park and some folks like to get there for sunrise (reservations recommended for that). There are some great stores in Lahaina, so if shopping is your thing, spend your money there. Back on the ship, Adagio performed in the Explorers Lounge (always called Adagio with different violist/pianist). The Ocean Quarter had the evening off, but Johnny held forth in the piano bar. The Lion King was shown a couple of times in the theater. In the Mainstage, Hyperion Knight (billed as a virtuoso pianist) had shows at 7:30 and 9:30. Since there was no live music in the Ocean Bar, at 8:30 and fun time was with Majority Rules Game, what a blast that one is. There were promotions throughout the ship for Rudi’s Sel de Mer dinner. Very French, with a menu of mostly fresh fish, inspired by Master Chef Rudi Sodamin. This is in the Pinnacle Grill and there is a $49 charge for this special event. Reservations required.