Stores that carry "FIRE" season clothing

Look see what I found in the laundry! 2 short-sleeves Chicos Travelers tops and a Kohls Apt. 9 3/4-sleeve burnout top. Yep, if I order the tank Anita mentioned, I've got tops covered, because I remembered that I also have a short-sleeve cashmere T in alpaca heather color stored away with my winter clothes. I may try to find a pair of jeans or a skirt in this greige color. I'd really like to have two bottoms so that should finish off my greige capsule.

I stopped by Ulta on lunch break today. Svelte Suede is EXACTLY my greige color. No joke everyone--look for taupe, alpaca and mushroom if you want this color. There's no telling what color they are calling our elusive greige. WOW!

Debbie, that CND Vinylux Svelte Suede nail polish would go perfectly with that capsule of clothes. Melody

Hi All! Just taking a few to check in with you..so sorry I've missed so much....really miss ya'll...

Mom is doing ok, Dad is ok at the moment...work is work.. life is life.

DH took me away from everything last week. I didn't want to go, but I had a wonderful relaxing week in Ocean City, MD. enjoying Sunfest! I love just sitting and watching the waves and people there and that's pretty much what I did as I tried to keep my mind off all the craziness back here.

Hopefully within the next few weeks, I will get some time to go through all the pages I've missed and get caught up with everyone.. In the meantime to all who have trips planned- Have a wonderful time!

Miss you all! And don't forget me :p Hugs

Aww, Linda! We could never forget you. I just wish you had better news. Please allow your DH to take you away for time to recuperate as often as you can. Your health will suffer even more if you don't. You need to be good to yourself also. Please check back as often as you can. I'll be thinking of you and praying for peace, my friend.

Hugs to you Linda! We would never forget you! Glad you checked in. I'll agree with Debbie...praying for you.

Because I have a 4-day trip and a 5-day trip planned during the next couple of weeks, I've been seriously considering what bottoms to wear. The first and last days are basically travel days because we are "on vacation" when we leave the driveway and we mosey to our destination with lots of stops along the way. My second trip is an old-folks bus trip, as my kids like to say, so again, lots of sitting. The EARTH gals are discussing yoga pants and because I keep buying those things and leave them hanging in my closet, I finally understand that I'm a jeans kind of girl. I need jeans that are short enough to not puddle on the public restroom floors but have the same give that yoga pants have. Who wants to be cut off at the middle sitting in a vehicle for hours on end? Not this old gal. I recently bought Levis and discovered that they were 100% cotton. They look good. They make me look good. I can't sit in them for more than 15 minutes at a time. Time to look through my old jeans and see why. Ding. Ding. Ding. My favorite Levis aren't 100% cotton! So, here's what I'm taking on both trips to the mountains.

http://www.walmart.com/ip/21142911

The pair I'm wearing today are a 80% cotton, 18% polyester, 2% spandex blend. They come in short (I'm 5'6" but have short legs), average and long. They come in at least two different denim colors and black in the store. I will agree with the online reviews though. Don't take the tags off until you try them on. The fit and length can vary. A lot. After running them through the wash last night, one is 1-1/2 inches longer than the other. Not a biggie for me. I wear skinnies with boots from now til March, so what doesn't show doesn't matter. I've worn them for casual Friday today and have been sitting for a couple of hours. They are comfortable.

Ooo...this is timely. I need some jeans, but was dreading the search...these are budget friendly. I'll start my search with these and just hope they work for me too. Thanks!

Hi Linda,

No, you're not forgotten! Glad to hear from you. As the others, I will keep you and your family in my prayers :)

Hi, everyone! One trip down and one waiting in the wings. We leave Thursday noon for the old-folks bus trip through WV. We saw a little color, but a lot of the leaves we saw were brown. Temps were mid 70s/mid 50s. Weather predictions for the upcoming trip is mid 50s/mid 30s! Wow! What a difference. I'll report back next week on both trips.

Work is piled around my ears, so I'm off to deal with mounds of paperwork. --Debbie

Hi, everyone! One trip down and one waiting in the wings. We leave Thursday noon for the old-folks bus trip through WV. We saw a little color, but a lot of the leaves we saw were brown. Temps were mid 70s/mid 50s. Weather predictions for the upcoming trip is mid 50s/mid 30s! Wow! What a difference. I'll report back next week on both trips.

 

Work is piled around my ears, so I'm off to deal with mounds of paperwork. --Debbie

Have a great trip, Debbie! Can't wait to hear all about both trips :) Safe travels.

Well, ladies, Anita tells me that I'm going to disappoint all of you... but I just didn't take any good pictures on this last cruise.

I was fighting all sorts of things: the weather; as in, it was so HOT and HUMID that my hair literally took on a life of its own... as well as the wind, which was blowing kind of like that song about the wind Mariah blowing the stars around and sending the clouds a-flyin'... and, apparently, when I'm really hot and humid and fighting the wind, I have to talk about it... because just about every picture has my tongue a-waggin'.

So... no pictodiary.

My DH was looking at our pictures and said that there's not a single picture of him that he wants to keep. I think it was a problem for both of us!

I know that there are many cruisers who go through the Panama Canal multiple times. It's just not a part of the world that I feel like re-visiting. I'm glad that we went and that I have an idea of Central America's people, culture, and geography. There are, simply, other parts of the world that have much more travel appeal... for me.

Holidays are coming! Yeah. We have one cruise in February to the Caribbean that we're looking forward to because we'll be onboard with friends. Then, we have the big, splashy cruise to Italy in late April/May, 2016. I'm hoping that my hair frizzies will be calmed down by then and I'll be able to take some decent pictures.

Oh, no pictures! I'd love to see some pictures no matter what your hair is doing, but I understand. I can relate too about not wanting to necessarily go back to a particular port or area. I have often talked about different itineraries with my husband and he has no interest at all in visiting the Panama Canal.

We have talked about Alaska many times but I often get spooked by the cold. For example, it was in the low 40s today and I was complaining a bit as we were putting things in the car at Home Depot. Then I turned to my husband and said "do we really want to go to Alaska?"

It sounds like you have a lot of fun cruises to look forward to.

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Pam, I am already planning ahead for the humidity in the PC. One of the reasons I still like having longish hair is that I have a few ways of putting it up when the humidity strikes and I start to look like Cher. :)

I am excited to see the canal itself, but it was a bit of a struggle to find an itinerary that we would otherwise enjoy. I am excited to be going to Costa Rica again, otherwise I don't know that we would be doing a PC cruise right now.

Kim, Kim, Kim, I hope you're around... I need some Africa help.

I don't think I can be as hands on as you with planning, so I've been looking at some tour companies that friends have recommended. I won't get DH to Africa unless it's going to be comfy for him, so we are kind of wedded to their itineraries and lodges. This one includes two nights at one of the fancy places at Ngoro where he can take a long shower and nap in a regular big bed.

This is the one I'm most interested in so far. The best time for us schedule-wise is to visit in early September, unless I quit my job, which I don't really want to do. Can you think of any drawbacks to going at that time? We are not 100% wedded to seeing the great migration, though if we caught the tail end of it (lol) I wouldn't mind at all.

I had originally thought of spending time in Kenya as well, but I'm not sure what that would add to the experience. Am also considering coming in early to see Victoria Falls, but I don't know how hard that would be or how much it would add to the cost. Far the most part we are not as concerned with checking off a list of animals as we are in having an interesting and enlightening time. It includes Olduvai Gorge which I am excited about.

Days 1-2

Depart North America / Arrive Arusha, Tanzania

Arrive into Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO). Your guide will meet you at the airport and escort you to tonight’s lodge in Arusha.

Days 3-4

Eastern Serengeti Nature Refuge

A short, scenic flight will take you to a private nature refuge in the eastern Serengeti.

Days 5-8

Serengeti National Park

Days 9-11

Ngorongoro Highlands & Crater

Highlights of your time in the Highlands include a full day of wildlife viewing on the Ngorongoro Crater floor, and a visit to Lake Manyara National Park (famous for its tree-climbing lions.

Days 12-13

Tarangire National Park

Head off for Tarangire National Park, a stunning landscape where ancient baobab trees tower over some of the largest herds of elephants in all of Africa.

Days 14-15

Tarangire National Park to Arusha / Return to North America

Drive to Arusha, where you’ll enjoy a farewell lunch at River House, a community-based nonprofit organization.

I've also read raves about Selous, and on the flip side comments that it's not all it's cracked up to be, so don't know if it is one to consider or not. There is hunting allowed there which I'm not happy about.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can give me.

Hi Margaret,

I would be glad to share what I know of Africa :) We have done both the "northern circuit" and the "southern circuit". Both very different but both magnificent!

As far as luxury safaris go, there are many that can do that. You do have to be careful that some companies will not give you a great itinerary based on time of year BUT based on what camps they own.

Another thing to be aware of is where you need to be for the time of year you're going to be there. In September the migration will be north in Tanzania and even the Mara River area in Kenya.

In September you want to be in the Northern part of Tanzania and Tarangire! The southern circuit of Ruaha and the Selous are also great in September! That is considered the dry season in both areas. Good for both weather and the grass is short and easier to see the animals.

The north is sometimes better for a first safari due to the sheer number of animals that are fairly easily seen.

The south is (for us at least) the "real" Africa. You could do a fly in/out safari in the south. In other words fly into Ruaha and then fly over to the Selous.

Both the south and north have luxury lodgings in good locations.

That brings up different countries. It is time consuming to go to different countries in a 2 week trip. It looks easy on paper but can waste precious time doing border crossings, etc.

Vic Falls is a looong way away from the Tanzania and/or Kenya safari areas! Not really doable with a northern safari in Tanzania. The inter-country flights to Vic Falls are expensive and very time consuming too.

I can give you some luxury companies that have good reputations and probably much better prices. Most companies in the U.S. subcontract to a local Tanzanian company anyway, so save the money on the middle man;)

If you want to talk more, we can go to private emails.

Africa sounds so exotic! Besides cruising, I think I am most attracted to certain U.S. treasures. We went to the Grand Canyon a few years back and it was amazing. I've seen Niagara Falls a few times because it is very acessible for me. At 50, I know that I will be able to travel abut twice a year. And no more than a week at a time. I will be able to take longer trips once I'm retired. Africa would be quite a thrill.

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I agree, Laurie. I enjoy cruising because it is so easy and relatively cheap for the time away from home. Other that cruising, I have several places in the U.S. that I'd like to see and some that I'd like to see again. Africa seems very exotic to me too.

I've been fortunate to have spent time in all 50 states (some id like to spend much more time in & others I don't care if I ever see again [emoji6]). We enjoy traveling (even if DH doesn't like to fly). We've lived in the Far East, don't need to go back. Europe is next

The Smithsonian Channel has a show called Aerial America. We've been using the DVR to tape all the episodes. We ar thinking it is a good way to see where we want to visit. The Travel Channel used to have a lot of ,good shows to grab your interest about different countries but not lately. I'd love to know about the different places you all have been to.

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Hi Ladies.

First of all, let me state that I love sharing my travels with all of you. And I've loved sharing all of our pictures, etc. But, every once in a while, I get an uncomfortable feeling about some of the pictures that I've posted here.

To that end, I just did a quick google search to find out what (if anything) various search phrases would bring up in Google Images. To my utter dismay, way too many of my pictures can be viewed, actually quite easily and with no real imagination to some of the phrases that I used.

So I've determined that I'm going to empty out my photo bucket account. And I think that, in the future, any pictures that I share will only be here for a few days. At least the ones that are of a more personal nature. I'm sorry, but I'm just a more private person than the activity that I've indulged in here.

I hope this doesn't upset anyone. I'm not trying to be anti-social! This is just by way of an explanation and, also, to highlight this situation for all of you. I don't even know why I thought that this message board was more private and not searched by google engines. In hindsight, I should have know better...

Hi Pam! It's good to hear from you.

I've never really given much thought to what comes up on Google, until you mentioned it. I tried various searches of myself, but most things that came up seemed to need a lot of info you would be getting from being a member of CC, and then you can see all that on these threads. I'm going to keep an eye on this.

So how is everyone over here? I'm looking at a possible cruise in February. We are booked on Allure in June, but I was hoping we could sneak something in during the winter. I found a cruise that seems perfect - Brilliance out of Tampa to Cozumel land Grand Cayman. However, we have been saving to put new siding on our home, and just got an estimate. Ouch! We are still undecided about a cruise as a result. Some things are much more expensive than what I think they will be.

What kind of plans does everyone have for Thanksgiving?

Hi FIRE gals,

Just wanted to say happy Thanksgiving to all :)

Has anyone seen a really good FIRE brown nail polish? I would love to find one soon.

Happy Thanksgiving Fire ladies 🦃🦃🦃

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my FIRE sisters. See ya'll in the new year.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my FIRE sisters. See ya'll in the new year.

I echo Debbie's sentiments to all! Good health, happiness and safe travels :)