Happy Birthday Bar Bar Bar Bar Barbara Ann

HAPPY BIRHTDAY BARBARA, Have a lovely day

Don't know if you're still in France Alma but hope you had a lovely Wedding Anniversary and the sun eventually did shine.

Thanks for the Happy Birthday messages Yvonne, Sue, Jacky, Carole and Muddy.

Hi Muddy, does your mom go by Barbara? I have a few nicknames, but I usually go by Barbara.

My 26 year-old daughter tweeted me a while back and asked, "Why does everyone on twitter call you Babs?", my answer because they aren't going to call me mom. LOL
She didn't know Babs was one of my nicknames as well as Barb and Barbie (I only let my grandfather use that, I would have said no way to anyone else who tried).

My mom's name was Imogene, with no middle name.....but she hated it for some reason and never used anything but Jean.
Her birthday is today as well, she would be 82, if she were alive.....she died when she was only 34, I was 11.
So my Birthday always has a bit of a sad element to it, for me and for my sisters.

Thanks Joyce and Wendy for the Birthday wishes.

As I mentioned earlier we had dinner last night and I got some Chase time at dinner...luckily as it turned out. Took a few pictures of the two of us and will have to find those later. I have a new phone and I am just getting used to everything and getting my email and twitter all set up.

Anyway, Chase was great during dinner but we headed back to my son and DIL's house so he could nurse and go to bed before he lost it.

We had taken 2 cars and I was riding with my SILs and my son.
When we were about half-way to their house we got a text telling us that the parking valet had lost the keys to my son's car, they didn't have a spare with them.

So with lots of back and forth about how to get Chase home and how to get a spare key....luckily my DILs parent's have a carseat for Chase and spare key to their house. Unfortunatley they had to interrupt their dinner out to pick up Chase and my DIL and take then home.

When they arrived home, about an hour after we had left the restaurant...Chase had totally lost his cool and was soaking wet from crying and sweating.

No more cuddle time to be had, he needed to eat and go to sleep which was accomplished while I drove their 2nd set of keys back to my son and daughter.

When we all finally got back to the house, it was a short celebration of cake etc. My DIL was a wreak from the whole experience.

They are hoping that the keys show up today, but who knows if they ever will.

I have no plans for today though, think it's going to be a quiet birthday.

Thanks Ali and Alma for the Birthday wishes...think it's going to be a quiet one. Maybe I should stay in my PJs all day and watch movies online???

It is my birthday here too Alma, its 11:30 AM right now....it is NOT by Birthday in Australia.

I hope you are having a wonderful Anniversary weekend and the weather has improved.

It is beautiful here, blue sky, the sun is shining....63F right now, going to 73F this afternoon. Nearly perfect......could be a little warmer....my Cuban best friend would think it's much too cool and is probably under a pile of blankets right now.

Thanks Jude/Too/Rumplestiltskin/John

I do love the Beach Boys. You know there are a few crazy people who always say hello to me with a few bars of that song.....assuming that's what you were singing there.


Thanks Moira. I think it is going to be a quiet one, but there is leftover chocolate cake to be enjoyed. My daughter made the cake, very yummy.

No people wouldn't dare call her babs haha some of my friends used to call her barbar when we were kids tho

Happy Birthday Barbara!

Hope you're having a lovely day x x

plenty going on on twitter but very slow on here

First of all HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fabulous friend across the ocean (who was in my heart last night) Hope you are having a veryyyyyyy special day. Love you heaps xxx

I don't even know where to begin as I'm sure you all already know most of what happened this weekend. But I really had the best, best, BEST time with everyone from the thread (I was going to name everyone but I know I would accidentally miss someone) and those who knew OF us (our reputation preceded us – spesh me and Flakes) were flippin' lovely!!

I was so so so worried that people would hate us or be mean but everyone who talked to us was so warm and welcoming – even when they realised who we were Paranoia struck the night before as I was packing .. that I wouldn't be what anyone expected and I'm not sure if I am or not but I was stressing as so many things were going wrong the night before. First of all my printing palaver of my ticket which took me over 45 minutes to print off (as the printer was playing up) and the small ticket came out A4 size! Then it took me over an hour to track down my camera charger which was eventually located in my sister's bedroom – grrrrrrrr!But the biggest GRRRRR was ruining my pretty outfit that I had bought especially for the night and been so looking forward to wearing. I spilt silver nail varnish right over it

Friday night I had a small attack of the nerves but I was much more excited to meet people (finally in person) that I have spoken to for SOOOOOOOO long! Sarah (@smoody20 on twitter) picked me up at 10.30am and we chatted away like we'd known each other for years – she only lives 20 minutes away from me so I'm sure I'll be seeing her quite regularly now. It only took us about 1 and a half hours to get there so it was a quick and chatty journey. We even missed out exit because the big black cloud hovering over Bristol opened and the heavens opened.. so we couldn't see the road signs clearly.. thankfully we were able to turn around in a couple of miles. Then the sunshine came back – I swear we had 3 seasons all within 3 minutes (and 4 including the sleet/snow/torrential rain and wind on the way back today!)

Sarah and I checked into the Almondsbury hotel (pretty much right next to the Social club where the party was) and unloaded all our luggage into our room.. I barely spent any time in that room and didn't even have a sleep in that bed!!! (more of that later) So I paid (well.. I haven't given Sarah the money yet as we are sorting that out later) to chat all night in the hotel lounge (to be continued soon) by this point we were starting to get hungry and I had arranged to meet up with our ladies for lunch. So I phoned Phil to see where she was and then Flakes .. it was only after I had chatted to her on the phone, I hung up and thought SHE'S YOUNG!!!! Pretty much everyone who met Flakes all presumed she was a much older woman when she's only 24!! (sorry, if I'm saying too much Flakes!!) I didn't think you were ANCIENT or had lived when dinosaurs roamed the Earth or anything like that but because of the typo in your DM.. where it added the -n to 'so' I thought Flakes had a son as she had asked me if it was me in my twitter profile pic or one of my kids!!!

Next door to the hotel there is a pub called The Swan (which freaked me out after my traumatic encounter as a 3 year old!!) where a big group of us went for drinks and lunch. I ended up being there about 5 hours but that is mainly because it took over 2 hours to get my meal (which was only a chicken mayo sarny and chips.. and came burnt I might add!!) Pumpkin/Kirsty was ready to fire at one of the worker's as we had ordered at the same time and so many people that ordered their lunch after us got their food to them farrrrr quicker! I started off sat with a large group but there wasn't enough room to seat everyone at the table and I wanted to sit with our threadlets as they hadn't met us in The Swan yet..Lots of people seemed to know who I was which is strange that people know about you and then they have to give you their twitter name.. and then it finally registers who they are too! A number of the group were all very complimentary of my blog which floored me as I had been fully anticipated being raked over the coals.. but everyone I met really was so kind!

It was so lovely each time one of our threadmates walked through the door as it put me more and more at ease and it was instantly like we'd known each other forever!! All greeted each other with huge hugs (spesh Jan and Phil) – Phil was hilarious as she gave me a massive cuddle and then asked 'Where's Cheeky?' not realising she had only just cuddled me!!! Love my Phillypops I don't know where the time went sat in there nattering away and waiting and waiting and waiting for our food! Sometimes it did feel like we were excluding ourselves slightly because there wasn't enough space at the main table so we sat at the table behind at the window and all squeezed round! Claire (Hairy) is the cutest little thing and her gorgeous Geordie accent makes me want to gobble her up! Wendy woo woo is just wonderful as everyone would imagine. I have decided that our Vicky's are just misunderstood but they are so funny and refreshingly honest. Dolly is a Scottish sweetie and I hope I didn't make you feel too tall! Phil and Jan are totally the way I expected them to be and just lovely in every way. Kirsty is feistier than I would have believed and I LOVED THAT and again it is like I'd known her my entire life! And my Flakes.. meh!! She's alright … for a deluded weirdo I s'pose Nah, she's my pretty partner in crime and we laughed so hard and talked about EVERYTHINGGGGG under the sun.

I did feel for the poor bloke taking our orders and serving our food when it finalllllllly was ready as it was his first day and they are clearly not used to having so many people come in at once. I think there were around 30 of us that all rocked up for lunch there and we later realised that the chef walked out as he couldn't cope with the demands of making lunch for so many ladies And I would have probably done the same! The guy who brought out my burnt sandwich after the eternal wait was so apologetic and I think he just couldn't wait for his first ever shift .. from HELL to be finished!! We did spend a long time in the pub together before people began leaving to have a nap or get ready for the party. When it was time for Wendy to love and leave us that was sad as it felt like she'd only just arrived.. wish she could have stayed for the whole event!

Me, Flakes, Welshy, Deana (and I know I'm forgetting a few others here, forgive me!) stayed til about 6.15ish chatting away before we figured we should probably go get ready for the party. MORE IN A COUPLE OF HOURS as I'm exhausted!! :sleep:

Had a cracking night and day meeting up with people on here, Got to say Shezha and Den put a lot of effort in to it. Well done them. No nastiness. Fun.
Some people need to get over the spitefulness of it all and go and enjoy their own party in Edinburgh where I hope they have an equally good time.
Report later.

so glad you both had such a great time

What a shame that spoiled your night out. Another tale to tell Chase when he's older, and you can look back and laugh. Hope the valets offer to pay for a new set of car keys if they don't turn up.

Can't wait!!


More explaination needed - will accept dm/pm if necessary

Nooo I will do a proper thing later, just sad to see the saddo lurkers taking information from here to take mick out of a good night.

well if there are dm and pms dont for get me

and me too

dont think there are gussie posted again while i was typeing my post look above

Cheeky and Pauline thanks for your posts and I am so happy you all found that the people who post were just as special in the flesh as you had imagined everyone is sounding much as I imagined and next time I promise I will try and work things out medically to allow me to come and see for myself x

Your friendship is worth having be assured x

Okay then I will start.
Set off and managed to get the train, so 1 up on Hbear straight away. Figured out I would join Vixx's train at Birmingham so completed the journey with her. Got to Bristol Parkway and waited to meet Snowy who had managed to miss a train and get off at the wrong stop. (Note Vixx and I did not do this!!!) Anyway, Snowy turned up looking absolutly gorgeous , fresh faced and smiley. And YOUNG. Who'd have thought that eh? We decided to got to the pub straight away to meet the gang in the pub,start as you mean to go on.
We walked in and it was lush to see the JJJAt gang. Everyone felt like old friends and hugs were given out in a devil may care attitude. It was lovely.
Cheeky is the tiniest cutest sweetest thing everrrrrrrrrrrr, with loads of energy. Her and Snowy hit it off straight away and I am not sure if they paused for breath. Dolly was legs eleven and GORGEOUS, and hilarious too. Wends Yay was there and was just as I imagined soft voiced and lovely. Phil and Kirsty were lovely and sweet. My fellow Geordie Claire was amazingly slim and shy but just what I imagined, a great girl.Lyn, Deanna and Marion were sat separately but were quietly chatting in the corner.
I had a scary moment or two. One was when jan asked if I was the cat or the Fox and I said I was the Cat, she kinda went Ohhhhhhhhhhhh. ( Am I that bad?) The other was when someone asked my threadname and i panicked and replied Vicki, I was going to say Carole to protect myself. I did hear others asking thread names but I kept a low profile.
Everyone was graet and chatting away. Wendy claims Vixx and I are quiet. We did tell you we were. I think its more that we are quietly witty rather than flamboyantly wild.
Drank copious amounts and was feeling well oiled when Dolly, Vixx and I decided to head to our hotel, which I assure the girls was only 2/3 minutes walk away. Slight miscalculation. It turned out to be one of the funniest half hours ever as I ( god knows why I was in charge) ked the girls along a dual carriageway , under the M5, and over motorway slip roads to our hotel. At one point jumping barriers was considered, however we were limited by the fact we were all trailing suitcases. I had to stop several times as the laughter got too much and wee was imminent! Nevertheless I got the girls safely to the hotel, where we now only had 45 minutes to get dressed.
More later

Happy Birthday Barbara, our special texan lady...xxxxx






lots of love
kala and also majella xxxx

be back soon, im away to watch a film and chill with the hubby awww xxxxx
kala

It sounds a hoot and I am glad snowy kept schum nice to have a few surprises there will be no surprises when you meet me I am as you have seen .
I am glad the thread were welcomed and you all had such fun I am kinda proud of you lot you deffo know how to party, probably Ben realised were the party was at as well lol he certainly homed in to your table .