Paul's Corner

Wow! Great website! What I admire most about it is your authenticity...your willingness to be real. That is a rare quality anywhere, but especially so on a celebrity website. Thanks for your honesty and openness. It's a breath of fresh air! :-) Keep it up! God bless!

it´s the spanish girl who admires you.Just to say it´s great that such a big artist like you writes so many messages to your fans.you are honest and admirable.i´m right now working in a musical in spain(now in Madrid)and i wish my biggest celebrity(you)could be there for watching it!(lucky people are those you are going to see in florida in the auditorium)...
It´s wonderful experiencing the art.you get so many good feelings...it gets you full of happiness!.Enjoy the show there in florida,Paul!.
kisses,
Isabel

Dearest Paul,

I accept your "chookas" with thanks!

It is early in the Monday a.m., but soon we'll be heading to the Theatre for our first performance, with our PC darlings front row and center!

This performance is just for out of towners only, and I intend to introduce my chickies proudly...one can't be more out of town than Ireland, Holland, California, Minnesota, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania!

(On Tuesday and Wednesday nights, the performances are ticketed.)

One of my friends, a cast member, wants to start writing to the Corner also! Everyone met her last night...she's a singer, a pianist, and sewed a lot of the costumes.

She enjoyed talking to the group, and was quite impressed with the story of how Paul's Corner was first conceived, and has thrived because of your input and ability to reach out to others in your own special way!

The evening in our home was incredible! After dinner, I was presented with a card, signed by everyone, informing me that I was soon to receive a DIRECTOR'S CHAIR as a gift. It is due anytime, and the idea is so special, I can't wait!

Evelyn, Monika, Koen, and Linda will be
leaving right after the show at noon today, boo hoo!

Mary, Diane, Michelle, Inn, and Cheryl will be staying until Tuesday. Like Scarlett O'Hara said, "I'll think about that tomorrow!"

More later!

Shalom and Love,

Gran Mil

Countdown to the show is on :-) can't wait, getting anxiously excited!!! And dearest Grandma, I'll go with the "chookas to you and the cast" as well since I don't really like the "break a leg" wish, seems very strange.

Okay, there will be pictures and perhaps even some movie clips from our different activities and the show...unless I mess this up, never done anything like this.

Grandma, I won't think about the having to leave right after the show part either and put that off to some other time. I don't want to leave!!! but I guess life has to assume it's normal path eventually.

Oh, and Paul, you don't have to float up in the auditorium, you can come down and hang out with us! We don't bite, in case you are worried about it.

Love to all!
Evelyn

Countdown to the show is on :-) can't wait, getting anxiously excited!!! And dearest Grandma, I'll go with the "chookas to you and the cast" as well since I don't really like the "break a leg" wish, seems very strange.

Okay, there will be pictures and perhaps even some movie clips from our different activities and the show...unless I mess this up, never done anything like this.

Grandma, I won't think about the having to leave right after the show part either and put that off to some other time. I don't want to leave!!! but I guess life has to assume it's normal path eventually.

Oh, and Paul, you don't have to float up in the auditorium, you can come down and hang out with us! We don't bite, in case you are worried about it.

Love to all!
Evelyn

Evelyn,

Come on now. WE all know how you feel about Pauls bottom, and yes you WOULD bite! Be honest now!

My folks are boarding a plane right now for Florida, some luck, they just decided to jump a plane and go visit frinds. I wish I could have been there with you all. I really do. Too many medical bills , Maybe next time. I will try to catch up with you all sometime this week, I dont get on the computer exept for work and I am so busy here at work.

Paul, good luck with the beer. You will make it a sucess, I know it. I a m a true beer lover, I love the stuff! I enjoyed trying all the different international beer in Mexico and elsewere when Tom and I went on our cruise for our honeymoon 15 years ago. I think Red Stripe was my favorite. I don't think I have every tried a beer with fruit, or that I know of. I can't wait to try it here in the states. Looking forward to watching this season dancing with the stars, (providing our angel takes care of this year! ;0 Love you Brian!) Thats as close to butt kissing as I get :)

Clay had an MRI Saturday for his shoulder, they are thinking surgery. WE will see. Definately no sports this year. boo hoo.

Love to all

Kelly xoxoxoxo

Paul so happy to see the website up. Now just to get over to your side of the world to get some!

Have fun all of you at the follies! I envy you especially since I'm on the phone right now trying to make an ultrasound appt. for another "lump" I've found in the same breast I had breast cancer before. I'm thinking it is scar tissue, but who knows! I would so much rather be someplace warm, on the sand with a drink in my hand. Dreams!

Take care all

Jill

Jill,

It probobly is scar tissue. I had a tumor the size of a baseball removed from my left breast 10 years ago (non cancerous) and I had alot of scar tissue for many years. I can't feel anything there now. Keep your chin up. I will be praying for you. I will send you peace and love and healing thoughts.

My son just threw AC DC on the cd player, He is definately calling for my attention. I love AC DC. Tom and I are going to see Motley Crue in April. CANT WAIT!!

My folks made it safely to Florida. Thanks goodness.

Love to all

Kelly xoxoxo

So the show was absolutely spectacular!!! Lots of fun, well done, the performers fantastic!!! and the energy they all have, wow! Congrats Grandma!!!

Kelly, hmmm, :-) honestly, I'd rather not have my view blocked.

Jill, Lots of love and healing energy to you. I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers as well & Kelly, I will do the same for Clay.

Got to get ready for work now, sigh.

Love to all,
Evelyn

hi!
it´s isabel again,the spanish singer.i´d like to now about which play or performance you are speaking about.What about "dancing in the stars"?.i live in spain and it´s quite hard to know about all the news in the theater in USA or wherever(only from internet,but you get lost sometimes)...i´d like you to inform me about that.so i can have more ideas about what to see when i go again to USA on a trip.i travel a lot.
By the way,good luck with the beer,Paul.We love beer in spain and...you know...your beer would be really welcome.
lots of love from spain.
Esta web es muy original y me gusta mucho leer los comentarios.Sois gente maravillosa.¡Gracias!
isabel

Those who have read my posts, know they are usually succinct and to the point. This mystical weekend, however, drives me to excess.

Paul...First, mega congrats on the launch of Mercs Own Brewing Company! It is a stellar moment when you can see your dream coming to fruition. The P.C. eagerly awaits the opportunity to order tee shirts to help PR.

Second...How can those of us who met at FIF last weekend thank you enough for your aura that brought us to your special Corner and ultimately to each other? Yes, your chookas were there but YOU were there too! We all felt your presence. As Millie said, a group of strangers came together and left as dear friends. HOw wonderful! Thank you for the the impetus in bringing us together; and, to Cat, for designing the meeting place.

Mille...I raise a glass to our Grand Dame and heart of Paul's Corner. Your energy and zest for life is amazing to see in action. Thank you, darling one, for your caring, your thoughtfulness, your just being you! You are truly an inspiration. The Follies were professionally directed and flawless in execution. A testiment to you, dear one!!

Evelyn...Thank you for suggesting we room together. It made the trip more enjoyable. Thank you for you organizational skill and inspiration on how to thank Millie. I hope your presentation went well today.

Diane...Thank you for making the trip to pick me up at the airport when my flight was delayed. And thank you from everyone for being the designated "chauffeur". I am glad to know you are now beginning to feel well these days. I enjoyed our conversations and wish you well with the tutoring.

Michelle...I was nice to share some thoughts on some of the same books we have read. It was pleasant to speculate on Harry Potter and his next adventures. Don't forget www.the-leaky-cauldron.org.

Mary...You are such a lovely person and it was delightful to spend time in your company. I think you really had a great time on this your first visit to the USA.

Monika...You are just a sweetheart! Your kind loving heart touched everyone.

Inn...Sorry we had just a short time together but you are great fun! Sorry too about the Philadelphia Eagles but they came pretty close.

Beth Ellen...Next time we must convince your husband that the PC'ers are a safe (well, maybe not entirely) bunch to be with so that you can spend more time with us.

Final thanks to Millie's Ellie (a great sport for sure!), and Millie's lovely friends, Muriel, Jackie, and Sol.

It's going to take me a little while to come down from last weekend.

Love to all,
The Michigan "Chick" Linda

PS Movies to suggest:
Connie and Carla
Unconditional Love

Hello Paul and the PCers, (sounds like a 50’s music band)

I guess I’m a bit late but “Chookas for the FIF Grandma Mil”. (and THAT sounds like a foreign language) [Thanks for the new word, Paul]

I’m typing this on a laptop in my caravan. The family and I are setting off again for a long trip. This time around the southern parts of Oz. Some of which we have done before and some of which we haven’t. We expect to be back before Christmas. We haven’t completely left yet but our house is rented out and we are staying a few days parked at the in-laws house (still in Perth) so the kids can spend some time with Granny and Gramps before we go.

This of course brings me to DTWS2. I have set up a satellite TV dish on the caravan so I hope to be able to record DWTS2 even if I am in the middle of nowhere. I’d like to pretend that I organised it purely for DWTS2 but the truth is that I also need to find out what was buried under the Young’s swimming pool and whether Jack can find out what’s killing the crash survivors on the island. (If you don’t know what I’m talking about, don’t worry)

Uploading the copies to the Internet will be a little harder. There will be some breaks between access to ‘Net cafes so “viewers in other countries may experience some unavoidable delays”

In case I land up in some heavily wooded area where I can’t point the dish, is there someone in Australia who could record DWTS2 on video and keep it until I can confirm that I have that episode? By video, I mean the standard Australian VHS-PAL format video cassette in either Long Play or Standard Play. That way, if I can get a hold of the tape later, at least I can convert it and send some disks to distant friends.

[Sorry Kelly. The satellite that I’m using to get Australian TV is well below the horizon in the USA]

Last night’s episode is in four parts at:

http://number98.com/out/DWTS201a.mp4
http://number98.com/out/DWTS201b.mp4
http://number98.com/out/DWTS201c.mp4
http://number98.com/out/DWTS201d.mp4

Tim.. The trick with the job is to do the work and take the money without letting it affect you or your family through stress and long hours. Once you have that trick worked out………….write a book on how you did it. You’ll sell a zillion copies and one of them will be to me, because I sure never managed to do it. 8^)

Adam’s diagnosis has varied on a day to day, and specialist by specialist basis too. I think it’s a common story. We started out with an opinion of straight Autism which was a real shock to us. After that we heard High Functioning Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified, Aspergers and of course various specialists would diagnose purely within their own area so his speech pathologist gave him a semantic / pragmatic language disorder, which is fair, but ignores a lot of other things like OCD.

My own opinion was that he would have been a straight PDD-NOS. After we had read up on the literature, it was amazing to me that the “specialists” would often know much less than we would about the spectrum. I remember having to point out to the “He has Aspergers” doctor that a diagnosis of Aspergers precludes a significant language delay or disorder. I think that Aspergers was an “in” word for a while, like “ADD” was a few years before and lots of kids got bundled in whether they fitted or not. (Remember when RSI was “in”?)

The main treatment we used was ABA therapy which we couldn’t be happier with. Controlling most of the outward hints of his problem also helped him a lot socially. No kid wants to play with the ‘weird’ kid who won’t look at you, flaps and talks about trains all the time.

Now he’s socially and verbally pretty much like a normal kid 18 months younger than his age, with just a few idiosyncrasies. That is quite an improvement! He’s too young for girls though 8^)

Brian

This is going to be a fairly long FIF post so if you don't want to read the details just skip to the next entry. If you'd like to see the pics just go to http://community.webshots.com/user/innussiq
I had a wonderful time. I'm so blessed to count the people I met as my friends. I hope we can meet again soon. The Follies were fabulous! It was easy to see the joy in the performers. They are an energetic and fun loving bunch.
I am sad that Cheryl and I could not have been in earlier. I know we missed out on a lot of the fun. We did get in a little music and mayhem with Mary and Michelle (BTW..thank you to the cheeky monkey who paid for breakfast on Tuesday). I will never foget that we proved Poopie Dolls does exist and that they are terrible spellers! I'm glad that we didn't have to explain why we were taking pictures of florist's building at 1:30 am. Monika gave me (among other things) a beautiful orange lion who is destined to become my Mr. Squeaky. Mr. Squeaky is Michelle's version of the Roaming Gnome and I'd love to see the various photos of him. For more details on Mr. Squeaky (and how much of an idiot I can be) see Evelyn's soon to come FIF: The Movie. Our flights were delayed so many times it took us nine hours to get home, it only took us four to get to Ft. Lauderdale. I think I need two more days to sleep.
It was an incredible experience and once again I thank Paul and Cat for helping us find each other. I look forward to doing it all again with more PCers, even if I do have to fly. (Grandma Mille, just remember I did it for you first!)
Peace, Inn

Hi out to everyone this morning.

Just wanted to thank everybody for their reviews of FIF. Looks like everyone had a blast, and on Super Bowl Sunday, even! I can imagine the mayhem getting flights to and from Florida that weekend as some of my family will attest to!

Inn, thank you for the photo album. Great work! Everyone looks so happy and carefree.

Millie, I hope I can be as talented as you are when I reach your age. Thanks for the motivation.

Brian, have a great vacation. My husband and I always dreamed of hopping into an RV and travelling across America when we retired. Maybe you could post some of your vacation pics when you return? You'll enjoy LOST. I watch it all the time. Of course, we're 'way ahead on the story here in America, so I won't put out any spoilers.

Tim, good to hear things are going well for you.

Paul, Looks like things are looking little better for you now. Hope the beer takes off for you and you make lots of money. I did finally get to the website - thanks Cat! Nice pic, Paul.

Be well.

Dearest Inn, the photos are fabulous! The one in front of the Theatre now graces my computer desktop, and more changes will take place there as the photos roll in!

Yes, I will fondly remember that you flew for the first time to come to FIF, just like a good chickie is expected to do, and I admire your courage, as a reluctant flyer myself. Thank goodness your dear Cheryl was there to give you encouragement. The next FIF could be in a year!

The last performance of "Follies" was last night, and, as the night before, every seat was taken, with people trying any way to find a seat that wasn't occupied! It was ticketed, but some people may not have been able to attend, so some seats were empty, but filled by others!

The night was magical, and the village is buzzing
with compliments.

It will be hard to top this one, but that's what we said in 2003!

Today I go to the recreation office and get another Follies date for 2 years later. That may seem a bit much, but that's what has to be done to reserve a spot among all the professional acts that come to the Theatre.

Paul, your spirit was evident in the sparkle of the eyes and costumes as the lighting man did his magic. The compliments to the cast will be ongoing for some time, I know.

We have our cast party this Sunday, and will be able to rehash the whole show's great moments, but mine are the best, with my Chickies in the audience that first performance, and in our home for some of the weekend's activities!

To my chickes: THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR SITS PROUDLY
UNDER THE SB SHRINE! It will be a conversation piece for years to come, and I may even elect to sit in it once in awhile!

Shalom and Love,

Gran Mil

Sally, I'm glad you liked the pictures. I hope you will be in the next ones!
Grandma Mil,Did I get the performers names right?
I also have the group picture on my desktop. Like Linda said it is going to take a long time to come down from that high. It is so cold here I was already wishing I was back there with the whole gang.
Linda and Michelle, if I had more time I could have discovered that you two were also Harry fans. I will be sure to check out the Leaky Cauldron site.
Inn

Hello Paul and everybody else:

I'm new here. I've seen Paul in "Joseph", but I didn't remembered him and then I just saw "Strictly Ballroom" on my screenwritting class last monday. Wow, I want to say that this is the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. You don't usually get a chance to talk to somebody you admire or have seen on screen. I just wanted to say to Paul, man take care of yourself and your situations with arthritis, I know how much dancing means to you and I think having a talent like the one you have it's a great thing to have. You may be asking yourself, how do I know how much it means to ya, well, I see the way you dance and how much heart you put into it.

Ok well, take care and I hope to read all of you later.

Bye bye, Selena

Hi, gang! This is my first post here. The FIFers will know me as Inn's tag-along friend.
I just wanted to let everyone on the Fort Lauderdale trip know what an absolutely fantastic time I had! I can't even remember the last time I had that much fun! You were all wonderful and made me feel totally a part of the group. I can't even express how great it was to meet new friends from all over the world.

To Grandma Mil: Thank you so much for your hospitality and the fantastic Follies! It was a real pleasure meeting you and your husband.

To Michelle & Mary: So glad we got to share Poopie Dolls. And, thanks for breakfast!

To Diane & Linda: It was so nice to meet you, I wish we would've had more time together. Maybe next Follies?

To Monika: Thank you for the keychain! The lorikeets at Butterfly World had great fun swinging from it. I'm sure Inn will send you the pics when you get back from your cruise. A big thanks also for teaching me new words in Dutch. I can now curse in 5 different languages! That always comes in handy.

Oh, and Inn? Just looked at the pics you posted. Must tell you that you will never, EVER be forgiven for putting bikini pics of me on the internet!!!!!

So, Evelyn? Remember how we talked about me knowing all of Inn's secrets? You WILL be getting e-mail from me soon. ;-)

P.S. Inn & I are scheduling a movie night for next week. I'm going to get my first look at Strictly Ballroom!

Yeah, we'll always have Poopie Dolls. What a night! I've never uttered those words before in my life, let alone stood in front of them at some ungodly hour of the morning, grinning.

Inn and Cheryl, that was SO much fun!

Linda, I haven't looked up the website yet, but will soon. I have a feeling we could have talked about books for hours! Next year, my friend.

Evelyn, thank you for not throwing me in the pool! And how do you spell "mist"? :)

Monika and Koen, wherever you are, I hope you're having the time of your lives. Monika, you're the sweetest Dutch person I've ever known!

Diane, my roomie! I'm so happy to know you and so glad you're doing well. I could talk to you forever about politics, movies, kids, and just about anything else. We'll continue the conversation next year!

Millie and Ellie, you're the warmest, dearest hosts we could have asked for. Congratulations on the success of Follies! I enjoyed it immensely.

Julie, thanks for popping in and spending some time with us. Start writing that story!:)

Beth Ellen, you're so sweet! I should have recognized you in the parking lot! I AM working on my psychic abilities, but they're not up to snuff quite yet.

Mary, you're all I could have hoped for and MORE. We'll walk on the beach again soon, my friend.

I'm still trying to wrap my brain around the fact that this really did happen. I had such a wonderful time meeting all of you!

Love you guys,
Michelle (and Squeaky)

To All My Chickies Who Attended FIF...

You were all absolutely such wonderful guests, so generous to Grandma and Gramps, and we miss you already, and are already thinking about next year, same time, same place!

Inn, your website is fantastic, and it tells it all! I hope Paul is able to open it up. The pictures of "Follies" were absolutely awesome, and I have been sending it to cast members who have computers. Otherwise, at the cast party this Sunday, I will print some of the pixs out. The picture in front of the Wynmoor Theatre is priceless, and it now graces my desktop.

Sol, the driver, brought his son and wife to our house to look at the director's chair, and to drop off some glossy shots of the gang in front of the Wynmoor Theatre before everyone left. I am going to send one picture to each of you, it is so beautiful!

Cheryl, you belong with us on this site, and it was a pleasure meeting you. It is obvious that you and Inn share a long friendship, and hope that at our next meeting (next year?) you will come again...by then Inn will be an experienced airline passenger, thanks to you!

People are still calling to rave about the two night performances. We are all very proud and happy that Follies was so well received, and that we were able to make it one of the highlights of an incredible and unforgetable weekend.

Shalom and Love,

Gran Mil

Gran, I will definitely be there next year! I'm looking forward to it already. Inn and I will have to make sure we can stay longer next time and as long as we get her some dramamine, I should be able to get her back on a plane.

Smiles all around,
Cheryl

Dear Chickies,

This is Myrna D., Grandma Mil's friend (the one that is the costumer for Follies, and performed also).

I just want to say it was wonderful meeting all of you, and I'm glad that all Momma's chickies are back home in their own little "pens".

Paul, I hope one day we will meet in Florida. It would be wonderful if you could open your own dance studio to teach the young men of today how to ballroom dance with partners. It is sad that men in general do not have the skills to enjoy regular ballroom dancing.

From a singer to a marvelous dancer,

Myrna Berger

Hello, dear Paul, how are you?
In the last days was Carnivall, it is a good party really. All the people forget the problems during 4 days and dance very much. To dance with a funny music in the beach is really wonderfull!!! I hope,one day, you come in to Brasil, know "Samba"and the beautifull beaches in here! I hope you are well!
Have a good week!
Caroline

Well, I think I've reached a point where I can try to put into words just how wonderful an experience FIF was. It has taken a while to sink in. It was like stepping into a flow of positive energy for those six days and being immersed on all sides by it. It was truly amazing.

Millie, I'm not sure how to get across how grateful I am to you for being the one who co-ordinated the whole event and made it a reality. You are an incredible lady! As warm and as loving as I expected you to be. No wonder Ellie adores you as he does. The Follies was a joy to watch. I was bowled over by the energy of the performers. You were all wonderful.

Diane, it was so good to get the chance to meet you. And you looked so well. I enjoyed the discussions and wish you the very best with your business. I loved the basic concept of it. Stay well.

Evelyn, I loved being around your energy. It was great to meet you. Just tell me how you manage to be so organised. Please!

Monika, I can honestly say that I have never met anyone whose happiness and excitement is so contagious. It was a pleasure to be with you. Thank you for the lighthouse! I love it. I hope that you and Koen are having the time of your lives on your holiday.

Inn & Cheryl, I had so much fun with you both. I haven't laughed that much in ages. Yeah, Poopie Dolls will take some beating when it comes to bizarre moments in my life. ('Yes, we're open!')

Linda, I enjoyed being with you so much. The idea of someone being 'championed' by their partner will always stay with me and remind me of you.

Michelle, it was such a joy to meet you. It seemed like we had always known each other. Thank you for all the blessings that your friendship brings to my life. I look forward to our next walk by the sea.

Julie & Beth Ellen, I hope that we get the chance to have more time together next time. I'm really glad I got to meet you both.

Myrna, you are one talented lady! It was so lovely meeting you. I wish you the best of luck with your future.

Peter, Sally, Kelly, Jill, Tim, Dhiana, Brian and everyone else in the Corner (too many to mention) - I wish you could all have been there too. But in a sense you were. The overriding feeling of the whole experience and the one that I carry with me now is the same spirit that we all share here and every one of us is a part of that. I look forward to future gatherings when I will hopefully get a chance to meet you.

And Paul, it goes without saying that your presence was felt very much each time we were together. There was something magical about us all being together, discussing how much we thought of you and how you had opened up some wonderful space for us all to be together just by being who you are. Thank you so much for the gift of these wonderful friendships in my life.

Cat, thanks to you also for being the one who enabled it come together. (And apologies for the length of this post!)

I can't finish without saying welcome to Isabel, Selena, Tess. This is a great place to be.

Love to everyone,
Mary

Hi:

Thank you Mary, I really appreciate your welcoming. Um...just for the fact i'm not australian either, I'm from Puerto Rico, but due to privacy and carefullness in the internet I will reserve any other information related to my location. Oh well..I hope you all have a good time, and not just a good time, but also a "SAFE" good time. I believe we can all have fun without having to use any drinking or drugging and stuff like that, believe me...I've had my fun times with family doing that. Oh well..that will be all for now.

Before I forget I have to make a summary of "Strictly Ballroom" in three sentences for my screenwritting class, wish me good luck I hope I can do it, cos I rather write in simple and short words but make my point. Mary, Paul, everybody..wish me luck writing...Paul, i'll tell ya' what grade I had on the exercise ;).

I'll talk to ya'll later and it's nice meeting all of you. Have a great day and a great week.

Selena

Hi:

Thank you Mary, I really appreciate your welcoming. Um...just for the fact i'm not australian either, but due to privacy and carefullness in the internet I will reserve any other information related to my location. Oh well..I hope you all have a good time, and not just a good time, but also a "SAFE" good time. I believe we can all have fun without having to use any drinking or drugging and stuff like that, believe me...I've had my fun times with family doing that. Oh well..that will be all for now.

Before I forget I have to make a summary of "Strictly Ballroom" in three sentences for my screenwritting class, wish me good luck I hope I can do it, cos I rather write in simple and short words but make my point. Mary, Paul, everybody..wish me luck writing...Paul, i'll tell ya' what grade I had on the exercise ;).

I'll talk to ya'll later and it's nice meeting all of you. Have a great day and a great week.

Selena

oooooops!!

hehe, I wrote the same message two times. oh, whatever....that happenes once in a while.

take care gang, selena

Hey paul i have a few questions for you, is the BMW competition going to be broadcasted on tv and, i know this is ur life with u and your daughters, but im just curious, i guess youve done it, but have you taught them how to dance or danced with them or something like that?

See ya'll later,
me

Hi everybody;

thanks for welcoming us,Mary,that was beautiful.Definately this is a nice place to be.I
ve just have the premier of one performance in the theater(and the begining of a tour in spain),we are playing a musical "the magic of broadway".It was great,i did my best in "cabaret",the song and it was succesful!then i sang,"shadowland" from the lion king,"seasons of love"from rent,"little shop of horrors"from the musical with the same name,and "let the sun shine"from hair.once more the art made me feel plenty of happiness...
Good luck with your writting paper,Selena.
Lots of kisses for Paul and the rest of people here.
Isabel

Isabel and Selena, I'm sorry I didn't welcome you earlier but I'm still so wrapped up in our recent PC Corner getaway weekend that I'm not paying attention.
Myrna, how delightful to see you posting! I hope you continue to drop by.
Evelyn, How are the discs coming..and pay no attention to any email you get from Cheryl...it's all lies :-)
Peace Inn.

Hi Inn! I'm still amazed by FIF as well. I've been down with a cold the last few days, so I'm sporting a lovely red nose. This time beer was not involved unfortunately.

Hello Myrna! Glad to see you jumped right in!

Welcome, Isabel and Selena!

I forgot to mention this before. While on the beach that Saturday, Mary and I attempted to send out a sort of bat signal by way of writing in the sand. It was an attempt to summon the man in the purle suit, but unfortunately it failed. I'm sure he was on a secret mission somewhere, much too important to make the flight north. Next time, Peter! You were missed!

Love to all the Corner,
Michelle

We shall always feel that void of not seeing the purle suit...such a shame indeed yes. Not seen but not forgotten.

Mary and Michelle, it was wonderful to see you in person at Millies. Millie is the first person I have ever meet off the internet. Now Mary and Michell you make three. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip to Florida and I hope to see you again soon.

I guess the rest of you that came wondered why I had to dissapear for the rest of the week-end. So here a quick explanation that has been long overdue...

My husband doesn't know I blog. He doesn't know that I am a part of this great place called "Paul's Corner". I thought about telling him many times but I didn't have the courage to say, "Oh by the way I go and blog on the internet behind you back and I've been doing this for over a year". If he new I blogged he would be afraid that I was looking for another romantic interest. I know what you're thinking that would be silly once he would get to know everyone here. I thought I could sneak around that week-end until low and behold I received an E-Mail from my husband the week before telling me his best friend from overseas was coming to visit us that week-end. My husband was still working over the week-end but I had to take his friend shopping all over fort lauderdale so he could buy things that would normally have cost him a fortune back in Europe. THen on Monday I had training with my new massage therapy job at The Atlantic, a five star resort on the AIA in Fort Lauderdale. The job is going well, I started this week-end and made a killing in the wallet.

So I apologize about my absense to all of you who came. Hopefully if we all do it again next year it will be a different story on my part.

I'm glad that everyone who did come to florida had a great time with Grandma Millie. She's a special, talented, and caring lady. And hopefully we will all have the honor to get an audigraphed picture of her in her directors chair.

Take Care All!

Hey guys:

Speaking of Florida I have relatives there and it's nice for me to visit them. I do love the cold weather in Florida.

Take care ya'll,
selena

today is my birthday!!!!!and tomorrow i´m flying to Cuba for having the best celebration all over.
Isabel

First off, Jill, we've been partying, but you are not out of mind. We hope you got good news about your ultrasound!

Isabel, happy birthday! Flying to Cuba? Let us know the details of your special day!

As for my chickies: The memories linger on, and the pictures are on the Internet, and the images and events will always be in my heart.

Monika and Koen are in Miami Beach, and are coming up to see Ellie and me on Thursday to spend the day, for on Friday they fly home to Holland. Monika was so excited about her adventures in the United States! She is so full of love and enthusiasm, and I'm sure will share her adventures on the cruise with us.

Julie, congratulations on your new job! I told you that you would be terrific in what you do!

As far as not being able to participate in FIF, well, hope there will be other opportunities to meet everyone! It was so heartwarming to finally meet these lovely people in person, certainly not your ordinary blog people that we have been warned about!

You bring Pierre to meet Ellie and me, and when he sees our gray hair, he will not worry!

We had our cast party Sunday night, and we had lots to celebrate!

There were roasts and toasts, dancing and singing, poems of appreciation, and flowers for the director. The town is still buzzing with the compliments, and I'm still getting phone calls.

I've already drawn up some ideas for the next "Follies" in 2007. The next date will be given to me by the recreation director, and she's talking about a Friday and Saturday night, in February again. In the meantime, a PC get-together could happen next year, without Follies.

I could always get the multimedia auditorium and show you-know-what and other things just as easily!

We are slated to get new equipment in that auditorium, like a bigger screen, and more sophisticated equipment. Paul and Tara will shine once more!

February is good because the weather is so bad up north. Today the sun's been out all day, and the temps are in the high 70's.

Shalom and Love,

Gran Mil

Grandma Mil -THANKS FOR THINKING OF ME!!! I'm jealous of all of you!

I did get good knews. They ultrasounded it up one side and down the other and found only "normal" breast tissue. Then they did a mammogram and compared it to my last on in July and it was stable. So, as far as I know it is nothing. Of course I've been told to keep an eye on it and get it checked immediately if there are any changes in it. It was just another reminder that the beast may be out the door but he knows how to knock.

Love to all

Jill

Great news, Jill, must have something to do with all that hopin' and prayin' that we on PC do for each other!

Now it can be told...my Ellie was taking his regular walk around the village the morning of Febr. 8th, with the opening of Follies slated that evening.

At 9:30 a.m. with Mary and Michelle waiting for their ride to the airport, I got a call from the nurses' office that "Mrs. Levine, your husband was hit by a car!" I let out a screech, like "WHAT???" The nurse went on..." but he seems to be okay, he's not unconscious and he's talking, and the ambulance took him to the emergency room."

Well, I left Mary and Michelle, who wanted to go with me, and drove to the hospital, and saw Ellie sitting in a wheel chair looking okay and waiting for someone to take X-rays. I stayed with him for an hour, and when nothing was happening, told him I would go back home, see Mary and Michelle off, and return, which I did.

The Xrays showed no fractures, and no head injuries, and Ellie was discharged late afternoon, and appeared on stage in his part that evening, the opening night of Follies, and again the second night.

It seems the guy that was driving the car did not see Ellie and did not remember what happened.

He is 88 years old, got a summons from the police, and I hope his license is pulled before someone else gets hurt or worse.

Ellie now has a huge bruise (a hematoma) on his thigh and down his leg, but it's a week since the accident, and the bruise is fading a bit, but Ellie is now in the care of a chiropractor for back pain, brought on by the trauma of the hit.

Julie, I'll bet you know how to treat this stuff!

We are thankful that Ellie is okay. Our primary care doctor was very upset when I told her what the nurse said to me when the nurse called me on the phone that fateful morning..."your husband was hit by a car"...It sounded as if Ellie had expired! Oy, vey, what a fright!

Again, Ellie is okay, just not walking around the village, and I go everywhere with him (which I always did, but never on the long walks that he took.) I think I will urge him to use the treadmill in the men's gym.

Shalom and Love,

Mil

Hi All,

Greetings from Esperance WA.

Tuesdays DWTS is (mostly) ready. The following bits are complete:

http://number98.com/out/DWTS202a.mp4
http://number98.com/out/DWTS202b.mp4
http://number98.com/out/DWTS202c.mp4

and the final part is on its way up to the server now. I'm going to have to leave it running and hope it uploads okay. It it doesn't then I'll repost it next chance I get.

http://number98.com/out/DWTS202d.mp4

Millie,

Thank God Ellie is all right. I can imagine how terrible it must have been for you to receive that phone call. I hope he continues to recover and I'm sure he will with all the TLC I know he will get from you. You both are in my thoughts and prayers today.

Hope everyone else is safe and well.

Thinking of you.

Sally

Millie,

I can't believe what happened. I hope Ellie is recovering well. I'll give you a ring to see how you are both doing today.

The only thing I can tell you is for the bruising use cold packs or ice in a zip lock and put it on the area a few times a day. This will heal the bruise faster. Within 72 hours of any injury always use ice. After the 72 hours you can use heat for the areas that are not bruised.

Ask the chiropractor when it will be ok to start massage therapy and also if Ellie can go into a whirlpool tub to give him relief for his back (it may be contraindicated for those under certain medications or high blood pressure). You may have a jacuzzi in Wynmoor that you can use.

Make sure he rests for the next few weeks even when he is feeling better make sure he avoids any strenous activity for awhile (i.e. bending).

Everything seems to be going well with the spa. I had three massages last night and made $150. I'm doing a pregnancy massage today and on the week-end I have four booked for Friday and Sunday is still up in the air. It's season right now in Fort Lauderdale so there's lots of work at the hotel spas. The beaches are backed with tourists. We'll see how it goes this season.

Hope everything is well with everyone.

Take Care!

how ironic the tourism in Fort Lauderdale is packed with people during WINTER, instead of summer. It makes absolutely no sense, lol, but what can say, it's still good for tourism, so u guys go and have a blast getting paid lol.

oh well guys, ill post some other time.
laterz, selena

Ellie, wishing you a full and speedy recovery!!!!

What a trouper!!! Hit by a car in the morning and on stage in the evening!!! As the saying goes the show must go on and Ellie I am really glad you felt well enough to do the show and that there would seem to be no lasting damage. I am sure after a few sessions with the chiropractor and a massge or two to relax and straighten out your muscles you will be out walking again! Give it time dear boy!

As for the bloke that hit you it would seem it is time he handed in his lisence!

Isabel - happy belated birthday. I hope you had a great time in Cuba!

Selena - cold weather in Florida??? Is there such a thing? The race will be televised here in Australia but I doubt very much that they will show it anywhere else. Maybe if you were very nice to Brian he could download it. I will certainly tape it so I could pass it on to Brian to download if he would like - only if I win though.

I did teach my girls to dance and so did my wife - who used to be a principal bellerina with the Australian Ballet Company and the Sydney Dance Company. None of them have really continued to dance with the idea of making a career from it. They areall very good but they wish to make their own ways.

Jill without trying to talk about your breasts which is probably a bit forward of me :) I am glad to hear your news! Now that everyone is thinking about your breasts I may change the subject!LOL and blushing!

Julie great advice for Ellie and I second it. Also it is great to hear that you are getting work and it seems to be goiing well for you. Shame you dont live closer to me as I could do with a good massage!

Dear Paul. I have a question about big toes of ballet dancers. Is it preferable to have the big toe equal size to the second toe ?. Dont most people have a second toe longer then their big toe. When you have a chance can you have a quick look at your big toe;) and enlighten us. Thanks.
Sandy.

My big toe is as ugly as the rest of my toes. Actually that is not true, I actually really like the shape of my toes! The ugliest feet I have ever seen belong to some of the most beautiful women I have ever slept with. True.

Ballerina's have pretty messed up feet.

My big toe and second toe are the same length.

I don't care what anyone says. Feet are ugly. And don't believe what they say about a man having big feet - they never seem to "measure up"! ;o) LOL

It's really cold today and we are expecting more snow Sunday night into Monday morning. We just got rid of the last bit of snow on the ground from the previous storm on Jan. 22nd when we got over 12". Hopefully, the snow-blower won't quit on us. It's had quite a workout this season.

Hope everyone is well and in good spirits today. Have a good weekend!

Sally

Dear Paul,

I appreciate your kind words and your concern.

The show on the stage is over, but now the legal show begins soon, regarding the accident. As Shakespeare said, "All the world's a stage" and we're just the actors on it.

I told Millie in the emergency room that "I'm still here" a song from "Follies" on Broadway years ago. It has become a theme song!

We wish you continued success in all your endeavors, and good health for you and your lovely family.

Ellie

Dear Sally,

Thank you for the prayers for Ellie's recovery.

He's doing well, goes to a chiropractor again today,(the third visit) and the bruise is fading. I don't think the memory of that incident will fade so soon, though.

Paul, I am 72 years old and never knew that the most beautiful women have the ugliest feet! It must be all those expensive high heeled shoes into which they cram their feet...a podiatrist's joy!

One consolation: Jackie Kennedy wore size 10 shoes, and so do I, but now my most comfortable footwear is a pair of sneakers!

jajaja paul, yes it is such a thing for me 'cos im used to hot weather...really hot weather, and to change to the florida weather its kinda cold for me, plus i have very sensitive skin, so if any weather changes or something i feel it kinda quick.

ok yall im heading to see my doctor.
see you laterz. take care everybody. Jill, drink plenty of liquids, and stay strong.

love, Selena

Jill, delighted to hear your good news.

Ellie, it's great to know that you are doing well and also to see you posting!

Julie, I'm really glad we got to meet too. I hope good things continue to come your way with your new job.

Brian, thanks as always for DWTS. I hope all is well with you & your family.

Isabel, more belated happy birthday greetings to you.

Welcome to Sandy and hi to Paul, Millie, Peter, Michelle, Sally, Kelly, Evelyn, Inn, Selena and to everyone out there.

Love to you all,
Mary

Thanks mary for remembering us. Hey Paul, I was thinking.....that even if you lose the competition your true fans wouldn't bother to watch the film..not to make fun of you....cos thats mean, but it's your choice and we'll respect it.

Take care, selena

Hi guys,
Sorry I’ve been out of touch, been super busy at work the last two weeks. So first of all welcome to Cheryl, Myrna, Tess, Isabel, Selena.

I can’t believe the surreal, fabulous weekend in Florida already happened 2 weeks ago. Last night and this morning I spent editing the movie from our weekend, it’s about 35 minutes long, and I’ve been sitting there laughing tears, really don’t like the way I sound on video!!! esp. with a cold coming on and man, do I talk with my hands---yikes! Inn and Mr. Squeaky, brilliant (I think that will have to go on the website ASAP, even if there’s not much else on it at the moment)!!!, the summoning of the man in the purle suit is there as well—just not the man in the purle suit :-(—Peter where are you???—, Grandma talking about pigging out and singing about her chickies, El Capitain and his contessa, fabulous outfits for the show (great job Myrna!!!) … Okay, I must stop, really not fair to those who weren’t able to be there with us in person.

Ugly feet, toe lengths ??? LOL, whatever! Hands really leave an impression on me, definitely (can) tell you a lot about a person. :-)

Mary, how did I get to be this organized? Hmm, isn’t that one of the German citizenship requirements? :-) Or, I could say: you should have had my Prussian grandma and Dad growing up. Giving and achieving things at the 100% mark was never good enough, 180+% was the benchmark. It rubs of on you whether you want to or not.

Dearest Ellie, I’m glad you are okay and I wish you a speedy & complete recovery.

Jill, what a relief! I’m so happy for you!!!

Paul, Happy racing and come in first, okay? The race is early in March, right?

Brian, thanks for uploading DWTS, I’ve only taken a peek at it so far, but I do enjoy watching it. Enjoy SW OZ with your family and have a great time!!!

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
Love to each and every one of you and many blessings!
Evelyn

PAUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Don't worry about it. My breasts get talked about a lot - kinda comes with the territory! I stopped blushing about it a long time ago. I had a 7th grader this year ask me a question (in front of the WHOLE class) that made him blush. I had said I had surgery. The kids asked for what. I said to have the lump that was my cancer removed. He asked "WHERE was the lump?" The kids just froze. I was like Ryan, what kind of cancer did I have? He blushed huge and class went on. Ya gotta laugh!

love to all.

Jill

Jill, good for you, you kept your cool and the class learned some valuable lessons from a terrific teacher! I used to teach sex education in the 6th grade, and I tried not to blush myself at some of the questions that were asked. Thank goodness, I knew the answers!

Evelyn, my Capitan and I went to Longhorn again this afternoon..this time I ordered chicken wings, in honor of all my chickies who have all returned home safely!

I think that during FIF, Michelle, Diane, and Mary were with us when we dined there, and I was too embarrassed to order wings, because I am supposed to be staying on my diet. When the chickies fly away, the old biggest mother hen cheats!

Evelyn, can't wait until the formats are finished!

Shalom and Love,

Gran Mil

hey cat, we've missed u around here. I hope you're doing fine, so am I. Take care and see you, buhbye

selena

Okay, guys, here are two short samples from Follies 2005 and the now famous Inn and Mr. Squeaky episode. You will need the Quicktime plugin to view the movie clips, which is web standard, so you should have it already, but just in case.

If you ever wondered about why Grandma Mil calls us her chickies, you will get your explanation. And Inn, please don't kill me, okay?

oh, almost forgot, the URL: http://oit.mnsu.edu/germanweb/Follies05.htm

Enjoy! Evelyn

Oh, Millie and Ellie, I just put the last stamp on the last letter I had to write to the last Michigan legislator on behalf of the Capitol Day rally held last week. So I have come to the Corner to catch up and I find Ellie was in an accident!! The good news is that he seems to being recovering very well. Special love and thoughts to you, Ellie!

FIF'ers...I had almost 200 at the Michigan Capitol - 135 college students and 65 design professionals. Two venues - student work in the Rotunda and professionals lobbying legislators. Great success with bills being introduced that day with 20 sponsors!! The logistics and coordination of this effort were staggering but the results phenomenal. Still a long way to go but this event is behind me. NOW I can finally download MY pictures of FIF as well as look at those of everyone else.

Love to all and stay well,
Linda

Dearest Linda,

Coordinating FIF was a tea party next to what you did for the Capitol Rally!

Congratulations on the success of the Rally, and hope the few days spent in Florida gave you a welcome respite before your endeavors began when you returned home!

Ellie is doing well, but still going for treatments by a massage specialist for his back which was aggravated by the accident.

We want to see your pictures taken at FIF and I suspect they will also be awesome, as the others, by Inn and Evelyn, have been.

Monika writes that FIF could now stand for "Friends In Florida" or "Fun In Florida." I agree! She sent a picture of the gazebo at the Marriott, which is just priceless!

Shalom and Love,

Millie

Evelyn, Sadly I couldnt download that page properly!! Is it just me??

No, Paul, you are in the very lovely company of Grandma Mil. As far as I know, every one else seems have been able to view them just fine.
Hmmm, what exactly happens when you get there?

Thinking out loud: Maybe I shouldn't have put all three clips on the same page, since it tries to load all three at the same time and perhaps that is a problem source. Not sure though! Will give it a try ...

Okay, Paul and Grandma Mil, thought of something else and again, it works for me and I'm gonna hope that it will work for you as well. Rather than going through that webpage (not that that is any "beauty" to behold in the first place) you should be able to download them individually this way, unless you really are missing the Quicktime plug-in for your web-browser. That might be another problem source.

Millie's Big Follies performance:
http://oit.mnsu.edu/germanweb/Millie.mov

Ellie's Big Follies performance:
http://oit.mnsu.edu/germanweb/Ellie.mov

Inn and Mr. Squeaky's shot at fame:
http://oit.mnsu.edu/germanweb/Inn.mov

Let me know if that works. I'm going to hope and pray that it does. If not I'll have to put my thinking hat back on!

Good evening(morning for some of you)
I am very tired and my mother and i had a bit of a conflict. Ill tell you next post. But right now im going to hit the sack......
liz
3 days till lizee turns-15
6 days till PARTY!!!!!!!!!

Good Morning,

I have to say I had the best sleep last night. I used some of my Aromatherapy training and put a combination of Sandlewood and Lavender drops on my mattress and it did the trick.

I had the week-end off from work so it was good to rest my hands and arms (they were getting sore and my supervisor understands that I need build up in order to do more than 10 massages a week). Hopefully this week will be as generous as last week. It it interesting that Per hour right now I make as much as my husband who is an Engineer but unfortunately I cannot work 40 hours a week doing this. Last Friday in the employee lunch room I meet a waiter that works in the restaurant in the hotel. He was telling me that he makes 150 a day working from 6am-4pm. He asked me what I usually made in a day at the spa and I told him without trying to act cocky that on a slow day I make 150 for four hours of work not insluding tips and on a good day 200 or more for five hours not including tips. The look on his face was priceless. Lets just hope he doesn't mug me in the parking garage one of these days after work.

Hopefully it will keep going. It's finally nice not to depend on someone else. It has been a struggle for years not being able to make any financial decisions of my own or to not have a savings account. And I can put away my nightmares that if I do end up alone one day I won't have to move in with my parents. EEEK! Or sit at a desk job 8-9 hours a day slaving over a computer, drinking bad coffee and pretend to act interested when a co-worker decides to talk about their life story.

Lets just hope it continues...

Jill, I"m happy to hear about your good news.

Grandma Millie, I'm glad to hear that Ellie is on his way to recovery. Hope everything else is well in Wynmoor.

Evelyn, I had trouble downloading the file. But maybe its me. Glad to hear that you had a great time attending "Fun in Florida".

Paul, thank you for your kind words and believe me, if I did live in proximity to where you are I'd put a knee in your back any time. Same goes for Andrea.

Okay, I'm trying to get this to work for you all, and the fact that "downloading" was mentioned twice now, gave me an idea. I added that as a feature, found another potential problem source, hopefully fixed that. It's tough to trouble shoot something when it works on all the computers I've tested it on, both Mac and PC based, different browsers, media players etc. Nuff said!

Okay, go back to
http://oit.mnsu.edu/germanweb/Follies05.htm
and you can try both versions from that page (download or play on the web) and if it still doesn't work one way or the other (okay, I'm refusing to think about that !!!:-)) let me know and I'll continue thinking/trouble shooting. I really want this to work, esp. also for the full versions (of the film with the stuff we did that weekend and the Follies 2005 performance) on CD and/or DVD.

Okay, signing out!
Oh, Julie, can I get in line for a massage? So far I only had one real massage in my life and absolutely loved it!!! and congrats on finding the job, too bad we didn't meet during Friends & Fun in Florida.

Hi everyone,

Yep, I am back from having the most beautiful vacation of my life !!!! So many wonderful things happend to me these two weeks, so many experiences, so many precious memories, I just can't describe how lucky I feel. I want to share everything with you all, but I don't know where to start.....

Okay, first of all I'd like to thank you, Paul. Without you and your website this never would have happend. You've created a worldwide friendship !! Thank you so much !! Too bad you weren't there, but in spirit you most definitely were !!!

Grandma Mil,
Thank you too for everything !! I was so happy to finally meet you that Friday and so sad to leave you on Monday, but fortunately we were able to visit you and Ellie again last Thursday.
The Follies were absolutely amazing !!! You aren't only our biggest "mother hen" but you are also our biggest STAR !!! I miss you so much !!
Oh, by the way: Who won the "biggest-hug contest" ?? :-)))

Evelyn,
It was wonderful to see you again !! I truly hope that we can meet again while you are in Germany in May/June !! Well, I am sure we will !!
Thank you for making me laugh tears again !! The movies were so funny, especially the one with Inn and Mr Squeaky !!
I miss you too !!

Mary,
Oh, you are so lovely and wonderful. We are emailing with each other for about 10 months now and it was wonderful to finally meet and hug you !!! I admire you for flying all the way to Florida and returning just a few days later. I have slept almost all day, because I have huge problems with the time-difference...
You said many times that the weekend would be a "ones-in-a-lifetime-experience" but I am sure that we all will meet each other again !!! We have all created a powerful friendship...
And we live close, only two hours fly... so who know's....
Ofcourse I miss you too !!

Inn,
It was so sad that we couldn't spent more time together !!! You came on Sunday evening and I left on Monday afternoon. But at least we had the chance to meet and oh, you are soooo funny!!!! I am still laughing tears when I think of how much fun we had!!! You are great !!!
And Cheryl,
We've never met before, and we didn't know anything about you, but when we met it felt as if we did know each other !!!
OMG did I really teach you how to curse in Dutch??? oooppsss !! :-)
Ofcourse I miss you both !!!

Michelle,
You have a gift !!! You felt that we arrived, you felt that Inn and Cheryl arrived... it was so amazing !!! It was great to see you and so difficult to say goodbye !!! I miss you very much !

Diane,
Thank you so much for driving us around all weekend, for the hugs, for everything !!! You are a very strong woman and I admire you for that !!! Miss you too !!

Linda,
To be honest: I didn't know much about you, before we met on Saturday evening in Florida, but I am so glad to know you now !!! Miss you...

Beth-Ellen,
We didn't see eachother much, but I am glad that we did have the chance to meet you !!

Julie,
So sad that you couldn't be there with us !! We had a wonderful time together and I am sure that you would have loved it too !!!
I know exactly how you feel !! I didn't tell Koen about PC and my posts either the first few months, because I was scared that he would be mad and get suspicious, but when I invited Evelyn to come and visit me here in Holland, I had to tell him !!! Fortunately he wasn't mad or suspicious or anything like that. And look what happend....he even let me go to Florida !!!
Ofcourse the longer it takes, the harder it gets to tell your husband about PC, but I do hope that we'll get the chance to meet each other ones !!

Cat,
Thank you too for this website and sorry for this long post...

I miss you guys !! I miss the beautiful weather !!! I miss swimming in the sea, walking on the beach, but I am so thankful for having the two most wonderful weeks of my life !!!

Love you all !!!
Monika

Grandma Mil, just to let you know I concede the hug contest to Monika, as we have now seen I am a large woman and Monika gave me several hugs that I thought would break my ribs so, as far as I'm concerned she wins.
Evelyn, I hope at least one of your movie clips never works. Nothing against you, but I look like a fool in that clip. See what happens when you put a nut like me in the limelight.
Monika..I love you..that's it.
Mary, I thought I saw you come one Yahoo last night but it must have been your son. I'm sorry I missed the chance to talk to you again.
Michelle, did you get your card from me?
Paul, how you going mate?
Peter where are you hiding?
Peace

Yes Inn, I got the card! Thank you very much for thinking of me! And yes, I'm open:)

Monika, you're a joy to know! I mean it, you just radiate good energy. I'll never forget seeing you in that car outside the hotel. I'm not sure which one of us was more excited! Poor Koen had to put up with all of our hugging and talking. What a good sport he is!

Squeaky has really taken to the monkey. Okay, Evelyn wants me to call him Affe and you said to call him Appye? (Is that how you spell that?) For now, Squeaky just refers to him as Monkey Boy. After all, he speaks neither German or Dutch!

Julie, I have a whole new respect for you after that "knee in the back" comment! Wow! I'm so happy your new job is going well.

Jill, your news is the best! I know how worried you must have been. More good times ahead, for sure.

Ellie, I hope you're continuing to recover, which I'm sure is easy with Millie there to take care of you. I miss both of you!

Yes, we're missing Peter around here! More than likely he's flat out, like the proverbial lizard.

A special hello to Mary! I hope work went well today.

Linda, I'm glad all your work paid off. You deserve a well-earned break!

Diane, how are you? Is the rain a problem in your area?

Lizee, I hope things work out with your mom. And may I be the first to wish you a Happy Birthday! (A bit early, but why not start celebrating now?)

Thanks for all your hard work, Evelyn! You're so nice to pull together all our memories of FIF, so that we can share them with everyone.

Hi Paul! I'd sure like to try that beer!

Love from Chicago,
Michelle

YES, EVERYONE, MONIKA WINS "THE GREATEST AMOUNT OF THE BIGGEST HUGS" PRIZE DURING FIF!

I don't know what I can send her as the winner, but we can tell her that she and Koen won our hearts, so maybe that will do until we meet again!

Michelle, I remember that night, (Friday) when you, Mary, Diane, Ellie, and I were at the Marriott, and Evelyn had just arrived, and what a first meeting that was!

You walked Ellie and me to the lobby, and a car pulled up, and you recognized it as Sol's (the driver) and out bounded Monika and Koen with the biggest hugs one could get...Monika won hands down just for that moment!

Evelyn, your Grannie cannot open those files, no way, so I will have to get all my vicarious thrills from the wonderful digital pictures that Inn and you took, and wait for the CD or DVD that you are so graciously making.

I am going to distribute all the backstage pictures to my cast, after printing them out.

The photos taken in our house during the Sunday
night supper were also terrific, and our friends oohed and aahed when I showed them at our social dance club last night.

I even showed the picture of my director's chair, and you should have heard the reactions to that! Not too many Grannies have a director's chair. I have been called "Cecil B. DeMillie", and I wear that name proudly (and haven't been sued yet.)

People came up to us and told us how they loved Follies, and I told them I am already thinking of the next one.."thinking" only, folks!

Ellie is doing well, although we did no dancing last night and we left early. He is getting an MRI to check to see that there are no hairline fractures that were missed with the Xrays.

Julie, you're on a roll, and we're proud of you!

We'll have to show Pierre those pictures, and let him come to our apartment and sit in my director's chair, and I am sure he will approve of us!

Shalom and Love,

Gran Mil

YAY, did I really win the biggest hug contest ???? Hmm, why doesn't that surprise me ??? :-))) Ofcourse I am very happy and grandma, meeting my friends in Florida is/was the best price someone could ever give me !!!
I've found myself a "pushkie" (a piggy bank) and there's two Euro in it already, so I definitely will be there next year !!! Too bad I can't post a picture, so I'll send it to you by email :-)

Inn, should I feel quilty now, for almost breaking your ribs??? Well, I've warned you a long time ago that I have my masters degree in giving hugs, so you could have put on an armour before you arrived at the hotel !!!! I love you too !! :-))

Michelle,
Yes, that's the moment I'll never forget !!! I was so glad to see Sol at the airport, after having those problems with the customs and Sol said in the car that grandma Mil probably wouldn't be there anymore, but you were all there when we arrived!!!

Yep, I called Squeaky "apie" or "aapje". Hmm, this might be a strange question, but did Squeaky take my feet with him to Chigago??? Evelyn sent me my picture with Mr Squeaky but my feet are missing !!!! :-)))

Oh yes, I called my uncle today and he told me that my missing/deleted digital pictures of the FIF are probably somewhere hidden on my memorystick !!! He'll do his best to find them back !!

It's great to be back onboard of the ship called PC !! Well, at least I won't get seasick here !! :))

Love to you all !!

Monika

Hi Everyone!
Just wanted to say "Hello!" to our host, Paul. Just realized that I neglected to do so earlier. How rude of me! Want to thank you also for inspiring this wonderful group of people to get together. I was kind of the outsider at FIF when I arrived, but everyone was so fantastic that I quickly felt like part of the family. Upon coming home, I had to go straight to Inn's to see "Strictly Ballroom." I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I can't believe she didn't invite me over to watch it before the Follies! Bad Inn! LOL!
Ellie: Really glad you're on the road to recovery! I'm sending lots of healing thoughts your way.
Monika: I wish we could have spent more time together. I really enjoyed your company, and Koen's. I'm glad you had a good time on your vacation. Hey, did Inn tell you about the lorikeets and the keychain you gave me? Wish you could've seen that! Take care, hon. I miss your smiling face.
Evelyn: I need lessons in organization! Help! :)
And everyone else on PC, good thoughts and good health!

Cheryl

hi guys,hi Paul!
thanks for your greetings for my birthday,i just came back from cuba and it was an amazing experience.i have to take my time for reading all your new posts,so i can know something new about what you have been speaking about over here.
i´m glad to be back with all of you.
you are great people,thank u(all of you),and thank you Paul for your greetings,it was a beautiful present for me!Muchas gracias!!!!!.
un beso,
isa