Inside or outside? Temps in the 60's tommorrow before winter arrives this weekend.

^ Congratulations, Gator Gal!


***

Everyone else, I'll see you all tomorrow night at Stella's - outdoor or indoor whatever works!

Yes, I ran off and got married! :-)
 

Thanks for your well wishes! Yes, it's true, Nat and I eloped over the Christmas break! We had gone to Puerto Rico, where I have family, for a visit, and then took a side trip to Antigua that was a surprise for me (he kept the location a secret until we got to the AA counter at the airport). It was actually there, in Antigua, that he proposed and then a few days later we decided to just "go for it" and elope right there. It's been great! I do plan to have a church wedding and reception in the summer for family and close friends (likely out of the area) but I'm officially married now. :) This is working out well because the wedding planning is much less stressful now and while there are plenty of options/times for getting married, you only get one chance to elope! :D I may have a party before/after to celebrate with friends, so I'll keep you posted.

In the meantime, I hope to see you at a happy hour. Tomorrow I can't make it since I'll be telecommuting in Centreville (my new home!) but I can plan for February. I must say that I am VERY impressed with the fact we've got three socials already organized for '05!

And soon I hope to post a trip report since we also took a day trip to St. Thomas. That was VERY cool because it was with my uncle's charter flight company out of Puerto Rico, so we were able to fly on an executive/corporate jet, just us, for free to St. Thomas for the day... not bad for an FTer who has ZERO status on her SkyMiles, Aadvantage, and MileagePlus programs, ha! Until I post my report, if anyone wants to see pictures from P.R., St. Thomas, or Antigua, let me know and I'll send you the link. Thanks and happy new year to everyone!

stella's
 

well I forgot to rsvp for stella's before i headed off to san francisco over the weekend.

i am planning to attend

We'll probably start at the restaurant bar... then move to the lounge in the back... look for the FlyerTalk ball cap....

It was good to see everyone last night - had a few suprises when nor4 & idealflyer showed up out of the blue!

For those of you who'll be around on the 29th - see you then!


Speaking of the 29th - is there a specific restaurant that's been chosen? Any idea on the size of our group - if its for lunch, I doubt we'd need reservations, but if it's more than 8 or so people, it's always good to make reservations in advance...

Count me in on that! Lynn and I are flying in from Puerto Rico on UA right before our planned DC lunch Saturday January 29th so could use some recent tips! :)

Also what is the booze allowance these days out of PR to USA? I was there 2 years back and recall it was large - about 6 bottles a person or whatever?

No idea what is the best buy from there - (Bacardi of course will tell us THEY are!) but if anyone attending the lunch needs a few bottles of whatever let me know, and I'll bring them along and charge you whatever our cost was. We buy our DF here at SYD upon arrival to save schlepping the heavy bottles half way across the world!

However I am guessing there is only a few bucks difference on a bottle of Bacardi or whatever bought there, than lowball retail in the USA?


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

I believe we had picked Rio Grande. Don't know about the headcount though - but definitely seems like we might have 8 people. And yes I think we are doing lunch.

Too bad I missed yesterday's - but as things stand right now 29th should be good!

Ozstamps, I've sent you an email... I didn't post here 'cause I didn't think anyone would really care to know about things like Ron del Barrilito, Don Q, Nassau Royal, guavaberry liqueur and such. Then again, this *is* the FT DC crowd! :D

Right you are. We were also in the same room at the FT Post-Freddies party last year, although I'm not shocked you don't remember. :p

I'll update the first page & will call Rio Grande (at Reston Town Center?) next week & make reservations for the 29th for at least 10 people - maybe more.

ozstamps - what time are you planning on getting to IAD & what time should we make reservations for? I have no idea how far Reston Town Center is from IAD & don't know what your transportation will be - let me know when you find out. I'm out of town this weekend, so I won't check FT again til probably Tuesday or so...

Reston Town Center is at most 15 minutes away from the airport. (from the time you are out of the terminal building that is).

The airport access road (the road you will be on as soon as you are out of the airport) is basically a five lane highway going each way - with the internal 2 lanes being the toll free lanes and the external 3 lanes on either side being the toll lanes (they are divided by a barrier). From the airport you would be on the internal 2 toll free lanes. So you have to be certain to take the exit from the internal toll free lanes to the external toll lanes (you wont have to pay toll though) at the point where it says exit here for Reston Parkway - if you miss that - the next one takes you quite far east all the way to the exit for Route 7 at Tyson's corner - which mean you can probably add on another 30 minutes to the above timing :D (and yes I have done that!!) :o

Sam - thanks for your co-ordination on this, and for offering to make the booking. Make it for 12 might be the go? ^

As I mentioned I was happy to start a stand alone thread, but you guys seem to have this all together as usual. Apologies for hijacking your normally well ordered, once a month DINNER thread. :)

This is what has been suggested:

Oz Lunch Saturday January 29 at say 12.30pm start.

The locals all seem to like the idea of Rio Grande, at Reston Town Centre, (1827 Library St) and you folks have never made a bad venue choice yet in my many visits. ^

bhatnasx - I have NO idea how far it is from IAD either, but we are staying at Sheraton Reston, and they say they are very close to IAD. :D

If anyone is able to swing by and grab us from the Sheraton about midday or so that would be neat, unless it is walking distance - I have no clue. Stayed there before and I do not recall it being very near?

Mileage Addict I think has kindly offered to give us a ride to IAD on his cow-sh!t splattered John Deere combine harvester. :cool:

Lynn and I are flying that afternoon right after lunch for 24 hours in planes and airports to LAX-SYD, so it will be a VERY lonnnnnng day. :mad:

We arrive the evening before from Puerto Rico. Anyone wants us to schlep any hooch in from there please email me ASAP. Gator Gal has the lowdown on what to get first hand, from her "Elopement Run" last week. But she agrees there is only a few bucks a bottle difference to discount retail prices in DC in most cases. :p

Anyone wants some heavy stuff (books, 10 gross of Kangaroo scrotum money purses etc?) schlepped from OZ also let me know ASAP - we fly the mega run SYD-LAX-IAD this Friday, and also stay at Sheraton Reston, so I can store it there for a week if needs be.


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

Wahoo!
 

Looks like I am in town & able to crawl out from under the rock that weekend for lunch on the 29th!

:D

FYI - The Reston Sheraton and the Reston Town Center are on opposite sides of the Dulles Toll Road (not really a walk) and both are about four easy miles from IAD.

Rio Grande it is! ^

Man... I'm just going to miss you guys (I have rotten timing!)... I'll be in town the 26th and 27th (and possibly the 28th).

geo1005 - well after a number of near misses over the years we WILL finally have that beer(s) together. ^ ^ ^ ^ ^

Thanks for the locale info ... sounds like that place will work pretty well re getting back to IAD.

techgirl - shame about the timing ..... be great to catch up with you again. Weren't you at the last DC Dooo? They'll make you an 'Honorary Regular' too at this rate. :D

bhatnasx tried to update post #1 with location and time, but FT kept timing out on him, and he has now dashed to left coast for a few days, but he is happy with location and dates above he said by email, so lets work to those. :)

You two are not living together are you? Or perhaps they are seperate rocks? ;)

It's DC. People crawl in and out from under rocks all the time around here. Heck, goodness knows where Al Gore will show up next. :)

Quite simply.... Un-acceptable. :p

I'm in Vegas right now - I can access FT from here, so I'll update the first page...

down $150 over 2 days, so I'm not too upset yet...

Bummer, I'll be in town for 5 full days this week and I still miss the D.C. Happy Hour

Sam - you dill .... you are supposed to go there and WIN. ;)

Put $150 on RED on the next spin of the roulette wheel -- trust me ... you'll be line ball in one spin. ^

(Rider. Do NOT place it on RED when you know "0" will come up.

Rider 2 - do not place on RED when you know BLACK will come up.)

Apart from those rules you simply canot lose. Gambling is dead easy to master I have found. :D

So, has George pulled a geo on this event yet???

I think we all know which "rock" Marion Barry can be found in close proximity to. ;)

Lynn and I will be in the Caribbean for a week or so from Friday. Four VERY generous FT'ers have just upgraded us both ways to San Juan from oz with expiring UA SWU's. If any of those folks are around DC then, the drinks are DEFINITELY on us. ^

We have no laptop, so I will only very seldom see this thread to update, except via web cafés, until we arrive in IAD for the lunch on Saturday Jan 29th.

If someone might be able to swing by Sheraton Reston around middayish on that Saturday to grab us, would be greatly appreciated. :D

Please add a thread note if you are able, and I'll know who to look out for. Thanks. :cool:

oz, you oughtta be here NOW.... it's snowing like MAD! We were supposed to get just an inch or two in the late afternoon, but it's been snowing pretty hardily since 10 am or so. Between that and all the inauguration stuff, the next couple of days are going to be interesting around here... who knows what it'll be like when you arrive. Better put some extra tread on your flip-flops! (or slippers, as you may call them) :p

Hey - since I am tentatively certain :D of making it to the lunch I can pick you up!

Enjoy the carribbean - while we relish the driving with morons on the snow! Today on my way to the bank I had a dude - INTENTIONALLY doing 180s on the road! What a smart ...! :rolleyes:

Though the white blanket on the parking lot does look pretty nice!

TEMPORARY THREAD HIJACKING...

GatorGal...C O N G R A T U L A T I O N S ! ! ! ! ! !

I'm very happy for you! I wish you a lifetime of happiness. :)

OzStamps,

I wish I could pick you up but I wrecked my car today while doing 180's in the snow. :D

Huh? I thought those John Deere's were pretty much indestructible????

So have you booked a Limo then, for our classy trip back TO the airport? :D

If you make us miss our plane to SYD, we are camping at your ranch for a few days. :cool:

Thanks pranu -- look forward to meeting you around midday at the Sheraton Reston. ^

And what is this "snow" stuff Gator Gal? Isn't that only found in Switzerland and those places?

Heck, as I type it is 30ºC (or about 90ºF) and far too sunny to go outside :

http://banners.wunderground.com/bann...ions/94767.gif

This is a minute by minute update.

Be nice. If you were to show up I *would* buy you a drink. :p

But for some reason I fear I'll not see you. :(

That said, I'm looking forward to the 29th! :D

Wow -- I can actually make this one!! Putting in in my calendar right now...

Woo hoo!!!

Of course, like everything in my life, this is subject to change... but looking forward to meeting all of you!

Snowed in at Dulles. :mad:

Our bags made it this am to Puerto Rico, but Lynn and I did not. Due to insane amounts of folks at IAD after the inauguation, all flying out, and elite check in and secuirty lines a mile long.

Anyway, we are stuck here in the snow til tomorrow. Anyone around the Dulles area that wants to catch up for a drink or dinner this afternoon/evening please give me a call - Glen Stephens, room 220, Sheraton Reston, phone 703 620 9000. We got a suite and are well dug in here now with a few bottles of bubbly. :)

February DC Dinner?
 

Any details on a date yet? Just trying to fill in my calendar....

I think we're pretty open to suggestions - what works best for you? I will be out of town the weekend of the 4th & Presidents Day weekend, but other than that, I should be around. I'm guessing later in the month may be better since our March one I think is tentatively scheduled for later in the month & we're about to have one this Saturday to.

How about the weekend of February 25 or thereabouts (week after Presidents' Day)? I can make it then but will be out of town all the other weekends in February.

Wish I could make it to the happy hour this coming Saturday but I'll be in Seattle.

That weekend works for me - but normally, we do try to do the get togethers on Thursday nights (or weeknights) - the one this weekend is in addition to the regular January Happy Hour.

See you folks in a day or so. ^

From sunny Puerto Rico ... totally free of 3 foot snow dumps. :)

Damn, we really wanted to make this lunch, but it is looking extremely doubtful now as Lisa has bronchitis.

Well the weather for Saturday should be sunny here too! :)

You'll just need to knock off about 50 degree F. of your local Puerto Rico temp to get IAD's. :D

See you tomorrow. ^